Islam

Interfaith Coalition Lobbies for Affordable Housing

February 23, 2001

Source: The San Francisco Chronicle

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2001/02/23/MNN118531.DTL

On February 23, 2001, The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the religious-based San Francisco Organizing Project will be gathering "more than 3,000 people in San Francisco to press top state and city officials to produce more affordable housing... The project draws support from 40 religious...

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Minneapolis Restaurant Features Aspects of Sikhism, Hinduism and Islam

February 22, 2001

Source: Star Tribune

On February 22, 2001, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported on a new restaurant in Minneapolis, the Natraj India Kitchen. Although the restaurant is fairly typical in other respects, "the sound system delivers a recorded satsang -- a spiritual message delivered in Hindi by Indian Sikh guru Baba Gurindar Singh. While this recording plays, a restaurant employee makes a circuit of the dining room, stopping at each of the religious images to make an offering of burning incense." In addition, the menu features halal meats, which meet Muslim...

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Muslims Have Unique Traditions for Finding Mates

February 22, 2001

Source: The Record

On February 22, 2001, The Record, of Bergen County, New Jersey, reported on Muslim attitudes toward dating. "According to Islamic law...Men and women are allowed to interact, but they are not supposed to form friendships unless for the intention of marriage...When the time comes to marry, it's typical for Muslim family and friends to act as matchmakers." The practice of arranged marriage is a cultural practice, however, and not one that is founded in Islamic law. Different cultures impose different kinds of restrictions. "The...

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Muslim Group Celebrates the Unveiling of the Eid Stamp

February 21, 2001

Source: The American Muslim Council

On February 21, 2001, the American Muslim Council issued a press release reporting that "the American Muslim Council Dallas Chapter celebrated the unveiling of the Eid Stamp at a banquet in Las Colinas, Texas." Texas senior Senator the Honorable Phil Gramm and Congressman Sam Johnson were among the guests. The executive director of the American Muslim Council in Washington D.C. outlined "the role of the Muslim Community in general on the evolution of the issuance of the Eid stamp by the United States Postal Service emphasizing...

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Mixed Reactions to Funding of Faith-Based Organizations

February 21, 2001

Source: South Bend Tribune

On February 21, 2001, the South Bend Tribune reported that, "while not opposing Bush's initiative outright, Lutheran, Catholic and Jewish groups are raising concerns about potential religious discrimination and coercion, echoing arguments from civil libertarian quarters." Other concerns include the theoretical issue of the separation between church and state, government infringement on churches' freedom, and worries "about government funding of religious groups outside the mainstream, such as the Church of Scientology and the...

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Mixed Reactions to Funding of Faith-Based Organizations

February 21, 2001

Source: Star Tribune

On February 21, 2001, the Minneapolis Star Tribune published an article that brings up one of the biggest problems with Bush's faith-based initiative. "The state cannot be in the business of deciding which faiths pass muster and which do not. If they are law-abiding and their programs are effective, it would seem you have to take them all or take none. You allow proselytizing in all or in none." For example, the Salvation Army "injects its Christian philosophy deep into its programs." If the Salvation Army can do this, the article asked...

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Neighbors Hesitant to Endorse Construction of Mosque in Bellevue

February 20, 2001

Source: KOMO 4 News

On February 20, 2001, KOMO 4 News reported on the debate between residents of Bellevue, Washington, over the proposed construction of a 30,000 square foot mosque. "Neighbors are worried about property values, traffic, and the uncertainty of what happens in a mosque." One local Muslim says he "believes there's an underlying racism in opposition to the mosque."

St. Louis Muslims Complain of Bias in Reports on Middle East

February 18, 2001

Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch

On February 18, 2001, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that "some Muslims believe the newspaper has long presented a slanted view of the situation in the Middle East." A recent article by reporter Phil O'Connor, about the election of Ariel Sharon as Israel's prime minister, received a lot of praise for quoting three Jewish leaders and two Islamic leaders; other articles on the Middle East have not been as balanced. Part of the reason for reporters' difficulty in obtaining balanced viewpoints on their stories is...

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Pre-School Provides Example on How Groups with Many Faiths Should Interact

February 18, 2001

Source: New York Daily News

http://www.nydailynews.com/2001-02-18/News_and_Views/City_Beat/a-100266.asp

On February 18, 2001, the New York Daily News reported on the the Treasure Island Pre-School in Brooklyn, New York, where love is "expressed daily among children whose families are Jewish, Muslim and Christian." In a community "where tensions have run high because of strains in the Middle East, an emphasis is being placed on unity among people...

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Detroit Muslims Plan Pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia

February 17, 2001

Source: The Associated Press State & Local Wire

On February 17, 2001, The Associated Press State & Local Wire reported that "metro Detroit Muslims are anticipating their first hajj as the ultimate expression of their piety." The hajj is a pilgrimage to Islam's most sacred sites in Saudi Arabia and "is required once in a lifetime of every able-bodied Muslim who can afford it." It includes a trek to the city of Mecca, the birthplace of the prophet Muhammad, Islam's founder. 2 million pilgrims are expected to travel to Saudi Arabia this year for the hajj.

House Passes Bill on Labeling of Halal Foods

February 16, 2001

Source: Star Tribune

On February 16, 2001, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that on Thursday the House passed "a bill to enhance the integrity of labeling on halal foods, which adhere to Islamic religious guidelines. [The bill] extends to Islamic foods the same protections as those now governing kosher foods." Muslims see this as "a good platform for teaching our relatives in the Middle East how to live with one another."

Ohio Interfaith Association Works for Peace and Human Rights

February 16, 2001

Source: The Columbus Dispatch

On February 16, 2001, The Columbus Dispatch reported on the Interfaith Association of Central Ohio, which has 350 members from Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism, Baha'ism, Islam and Judaism. All are volunteers. "The missions of the association...are to educate its members and the public about customs of different faiths and to provide interfaith public worship and ceremonies related to local and global concerns." The association's projects, which range from peace-training programs in public schools to the creation of...

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Theological Union Plans to Increase Emphasis on Non-Christian Faiths

February 15, 2001

Source: The San Francisco Chronicle

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2001/02/15/MN127988.DTL

On February 15, 2001, The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the new president of the Graduate Theological Union, a network of seminaries and religious institutes in the San Francisco Bay Area, wants to broaden its focus to include more Jews, Buddhists, Muslims and other non-Christians. The president,...

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Catholics and Muslims Forge Interfaith Bonds

February 14, 2001

Source: Los Angeles Times

On February 14, 2001, the Los Angeles Times reported on the second annual meeting between top West Coast Catholic and Muslim leaders. The meeting "was designed to promote better understanding between the faiths and forge partnerships to counter what they see as the evils in secularized society, including abortion and pornography." It is a chance for those attending to build friendships that will lead to "local interfaith cooperation and action," and to deepen their understanding of spiritual matters by engaging in dialogue with...

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Muslim Students Developing Stronger Presence on College Campuses

February 13, 2001

Source: The New York Times

On February 13, 2001, The New York Times published an article about Muslim students on college campuses. The article gave the example of Sarah Ibrahim, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, "a committed Muslim who covers her hair around men outside her family." Uncertain about what to do about all the male visitors to the women's shared suite, she ended up as "the only freshman with a single room in her all-woman dormitory...Now a sophomore, Ms. Ibrahim often cooks Islamically approved food, or halal, in the suite she...

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