Source: The New York Times

On October 27, 2002 The New York Times reported that "by many accounts, religion had always been a stabilizing factor in the life of John Allen Muhammad, who is charged with murder in the sniper rampage that killed 10 people in the Washington region. But as the behavior of the sniper suspect careened out of control this month, so did the character of the religious utterances -- furious proclamations of 'I am God' and belligerent telephone calls to priests -- that law enforcement officials attributed to him. A rapid and...

Source: The Atlanta Journal and Constitution

On October 26, 2002 The Atlanta Journal and Constitution reported that "for many of metro Atlanta's 32,000 Muslims who gathered at area mosques for noon prayers Friday, the sniper suspect's faith was cause for consternation. Some said Muhammad had once again tarred the image of a peaceful religion, just as it was recovering from the shameful blow dealt by the Sept. 11 hijackers. Others disapprovingly noted that a true Muslim would never boast he is God, as the sniper did in a note at one of the shootings,...

Source: The Associated Press

Source: The Columbian

On October 26, 2002 The Columbian reported that "local Muslims have not experienced any backlash as a result of the arrest of a Muslim in the Washington, D.C., sniper shootings, according to Shaaban Naim, president of the Islamic Society of Southwest Washington. John Berger of the Greater Vancouver Interfaith Association said he was a little worried. 'I'm concerned that there might be a backlash,' he said. 'But I have a bit of faith in this community. I have an implicit faith that we will weather this one too.' There were no...

Source: FinalCall

http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/article_71.shtml

On October 26, 2002 FinalCall reported on Louis Farrakhan's press conference on the sniper arrest. He said, "I know that I can speak for myself and the members of my family, and all the Muslim members of the Nation, and all Muslims and people of good will everywhere, that we are in sympathy with the victims of this horror. And we are in sympathy with the families of these victims. And we,...

Source: The Dallas Morning News

On October 26, 2002 The Dallas Morning News reported that "according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations... more than a dozen Muslim Parents nationwide have been sued since September 2001 for custody of their children by non-Muslim ex-spouses and grandparents who don't want the children reared by the Muslim parent... That compares with two such lawsuits reported in the year leading up to the terrorist attacks. Most of the cases are scattered across the South and Midwest."

Source: Omaha World-Herald

On October 26, 2002 Omaha World-Herald reported that "Some... conservative Christians, Jews and Muslims, object to [Halloween's] pagan roots. But Halloween, which many Americans will celebrate Thursday, actually has numerous ties to Christian faiths. Halloween has its origins in the pagan celebration of the Celtic New Year, which fell during harvest time, around the beginning of November. The Celts - who lived in what are today the British Isles and France - honored the New Year with several festivals, the most important of...

Source: Council on Islamic-American Relations

On October 25, 2002 Council on Islamic-American Relations reported that "a security guard with the Smithsonian's Office of Protection Services in Washington, D.C., will be allowed to wear a religiously-mandated beard after intervention by CAIR. 'We appreciate the Smithsonian's concrete demonstration of its stated commitment to creating and maintaining a workplace free from religious discrimination,' said CAIR Civil Rights Consultant Hassan Mirza."

Source: The Associated Press

On October 25, 2002 The Associated Press reported that "a Muslim couple are suing US Bank, claiming a local branch refused to give them a checking account because of their religion and Arabic origin. Sami and Marisol Najjar said in the lawsuit that they tried to open a joint checking account last month but were told they could not because Sami Najjar had not been at his job or current address for 90 days. Others in the bank chain said there is no such requirement, according to the lawsuit, which asks for unspecified...

Source: ABC News

http://more.abcnews.go.com/sections/us/dailynews/islam_poll021025.html

On October 25, 2002 ABC News released the results of an ABCNEWS/Beliefnet poll on attitudes of Americans towards Islam. "Amid broad public unfamiliarity with Islam, doubts about the religion's tenets have grown. More than a third of Americans now don't think it teaches respect for other beliefs, and nearly a quarter believe Islam encourages violence against non-...

Source: Muslim Public Affairs Council

http://www.mpac.org/NEWS/newsitemdisplay.asp?ID=271&ITEMTYPE=NEWS

On October 25, 2002 Muslim Public Affairs Council reported that "America has lost another great public servant, Senator Paul Wellstone (Democrat--Minnesota), who died in a plane crash today along with his wife, Sheila, his daughter, Marcia, and several members of his campaign staff. Senator Wellstone was a friend of the American...

Source: St. Petersburg Times

On October 24, 2002 St. Petersburg Times reported that "the wife of a Pinellas County podiatrist accused in a plot to bomb Islamic centers was arrested today on federal charges of possessing illegal explosives and firearms, federal authorities said. Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms arrested Kristi Goldstein... said ATF Special Agent Carlos Baixauli. Full details of the investigation that led to Goldstein's arrest were not immediately available."

Source: The Associated Press

On October 24, 2002 The Associated Press reported that "with the arrest of two men early Thursday--one a convert to Islam and a teen said to be his stepson--many Muslims feared yet another angry backlash like the one they endured after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks."

Source: Council on American-Islamic Relations

On October 24, 2002 Council on American-Islamic Relations reported that "[CAIR] congratulated law enforcement officials for the arrest of two suspects in the series of sniper attacks in the Washington, D.C., area, and at the same time cautioned against speculation and stereotyping based on the name of one suspect."

Source: U.S. Newswire

On October 24, 2002 U.S. Newswire reported that "Calling a unilateral pre-emptive action against Iraq immoral, more than 125 Christian leaders and representatives from Jewish and Muslim faiths in the United States have signed onto a Statement of Conscience on the Iraq War... Citing sacred texts from the Qu'ran, Jewish and Christian scriptures, and elsewhere, religious leaders caution their government to take action against Iraq only through the United Nations, if at all. The...