Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

On May 31, 2002 the Pittsburgh Post Gazette reported the Bush administration held a conference in Pittsburgh "to build support for allowing federal funds to pay for community services programs run by faith-based organizations... The conference, which is scheduled to travel to other cities, is an attempt to build momentum for the president's No Child Left Behind Act, which was passed in January... The act gives school districts more control of how they address student underachievement. With it, districts can create...

Source: The San Francisco Chronicle

On May 31, 2002 The San Francisco Chronicle reported that "several Bay Area mayors joined Jewish leaders... to condemn a surge in anti-Semitic incidents - temple arson, vandalism and slurs - that coincide with rising tensions in the Middle East... Mayors from San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley and other cities initiated a campaign called 'No Place for Hate' with the Anti-Defamation League. Their first act was to put a full-page ad in The Chronicle in which they pledged to enforce hate-crime laws... Despite the...

Source: The Boston Globe

http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/151/metro/Harvard_student_retitles_jihad_speech+.shtml

On May 31, 2002, The Boston Globe reported that Zayed Yasin, "a Harvard Univeristy senior, agreed yesterday to drop the title for his commencement speech. 'The American Jihad,' after it sparked criticism from hundreds of Harvard students... After two days of negotiations with a representative of Harvard's Jewish community...

Source: The Columbus Dispatch

On May 31, 2002 The Columbus Dispatch reported that "an Islamic community center nearing completion in Hilliard [Ohio] has been designed to blend quietly into the neighborhood, without using minarets and other distinctive features of mosques in Muslim nations, its architect and developer said... Still, the Noor Center... incorporates religious features important to central Ohio's rapidly growing Muslim population, which has long felt a shortage of space for communal worship and cultural activities... The trustees emphasize...

Source: The Boston Globe

On May 30, 2002 The Boston Globe reported that political and religious leaders in Worcester [MA] condemned the spray painting of swastikas on the outside of City Hall and others found across from US Representative James McGovern's office... 'I think when acts of hate like this occur, it's important for the community to come together and condemn it,' said McGovern. 'I don't think we can let these acts of anti-Semitism go unchallenged'... McGovern said it was disappointing after the community had come together after the...

Source: The Boston Globe

http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/149/metro/At_Harvard_a_word_sparks_a_battle+.shtml

On May 29, 2002, The Boston Globe featured the article "At Harvard, a word sparks a battle." It reported that "Harvard University senior Zayed Yasin says his upcoming graduation-day speech, titled 'The American Jihad,' will be a call to action, not a call to war. But Yasin's planned use of the term jihad ... has triggered a...

Source: The Daily News of Los Angeles

On May 27, 2002 The Daily News of Los Angeles reported that the Wilsona School District trustees in Lake Los Angeles, CA "will take another stab at approving proposed guidelines for local pastors to give invocations at board meetings... The board will hold a special meeting Thursday to deal solely with the issue, which has generated controversy and high emotions in the community... The proposed guidelines, drawn up because of controversy after the first invocation mentioned Jesus Christ, say that invocations...

Source: New York Daily News

On May 26, 2002 the New York Daily News reported on a prayer meeting attended by Christians, Jews and Muslims in Bay Ridge, NY. The meeting was part of ongoing efforts "to remain united despite the crisis in the Middle East... Nearly 100 people from the three religions gathered... to pray for an end to the conflict abroad, and for continued calm in their neighborhoods... The prayer meeting was sponsored by the Unity Task Force, a group comprised of Bay Ridge religious and civic leaders who organized almost two years...

Source: The Seattle Times

On May 25, 2002 The Seattle Times featured an article on the ninth annual Sufism Symposium being held in Seattle, WA. "Event organizers expect more than 700 Sufis from around the world to attend the event... JoAnn Haymaker, spokeswoman for the [International Association of Sufism], said it's difficult to determine the number of Sufis in the world. There are an estimated 1 billion Muslims worldwide, and the association estimates 20 percent of those are Sufis... Celebrating differences among all religions and among Sufis...

Source: The Seattle Times

http://www.toolsforchange.org

On May 25, 2002 The Seattle Times reported that in Seattle, WA, there was "an interfaith dialogue on the Middle East conflict featuring U.S. Reps. Jim McDermott, D-Seattle, and Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, and local religious leaders... The event [was] sponsored in part by Tools for Change Institute, a Seattle nonprofit organization... The goal of the program was to 'acknowledge to God and each other that we don't have the answer and we...

Source: The San Diego Union-Tribune

On May 25, 2002 The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that "the U.S. military is probably one of the most colorblind, equal opportunity employers in the country. Therefore, Marines come in all colors, both sexes, most religions and with connections to nearly every country around the globe. The Marines are so proud of their diversity, The Corps set aside a special day to celebrate it, and the public is invited... 'We recognize the history of all Americans that fill the melting pot,' said Chuck Daniel, of the [Camp...

Source: Star Tribune

http://www.twincitiesbahai.org

On May 25, 2002 the Star Tribune featured a report on the Minneapolis Baha'i Center as part of their "Seeker's Diary" series in which the reporter visits area religious centers to attend their services. At the Baha'i center, "the hourlong devotion consisted of readings from the Bahai sacred texts, along with readings from the Hebrew and Christian scriptures. Recorded music of a variety of genres, both instrumental and choral, was...

Source: The Christian Science Monitor

http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0523/p16s01-lire.html

On May 23, 2002 The Christian Science Monitor featured an article on the interfaith work of Rabbi Arnold Resnicoff. "After 28 years in the military - which took him from Vietnam to the top job of Command Chaplain for all US forces in Europe - the retired Navy captain is now working to increase understanding between faiths in the United States... Rabbi Resnicoff became national...

Source: The Houston Chronicle

On May 21, 2002 The Houston Chronicle reported that "a case involving a group of Brenham [TX] churches preaching that welfare recipients need a relationship with Jesus to prepare for work is heading back to court... The 5th U.S. Court of Appeals has sent the case back to federal district court to determine whether $ 8,000 awarded to the Jobs Partnership of Washington County must be repaid to taxpayers... At issue is whether the charitable choice program violated the U.S. Constitution's guarantee of separation of church and...