Source: Religion Writers

http://www.religionwriters.com/public/tips/022403/022403a.shtml

On February 24, 2003 Religion Writers reported that "as the possibility of war presses closer, American Muslims - and those sometimes mistaken for Muslims - say they are bracing for discrimination. Iraq is a predominately Muslim nation and the Bush administration says that Saddam Hussein may be cooperating with Islamic terrorists, giving rise to worries of scapegoating...

Source: St. Petersburg Times

On February 24, 2003 the St. Petersburg Times reported that "church member Julia Forman, 85 and originally from Puerto Rico, organized the first Spanish Mass... at St. Cecelia the year before the Irigoyens moved to the United States. As Maria remembers it, about 100 people attended the services in those days... Lost in an unfamiliar country, adrift in a new culture, they were drawn to the only place they felt at home: St. Cecelia Catholic Church... in Clearwater [FL], where there was a Spanish Mass... 'I felt comfortable someone...

Source: The Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A55842-2003Feb23.html

On February 24, 2003 The Washington Post printed an editorial by Mona Eltahawy stating that "males 16 and over from 25 nations -- all Muslim or Arab, with the exception of North Korea -- must register under the program, which began in September. It is aimed at temporary foreign visitors who present 'increased national security concerns...' I feel a disconnect...

Source: Gwinnett Daily Post

http://www.gwinnettdailyonline.com/GDP/archive/article97AFAF0AFA724A0A8C29C754B2BD5D25.asp?printerFriendly=true

On February 23, 2003 the Gwinnett Daily Post reported that "more than 1 out of 10 Gwinnett residents are Hispanic or Latino. Eight out of 100 are Asian... Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and other faiths are practiced in more than 400 places of worship in...

Source: Telegraph of Nashua

Source: Los Angeles Times

http://www.latimes.com/features/religion/la-ca-shaw23feb23,1,5379800.story

On February 23, 2003 the Los Angeles Times reported that "people of faith have long complained that the mainstream news media pay too little attention to religion -- except, of course, when there's a controversy or a scandal, like the ongoing story on priests as sexual predators. Absent such a scandal -- or the death of a pope and the election of...

Source: The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

On February 22, 2003 The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported that "in January 1993, [Anna] Cox, as then-president of the Ecumenical Buddhist Society of Little Rock, didn't know what to expect when she received a letter from a Buddhist inmate from Rogers seeking help with his meditations. She had no idea her communications with [convicted murder Frankie] Parker would head her life in new directions and spawn an international prison outreach program... The Jusan Project (named in memory William Frank Parker, whose Buddhist...

Source: The Associated Press

http://www.fac.org/templates/document.asp?documentID=17590

On February 22, 2003 The Associated Press reported that "a proposed Religious Freedom Restoration Act failed... to win House approval amid doubts it was necessary and worries it would stick state and local agencies with big legal bills... The measure would make it easier for individuals and groups to prevail in court when they challenge state or local actions restricting...

Source: The Baltimore Sun

http://www.sunspot.net/news/local/bal-md.fund21feb21,0,7364070.story?coll=bal%2Dlocal%2Dheadlines

On February 21, 2003 The Baltimore Sun reported that "a coalition of religious groups has started an interfaith community development fund that will lend money to developers who build businesses, housing and community centers in needy neighborhoods throughout the region... The nonprofit Faith Fund has...

Source: The Associated Press

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20030221-0043-ca-pearlanniversary.html

On February 21, 2003 The Associated Press reported that "in an interfaith memorial service marking the anniversary of his death, slain Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl was remembered as a man whose quest for the truth and faith in humanity would defeat his killers' goals and bring people of diverse beliefs together in a battle...

Source: Episcopal Divinity School

http://www.episdivschool.org/whatsnew/peace%20pins.htm

On February 20, 2003 the Episcopal Divinity School issued a press release stating that "announced today the school's call to conscience action in response to the growing crisis between the United States and Iraq.  EDS has created a series of peace pins on which the name of an Iraqi child and a dove is printed. These pins are designed as a visible reminder of the human cost...

Source: The Associated Press

On February 20, 2003 The Associated Press reported that "a prison grooming policy is being challenged by six inmates — three Rastafarians and three Muslims — who claim the rules violate a federal law that protects religious freedom... Inmate grooming policies have been challenged in courts and found to be constitutional, said Kent Willis, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia... But Wednesday's lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court, alleges the state Department of Corrections is violating the...

Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

On February 20, 2003 the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that "Americans' concerns over national security outweigh support for increasing immigration, even though most believe immigrants enhance society, according to a national poll released yesterday... More than a year after 9/11, Americans view immigration with regard to safety rather than a social and economic stance, according to the survey by New York's Hamilton College and polling firm Zogby International... While Americans have been historically welcoming to refugees...

Source: The Atlanta Journal and Constitution

On February 19, 2003 The Atlanta Journal and Constitution reported that "Hasan Dede is the spiritual master of the Contemporary Lovers of Mevlana Society, which he formed in 1989. He leads a group of young Semazen --- more commonly known as whirling dervishes --- who recently journeyed from Istanbul, Turkey, to Atlanta to perform a Sufi concert and Sema ceremony at several venues, Agnes Scott College and Central Congregational United Church of Christ among them... The Rev. Gilbert Friend-Jones, pastor of the...

Source: The New York Times