Civic

Ninety-Two Year-Old Sikh Hopes His Marathon Will Raise Awareness

November 2, 2003

Source: Daily News

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/story/132995p-118639c.html

On November 2, 2003 Daily News reported on 92 year-old Sikh runner Fauja Singh, who this was was the oldest participant in the New York City Marathon. "Wearing a yellow turban and with a Union Jack flag as a cape, the bearded British Sikh said he is using the marathon to promote understanding of Sikh culture. Singh's marathon appearance is sponsored by Sher-E-Panjab, a Sikh New York...

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Ramadan in America, 2003

November 1, 2003

Source: Los Angeles Times

http://www.latimes.com/features/religion/la-me-ramadan1nov01235430,1,3865535.story?coll=la-news-religion

On November 1, 2003 the Los Angeles Times reported on "the many new ways that Muslims are sharing Ramadan with the broader non-Muslim community. Such efforts multiplied after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks sparked widespread public curiosity -- and some hostility -- toward Islam, and seem...

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Ten Commandments Will be Displayed in Wyoming Plaza

October 31, 2003

Source: The Associated Press

http://www.fac.org/rel_liberty/publiclife/news.aspx?id=12139

On October 31, 2003 The Associated Press reported that "the City Council decided yesterday to move a controversial Ten Commandments monument out of a park and into a plaza that will honor a variety of historic documents. The 5-4 vote followed a unanimous rejection of an offer by the Rev. Fred Phelps of the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan.,to place his own monument...

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Vietnamese in California Protest Crackdown on Religious Freedoms in Vietnam

October 30, 2003

Source: Calitoday

http://news.ncmonline.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=18f277849ffa18848a8f9f88f3c8a0c5

On October 30, 2003 Calitoday reported that "in major cities throughout California, Vietnamese both young and old gathered to light candles or wield signs to protest a renewed crackdown on religious freedoms in Vietnam... In the past month, Hanoi has tracked, detained and arrested Buddhist clergy in the country with new...

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Sikh Passenger Receives Apology from Airline

October 30, 2003

Source: The Times of India

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow?msid=258223

On October 30, 2003 the Times of India reported on Sikh passenger Satnam Dhillon's recent apology from National Airlines. "Rather than go to trial, National Airlines acceded to Dhillon's request and sent him a written apology, the first of its kind ever offered by a major airline, according to the ACLU lawyers who assisted Dhillon in his...

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Update: Reuters Reverses Decision in United Methodist Billboard Controversy

October 29, 2003

Source: National Council of Churches

http://www.ncccusa.org/news/03reutersbillboard2.html

On October 29, 2003 National Council of Churches reported that "international media giant Reuters has reversed its earlier refusal to carry United Methodist 'open hearts, open minds, open doors' advertising on its Times Square headquarters building. In an Oct. 28 letter to the Rev. Larry Hollon, top executive of the denomination's communications agency, Reuters chief executive...

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National Council of Churches Responds to Reuters' Billboard Controversy

October 29, 2003

Source: The National Council of Churches

http://www.wfn.org/2003/10/msg00299.html

On October 29, 2003 The National Council of Churches released a statement responding to the decision by Reuters Corporation refusing to sell space to the United Methodist Church on Reuters' electronic billboard in New York's Times Square. Their decision was solely on the basis of a policy not to accept any religious advertising, regardless of content. The statement by the NCC declares that "To imply...

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In the Dialogue of Islam in America, African-American Muslims Rarely Heard

October 25, 2003

Source: San Jose Mercury News

http://www.timesleader.com/mld/timesleader/news/7103330.htm

On October 25, 2003 San Jose Mercury News reported that "perhaps no group of Americans can speak about Islam and the United States with the same intimacy or authority as African-American Muslims. But their voice -- and story -- frequently is missing in the national conversation about Islam after Sept. 11, 2001. In some ways, it is a question about what is Islam, and what is...

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Washington State's First Muslim Prison Chaplain Dies at 55

October 16, 2003

Source: The Associated Press

http://www.newsday.com/news/printedition/ny-araya163496878oct16,0,2506542.story

On October 16, 2003 The Associated Press reported that Dharmachari Aryadaka, a former prison inmate who became Washington state's first paid Buddhist prison chaplain, has died at 55 of hepatitis C. As he became increasingly ill, Arydaka did volunteer work in the state's prisons, and became the state's first paid Buddhist prison...

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Multifaith Community Rallies Behind Muslim Mosque Project in Voorhees

October 14, 2003

Source: The Philadelphia Enquirer

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/7006772.htm

On October 14, 2003 The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the formation this month of a local pro-mosque group in Voorhees, the Coalition for Multi-Faith Democracy, has "drawn the Anti-Defamation League in New Jersey and the Interfaith Freedom Foundation in California to its cause. The coalition - made up of more than a dozen Roman Catholics, Methodists, Unitarians and...

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Zoroastrian Couple Makes a Difference in Chicago

October 12, 2003

Source: Times of India

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow?msid=

On October 12, 2003 Times of India reported on the lives of Roshan and Rohintan Rivetna, a Zoroastrian couple making a difference in modern Chicago. Blending their American and Zoroastrian identities, the coupe have reinforced both worlds, becoming active local leaders. Rohinton set up the Chicago community association, built its prayer hall, and then...

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Arizona Religious Leaders to Aid Parliament of the World's Religions

October 11, 2003

Source: The Arizona Republic

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/chandler/articles/1011interfaith11Z6.html

On October 11, 2003 The Arizona Republic reported that "five religious leaders from the Valley will take part in a planning meeting next week for the Parliament of the World's Religions. The group from the Arizona Interfaith Movement, led by Paul Eppinger, is one of the largest invited to the planning, which will be held in...

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Update: Ten Commandments Monument in Alabama Judicial Building

October 10, 2003

Source: CNSNews.com

http://www.townhall.com/news/politics/200310/CUL20031006b.shtml

On October 10, 2003 CNSNews.com reported that "hundreds of Christians chanted, sang and prayed for the Ten Commandments on Monday, bringing their eight-day, five-state campaign to Washington, D.C., where they called on lawmakers to pay homage to the role of religion in the United States. The morning rally brought together some of the leading figures in the fight to preserve...

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