Source: The Jersey Journal

http://www.nj.com/news/jjournal/index.ssf?/base/news-1/106457104751082.xml

On September 26, 2003 The Jersey Journal reported that thousands were expected to attend a public Navratri celebration in Jersey City's "Little India" neighborhood. The paper reported that this year would mark the first time the festival would be celebrated in the streets in the United States: "The local Indian community usually holds the festival...

Source: The Tennesean

http://www.tennessean.com/local/archives/03/09/39271396.shtml?Element_ID=39271396

On September 14, 2003 The Tennessean reported that "hundreds of people from different backgrounds, creeds and religions gathered yesterday at the Sri Ganesha Temple on Old Hickory Boulevard for the Indian Association of Nashville's annual Indian Festival. This was the third year members of the Hindu temple opened their doors to the...

Source: Daily Nonpareil

Source: Tri-Valley Herald

On August 28, 2003 the Tri-Valley Herald reported that "The [Federation of Indian American Associations] has organized an interfaith candlelight vigil [in response to the terrorist attacks in Bombay, India]...at the Fremont Hindu Temple and Cultural Center. The event will include hymns, scriptures, reflections, prayers and special music, followed by a candle-lighting ceremony to celebrate "our oneness with those who have suffered," organizers say."

Source: Argus

On August 21, 2003 the Argus reported that "some pray to God, others to Allah. Still others worship the Brahman, the Great Spirit or the Great Truth... The names for the 'divine' vary from Christianity to Buddhism and understanding the differences and similarities among world religions can enhance the faith of all religious seekers... That's the philosophy behind a 'World Peace Village' sponsored by the Menlo Park-based Child and Family Institute and Fremont's St. James Episcopal Church today... The community is invited to participate in...

Source: Mercury News

http://www.bayarea.com/mld/cctimes/news/local/states/california/counties/alameda_county/6547379.htm

On August 16, 2003 the Mercury News reported that "The mission of the 11th annual Festival of India and Parade, being hosted this weekend in Fremont, is meant to celebrate India's independence from British rule in 1947... The event, which features folk dancing, samosas and appearances from famous...

Source: Go Memphis

http://www.gomemphis.com/mca/faith_values/article/0,1426,MCA_4076_2184829,00.html

On August 16, 2003 Go Memphis reported that "they started talking a few weeks after Sept. 11, 2001... Memphis Christians and Jews. Memphis Muslims and Hindus. Memphis Buddhists and Baha'is... Their first gathering was on neutral ground, a local public high school. Hundreds of people came from many religious traditions. They talked about what...

Source: India Abroad

On August 14, 2003 India Abroad reported that "graffiti... [in the form of] 'KKK'... and 'Satan,' and such appeared on the walls of the Bhakti Vedanta Cultural Center, a Hare Krishna temple in Chandler, Arizona and on the school bus on the night of August 1. Vijaya Gauinga, the monk who discovered the vandalism, said he considered the 'KKK' graffiti a warning. 'We feel it as an act of hate,' Bhaktaraj Swami, one of the Center's 13 monks, told India Abroad."

Source: Silicon India

Source: The Arizona Republic

On August 13, 2003 The Arizona Republic reported that "police are investigating two graffiti attacks on a Chandler Hindu center [AZ] as possible hate crimes... Chandler police assigned detectives to the two cases Wednesday after the Bhakti Vedanta Cultural Center was vandalized for the second time in two weeks late Tuesday or early Wednesday... In both cases, graffiti about drugs, sex and Satan was spray-painted on the north windows of the building, at 100 S. Weber Drive. Originally, police considered the July 31 vandalism to be...

Source: INDO Link

http://www.indolink.com/News/NRI/news_080803-190334.php

On August 8, 2003 INDO Link reported, that "a Ratha (chariot) festival was celebrated for the first time in the streets of Stuttgart by the local Indian community last Saturday. Many German residents of the city stretched their necks out of their windows, unbelievingly, as hundreds of Hindus pulled the Elephant God [Ganesha] on a holy vehicle through the streets. For nine days, the Hindus...

Source: Tech MIT

http://www-tech.mit.edu/V123/N30/shankar30.30c.html

On August 6, 2003 Tech MIT printed an editorial by Shankar Mukherji stating that "as a religious person, I am deeply offended at the thought that such an inspirational part of my life could be hijacked for such a destructive, mean-spirited purpose. As a practising Hindu, a religion that represents nearly one-sixth of humanity, I can humbly assert that God couldn’t care less about the gender of...

Source: Toledo Blade

[toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20030802/NEWS10/108020120]

On August 2, 2003 the Toledo Blade reported that "a Toledo couple known for their efforts in promoting interfaith programs have launched a new organization, the Multifaith Council of Northwest Ohio, to better facilitate understanding and acceptance among the area’s diverse religious communities... 'What’s so different about us? We’re all God’s children even though we may take different spiritual paths,' said Woody Trautman, a...

Source: India Abroad

On August 1, 2003 India Abroad reported that the Center for Indic Studies, University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, organized a conference entitled "Impact of Swami Vivekananda's Voyage to the West." It was the first conference of its kind in North America.

Source: India Abroad

On August 1, 2003 India Abroad reported that "the Hindu University in Orlando, Florida, plans a course in Purohitya to train priests for Hindu temples in the United States."