Source: The New York Times

On December 29, 2002 The New York Times reported that "the [conference on multiculturalism and children], at the Interfaith Center in New York, opened with an invitation to chant and dance to an African song... Tolerance was, by unspoken assent, an absolute virtue, right up there with Faith, Hope and Diversity... Then one participant, with radical Islamist groups in mind, raised a question: Must we be tolerant of those who are intolerant of us? The question revealed the enormous burden that tolerance has been made to bear in...

Source: Knight Ridder Tribune News Service

http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/news/local/4827078.htm

On December 28, 2002 the Knight Ridder Tribune News Service reported on "Eboo Patel, a 27-year-old Rhodes scholar with a pierced tongue, a devout Muslim with a vision of interfaith cooperation so bold that it recently landed him on a list of 30 'Young Visionaries' under age 30 compiled by Utne Reader magazine, a digest of alternative media... Patel wants to...

Source: The Associated Press

http://www.fac.org/templates/document.asp?documentID=17404

On December 27, 2002 The Associated Press reported that "perhaps wary of church-state controversies, most public schools in Indiana do not offer courses in religion — even though the law allows it. Biblical literature and religion are currently the only two religion courses offered in Indiana public schools. The literature class is more popular, but Carmel [High School] is one...

Source: SMART

http://www.sikhmediawatch.org/news/newsdetail.asp?newsid=150

On December 26, 2002 SMART reported on Swaranjit Singh, who "'resigned from [his] job and started calling different schools, churches, the FBI, the Federal Aviation Administration, the police, to educate people about Sikhs.' Singh said he has been on about 15 different television programs since the Sept. 11 attacks and has given presentations on Sikhism to district attorneys’...

Source: CAIR

Source: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/metro/cobb/1202/26mosque.html

On December 24, 2002 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that "more than 100 of Amjad Taufique neighbors... protest[ed] the plans before the Marietta [GA] Board of Zoning Appeals at its Dec. 16 meeting. The mosque needed the board's approval to build the minaret, which is 35 feet higher than city rules allow... when a man approached him and rudely...

Source: Religion News Service

http://pewforum.org/news/display.php?NewsID=1849

On December 24, 2002 the Religion News Service reported that "a coalition of progressive religious leaders has given the nation's political leaders poor grades for the war on terrorism, including a grade of 'D' for preserving civil liberties... The Progressive Religious Partnership's recent 'Spiritual and Ethical Report Card' was...

Source: MPAC

http://www.mpac.org/home_article_display.aspx?ITEM=317

On December 24, 2002 the Muslim Public Affairs Council reported that the "MPAC annual convention drew over 1500 activists and speakers to Southern California this past weekend... Gasser Hathout gives a comprehensive, stark picture of the specific threats provisions within the USA PATRIOT act poses to the average American in a very informative...

Source: Los Angeles Times

http://www.religionandpluralism.org/GranteeArticles/KarenMcCarthyBrown_LA_Times%20OpEd122402.pdf

On December 24, 2002 the Los Angeles Times printed an editorial by Karen McCarthy Brown that stated, "lots of people seem to think that federal funding for faith-based charity violates the separation of church and state... It does. But there is another reason why Americans should be wary of allowing the...

Source: The Herald

http://www.heraldnet.com/Stories/02/12/23/16282626.cfm

On December 23, 2002 The Herald reported that "Sunday, dinner at the Grand Taj restaurant was on the house -- for the third time in three years... Restaurant owners Kewal Singh Johal and his wife, Jasbir Kaur Johal, served more than 3,000 free dinners to an equal number of their neighbors -- the residents of Snohomish County [WA] and beyond... Followers of the Sikh religion, they believe in...

Source: The Bakersfield Californian

http://www.bakersfield.com/local/story/2362221p-2416343c.html

On December 21, 2002 The Bakersfield Californian reported that "with Christmas just a few days away, toys and food were given away at various events in Bakersfield Saturday... About 12 members of the local Sikh community served a vegetarian meal consisting of rice, vegetables, garbanzo beans and chapati, an unleavened flat bread from India, to folks at the...

Source: Democrat and Chronicle

http://www.rochesterdandc.com/news/1221story6_news.shtml

On December 21, 2002 the Democrat and Chronicle reported that "the removal this week of three decorated evergreen trees from a seasonal display at Park Road Elementary School [in Pittsburgh] has touched off a lively and heated debate about religious symbols and their place, if any, in public schools... The display in Park Road’s foyer, called 'Winter Magic,' was created by...

Source: Anti-Defamation League

http://www.adl.org/PresRele/CvlRt_32/4214_32.asp

On December 20, 2002, the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish civil rights group, issued a press release "express[ing] concern regarding the detention and alleged mistreatment of Middle Eastern men and boys in Los Angeles by federal immigration officials. The League urged the Immigration and Naturalization Service to ensure compliance with civil rights laws and to disclose the procedures used in...

Source: United Press International

http://www.Beliefnet.com/story/119/story_11903_1.html

On December 20, 2002, United Press International reported "Muslim and U.S. rights groups have urged the Bush administration to review its policies toward Muslim immigrants in the United States... Muslim advocacy groups say that American Muslims have been living in fear and uncertainty since the Bush administration's crackdown on immigrants from Islamic countries... Officials at...

Source: The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee

http://www.adc.org/index.php?id=1489

On December 19, 2002 The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee issued a press release that stated, "(ADC) today expressed serious concerns regarding reports of mass detentions of Arab and other Middle Eastern immigrants in California. Report by Reuters and AP last night suggested that between 500 and 1,000 Middle Eastern immigrants had been detained in the Los Angeles/Orange County area...