On June 18, 2003 The Miami Herald reported that "houses of worship won't be allowed on Hallandale Beach's South Federal Highway [in FL]. City commissioners on Tuesday voted unanimously for the ban. They said the mile-long corridor, from Hallandale Beach Boulevard south to the Miami-Dade County line, is...
On June 17, 2003 the Americans United for Separation of Church and State reported that "Congressional leaders are trying to force a bill through Congress that would permit religious discrimination in staffing of Head Start and jeopardize the positions of thousands of teachers and parent volunteers... The popular tax-funded program is designed to provide academic instruction and health-care...
On June 15, 2003 the Poughkeepsie Journal reported that "Dutchess County [NY] truly is a melting pot of religious faiths -- and religious tolerance... 'In many ways the county is very diverse and it breeds tolerance,' said Michael Tori, a religion professor at Marist College... The county may be nearly three-fourths Roman Catholic, but...
On June 15, 2003 the Poughkeepsie Journal reported that "peek into almost any house of worship and the population growth in Dutchess County is obvious... Along with the swelling population comes a growing number of religious followers -- in just about every faith... Many local congregations say their membership is growing and they need...
On June 14, 2003 The Arizona Republic reported that a "relatively low-key holiday, Flag Day has gained more attention since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the war in Iraq. The symbol of patriotism is more visible, especially among non-native citizens and other ethnic and religious groups. They see the flag as a shield against hate and...
On June 8, 2003 SFGate.com reported that nine cows "live on Sastri's Lakshmi Cow Sanctuary, one of a scattered web of safe havens across the country protecting the animals from slaughter... For Indians and followers of Hinduism, cows have a historical and cultural
sanctity not easily understood in the West... A...
On June 2, 2003 the Star-Telegram reported that "fewer Arabs and Muslims in Texas were targets of hate crimes last year, compared with 2001, when a record number of such crimes were reported, according to recently released state figures... Nevertheless, hate crimes reported last year against Arabs and Muslims in Texas were nearly four times higher than pre-Sept. 11 numbers, the Texas...
On May 31, 2003 the Honolulu Advertiser reported the "one of the most visible trends in the faith community is interfaith tolerance.
Witness: The Interfaith Open Table is going strong; the newly created Believers All Network continues to grow; and an evening program May 13 titled 'Finding Common Ground: An Evening of Spiritual...
On May 31, 2003 The Toledo Blade reported that "one of the most vivid images to emerge from a MultiFaith Habitat for Humanity project to be dedicated tomorrow was that of an Orthodox Jewish woman and a Muslim woman wearing a head scarf carrying a board together as they cleaned the construction site... Nobody snapped a photograph of the...
On May 29, 2003 the Contra Costa Times reported that "Dr. Jess Ghannam was born in the United States and has lived here all his life, but while re-entering the country in January after traveling abroad, he said he was made to feel like a dangerous foreigner with ill designs on his country... On Wednesday afternoon, Ghannam and three other men told similar tales as they stood across New Montgomery...
On May 29, 2003 the Civil Liberties Digest reported that "the U.S. Senate unanimously approved a resolution last week recognizing the important role played in American society by immigrant communities some of whom have been under intense scrutiny by federal agencies since the 9/11 attacks. Civil liberties...
On May 29, 2003 the San Francisco Chronicle reported that "with mounting concern that Arab and Muslim U.S. citizens returning from
overseas trips may be facing broader and more frequent questioning by
customs agents, a civil rights group spoke out Wednesday against what it
views as increasingly intrusive tactics...
On May 29, 2003 the Boston Herald reported that "Bay State students who hail from seven terrorism-sponsoring nations would be summarily ejected from public colleges and universities under a new Republican bill that sparked accusations of a witch hunt from Islamic activists and civil libertarians... The bill, which faces an uphill battle through the House and Senate,...