Author: Jim Fitzgerald

Source: The Associated Press

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jk0K5Yvz2_qJ9MBhvzqe0VPyq5qwD95208E00

When they light the town Christmas tree in Armonk on Sunday, there will be a Jewish menorah right alongside, as usual. There will also be something new this year — an Islamic crescent and star.

And if there are any Buddhists or Hindus in town who want to see...

Author: Sam Hodges

Source: The Dallas Morning News

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/religion/stories/121308dnmetrabbi.39cd99f.html

Rabbi Jeremy Schneider spends a lot of time talking to Muslims, and wants other Jews to do the same.

At age 32, the assistant rabbi at Dallas' Temple Shalom has emerged as a national leader in Jewish-Muslim dialogue.

"He has been in the forefront...

Author: Staff Writer

Source: The Toledo Blade

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081213/NEWS10/812130339

Toledo Muslims are donating more than 1,500 pounds of meat slaughtered for an Islamic holiday to the area's poor and needy.

"Fresh meat is something that is really missing in most food banks and shelter homes," Dr. M. Razi Rafeeq said.

The goats, sheep, lambs, and cows were...

Author: Noor Toorani

Source: Gulf Daily News

Author: Jonathan Adams

Source: The Christian Science Monitor

http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/1212/p06s02-woap.html

On a muddy, shaded track between fertile farmlands, 30 men lounge in flip-flops and tattered camouflage, displaying their beaten-up M-16 and AK-47 assault rifles.

They call themselves ilaga or "rats" in a local Philippines dialect. They're vigilantes: Christian farmers who have taken up arms to protect their land and...

Author: Jennifer Garza

Source: The News Tribune

[thenewstribune.com/tacoma/24hour/religion/story/564506.html]

The meeting was well into its second hour when Tamir Sukkary let out a loud sigh, put his head in his hands and asked about chaperones.

Should we have them?

He knew this was a sensitive subject for some Muslims.

"Mahram? Of course," answered one man, an outspoken member of the committee.

After a 40-minute discussion the Matrimonial Singles Task Force unanimously...

Author: Peter H. King

Source: The Los Angeles Times

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/washingtondc/la-na-moment11-2008dec11,0,7546013.story

Masjid As-Sabur, sometimes called "the black mosque" by Las Vegas Muslims, sits on the backside of downtown, amid a mishmash of housing projects, run-down apartments and abandoned lots. Across the freeway looms the Lady Luck casino, its neon sign seeming to mock the...

Author: Staff Writer

Source: Miami New Times

[blogs.miaminewtimes.com/riptide/2008/12/south_florida_muslims_use_bus.php]

Remember when a copy of the DVD Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West -- a film decried as Christian propaganda that seems to suggest Islam leads to terrorism -- was included in a Sunday Herald? And we ripped the daily a new one for not initially explaining the controversial inclusion -- and then later ran an ad for the DVD ourselves (oops, our bad)?

Well, South...

Author: Jennifer Loven

Source: The Associated Press

[yahoo.com/s/ap/20081210/ap_on_go_pr_wh/obama_interview;_ylt=Ast14HBxyvpUsP8CU9LhNBc7Xs8F]

President-elect Barack Obama says he will try to "reboot America's image" among the world's Muslims and will follow tradition by using his entire name — Barack Hussein Obama — in his swearing-in ceremony.

The U.S. image globally has taken a deep hit during President George W. Bush's two terms in office, primarily because of opposition to the U.S.-led...

Author: Staff Writer

Source: WKRN

http://www.wkrn.com/global/story.asp?s=9500436

Ten months after a Maury County mosque was destroyed in a hate crime, members have a new building to worship in.

For days after the mosque was defamed and set ablaze, Daoud Abudiab and other members picked through the charred rubble, hoping to save what few items were still recognizable.

"Unfortunately, we were not able to salvage any of that," he told...

Author: Sameer Mohindru

Source: The Wall Street Journal

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122884940864892043.html

The annual pilgrimage to Amarnath cave in the southern Himalayas has been a rare example of Hindu-Muslim unity in India for centuries.

Each year, hundreds of thousands of Hindus trek through snow-clad peaks to the sacred cave of Amarnath, 3,888 meters above sea level, during a two-month period between June and August.
...

Author: Henrik Hansson

Source: World Council of Churches News

[oikoumene.org/en/news/news-management/eng/a/article/1722/pakistani-christians-ser.html]

Pakistani Christian communities confronted with the presence of the Taliban and Al-Qaida serve their Muslim neighbours in an unfriendly environment.

Christians in the North Western Frontier Province of Pakistan find themselves in the midst of a complex conflict involving regional and global powers. With Pakistani government security forces...

Author: Gregg Krupa

Source: The Detroit News

[detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081210/METRO/812100477/1361]

A coalition of community and civil right groups announced today the establishment of a telephone hotline and Internet address for quick reporting of any incidents of suspected profiling at the U.S.-Canadian border.

The groups, led by the American Civil Liberties Union-Michigan, citied the continual difficulty some Muslims and people of Arab and South Asian descent encounter at...

Author: Staff Writer

Source: Times of India

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/On_Eid_bands_against_terror/articleshow/3815902.cms

They wore black ribbons, carried placards of peace, sent out emails and SMSes reiterating harmony, and put up banners saluting those who died in the 26/11 terrorist attack. From Chennai's Thousand Lights Mosque to Delhi's Jama Masjid, from Khwaza Banda Nawaz dargah in Gulbarga...

Author: Tim Paradis

Source: Daily Breeze

Wire Service: AP

[dailybreeze.com/business/ci_11187067]

Sam Saladino's mutual fund wasn't even a year old when the stock market began slipping. But even through the punishing run in stocks this year, he's managed to attract investor dollars and beat his benchmark.

His Epiphany Fund, which invests according to Catholic principles, is among those that use religion as a guidepost and that could grow more...