Source: Expatica

Source: The Courier Journal

http://www.courier-journal.com/localnews/2004/04/21ky/A1-ali0421-8253.html

On April 21, 2004 The Courier Journal reported, "Growing up in Iran in the 1970s, Omid Safi knew of only one Muslim outside of his native country: Muhammad Ali. Safi, along with other Muslim scholars from Asia and the United States, met the former heavyweight boxing champion in person yesterday in Ali's native Louisville. Ali, they said, set a...

Source: Beliefnet.com

http://www.beliefnet.com/story/144/story_14480_1.html

On April 21, 2004 Beliefnet.com ran an Associated Press article that reported, "A law banning Islamic headscarves in French public schools could add bandanas, seen by some Muslims as a substitute for a full head covering, to the black list of forbidden dress. Or maybe not. A document on implementing the law, made public Wednesday by the Education Ministry, is so imprecise that one...

Source: National Review

http://www.nationalreview.com/stuttaford/stuttaford200404210855.asp

On April 21, 2004 the National Review ran an opinion piece by Andrew Stuttaford on the recent ban of religious symbols in French public schools, which he sees as an attempt by the French government to provide a "quick fix" to the problem of rising religious fundamentalism which he argues that the government has itself fostered by not integrating immigrant Muslims...

Source: The Herald-Dispatch

http://www.herald-dispatch.com/2004/April/21/LNtop2.htm

On April 21, 2004 The Herald-Dispatch reported, " A group of Huntington residents have asked that the city’s Board of Zoning Appeals overturn a decision to allow the Huntington Muslim Association to build a mosque in their neighborhood. The Planning Commission earlier this month voted 5-1 in favor of granting a special permit to the Muslim Association so it can build a mosque...

Source: The Christian Science Monitor

http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0421/p09s02-coop.html

On April 21, 2004 The Christian Science Monitor reported in an editorial, "Most Muslim American institutions today, from local mosques to national advocacy groups, reflect an ultraconservative Muslim agenda not shared by most within their community, which at an estimated 6 million now equals the size of the American Jewish community. The Washington-based Committee on American...

Source: The Winston-Salem Journal

Source: The Detroit News

http://www.detnews.com/2004/religion/0404/20/b01-127888.htm

On April 20, 2004 The Detroit News reported, " Along with pierogi and paczki, Hamtramck may soon be known for its Islamic calls to worship. The City Council is expected today to pass a noise ordinance amendment permitting mosques to issue the traditional call to prayer over loud speakers. It’s another sign of change in this traditionally Polish community of 23,000, which...

Source: The Christian Science Monitor

http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0420/p25s01-cogn.htm

On April 20, 2004 The Christian Science Monitor ran an opinion piece by Ghassan Rubiez, an Arab-American social scientist based in Washington, who has spent much of his life working in and around the Middle East, on religion's role in Middle East conflict. Rubiez writes, "Religion can become a bridge of understanding among people or a wall of separation, depending on whether the...

Source: MSNBC

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4765845/

On April 20, 2004 MSNBC reported, "British Muslims say that al-Qaida and other militant groups do not speak for their faith because violence is rejected in Islam. But, no matter how fiercely imams and community leaders condemn acts of terrorism, they feel that much of society now views all adherents of the religion as suicide bombers in-waiting. 'I personally feel really victimized,' said Faruq, 30. Recalling the recent kidnapping of a 17-...

Source: BBC News

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3643739.stm

On April 20, 2004 the BBC News reported, "France's interior ministry has ordered the expulsion of a Muslim cleric who advocated the beating of women. Algerian-born Abdelkader Bouziane, an imam in eastern Lyon, told a magazine that the Koran authorised the beating and stoning of adulterous wives. Mr. Bouziane also expressed hopes that 'the entire world becomes Muslim.' The remarks caused an immediate...

Source: The Detroit Free Press

http://www.freep.com/voices/editorials/ecall20_20040420.htm

On April 20, 2004 The Detroit Free Press published an editorial responding to the current controversy over whether or not Detroit area mosques should be able to air the call to prayer over loudspeakers. The article notes: "As the area's premier community of immigrants, Hamtramck surely should be tolerant of different cultures. But in this city where church bells regularly...

Source: The El Paso Times

http://www.borderlandnews.com/stories/borderland/20040420-107941.shtml

On April 20, 2004 The El Paso Times reported, "The FBI is investigating an e-mail that threatened to destroy the Islamic Center of El Paso if hostages in Iraq are not released, center officials said Monday. The threat is the first reported case of anti-Muslim backlash targeting the El Paso mosque since 1995... The e-mail was sent Sunday under the name...

Source: The Pew Forum on Religion...

Source: Reuters

http://www.reuters.com/locales/newsArticle.jsp;:407fbe00:61c2a843838a4f?

On April 19, 2004 Reuters reported, "Vandals have burned the entrance to a mosque in eastern France and daubed swastikas on the walls, police said on Friday. A rubbish bin outside the mosque was set on fire in the early hours of Thursday and the flames damaged the entrance to the building in the town of Haguenau, just north of Strasbourg. Two swastikas and a...