Source: The Associated Press

On March 21, 2001, The Associated Press reported that "police joined an interfaith service Wednesday to assure religious and minority leaders they have not ruled out the possibility the beating of two Muslims outside a mosque was a hate crime." They promised "to continue to investigate absolutely everything."

Source: The Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A36795-2001Mar21.html

On March 21, 2001, The Washington Post reported that "reflecting the growth of the Muslim population in Fairfax and Loudoun counties, Muslim leaders have announced plans to build a mosque near Dulles International Airport...It is being built by the All Dulles Area Muslim Society...The society serves about 1,600 Muslims in western Fairfax and eastern Loudoun."...

Source: The Reno Gazette-Journal

http://www.rgj.com/news2/stories/news/985245836.php

On March 21, 2001, The Reno Gazette-Journal reported that "a 15-year-old Hug High School student was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of beating two Muslim men last week in Sparks. The attack was motivated by robbery, not racial hatred as initially suspected, police said...The teen-agers did not know they were at a mosque," where the attacks took place. "The Muslim community is planning an...

Source: The Reno Gazette-Journal

http://www.rgj.com/news2/stories/news/985154258.php

On March 20, 2001, The Reno Gazette-Journal reported that "a Muslim physician beaten with a baseball bat last week outside his Sparks mosque showed signs of recovery," but that it is not certain yet whether he will survive. Two unidentified white men are responsible for the hate-motivated attack.

Source: Associated Press

On March 20, 2001, the Associated Press reported that "police investigating the brutal beating of Muslims outside a mosque said Tuesday that they no longer believe the baseball bat attack was a hate crime...But some members of the local Muslim community were questioning the investigators' latest conclusion," because the men were beaten so hard after they had been robbed.

Source: The Washington Times

On March 19, 2001, The Washington Times reported that "a postage stamp commemorating the Muslim community's two most important religious holidays will be issued this fall by the U.S. Postal Service. The stamp, which is the first ever to bear a phrase in Arabic, will pay tribute to the Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Fitr festivals...There are an estimated 7 million Muslims in the United States according to figures posted by the American Muslim Council in Washington. About 300,000 of them live in the Washington metropolitan area...Some...

Source: New York Daily News

On March 18, 2001, the New York Daily News reported that butchers in Astoria are worried about foot-and-mouth disease. "In Astoria, one of Queens' most ethnically diverse areas, small butcher shops usually prosper by serving residents with special diet or religious requirements...Many of Astoria's halal shops buy their goods from slaughterhouses in New Jersey and Pennsylvania."

Source: The San Diego Union-Tribune

http://www.signonsandiego.com/

On March 16, 2001, The San Diego Union-Tribune published an editorial by Mohamed El-Bendary, a doctoral student at Louisiana State University in which he condemned the Taliban's destruction of Buddhist statues.

Source: The Harvard Gazette

Source: The San Diego Union-Tribune

http://www.signonsandiego.com/

On March 14, 2001, The San Diego Union-Tribune published an editorial by Muhammad Aquil, director of public relations at the Islamic Center of San Diego, in which he said that the way the press covers the Taliban often casts a bad light on Muslims in general.

Source: AMC-NET

On March 13, 2001, the American Muslim Council reported that "the American Muslim Council hosted a forum Monday, at Georgetown University, geared toward helping formulate a policy position and consensus among the community regarding President Bush’s Faith-based Initiative." A lot of the talk focused on American Muslim involvement "in the selection process when it comes to determining eligibility. The community called on the White House to ensure balanced representation and objectivity in the Office." The AMC Executive Director sees the...

Source: The Washington Post

On March 11, 2001, The Washington Post reported that organizers of the gathering at the Capitol Expo Center in Chantilly, Virginia, to celebrate the end of the Hajj, recently began inviting political candidates to speak to the 17,000 Muslims in attendance. "Muslims are a potentially rich source of votes in Virginia because they are reliable voters and generally support candidates as a bloc." 150,000 to 250,000 Muslims live in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia. "The awakening of an Islamic voice in politics is...

Source: The Boston Globe

On March 11, 2001, The Boston Globe reported that "Islam is the fastest growing major religion in the military...Yet there there are only 10 Muslim chaplains for a population that the military estimates at 4,140, and that Muslims estimate at more than 10,000...Muslims say they face special challenges in the military, not only because of their particular dietary regulations and their requirement for frequent prayer, but also because they are unfamiliar to many in military leadership." The military is trying to train more Muslim...

Source: The San Francisco Chronicle

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2001/03/11

On March 11, 2001, The San Francisco Chronicle reported that "a group of Muslim inmates at Vacaville State Prison has now invoked [the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act] in a class-action suit that asserts their right to grow beards." A basic tenet of their religion is that men must grow beards, but "...

Source: Los Angeles Times

On March 10, 2001, the Los Angeles Times reported on a split among Muslims on when to observe key Islamic holidays, which is based on the lunar calendar. "A large block of American mosques--relying more on science and less on the human eye--this year came to a different conclusion from authorities in Mecca, Saudi Arabia" on when the new moon appeared in the sky. Muzammil Siddiqi, president of the Islamic Society of North America, is planning to meet soon with both American and Middle Eastern Muslims to work out an agreement....