Islam

Court Rules for Nation of Islam's Exclusion of Women from a 1994 Meeting

February 14, 2002

Source: The Boston Globe

On Tuesday February 14, 2002, The Boston Globe reported that "Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam had the right to exclude women from a 1994 speech at a Dorchester [MA] theater,... a state court ruled... The civil rights of Marceline Donaldson... who sued after she wasn't allowed to hear Farrakhan speak, were not violated, the Supreme Judicial Court decided... Donaldson did not prove that the speech, sponsored by a local mosque, was a public event."

American Scholars Issue Letter of Support for War on Terrorism

February 12, 2002

Source: The Washington Post

On February 12, 2002, The Washington Post reported that "sixty leading intellectuals, mostly high-powered academics who study ethics, religion and public policy at American universities and think tanks, will issue an open letter today explaining why they believe the war on terrorism is necessary and just... There are times when waging war is not only morally permitted, but morally necessary, as a response to calamitous acts of violence, hatred and injustice. This is one of those times," the letter says... The 10-page...

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American Muslims on the Hajj, 2002

February 11, 2002

Source: The Seattle Times

On February 11, 2002, The Seattle Times reported that the "Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam every Muslim is obliged to follow. It's a five-day period that begins the eighth day of Dhul-Hijjah, the 12th month of the Islamic lunar calendar. That's expected to begin next Monday this year. Muslims worldwide are heading to the holy city... In recent years, safety and security have become concerns as 2 million pilgrims converge on Mecca, Mina and other places in Saudi Arabia. Some have died, trampled by crowds, while...

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Children's TV Show Builds Bridges Between American Christians and Muslims

February 9, 2002

Source: Los Angeles Times

On February 9, 2002, the Los Angeles Times reported on "a special episode of the Noggin channel's empathy-building children's series, 'A Walk in Your Shoes,' [that] gives viewers a glimpse into the post-Sept. 11 life of a Muslim American teenager through the eyes of a Protestant teen... In the 30-minute show, which will be simulcast on Noggin and Nickelodeon... the cameras are running as Nancy, a 15-year-old Protestant from a Boston suburb, spends two days with 13-year-old Mariam, a Muslim teenager in New Jersey, during the...

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Sept 11 Awakens America to its Own Religious Diversity

February 9, 2002

Source: Star Tribune

On February 9, 2002, the Star Tribune reported that "ever since Sept. 11 the United States has seen a resurgence of sensitivity to and expressions of civil religion - we value service, cooperation, equality of justice and opportunity, respect for diversity and national symbols and ideas... The Rev. Peg Chemberlin, executive director of the Minnesota Council of Churches, said, 'Part of what we're seeing is a firm commitment to the celebration of religious pluralism. In that it's a central value of a democracy'... Chemberlin said, '...

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Courses and Curriculums Grow to Accommodate Post-September 11 Interests

February 8, 2002

Source: The Washington Post

On February 8, 2002, The Washington Post reported that "the Sept. 11 terror attacks and their aftermath are taking a front-and-center seat in the nation's classrooms... prompting educators in fields as disparate as Islamic studies and microbiology to revamp their courses... It is highly unusual... for a single crisis to send ripples through such a broad sweep of disciplines -- not just language studies and international relations, but also religion, criminal justice, literature and information technology... American...

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San Diego Woman Teaches about Islam at Local Schools

February 8, 2002

Source: The San Diego Union-Tribune

On February 8, 2002, The San Diego Union-Tribune featured a story on Tehseen Lazzouni, a local Mulsim American woman active in the community. "In September 2000, Lazzouni, with the help of four other Muslims, formed the Islamic Speakers Bureau, which has 10 volunteer speakers who go into schools to talk to students about Islam... Lazzouni knew that many teachers were calling local mosques to find Muslims to come and speak to their students... Peter Evans, a social studies teacher at Torrey Pines [High School], will be...

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Atlanta Muslim Organization Struggles to Get New Cemetary Approved For Zoning

February 7, 2002

Source: The Atlanta Journal and Constitution

On February 7, 2002, The Atlanta Journal and Constitution reported that "Bert Nasuti tried to set the record straight Tuesday night as the Gwinnett County Planning Commission heard impassioned arguments for and against a planned Islamic cemetery near Lawrenceville... 'We're not here to make decisions about religion,' said Nasuti, the panel's chairman. 'We're here to make land use decisions'... Dennis Still, an attorney for the Georgia Islamic Institute of Religious...

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Los Angeles City Schools Pull Copies of Quran from Shelves

February 7, 2002

Source: Los Angeles Times

On February 7, 2002, the Los Angeles Times reported that "Los Angeles city school officials have pulled nearly 300 translations of the Koran from school libraries after learning that commentary in the books was derogatory toward Jews... Copies of 'The Meaning of the Holy Quran' were donated in December to the Los Angeles Unified School District by a local Muslim foundation, said Jim Konantz, director of information technology for the district. Konantz said the books, offered as a goodwill gesture in response to the Sept....

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U.S. Navy Muslim Chaplain Ministers to Prisoners in Cuba

February 4, 2002

Source: The Atlanta Journal and Constitution

On February 4, 2002, The Atlanta Journal and Constitution reported that "some of the prisoners captured in the war on terrorism who are being held [in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba] may not be fully aware of the events of Sept. 11, according to a Muslim cleric who ministers to them... Navy Lt. Abuhena Mohammad Saiful-Islam... is a native of Bangladesh. In addition to English, the married father of one daughter speaks Bangla, Urdu and some Arabic. A former enlisted Navy payroll clerk at the Pentagon, he was involved in...

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Post Sept. 11 Increase in Attendence at Religious Services Levels Out

February 3, 2002

Source: The Seattle Times

On February 3, 2002, The Seattle Times reported that "in the weeks immediately following Sept. 11, church pews, synagogue seats and mosque prayer halls were filled as they hadn't been in years. People openly talked about God and religion, uttered prayers and returned to places of worship they hadn't been inside since childhood. Some predicted a revival of religious life in America... But these days, the initial rush has tapered off. Americans, it seems, have gone back to life as usual, which, for most, doesn't include weekly...

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Tibetan Buddhist Monks to Create Mandala in DC for Protection of US

February 3, 2002

Source: The Atlanta Journal and Constitution

http://www.asia.si.edu/exhibitions/mandala

On February 3, 2002, The Atlanta Journal and Consitution reported that "for six hours a day for two weeks... 20 Tibetan Buddhist monks... [created] the largest sand painting ever constructed in the United States... They began creating Jan. 11, four months after terrorists struck the Pentagon, [until] the day of the painting's final consecration, just before it was destroyed, its millions...

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U.S. Navy Muslim Chaplain Ministers to Prisoners in Cuba

February 3, 2002

Source: Los Angeles Times

On February 3, 2002, the Los Amgeles Times reported that "Navy Lt. Abuhena Saif-ul-Islam has [an] assignment with no historic precedent: to provide spiritual guidance and comfort to the captured Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters being held at the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo, Cuba... Although the detainees have been described as boiling with anger at America and Americans, Saif-ul-Islam finds them mostly confused and anxious about the future... 'They're pretty consistent in seeking God's help' he said. 'The Koran says God helps those...

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