Source: Newsday

On April 8, 2002, Newsday reported that "from Episcopal and Protestant churches to Jewish synagogues and Hindu temples, religious leaders... are reflecting on the sexual abuse scandal within the Roman Catholic Church and its potential impact on their own houses of worship... In truth, the scourge of clergy sexual abuse has been exposed in virtually every religious faith and denomination... Members of the Jewish Orthodox faith recently... [faced] their own sexual abuse scandal involving... a leader in the Orthodox Union's National...

Source: The Houston Chronicle

On April 6, 2002 The Houston Chronicle featured an article on The Hindu University of America in central Florida. The University was started by a group of Hindus from across the state in response to Swami Tilak of Brazil's suggestion "that Hindus should repay America for their material success... 'He inspired people to make a lasting contribution to this land,' says Abhinav Dwivedi, a computer engineer in Tampa... 'He suggested an institution of higher learning'... Rather than train people for a full-time role in religion, the...

Source: The Daily Breeze

http://www.dailybreeze.com/content/bln/nmbmuslim8.html

On April 1, 2002, The Daily Breeze reported on an interfaith dialgoue in Torrance, CA. The meeting was part of the Annual Religions' Founders Day sponsored by the Worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim Association. Jewish, Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu and Sikh religious leaders gathered "to discuss the origins and teachings of their faiths."

Source: Newsday

On March 31, 2002, Newsday reported that "more than 2,000 Hindus celebrated the start of their new year by showering each other with powder, symbolizing renewal, and parading along Liberty Avenue... Organizers said the Police Department cautioned against using powder in this year's festival, because of the anthrax scare last fall. But that did not keep celebrants from dousing themselves with baby powder and other powders in many hues and squirting themselves with colored water... City Councilman Allan Jennings, a Democrat who represents...

Source: The Columbus Dispatch

On March 22, 2002, The Columbus Dispatch reported that Columbus, OH area Hindus "hope that this year's observance of Holi, a major spring holiday of their faith, will end the religious violence that has killed some 700 Muslims and Hindus in India in recent weeks... Part of the celebration... involves people in spraying one another with colored water or splattering each other with colored powder... Smearing others with colors has a leveling effect... 'This festival transcends all sectarian traditions,' said Shive K....

Source: The Hartford Courant

On March 20, 2002, The Hartford Courant reported on "a benefit concert at Connecticut Valley Hindu Temple [in Middlesex, CT] after the Sept. 11 attacks -- and worshipers responded with $15,445 in donations to the terror victims and their families... Sunday, temple leaders will give a check in that amount to the American Red Cross. It is among the five largest donations to the relief effort that the local chapter has received... Mayor Domenique Thornton will join temple leaders and Red Cross representatives at a ceremony at...

Source: Newsday

On March 19, 2002, Newsday reported that "the red and white powders Hindu revelers toss to symbolize friendship and love at an annual Queens parade that draws tens of thousands are being discouraged by police who fear the substances could pose a safety threat... Organizers of the upcoming Hindu festival and parade in Richmond Hill have agreed to shelve the white and red powders this year due to recent anthrax scares, but some community leaders say the decision will diminish the event's significance... The parade, also known as [Holi or...

Source: St. Petersburg Times

On March 18, 2002, the St. Petersburgh Times featured an article on the mounting controversy at the Vishnu Hindu Temple in Tampa Heights, Florida. Recently, "temple trustees dissolved the board of directors and fired the pundit [or priest, Vishnu Sharma], accusing him of violating the 'highest moral, religious and ethical values' of Hinduism... But Sharma's supporters say.. Dr. Pawan Rattan, the temple president... and a few others have concocted charges against the popular pundit to take control of the temple and oversee...

Source: Los Angeles Times

On March 18, 2002, the Los Angeles Times reported that "the City Council of church-filled Bakersfield [CA] decided to place the national motto... 'In God We Trust'...to the walls of City Hall... 'We are doing something great tonight,' the councilwoman who suggested the posting said when it was overwhelmingly approved a few weeks ago... More remarkable has been the public debate that accompanied her proposal, the letters to the local paper condemning it and the fact that it was not supported by the mayor... The dissension...

Source: The New York Times

On March 17, 2002, The New York Times reported that "Indians are the fastest-growing Asian community on Long Island, nearly doubling in population from 17,523 in 1990 to 34,333 in 2000, according to the 2000 census. Asian Indians, who include Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims and Christians, are now the largest Asian group on Long Island, followed by the Chinese and the Koreans... These Asian groups have grown enough in recent years to support their own supermarkets, language schools, churches, temples and mosques on Long Island,...

Source: The Denver Post

On March 17, 2002, The Denver Post featured the editorial "Faith, Fear and Public Schools" by Lori Colvin-Hobbs, a parent and business director at The Odyssey School in Denver, CO where middle school students are engaged in an Asian Studies program, which includes studying Asian religions. "For many families, both Christian and non-Christian, this learning expedition was an exciting opportunity for their students... But some Christian families in our school community saw the Asian studies curriculum as a threat - crossing...