Source: The New York Times

On August 20, 2002, The New York Times reported that the Univerisity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's "3,500 freshmen gathered today to discuss their summer reading assignment, which this year was a book about the Koran... The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, in Richmond, Va., upholding a district court finding from last week, ruled against... a conservative Christian group that had sued to stop them... In the courtroom, lawyers for the university had spent the weekend arguing that the discussions were...

Source: The Associated Press

On August 19, 2002 The Associated Press reported that after September 11, "mosques around the country recoiled in fear of a backlash from angry Americans... But in Paterson, the northern New Jersey city... the community's leading mosque responded with openness... Leaders of the mosque welcomed outsiders into their center, held a blood drive and collected $15,000 for the Red Cross victims' fund, and offered classes explaining Islam to those of other faiths. They had Christian neighbors in for brunch, and still offer free...

Source: The Boston Globe

On August 17, 2002 The Boston Globe reported that "Harvard University this week named the first Islamicist - and the first layman - to head its venerable divinity school... A professor of Middle Eastern studies and religion history, William A. Graham is a recognized authority on the Koran and early Islamic literature. He has also studied Hindu and Buddhist texts. He speaks Arabic, French, and German fluently and reads Greek, Latin, Dutch, Italian, Turkish, Persian, Sanskrit, and Pali, a Buddhist scriptural language."

Source: Omaha World-Herald

On August 17, 2002 the Omaha World-Herald reported that in Nebraska, "'Faith to Faith,' a new interfaith radio show, will debut Sept. 8...     The weekly show will discuss religious issues from several different faith perspectives, including Jewish, Christian and Muslim.  Guest panelists will address such topics as faith and ethics, creationism, forgiveness and the afterlife... During the first half of the hourlong show, local and national panelists of different religious persuasions will discuss a topic among themselves...

Source: The Houston Chronicle

On August 17, 2002, The Houston Chronicle featured an article on the growing number of Latino Muslims in Texas and the U.S. "Some Hispanic Muslims in Houston say the general public often assumes they are of Middle Eastern or Pakistani origin because of their religion. But where they once were an unrecognized 'other' in demographic studies of American Muslim communities, the number of Hispanic converts to Islam is growing... A study of mosques in the United States published in 2001, indicated that about 6 percent of converts...

Source: The New York Times

On August 16, 2002, The New York Times reported that "incoming freshmen at the University of North Carolina will participate in discussion groups on Islam's holy text after a judge ruled that having them read about the Quran did not threaten religious freedoms... U.S. District Court judge Carlton Tilley Jr. refused Thursday to grant a temporary restraining order requested by two taxpayers, one of them an official of the conservative Virginia-based Family Policy Network, and three unidentified freshmen."

Source: The Columbus Dispatch

On August 16, 2002 The Columbus Dispatch reported that "for millennia, religions have addressed workplace ethics and business conduct. In recent months, however, such issues have been given heightened attention because of corporate scandals, widespread layoffs and the vast influence of corporations... Lama Kathy Wesley of the Karma Thegsum Choling Buddhist Meditation Center on the West Side, said people in her temple often come to her with questions about work relationships and duties. They sometimes express anxiety about...

Source: San Jose Mercury News

http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/3861041.htm

On August 14, 2002 the San Jose Mercury News reported that "an ethnically diverse group of 60 students participated in... the first-ever meeting between the American Civil Liberties Union's Howard A. Friedman First Amendment Education Project and the American Muslim Alliance Youth Think Tank, a group dedicated to getting Muslims involved in the political process... Much...

Source: Newsday

On August 14, 2002 Newsday reported that a Muslim man, "Mizanur Rahman was beaten to death on a Brooklyn sidewalk Sunday night... The Muslim cleric at Masjid-Al- Aman Mosque [now] senses that fear has crept into the neighborhood's Bangladeshi community... �It became more apparent, said Imam Abusayeed Amin, when attendance at the sunrise prayer service fell by 50 percent on Monday and yesterday... Mohammed Haque, president of the governing committee at the mosque, said stories of members being attacked are common and recalled a case of a...

Source: New York Daily News

On August 14, 2002 the New York Daily News reported on a new basketball league experiment in Midwood, New York. The area has "long an enclave of Orthodox and conservative Jewish families - and, more recently, thousands of Pakistani Muslims and Indian Hindus... As waves of hatred and terror continue to flare in the Middle East, they are an experiment in peace." The league is a joint effort of the Council of Pakistan Organization and local Police. "'If they play together, they live together, spend hours together, the hatred may...

Source: Time Magazine

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101020819-335965,00.html

On August 13, 2002, Time Magazine featured a story on the continuing controversy over the University of North Carolina's required reading on the Qur'an.

Source: The Seattle Times

On August 13, 2002, The Seattle Times featured an editorial on the activities of a Seattle Mosque. "The Idriss mosque in the Northgate area reached out to its neighbors and the community at large after Sept. 11, even after enduring attempts to vandalize and burn down the mosque. Mosque leaders and members helped to explain Islam to people suddenly fearful of it... And the community, including members of many faiths, reached back, some even watching the mosque 'round-the-clock to prevent any further attacks...    On Sunday,...

Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

On August 13, 2002 the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that "stamps honoring Muslim, Jewish and African-American holidays will be reissued this fall, the Postal Service said Monday... The Eid stamp commemorates the two most important festivals... in the Islamic calendar: Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha...    Eid al-Fitr signifies the feast of breaking the fast, marking the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting. Eid al-Adha comes at the end of the hajj - the annual period of pilgrimage to Mecca...    The Hanukkah...

Source: The Atlanta Journal and Constitution

On August 13, 2002 The Atlanta Journal and Constitution featured a story on young Muslim girls and wearing hijab in Georgia. "Eager to start fifth grade, Mariam Arshad's first day of school Monday at Smoke Rise Elementary School was also something of a coming of age... Monday was the first day Mariam, a 10-year-old Muslim who lives in Stone Mountain, [Georgia] began to wear her head scarf in the public - beyond family events with other Muslims... Emory Law professor Abdullahi An-Naim said that the challenge for...

Source: The Seattle Times

On August 12, 2002 The Seattle Times reported in the Northgate area of Seattle, Washington, the "Idriss Mosque received an outpouring of support after it was vandalized shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks. Now, some neighbors have become friends...    Yesterday, the mosque held a barbecue to say thanks to those who supported it after the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks, when Muslims - and the mosque itself - became targets of violence... Dozens of neighbors and mosque worshipers mingled in the breezy shade behind...