Civic

Bush Needs to Start Over with Faith-Based Initiative

July 13, 2001

Source: The Washington Post

On July 13, 2001, The Washington Post published an editorial on Bush's faith-based initiative, which asserted that "President Bush's faith-based initiative is in deep trouble because it lacks a constituency committed to its success, and because every move the administration makes to appease the idea's opponents weakens support from likely allies...The administration needs to start over...And if religious congregations were required to set up separate tax-exempt organizations to receive government money...many of the...

Read more about Bush Needs to Start Over with Faith-Based Initiative

Faith-Based Initiatives Are Government-Funded Bigotry

July 13, 2001

Source: The Boston Globe

On July 13, 2001, The Boston Globe published an opinion piece by Derrick Jackson, about Bush's faith-based initiative, in which he wrote, "It was fortunate for the debate on faith-based initiatives that the Salvation Army was the first major organization to trip and fall into the ravine between church and state. When an all-American charity splatters its political innards all over the valley, it cannot be ignored how the initiative of President Bush is a government subsidy for faith-based bigotry.

Workshop Will Familiarize Muslims with their Rights

July 13, 2001

Source: Council on American-Islamic Relations

On July 13, 2001, the Council on American-Islamic Relations reported on a "Know Your Rights" workshop, co-sponsored by CAIR-LA, The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) and the MSA at California State University, Fullerton. Legal experts will talk about one's rights as an employee, how to protect one's civil rights, and immigration laws. It will be held Saturday, July 28, 2001 at California State University, Fullerton.

Group Tries to Get Religious Marker Removed from Public Park

July 13, 2001

Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

On July 13, 2001, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that Madison-based Freedom From Religion Foundation Inc. "is resuming its fight to have a monument displaying the Ten Commandments removed from a La Crosse [Wisconsin] park," which they originally began in 1988. "The Common Council will consider the request in August...The foundation believes it now has stronger legal footing...Public support is behind the monument."

Muslim Leaders Protest Muslim Student's Expulsion from White House

July 13, 2001

Source: Los Angeles Times

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-000057480jul13.story

On July 13, 2001, the Los Angeles Times reported that "at a recent get-together with White House officials, Muslim leaders expected to discuss President Bush's [faith-based initiative]. Instead, the session produced yet another setback for Muslims struggling to find their place in the high-stakes game of influence in Washington [when] the Secret Service...

Read more about Muslim Leaders Protest Muslim Student's Expulsion from White House

Faith-Based Initiative Has Little Support in Congress

July 12, 2001

Source: The Houston Chronicle

On July 12, 2001, The Houston Chronicle reported that "with his signature proposal for faith-based federal spending increasingly imperiled, President Bush...made rare overtures to lawmakers in an effort to get the issue back on track...Furor [that] erupted over a deal his administration allegedly cut with the Salvation Army [is]...the latest setback...The administration has been steadily scaling back various aspects of the once-ambitious program, amid criticism, opposition and a lack of interest in the newly Democratic...

Read more about Faith-Based Initiative Has Little Support in Congress

Female Muslim Firefighter Allowed to Wear Headscarf

July 12, 2001

Source: Council on American-Islamic Relations

On July 12, 2001, the Council on American-Islamic Relations reported that "in a first-of-its-kind case of workplace religious accommodation, a female Muslim firefighter in Maryland will be allowed to wear a religiously-mandated Islamic headscarf while on duty...The decision by Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) to allow the scarf came following discussions with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)."

New Hindu Temple to Be Dedicated

July 10, 2001

Source: Jersey Journal

On July 10, 2001, the Jersey Journal reported that "for part of the Aug. 4-5 dedication ceremonies, leaders of the Shree Swaminarayan Temple [in New Jersey] plan to 'borrow' $7 million worth of gold bullion from a bank to underscore the material value of the enterprise...The temple...will be home from time to time for up to 32 of the Gujarati sect's 'saints' or visiting practitioners" and is now open for worship.

American Muslims Are Beginning to Establish Group Identity

July 9, 2001

Source: www.newsroom.org

On July 9, 2001, www.newsroom.org reported that "Muslims living in America are beginning to discover new points of convergence between what is known as the birthplace of freedom and the birthplace of Islam’s founder, the Prophet Muhammad...'There is no other place on earth outside of the U.S. where dialogue of the sort we’re experiencing is happening,' observed Shabbir Mansuri, founding director of the Council on Islamic Education...Muslims in America are experiencing an evolution of identity that could only occur in a place...

Read more about American Muslims Are Beginning to Establish Group Identity

Nonbeliever Coalition Opposes Faith-Based Initiative

July 9, 2001

Source: U.S. Newswire

http://www.usnewswire.com/topnews/Current_Releases/0709-129.html

On July 9, 2001, U.S. Newswire reported that a "coalition of Atheist, Freethought, Secular Humanist and other nonbeliever organizations...under the banner of 'The Day That Counts' will hold a media conference...in Washington, D.C...The goal is to encourage the nation's 27,000,000 persons who define themselves as Atheists, Agnostics, Freethinker, Humanists or other...

Read more about Nonbeliever Coalition Opposes Faith-Based Initiative

Hindu Woman Travels World, Offering Comfort and Compassion

July 8, 2001

Source: The San Diego Union-Tribune

On July 8, 2001, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported on "the 'Mother of Immortal Bliss,' a.k.a. Mata Amritanandamayi, a Hindu woman...who is fast becoming a world-renowned spiritual leader, like Mother Teresa or Mohandas Gandhi." She "traveled from her home in southern India to Los Angeles...on a 10-city U.S. tour...The drill is the same wherever she goes. From dawn to late at night, people stream toward her. One-by-one they place their heads on her breast or belly or shoulder for a hug. She pats them on the back......

Read more about Hindu Woman Travels World, Offering Comfort and Compassion

Many Services Exist to Link Faith-Based Services to Government Funding

July 7, 2001

Source: The Dallas Morning News

On July 7, 2001, The Dallas Morning News published a list of primers for faith groups that want to seek out government funding for their service programs. The Charitable Choice Handbook for Ministry Leaders and A Guide to Charitable Choice are published by the Center for Public Justice (http://www.cpjustice.org/), a "Christian outfit that promotes involvement." Ten Good Questions is issued by the Polis Center, a research center at Indiana-Purdue University (...

Read more about Many Services Exist to Link Faith-Based Services to Government Funding

Church Challenges City's Refusal to Grant Relocation Request

July 7, 2001

Source: The San Diego Union-Tribune

On July 7, 2001, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that Pastor Mark Hoffman's "Foothills Christian Fellowship church filed suit...the City Council, saying it violated the church's civil and constitutional rights in May by voting against its proposal to move to El Cajon Towne Center. The City Council and the Planning Commission...said the downtown's largest commercial property was best suited for retail, restaurants and homes."

Pages