Source: Newsday

http://www.newsday.com/news/yahoo/nyc-turb0304,0,3984807.story

On March 3, 2003 Newsday reported that "a former traffic agent who was fired from the NYPD for refusing to remove his turban or cut his beard, tenets of his Sikh religious beliefs, will file a civil rights lawsuit Tuesday in a move that could ultimately change the traditional appearance of the nation's largest and most storied police force... The Sikh Coalition will file a federal...

Source: San Francisco Chronicle

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: The Associated Press

Source: AsianWeek

On February 21, 2003 AsianWeek reported that "a cursory review of Parteek Singh’s life in America does fit the dream sequence laid out in his parents’ minds. A love for basketball, reading books, performing well in school and tight family ties made up Parteek’s seemingly happy life. The family went to community and religious events in the town of Renton, Wash., where there is a gurdwara to which Sikh Americans come from all over the state... Parteek’s internal life revealed another reality altogether. He kept a...

Source: India Abroad

On February 21, 2003 the reported that "the Federal Bureau of Prisons has upheld the right of attorney Ravinder Singh Bhalla, as a Sikh, to wear his turban while visiting his client. He would not be subjected to a search of his turban as he enters the jail. 'What I asked [from the prison authorities] wasn't anything not sanctioned by the American Constitution,' he said. 'I wanted the freedom to practice my religion like any other American.' He also added that he is not against searching a turban if the authorities had reasonable reason...

Source: SMART

http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/today/frontpage/stories/fr022003s2.shtml

On February 20, 2003 SMART reported that "Varinder Singh Rathore said he never felt burdened by his Sikh beliefs... But there have been some awkward moments, like the times he suited up for football at John Jay High School in Wiccopee... 'I played football, went to the prom and did anything any normal kid in the mid-Hudson would do,' Rathore, 31, said. 'I...

Source: NBC 4 News

http://www.nbc4.tv/news/1966329/detail.html

On February 9, 2003 NBC 4 News reported that "the Los Angeles Police Department's terrorism hotline is up, running and busy, a police sergeant said Sunday... In addition, the center received several hundred calls during its first day of operation Saturday, and all the calls were 'positive,' meaning there were no prank phone calls... John Miller, who is head of the LAPD's Homeland Security Bureau... cautioned against...

Source: The Spokesman-Review

On February 8, 2003 The Spokesman-Review reported that "last summer, the Sikhs purchased a former Baptist church... They spruced it up and now on Sundays,  beginning at about 10 a.m., the Sikh community gathers for food and prayer and  socializing... The Sikhs would like to share their culture with the larger Inland Northwest community, and what a gift this is, because when you walk through  the temple doors you encounter sights, sounds, aromas and language not heard  regularly in the Spokane [WA] area... The Gurdhwara is...

Source: Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force

http://www.sikhmediawatch.org/press/pressdetail.asp?pressid=31

On February 6, 2003 Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force issued a press release stating that "Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force (SMART), the nation’s oldest Sikh American civil rights and advocacy group, demanded Rep. Howard Coble (R-NC) explain his view that the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II was justified... In...

Source: The Detroit News

http://www.detnews.com/2003/schools/0302/03/c03-75565.htm

On February 3, 2003 The Detroit News reported that "Bentley Elementary School's second annual Festival of Cultures Feb. 7 promotes respect for world cultures that comprise a rising percentage of Canton's [MI] growing population... 'This all started because of the changing faces of our children,' said Principal Jerry Meier. Recent census figures show Canton has grown from a rural...

Source: The Star-Ledger

http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-3/104408343938

On February 1, 2003 The Star-Ledger reported that "in a decision hailed by the nation's Sikh community, Fleet Bank yesterday settled a discrimination suit filed by a New Jersey businessman, at the same time agreeing to explicitly recognize the religious group's rights... Sikh leaders, who previously had threatened a boycott of the bank over the New...

Source: SMART

http://www.sikhmediawatch.org/press/pressdetail.asp?pressid=30

On January 30, 2003 SMART reported that "a leading national Sikh advocacy group and the nation’s seventh largest retail financial institution, reached a broad-reaching agreement to ensure nondiscrimination against Sikh American customers and employees and calls for the institution to closely monitor discriminatory practices and improve services to the Sikh community. Sikh...

Source: The Boston Globe

On January 28, 2003 The Boston Globe reported that "at the Capitol in Washington, amid all the pomp and circumstance that Congress can muster, President Bush is expected to lay out his case tonight for a possible war... At the same time, at Boston's storied Trinity Church, leaders of many of the state's religious traditions will be gathering in their full liturgical finery to make their own case, for peace... Bishop M. Thomas Shaw, leader of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, [organized] tonight's religious event, at which...

Source: The Oregonian

http://abcnews.go.com/wire/US/ap20030131_438.html

On January 26, 2003 The Oregonian reported that "when classmates figure out that [15 years-old Vinni Oberoi's] family came to Oregon from India, but she isn't Hindu or Muslim or Buddhist, they want to know more about what she believes. She does her best to answer their questions, talking about her belief in communion with God, her commitment to equality, selfless service and dedication to justice. She...