Interfaith

Navajo Nation Proposes Redistricting to Arizona Commission

June 28, 2001

Source: The Navajo Times

http://www.thenavajotimes.com/National/national.html

On June 28, 2001, The Navajo Times reported that it is only possible to have a Navajo in the U.S. Congress and to have Navajos and Hopis working together "if the Navajo Nation is put into a single congressional and legislative voting district, area citizens told the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission. As part of a statewide effort to solicit public...

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Women's Church Group Devoted to Service and Inclusion

June 28, 2001

Source: Dayton Daily News

On June 28, 2001, the Dayton Daily News reported that Ashton McDaniel is the newly elected president of Church Women United in Greater Dayton. "Church Women United is an ecumenical movement of Christian women who witness to their faith through worship, study, action, celebration and global relationships." It is open to all denominations.

Republicans Agree on Revisions to Faith-Based Initiative

June 28, 2001

Source: The New York Times

On June 28, 2001, The New York Times reported that "the White House and Congressional Republicans have agreed on changes to a bill that would expand federal financing of religious groups' charitable work. The accord allows the bill to proceed in the House this week." A White House spokesman "described the changes as guarantees of church-state separation that 'bring the bill in line with the Constitution.'...But Republicans have so far failed to enlist the support of many Democrats, largely because of constitutional issues."

Religious Leaders Demand Educational Reform in Pennsylvania

June 28, 2001

Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

On June 28, 2001, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that "Protestant pastors and a Jewish rabbi gathered at the state Capitol...to demand change in a school funding system they view as unjust, immoral and outrageous. They promised to organize their congregations and communities into a grass-roots campaign to 'target' lawmakers in the next election...They lamented the disparity between rich and poor school districts."

Faith-Based Initiatives in Practice in Philadelphia

June 28, 2001

Source: The Washington Post

On June 28, 2001, The Washington Post published an editorial by George Will in which he wrote about John Street, who, "as mayor,...has made Philadelphia the foremost laboratory for what President Bush calls 'faith-based initiatives.'... Every day approximately 20,000 students...are unexcused absentees from among Philadelphia's 214,000 public school students. So the plan is for every absent student's household to receive a taped call from the mayor -- his voice -- noting the child's absence, and for volunteers from faith-...

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Grafton Peace Pagoda an Ancient Monument to Nonviolence

June 28, 2001

Source: The Times Union

On June 28, 2001, The Times Union reported on the Grafton Peace Pagoda in Albany, New York. The pagoda is a "monument to peace developed after the horrors of war...[It] is a symbol of nonviolence that dates as far back as 2,000 years ago...There are two peace pagodas in the United States...A Japanese Buddhist nun, Jun Yasuda, is the reason the Grafton Peace Pagoda was built."

Muslim Leaders Protest Muslim Student's Expulsion from White House

June 28, 2001

Source: The American Muslim Council

On June 28, 2001, the American Muslim Council issued a press release reporting that, "Following...the unexpected removal of Abdallah Al-Arian, a 20-year-old college senior and intern...from a...meeting to brief the American Muslim leadership on the President's Faith and Community Based Initiative, White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer reported that: 'The President is very concerned that an action was taken that was wrong, inappropriate and the President apologizes for it on behalf of the White House.' Although we...

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School Board Considers Changes to Religion Policy

June 27, 2001

Source: The Seattle Times

On June 27, 2001, The Seattle Times reported that "students would be permitted to say nondisruptive prayers in the classroom, and Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny could be part of holiday displays in school hallways, under proposed policy changes that will be presented tonight to the Kent School Board. The changes would replace strict guidelines the district put into effect last fall," that drew objections from students, parents and others.

Selectmen Vote to Allow Display of Menorah

June 27, 2001

Source: Worcester Telegram & Gazette

On June 27, 2001, the Worcester Telegram & Gazette reported that "the [Westboro, Massachusetts] Board of Selectmen...approved a menorah display for the downtown rotary in December, reversing its earlier position on the issue...Selectmen worried that allowing a menorah display would open it to any number of unwanted displays...Westboro Town Counsel Alan F. Dodd said in a report to selectmen last night that the town cannot forbid the free exchange of ideas at the rotary."

Religious Groups Reluctant to Join the "Armies of Compassion"

June 27, 2001

Source: The Christian Science Monitor

On June 27, 2001, The Christian Science Monitor reported that, "even if [Bush's faith-based initiative] makes it through a thicket of opposition in Congress, recent experience shows that synagogues, churches, and mosques are often reluctant to embark on social-service crusades, including government-funded ones...As one minister [said], 'With the government's shekels come the government's shackles.'"

Candidate for New Jersey Governor Prevails Despite Islamophobia

June 27, 2001

Source: cair-net

On June 27, 2001, the Council on American-Islamic Relations reported that "Bret Schundler, the mayor of Jersey City, N.J., won the Republican nomination for governor..., defeating a former congressman in a race tainted by accusations of Islamophobia." Schundler had been criticized by the Anti-Defamation League for speaking at a meeting of the American Muslim Alliance on the grounds that AMA's leaders had challenged policies of the state of Israel. Schundler said that "he would be caving in to anti-Muslim bigotry if he shunned AMA representatives...

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Reform Rabbis Change Conversion Rules

June 27, 2001

Source: The San Francisco Chronicle

On June 27, 2001, The San Francisco Chronicle reported that "the nation's Reform rabbis are expected to make major changes in conversion guidelines today by embracing, for the first time in 100 years, traditional rituals such as circumcision long required by the other two branches of Judaism."

Baptists Express Uncertainty about Bush's Faith-Based Initiative

June 26, 2001

Source: The Providence Journal-Bulletin

On June 26, 2001, The Providence Journal-Bulletin reported that "delegates to the Biennial Meeting of the American Baptist Churches-USA voted by a ratio of 4 to 1 to approve a statement highly critical of [Bush's faith-based initiative] but without enough votes to make it official...The debate [at the meeting] made clear that the issue of separation of church and state remains a fundamental concern for American Baptists."

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