Civic

Rabih Haddad Case Serves as an Example

May 6, 2002

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...

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Senate Discusses The Charity Aid, Recovery and Empowerment Act

May 3, 2002

Source: The Atlanta Journal and Constitution

On May 3, 2002, The Atlanta Journal and Constitution reported that "backers of a bill that would give faith-based organizations access to federal funds rallied at Senate offices Wednesday, but... critics in the House criticized the measure, saying it would allow religious discrimination... The Charity Aid, Recovery and Empowerment Act has three main goals: creating tax incentives for charitable donations, giving low-income workers incentives to save money and allowing faith-based social service groups to...

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National Day of Prayer: Controversy Over Inclusiveness

May 2, 2002

Source: The Baltimore Sun

On May 2, 2002, The Baltimore Sun reported on the "Range of events planned for 'Day of Prayer.'" The article explained, "Organizers of the 51st annual event say it has taken on greater relevance and urgency since Sept. 11. They expect 'unprecedented' participation. ... But critics say the observance amounts to governmental promotion of religion. ... Others question the National Day of Prayer's inclusiveness. Although officially nonsectarian, the events tend to be heavily weighted toward Christianity. There is scarcely an...

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Report Documents Treatment of American Muslims Since September 11

May 1, 2002

Source: The Tampa Tribune

On May 1, 2002, The Tampa Tribune reported on "a report released... by a Washington-based Muslim advocacy group showing a threefold jump nationwide last year in bias-motivated harassment of and violence against Muslims... In 11 cases, the victims were killed, said Mohamed Nimer, research director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which produced the report... Muslim civil rights in the United States have 'deteriorated sharply in the past year,' the report said... It criticized the government for a number of post-...

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Pagan Ceremony Faces Hostile Christian Protests

April 30, 2002

Source: Los Angeles Times

On April 30, 2002, the Los Angeles Times reported that on the evening of the spring equinox, 50 local pagans gathered in Lancaster, CA. Their rituals were interrupted by "about 20 Christians [who] had driven up to pray for the pagans' souls, and two were walking around the circle reading Bible verses... A praying man, who turned out to be a sheriff's chaplain, was blaring Christian pop tunes through his SUV speakers... The pagans said they felt intimidated and called the Los Angeles County Sheriff's...

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New Opportunity for Immigrant Communities to Build Civic Leaders and Connections

April 22, 2002

Source: Mercury News

http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/3114529.htm

On April 22, 2002, the Mercury News reported that "in an unprecedented partnership, Santa Clara County [CA] and San Jose City College are teaching immigrants how to maneuver through the political system and build strong community networks... In doing so, the county hopes to groom a new generation of...

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Update: Arson at Gobind Sadan

April 22, 2002

Source: The Post-Standard

http://www.syracuse.com/news/syrnewspapers/index.ssf?/newsstories/20020422_cffilm.html

On April 22, 2002, The Post-Standard reported that filmmaker Richard Breyer and screenwriter David Coryell, both professors at Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications "are working together to document the aftermath of the Nov. 18 arson at Gobind Sadan USA, a Sikh temple in Palermo, [NY]... Ralph...

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Korean Shaman to Perform Ceremony for Community Harmony on Anniversary of Los Angeles Riots

April 21, 2002

Source: Los Angeles Times

On April 21, 2002, the Los Angeles Times reported that one of South Korea's most famous shamans, Kim Kumhwa,...travels the world with a group of performers to re-create selected rituals known as kut (pronounced coot)... [These] rituals are part of the country's folk religion and central to its music and dance traditions... Kim was initiated at the age of 17 into her role as a mudang, or shaman, by her grandmother, also a mudang. Her path to shamanism began, she says, when she was 11 and came down with a serious illness that she...

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Catholic Priest Assists Detained Muslim Students in Oklahoma

April 21, 2002

Source: The Chicago Tribune

On April 21, 2002, The Chicago Tribune reported that in Norman, Oklahoma, many Muslim students and residents have been questioned, detained, and arrested on various charges. "As federal investigators searched for terrorist cells across America last fall, they conducted an intense sweep in this college town... Joseph Meinhart, a Roman Catholic priest, read about the arrests... in the local newspapers. After learning that friends of the students were afraid to visit them in jail, fearing they, too, would be arrested, Meinhart...

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Republican Congressman Tom Delay Criticized for his Remarks

April 20, 2002

Source: The Washington Post

On April 20, 2002, The Washington Post reported that in a speech "to about 300 people at the First Baptist Church of Pearland, Tex... House Majority Whip Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) told evangelical Christians last week that only Christianity offers a reasonable answer to basic questions about the purpose of life... DeLay said that God is using him to promote 'a biblical worldview' in American politics... A recording of DeLay's speech was released by Americans United for Separation of Church and State, a Washington-based advocacy...

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Department of Labor Issues First Grants to Faith-Based Job Training Programs

April 18, 2002

Source: The New York Times

On April 18, 2002, The New York Times reported that "Churches and other religious organization are receiving the first grants released through the White House Office of Faith-Based Initiatives. The grants totaling more than $15 million are for employment training and came from the Labor Department. Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao said the grants included 25 of up to $25,000 each to help small congregations and community groups provide job training and other employment programs. Another $5 million will help religious groups...

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Vaisakhi in America 2002

April 15, 2002

Source: Los Angeles Times

On April 15, 2002, the Los Angeles Times reported on the Vaisakhi celebration in Los Angeles, CA that featured a "parade of thousands of Sikhs celebrating the founding of their religion with a day of unity and prayer... at the Los Angeles Convention Center." The report also noted that because of some in America confusing turbaned Sikhs with followers of the terrorist Osama bin Laden, many Sikhs "marching in the parade carried American flags... The Sikh religion has about 500,000 followers in North America."

Connecticut Muslim Continues to Educate about Islam

April 15, 2002

Source: The Hartford Courant

On April 15, 2002, The Hartford Courant featured an article on Reza Mansoor, a Muslim-American doctor from Connecticut, who recently gave a talk at an Evangelical Lutheran church which was co-sponsored by the New Britain Conversations on Race proje ct. Mansoor "has been spreading the word about his faith since September, not to gain new adherents to Islam but to overcome the fear and misunderstanding since the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, D.C... Despite the prevalence of misunderstandings about his faith,...

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Holi Celebration in Queens Spreads Awareness of Hindu Community in New York

April 13, 2002

Source: Newsday

On April 13, 2002, Newsday featured an article on the celebration of Holi, the Hindu Festival of Color, at the Shri Lakshmi Narayan Mandir, a Hindu temple in Richmond Hill, Queens, NY. "For the 300 or so New Yorkers who regularly worship at Shri Lakshmi Narayan, Holi is more than a celebration of spring, an occasion for churchgoing and a chance to share their festival with the surrounding communities. Holi - also known as Phagwah or the Festival of Color - reminds them of their roots both in India and the Caribbean... Gyanda 'Eric'...

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Christian Based Charity in Florida to Recruit Board Members of Other Faiths

April 12, 2002

Source: St. Petersburg Times

On April 12, 2002, The St. Petersburgh Times reported that "Metropolitan Ministries, the [St. Petersburgh, FL] area's best-known charity for the homeless and poor, will drop its requirement that professed Christians make up a majority of its board of directors... It also began recruiting 13 people from a 'rainbow coalition' of religious faiths to join the 22 Christians now on the board."

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