Source: The Boston Globe

On October 15, 2002 The Boston Globe printed an Op-Ed piece that stated, "Fundamentalist leaders like Jerry Falwell are a threat to democracy not because of their claims of exclusive truth but because they attempt to ignite religious wars.    Just like Osama bin Laden's version of Islam, some Christian fundamentalist clergymen are aggressive in delegitimizing other believers about their religious traditions. In particular, they are driven to forcing their brand of Christianity on others; they read scripture with a narrow lens...

Source: The Village Voice

On October 15, 2002 The Village Voice reported that "Flushing is no longer 'the valley of ashes' that Fitzgerald described. The former cultural void brims with residents from over 30 countries. An afternoon's stroll will expose you to cultures of Asia, Europe, Africa, and South America. Heralded as the birthplace of religious freedom, Flushing teems with Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Jews, and Christians."

Source: The Associated Press

On October 15, 2002 The Associated Press reported that "a plaque displaying the Ten Commandments no longer hangs in Altoona's [PA] municipal building, and some council members who want to put it back on display are running into opposition. Groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union and the American Atheists Inc. argue that displaying the religious text in a government building is a clear violation of the separation of church and state and would offend some people. Altoona city officials say the plaque deserves to be...

Source: The Washington Post

On October 15, 2002 The Washington Post reported that "a recent series of disparaging remarks about Islam by the Rev. Jerry Falwell and other evangelical Christian leaders have sparked riots in India, helped religious parties win elections in Pakistan and undermined public sympathy in Islamic countries for the U.S. war on terrorism, experts said yesterday. 'Jerry Falwell makes a statement, he pleases his constituents, then he says he's sorry and apparently thinks that's the end of it,' said Akbar Ahmed, chairman of Islamic...

Source: The Washington Post

On October 15, 2002 The Washington Post reported that "Falwell apologized over the weekend for calling Muhammad, the founder of Islam, a 'terrorist' in an interview broadcast Sept. 30 by the CBS News program '60 Minutes.' 'I sincerely apologize that certain statements of mine... were hurtful to the feelings of many Muslims. I intended no disrespect to any sincere, law-abiding Muslim,' the Southern Baptist minister said."

Source: The Associated Press

On October 15, 2002 The Associated Press reported that "statues and other religious articles in a community grotto were destroyed by vandals who attacked an open air hilltop shrine in this central New Mexico town. The Villanueva grotto - built in the 1950s by village families - was a place of peace for area Roman Catholics who wanted to honor Our Lady of Guadalupe, considered the town patroness, residents say."

Source: The Washington Post

On October 14, 2002 The Washington Post reported that "Lewiston, Maine mayor, Laurier T. Raymond, has asked the Somali elders [leaders of the Somali Muslim immigrant community] to put a stop to... immigration. In a public letter earlier this month, Raymond warned of the toll taken by so many immigrants on the city's finances and cultural fabric, and asked the elders to help stanch the flow. 'This large number of new arrivals cannot continue without negative results for all,' Raymond wrote. 'I am well aware of the legal right...

Source: The Boston Globe

On October 14, 2002 The Boston Globe reported that "a year ago, a coalition of religious charities told Holyoke [Mass.] Mayor Michael Sullivan they were seeking nearly $1 million in federal funds to relocate as many as 60 Somali Muslim families over the next three years to this city, one of the state's poorest. Holyoke seemed the perfect fit, the charities said, because of affordable housing, entry-level jobs, and the city's long tradition of absorbing newcomers. Sullivan agreed, but advised the coalition to find more money...

Source: Portland Press Herald

http://www.portland.com/news/state/021014lewiston.shtml

On October 14, 2002 the Portland Press Herald reported that "about 300 people Sunday joined a peaceful march to show support for Somali immigrants. The one-mile march originally was planned as a Sunday school procession, but it was opened to the entire community after Lewiston's mayor issued a letter expressing concerns that local services will be strained if many more Somalis...

Source: Los Angeles Times

On October 14, 2002 Los Angeles Times reported that "the trial of the two police officers accused in the Donovan Jackson beating case won't start for weeks or even months. But in Inglewood, civic leaders are feverishly organizing for the day a verdict is reached... Worried that an unpopular outcome could prompt violence in a mostly minority city that has begun to lift itself out of a years-long economic slump, members of the Inglewood Peace...

Source: Corpus Christi Caller-Times

On October 14, 2002 the Corpus Christi Caller-Times reported that "Usama Nassar, an Islamic leader and member of the mosque on McArdle Road... said he and other local Muslims have been pursuing a public relations campaign of sorts to prove to the community that people of the Islamic faith are the same as anyone else living in Corpus Christi [TX]. Nassar added that he is looking forward to Nov. 3, when the mosque and the local chapter of the National Conference for Community and Justice will hold a forum called '...

Source: Maine Sunday Telegram

On October 13, 2002 the Maine Sunday Telegram reported that "[Mayor Laurier] Raymond finally met with Somali leaders on Friday. While he stopped short of giving them the apology they wanted, he did say he was 'deeply concerned' that so many people misunderstood the intent of his letter, and he managed to soothe hurt feelings... Still, the loaded language in Raymond's letter... insulted most Somalis... who see themselves as hard-working, contributing members of the Lewiston community."

Source: The Virginian-Pilot

On October 13, 2002 The Virginian-Pilot reported that "Larchmont has the highest concentration of foreign-born residents of any neighborhood in Hampton Roads, according to new figures from the 2000 census... it is a hodgepodge of religions: Christian and Muslim and Jewish and Hindu and Buddhist."

Source: Chapel Hill Herald

On October 13, 2002 Chapel Hill Herald reported that "the ongoing squabble about a summer reading assignment drawn mainly from the Quran figured prominently in UNC's 209th birthday celebration on Saturday. Speakers at two University Day events alluded directly to the controversy and praised Chancellor James Moeser and other officials for defending the faculty's right to have asked incoming freshmen to read Approaching the Qur'an: The Early Revelations."

Source: Newsday

On October 13, 2002 Newsday reported that "Muslims and Hindus fought for a second day yesterday in battles ignited after the right-wing Christian leader Jerry Falwell called the prophet Muhammad a terrorist. Nine people have been killed and neighborhoods ravaged in Solapur, 280 miles from Bombay, where Muslims protested that Falwell had insulted the founder of their faith."