Source: The Associated Press

On July 20, 2000, the Associated Press released an article about how the plan to convert a church into a mosque has divided the mostly Christian Chicago suburb of Palos Heights. Yet even with all the "political sniping and accusations of bigotry, residents seemed a little stunned when a federal mediator stood up at a recent city council meeting with an offer to step in." The council did not immediately accept the offer, but the mayor seemed open to the idea. Some in the small town wish the spotlight had never hit their quiet...

Source: National Public Radio

On July 19, 2000, National Public Radio aired a story entitled "Chicago Suburb Wrestles with Racist Overtones of City Council." The mayor of Palos Heights vetoed the $200,000 offer by the city council, calling it "an insult to Muslims and fiscally irresponsible for the city." Yet the Al Salam Mosque Foundation unexpectedly accepted the city's buyout. Speaking at a press conference, the foundation's attorney, Rouhy Shalabi, said "deciding to accept the money and walk away was a tough decision, but his clients did not want to be in a...

Source: Chicago Sun-Times

On July 19, 2000, the Chicago Sun-Times published an article about a group of Muslims in Palos Heights who wish to buy a church and turn it into the city's first mosque, following a promised mayoral veto of a $200,000 offer for the Muslims to walk away from the project. The Al Salam Mosque Foundation plans to buy the "Reformed Church of Palos Heights building for $2.1 Million, even though many residents and some city council members had hoped to acquire the church for a new recreation center." Mayor Dean Koldenhoven vowed to veto...

Source: The Atlanta Journal and Constitution

On July 15, 2000, The Atlanta Journal and Constitution published an article about Louis Farrakhan's Million Family March. Farrakhan called on families of all races and religions to congregate at the nation's capital on the fifth anniversary of the Million Man March. He "envisions a massive, peaceful parade where people seek common goals while walking under their separate symbols: 'Muslims under the crescent. Christians under the cross. Jews with the Star of David. ... gangs in the cities to come in their...

Source: The Washington Post

n July 15, 2000, The Washington Post published an article about Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan's plans for a Million Family March on October 16. Farrakhan "sounded an upbeat message of inclusion...encouraging all ethnic and religious groups, including Jews, to 'come under their own banner.'" To focus attention on what he sees as a breakdown of family values, Farrakhan plans to remarry a million men to their wives at the event and marry 10,000 new couples. "We are all members of the human family, though we are not yet...

Source: St. Petersburg Times

On July 15, 2000, The St. Petersburg Times published an article entitled "Tower Calls Muslims to Prayer: A Modified Minaret is Nearly Complete at the Albanian Islamic Cultural Center of Clearwater."

Source: The New Jersey Star-Ledger

On July 7, 2000, The New Jersey Star-Ledger published an article entitled "Muslim group launches voter drive to increase political clout," reporting on the Council on American-Islamic Relations' recent announcement of plans for a national "voter registration drive aimed at bringing thousands of Muslim voters into the electorate and forcing the presidential candidates to heed their concerns."

Source: The New York Times

On July 3, 2000, The New York Times published an article about the pressures facing young Muslims in America. Aliyyah Abdur-Rahman and Tajah Muhammad, students at the Clara Mohammed Elementary School, talked to the Times about their goals, dreams, and the difficulties they sometimes face. Both girls, like so many young children across the country, hope to grow up to be professional athletes. Yet the two African-American girls from devout Muslim families must also wear head scarves while they practice and play; the...

Source: The Commercial Appeal

On June 21, 2000, the Commercial Appeal of Memphis, TN published an article about a shooting at Masjid Al-Noor, an East Memphis mosque, as members gathered for morning prayers. The gunman allegedly ambushed a worshiper as he approached the mosque, shot him, and then blasted golf ball-sized holes into the locked doors of the building. Police arrested Brent Fong, who lives next door to the mosque and was charged with attempted first-degree murder and nine counts of reckless endangerment. According to police, Fong said, "I did...

Source: The New Jersey Star-Ledger

On June 18, 2000, The New Jersey Star-Ledger published an article regarding New Jersey's most recent efforts to have "Islamic practices placed on equal footing in the civic arena with those of Judaism and Christianity." The state is "poised to enact a law that would make it the first state with consumer protection laws for food prepared under the Muslim dietary laws known as halal, a religiously mandated system of food practices akin to kosher regulations for Jews." Read the full article at this...

Source: The Times (London)

On May 27, 2000 The Times (London) published an article entitled " The West is still demonising Islam." Author Karen Armstrong contends that "This is an age when people are beginning to discover the richness of other religious traditions. Without abandoning their own faith, some are turning for nourishment to more than one religion...But one religion seems excluded from this circle of goodwill. For nearly a thousand years, the Western world has cultivated a distorted vision of Islam which bears little relation to the truth but...

Source: The Houston Chronicle

On May 27, 2000, the Houston Chronicle published "In the Name of Islam; Former Rock Star Finds Peace Serving Allah." The article reported that Yusef Islam, formerly known as Cat Stevens, recently spoke at the University of Houston about his faith in and conversion to Islam. Islam said "that while many people may have lost the ability to commit to an ideal, becoming a Muslim energized his inner and outer existence while stilling the uncertainty of his restless soul."

Source: The Detroit News

On May 26, 2000, The Detroit News published an article about a blood drive being held at a local Mosque. According to the Red Cross, it is the first blood drive in America to be hosted by an Islamic institution. See "Wayne Briefs" for the full story.

Source: The San Diego Union-Tribune

On May 25, 2000, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that residents may appeal approval of the temple plans based on traffic concerns, even though a traffic study found that "there would be only minor increases in traffic on Rincon Avenue, during worship hours on the weekends."

Source: The San Diego Union-Tribune

On May 25, 2000, an editorial in the The San Diego Union-Tribune suggested that at least some of the opposition to the proposed temple is due to "the fact that people have difficulty accepting a lifestyle or religion different from their own."