Source: Albuquerque Tribune

On August 24, 2002 the Albuquerque Tribune reported that "three local organizations have teamed up to survey how people born abroad hold on to their culture... language, art and religion [in Albuquerque, New Mexico]... the survey... is aimed at identifying and documenting about 45 ethnic groups with populations of 750 or more... Funding slightly more than $60,000 comes from the city's Urban Enhancement Trust Fund, the National Endowment for the Arts, New Mexico Arts and the Arts Alliance...   Interviews are designed to find...

Source: Deseret News

http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,405025346,00.html

On August 20, 2002, the Deseret News reported that the Tabesh family's hotel in Heber City, Utah "was burned last month in apparent hate crime... Since part of the hotel her family owns was doused with accelerant and set on fire last month, Samina Tabesh worries those responsible will return... But Monday night, she and other family members relaxed and were smiling during a benefit concert...

Source: The New York Times

On August 20, 2002, The New York Times reported that the Univerisity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's "3,500 freshmen gathered today to discuss their summer reading assignment, which this year was a book about the Koran... The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, in Richmond, Va., upholding a district court finding from last week, ruled against... a conservative Christian group that had sued to stop them... In the courtroom, lawyers for the university had spent the weekend arguing that the discussions were...

Source: The Associated Press

On August 19, 2002 The Associated Press reported that after September 11, "mosques around the country recoiled in fear of a backlash from angry Americans... But in Paterson, the northern New Jersey city... the community's leading mosque responded with openness... Leaders of the mosque welcomed outsiders into their center, held a blood drive and collected $15,000 for the Red Cross victims' fund, and offered classes explaining Islam to those of other faiths. They had Christian neighbors in for brunch, and still offer free...

Source: Hindu Press International

On August 19, 2002, Hindu Press International reported that Swami Satchidananda, "one of the world's most beloved spiritual masters, passed away... From the beginning of his spiritual service, Swami Satchidananda was a leader in the interfaith movement... For more than forty years, he sponsored interfaith worship services and conferences... [He] was the founder and spiritual guide for the worldwide Integral Yoga Institutes... He established Satchidananda Ashram-Yogaville near Charlottesville, Virginia. The community is...

Source: The Boston Globe

On August 17, 2002 The Boston Globe reported that "Harvard University this week named the first Islamicist - and the first layman - to head its venerable divinity school... A professor of Middle Eastern studies and religion history, William A. Graham is a recognized authority on the Koran and early Islamic literature. He has also studied Hindu and Buddhist texts. He speaks Arabic, French, and German fluently and reads Greek, Latin, Dutch, Italian, Turkish, Persian, Sanskrit, and Pali, a Buddhist scriptural language."

Source: LJworld

On August 17, 2002 LJworld reported that "KC Pagan Pride Day 2002, a community festival celebrating its fifth year, will [take place on] Aug. 24 in Lenexa's Shawnee Mission Park, and event organizers expect about 250 people from the region to attend... 'The people that come (to the festival) have always been friendly, and I believe Christians would be made to feel welcome. It's about educating people. Yes, it has a very pagan slant, but the main focus is community,' said the Rev. Duane Marshall, event coordinator. Marshall is a legal...

Source: Omaha World-Herald

On August 17, 2002 the Omaha World-Herald reported that in Nebraska, "'Faith to Faith,' a new interfaith radio show, will debut Sept. 8...     The weekly show will discuss religious issues from several different faith perspectives, including Jewish, Christian and Muslim.  Guest panelists will address such topics as faith and ethics, creationism, forgiveness and the afterlife... During the first half of the hourlong show, local and national panelists of different religious persuasions will discuss a topic among themselves...

Source: The Columbus Dispatch

On August 16, 2002 The Columbus Dispatch reported that "for millennia, religions have addressed workplace ethics and business conduct. In recent months, however, such issues have been given heightened attention because of corporate scandals, widespread layoffs and the vast influence of corporations... Lama Kathy Wesley of the Karma Thegsum Choling Buddhist Meditation Center on the West Side, said people in her temple often come to her with questions about work relationships and duties. They sometimes express anxiety about...

Source: The New York Times

On August 16, 2002, The New York Times reported that "incoming freshmen at the University of North Carolina will participate in discussion groups on Islam's holy text after a judge ruled that having them read about the Quran did not threaten religious freedoms... U.S. District Court judge Carlton Tilley Jr. refused Thursday to grant a temporary restraining order requested by two taxpayers, one of them an official of the conservative Virginia-based Family Policy Network, and three unidentified freshmen."

Source: Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions' Newsletter

On August 15, 2002 the Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions' Newsletter reported that a significant financial contribution will create the Diane Goldin Institute. In Chicago, chairperson Rev. Robert Thompson explained, "'The Goldin Institute will be held annually, beginning this November. This weeklong Institute will provide grassroots community organizers from partner cities around the world with the tools to build or augment the interreligious movement in their own...

Source: The New York Times

On August 15, 2002, The New York Times reported that "nine months after calling Islam 'a very evil and wicked religion,' the evangelist Franklin Graham said yesterday that Muslims had not sufficiently apologized for the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and that they should help compensate victims' families... Last week, Mr. Graham said that terrorism is part of 'mainstream' Islam and that the Koran 'preaches violence'... Muslim groups dismissed Mr. Graham's statements... The Council on American-Islamic Relations has tracked and...

Source: San Jose Mercury News

http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/3861041.htm

On August 14, 2002 the San Jose Mercury News reported that "an ethnically diverse group of 60 students participated in... the first-ever meeting between the American Civil Liberties Union's Howard A. Friedman First Amendment Education Project and the American Muslim Alliance Youth Think Tank, a group dedicated to getting Muslims involved in the political process... Much...

Source: New York Daily News

On August 14, 2002 the New York Daily News reported on a new basketball league experiment in Midwood, New York. The area has "long an enclave of Orthodox and conservative Jewish families - and, more recently, thousands of Pakistani Muslims and Indian Hindus... As waves of hatred and terror continue to flare in the Middle East, they are an experiment in peace." The league is a joint effort of the Council of Pakistan Organization and local Police. "'If they play together, they live together, spend hours together, the hatred may...