Civic

Southern Californian Orthodox Greek Church Reaches Out to Latino Community

September 21, 2002

Source: Los Angeles Times

On September 21, 2002 the Los Angeles Times reported that "in recent years, St. Sophia [Greek Orthodox Church] has helped start a free summer camp for underprivileged youth, raised funds to help provide uniforms for a nearby public school and counseling, art and tutoring programs... St. Sophia has been a driving force in transforming the neighborhood from an embattled bus corridor between downtown and the Pico district into a bustling business district officially christened the 'Byzantine-Latino Quarter.' [Many say]... the...

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Arab Brothers Accuse Police of Constitutional Rights Violations

September 20, 2002

Source: The Detroit Free Press

http://www.freep.com/news/locway/suit20_20020920.htm

On September 20, 2002 The Detroit Free Press reported that "a lawsuit accuses Waterford [IL] Police Department officers of using their power to 'attack and terrorize' three Arab brothers who were operating a neighborhood ice-cream truck. The federal lawsuit filed Wednesday alleges constitutional rights violations, ethnic intimidation, assault, false imprisonment and negligence."

Protests Against Documentary "Soul of India"

September 20, 2002

Source: St. Petersburg Times

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/about/film10.html

On September 20, 2002 St. Petersburg Times reported that "about 40 local Hindus picketed WEDU-Ch. 3's offices on North Boulevard [in Tampa, FL], protesting the airing of the documentary Soul of India. The protesters said the hourlong TV program was biased... [and] focuses on Hindu extremists in Gujarat, where many of them are from. WEDU wasn't the only station to be hit with protests....

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Maine Families to Sue State for School Vouchers

September 19, 2002

Source: The Associated Press

http://www.freedomforum.org/templates/document.asp?documentID=16986

On September 19, 2002 The Associated Press reported that "six Maine families joined yesterday in a lawsuit that seeks to force the state to pay for their children's tuition at religious schools. The lawsuit, filed in Cumberland County Superior Court, is the first of three planned by a Washington, D.C., legal advocacy group that hopes to use a recent U.S....

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Indian Doctor May Sue Over False Detention

September 19, 2002

Source: The Philadelphia Inquirer

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/4102992.htm

On September 19, 2002 The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that "unknown to most passengers on the Atlanta-to-Philadelphia flight, the marshals upon landing... seized an Indian passenger from first class and silently whisked him away in handcuffs. Far from being a terror suspect, the second detainee turned out to be a former U.S. Army major and military doctor from Lake Worth, Fla., where he has...

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Advocacy Group Claims First Amendment Violations at DC School System's 9/11 Memorials

September 19, 2002

Source: The Washington Post

On September 19, 2002 The Washington Post reported that "according to Americans United for Separation of Church and State, an advocacy group... the [District of Columbia public] school system appears to have violated... a memo from the school system's general counsel, headed 'Religious Neutrality Requirements' and sent to all school and central office administrators,... [which] told employees to 'be mindful that we are required under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution to avoid entanglement with religious issues and...

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Muslims Protest Against Adult Film Sex Life of the Prophet Muhammad

September 18, 2002

Source: The Associated Press

On September 18, 2002 The Associated Press reported that "about 100 Houston-area Muslims peacefully protested an adult cinema Wednesday, upset over a film advertised as Sex Life of the Prophet Muhammad in a weekly newspaper. Several of the protesters acknowledged they had not seen the film, citing religious beliefs that prevented them from entering the building. The theater's manager, who declined to give his name, said the owner contracted an exclusive run of the film. Some protesters agreed the theater had a right to...

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Connecticut Sikhs Gather to Remember 9/11 Victims of Terror and Backlash

September 16, 2002

Source: The Stamford Advocate

http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/local/scn-sa-sikh1sep16.story?coll=stam%2Dnews%2Dlocal%2Dheadlines

On September 16, 2002 The Stamford Advocate reported that "about 200 Sikhs from Fairfield County [CT] gathered to remember victims of terrorism and hate crimes. Across the country, several Sikhs have been attacked or killed in the past year... Mayor Alex Knopp thanked the Sikh community...

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Update: Balbir Singh Sodhi Remembered

September 15, 2002

Source: Newsday

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-attacks-arizona-shooting0915sep14.story?coll=sns%2Dap%2Dnation%2Dheadlines

On September 15, 2002 Newsday reported that "hundreds of people attended a memorial vigil Saturday night [in Mesa, AZ] for a gas station owner fatally shot just days after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks... The two-hour memorial took...

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New York Subway Panic over Sikh Transit Authority Worker's Turban

September 15, 2002

Source: New York Post

http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/57019.htm

On September 15, 2002 the New York Post reported that "a turbaned man spotted climbing out of a subway maintenance hatch yesterday caused a terror scare after witnesses assumed he was up to no good. But after two hours of panic, cops determined he was just a legitimate Transit Authority worker who happens to be a Sikh... Before authorities figured it out, they roped off a section of Battery Park,...

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Muslim "Pedals for Peace" Ride

September 15, 2002

Source: Islamic Horizon

On September 15, 2002 Islamic Horizon reported that "Shakeel Syed, a 42-year-old Los Angeles resident, has announced that he will bike 4,000 miles (from Los Angeles to Boston) to bring peace to everyone everywhere. Syed, who will start his solo Pedals for Peace on march 1, 2003, hopes to finish his journey by June 30, 2003."

Inclusion of Jewish and Muslim Holidays in the Workplace

September 13, 2002

Source: Equal Time

http://eastbay.bizjournals.com/eastbay/stories/2002/09/16/smallb3.html

On September 13, 2002 Equal Time reported that "few U.S. employers list the Jewish High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur as employee holidays. The same goes for Ramadan, the most religiously significant time of year for the world's 1 billion Muslims. But as the workplace has become more racially, ethnically and religiously diverse, firms have tried to...

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Senate Expected to Vote Soon on Faith-Based Initiative Bill

September 13, 2002

Source: The Atlanta Journal and Constitution

On September 13, 2002 The Atlanta Journal and Constitution reported that "the White House expects the Senate to vote soon for a long-delayed bill to make it easier for faith-based groups to seek federal support for programs to help the needy. Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) said the Senate would vote on the bill during the end-of-session rush if the two senators could obtain unanimous consent from their colleagues for strict limits on debate time and the number of amendments."

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