On May 30, 2003 the Orlando Sentinel reported that "Orange Circuit Judge Janet Thorpe said she would rule next week on the Muslim woman's quest to reinstate her drivers license -- with a photo of her face covered by the veil... [Sultaana] Freeman, 35, reaffirmed...
On May 28, 2003 the San Jose Mercury News reported that "as a practicing Muslim, Fatima is forbidden to date or dance in mixed company. Her predicament is increasingly common in the Bay Area, where immigrants and children of immigrants can find the prom season particularly vexing because of the added stress to respect cultural or religious values... The prom is supposed to be one of...
On May 27, 2003 the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported that "nine months after Sultaana Freeman obtained a Florida driver's license
that had a photo of her face covered in a veil, she received a letter from the
state warning that it would revoke her license unless she returned for a photo
with her face uncovered... The 35-year-old Muslim refused, saying that revealing her face would violate her
beliefs, and the license was...
On May 25, 2003 The Times-Picayune reported that "May 18 [marks] one
of the holiest days of the year for Buddhists worldwide: the celebration of
Buddha's Birthday, or Kinh Mung Phat Dan in Vietnamese... The congregation at the new Lien Hoa Buddhist temple in Terrytown [Louisiana] marked the
holiday in traditional Vietnamese style, with an outdoor prayer service and
luncheon. This is the 2,547th anniversary of Buddha's birth, said Son Tran, a
member of the temple who served as a translator for the service... He was joined by half a...
On May 15, 2003 the BBC News reported that "Muslim women in Russia will be permitted to wear headscarves in passport photos, the country's Supreme Court has ruled in what has been hailed a victory for civil rights.
The decision followed an appeal by a group of women from the predominantly Muslim republic of Tatarstan, who had been campaigning to overturn a 1997 Interior Ministry ruling which forbade women to...
On May 15, 2003 News Net 5 reported that "Mark and Elizabeth Sommerer, adoptive parents of four cats, are self-described 'regular people...' 'We shop like everybody else does. We go to the Laundromat. We play with our kids. We pay taxes, work jobs,' Elizabeth said... And Lee said they cast spells... They contacted News Channe l5 after seeing news reports of so-called Satan worship linked to the discovery...
On May 10, 2003 the Honolulu Advertiser printed an editorial by Robert Ganung stating that "it is almost impossible for me to write about spiritual matters without
referring to my spiritual master, Thich Nhat Hanh. Although I am from another
religious tradition (United Methodist minister), this gentle Zen monk from
Vietnam has influenced my spiritual journey...
On May 10, 2003 The Cincinnati Enquirer reported that "Mothers play an important part in the world's religions, such as the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus; Yocheved, Moses' mother who puts him in an ark on the Nile to save his life; and Khadijah, the Mother of Believers in Islam... In the Hindu tradition, a mother is a goddess, as is the case of both Bharat...
On May 10, 2003 The Charlotte Observer reported that "Buddhism.. has attracted attention through the testimony of rock and soul diva Tina Turner. Turner's endorsement appears to be having its biggest impact in the African American community... For example, it was Turner who influenced Cheryl McIntosh to turn to Buddhism. A few years ago, McIntosh, a black...
On May 8, 2003 the Casco Bay Weekly published an editorial detailing the history and activities of Temple Beth El, "a major regional center of Conservative Judaism [located in Portland, Maine]... With the hiring of Rabbi Carolyn Braun in 1995, Temple Beth El became the largest conservative synagogue in the nation to be led by a woman. The addition of Cantor Ruth Ross and...
On May 8, 2003 the Casco Bay Weekly published an editorial by Rev. Gloria Nye that detailed the beliefs and history of Spiritualism. Rev. Nye is the pastor for the Inner Light Spiritualist Church in Maine.
