Source: Union Tribune

On August 23, 2003 the Union Tribune reported that "prompted by complaints that fundamentalist Islamic clerics are spreading an anti-U.S., potentially violent ideology in federal prisons, the Justice Department's inspector general is investigating how prison officials are selecting Muslim chaplains... The complaints, including some from moderate Islamic groups, focus on the U.S. Bureau of Prisons' policy of relying on endorsements from two organizations that critics say promote the hard-line viewpoints shared by Osama bin Laden and...

Source: Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)

On August 22, 2003 the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) issued a press release declaring President Bush's recess appointment of controversial Mideast scholar Daniel Pipes to the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) a "moral victory." The statement said, "By issuing this recess appointment, the president acknowledges that Pipes' nomination would have been turned down by the Senate, despite that body's Republican majority. Without being approved by the Senate, Pipes will serve just 18 months of what...

Source: NCM Online

http://news.ncmonline.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=55f969f4cbe3fc77a68a9a9984d4343a

On August 22, 2003 NCM Online reported that "area Muslims and Arab Americans gathered for an unusual town hall meeting...in Annandale, where many confronted FBI and other U.S. government officials with concerns that their communities are being treated unfairly during the war on terrorism. Tariq Khan, center, of Falls...

Source: Argus

On August 21, 2003 the Argus reported that "some pray to God, others to Allah. Still others worship the Brahman, the Great Spirit or the Great Truth... The names for the 'divine' vary from Christianity to Buddhism and understanding the differences and similarities among world religions can enhance the faith of all religious seekers... That's the philosophy behind a 'World Peace Village' sponsored by the Menlo Park-based Child and Family Institute and Fremont's St. James Episcopal Church today... The community is invited to participate in...

Source: Pioneer Press

http://www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/news/local/6580090.htm

On August 21, 2003 the Pioneer Press reported, "After offering a series of programs to meet that need in recent years, [the Minnesota International Center] today is bringing together 'three great world religions' to help the public learn more about Christianity, Islam and Judaism and teach area teachers how to lead classroom discussions on religion. The center, based...

Source: Philadelphia Inquirer

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/editorial/6563587.htm

On August 19, 2003 the Philadelphia Inquirer printed an editorial stating that "around the United States increasing numbers of employers - including law enforcers - have concluded there is no good reason for denying religious expression on-the-job, such as female Muslim workers wearing the head covering some consider intrinsic to their faith... In Chicago's Cook County...

Source: Mercury News

http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/6566348.htm

On August 19, 2003 the Mercury News reported that "people of all faiths are rallying around a Livermore mosque leader who could be deported despite his lawyer's claim that a bureaucratic mix-up caused his immigration problems... Egyptian citizen Ahmad Abdalghafar Abdalla has been the calm center of a storm that has involved everyone from Amnesty International to the First...

Source: Reuters

On August 19, 2003 Reuters reported that "being gay and Muslim, especially after Sept. 11, 2001, is a unique act of defiance requiring homosexuals to defend their religious identity in the face of an increasingly suspicious U.S. government and sexual orientation amid hostility from the conservative Islamic community... Many would rather deny their sexuality than sacrifice family, friends, culture or religion by coming out of the closet... But some gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Muslims are finding a safe haven in Al-Fatiha, a...

Source: The Virginian-Pilot

Source: We Refuse To Be Enemies Coalition

On August 17, 2003 the We Refuse To Be Enemies Coalition printed an editorial by Adam Davis, David Good and Uzma Mirza stating that "this mistreatment of and discrimination against our Muslim neighbors is a threat not only to them but also to the very democratic principles of our country, founded as it is on that most remarkable document, the United States Constitution. Explicit in this Constitution is a 'pledge to protect' all the residents of this country, regardless of race, gender or religious affiliation....

Source: News 14 Carolina (Charlotte, NC)

http://www.news14charlotte.com/content/top_stories/default.asp?ArID=38575

On August 17, 2003 News 14 Carolina [Charlotte, NC] reported on a special town hall meeting between Muslims and area law enforcement in Pineville, NC. The meeting was held in response to Muslim concerns that "they are the targets of government insecurities about security and that the American Patriot Act crosses the line on a...

Source: Detroit Free Press

http://www.freep.com/voices/columnists/crim27_20030827.htm

On August 17, 2003, Mort Crim, columnist for the Detroit Free Press commented on the integrity of a Muslim Pakistani cab driver in New York City who returned $32,000 in cash left in his cab by an elderly woman.

Source: The Wichita Eagle

http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/living/6543468.htm

On August 16, 2003 The Wichita Eagle reported that "a neighborhood flier announcing a Christian sermon on the dangers of Islam attracted a couple dozen new faces to Wichita's Pleasant Valley Church of Christ last month. 'Did you know that the events of 9/11 are virtually described in the Quran?' the flier stated... Among those in the audience were nearly a dozen Muslims. They left believing...

Source: The Wichita Eagle

http://www.kansas.com/mld/eagle/living/6543458.htm

On August 16, 2003 The Wichita Eagle reported that "informational dialogue has helped situations in which Christian and Islamic leaders differ sharply in opinions, said [Jane Smith, professor of Islamic Studies at the Hartford Seminary in Connecticut]. But confrontational conversations can't build inter-faith relationships... 'I don't know that type of conversation gets us very far,' she said. '...

Source: Go Memphis

http://www.gomemphis.com/mca/faith_values/article/0,1426,MCA_4076_2184829,00.html

On August 16, 2003 Go Memphis reported that "they started talking a few weeks after Sept. 11, 2001... Memphis Christians and Jews. Memphis Muslims and Hindus. Memphis Buddhists and Baha'is... Their first gathering was on neutral ground, a local public high school. Hundreds of people came from many religious traditions. They talked about what...