Page 140 - Religion Belief
Pak's descent into violence rooted in its intolerance to religious diversity: US Congressmen
Pakistan has failed to arrest the country's descent into violence mainly due to its intolerance to religious diversity, two top US lawmakers have said, expressing concern over the continued disenfranchisement of the Ahmadi Muslims. In the face of the apartheid-like regime, it is hardly surprising that the rhetoric of extremist madrassahs resonates with millions of Pakistanis, making the country a sanctuary for terrorists carrying out increasingly deadly attacks, Congressmen Jackie Speier and Peter King wrote in an op-ed in The Hill newspaper published yesterday. Indeed, daily life for all Pakistanis, not just for Ahmadi Muslims, is full of constant reminders that the country is legally segregated along sectarian lines, they said. "Some may find it puzzling that despite a quarter century of ostensibly liberal government, Pakistan has failed to arrest the country's descent into violence that is directly rooted in intolerance of religious diversity," they said. "But they need look no ...
HC throws out plea for declaring confession in churches
The Kerala High Court today dismissed a petition for declaring sacramental confession among Christians unconstitutional, noting whether or not to confess one's sin was an individual's right. A division bench of the court comprising Acting Chief Justice Hrishikesh Roy and Justice A K Jayasankaran Nambiar said nobody was compelled to follow the custom. The court said people living in a secular state have the right to choose their religious faith, and if someone does not want to follow a religion, he has every right to leave it. "Whether to confess or not is an individual's right. No one is compelled to follow the custom. In a secular state, one has the right to live without a religion also," the court observed. C S Chacko, the petitioner, had submitted that imposing "implied or expressed compulsion" on a member of a church to confess a sin before a priest infringed the Right to Privacy. The respondent churches, including the Latin Catholic Church, the Syro Malabar Catholic ...
Class 11 student stabbed by junior
A class 11 student was injured after being stabbed by a junior following a fight at a government school in Shahdara's Krishna Nagar area, police said today. The incident occurred in the ground floor of the school premises after morning prayers, they said. The student sustained injuries in his hands, legs and back. He has been hospitalised and is stated to be stable, they said, adding that the other student has been apprehended.
US diocese unveils list of child abuse accused clergymen
A Roman Catholic diocese of the US state of Pennsylvaniaunveiled a list of 71 clergy members and seminarians, some of them deceased, "accused" of sexual abuse of minors since 1940.
Govt launches scheme to reimburse taxes on food offered by religious, charitable bodies
The Ministry of Culture today launched a scheme to reimburse central share of CGST and IGST on food, prasad, langar or bhandara offered by religious and charitable institutions, a ministry statement said. The ?Seva Bhoj Yojna has a total outlay of Rs 325.00 crore for financial years 2018-19 and 2019-20. The scheme will compensate such institutions of the Central Government share of Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST) and Integrated Goods and Service Tax (IGST) so as to lessen the financial burden on religious and charitable bodies that provide food/prasad/langar (community kitchen)/bhandara free-of-cost without any discrimination to public/devotees. Religious or charitable institutions such as temples, gurudwaras, mosques, churches, dharmik ashram, dargah, matth, monasteries, that have been in existence for at least three years before applying for financial assistance under the scheme, will be eligible for getting benefits under the scheme, provided they meet other ...
Ban on women in Sabarimala temple not protected by Constitution, Kerala tells SC
Kerala on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that Sabarimala temple does not belong to any religious denomination and it cannot invoke the protection of Article 26 of the Constitution to save the practice of prohibiting women from entering the temple having the deity of Lord Ayyappa in celibate state.
Declare 'compulsory confession' unconstitutional, says PIL in Kerala High Court
"Compulsory confession" as a condition for fulfilling other spiritual and temporal needs of the laity prevalent in many churches must be declared unconstitutional, said a PIL filed in the Kerala High Court today. In his petition, C S Chacko submitted that imposing implied or expressed compulsion on a member of a church to confess sins before a priest or any other person for that purpose was nothing but an infringement of the Right to Privacy. The respondent churches, including the Latin Catholic Church, the Syro Malabar Catholic Church, the Syro Malankara Church, the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church and the Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church were 'deliberately' continuing these violations, he submitted. The petitioner said a member of the respondent churches, who does not turn up for confession before a priest has to live in apprehension that their spiritual and temporal needs would be denied by the Church whenever they are in need of it. He submitted that at times, a member would be
S Korea cult leader arrested over violent rituals in Fiji
The leader of a South Korean doomsday cult has been arrested for allegedly holding some 400 followers captive in Fiji by subjecting them to violence and barbaric rituals, a police official said today. Shin Ok-ju, founder of the Grace Road Church, and three other cult leaders were arrested when they arrived at Seoul's Incheon International Airport last week. "Pastor Shin and the three others face charges of using violence in forcing followers to stay in Fiji", a police official told AFP. A doomsday prophet, Shin convinced her followers to move to Fiji in 2014, claiming they would be safe there from imminent natural disasters. Once they arrived, their passports were confiscated and many were allegedly subjected to beatings and brutal rituals purportedly aimed at driving out evil spirits. Some followers who escaped the farm told journalists that those who attempted to leave the church were subjected to severe public beatings known as "ground thrashings". "A son beat his father 100 to 200
Sabarimala temple case: Kerala says ban on women unconstitutional; SC reserves order
The Kerala government today told the Supreme Court that the custom of barring entry of women between the age group of 10 to 50 years into the Sabarimala temple in Kerala is not permissible under the Constitution. It said that celibate status of deity cannot be a ground for barring entry of women as it is a Hindu temple and not a temple of a particular denomination. A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra reserved its verdict on a batch of pleas challenging the ban on entry of females between the age group of 10 to 50 years into the 800-year-old shrine after hearing the matter for eight days. "We will pass orders. Judgment reserved. Hearing concluded. Advocate on Record of both the sides will collect written submissions and compile it and submit before the court in seven days," the bench also comprising justices R F Nariman, A M Khanwilkar, D Y Chandrachud and Indu Malhotra said. Senior advocate Jaideep Gupta, appearing for Kerala government, said that the ..
SC reserves verdict on women's entry in Sabarimala temple
The Supreme Court on Wednesday reserved its verdict on pleas seeking entry of women in Kerala's Sabarimala Temple.While hearing the case, Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra said that even deity has rights with respect to certain aspects including 'Right to Privacy' but same has to be tested on Constitutional legitimacy.Earlier on July 26, the Pandalam Royal family challenged the petition seeking entry of women in the temple, terming it to be 'mischievous' as seem to be targeting the practices of the Hindu faith.Advocate Radhakrishnan, arguing for the Pandalam Royal family, told the Supreme Court that it should not interfere with the religious practices that have been in place for generations.On July 18, the Apex Court observed that banning the entry of women in Sabarimala by the temple authorities is unconstitutional. One of the Judges, D.Y. Chandrachud had observed that the right to pray is equal for both men and women.As per norms prescribed by the temple board, women aged between ..
Hindu teenager arrested on blasphemy charges in Pakistan's Sindh
A 19-year-old Hindu boy has been arrested for allegedly posting blasphemous content on social media in Pakistan's southern Sindh province, a media report said today. The teenager was arrested from Mirpur Khas' Mirwah Gorchani area in the province yesterday after local prayer leader Mohammad Anwar Soomro filed a complaint against him, Dawn newspaper reported. Soomro alleged that the suspect had hurt the religious sentiments of Muslims by posting 'highly controversial' posts on his Facebook account starting July 30. A case was filed against the boy under Section 295-A of the Pakistan Penal Code on the orders of Mirpurkhas Senior Superintendent Police Abid Ali Baloch, the paper said. The Section 295-A deals with the deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting a religion or religious beliefs. If found guilty, a person can be jailed up to 10 years. The suspect was sent on a 14-day judicial remand, soon after his arrest. Advocate Kashif ...
China promoting flying of state flags at religious events
Officially recognised faith groups in China are promoting the flying of national flags at religious events amid a push by the ruling Communist Party to extend its ideological control over religious life. A statement viewed today on the website of the party's United Front Work Department that oversees such groups says flying the flag would emphasise that the fates of the party, nation and individual are "bound tightly together". The officially atheistic party has tightened its grip over the country's five officially recognised religions this year, ordering that Christians, Muslims and others work toward "sinosization". Hundreds of thousands of Muslims in the northwestern region of Xinjiang have been confined to re-education camps, where they told to repudiate Islam and their traditional Uighur culture and pledge fealty to the party.
This mahant from UP makes paper pens to save environment
In order to save the environment from plastic, a mahant of Dalmau's Khandeshwari Ashram has started making pens using paper.Speaking to ANI, mahant Krishna Bihari said, "Plastic pollutes the environment. So I started this. People help me. We are distributing pens free of cost but some people give me money and ask me to take this initiative forward."Moved by the cause, many have joined Krishna Bihari in his fight to save the environment from further damage. Men and women from the Ashram contribute in manufacturing of the pens on daily basis. They are also paid for their hard work, which is also a source of motivation for the workers.One of the workers said, "We are making these pens out of discarded newspapers, which is better than using plastic as it does not pollute the environment.""Women are provided with employment opportunities, which also motivate them to come and work. We have made almost 400 pens so far," another worker said.Meanwhile, the mahant added, "The Government also ...
Goa: Meat complex gets provisional NOC ahead of Eid
Factories and Boilers Minister Vijai Sardesai on Tuesday met a group of Muslims and assured them that the Goa Meat Complex will be operational before Eid al-Adha for carrying out religious slaughtering of animals.The members of the Muslim community had met Sardesai to request him to expedite issuance of permission to the meat complex in order to make it functional before Eid on August 21."There is a demand of the Muslim community that there 'Qurbani' is beginning, so before that all legal arrangements should be in place. For that you require a functional goat meat complex. For the same we have given a provisional no-objection certificate to them. Their religious custom should not be disturbed by any external force," Sardesai told ANI.However, on the other hand, Bashir Sheikh, Chairman of All Goa Muslim Committee, said that the community feels harassed by taking permission from the concerned authorities every year before Eid."Every years few months before Eid, we start going after ...
6 children drown in Rajasthan
Six children, aged eight to 12, drowned while bathing in two separate incidents in Rajasthan today, police said. In Karauli district, four children drowned while taking a bath in a pond. The deceased have been identified as Amar (12), Sonu (8), Vandana (8) and Farman (8), a police official said. In Dholpur district, four children had gone for taking a bath in the Parvati river when two of them slipped into deep water and eventually drowned. The deceased have been identified as Deepak (11) and Krishna (10), both residents of Bhim Nagar in Sepau, ASP Rajendra Verma said. The bodies of all the deceased have been handed over to their family members after post-mortem, police added.
HC postpones hearing on PIL related to Sunday prayers for a week
The Allahabad High Court today postponed the hearing of a PIL that alleged certain people are not allowing the members of Christian community from attending Sunday prayers in Birmer and Ahladpur villages of Kaushambi district. The PIL has been postponed for a week by a bench comprising Chief Justice D B Bhosale and Justice Yashwant Varma. The bench passed the orders on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Roshan Lal and 44 others who are residents of Kaushambi district. The court, however, made it clear that till the next hearing there should not be any restrictions on attending theSunday prayers and also asked the district administration to take legal action if any wrong or illegal activity is done by the petitioners. The court also directed the district administration to video graph the Sunday prayers. The petitioners had alleged that the district administration is not taking any adequate care to protect the people who are having faith in Christianity and they are not being ..
Constitution prohibits exclusion, its values would prevail over religious: SC
The Supreme Court on Tuesday said that the Indian Constitution prohibits exclusion of any community or section of people from any place of worship and the constitutional values would prevail over the religious.
Constitutional scheme prohibiting exclusion has some value: SC on Sabarimala issue
The Supreme Court, hearing a plea seeking the entry of women in the age group of 10-50 into the Sabarimala temple in Kerala, today said the constitutional scheme prohibiting exclusion has "some value" in a "vibrant democracy". A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra also said that it will have to examine the submission that the believers of Lord Ayyappa of Sabarimala constituted a "separate religious denomination" whose practice of not allowing women of a particular age group inside the temple was protected under the Constitution. "First of all, we have to determine whether the devotees of Lord Ayappa constituted a separate Ayyappan religious denomination," the bench, also comprising justices R F Nariman, A M Khanwilkar, D Y Chandrachud and Indu Malhotra, said. Terming the ban of entry of women of a particular age group as "partial exclusion", it said, "The Constitution has to have some value if it prevents exclusion. If Constitution permits equal rights to
Meenakshi Amman temple gets non-Brahmin as priest
The famous Godess Meenakshi Amman temple here has got a non-Brahmin as 'archaka' (priest), twelve years after the Tamil Nadu government passed an order for appointment of people from any caste as priests. The new priest, belonging to a backward caste, was among the 206 people who had undergone training conducted by the ancient temple administration, official sources said. The state government had passed an order on May 23, 2006 allowing appointment as 'archaka' any Hindu possessing the requisite qualification and training in temples. The G.O was challenged by an association of priests in the Supreme Court which had on December 16, 2015 upheld the order. The Meenakshi Amman temple has appointed the priest with conditions which included that he could be suspended if he violated the 'Agama' rules, a manual for worship of the deity, rituals and construction of temples The man had applied to the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Board, which administers a large number ..
BJP cannot muzzle my voice: Mamata
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today said the BJP cannot muzzle her voice and stop her from speaking against their policies. The TMC chief's remarks comes in the wake of the cancelation of an event at the St Stephen's College in Delhi, where she was invited as the main speaker. Banerjee also said she would take to the streets if the BJP tries to stop her from speaking at events. Reacting sharply to the cancelation of the event, the chief minister said she would continue raising her voice for the under-privileged. "They feel that they can stop me, muzzle my voice. They would cancel my events. But I want to tell them that I would take to the streets to raise my voice against them, their policies. That is best for me," Banerjee said at a gathering here. She also alleged that the ruling party is trying to threaten the judiciary and the media, and no one can speak against them. Banerjee was speaking as the chief guest at the Love Your Neighbour conference organised by the ...