Source: The Associated Press

On October 25, 2002 The Associated Press reported that "a Muslim couple are suing US Bank, claiming a local branch refused to give them a checking account because of their religion and Arabic origin. Sami and Marisol Najjar said in the lawsuit that they tried to open a joint checking account last month but were told they could not because Sami Najjar had not been at his job or current address for 90 days. Others in the bank chain said there is no such requirement, according to the lawsuit, which asks for unspecified...

Source: U.S. Newswire

On October 24, 2002 U.S. Newswire reported that "Calling a unilateral pre-emptive action against Iraq immoral, more than 125 Christian leaders and representatives from Jewish and Muslim faiths in the United States have signed onto a Statement of Conscience on the Iraq War... Citing sacred texts from the Qu'ran, Jewish and Christian scriptures, and elsewhere, religious leaders caution their government to take action against Iraq only through the United Nations, if at all. The...

Source: St. Petersburg Times

On October 24, 2002 St. Petersburg Times reported that "the wife of a Pinellas County podiatrist accused in a plot to bomb Islamic centers was arrested today on federal charges of possessing illegal explosives and firearms, federal authorities said. Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms arrested Kristi Goldstein... said ATF Special Agent Carlos Baixauli. Full details of the investigation that led to Goldstein's arrest were not immediately available."

Source: The Associated Press

On October 24, 2002 The Associated Press reported that "with the arrest of two men early Thursday--one a convert to Islam and a teen said to be his stepson--many Muslims feared yet another angry backlash like the one they endured after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks."

Source: Council on American-Islamic Relations

On October 24, 2002 Council on American-Islamic Relations reported that "[CAIR] congratulated law enforcement officials for the arrest of two suspects in the series of sniper attacks in the Washington, D.C., area, and at the same time cautioned against speculation and stereotyping based on the name of one suspect."

Source: U.S. Newswire

On October 23, 2002 U.S. Newswire reported that "the Anti-Defamation League condemned the distribution of offensive hate materials, which occurred at the mosque of the Muslim Association in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Monday. ADL Regional Director Jonathan Bernstein stated, 'we are deeply concerned about the distribution of hate materials at a mosque. No religious community should be targeted for hate nor should a group of people be scapegoated for a few individuals' actions. We offer our support to the Muslim community.'"

Source: The Associated Press

On October 22, 2002 The Associated Press reported that "Federal authorities and police are investigating as a hate crime the dropping of hundreds of anti-Muslim leaflets in the yard of a [Hawaiian] Islamic center, the FBI said Monday. The leaflets were thrown into the fenced yard of the mosque of the Muslim Association of Hawaii around 8 a.m. Monday, said Daniel Dzwilewski, special agent in charge at the bureau's Honolulu division."

Source: The Associated Press

http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/business/1002/22muslim.html

On October 22, 2002 The Associated Press reported that "a Muslim from Houston has filed a lawsuit saying Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A's corporate purpose to glorify God discriminates against its non-Christian employees. Aziz Latif, 25, says he was fired a day after he refused to pray to Jesus Christ during a training session in November 2000."

Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

On October 22, 2002 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that "the Waukesha School Board [WI] president is pushing a requirement for all students to study different religions in high school. In a memo to School Board members, William Domina said he wanted every student in the district to graduate with a basic knowledge of religions including Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism. 'Without this basic understanding, I am concerned that we have not provided our children with a full and complete education and that...

Source: Newsday

On October 21, 2002 Newsday reported on the "thousands of newcomers who live or worship in this spectacularly polyglot stretch of Flushing, which boasts Hindu and Buddhist temples, mosques, synagogues, Sikh gurdwaras as well as historic Catholic and Protestant churches dating, in a few cases, to the 17th century. In many ways, Bowne Street is a microcosm of the changing spiritual landscape of New York, which is being reordered by the powerful engines of immigration and globalization. If not quite a new Mecca or a Jerusalem, the New...

Source: The Washington Post

On October 20, 2002 The Washington Post reported that "a Howard County [Maryland] Muslim congregation is edging closer to reality -- and with it, hopes of becoming a more integral part of the community's daily fabric. After bouncing among facilities for their prayers and gatherings since the early 1990s, members of Dar Al-Taqwa are just months away from a building permit to erect the county's first mosque. The worship center... will be a place to call their own, to teach Arabic to their children and to honor the customs and...

Source: Los Angeles Times

On October 20, 2002 the Los Angeles Times reported that "more than 1,500 Somali refugees [arrived] in this fading industrial city about 30 miles north of Portland. The large influx of families -- most of them Muslim -- from East Africa came swiftly, in just 18 months. For longtime residents and newcomers alike, the sudden population shift has brought a sense of mutual culture shock. At Frenchy's Barber Shop, a one-chair establishment... 'Frenchy' Langlois said he was 15 when he hopped a train in French-speaking Canada 48...

Source: The Washington Post

On October 19, 2002 The Washington Post reported that "two recent meetings in Washington -- one hosted by Muslims and the other by a Jewish congregation -- illustrate the heightened interest in exploring theological issues generated by the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001. The gathering was the first of 100 interfaith 'Abraham Summits' planned for Nov. 8 to 24 in communities across the country in connection with [Bruce Feiler's new book, Abraham: A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths]. The book examines the man revered...

Source: The Times-Picayune

On October 19, 2002 The Times-Picayune reported that "Bruce Feiler, [author of Abraham: A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths], is urging followers of the three major mono-theistic faiths to... [talk] to one another. 'Abraham is a potential unifier because he stands before the creation of the three major religions,' Feiler said during a recent talk held at Temple Shalom in Colorado Springs, which houses a joint Conservative-Reform Jewish congregation."

Source: The Press Enterprise

On October 18, 2002 The Press Enterprise reported that "Lake Elsinore's City Council [CA] recently decreed that all mention of religious figures, including Jesus Christ and Allah, be deleted from their meeting's opening invocation. The prayers may acknowledge a supreme being, but not by name. On the other side of the debate are the cities of San Bernardino and Temecula [CA], which also invite local clergy to open their meetings. Neither city is willing to tell a pastor how to pray."