Civic

Update: Lawmakers Walk Out of Muslim Prayer in Washington State House

March 5, 2003

Source: The Seattle Post-Intelligencer

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/111090_mcmahan05.shtml

On March 5, 2003 The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported that "Rep. Lois McMahan will apologize on the state House floor today for comments she made about her decision to sit out a prayer delivered Monday by a Muslim cleric that opened the session, legislative staff members said... McMahan, a Republican from Gig Harbor, did not mean to offend anyone when she...

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Update: Lawmakers Walk Out of Muslim Prayer in Washington State House

March 4, 2003

Source: CAIR

On March 4, 2003 CAIR issued a press release stating that "(CAIR) today called on state and national Republican leaders to condemn a walkout by two members of that party during a Muslim prayer opening Monday's session of the Washington State House of Representatives... 'Such divisive actions by elected leaders can only serve to increase discrimination against ordinary American Muslims and harm our nation's image and interests worldwide,' said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad. Awad urged state and national Republican leaders to repudiate the...

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Nation of Islam in the African American Community

March 4, 2003

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...

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Women's Prayer Breakfast for Peace in Cleveland

March 4, 2003

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...

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Update: Civil Suit against NYPD

March 4, 2003

Source: The Sikh Coalition

On March 4, 2003 The Sikh Coalition reported that "The Sikh Coalition and Amric Singh (Rathour) filed a federal lawsuit challenging the New York Police Department's (NYPD) "no turban" policy. Amric Singh was terminated by the NYPD in August 2001 for refusing orders to remove his turban and trim his beard, both required by his religion... A contingent of Sikh police officers from Canada and Great Britain joined Amric Singh at the press conference. The Sikh officers stressed that the turban did not impede their ability to perform...

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Student Organized Conference Focuses on Domestic Muslim Community

March 3, 2003

Source: The Michigan Daily

http://www.michigandaily.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/03/03/3e62f53b87714

On March 3, 2003 The Michigan Daily reported that "while the war against terror has placed much emphasis on the status of Muslims internationally, a conference held in the Michigan Union Ballroom over Spring Break attempted to focus on the Muslim community domestically... 'We wanted to really bring emphasis on Muslims in America,' said Muslim...

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Jewish and Catholic Join Hands in Interfaith Program in Florida

March 3, 2003

Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-pinterfaith03mar03,0,4961514.story?coll=sfla%2Dnews%2Dpalm

On March 3, 2003 South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported that "friendly exchanges between the congregations of St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church, where [Monsignor John] McMahon is pastor, and [Rabbi Merle] Singer's Temple Beth El began 17 years ago with an interfaith...

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Long Island Rail Incident Encapsulates Post 9/11 Experience for Sikh American

March 3, 2003

Source: Newsday

http://www.newsday.com/mynews/ny-nysubvr3154895mar03,0,4072261.column

On March 3, 2003 Newsday reported that "standing with five or six riders on the Long Island Rail Road some nights ago, Gurpreet Singh noticed a man staring at him. 'I felt very uncomfortable,' the 24-year-old technology consultant said. 'I'm a very friendly and social guy. I walked over and said, 'Hello.' He replied by saying, 'Where you getting off?' I said, 'Syosset...

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Update: Civil Suit against NYPD

March 3, 2003

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...

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Federal Appeals Court Upholds Pledge of Allegiance Ruling

March 1, 2003

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...

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Tibetans Prepare to Celebrate New Year

March 1, 2003

Source: Tri-Valley Herald

On March 1, 2003 the Tri-Valley Herald reported that "Tibetans here [in California] and around the world this weekend will be chanting, praying and meditating to rid themselves of negativity for the coming year. Then on Monday they will celebrate the Tibetan New Year... At Alameda's Orgyen Dorje Den, a Tibetan Buddhist Meditation Center in the Nyingma tradition, dozens of people gathered Thursday and Friday for a powerful 'reversal ceremony.' They will do the same today... Spiritual leaders said the ceremonies, held in three-hour...

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Faiths Unite to Protest War

March 1, 2003

Source: Islamic Horizons

On March 1, 2003 Islamic Horizons reported that "Busloads of Muslim Americans from across the U.S. joined tens of thousands of fellow citizens of many faiths in Washington on Jan. 18-- in 20 degree temperatures-- to demand peace. The rally, preceding Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday, was part of the ongoing preemptive antiwar movement. The most popular chant was 'No War For Oil,' and the crowd carried placards saying: 'Regime Change Starts at Home' and 'Would Jesus Bomb Them?' Organizers said that it was the largest showing...

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"Shabbat Across America" Program in Omaha

March 1, 2003

Source: The Omaha World-Herald

On March 1, 2003 The Omaha World-Herald reported that "Omaha's Jewish community will join more than 700 synagogues nationwide Friday in observing Shabbat with a special program, 'Shabbat Across America...' The event, organized by the National Jewish Outreach Program, aims to renew interest among Jews in observing Shabbat, the Jewish holy day of rest... In Omaha, four Jewish youth groups are sponsoring a 'Shabbat Across America' service at the Jewish Community Center... The youth-led service will begin with a song session,...

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Northwest Dharma Association's Efforts to Organize Buddhist Communities

March 1, 2003

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...

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