Source: Newsday

On March 20, 2003 Newsday reported that "Bruce Feiler is an unlikely evangelist. Not five minutes into a conversation, the best-selling writer of Walking the Bible, and Abraham: A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths pronounces that the media have missed the most important religion story of our time... And no, he does not mean the much-hyped clash of civilizations between Islam and the West... Feiler is referring to a story unfolding quietly and off the radar screen from Peoria [IL] to Patchogue [NY]: people of different faiths...

Source: Religion News Service

http://www.Beliefnet.com/story/124/story_12435_1.html

On March 20, 2003 Religion News Service reported that "Buddhists and Roman Catholic bishops sat down at a California retreat center recently for their first round of official dialogue... The March 20-23 talks were the first for the two sides, organized by the Dharma Realm Buddhist Association, the San Francisco Zen Center and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The 14 Buddhists...

Source: The Associated Press

http://www.azdailysun.com/non_sec/nav_includes/story.cfm?storyID=61962

On March 18, 2003 The Associated Press reported that "having had months to focus on the buildup toward conflict, America's anti-war activists say they are ready to mark the first days of war with protests in dozens of cities coast to coast... They vow to block federal buildings, military compounds and streets in a rash of peaceful civil disobedience....

Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/112965_aboard18.shtml

On March 18, 2003 the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported that "it is here... abroad the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Persian Gulf... on folding metal chairs, that shipmates utter private secrets and confessions, gather in Wicca circles for meditation, study Bible verses, offer up devout prayers to Allah, work their rosary beads, celebrate the Jewish Sabbath... The number of...

Source: The Fresno Bee

http://www.fresnoneighbors.com/showcase/story/6364678p-7313029c.html

On March 17, 2003 The Fresno Bee reported that "the growth of congregations in Fresno [CA] is also coming from religions other than Christianity. The Fresno Betsuin Buddhist Temple on Kern Street recently bought a 7-acre parcel on Alluvial Avenue near Willow Avenue. It has been downtown for more than a century... A new Sikh temple is being built on 14 acres of...

Source: The New York Times

Source: The Omaha World-Herald

On March 16, 2003 The Omaha World-Herald reported that "hundreds of people marched in Omaha Saturday chanting, 'Drop Bush, not bombs...' The march through downtown Omaha was part of a 11/2-hour rally staged by the Act to Stop War Coalition, a loosely knit group of local people opposed to a U.S. invasion of Iraq... On Saturday, exhortations against war came from such speakers as former U.S. Rep. John Cavanaugh; the Rev. Damian Zuerlein of Our Lady of Guadulupe Catholic Church; Rabbi Craig Marantz of Temple Israel; Ibrahim...

Source: The Columbus Dispatch

On March 14, 2003 The Columbus Dispatch reported that "the Jewish holiday of Purim and the Hindu festival of Holi will be celebrated next week. Christianity's Holy Hilarity Sunday will follow on April 27, a week after most believers observe Easter... In Purim, which begins at sundown Monday and runs through sundown Tuesday, comedy masks pain. The holiday commemorates how the Jews in ancient Persia survived a genocidal plot by Haman, royal adviser to King Ahasuerus... playfulness is exhibited in the festival Holi (pronounced...

Source: The New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/14/nyregion/14NYC.html

On March 14, 2003 The New York Times reported that "[Jews met Muslims] in Morningside Heights [NY] two nights ago... there was no avoiding the religious fault lines that were exposed... The setting was the Jewish Theological Seminary, where Seyyed Hossein Nasr, a leading Islamic scholar, spoke for an hour about his religion's past, present and future. Given the time constraints, you could...

Source: Daily Tribune

Source: The Sun

http://www.sunspot.net/bal-md.muslims13mar13.story

On March 13, 2003 The Sun reported that "members of the Islamic Society of Western Maryland... closed its 5-year-old day care center, which once tended to as many as 25 children, because of lingering concerns by parents and staff about a telephoned threat last year... The incidents, under FBI investigation, have occurred as other Muslim communities in the state have reported problems that they believe are...

Source: The Interfaith Alliance

Source: The Omaha World-Herald

On March 7, 2003 The Omaha World-Herald reported that "the Rev. David Benke, suspended president of the synod's Atlantic District, didn't dodge questions Thursday about his prayer at a post-Sept. 11 interfaith event. Benke lectured at Concordia University, describing his congregations' responses to the World Trade Center attacks... He said the disaster and his 30 years of ministry in New York City's melting pot help explain why he joined non-Lutheran clergy at 'A Prayer for America' at Yankee Stadium - an act that led to his...

Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

On March 5, 2003 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that "world religion studies should take a higher profile in the School District, with teachers receiving more training on how to teach the topic using updated texts, a report by district social studies teachers concludes... But fine-tuning to accommodate such changes would take at least another year, and adding a separate course couldn't happen until 2005-'06, according to the eight-member group... But board member Daniel Warren questioned how high a priority the...

Source: The Plain Dealer

On March 4, 2003 The Plain Dealer reported that "to enter the Women's Prayer Breakfast for Peace in Cleveland yesterday, participants passed photos of Iraqis - a girl flashing a peace sign, a smiling housewife, a farmer, a soldier and a Baghdad street vendor... 'War is about people - not just about governments,' a sign under the photos read... A sizable percentage of women oppose war, but their opinions haven't been heard, said the Rev. Joan Brown Campbell. Campbell is chairwoman of The Global Peace Initiative of Women Religious and...