Source: The Daily Breeze

http ://w ww.dailybreeze.com/content/bln/nmbmuslim8.html

On April 1, 2002, The Daily Breeze reported on an interfaith dialgoue in Torrance, CA. The meeting was part of the Annual Religions' Founders Day sponsored by the Worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim Association. Jewish, Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu and Sikh religious leaders gathered "to discuss the origins and teachings of their faiths."

Source: Newsday

On March 31, 2002, Newsday reported that "more than 2,000 Hindus celebrated the start of their new year by showering each other with powder, symbolizing renewal, and parading along Liberty Avenue... Organizers said the Police Department cautioned against using powder in this year's festival, because of the anthrax scare last fall. But that did not keep celebrants from dousing themselves with baby powder and other powders in many hues and squirting themselves with colored water... City Councilman Allan Jennings, a Democrat who represents...

Source: The Columbus Dispatch

On March 22, 2002, The Columbus Dispatch reported that Columbus, OH area Hindus "hope that this year's observance of Holi, a major spring holiday of their faith, will end the religious violence that has killed some 700 Muslims and Hindus in India in recent weeks... Part of the celebration... involves people in spraying one another with colored water or splattering each other with colored powder... Smearing others with colors has a leveling effect... 'This festival transcends all sectarian traditions,' said Shive K....

Source: The Hartford Courant

On March 20, 2002, The Hartford Courant reported on "a benefit concert at Connecticut Valley Hindu Temple [in Middlesex, CT] after the Sept. 11 attacks -- and worshipers responded with $15,445 in donations to the terror victims and their families... Sunday, temple leaders will give a check in that amount to the American Red Cross. It is among the five largest donations to the relief effort that the local chapter has received... Mayor Domenique Thornton will join temple leaders and Red Cross representatives at a ceremony at...

Source: Newsday

On March 19, 2002, Newsday reported that "the red and white powders Hindu revelers toss to symbolize friendship and love at an annual Queens parade that draws tens of thousands are being discouraged by police who fear the substances could pose a safety threat... Organizers of the upcoming Hindu festival and parade in Richmond Hill have agreed to shelve the white and red powders this year due to recent anthrax scares, but some community leaders say the decision will diminish the event's significance... The parade, also known as [Holi or...

Source: St. Petersburg Times

On March 18, 2002, the St. Petersburgh Times featured an article on the mounting controversy at the Vishnu Hindu Temple in Tampa Heights, Florida. Recently, "temple trustees dissolved the board of directors and fired the pundit [or priest, Vishnu Sharma], accusing him of violating the 'highest moral, religious and ethical values' of Hinduism... But Sharma's supporters say.. Dr. Pawan Rattan, the temple president... and a few others have concocted charges against the popular pundit to take control of the temple and oversee...

Source: Los Angeles Times

On March 18, 2002, the Los Angeles Times reported that "the City Council of church-filled Bakersfield [CA] decided to place the national motto... 'In God We Trust'...to the walls of City Hall... 'We are doing something great tonight,' the councilwoman who suggested the posting said when it was overwhelmingly approved a few weeks ago... More remarkable has been the public debate that accompanied her proposal, the letters to the local paper condemning it and the fact that it was not supported by the mayor... The dissension...

Source: The Denver Post

On March 17, 2002, The Denver Post featured the editorial "Faith, Fear and Public Schools" by Lori Colvin-Hobbs, a parent and business director at The Odyssey School in Denver, CO where middle school students are engaged in an Asian Studies program, which includes studying Asian religions. "For many families, both Christian and non-Christian, this learning expedition was an exciting opportunity for their students... But some Christian families in our school community saw the Asian studies curriculum as a threat - crossing...

Source: The New York Times

On March 17, 2002, The New York Times reported that "Indians are the fastest-growing Asian community on Long Island, nearly doubling in population from 17,523 in 1990 to 34,333 in 2000, according to the 2000 census. Asian Indians, who include Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims and Christians, are now the largest Asian group on Long Island, followed by the Chinese and the Koreans... These Asian groups have grown enough in recent years to support their own supermarkets, language schools, churches, temples and mosques on Long Island,...

Source: The Buffalo News

On March 15, 2002, The Buffalo News reported that "the New York Civil Liberties Union on Thursday announced its intention to file a federal lawsuit in April over the 'malicious prosecution' of Stephen and Linda Voith, Krishna Bhaktivedanta followers who... are accused of illegally housing... animals within village limits... [The Voiths] maintain the animals they keep on their 3-acre homesite in the village are an integral part of their religion... Krishna Bhaktivedanta is an offshoot of Krishna Consciousness, a Hindu-based faith...

Source: India-West Newspaper

http://www.ncmonline.com/content/ncm/2002/mar/0315southasian.html

On March 15, 2002, India-West Newspaper reported "South Asians Main Targets of Sept. 11 Backlash." It noted that "The first major study of bias crimes in the U.S. after Sept. 11 terrorist attacks found that 96 percent of 243 incidents of violence that were documented targeted South Asians. In more than half of the incidents, the targets were Sikhs, whose men wear...

Source: The Atlanta Journal and Constitution

On March 13, 2002, The Atlanta Journal and Constitution reported that "in recent weeks, fighting between Muslims and Hindus in India has left more than 700 dead." The article examines how this violence is effecting the South Asian community in the Atlanta area. "Nearly two years ago, two Indians --- one Hindu and one Muslim --- formed South Asians for Unity (SA4U), an organization that hopes to strengthen relations between the various communities from the region living [in Atlanta]. Today the group has grown...

Source: The Boston Globe

On March 13, 2002, The Boston Globe reported that "the scourge of clergy sexual abuse has afflicted virtually every religious denomination: In recent years rabbis, ministers, and gurus have all been charged with molesting children... But the Catholic Church has been hit with many more allegations of clergy sexual abuse than any other faith or denomination. Recent statistics on the Archdiocese of Boston show "at least 80 priests have been accused of child sexual abuse over the last 50 years, and scholars say as many as 2,000...

Source: Newsday

On March 12, 2002, Newsday reported that "religious leaders across the city marked the six-month anniversary of the Sept. 11 tragedy yesterday with prayers for the victims and calls for healing and peace... The victims were remembered in temples, mosques and churches, as well as outdoor events across the city... Religious leaders from Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, Jewish and other congregations gathered at City Hall Park to remember the dead, but also to sharply criticize the war in Afghanistan. They also denounced reported plans of the...

Source: The New York Times

On March 9, 2002, The New York Times reported that "the McDonald's Corporation plans to issue an apology and pay $10 million to vegetarian and religious groups for using beef flavoring in its French fries. The action is part of a proposed settlement of lawsuits charging that the company misled consumers... According to a draft of the settlement, 60 percent of the payment would go to vegetarian groups, with the rest going to groups devoted to Hindus and Sikhs, children's nutrition and assistance, and kosher dietary...