Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

On June 30, 2002 the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported on the opening of the new Hindu Temple of Wisconsin in the city of Pewaukee. On June 30, "after four days of elaborate rituals of purification and consecration, life will be ceremoniously breathed into the temple as statues of Hindu gods are infused with prana, or 'life force'... At the Hindu Temple of Wisconsin, hundreds of volunteers worked for days to prepare for the events, which are expected to draw up to 2,000 Hindus this weekend... The temple brought in a...

Source: St. Petersburg Times

On June 29, 2002 the St. Petersburg Times reported that "in the classrooms of a small Episcopal church... Hindu members of the Swadhyaya movement (pronounced Swad-HI-ya), a sect little more than 50 years old... chant and study... The arrangement is treated with aplomb by the two vastly different religious communities... The St. Petersburg Swadhyayees have met since the late 1980s. The group, one of 350 in the United States, started with two people. Today there are 50 families, which include many children. Members come from...

Source: The Houston Chronicle

http://www.myholygita.com

On June 29, 2002 The Houston Chronicle reported that the Chinmaya Mission of Houston, Texas has published "'The Journey to the Truth,' a multi-media CD-ROM set, [which] contains not only the Bhagavad Gita, one of Hinduism's most sacred writings, but presents the Scriptures in user-friendly formats suited for children, adults and even for those who can manage only a few minutes a day... 'This is primarily for people who do not have...

Source: Omaha World-Herald

On June 29, 2002 the Omaha World-Herald reported that "Nebraska's only Hindu temple is four months into a two-year transformation from a former restaurant... When completed, the temple will pay homage to Hindu deities through an intricate design both inside and out... The renovation is one of two milestones for the Hindu temple, which has been open... since 1994. In July, the temple will [also] welcome its first full-time priest, which will allow for daily services... The popularity of the Hindu temple, which draws...

Source: New York Daily News

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=4547969&BRD=1099&PAG=461&dept_id=99012&rfi=6

On June 25, 2002 the New York Daily News reported that in Georgia, Lake City's Shakti Mandir Hindu temple has almost completed its new Sumant Center, a 65,000 square feet community center for events, celebrations, sports, and education.

Source: The Dallas Morning News

http://www.ammachi.org

On June 22, 2002 The Dallas Morning News reported that "Ammachi, the spiritual teacher from India known as the 'Hugging Saint,' will lead a series of free programs next weekend in Grapevine," Texas as part of her annual U.S. tour. "The event will include teaching, singing and meditation. And, of course, hugs... Among her followers, Ammachi's hugs are regarded as something beyond the ordinary... People wait hours for them."

Source: The Appeal-Democrat

http://www.appeal-democrat.com/062102/62002.drinks.lsn.shtml

On June 21, 2002 The Appeal-Democrat reported that the Sri Narayan Hindu Temple of Yuba City, California "handed out Pepsi, bananas and red apples in observation of Nirjala Akadshi, a religious tradition practiced in India."

Source: Muslim Public Affairs Council

http://www.mpac.org/news/newsitemdisplay.asp?ID=172&ITEMTYPE=NEWS

On June 18, 2002 Muslim Public Affairs Council reported that its members in Houston, Texas participated "in landmark joint communique signed between the American Pakistani and Indian communities in Houston." The event was attended by Houston's Mayor Lee P. Brown and took place on the steps of City Hall.

Source: The San Francisco Chronicle

On June 15, 2002, The San Francisco Chronicle featured an article on clergy sexual abuse cases. The article outlines the open way the International Society for Krishna Consciousness handled allegations of sexual abuse and how that differs from the actions of the Catholic Church. "The Krishna case, which is still in the courts, alleges that dozens of children of Hare Krishna members were abused in the 1970s at church boarding schools in Texas, West Virginia and New York... Hare Krishna spokesman Anantanda Dasa... [said]...

Source: The San Diego Union-Tribune

On June 13, 2002 The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that the a local group of the Self-Realization Fellowship "will soon be moving from its cramped, rented quarters in a commercial office building on Valley Parkway to a seven-building complex in southwest Escondido, [California]... The city Planning Commission voted... to approve plans and a conditional-use permit for the group to turn a former residential care facility... into a meeting and mediation center."

Source: The Buffalo News

On June 12, 2002 The Buffalo News reported that "as government officials urge Americans to help uncover would-be terrorists, a national anti-bigotry group says those efforts must not include racial and ethnic stereotyping... Brian Foss, executive vice president of the National Conference for Community and Justice... was the keynote speaker at the annual meeting of the NCCJ's Western New York Regional Chapter at the Hyatt Regency Buffalo... Speaking before the event, Foss warned that racial and ethnic profiling are on the rise...

Source: The Washington Post

http://www.ssvt.org

On June 8, 2002 The Washington Post reported that the sanctuary at the Sri Siva Vishnu Temple in Lanham, Maryland honors the two Hindu gods Siva and Vishnu, "risking a spiritual confrontation between rival factions... But the conflict between Shaivites, followers of Siva, and Vaishnavites, followers of Vishnu, never came, said K.N. Siva Subramanian, one of the congregation's organizers a quarter-century ago... Instead, the desire of immigrants to...

Source: Star Tribune

On June 8, 2002 the Star Tribune reported that "Anant Rambachan, professor of religion at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn., is in Rome this weekend, one of 10 religious experts from the world invited to the Vatican to discuss religious tolerance... Seven major religious traditions - Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism and indigenous religions such as those practiced in Africa and Australia - have been invited by the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue to gather at the Vatican." Rambachan, a...

Source: Star Tribune

On June 8, 2002, the Star Tribune reported that "at a time when India and Pakistan are again on the verge of war, immigrants from those countries have found in Minnesota a home where friendship can supplant hatred... Which isn't to say that issues of religion and nationalism don't sometimes intervene. But the unifying threads of language, food, music and culture often transcend those issues... Indians and Pakistanis began making the Twin Cities home after 1965, when immigration laws were relaxed... The most recent influx has...