Civic

Iowa School District Faces Law Suit Over Graduation Prayer

April 12, 2002

Source: Omaha World-Herald

On April 12, 2002, the Omaha World-Herald reported that "residents backing their school district in [Woodbine, IO] aren't going to let go of 'The Lord's Prayer' quietly... The Woodbine School Board voted 4-0 Thursday night, with one member abstaining, to defend the song and challenge a lawsuit filed by the Iowa Civil Liberties Union."

President Bush Puts Pressure on Senate for Federal Money for Religious Charities

April 12, 2002

Source: The New York Times

On April 12, 2002, The New York Times reported that "President Bush urged the Senate... to pass a bill... that would give federal money to religious charities." The President also spoke to "a gathering of religious and charity leaders in the East Room, which the White House billed as a rallying call to pressure the Democratic-controlled Senate to act... The legislation, a compromise reached between the White House and Democrats that is a watered-down version of what the president originally wanted, is stuck in the Senate...

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Hindu Temple in Queens Plans Renovations

April 12, 2002

Source: Newsday

On April 12, 2002, Newsday reported that "a Hindu temple in Flushing [Queens, NY] can proceed with a $4 million renovation project that was held up by a lawsuit but was ordered to rewrite its bylaws... in compliance with the state's Religious Corporation Law... a State Supreme Court judge ruled... 'We're happy with the decision,' said Uma Mysorekar, president of... the Hindu Temple Society of North America... The temple is planning renovations, including adding new staff quarters, a senior center and a library."

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."

Forum Addresses Concerns of Muslim and South Asian Americans

April 11, 2002

Source: Asian Week

http://www.asianweek.com/2002_04_12/bay_forum.html

On April 11, 2002, the Asian Week featured an article on an event organized by Northern California branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) that "aimed to reach out to federal agencies along with Muslim and South Asian communities in the Bay Area [CA]." Government officials served on a panel answering the questions of "800 who gathered...

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American Jews Rally in Support of Israel's Right to Defend Itself

April 8, 2002

Source: Star Tribune

On April 8, 2002, the Star Tribune reported that Jews from the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, "who gathered Sunday at a religious service in south Minneapolis to show solidarity with Israel, heard a message of hope and peace, along with the common refrain: Israel has the right to defend itself from Palestinian suicide bombers... The Minneapolis service was among other unity rallies and services held nationwide Sunday. Thousands of demonstrators filled a city block near the United Nations in New York City, and about 3,000 people...

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Florida State Officials Adopt Religious Freedoms Bill without Harassment Provision

April 6, 2002

Source: The Tampa Tribune

On April 6, 2002, The Tampa Tribune reported that Florida State leaders recently "told fellow lawmakers that the 'basic religious freedoms' section of the proposed school code bill was adopted directly from a document developed by civil libertarians and religious groups... But the bill omitted one key provision on religious harassment recommended by that group." The omitted provision reads in part "'school officials should intercede to stop student religious speech if it turns into religious harassment aimed at a student...

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Pagan Ceremony Faces Hostile Christian Protests

April 6, 2002

Source: The Antelope Valley Press

http://www.avpress.com/n/sasty1.hts

On April 6, 2002, The Antelope Valley Press reported on a Pagan ceremony in Southern California that was distrupted by Christian protests. "Celebrants taking part in the ceremony said they were the targets of loud and aggressive prayer, physical bumping, loud Christian music and a caravan of noisy vehicles... A pagan worshiper," who asked one of the protesters to turn...

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Iowa School District Faces Law Suit Over Graduation Prayer

April 3, 2002

Source: Omaha World-Herald

On April 3, 2002, the Omaha World-Herald reported that "a western Iowa school board's decision to proceed with the singing of 'the Lord's Prayer' at graduation has sparked a legal challenge... The Iowa Civil Liberties Union filed a federal lawsuit against the... School District on behalf of a couple whose twins are in the school choir... The 14-year-old twins, Donovan and Ruth Skarin, are uncomfortable being forced to sing 'the Lord's Prayer'... Their parents, Donald and Christine Skarin, are not Christians, and they...

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Interfaith Gathering for "Inner Peace and Global Healing"

April 1, 2002

Source: The San Francisco Chronicle

On April 1, 2002, The San Francisco Chronicle reported that "representatives from three of the world's great religions -- Christianity, Judaism and Islam -- gathered yesterday in a chapel at San Francisco's old Presidio to listen and question each other about their spiritual beliefs... A crowd of nearly 50 people from different faiths and traditions participated in the interfaith discussion 'Inner Peace for Global Healing'... A common thread tying the discussion together was the notion that only with the discovery...

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Hindu Festival Celebrated in Queens Despite Security Concerns

March 31, 2002

Source: Newsday

On March 31, 2002, Newsday reported that "more than 2,000 Hindus celebrated the start of their new year by showering each other with powder, symbolizing renewal, and parading along Liberty Avenue... Organizers said the Police Department cautioned against using powder in this year's festival, because of the anthrax scare last fall. But that did not keep celebrants from dousing themselves with baby powder and other powders in many hues and squirting themselves with colored water... City Councilman Allan Jennings, a Democrat who represents...

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Naval Academy to Rethink Required Mealtime Prayer

March 30, 2002

Source: The Baltimore Sun

On March 30, 2002, The Baltimore Sun reported that the Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD may have to rethink their required mealtime prayer because of a pending case in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. "In January, a federal judge ruled that the Virginia Military Institute's practice of leading cadets in a mealtime grace - nearly identical to the academy's - violates separation of church and state... The case highlights the tensions between constitutional protections of religious freedom and the military's often conservative...

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Native Americans Protest Federal Task Force Decision

March 30, 2002

Source: The Boston Globe

On March 30, 2002, The Boston Globe reported that "as farmers cheered, federal officials let the water flow yesterday from a canal into fields for the first time since last summer, when irrigation was halted amid fears about endangered sucker fish... Members of two Indian tribes chanted and banged drums to show their concern that the Bush administration is favoring the needs of farmers over their own. The fish are considered sacred to tribes in the Klamath Basin."

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