Source: Daily News

On March 11, 2003 the Daily News reported that "in an office in lower Manhattan yesterday blocks from Ground Zero, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf talked about his Muslim beliefs to an unusual audience - a roomful of FBI agents... 'Islamic extremism for the majority of Muslims is an oxymoron,' he explained to the agents... Rauf - imam of the Masjid al-Farah mosque of Tribeca - was speaking as part of an FBI effort to present agents who are the ground troops in the war against terrorism with a view of Islam that avoids stereotypes... It comes as...

Source: Appeal-Democrat

On March 7, 2003 the Appeal-Democrat reported that "Raj Narayan Pathak and his wife, Rama Pathak, are visiting from Germany and are proud to make preparations for the seventh annual anniversary of the Sri Narayan Hindu Temple on Franklin Road in Yuba City [CA]... Saturday, the community is invited to join the anniversary celebration and pray for peace around the world, Pathak said. The Pooja/Havan will begin at 9 a.m. Pathak plans to lead his audience in prayer and giving offerings to the gods. Songs and chants are also planned... A...

Source: The Register-Guard

Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

On March 5, 2003 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that "world religion studies should take a higher profile in the School District, with teachers receiving more training on how to teach the topic using updated texts, a report by district social studies teachers concludes... But fine-tuning to accommodate such changes would take at least another year, and adding a separate course couldn't happen until 2005-'06, according to the eight-member group... But board member Daniel Warren questioned how high a priority the...

Source: The Plain Dealer

On March 4, 2003 The Plain Dealer reported that "to enter the Women's Prayer Breakfast for Peace in Cleveland yesterday, participants passed photos of Iraqis - a girl flashing a peace sign, a smiling housewife, a farmer, a soldier and a Baghdad street vendor... 'War is about people - not just about governments,' a sign under the photos read... A sizable percentage of women oppose war, but their opinions haven't been heard, said the Rev. Joan Brown Campbell. Campbell is chairwoman of The Global Peace Initiative of Women Religious and...

Source: The Associated Press

http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/news/world/5313577.htm

On March 4, 2003 The Associated Press reported that "security is being stepped up for a Hindu temple that was firebombed twice in a week and federal agents are trying to determine if the attacks were youthful mischief or hate-fueled religious bigotry... No one was injured by the attacks that slightly damaged the Hindu Temple of St. Louis on Feb. 23 and last Saturday. The...

Source: The Tampa Tribune

http://www.tampatrib.com/News/MGA0NRFHVCD.html

On March 4, 2003 The Tampa Tribune reported that "in 1976, after much reflection and research, he cast aside his Christian upbringing and embraced Islam. Three years later, Otha Favors was gone forever when he adopted the Muslim name Askia Muhammad Aquil... 'Being a Muslim has helped me understand what true manhood is all about,' says Aquil, 56, director of the nonprofit St. Petersburg Neighborhood...

Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch

On March 3, 2003 the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that "the chaplain in all U.S. military services is an officer and a full member of the armed forces. No matter what his or her rank, even if it is general or admiral, he or she is addressed simply as chaplain... All branches of the armed services require chaplains to have at least one graduate degree in theology or pastoral care from a seminary. All need the continued sponsorship of their faith group. If that sponsorship is dropped, unless they find another denomination...

Source: The Washington Post

On March 1, 2003 The Washington Post reported that "federal appeals court yesterday voted to let stand its much-criticized ruling banning teacher-led recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools, a decision that sets the stage for a possible battle in the Supreme Court over patriotism and religion... The court did take one step back, however. Its original ruling not only barred schools from sponsoring the pledge but also struck down the 1954 federal law that officially added the words 'under God' to the pledge -- thus...

Source: The Seattle Times

On March 1, 2003 The Seattle Times reported that "the Northwest Dharma Association [in Washington] is working to transform itself, to create a tighter, better-connected society of Buddhists in the Northwest... For the past decade, the association has been little more than a few volunteers organizing meditation retreats and producing a newsletter and Web site with information for the Northwest's Buddhists... But this winter, the association is structuring itself to become a more formal, partly...

Source: The Associated Press

Source: The Associated Press

On February 28, 2003 The Associated Press reported that "nearly two years ago, Soka University [in CA] was touted as a Buddhist-inspired experiment where learning to make money was less important than promoting world peace and everyone from the president to the student had a say about the school's future... Now a handful of students and a quarter of the original 20 faculty members have left or will leave by June amid allegations of sectarianism and secrecy at the private liberal arts college founded and operated by Soka Gakkai...

Source: FBI National Press Office

http://www.fbi.gov/pressrel/pressrel03/mueller022803.htm

On February 28, 2003 the FBI National Press Office issued a press release stating "FBI Director Robert S. Mueller met today with key leaders of national Arab-American, Muslim, and Sikh organizations. The meeting built on earlier discussions on a number of issues -- ranging from vigilante attacks and other hate crimes to the value of continuing assistance from the Arab-...

Source: India-West

http://news.ncmonline.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=38d1468dcaae17abedcec9c45ea0db46

On February 26, 2003 India-West reported that "the Center for Public Integrity Feb. 9 published on its Web site a secret draft of the 'Domestic Security Enhancement Act of 2003,' or 'Patriot Act II,' as some within the Justice Department have called it. The new legislation would give the U.S. attorney general and the...

Source: The Associated Press