Civic

Congress' first Muslim can build bridges

November 16, 2006

Author: Raeed N. Tayeh

Source: Detroit Free Press

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061116/OPINION02/611160336/1068

The election of Keith Ellison to Congress is a victory for the 7 million Muslims living in the United States. And it's a victory for America.

Ellison will represent Minnesota's 5th Congressional District -- proof positive of Muslim integration into American society.

A 43...

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Teenage Buddhist Hipsters, or "Buddsters," Find Inner Peace

November 15, 2006

Author: Rupali Arora

Source: azcentral/Columbia News Service

http://www.azcentral.com/ent/pop/articles/1115buddhist-CR.html

As Mary Reagan folds her hands in prayer, chanting with her friends in Japanese, multihued rubber bands hold her short black curls in eight petite fountains atop her head.

A black top tied in a front-bow adorns her pink knee-length dress, accented by rainbow-striped stockings.

White sneakers...

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Group Celebrates Diversity in Faiths

November 15, 2006

Author: Adjoa Adofo

Source: The Kansas City Star

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/local/16013879.htm

Leawood Mayor Peggy Dunn reminded guests at the second annual Table of Faiths Celebration on Tuesday of her city’s racially exclusive history and said Leawood has come a long way.

Today, the city has become a diverse and inclusive city, she said.

“With the valued help of the Interfaith Council...

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Vietnamese Activists Cite Curbs on Dissent

November 15, 2006

Author: Nicholas Kralev

Source: The Washington Times

http://www.washingtontimes.com/world/20061114-115449-9636r.htm

Vietnamese democracy and human rights activists accused the government yesterday of stepping up harassment in an effort to silence them ahead of President Bush's visit and a high-profile economic summit this week.

The activists, some of whom are under house arrest, praised a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives...

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In Solidarity, Many Wear Head Covering

November 14, 2006

Author: Lisa Fernandez

Source: The Mercury News

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/living/religion/16004781.htm

Samantha Keller of San Jose wrapped a pink scarf around her face Monday, covering her long, curly brown hair. The church-going Catholic donned a Muslim veil as part of a global social experiment to show that she respects other people's cultures and faiths.

``I didn't get any weird stares or feel...

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Democrats' Wins Hinged on Muslims

November 14, 2006

Author: Eric Pfeiffer

Source: The Washington Times

http://washingtontimes.com/national/20061114-121054-5433r.htm

Muslim voters, an electoral ally of President Bush as recently as 2000, played a key role in turning over control of the Senate to Democrats, a study shows.

"Although the-get-out-the-vote campaign was nonpartisan, there is no doubt that our strategy to support a large Muslim voter turnout in areas with potentially...

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FBI is still Clearing Utah Muslims for Citizenship

November 13, 2006

Author: Deborah Bulkeley

Source: Deseret Morning News

http://www.deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,650206650,00.html

If Abdullah Hassan were a U.S. citizen, he says he'd have likely voted for the GOP in Tuesday's election.

"I like Republicans because they removed Saddam from power," said Hassan, a Kurdish asylee from Iraq.

However, more than a year after he's met all the requirements for citizenship, Hassan is still waiting...

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Unsolved Murder of Afghan Mother Sows Fear in Muslim Community

November 13, 2006

Author: Juliana Barbassa

Source: The Examiner

Wire Service: AP

http://www.examiner.com/a-396834~Unsolved_murder_of_Afghan_mother_sows_fear_in_Muslim_community.html

FREMONT, Calif. - Men and women of various religions covered their heads with scarves, yarmulkes or turbans Monday in solidarity with an Afghan woman who was gunned down while wearing a traditional Muslim veil...

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Challenges of Womens Space in Masjids

November 13, 2006

Author: Abdul Malik Mujahid

Source: The American Muslim

http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/challenges_of_womens_space_in_masjids1/0011670

One Friday, I was all set to give a Khutba about the need for Muslims to plan ahead on an individual and community level. My notes were ready and I was in full “Khutba mode”. But before sermon time, I decided to change the topic...

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Wiccan Widows Sue over Headstones

November 13, 2006

Source: Beliefnet

Wire Service: AP

http://www.beliefnet.com/story/203/story_20398_1.html

Washington, Nov. 13--The widows of two combat veterans sued the government Monday for not allowing Wiccan symbols on their husbands' military headstones.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs allows military families to choose any of 38 authorized headstone images. The list includes commonly recognized symbols for Christianity, Buddhism,...

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Multifaith Effort Seeks Common Ground

November 13, 2006

Author: Patrick Flanigan

Source: Democrat and Chronicle

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061113/NEWS01/611130325/1002/NEWS

Religion has been one of the most divisive forces in human history, the foundation for many wars, persecutions and other suffering.

But several dozen area residents who gathered at a city mosque Sunday to discuss five major religions chose to...

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Houses of Worship Scramble to Make Room for the Masses

November 13, 2006

Author: Rebecca Rosen Lum

Source: Contra Costa Times

http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/local/states/california/16000247.htm

They prayed for the flocks, they got them, and now they're grappling with the reality: Houses of worship in Central and East Contra Costa are flexing with a demographic explosion that's forcing some to construct buildings, expand existing ones or add services.

Rapidly...

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Sikh American Delegation Meets with FBI Leadership in Nation's Capital

November 12, 2006

Source: SikhSangat News

http://www.sikhsangat.org/publish/article_1518.shtml

The Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF), the nation’s oldest Sikh American civil rights organization, along with representatives from five Washington DC-metro area Gurdwaras (Sikh congregational place of worship) met with the Joseph Persichini, Director of the FBI’s Washington Field Office (FBI-WFO), and members of his staff to discuss issues of relevance to the local...

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U.S. Jews at Home in Politics

November 12, 2006

Author: Brad A. Greenberg

Source: Los Angeles Daily News

http://www.dailynews.com/ci_4649373?source=email

Blaming Judaism for his father's peculiarities, the first Jewish member of Congress converted to Christianity to hide his heritage and preserve his political career.

But with a name like David Levy Yulee, he was only fooling himself.

Times have changed since Yulee became Florida's junior senator in 1845 - more than a century...

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