Source: BBC News

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3031379.stm

On May 15, 2003 the BBC News reported that "Muslim women in Russia will be permitted to wear headscarves in passport photos, the country's Supreme Court has ruled in what has been hailed a victory for civil rights. The decision followed an appeal by a group of women from the predominantly Muslim republic of Tatarstan, who had been campaigning to overturn a 1997 Interior Ministry ruling which forbade women to...

Source: Detroit Free Press

http://www.freep.com/news/mich/arab15_20030515.htm

On May 15, 2003 the Detroit Free Press reported that "Michigan's Arab Americans have soured in their support for President George W. Bush, despite his triumph in Iraq... Only 34 percent have a favorable view of Bush's job performance, a new poll shows. Forty-seven percent said they voted for Bush in 2000; 17 percent said they voted for Democrat Al Gore, according to the EPIC/MRA poll of 500...

Source: House.gov

http ://w ww.house.gov/apps/list/press/oh09_kaptur/bigotry.html

On May 15, 2003 House.gov reported that "Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur today joined Congressman Darrell Issa (R-CA) to introduce legislation in the House of Representatives condemning violence and bigotry against Arab Americans, Muslim Americans, South Asian Americans and Sikh Americans. Kaptur’s bill also calls upon law enforcement authorities to aid on the prevention and prosecution of hate crimes wherever they occur... 'The district I...

Source: Newhouse News Service

http://www.newhouse.com/archive/okeefe051503.html

On May 15, 2003 the Newhouse News Service reported that "leading Muslim organizations say it's time for Americans to stop using the phrase 'Judeo-Christian' when describing the values and character that define the United States... Better choices, they say, are 'Judeo-Christian-Islamic' or 'Abrahamic,' referring to Abraham, the patriarch held in common by the monotheistic big three religions...

Source: Azizah

On May 15, 2003 Azizah reported that Sakinah Shaahid and Aziza Hassan, two Muslim women students at Temple University, led the University's Fencing Team, the Owls, to a seventh place finish at the 2002 NCAA National Fencing Championships.

Source: Newhouse News Service

http://www.newhousenews.com/archive/mccutcheon051403.html

On May 14, 2003 Newhouse News Service reported that "the FBI is intensely recruiting Arab-Americans and Arabic speakers to demonstrate the bureau's commitment to diversity and to help target surveillance on terrorist activities without spying on innocent citizens... The CIA, which also has been looking for linguists and other Arab-American professionals, has launched its own...

Source: Orlando Sentinel

http://www.OrlandoSentinel.com/

On May 14, 2003 the Orlando Sentinel reported that "a Unitarian minister Tuesday challenged the notion that America is an evangelical Christian nation, calling on local religious leaders to revive a group to promote tolerance and civility... 'We are not basically an evangelical Christian country,' said the Rev. John Higgins, president of the Florida chapter of The Interfaith Alliance. Higgins was among five speakers at the University...

Source: The Associated Press

Source: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Source: Star Tribune

http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/3879444.html

On May 13, 2003 the Star Tribune reported that "a proposal to build Minnesota's first Muslim meat-processing plant is drawing protest from Rice County residents who fear it could damage the environment, lower property values and increase traffic to their rural area... But those may not be the only issues that will bring opponents to a County Board meeting tonight in Faribault, according to the...

Source: MPAC News

http://www.mpac.org/

On May 10, 2003 the Muslim Public Affairs Council issued a press release stating that "the Executive Director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), Salam Al-Marayati, was invited by Los Angeles City Mayor James Hahn, Assistant Chief of Police for LAPD Jim McDonnel, and Councilman Jack Weiss to participate in a press conference announcing the arrest of a suspect for the arson attacks against a church, a Bahai temple, and synagogues in Encino,...

Source: Honolulu Advertiser

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2003/May/10/il/il42a.html

On May 10, 2003 the Honolulu Advertiser printed an editorial by Robert Ganung stating that "it is almost impossible for me to write about spiritual matters without referring to my spiritual master, Thich Nhat Hanh. Although I am from another religious tradition (United Methodist minister), this gentle Zen monk from Vietnam has influenced my spiritual journey...

Source: The Cincinnati Enquirer

http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2003/05/10/loc_faithmatters10.html

On May 10, 2003 The Cincinnati Enquirer reported that "Mothers play an important part in the world's religions, such as the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus; Yocheved, Moses' mother who puts him in an ark on the Nile to save his life; and Khadijah, the Mother of Believers in Islam... In the Hindu tradition, a mother is a goddess, as is the case of both Bharat...

Source: Wired

http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,58773,00.html

On May 10, 2003 Wired reported that "about 6 million to 8 million Muslims currently reside in the United States, yet pop culture images of them are scant beyond the nightly news reports chronicling the war on terrorism... There isn't a single recurring Muslim character, for example, on a sitcom or drama... [Mohamed] Alaoui and some 1,500 other American Muslims like him are eager to change that -- so...

Source: Religion...