Page 17 - Religion Belief
Iran state TV fires managers over 'insult' to Sunnis
Iranian state TV has fired two channel managers over a live programme deemed insulting to Sunni Muslims, it said in a statement Sunday. The sackings at Channel 5 came after a broadcast on May 20 celebrating the birthday of the second imam in Shiite Islam, Hassan ibn Ali. During the programme, religious chanter and story-teller Ahmad Qadami recited a eulogy that "insulted the sanctities of Sunni Muslims", according to official news agency IRNA. "Following the negligence of airing an irreverent chanter's speech on Channel 5, the channel's head and broadcast manager were fired," state TV's website quoted head manager Abdolali Aliaskari as saying. The channel's senior producer, programme manager and video supervisor were also fired, TV deputy head Morteza Mirbagheri told semi-official news agency ISNA. According to IRNA, the chanter was summoned by Iran's culture and media court on Sunday and further investigations into his case are pending. Iran is a Shiite powerhouse, but under the ...
Three dead in new attack on Burkina Faso church: security source
Three people were killed in a new attack Sunday on a Catholic church in conflict-wracked northern Burkina Faso, a security source said. "Heavily armed individuals attacked the church in the village as the faithful were celebrating Sunday mass" in the town of Toulfe, the source said, adding that three people were killed.
Rebel Cong leader Ramesh Jarkhiholi visits Krishna, sparks
Amid perceived threat to the coalition government in Karnataka after its rout in the Lok Sabha polls, rebel Congress MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi Sunday visited senior BJP leader S M Krishna's home here in the presence of party state Chief B S Yeddyurappa. Though the leaders termed the timing as "coincidence", Jarkiholi, in response to a question on whether he would quit Congress, said he would have to discuss it with his "team". Jarkiholi has been hobnobbing with the BJP for some time and had threatened to resign from the party along with some MLAs after the Lok Sabha polls, which would lead to a numbers game in the assembly. Speaking to reporters, Jarkiholi called Krishna his "leader" and said he paid a visit to inquire about his health and was not aware that Yeddyurappa was also visiting him. In response to a question about his resignation, Jarkiholi said "will give (resignation)...will not give it through media, will (discuss with) well wishers and give... I won't say ...
Israel president says Jews unsafe in Germany after kippah warning
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin said Sunday that Germany's warning to Jews on the dangers of wearing the traditional kippah cap were a "capitulation to anti-Semitism" and evidence Jews were unsafe there. Germany's government commissioner on anti-Semitism, Felix Klein, said in an interview published Saturday he "cannot advise Jews to wear the kippah everywhere all the time in Germany," due to increasing anti-Semitism and anti-Jewish attacks there. Rivlin said Klein's remarks "shocked" him, and while appreciating the German government's "commitment to the Jewish community," accused it of bowing to those targeting Jews in Germany. "Fears about the security of German Jews are a capitulation to anti-Semitism and an admittance that, again, Jews are not safe on German soil," he said. "We will never submit, will never lower our gaze and will never react to anti-Semitism with defeatism -- and expect and demand our allies act in the same way," he said. Anti-Semitic crimes rose by 20 per cent in
After massive win in Mandya, Sumalatha Ambareesh meets SM Krishna
Sumalatha Ambareesh, the first independent candidate to successfully win the Mandya Lok Sabha seat, met senior BJP leader SM Krishna here in Bengaluru on Sunday.She was accompanied by former Karnataka Chief Minister and BJP state president BS Yeddyurappa and party leader R Ashoka.Sumalatha Ambareesh, the veteran actor and wife of late former Congress lawmaker MH Ambareesh, created history by winning against Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy's son Nikhil Kumaraswamy with a margin of over 1 lakh votes."Just wait and see," said Yeddyurappa on being asked about the political development in the state.Meanwhile, Ambareesh said: "I am here to thank everyone. SM Krishna is a senior most respected leader and he hails from Mandya. I had taken his blessings earlier and now I want to thank him."After the meeting, Yeddyurappa said that they met Krishna to congratulate him for covering around 27 parliamentary constituencies in the concluded Lok Sabha elections."SM Krishna ji has covered about
Wickremesinghe vows to stop Islamic State terrorism raising its head again in Lanka
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has vowed to take security measures to prevent Islamic State (IS) terrorism raising its head again in the country as he appealed people not to support extremism or religious fanaticism. The premier after meeting with a group of representatives of civil societies and trade union collective at Temple Trees on Saturday said the security forces and police have been able to apprehend everyone involved in the Easter Sunday attacks that killed 258 people, the Colombo Page reported. "But this doesn't mean that this is the end of this type of terrorism. We now have to take certain measures of counterterrorism to ensure that the country will not face terrorism again," he cautioned. He said the government is discussing the counterterrorism measures that are being taken, with the country still on edge after the attacks on three hotels and three churches that were blamed on a local jihadi group, the National Thowheeth Jama'ath (NTJ). The Islamic ...
Bible writing ceremony marks missionary Ziegenbalg's 300th
A ceremony to write the Holy Bible was observed Sunday at nearby Tarangambadi, an erstwhile Danish colony, in connection with the 300th death anniversary of BartholomeusZiegenbalg, the first Protestant missionary to India. A total of 1,464 people, including a large number of school students, participated in the event and wrote verses from the Bible, church officials said. Ziegenbalg, who arrived in Tarangambadi in 1706,passed away in 1719, aged 34. The German-born Danish missionary had set up the first ever printing press in India at Tarangambadi and published studies on Tamil language and Indian religion and culture. While Ziegenbalg published the Bible in print format first in India, Sunday's event marked the reverse of it - writing the Bible as a manuscript, said Veerasamydas, organiser of the event. His translation of New Testament into Tamil and the New Jerusalem church, Asia's first Protestant church he and his associates built in 1718 in Tarangambadi are still in .
Telangana CM to visit Lord Venkateswara's temple in Tirumala
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao would offer prayers at the shrine of Lord Venkateswara in Tirumala, Andhra Pradesh, on Sunday. He would be accompanied by his family members, an official release said here Saturday. Recently, he visited the Anantha Padmanabha Swamy temple in Kerala and the temples in Rameswaram, Srirangam and Madurai in Tamil Nadu. During his visit, he called on Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and DMK president M K Stalin, and discussed with him the political situation.
Imam killed, 16 wounded in Kabul mosque blast: officials
A prominent Afghan religious scholar was killed and another 16 people wounded in a blast during Friday prayers at a Kabul mosque, officials said. It was not immediately clear what caused the explosion, which took place at the Al-Taqwa mosque in eastern Kabul, where Mawlawi Raihan had been the imam, or prayer leader. Friday prayers, especially during the holy month of Ramadan, are usually well attended. "Unfortunately in the blast, Mawlawi Raihan has been martyred and 16 other worshippers were wounded," said Nasrat Rahimi, spokesman for the interior ministry. The explosion took place around 1:20 pm (0850 GMT). Police spokesman Firdaws Faramarz confirmed to AFP that Raihan was killed and said investigators were probing the nature of the explosion. Local television channel Tolo said the explosion was caused by a bomb. Raihan was relatively well known in Kabul, as he appeared frequently on religious shows broadcast on local TV. While Kabul has seen frequent attacks on Shiite shrines and ..
Muslims and election: They also serve who only stand and wait (Comment)
Indias 187 million Muslims deserve a round of applause for the diligent docility with which they have allowed themselves to be the "other" against which the divisions within Hindu society have been composed into an ever increasing expanse of saffron. In geological time there will also be harmony in this expanse.
Hegde wins Uttara Kannada seat with comfortable margin
BJP leader Ananth Kumar Hegde, known for making controversial remarks, won the Uttara (North) Kannada seat in Karnataka, defeating his nearest rival Anand Asnotikar of the Janata Dal (Secular) by a margin of 4.79 lakh votes, according to Lok Sabha election results declared Thursday. Hegde held the portfolio of junior minister in the Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Ministry during Narendra Modi's first term as prime minister. Twenty eight Lok Sabha constituencies in Karnataka had gone to polls in two phases. Hegde stoked a controversy recently by calling Congress president Rahul Gandhi a "moron" for his tweet that 'Modilies' is a new word in the English dictionary. Amid reports of his controversial remarks on Twitter about Nathuram Godse, Hegde claimed his account was "hacked". He, however, said there was no question of justifying Mahatma Gandhi's killing. Before that, Hegde had called Gandhi a "hybrid breed", wondering how can the son of a 'Muslim' father and a Christian mother
PSG president under investigation for alleged corruption
The president of French soccer champions Paris Saint-Germain, Nasser Al Khelaifi, has been placed under investigation for alleged corruption, judicial sources told Efe on Thursday.
Malaysian officials go undercover to spy on fasting Muslims
Malaysian officials are disguising themselves as cooks and waiters to catch Muslims who don't fast during Ramadan, with a rights group Thursday blasting the "disgraceful act of spying". Thirty-two enforcement officers from a local council in the Muslim-majority country are going undercover at food outlets as part of the scheme, the New Straits Times newspaper reported. Muslims are required to fast from dawn until dusk during Islam's holiest month, unless there are special circumstances such as illness. While Muslims in multi-ethnic Malaysia have traditionally followed a tolerant form of Islam, critics say conservative attitudes have been gaining ground in recent years. The team in Segamat district, in southern Johor state, will be monitoring 185 outlets, with two of the officers selected as they are good at making popular dishes such as spicy fried noodles. "We have specially selected enforcement officers who are dark skinned for the undercover job," Mohamad Masni Wakiman, president ..
Pilgrims flock to Africa's oldest synagogue for annual festival
Worshippers prayed, lit candles and wrote wishes on eggs as an annual Jewish pilgrimage to Africa's oldest synagogue got under way in Tunisia on Wednesday. Hundreds of pilgrims converged on the Ghriba synagogue on the Mediterranean island of Djerba where one of the last Jewish communities in the Arab world lives. They were joined by ministers and other dignitaries to celebrate the two-day Lag BaOmer festival. The event, which starts 33 days after the start of the Jewish Passover festival, coincides with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan this year for the first time since 1987. A fast-breaking meal is due to be shared by Muslims and Jews on Wednesday evening in Djerba. "It's not easy to organise all this while people are fasting here. They are tired, but we are as welcome as usual," said Laura Tuil-Journo from France. This year's pilgrimage is the first since Rene Trabelsi, who has been co-organising the festival for years, was appointed as Tunisia's first Jewish minister in decades, ..
French-Spanish nun killed in Central African Republic: Vatican
A French-Spanish nun has been brutally murdered in a village in the Central African Republic where she taught sewing to young girls, the Vatican said Wednesday. The 77-year old was found beheaded early Monday in the southwestern town of Nola according to the Vatican News website, while a bishop in CAR said her throat had been slit. Pope Francis paid tribute to the nun on Wednesday, describing the murder of a woman "who gave her life for Jesus in the service of the poor" as "barbaric". He called for those gathered in Saint Peter's Square for his weekly general audience to pray in silence for her. "Her attackers broke into her room on the night between Sunday and Monday and took her to the centre she was running for the young girls, where they beheaded her," Vatican News said. "According to a local member of parliament, the murder could be linked to trafficking in human organs," the site adds. A spokesman for the diocese of Burgos in Spain told AFP a bishop in the Central African ...
Pak working on comprehensive project to promote Buddhist relics in the country, says official
The Pakistan Government is working on a comprehensive plan to develop a Buddhist trail by exploring religious sites in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces to help the Islamic nation to attract Buddhists from across the globe, a senior official said Wednesday. Zulfikar Bukhari, the new chairman of Pakistan Tourism Development Cooperation (PTDC), said the rich Buddhist heritage sites in Swabi, Swat of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Taxila in Punjab would be introduced to the world under the project to promote religious tourism. "Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa areas have numerous Buddhist sites. Sacred places of other religions, including Sikhism and Hinduism, were also scattered all over the Pakistan and the PTDC was planning to provide facilities there to attract their followers not only from across the country but also from abroad," he told reporters. He said that the Buddhist sites in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would be developed first and then gradually move down to Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan
Pope urges China's Catholics to unify after bishop deal
Pope Francis is urging China's divided Catholic community to come together in communion, as he seeks to heal decades of estrangement following a landmark deal with Beijing over bishop nominations. Francis made a special appeal at the end of his weekly audience Wednesday, noting that May 24 is a feast day in China dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Francis praised China's Catholics, "who among daily difficulties and effort, continue to believe, hope and love." He urged them to be witnesses of charity and fraternity "always remaining united in the communion of the universal church." China's estimated 12 million Catholics are split between those belonging to the official church and an underground church loyal to the pope. The 2018 deal seeks to unify them and bring all Chinese bishops into communion.
'Menstruation should be celebrated as basic requirement'
Hindu scholar and author Nithin Sridhar says menstruation should not be considered shameful but should be celebrated as a basic requirement of womanhood, as an integral dimension of feminineness.
Deoband asks Muslims to pray for 'suitable results'
Deoband, the renowned Islamic seminary in Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur, has appealed to Muslims to offer prayers if they want the results of Lok Sabha elections to be "suitable for all".
Ayodhya's Shri Sita Ram temple hosts Iftar
In the holy month of Ramzan, a temple here hosted Iftar on Monday.Setting an example of communal harmony, people cutting across religious lines, sat together to relish the Iftar meal in the premises of Shri Sita Ram temple.Speaking to ANI, the priest of the temple Yugal Kishor said: "This is the third time we have organised an Iftar party. I will continue to do the same in the future as well. We should celebrate every festival with great zeal."Echoing similar sentiments, an attendee Mujammil Fiza said that he also celebrates Navratri with his Hindu brethren every year."People with an agenda do not want communities to come together and hold an event like this. In a country where people play politics in the name of religion, people like Kishor send out a message of love," he added.During this month, the devout observe rigorous fasting for about 30 days and do not consume food or water from dawn to dusk. They eat Sehri (a pre-dawn meal) and break the day-long fast with Iftar in the ...