Source: Beliefnet

Wire Service: AP

http://www.beliefnet.com/story/172/story_17240_1.html

On August 8, 2005 the Associated Press reported, "When the former Taliban regime in Afghanistan destroyed two 1,600-year-old Buddha statues lining Bamiyan Valley's soaring cliffs, the world shook with shock at the demise of such huge archaeological treasures. Now, artist Hiro Yamagata plans to commemorate the towering Buddhas by projecting...

Source: The Washington Times

http://www.washtimes.com/op-ed/20050807-092808-8354r.htm

On August 8, 2005 The Washington Times ran an opinion piece by Walid Phares, a senior fellow with the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies in Washington and a professor of Middle East Studies at Florida Atlantic University, on the North American fatwa against terrorism. Phares writes, "A number of North American-based Muslim organizations, clerics and activists held a recent...

Source: The Age

http://www.theage.com.au/news/war-on-terror/howard-to-host-muslim-antiterrorism-summit/2005/08/06/1123125944756.html

On August 7, 2005 The Age reported, "Prime Minister John Howard is to host an anti-terrorism summit with Muslim leaders to find ways to confront religious figures and others who preach fear and violence. Mr Howard is expected to write this week to the Australian Federation...

Source: Salt Lake Tribune / USA Today

http://www.sltrib.com/business/ci_2922645

On August 7, 2005 USA Today reported, "Nearly four years after the terrorist attacks, Muslim, South Asian and Arab-American employees continue to report discrimination on the job. Compared with the first two years after the Sept. 11 attacks, the number of employees saying they have been discriminated against as a form of backlash because of the attacks has declined. But charges continue to come in...

Source: The Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/05/AR2005080501483.html

On August 7, 2005 The Washington Post ran an opinion piece by Salman Rushdie, a novelist and essayist and author of "The Satanic Verses," on the need for Islamic reform in Britain. Rushdie writes, "[Sir Iqbal] Sacranie, [head of the Muslim Council of Britain], is a strong advocate of Blair's much-criticized new religious-...

Source: The Philadelphia Inquirer

http://www.mcrcnet.org/Balance.htm

On August 7, 2005 The Philadelphia Inquirer reported, "Adam Bdeir jigged his shoulders like rapper Jay-Z. Then the 7-year-old spat out the Arabic alphabet, to the beat of a Middle Eastern drum: Alif, Baa, Taa. The so-called Alif Baa rap, concocted at a summer camp among suburban estates, is a twist on an old story: immigrants and their children become part of American society by fusion. But it also captures - in the...

Source: The Sacramento Bee

http://www.mcrcnet.org/New-Wave.htm

On August 7, 2005 The Sacramento Bee reported, "There's a new imam in town who criticizes forced arranged marriages, insists Muslim nations need to become democracies and says it's OK to drink an ice-cold martini - if you're dying of thirst in the desert. And he uses the Qur'an to back him up. He's Mohammed Abdul Azeez of SALAM Islamic Center, and he's tall, hip and handsome... As terrorism in the name of radical Islam...

Source: The Guardian

http://www.guardian.co.uk/religion/Story/0,2763,1544226,00.html

On August 7, 2005 The Guardian reported, "Mounting concerns over the government's plans to introduce compulsory ID cards were given fresh impetus yesterday after it emerged that Britain's major religions oppose the scheme. A previously unpublicised report, produced by the Faith Community Consultation (FCC) consortium, which comprises representatives from the country's...

Source: The Argus

http://insidebayarea.com/argus/localnews/ci_2919394

On August 6, 2005 The Argus reported, "Since last Sunday, Canyon Heights resident Rod Spikula has watched cars line up and down Old Canyon Road. Although he was aware that a $4 million masjid, or mosque, was being built just down the road from his mobile home, Spikula said he was not prepared for the more than 1,000 people who have converged on his neighborhood this week... Organizers say about 1,...

Source: IslamOnline.net

http://www.islamonline.org/English/News/2005-08/06/article06.shtml

On August 6, 2005 IslamOnline.net reported, "The controversial multi-fatwa issued recently by the Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) has drawn a mix of reactions, ranging from sharp criticism to staunch support. Former president Abdurrahman Wahid has rejected the fatwa, urging the MUI to reconsider it thoroughly. 'Just let people find out by themselves. It can be a...

Source: NewIndPress.com

Wire Service: IANS

Source: Micrificia.net

http://mirifica.net/wmview.php?ArtID=2007

On August 6, 2005 Micrificia.net reported, "Muslim and non-Muslim advocates of interfaith dialogue have expressed concern about a state-sanctioned Islamic council declaring that liberalism, secularism, pluralism and interfaith prayers are forbidden. On July 28, Majelis Ulama Indonesia (MUI, Indonesian Ulama Council) issued 11 fatwa (religious edicts) during its four-day national congress. About 300 ulama (religious...

Source: The Detroit News

http://www.detnews.com/2005/religion/0508/05/B01-270537.htm

On August 5, 2005 The Detroit News reported, "Wayne County butchers selling bogus blessed meat soon could find themselves in trouble with the law.

Acting on a string of complaints, the County Commission on Thursday made it a misdemeanor for food sellers to falsely claim their meat is halal or kosher. Halal food includes beef, lamb or chicken slaughtered according to...

Source: Beliefnet

Wire Service: RNS

http://www.beliefnet.com/story/172/story_17227_1.html

On August 5, 2005 Religion News Service reported, "Physicians are often every bit as religious as their patients, but what they believe is apt to be quite different, according to a new survey. That's because a disproportionate percentage of physicians come from religious minority groups, according to University of Chicago research published in the...

Source: Newsday

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/connecticut/ny-bc-ct--muslimrally0805aug05,0,6320395.story?coll=ny-region-apconnecticut

On August 5, 2005 Newsday reported, "Holding signs that read 'Hate has no religion' and waving U.S. flags, about 150 Pakistani and other Muslim Americans rallied at the state Capitol Friday to denounce terrorism.

They voiced concern that all...