Civic

Hasidic Jews At Odds with Neighbors over Plans to Build Complex

June 17, 2001

Source: The New York Times

On June 17, 2001, The New York Times reported on Rabbi Geisinsky, who "directs Chabad of Great Neck, the local branch of a Hasidic Jewish group that focuses on outreach and education." To meet the huge turnout of worshippers, Chabad of Great Neck bought a waterfront property in Kings Point, New York, to build a synagogue on. "But then a group of neighbors who opposed the plan got organized, and...became the Peninsula Environmental Conservancy. They hired a legal team, a traffic analyst, an environmental consultant and a public...

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Houses of Worship Offer Relief to Flood Victims

June 16, 2001

Source: The Houston Chronicle

On June 16, 2001, The Houston Chronicle reported that "as the water from Tropical Storm Allison began to recede...a flood of donations and volunteers rushed into the fellowship hall of St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Church [in Houston] to help a trained troupe of parishioners activate a shelter for the American Red Cross...This 'miracle' was repeated throughout the Houston area last week as houses of worship became sanctuaries for residents fleeing the floods...Organizations such as churches, mosques and synagogues are...

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Orthodox Church Creates Presence in Public Policy Matters

June 16, 2001

Source: The Plain Dealer

On June 16, 2001, The Plain Dealer reported that "in a sign of a more comfortable Orthodox presence in public policy matters, religious leaders are meeting next week in Canton [Ohio] to form a North American chapter of the Holland-based international Orthodox Peace Fellowship...The first Conference of the Orthodox Peace Fellowship in North America will feature public lectures by prominent social justice voices in the Orthodox Church...In more private meetings, Orthodox activists throughout North America will talk about forming their...

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Church-Affiliated Group Creates Controversy with Aid to Mexicans

June 16, 2001

Source: The Arizona Republic

On June 16, 2001, The Arizona Republic reported on "the belief-driven and politically motivated Humane Borders, a Tucson-based, non-profit group made up of church and civic groups...Humane Borders set up four water stations along the Arizona border" to help dehydrated migrants crossing the desert from Mexico into Arizona in search of work...Providing the water is a simple act of faith and conviction, but [is it] slapping U.S. authorities in the face?"

Latino Pentecostal Minister in National Spotlight

June 16, 2001

Source: Los Angeles Times

On June 16, 2001, the Los Angeles Times reported on Jesse Miranda, a Southern California Pentecostal minister. "President Bush's faith-based initiatives proposal and the rise of Latino Protestantism have pushed Miranda into the national spotlight...Miranda, 63...is winning respect for his ability to turn isolated Latino churches into a social force ...Latino Protestantism is attracting a growing number of members from Catholicism."

Muslims Give Enthusiastic Support to California Book Drive

June 15, 2001

Source: The Orange County Register

http://www.ocregister.com/local/books00615cci2.shtml

On June 15, 2001, The Orange County Register reported that "Muslims disappointed with inadequate and offensive books on Islam at local libraries have responded overwhelmingly to an Anaheim [California] advocacy group's Sponsor Your Local Library drive to improve collections on the Islamic faith. The Council on American-Islamic...

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Colorado City Resist ACLU's Demand for Removal of Ten Commandments

June 15, 2001

Source: The Rocky Mountain News

On June 15, 2001, The Rocky Mountain News reported that "the city of Grand Junction [Colorado]...said...it will fight an injunction being sought by the American Civil Liberties Union that demands immediate removal of the Ten Commandments tablet from City Hall...An injunction is necessary, the ACLU argued...because the city is moving toward construction of its 'Cornerstones of Law and Liberty,' of which the Ten Commandments is to be part."

Council Denies Pagan Group the Right to Tell Fortunes

June 14, 2001

Source: The State Journal-Register

On June 14, 2001, The State Journal-Register reported that "a decades-old law that prohibits anyone from being paid to tell fortunes was reaffirmed by unanimous vote of Hillsboro [Illinois] City Council. The issue came up...when [the Coven of the] Mystic Moon [asked to] hold a fund-raising festival on city property at Lake Hillsboro. Among the games and activities to be offered would be readings of Tarot cards and fortune-telling...The practice of divination, or fortune-telling, is part of their religion, [a member of the...

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Swamis Gather at a Conference in Chicago to Examine their Religion

June 14, 2001

Source: Chicago Sun-Times

On June 14, 2001, the Chicago Sun-Times reported that "in an unprecedented gathering, more than a dozen orange-swathed Hindu swamis representing every Ramakrishna order center in North America will assemble in Chicago next week and then spend the weekend at a Hindu retreat center in Ganges, Mich. More than 500 devotees are expected to join the 14 swamis for a conference that will examine their religion in the third millennium."

Native Americans Use Federal Law to Reclaim Remains of Ancestors

June 13, 2001

Source: Los Angeles Times

On June 13, 2001, the Los Angeles Times reported that "residents in Nulato [Alaska] are hoping to rebury the remains [of two children] in a village cemetery." Their bodies have been in a museum since 1948. "Such 'repatriations' of native artifacts and remains have become common in rural Alaska in recent years, the product of a 1990 federal law that gives tribes the right to reclaim the bodies of their ancestors from universities and other institutions." In Nulato, "the sense of community obligation is a strong one...'Our belief is...

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Supreme Court Ruling Permits Religious Groups to Use Classroom Space

June 13, 2001

Source: Los Angeles Times

On June 13, 2001, the Los Angeles Times reported that "long before this week's controversial Supreme Court decision, hundreds of public schools across Southern California had been renting out space to churches without fanfare or controversy...Five years ago, the state modified its education code to give religious groups equal access to public-school campuses during off hours...So far, the arrangements have gone...smoothly."

Clinton Speaks About India's Important International Role at Fundraiser

June 13, 2001

Source: India Abroad

http://www.indiaabroaddaily.com/2001/06/13/13shape.html

On June 13, 2001, India Abroad reported that "former US president Bill Clinton told a large gathering of Indian Americans [in New York City] that the course of the 21st century would be shaped by, among other things, what happens in India...He was delivering the keynote address at a dinner concert organized...

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Supreme Court Ruling Permits Religious Groups to Use Classroom Space

June 12, 2001

Source: The Washington Post

On June 12, 2001, The Washington Post reported that "public schools throughout the Washington area have increasingly allowed religious activities on their campuses, a practice that was reaffirmed yesterday when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a Christian youth group could hold after-school meetings at a public school in Upstate New York." An ACLU legal director in the area said the decision "reaffirms what people understood. They have to treat all clubs equally, including nonreligious clubs and religious clubs."

New Jersey Indian Cultural Center Preserves Hindu Traditions

June 12, 2001

Source: The Record

On June 12, 2001, The Record published a letter to the editor that responded to its June 4 article on the inauguration of Hindu Samaj temple and community center by saying that "the article...gives an inaccurate depiction of the vibrant Hindu scene in Bergen County by saying that 'the only other temple is in Lodi.' I am aware of at least three other incorporated Hindu temples."

Supreme Court Ruling Permits Religious Groups to Use Classroom Space

June 12, 2001

Source: Los Angeles Times

On June 12, 2001, the Los Angeles Times reported that "the Supreme Court strengthened the free-speech rights of religious groups...ruling that a Christian youth group must be permitted to hold an after-school Bible study class in a public elementary school...The court's opinion stressing the rights of religious advocates should give a boost to President Bush's 'faith-based' initiative...In dissent, Justice David H. Souter said the ruling appears to stand 'for the remarkable proposition that any public school opened for civil...

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