Source: The New York Times

On March 11, 2001, The New York Times reported on plans to build a new Bukharian Jewish Community Center in New York to replace the one that was torn down three years ago. The previous center had been "a hub for more than 40,000 Bukharian Jews, who live mostly in Forest Hills and Rego Park." Bukharians want the center to help them preserve their 2,500-year-old culture. "The [new] structure will house a synagogue, social-service office, theater, social club, space for an after-school program and [a Bukharian] museum."

Source: The Washington Post

On March 11, 2001, The Washington Post reported that organizers of the gathering at the Capitol Expo Center in Chantilly, Virginia, to celebrate the end of the Hajj, recently began inviting political candidates to speak to the 17,000 Muslims in attendance. "Muslims are a potentially rich source of votes in Virginia because they are reliable voters and generally support candidates as a bloc." 150,000 to 250,000 Muslims live in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia. "The awakening of an Islamic voice in politics is...

Source: The Columbus Dispatch

On March 11, 2001, The Columbus Dispatch that the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio Foundation filed a lawsuit in federal court in Cleveland claiming that a poster of the Ten Commandments in a Richland County courtroom violates separation of church and state. Judge James DeWeese says he will "stand his ground over the display [in his courthouse], which includes the Bill of Rights, and sayings about the law from Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and James Madison."

Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch

On March 11, 2001, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that "the American Indian tribe that the state of Kansas gets its name from is slowly working its way back home. The Kanza last year bought 170 acres in eastern Kansas with hopes of turning it into a heritage park" and has plans for another park and a child-care health center in the state. The Kanza were forcibly removed from Kansas 127 years ago. Today there are about 2,300 members nationwide.

Source: Pagan Educational Network

On March 10, 2001 a press release was issued by the Pagan Educational Network entitled "Pagan Summit Held 02-04 March 2001."

Source: The Pagan Educational Network

On March 10, 2001, Pagan Educational Network reported that "the first national Pagan Summit was held over the weekend of 2-4 March 2001 in Bloomington, Indiana. The goal of the Summit was to allow people who lead nationally-focused Pagan organizations to meet face-to-face and discuss issues facing the national Pagan movement... The results are posted on the updated Summit site at http://www.bloomington.in.us/~pen/summit.html."

Source: The Boston Globe

On March 9, 2001, The Boston Globe reported on civil-rights lawyer Juliette Kayyem, who is executive director of a project on counterterrorism and domestic preparedness at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. She is waging what seems "like a one-woman war within the Justice Department against the use of secret evidence... Acting on secret evidence, US officials now seize, detain, and deport foreigners suspected of terrorist activities." The National Commission on Terrorism, the congressionally appointed panel she sits on, "...

Source: Los Angeles Times

On March 9, 2001, the Los Angeles Times reported that "leading Southern California Muslim scholars...denounced the ruling Taliban's destruction of Buddhist statues in Afghanistan as contrary to their faith's laws and traditions...The Los Angeles meeting...reflected growing efforts by a network of Muslim intellectuals and human rights advocates...to challenge, on the basis of Islamic law, oppression that they believe is being falsely imposed in the name of Islam...In a unanimous statement, eight intellectuals said the Taliban's...

Source: The Arizona Republic

On March 8, 2001, The Arizona Republic reported on the Rev. Jerry Falwell's remark that "the Moslem faith teaches hate" and should be barred from Bush's faith-based initiatives. "Falwell later told USA Today that he meant any group that is anti-Semitic, racist or in any way bigoted should be disqualified...Islamic, Christian and Jewish leaders, even a spokesman for Middle East terrorist group Hezbollah, denounced Falwell's remarks."

Source: The Washington Post

On March 8, 2001, The Washington Post reported that John DiIulio "lashed out at critics on the religious right who oppose President Bush's plan to provide government funds to religious charities, deepening a rare rift between the new administration and once-loyal social conservatives...Many religious conservatives have criticized the Bush 'faith-based initiative' because they believe government interference would compromise churches' spirituality."

Source: The San Francisco Chronicle

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2001/03/08/MN220744.DTL

On March 8, 2001, The San Francisco Chronicle reported that "John DiIulio, the director of the new White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, made his plea for Christian support at the National Association of Evangelicals convention in Dallas." In response to opposition toward the initiative...

Source: Council on American-Islamic Relations

On March 8, 2001, the Council on American-Islamic Relations announced that it "is demanding an apology for anti-Muslim bigotry by prominent television evangelist Rev. Jerry Falwell." In an interview Falwell said that he thinks the Muslim faith teaches hate and should be barred from Bush's faith-based initiatives. Excerpts from the interview can be found at http://www.Beliefnet.com/story/70/story_7040_1.html. CAIR's letter to Falwell can be found...

Source: The Kansas City Star

On March 7, 2001, The Kansas City Star reported on the founder of HateBusters, an organization that arranged the first of a monthly series of visits by Christians to the houses of worship of three other major religions in Kansas City, the Hindu Temple, Beth Shalom Synagogue and the Islamic Center." The purpose of the trips, said the founder, is to ask, "How are we all as people of faith like each other, and how can we become neighbors?"

Source: The New York Times

On March 6, 2001, The New York Times reported that "the New York political theory [is] that the way to honor the dignity of faith is by passing special-interest legislation for every religion in sight." This began when the New York City government began "celebrating Id al-Adha, the Islamic Feast of Sacrifice, by suspending alternate-side street parking rules." After the city's recognition of this holiday other religious groups began demanding special legislation as well.

Source: The New York Times

On March 6, 2001, The New York Times reported on Tibetan immigrants in America. "Tibetan exiles have argued for decades that Tibetan culture will die if Tibetans scatter across the globe." 9,000 Tibetans live in America in all, scattered over 30 cities, with the largest concentration of about 2,000 people in New York City. The Tibetan leadership sent many of these as ambassadors "to make additional friends for Tibet." Although they serve this role to some degree, they feel themselves torn from "their Buddhist faith and their...