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."

Source: The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

On October 18, 2002 The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported that "about 150 civic leaders, architects and the charity's employees gathered on weedy industrial land on the eastern edge of Little Rock. Their heads bowed, they prayed Jewish, Muslim and Christian prayers and blessed the roughly 27 acres that bulldozers will begin transforming next year... For Heifer International, a Little Rock-based world relief organization, the blessing marked the first time the organization publicly acknowledged that its...

Source: The Houston Chronicle

On October 17, 2002 The Houston Chronicle reported that "dozens of volunteers from a variety of faiths gathered Sunday at a West Houston mosque to sew lap quilts for the elderly. Hunched over sewing machines, or cutting and pinning fabric, Muslims labored alongside Jews and Christians as part of a two-day, citywide effort by Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston to break down religious barriers by engaging in simple acts of charity and finding a common thread of humanity."

Source: The Buffalo News

On October 17, 2002 The Buffalo News reported that "in a gesture of good will and outreach to the Yemeni community, the Lackawanna School Board held its regular monthly meeting Wednesday night at the Yemenite Benevolent Association, drawing both compliments and questions from Yemeni parents. The meeting... was attended by the usual participants and observers at School Board meetings, as well by as about three dozen men, women and children from the local Muslim community. In a statement that drew great applause, Jim Tatko, a...

Source: The Boston Globe

On October 15, 2002 The Boston Globe printed an Op-Ed piece that stated, "Fundamentalist leaders like Jerry Falwell are a threat to democracy not because of their claims of exclusive truth but because they attempt to ignite religious wars.    Just like Osama bin Laden's version of Islam, some Christian fundamentalist clergymen are aggressive in delegitimizing other believers about their religious traditions. In particular, they are driven to forcing their brand of Christianity on others; they read scripture with a narrow lens...

Source: The Washington Post

On October 15, 2002 The Washington Post reported that "Falwell apologized over the weekend for calling Muhammad, the founder of Islam, a 'terrorist' in an interview broadcast Sept. 30 by the CBS News program '60 Minutes.' 'I sincerely apologize that certain statements of mine... were hurtful to the feelings of many Muslims. I intended no disrespect to any sincere, law-abiding Muslim,' the Southern Baptist minister said."

Source: The Village Voice

On October 15, 2002 The Village Voice reported that "Flushing is no longer 'the valley of ashes' that Fitzgerald described. The former cultural void brims with residents from over 30 countries. An afternoon's stroll will expose you to cultures of Asia, Europe, Africa, and South America. Heralded as the birthplace of religious freedom, Flushing teems with Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Jews, and Christians."

Source: The Washington Post

On October 15, 2002 The Washington Post reported that "a recent series of disparaging remarks about Islam by the Rev. Jerry Falwell and other evangelical Christian leaders have sparked riots in India, helped religious parties win elections in Pakistan and undermined public sympathy in Islamic countries for the U.S. war on terrorism, experts said yesterday. 'Jerry Falwell makes a statement, he pleases his constituents, then he says he's sorry and apparently thinks that's the end of it,' said Akbar Ahmed, chairman of Islamic...

Source: Council on American-Islamic Relations

On October 14, 2002 the Council on American-Islamic Relations reported that "a coalition of American Muslim civil rights and advocacy groups said today that only a clear statement from President Bush can stem the 'rising tide' of anti-Islamic rhetoric in this country. Leaders of the groups say the ongoing demonization of Islam and Muslims by right-wing commentators and evangelical leaders is being encouraged by the president's silence on the issue of Islamophobia. Earlier this week, the ad hoc coalition sent a...

Source: The Buffalo News

On October 14, 2002 The Buffalo News reported that "Maj. Abdul-Rasheed Muhammad -- the first Islamic chaplain affirmed into the U.S. Armed Forces -- spoke to about 100 people at a meeting of the American Muslim Council Sunday evening in Lackawanna, where the spotlight on Islam has shined brightest since the arrest last month of six Muslims of Yemeni descent accused of supporting terrorists. Muhammad, who grew up in Buffalo, encouraged people to study Islamic history. He reminded them how Muslims of previous eras got through...

Source: Portland Press Herald

http://www.portland.com/news/state/021014lewiston.shtml

On October 14, 2002 the Portland Press Herald reported that "about 300 people Sunday joined a peaceful march to show support for Somali immigrants. The one-mile march originally was planned as a Sunday school procession, but it was opened to the entire community after Lewiston's mayor issued a letter expressing concerns that local services will be strained if many more Somalis...

Source: The Washington Post

On October 14, 2002 The Washington Post reported that "Lewiston, Maine mayor, Laurier T. Raymond, has asked the Somali elders [leaders of the Somali Muslim immigrant community] to put a stop to... immigration. In a public letter earlier this month, Raymond warned of the toll taken by so many immigrants on the city's finances and cultural fabric, and asked the elders to help stanch the flow. 'This large number of new arrivals cannot continue without negative results for all,' Raymond wrote. 'I am well aware of the legal right...

Source: Corpus Christi Caller-Times

On October 14, 2002 the Corpus Christi Caller-Times reported that "Usama Nassar, an Islamic leader and member of the mosque on McArdle Road... said he and other local Muslims have been pursuing a public relations campaign of sorts to prove to the community that people of the Islamic faith are the same as anyone else living in Corpus Christi [TX]. Nassar added that he is looking forward to Nov. 3, when the mosque and the local chapter of the National Conference for Community and Justice will hold a forum called '...

Source: Foxnews

http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,65540,00.html

On October 14, 2002 Foxnews reported that "they are three young, black Muslim-Americans who are in a religious rap group called Native Deen, based in a suburb of Washington, D.C. -- and they're part of a growing trend of singing or rapping about Islam. Mainstream musician/actor Mos Def, who is Muslim, incorporates Islamic principles and Arabic words into his raps. Even R...

Source: The Boston Globe

On October 14, 2002 The Boston Globe reported that "a year ago, a coalition of religious charities told Holyoke [Mass.] Mayor Michael Sullivan they were seeking nearly $1 million in federal funds to relocate as many as 60 Somali Muslim families over the next three years to this city, one of the state's poorest. Holyoke seemed the perfect fit, the charities said, because of affordable housing, entry-level jobs, and the city's long tradition of absorbing newcomers. Sullivan agreed, but advised the coalition to find more money...