Page 189 - Religion Belief
Arunachal: Nyishi community celebrates pre-agricultural festival
Arunachal Pradesh's ethnic tribal group Nyishi community celebrated the 50th pre-agriculture festival known as Nyokum Yullo at its Yajuli town recently.The Golden Jubilee Nyokum Yullo 2018 festival was attended by state's Chief Minister Pema Khandu along with various elected leaders of Bhartiya Janta Party.The event was mainly organised by the villagers of Talo.The festival featured demonstrations of traditional hunting, fishing practice, Swla Dunam (traditional zip line) and other traditional sports.This pre-agricultural festival is not only a celebration of appeasing for God's blessing for bountiful harvest but it is also a festival of paying obeisance to Nyokum deity, the rain god for peace, harmony and fertility in the society.The villagers were dressed in traditional attires including customary traditional headgear and carried swords.The event witnessed beatings of drums and other indigenous musical instruments.The members of indigenous communities including that of Monpas, Galos
Ultra-nationalist Myanmar monk walks free from prison
An ultra-nationalist Myanmar monk was released from prison today after serving time for inciting unrest in an anti-Rohingya protest in 2016, a rare punishment handed to one of the country's hardline Buddhist clergymen. Parmaukkha, who was handed a three-month jail term, has helped peddle a fiery brand of Buddhist nationalism and Islamophobia in Myanmar, a country accused of waging an ethnic cleansing campaign against Rohingya Muslims. The monk was arrested in November over a rally he held outside the US Embassy in Yangon in April 2016 to protest against America's use of the word "Rohingya". The Buddhist-majority nation refuses to recognise the Rohingya as citizens, referring pejoratively to the community as "Bengalis" and insisting they are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. Today several dozen supporters cheered and scattered petals in front of Parmaukkha as he walked out of Yangon's notorious Insein prison at dawn before heading to pray at the city's iconic Shwedagon Pagoda. "He ...
WB govt decides to include Swami Vivekanandas famous speech in Class 9 to 12 syllabus
The West Bengal government today decided to include Swami Vivekanandas famous speech in the Parliament of Worlds Religion in Chicago in Class 9 to 12 syllabus from next year, state education minister Partha Chatterjee said. The proposal of including Vivekanandas speech was given by the representatives of the Ramakrishna Mission at the first meeting held by the committee, which was constituted to look after the celebrations of 125 years of Vivekanandas address in the Parliament of Worlds Religion in Chicago in 1893, held at the secretariat today. The meeting was presided by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee amid the presence of Chatterjee and other senior officials. The syllabus committee would take the final call on the inclusion of the leaders speech. The state government also decided to grant another Rs 10 crore to the Mission for the proposed Centre of Excellence. Earlier, the state had granted another Rs 10 crore for the same. Incidentally, the state government had decided to take ..
Case against Sri Sri Ravi Shankar over 'provocative' remarks
Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar was today booked by the city police following a complaint against him for allegedly hurting the religious sentiments of the Muslim community by giving "provocative" statements on the Ayodhya issue. "The complaint against the spiritual guru, who has been trying for a solution to the Ayodhya dispute through mediation, was filed by Salahuddin Affan, secretary of the city-based Darsgah Jihad-O-Shahadat (DJS)," Moghalpura police station Inspector R Devendar said. In the complaint, Affan claimed Ravi Shankar gave "provocative" statements against the Muslim community over the Ayodhya row with an intention to hurt religious feelings and beliefs of its members, he said. The complainant alleged that the 61-year-old spiritual leader had stated that "if the court rules against a temple (in Ayodhya), there will be bloodshed in the country and India will have a Syria- like situation". This statement was given with an intention to disturb communal harmony .
Amnesty hails SC ruling on Hadiya marriage
Amnesty International on Thursday hailed the Supreme Court decision to restore the marriage of Hadiya Jahan to a Muslim man, describing it as "a fitting recognition" of women's rights on International Women's Day.
Expelled AIMPLB member Nadvi to form 'Manavta Kalyan Board'
Expelled member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), Maulana Salman Nadvi, today announced he is setting up a 'Manavta Kalyan Board' with an aim to spread the message of humanity in the society. "I am constituting the board to spread message of humanity. It will have members of all the religions. The objective is to stand united where ever there is an atrocity on anyone irrespective of his caste," Nadvi told reporters here. He said that while the AIMPLB was for issues related to personal laws, there was a need to constitute a board, from where the voice of the opressed could be raised. Not only Muslims, people from all religions can raise their voice from this forum, he said. "There was no such platform after 1947 from where issues related to all castes and religions were taken and attempts could be made to resolve contentious issues," he said. Asked about the Ayodhya issue, Nadvi said the issue was not on his agenda at present. "I tried for an amicable solution but ..
AIMPLB spokesman booked for sedition
The Uttar Pradesh Police has booked AIMPLB spokesman Maulana Sajjad Nomani on sedition charges for allegedly hurting religious feelings during a speech in Hyderabad. The Hazratganj police registered a case yesterday against Nomani based on a complaint by Chairman, Uttar Pradesh Shia Waqf Board, Waseem Rizvi. The complainant has alleged that Nomani in his February 9 speech in the general council meeting of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) in Hyderabad had deliberately hurt religious feelings, police said. "Referring to Rohingya Muslims, Nomani said attempts are underway to make the situation of Indian Muslims like that of their Rohingya counterparts. He even said he had proof of arms, ammunition and training being given to all, even in the smallest of villages, to make Indian Muslims suffer. "This speech was widely broadcast by television channels, which had a mass impact," Rizvi said. He also gave CDs as proof to the police to back his complaint. Nomani has been booked
SC to hear Hadiya's case at 2 p.m.
The Supreme Court will pass an order on the annulment of Kerala woman Hadiya's marriage to Shafin Jahan at 2 p.m. on Thursday, a lawyer said.
Notice to AMU student leaders for creating nusiance ahead of President visit
The Uttar Pradesh Police on Wednesday issued notice against six student leaders of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) as they have reportedly palnned to show black flags to President Ram Nath Kovind on his visit to the varsity for the convocation ceremony.The notice has been issued against Mohammad Junaid Ahmad, Mohammad Nadeem Ansari, Adnan Aamir, Jayad Shervani, Rao Faraj Waris and Imran Khan.President Kovind was invited to AMU to attend the 65th annual convocation ceremony scheduled on Wednesday.Following the invitation, the student union Secretary Mohammad Fahad allegedly issued a warning against the presence of any Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) member at the event.Speaking to ANI student union Secretary Mohammad Fahad said that they are not against the presence of President Kovind, but simply oppose 'sanghi' mindset.He recalled the remark made by Kovind in 2010 against the Muslims and Christians living in the country and said that it still stings the student of the ...
Day after Sri Sri pitches for out of court settlement, AIMPLB says only court order acceptable
A day after spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar pitched for an out of court settlement of the Ayodhya issue, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) said today that only a court order on the matter was acceptable to it. The board also took exception to a recent reported statement made by the Art of Living founder on the Ayodhya issue. "Sri Sri's statement that after court's decision situation of the country can become like Syria and Muslims should leave their claim on Ayodhya is threat to Muslims and the court both. This is an attack on the country's well being," AIMPLB General Secretary Maulana Wali Rehmani told PTI. As far as the board is concerned, we have already said that the decision of court will be acceptable to all, he said. Asked about a letter written to the AIMPLB by Ravi Shankar yesterday, in which he suggested Muslims gift one acre at Ayodhya site to Hindus who will provide five acres for a mosque, Rehmani said, "he will comment on it only after discussion ...
Reformist pope Paul VI to be made a saint: Vatican
Pope Paul VI, who oversaw the sweeping "Vatican II" reforms of the Catholic Church in the 1960s, will soon be made a saint, the Vatican announced today. Oscar Romero, the archbishop of San Salvador who was assassinated in 1980 after speaking out against repression and social injustice in his country, will also be canonised, the Holy See said in a statement.
Minister directs authorities to stop 'human blood' ritual in temple
Flaying a proposed ritual at a temple near here which planned to use human blood, Kerala Tourism and Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran today directed authorities to prevent it. In a Facebook post, Surendran said the government would not allow the move to bathe the idol with human blood at a temple in nearby Vithura. The Minister also directed the police and district collector to take necessary steps to prevent the ritual. He said, "it is an attempt to bring back primitive rituals and customs to Kerala society... it is not only a disgrace but also dangerous to the state." Referring to a notice issued by the Deviyod Sree Vidwayari Vaidyanandha temple committee, the Minister said it was planned to collect blood from several persons using syringes and then bathe the Kali idol. The notice said blood would be collected using disposable syringes in a small quantity from devotees, which would be used to bathe the idol. It was planned to be held between March 12 and 23. Surendran also ..
Kerala Temple calls for blood from devotees for idol worship
A temple in the Vithura village of Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday issued a public notice about the annual festival celebrations at the temple.As part of the annual festival, the temple authorities have plans to receive blood from the devotees, offering worship (abhishek).The notice further mentions that the blood from devotees will be taken safely by government approved doctors.The ritual is scheduled for March 12 at 6 pm.
Welcome Pres Kovind, but not 'sanghi' mindset: AMU students
Ahead of President Ram Nath Kovind's visit to the Aligarh Muslims University (AMU) to attend the 65th annual convocation ceremony, the student union Secretary Mohammad Fahad has warned against the presence of any member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) at the event.Speaking to ANI student union Secretary Mohammad Fahad said that they are not against the presence of President Kovind, but simply oppose 'sanghi' mindset.He recalled the remark made by the President in 2010 against the Muslims and Christians living in the country and said that it still stings the student of the university."We are not opposing the visit of the President; we oppose the 'sanghi' mindset," Fahad said."Our President gave a statement about Muslims and Christians in 2010, saying 'Muslims and Christians are alien to this nation'. The statement sill stings the students of AMU, but we respect him as the President and welcome him, but at the same time no 'sanghi' person accompanying him would be allowed ...
Telangana govt. proposes food processing units across state
Telangana Agriculture Minister Pocharam Srinivas Reddy-led committee on Tuesday proposed to establish food processing units across the state.The cabinet sub-committee, headed by the minister, discussed the possibilities for setting up the units in all the assembly constituencies across the state.The meeting, which was held today at the Secretariat, was attended by state's finance minister Etela Rajender, irrigation minister T. Harish Rao, IT minister K. Tarakarama Rao, panchayat raj minister Jupally Krishna Rao and the officials concerned.According to reports, the officials have been directed to prepare the plan and submit at the earliest.
CULTURE-COMMITTEE-CIVILIZATION
A committee formed by the culture ministry has suggested that efforts should be made to find correlation between ancient Indian history and the epics, Ramayana and the Mahabharata, government sources said today. The committee on 'holistic study of origin and evolution of Indian culture since 12,000 years before present and its interface with other cultures of the world' was formed in November 2016 and had a tenure of one year. It wrapped up its proceedings in November 2017. The committee consisted of bureaucrats, archaeologists and academics. "The committee's mandate was to trace Indian culture from way back and compare it with other cultures across the world. It has got nothing to do with Hinduism or Islam. It is about our civilisation," Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma told PTI. According to the minutes of a meeting of the 14-member committee, its chairman and former Archaeological Survey of India's Joint Director General K N Dikshit spoke about recent researches that have thrown new .
Owaisi slams Ravi Shankar over Ayodhya remarks
All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi today slammed spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar for his remarks on the Ayodhya dispute saying it was contempt of the Supreme Court, and stressed that the apex court should not hear the matter till the next Lok Sabha election. Talking to news channel NDTV yesterday, Ravi Shankar said, "According to Islam, you cannot pray in a disputed site so anyway they can't have a mosque there. This way everyone wins." The spiritual leader said that the Supreme Court order would not resolve the issue. "If court rules against a temple, there will be bloodshed. Do you think the Hindu majority will allow it? They will garner resentment towards the Muslim community," he had said. Owaisi slammed Rav Shankars comments, saying "I would say that he has committed contempt of the Supreme Court by whatever he has said." Owaisi also said that the apex court should not hear the matter till the next general elections. After his (Ravi ...
Effort is to create win-win situation: Ravi Shankar on Ayodhya issue
Spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, who has been trying for a solution to the Ayodhya dispute through mediation, met Ittehad-e-Millat Council chief Maulana Tauqir Raza Khan here today and said the issue should be resolved by finding a 'win-win' situation for both the sides. Ravi Shankar, who reached the Trishul airbase here in a private jet, offered a 'chaadar' at the Dargah Ala Hazrat and also visited the Alakhnath temple and offered prayers to Lord Shiva. "Ram Temple should be constructed, a mosque should be constructed. Both, the parties should be happy, and ground work in this direction is going on. We can create win-win situation," Ravi Shankar told reporters here. Referring to a remark made by him earlier, Ravi Shankar said he had cited Syria just as an example. "It was a point of view, and not threat. There is no point in giving a threat. I cannot imagine it even in my dreams. We want peace, and an atmosphere of harmony...I feel that the situation which is prevailing in other .
Convert doesn't lose inheritance under Hindu Succession Act:HC
The Bombay High Court today held that a Hindu woman or a man does not lose the right to inherit parents' property under the Hindu Succession Act even after converting to another religion. Justice Mridula Bhatkar upheld a lower court's order in favour of Nazneen Qureshi, a city resident. "The right to inheritance is not a choice but it is by birth and in some cases it is acquired by marriage. Therefore, renouncing a particular religion and to get converted is a matter of choice and cannot cease relationships which are established and exist by birth," Justice Bhatkar said. "Therefore, a Hindu convert is entitled to his/her father's property, if father died intestate (without making a will)," she added. Qureshi, born to Hindu parents, converted to Islam in 1979 and married a Muslim man. After the death of her father, she laid equal claim to a flat and a shoe shop owned by her father along with her five sisters and a brother. Her brother contested her claim, saying that as she had ...
ISCKON Vrindaban to hold Jagannath Ratha yatra on March 9
International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) Vrindaban chapter is organising Jagannath Ratha Yatra festival on the lines of famous Puri's Jagannath rath yatra, on March 9. "Besides Brijwasis and domestic tourists, at least 800 devotees from 200ISKCON centres are likely to participate in the Rath Yatra," Panca Gauda Das, the temple president of ISKCON Vrindaban said. After 'chappan bhog' and other religious rituals, the Rath Yatra would start from Bhagat Singh Park and terminate at Mukund Vihar Masani, Das said. Decorations and preparations are underway across Mathura city to welcome Lord Krishna, he said.