Source: U.S. Department of State

On November 19, 2002 the U.S. Department of State reported that "Secretary of State Colin Powell hosted a Ramadan Iftaar dinner at the State Department on November 18 for American Muslim and Arab American community leaders. In his welcoming remarks, the Secretary said diversity, spirituality, and tolerance are America's greatest strengths, and extremism and violence are its greatest foes. The event was attended by a large group of Muslim community leaders from around the country, including representatives from American...

Source: Tolerance.org

[tolerance.org/news/article_tol.jsp?id=639]

On November 18, 2002 Tolerance.org reported that "Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore has 30 days to remove a 2-ton Ten Commandments monument from the rotunda of Alabama’s judicial building, a federal judge ruled today. U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson wrote in his opinion that the monument violates the constitution’s ban on government promotion of religion. 'The court retains jurisdiction to impose and enforce an injunction should one become necessary,' the...

Source: Anti-Defamation League

[adl.org/PresRele/Education_01/4194_01.asp]

On November 18, 2002 the Anti-Defamation League reported that "the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has reached out to public schools and public institutions nationwide with materials and information to help foster constitutionally permissible recognitions of the December holidays. A letter is being disseminated through ADL's 30 regional offices nationwide to school districts, emphasizing the need to be cautious in how they employ religious symbols and...

Source: The Washington Post

On November 17, 2002 The Washington Post reported that "the wooded acres near Shirley Gate and Braddock roads in central Fairfax County are already populated with a diverse mixture of religious institutions: a mosque and Pentecostal and Korean churches. Now crammed into classrooms in two Annandale locations, Gesher -- the only Jewish day school in Northern Virginia -- purchased 28 acres on the west side of Shirley Gate this year for $ 1.25 million. School officials received approval from the county to build a $ 12 million...

Source: San Antonio Express-News

On November 17, 2002 the San Antonio Express-News reported that "the Ecumenical Center for Religion and Health began exploring links between spirituality and health in the South Texas Medical Center. Today, the nonprofit center remains a guiding force for families and individuals seeking faith-based counseling, clergy members needing direction on modern health and social issues, and doctors trying to grasp ethical dilemmas. A group of clergy that included Episcopal, Jewish, Methodist and Catholic leaders founded the...

Source: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

[accessatlanta.com/ajc/epaper/editions/saturday/faith_values_d35d4e12f062908500fe.html]

On November 16, 2002 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that "Meg Uhlman was thrilled last month that her daughter's sixth-grade class planned to attend a local production of 'A Christmas Carol.' But her joy turned to rage when the trip was abruptly replaced with one to see 'The Great Railroad Race' --- a decision made, she claims, to satisfy the dictates of political correctness. 'Some...

Source: National Council of Churches

http://www.ncccusa.org/news/02news97.html

On November 16, 2002 the National Council of Churches reported that "the National Council of Churches General Assembly today (Nov. 16) unanimously urged President Bush and the U.S. Congress... to 'Do all possible, without going to war,' to resolve the Iraq crisis... the delegates from the NCC’s 36 Protestant, Orthodox and Anglican member communions, which comprise 50 million U.S. Christians, also...

Source: The Boston Globe

On November 16, 2002 The Boston Globe reported that "the national alarm over church burnings, prompted by dozens of fires set at churches in the South and Midwest in the mid-1990s, subsided several years ago after Congress gave federal authorities greater power to investigate and prosecute church arsons... The registry lists arsons and bombings at 21 synagogues and nine mosques. Most of the targets of attack were churches."

Source: PBS

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week611/cover.html

On November 15, 2002 PBS reported that "Muslim immigrants from war-torn Somalia, searching for a little peace and happiness... went on a search for a smaller, safer place to raise their families, and about a thousand ended up in Lewiston, Maine... at the Lewiston Adult Education Center, English as a second language classes are busting at the seams with students 'from away,' as Mainers...

Source: The Oregonian

On November 15, 2002 The Oregonian reported that "a protest Sunday in downtown Portland against a possible war in Iraq is drawing support from Palestinians, Jews, Catholics, Buddhists, Quakers and Scientologists, among others. Frank Fromherz, director of the Portland Catholic Archdiocese Office of Justice and Peace, said the peace activists will call on the U.S. government to find nonviolent solutions to threats such as terrorist attacks."

Source: The Houston Chronicle

On November 14, 2002 The Houston Chronicle reported that "the Children's Museum of Houston celebrates this diversity with the return of its annual Festivals of Light exhibit, which is open today through Jan. 20. The exhibit showcases eight religious and cultural observances. They are Diwali, Ramadan, Santa Lucia, Hanukkah, Las Posadas, Christmas, Kwanzaa and the Lunar New Year during its free Thursday Family Nights - starting this evening - and as WonderWeekend festivities through Feb. 2. Children can see how the...

Source: The Associated Press

On November 13, 2002 The Associated Press reported that "[Grant] Pontius began to study paganism as a teenager living in Osceola [FL]. A few years later, while attending a 'drumming circle' with some friends, Pontius felt an explosive 'presence of energy.' Pontius' experience mirrors that of Katrina Jones, a 1987 Memorial High School graduate and self-proclaimed Wiccan witch... As a girl, Jones attended a conservative Christian church until the church insisted the friend she brought along to youth group had to join. 'Well, I...

Source: The Becket Fund

http://www.becketfund.org/litigate/MedicineWheel.html

On November 13, 2002 The Becket Fund reported that "in November 2002, The Becket Fund filed an amicus curiae brief [Wyoming Sawmills Inc. v. U.S. Forest Service, et al] with the 10th Circuit, on behalf of itself and a wide variety of Christian, Jewish and Muslim organizations, including the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions, the General Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists, the General...

Source: American Muslim News Brief

Source: The Boston Globe

On November 10, 2002 The Boston Globe reported that "the 'Hanukkah Bunny' is coming early this year. Laden with presents and sneaking into the house as quietly as, well, a famed rodent, the bunny will be hopping by close on the tail of the Thanksgiving turkey, making its first appearance on the evening of November 29... for Jews all through our Christmas-centric country, the timing of the holiday this year accentuates a cultural and religious divide.  Hanukkah isn't Christmas - despite the cultural efforts to align the two...