Source: The Atlanta Journal and Constitution

On May 21, 2002 The Atlanta Journal and Constitution reported that the north Gwinnett County, GA Baha'i community is building a new center to accommodate growing number of members... "The center also would be a focal point for community service projects that are an integral part of the faith... It would be the fourth Baha'i facility in metro Atlanta, following the Atlanta Baha'i Center, the Chamblee Rose Baha'i Center and the Baha'i Unity Center near Decatur."

Source: Los Angeles Times

On May 19, 2002, the Los Angeles Times reported that "at least seven churches, synagogues and religious schools throughout the state [of California] have filed lawsuits against cities as part of a nationwide effort by religious groups to use a new federal law to overturn local zoning restrictions... The groups are invoking the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, passed in 2000, to gain leverage in states where they say churches are routinely denied building permits in favor of projects that bring in tax...

Source: The Boston Globe

On May 17, 2002, The Boston Globe featured a story on Jehuda Reinharz, president of Brandeis University in Waltham, MA, and his new program in conflict resolution. With this program, the university is "poised to become a world leader in teaching Israeli Arabs and Jews - and dozens of other warring peoples - to live together on the same land... Brandeis has begun building on its historically Jewish identity to create a new field it calls 'coexistence studies'... The school is now aggessively recruiting Jews and Arabs, Hindus and...

Source: The Manlius Pebble Hill School

On May 16, 2002 The Manlius Pebble Hill School in Dewitt, NY issued a press release: the school's "Student Council organized a fundraiser to help off set the cost of rebuilding the Gobind Sadan Center. The Sikh center was a victim of arson, and in need of total repair. The Student Council raised nearly $1,100 by sponsoring a dress down day in exchange for a small donation to help rebuild the center... Ralph Singh, of Gobind Sadan USA... said, 'We at Gobind Sadan USA are extremely thankful to students and the entire...

Source: The Boston Globe

http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/135/metro/Praying_Muslims_lead_to_evacuation+.shtml

On May 15, 2002, The Boston Globe reported "Praying Muslims lead to evacuation: Religious ritual alarms manager." The article explained, "A nervous manager created a stir last night after she saw four Muslim men saying their evening prayers at the BJ's wholesale club and called authorities, fearing that the group was about to...

Source: Chicago Tribune

http://www.chicagotribune.com/classified/jobs/chi-0205150053may15.story

On May 15, 2002, the Chicago Tribune reported that "the number of workplace bias complaints by Arab, Muslim, Middle Eastern and South Asian employees is increasing rapidly... The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has received 488 complaints since Sept. 11. Between...

Source: Los Angeles Times

On May 15, 2002, the Los Angeles Times reported that "a bill in Congress, opposed by conservationists and history buffs, would allow the Mormon Church to buy a chunk of historic public land beside four pioneer trails southwest of Casper, Wyo... The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints wants to buy a 1,640-acre site known as Martin's Cove, where at least 56 Mormon immigrants died in a blizzard in 1856... But conservationists worry that the U.S. Department of the Interior would set a dangerous precedent by selling...

Source: The Times-Picayune

On May 13, 2002, The Times-Picayune reported on the "cultural diversity workshops conducted by the National Conference for Community and Justice... [in which] 15 New Orleans area schools that participated,... held each spring at Loyola University. Students are selected based on their leadership skills, but ethnic background is also considered in order to give the groups a good mix of students and allow for a variety of viewpoints... The National Conference for Community and Justice is among several local and national groups...

Source: The Washington Post

On May 12, 2002, The Washington Post reported that "faced with an influx of immigrant mothers over the past decade, delivery rooms across the Washington area are increasingly adapting not just to unfamiliar languages, but to a new set of traditions and taboos... Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring has become adept at assembling all-female teams of obstetricians, nurses, anesthesiologists and even neonatologists to attend Middle Eastern women whose Muslim religion forbids examination by male health workers. The maternity...

Source: Omaha World-Herald

On May 11, 2002, the Omaha World-Herald featured an article on Gatkouth Kuich, "a Sudanese refugee who fled Africa to escape religious persecution and civil war... [and] the leader of the first Sudanese congregation to join the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Nebraska Synod." The congregation's name is Cush Community Lutheran Church "a biblical reference to a land that is present-day Sudan... Kuich came to Omaha in 1997 to shepherd the city's growing Sudanese population, which now numbers between 2,000 and 5,000." The...

Source: The Columbus Dispatch

On May 10, 2002, The Columbus Dispatch reported "Group Unites Eight Faiths for Mutual Enlightenment." It reported on the efforts of the Interfaith Association of Central Ohio: "Members of the 17-year-old association think that the community's religious tolerance, though a good start, isn't enough. 'We need to move beyond that to understanding and respect,' said Tarunjit Butalia, a spokesman for the association and representative of the Sikh community." The article noted that "The association also benefits from having been...

Source: WNET

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week534/cover.html

On May 10, 2002, WNET's Religion...

Source: The Denver Post

On May 10, 2002, The Denver Post featured the opinion piece "Urban Legends about Muslims" by Asma Gull Hasan, a Muslim-American who grew up in Pueblo, CO. "Recently, someone asked me how anti-Muslim sentiments after the tragic attacks on America on Sept. 11 have changed my life. I realized I've faced anti-Muslim sentiment all my life. The only difference now is that hating Islam and blaming Muslims for all our problems is a growth industry... Beware of urban legends about Islam because their purpose is to scare you from...

Source: Star Tribune

On May 9, 2002, the Star Tribune reported that in Minneapolis, MN, "leaders from 60 churches, synagogues, mosques and temples... are pairing up with individual schools to offer tutoring, building space and other support to improve student achievement." The Religious leaders and school officials will meet at a "summit, to take place at a Minneapolis church, the first between the city's school and faith leaders, and the kickoff to a long-term partnership."

Source: The Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37210-2002May5.html

On May 6, 2002, The Washington Post reported "In Michigan, Anti-Terrorism Effort Goes Public: Haddad Case Forces Rare Glimpse of Secret U.S. Campaign." The article focuses on the case of Rabih Haddad, taken into custody on December 14, after a raid on the Global Relief Foundation, an Islamic charity he helped establish. "In court papers, U.S. officials have...