Civic

Debate Over City Council's Use of "In God We Trust" in Bakersfield, CA

March 18, 2002

Source: Los Angeles Times

On March 18, 2002, the Los Angeles Times reported that "the City Council of church-filled Bakersfield [CA] decided to place the national motto... 'In God We Trust'...to the walls of City Hall... 'We are doing something great tonight,' the councilwoman who suggested the posting said when it was overwhelmingly approved a few weeks ago... More remarkable has been the public debate that accompanied her proposal, the letters to the local paper condemning it and the fact that it was not supported by the mayor... The dissension...

Read more about Debate Over City Council's Use of "In God We Trust" in Bakersfield, CA

Editorial on Teaching about Religion: "Faith, Fear and Public Schools"

March 17, 2002

Source: The Denver Post

On March 17, 2002, The Denver Post featured the editorial "Faith, Fear and Public Schools" by Lori Colvin-Hobbs, a parent and business director at The Odyssey School in Denver, CO where middle school students are engaged in an Asian Studies program, which includes studying Asian religions. "For many families, both Christian and non-Christian, this learning expedition was an exciting opportunity for their students... But some Christian families in our school community saw the Asian studies curriculum as a threat - crossing...

Read more about Editorial on Teaching about Religion: "Faith, Fear and Public Schools"

Fightin' Whities Mascot Draws Attention to Racist Caricature

March 17, 2002

Source: The Denver Post

On March 17, 2002, The Denver Post featured an article on the Fightin' Whities, the new satirical mascot of an intramural basketball team at the Univeristy of Northen Colorado. The mascot was designed to aid the protest against a local high school mascot. "Dan Ninham, a member of the Oneida Nation... formed a multiethnic committee to oppose the Fightin' Reds mascot at Eaton High School - a caricature of a defiant Indian with a misshapen nose, eagle feather and loincloth. Ninham has called it 'one of the most blatantly racist...

Read more about Fightin' Whities Mascot Draws Attention to Racist Caricature

Mayor of Florida Town Banishes Satan From City Limits

March 14, 2002

Source: The New York Times

On March 14, 2002, The New York Times featured an article on Carolyn Risher, the mayor of Inglis, Florida (population: 1,400), who "has made international news by banning Satan, by mayoral proclamation, from the Inglis city limits... She has drawn praise and condemnation and has become the butt of jokes. To some people, it is a most heinous violation of the separation of church and state. To others, there was too much separation there already, and it took Mrs. Risher, a 61-year-old from Florida's Gulf Coast, to pinch church...

Read more about Mayor of Florida Town Banishes Satan From City Limits

Muslim Scholar Works for Understanding of Pluralism Among Abrahamic Religions

March 13, 2002

Source: The Plain Dealer

On March 13, 2002, The Plain Dealer reported that Islamic scholar Abdulaziz Sachedina, famous for his "interfaith work and advocacy for the rights of women,... packed local [Cleveland] mosques with eager listeners and attracted about 300 clergy to his lectures yesterday at Hiram College... Sachedina travels the West Bank and Israel, working for curriculum reform in Islamic and Jewish schools...But Sachedina's central endeavor, as a scholar at the University of Virginia and an adviser to the Center for Strategic and...

Read more about Muslim Scholar Works for Understanding of Pluralism Among Abrahamic Religions

Indian and Pakistani Immigrants Live Together Peacefully in America

March 13, 2002

Source: The Atlanta Journal and Constitution

On March 13, 2002, The Atlanta Journal and Constitution reported that "in recent weeks, fighting between Muslims and Hindus in India has left more than 700 dead." The article examines how this violence is effecting the South Asian community in the Atlanta area. "Nearly two years ago, two Indians --- one Hindu and one Muslim --- formed South Asians for Unity (SA4U), an organization that hopes to strengthen relations between the various communities from the region living [in Atlanta]. Today the group has grown...

Read more about Indian and Pakistani Immigrants Live Together Peacefully in America

New York Interfaith Memorial Calls for Peace

March 12, 2002

Source: Newsday

On March 12, 2002, Newsday reported that "religious leaders across the city marked the six-month anniversary of the Sept. 11 tragedy yesterday with prayers for the victims and calls for healing and peace... The victims were remembered in temples, mosques and churches, as well as outdoor events across the city... Religious leaders from Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, Jewish and other congregations gathered at City Hall Park to remember the dead, but also to sharply criticize the war in Afghanistan. They also denounced reported plans of the...

Read more about New York Interfaith Memorial Calls for Peace

Sikh Man Fired: Turban Violates NYPD Uniform Policy

March 11, 2002

Source: Newsday

On March 11, 2002, Newsday featured an article on Amric Singh Rathour, a New York Sikh, who "was fired for refusing to remove his turban and shave his beard... Under the tenets of their faith, Sikhs do not cut their hair or beards and wear turbans... Rathour and the Sikh Coalition have started a campaign to abolish the department's no-turban rule and have collected more than 3,400 signatures "online", said Prabjot Singh, director of operations for the coalition... In a statement...

Read more about Sikh Man Fired: Turban Violates NYPD Uniform Policy

American Muslims Celebrate Eid ul-Adha Nationwide

March 11, 2002

Source: The Tampa Tribune

On March 11, 2002, The Tampa Tribune reported that "about 3,500 members of Tampa's Islamic community gathered at Riverfront Park [in Tampa] on Sunday and spoke about their religion and the importance of being part of America... 'Muslims are, by and large, peaceful and loving people,' said Husain Nagamia, chief of cardiac surgery at Tampa General Hospital and chairman of the Tampa Bay Muslim Alliance, which has 25,000 members... The sixth annual Islamic Charity Festival, marking Eid Al-Adha, the Muslim day of sacrifice, drew...

Read more about American Muslims Celebrate Eid ul-Adha Nationwide

Update: Hindus, Muslims, and Vegetarians Sue McDonald's over Use of Beef Flavoring in Fries

March 9, 2002

Source: The New York Times

On March 9, 2002, The New York Times reported that "the McDonald's Corporation plans to issue an apology and pay $10 million to vegetarian and religious groups for using beef flavoring in its French fries. The action is part of a proposed settlement of lawsuits charging that the company misled consumers... According to a draft of the settlement, 60 percent of the payment would go to vegetarian groups, with the rest going to groups devoted to Hindus and Sikhs, children's nutrition and assistance, and kosher dietary...

Read more about Update: Hindus, Muslims, and Vegetarians Sue McDonald's over Use of Beef Flavoring in Fries

Bush Freezes Assets of Texas-based Holy Land Foundation, a Muslim Charity

March 9, 2002

Source: The New York Times

On March 9, 2002, The New York Times reported that "the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, the largest Muslim charity in the United States, sued the federal government yesterday for labeling it a financier of terrorism and freezing its assets... The Bush administration has accused the foundation of raising money for Hamas, the Palestinian group that claims responsibility for suicide bombings in Israel... In a 20-page civil complaint against the Departments of Justice, State and Treasury, the foundation...

Read more about Bush Freezes Assets of Texas-based Holy Land Foundation, a Muslim Charity

Rhode Island Town Debates Town Hall Display on Islam

March 9, 2002

Source: Los Angeles Times

On March 9, 2002, the Los Angeles Times reported that "an Islamic art exhibit in Town Hall [in Riverton, RI] was removed then put back on display after a dispute over whether the show violated the separation of church and state... Town Administrator James Towers ordered the posters removed [on] the first day of the exhibit's planned two-week run, after some residents and town employees complained... Three days later, Town Solicitor James Donnelly concluded the poster display was educational and didn't violate the...

Read more about Rhode Island Town Debates Town Hall Display on Islam

The Ten Commandments in the Public Square

March 7, 2002

Source: The Denver Post

On March 7, 2002, The Denver Post reported that "a granite Ten Commandments tablet that has stood outside City Hall [in Grand Junction, CO] for 44 years will remain there after a legal challenge to the constitutionality of having the commandments on public property was dropped this week... The American Civil Liberties Union and five Grand Junction residents withdrew a lawsuit against the city of Grand Junction on Tuesday... Jeff Basinger, one of the plaintiffs in the suit, said they feared if they didn't drop the suit...

Read more about The Ten Commandments in the Public Square

Controversy Over Islamic Cemetery in an Atlanta Suburb

March 6, 2002

Source: The Chicago Tribune

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0203060179mar06.story?coll=chi%2Dnewsnationworld%2Dhed

On March 6, 2002, The Chicago Tribune featured the story "Plan for Islamic cemetery makes waves in Georgia." It reported on the plans to construct a 1,500 plot burial ground that have met with much local opposition. A mosque and educational center had been built in the same area...

Read more about Controversy Over Islamic Cemetery in an Atlanta Suburb

Pages