Source: The San Diego Union-Tribune

On March 27, 2002, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that "authorities are investigating whether to charge a City Heights [CA] shop owner with animal cruelty for keeping 48 animals... some meant for religious sacrifice, in cardboard boxes and bags without food or water... Meanwhile, the city's code compliance department decided yesterday not to fine the owner of Botanica Chango, which sells religious paraphernalia, for keeping animals on property not zoned for them... Julian Villota, the owner of the shop......

Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch

On February 7, 2002, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch featured an article on "Voodoo -- or Vodou as scholars and practitioners prefer... 'Vodou may be the most misunderstood and maligned religion in the world,' said Terry Rey, an assistant professor of religion studies at Florida International University in Miami. 'Its similarities and ties with Christianity and, especially, Catholicism are abundant'... Rey says is practiced by roughly 250,000 people in the United States and 80 million worldwide... Vodou originated in central...

Source: Los Angeles Times

On January 12, 2002, the Los Angeles Times featured an article on Santeria, "which blends Western and Central African deity worship in religious ceremonies... Between 50,000 and 80,000 people regularly practice Santeria in Southern California, according to experts... Santeria followers often carry out their rituals at home, in the back rooms of local botanicas or in gardens and forests... They perform rituals in wooded areas because they are considered sacred places where gods, or orishas, live... Ysamur Flores Pena, a Santeria...

Source: Newsday

On December 19, 2001, Newsday reported that a "fire that swept through the gift shop of the world's largest Gothic cathedral," the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York. "From its inception, the cathedral was chartered not just as the mother church of the Episcopal Diocese of New York but as a house of prayer whose bronze doors were open to all people... Indeed, in recent years, sermons have been delivered by rabbis, Zen Buddhists and African animists. The Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, retired U.S. Army Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf...

Source: The San Diego Union-Tribune

On November 30, 2001. The San Diego Union-Tribune featured an article on the diverse and numerous religious holidays that take place at this time of year. The article included a description of the following holidays: Ramadan - the Muslim holy month, Bodhi Day - the anniversary of Buddha's enlightenment, Hanukkah - "the eight-day Jewish festival of lights commemorates the victory of the Maccabees, Jewish warriors who overthrew their oppressors in about 165 B.C.", Yule and Winter Solstice - the Wiccan and Pagan holiday...

Source: Newsweek

On September 10, 2001, Newsweek reported that Christopher Polk was fired from his FedEx job for refusing to cut his dreadlocks. There is a "Rastafarian belief in the sanctity of dreadlocks - the cords of permanently interlocked strands first worn by African cheifs perhaps 6,000 years ago." Polk, a practicing Rastafarian, explains that "'your hair is your covenant...once you grow your locks, it puts you on a path'...Six other New York-area FedEx employees have lost their jobs because of dreadlocks. They have sued, alleging religious...

Source: Newsday

On June 30, 2001, Newsday reported that "FedEx violated federal anti-discrimination laws when it fired seven employees who wore dreadlocks for religious reasons, state Attorney General Eliot Spitzer said...Spitzer said in a lawsuit filed...in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn that there should be exceptions for those whose religions include specific types of hair or beards...Spitzer said Rastafarians believe dreadlocks are 'a symbol of a covenant between the wearer and his Creator.'"

Source: The Columbus Dispatch

On June 15, 2001, The Columbus Dispatch reported that "Yoruba is the name of a major ethnic group in Nigeria and its religion." Queen Mother Yeyefini Efunbolade, the founder and director of the International Institute of Afrikan Studies...