2000-JUL-3: Washington State: Proposal to terminate native American sovereignty: According to Spokane.net: 
The Washington state Republican Party called for the abolition of tribal governments. The resolution asks the federal government to "immediately take whatever steps necessary to terminate all such non-republican forms of government on Indian reservations." John Fleming, the Skagit County delegate who was a main author of the resolution explained: "We do not recognize them as sovereign nations, as governments...We think it can be done peacefully." However, if the tribes resist, then Fleming suggests that, "the U.S. Army and the Air Force and the Marines and the National Guard are going to have to battle back." 

Ron Allen, chairman of the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe, vice president of the National Congress of American Indians, and a Republican responded: "It's absolutely the reverse of what Republican principles stand for -- to protect all rights and to uphold the integrity and honor of this nation and all of the commitments it makes...The Republican Party nationally has been making some effort to improve its image with regards to its relationship with the Indian nations. This is polarizing. It's the opposite of what they should be doing."

The native government resolution was only one of 29 resolutions which the Republican committee discussed and voted on during a two hour period. Out of 250 delegates, only two voted against the resolution. 

The Northwest Coalition for Human Dignity declared that efforts to abolish tribal government are racist. Coalition researcher Robert Crawford
called the GOP resolution "disturbing...I wouldn't say it's a majority view. It's in line with the hard core of anti-Indian folks within the party such as (Sen.) Slade Gorton and (Rep.) Jack Metcalf," he said. ₁₂

JUL-8: Virginia: School principle allegedly violates free speech rights of students. According to the Roanoke Times:
Richlands High School is located in southwest Virginia. Student Christopher Henkel (17) alleges that that the school principal, George Brown, threatened him and some of his friends with suspension if they wore T-shirts bearing a pentagram and the word "Equality" to school. Although the pentagram and pentacle are symbols of the Wiccan faith, Henkel states that he is not a Wiccan. With the support of the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia, he will plead his right of freedom of speech at Tazewell County School Board meeting on JUL-10. Henkel also alleges that two months ago, he and Helenia Mitchell were instructed to attend a meeting in the principal's office, where they met with Brown, an assistant principal and two uniformed police officers. Henkel said that Brown accused the students of putting up posters promoting Wicca without permission. The students denied posting the literature and said that they were not Wiccans. They referred to two posters that had promoted a local Christian meeting, were also posted without permission, and which were allowed to stay up for weeks. The principal allegedly defended the Christian posters because, in his opinion, they were unlikely to cause disruption in school. ₁₃

2000-JUL-9: Maryland: Hoax about municipality fining Witches: According to USA Today:
The town council of Burkittsville, MD has been bothered by excessive attention recently. The Blair Witch movies were filmed in and near the town. They are being overrun by movie fans and curiosity seekers, some of whom have engaged in vandalism. USA Today reported that the town council is considering the imposition of a $100 to $200 fine for anyone "caught practicing witchcraft" in the town. It was revealed a week later that the whole story is a hoax, perhaps a publicity stunt for a sequel to the Blair Witch. An aside: The main group practicing witchcraft in the U.S. are Wiccans, the followers of a Neopagan religion. The U.S. Constitution guarantees them freedom of religion. ₁₄ On the other hand, the town council is considering an ordinance prohibiting palm reading and fortune telling -- also clearly unconstitutional.

2000-JUL-9: India: Christians rally against religious violence: 
According to Reuters, 100,000 Christians rallied in Andhra Pradesh state to protest a  church bombing in nearby Karnataka state. The bombing could have killed hundreds of people if it had gone off an hour earlier. It is the sixth bombing of a Christian church in India within a month. Christian groups claim that there have been over 100 attacks on Christians since a Hindu nationalist party came to power federally in early 1999. ₄

2000-JUL-12: Kansas: Creationism - Evolution Drama: According to People for the American Way: 
The John Scopes trial was reenacted in a University of Kansas theatre. It was created and sponsored by PFAW at a time when many states are passing laws restricting the teaching of evolution. "The long-simmering debate over evolution vs. creation now at a full boil in Kansas has also been on the front burner recently with similar efforts in Alabama, Arizona, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Nebraska, New Mexico, and Texas. In Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Washington, and West Virginia legislators introduced anti-evolution bills, while Alabama mandated evolution disclaimers for biology textbooks and Louisiana tried but failed to do the same." More details.

According to a 1999 United States State Department report, freedom of religion is restricted significantly. "The government (imposes) a requirement that citizens be Muslims," the report says. "The practice of any religion other than Islam is prohibited by law." Non-Muslims are forbidden from proselytizing and conducting public worship. Any Muslim who converts to another faith is breaking the Sharia (Islamic law) and can lose his or her citizenship.