Page 100 - Religion Belief
Mass rally to promote moderate Islam in Indonesia cancelled
Organizers of an Indonesian movement to promote a moderate brand of Islam have cancelled a mass rally after its youth supporters burned the flag of an outlawed hard-line Muslim group, sparking allegations of blasphemy. Yahya Cholil Staquf, general secretary of Nahdlatul Ulama, Indonesia's largest Muslim organisation, said Friday the rally in Yogyakarta, predicted to draw 100,000 people, was cancelled to prevent violence. Video of members of Nahdlatul Ulama's youth arm burning the flag of the outlawed group, Hizbut Tahrir, has stirred controversy in Indonesia because the flag is also emblazoned with the Islamic declaration of faith. Staquf said Hizbut Tahrir "operatives" disrupted the youth wing's celebrations and exploited religious symbols, which led to the flag burning incident.
Vatican stalls on married Catholic priests
A bid by Belgium bishops to allow young married men to take the cloth has fallen flat at a Vatican meet -- though Pope Francis is considering testing out the idea in the Amazon. The suggestion of easing the rules on celibacy was raised by the Auxiliary Bishop of Brussels, Jean Kockerols, during a month-long meeting of the world's bishops. It appeared to fall on deaf ears -- at least officially. "There were no reactions" to that, or any of the "daring proposals" that made newspaper headlines during the synod, French bishop Emmanuel Gobillard told AFP. The 330 or so clerics and lay people taking part in the talks, which end Sunday, were tackling the thorny issue of how to make the Roman Catholic Church appeal to youngsters. "I am disappointed by the lack of reaction. One bishop compared it to stalactites that take a long time to grow," Kockerols told AFP. "Numerous bishops sought me out during coffee breaks, saying 'you are right, we should be heading in that direction,' but I notice ...
Fighting for religious liberty should be central part of US-China ties: Grassley
Accusing China of massive human rights violation on its religious minorities, including the Muslims, Buddhists and Christians, a top American lawmaker said Thursday that fighting for religious liberty should be a central part of America's relationship with China. The US doesn't have the singular authority to stop the religious persecution in China, but it can apply significant pressure to Chinese leaders by linking the need for religious freedom to the economic and political aspects of the bilateral relationship that are important to China, Senator Chuck Grassley said in an op-ed in Politico Magazine. "As China's largest trading partner, the US is in a powerful position to influence Chinese leaders and stand up for human rights. Fighting for religious liberty should be a central part of the US' relationship with China," he asserted in his op-ed, which comes amidst reports of renewed efforts of religious prosecution of the minority Muslims in the country. Disturbing reports have ...
Politics today based on exploiting people's differences: Sinha
Former Union minister Yashwant Sinha Thursday claimed that politics in the country today was based on "exploiting" people's differences. He was speaking at a function to launch a book titled "Legacy of India" here. A debate on India's pluralism, tolerance and peaceful co-existence was organised on the occasion by NGO Wisdom Foundation. "Today's politics is based on exploiting differences among people on the basis of religion, caste, region, language etc and that needs to be reformed. We need to reform the present political system so that it works as a unifier," Sinha said. Congress spokesperson Sanjay Jha said that the secular ethos of the country was witnessed in 2004 when a Christian, Sonia Gandhi, made way for a Sikh, Manmohan Singh, to become Prime Minister who was sworn in by a Muslim president, APJ Abdul Kalam, in a country where over 79 per cent of the population are Hindus.
PIL in SC for enforcing anti-sexual harassment guidelines at religious places
A PIL was filed in the Supreme Court on Thursday seeking extension of its Vishakha guidelines to religious places, including 'ashrams', 'madrasas' and Catholic institutions, to check the rampant rise in sexual exploitation of women in such places. The apex court had on August 13, 1997, in the Vishakha case, laid down as many as 12 guidelines to be followed by the employers to prevent or deter acts of sexual harassments against women. The fresh petition, filed by advocate Maneesh Pathak, said religious places constitute part of work place as many women are employed there, other than those working on a voluntarily basis. The petition sought collection of data of such religious institutions where women practice and profess religion, for taking effective steps on the basis of the guidelines to provide assistance to the victims of sexual assaults. "If the Vishakha Guidelines are extended to these religious institutions, it would assist a lot in reducing sexually related crimes against ...
Nun who protested against tainted Bishop faces wrath
A nun who was at the forefront of a protest against now tainted and rape accused Bishop Franco Mulakkal was at the receiving end from her colleagues at her own parish on Thursday.
Kerala cracks down on Sabarimala protesters
A day after Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan chaired a high-level meeting with senior police officials here, authorities on Thursday launched a crackdown on protesters who prevented women in the 10-50 age group from entering the Sabarimala temple.
Dussehra festivity ends as over 225 assembled deities return
The centuries-old weeklong Kullu Dussehra celebrations, which began on 'Vijaya Dashami' -- the day they ended in the rest of the country -- concluded on Thursday as over 225 assembled deities started returning to their respective areas amid beating of drums and playing of 'shehnais'.
China's underground church set for 'annihilation', cardinal warns
Hong Kong's outspoken Cardinal Joseph Zen on Thursday criticised Pope Francis for not understanding the Chinese regime, warning the pontiff's historic deal with Beijing could lead to the "annihilation of the real Church" in China. There are an estimated 12 million Catholics in China, divided between a government-run association whose clergy are chosen by the Communist Party and the unofficial church which swears allegiance to the Vatican. An agreement struck last month on the appointment of bishops paved the way for a rapprochement between the Holy See and Beijing, establishing diplomatic ties for the first time since 1951. Francis recognised seven clergy appointed by China as part of the deal, despite fears the accord would be used by Beijing to further crack down on worshippers outside the official church. Writing for the New York Times' international edition, Zen said the pope had conceded too much to Beijing and that the agreement would pave the way for the persecution of ...
Kerala Police releases photos of suspects in Sabarimala protests
The Kerala Police has released photographs of over 200 people suspected to have been involved in the protests at Sabarimala to prevent the entry of women of menstrual age into the Lord Ayyappa shrine last week. Special teams would be formed in all districts to identify the suspects whose photographs were released on Wednesday, police sources said. Pathnamthitta district police chief T Narayanan said a list of 210 people, suspected to have taken part in the protests and their photographs have been been sent to Superintendents of Police of various districts for identification. Meanwhile, as part of steps to beef up security at the 'Sannidhanam' (temple complex), it has been decided to deploy 5,000 additional police personnel during the three month-long 'mandalam-makaravillaku' season starting on November 17. The number of police personnel at Sannidhanam, Pamba and Nilakkal would also be increased and more CCTV cameras would be installed, a police press note said. The temple had ...
Save Shikharji's first step towards success
Save Shikharji, an ongoing campaign to get the pious Shikharji Hill declared as 'Place of Worship' has today succeeded in moving a step towards its success.Delegations of Jains including those of Save Shikharji campaign met the Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Raghubar Das, as arranged by Sunil Singhi, member of National Minority Commission of India.After due deliberation and representation, the state government has rightly taken their first step by issuing an office memorandum accepting the Hill as world's Holiest Place and has shown commitment to maintain the sanctity of the Hill.We appreciate the government's move and hope that the government will expedite the process to get declared the entire Hill as Place of Worship of Jains by way of official notification. In this faith we put the movement on hold."We acknowledge the blessings of Figurehead Monks of all denominations of Jain community and support of World Jain Diaspora, International Jain Organizations, different Jain Sanghs of ...
Sabarimala violence: Kerala police issues lookout notice for 210
The Kerala Police on Wednesday issued a lookout notice for 210 people who are suspected to have involved in instigating violence, manhandling journalists and devotees at Nilakkal, Pamba and Sabarimala last week over the entry of women in Sabarimala temple. The notice has been circulated among all district police chiefs.The state of Kerala witnessed strings of protests after the doors of the hill shrine opened on October 17 in compliance with Supreme Court's order wherein it lifted the ban on the entry of women falling in the age group of 10 to 50 years in the temple.On September 28, a five-member constitutional bench headed by the then Chief Justice of India, Dipak Misra had allowed the entry of women of a menstrual age (10 to 50) in the temple.However, not a single woman could enter the shrine owing to the widespread protests across the state. The temple closed down for the month on Monday after it opened for five days as a monthly ritual in the Malayalam month of Thulam.
SAD demands withdrawal of history chapters of 12th class
Shiromani Akali Dal Wednesday demanded immediate withdrawal of two newly-inducted chapters of class 12 history books of the Punjab School Education Board, terming their contents as historically distorted and defamatory" to Sikh gurus and religion. In a statement here, former Education Minister Daljit Singh Cheema said the new chapters, which were released online, had numerous mistakes and factual errors. Even more serious is the sinister attempt to distort the historical facts related to the Sikh gurus and objectionable observations about Sikh's scripture," he said, while also demanding sacking of Education Minister O P Soni. Demanding action against the Board officials, responsible for online release of the chapters with distortions, Cheema said the Sikh 'panth' (community) would never allow the Congress government to play with the history of Sikhism as well as that of the Punjab state. He said the chapters should be withdrawn immediately or else the SAD would launch an agitation on .
Agitators had plan to spill blood in Sabarimala to force
Activist Rahul Eswar, among those who spearheaded the frenzied protests in Sabarimala, Wednesday said they had a contingency plan to force the closure of the temple by spilling blood on its premises by some devotees in case any woman in the 'barred' age group managed to reach it. Released on bail after being arrested over the stir, he claimed 20 Lord Ayyappa devotees opposing the entry of women in the age group of 10 and 50 were ready to inflict knife injuries on themselves on the temple premises which would have forced the priests to close the gates on account of impurity. "Had their blood fallen on the floor of the temple, that would have forced the priests to shut the shrine for three days for purification rituals," Eswar, president of the 'Ayyappa Dharma Sena', told reporters here. Easwar, who was arrested along with 19 others a day after the temple opened for monthly pujas on October 17, said those leading the agitation had discouraged the devotees from taking such
Pope forcibly removes Memphis bishop after investigation
Pope Francis has forcibly removed the bishop of Memphis, in the US state of Tennessee, Monsignor Martin Holley, following a Vatican investigation into the diocese. The Vatican didn't say why Holley was removed. In a brief announcement Wednesday, the Vatican said only that Francis had "relieved (Holley) from the pastoral governance" of the diocese and named Louisville Archbishop Joseph Kurtz to replace him temporarily until a new bishop is named. The phrasing in the announcement is commonly used by the Vatican when the pope forcibly removes a bishop who refuses to resign voluntarily. Earlier this year, the Vatican dispatched two archbishops to investigate Holley's actions since he became bishop in 2016, news reports said at the time. One of Holley's deputies resigned suddenly in June. The results of the Vatican investigation haven't been made public.
Lakshmi Puja observed in Bengal
Households and community marquees across West Bengal celebrated Lakshmi Puja on Wednesday, decorating their premises with colourful floor art, offering delicious vegetarian platters to the goddess and fasting with prayers for prosperity.
Sabarimala row: Kerala HC seeks state govt's approval on police protection to women
The Kerala High Court on Wednesday sought direction from the state government on a petition filed by four women seeking police protection for entering the Sabarimala Temple.The hearing in this regard will take place on October 29.The women, including two lawyers, approached the Kerala High Court on Tuesday seeking police protection for entering the premises of the Lord Ayyappa temple.On September 28, a five-member constitutional bench headed by the then Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra had lifted the ban on the entry of women falling in the age group of 10 to 50 years in the temple, citing the practice "irrational and arbitrary".Earlier, women of menstruating age were barred from entering the Sabarimala Temple by its officials, who argued that the temple deity Lord Ayyappa had taken a vow of celibacy.Despite the Supreme Court's verdict, a number of women have failed in their quest to enter the holy shrine and the temple has been witnessing a series of protests by devotees and ...
Pope: Fidelity must apply to all relationships
Pope Francis' weekly audience on Wednesday focused on the Roman Catholic faith's commandment which exhorts believers not to commit adultery.
Cong flays Ker CM for remarks against Sabarimala head priest
: The Congress-led opposition UDF Wednesday hit out at Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for criticising the head priest of Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala, saying it was an "onslaught" on devotees across the world. The 'tantri' (the head priest) is the final authority in deciding the rituals and traditions of the Lord Ayyappa temple and any remarks against him is "unbecoming" of the position of a chief minister, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Ramesh Chennithala told reporters here. He also alleged the chief minister was threatening the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), which manages the shrine, because it was not acting as per his orders. The anger over the non-implementation of his order to bring women to the hill shrine anyhow, was reflected in his words against the head priest and the TDB, Chennithala said. "Police had tried to bring activist women to Sabarimala by giving them their uniform but failed. The Chief Minister is showing that anger towards the .
Protests expected in Sabarimala during festive season: Special commissioner to Kerala HC
The special commissioner of Sabarimala M. Manoj submitted a report to the Kerala High Court informing that protests by frenzied devotees and protestors may lead to crowd turbulence and stampede leading to injuries and loss of lives during the festival season next month.The report submitted by Manoj states that there is unconfirmed information that some protestors of political parties are camping in and around Sannidhanam to protest and prevent women between 10 and 50 from entering the area. "It is anticipated that protests by protestors and vigilantism by devotees acting with religious frenzy to prevent women between the age group of 10 to 50 will be prevalent during the Mandalam makaravilakku festival season commencing on 16 November 2018 and it may lead to chaos in Sabarimala, Pampa Nilakkal, Erumeli etc." the report read."During festival season, there will be large crowds in places connected with Sabarimala pilgrimage and these types of protests by frenzied devotees and protesters .