Page 25 - Religion Belief
Israelis among wounded in US synagogue attack
Two Israelis were among the Jews wounded in the weekend attack on a synagogue in California that killed one person and injured three others, an official said Sunday. An Israeli foreign ministry spokesman said an eight-year-old girl and her 31-year-old uncle wounded in the shooting attack in Poway, north of San Diego, on Saturday were from a southern town bordering the Gaza Strip. "The two moved from Sderot to San Diego a few years ago," spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon said in a statement, noting their condition was "good." San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore said both were wounded by shrapnel in the attack on the final day of the week-long Jewish holiday of Passover. A 60-year-old woman was killed in the attack, with the community's rabbi wounded as well. Israeli Diaspora Minister Naftali Bennett called the slain woman, Lori Gilbert Kaye, "a Jewish hero" who threw herself "in the path of the murderer's bullets to save the life of the rabbi." Gore identified the suspect, who was arrested ...
Multiple injured in US synagogue shooting: police
A man opened fire at a synagogue in California, injuring multiple people, police said Saturday after they arrested him. "A man has been detained for questioning in connection with a shooting incident at the Chabad of Poway synagogue," tweeted San Diego Sheriff Bill Gore. "@SDSOPoway Deputies were called to Chabad Way just before 11:30 a.m. There are injuries. This is a developing situation." Local news outlet KGTV reported at least four victims have been transported. It added that the synagogue was hosting its Passover Holiday Celebration, which was scheduled to begin at 11:00 am. The shooting comes exactly six months after a gunman killed 11 people at a synagogue in Pittsburgh, the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in the history of the United States.
BJP writes to ECI over alleged poll code violation by Arvind Kejriwal
The BJP has written to Election Commission of India (ECI) alleging that Delhi Chief Minister and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal had violated the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) with his statement related to a tweet by BJP president Amit Shah.Shah had in his tweet said: "We will remove every single infiltrator from the country except Buddh, Hindus and Sikhs"."Arvind Kejriwal with the sole intention of creating panic and mutual hatred between the communities made a deliberate and false statement. That Kejriwal is trying to mislead the people of India by saying that BJP considers Muslims, Christians, Jains, Parsis and other minorities in India as infiltrators..," read the complaint."He has made the highly provocative speech which has the tone and tenor to aggravate existing differences or create mutual hatred between different religious communities, and thus violative of provisions of MCC. That such statements that have the undertone and propensity to polarize the elections..." the BJP's ...
T'gana CM takes blessings of Swaroopanandendra
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao Saturday met religious guru Swaroopanandendra Swamy of Visakhapatnam here and took his blessings. Rao met the Swamy at 'Daiva Sannidhanam' (a religious, temple complex) at Film Nagar in the city, official sources said. Rao had visited the Swamy in Visakhapatnam (in Andhra Pradesh) earlier and offered prayers at a temple at the Sarada Peetham.
Prayers for Bangladeshi boy killed in Sri Lanka attack
More than 1,000 people gathered in Bangladesh's capital on Saturday to remember an 8-year-old Bangladeshi boy who was killed in one of the Easter bombings in Sri Lanka. They raised their hands seeking blessings for Zayan Chowdhury while many of his relatives cried at a prayer session in Dhaka. Zayan was with his father having breakfast at a hotel restaurant when it came under attack. His father was critically injured in the explosion and is being treated abroad. His mother and younger brother were safe as they were in the hotel room during the attack. The boy, who was vacationing with his family, was the grandson of a top ruling Awami League party leader and former Cabinet minister who is a cousin of Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Zayan was buried Wednesday in Dhaka after his body was flown back home. Zayan's grandfather Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim was joined Saturday by Hasina's advisers and several Cabinet members as an imam led the prayer at a playground in Dhaka's Banani .
Temple-building spree in Asansol, rivals allege soft Hindutva push by TMC
Targeted by the BJP for alleged Muslim appeasement, the Trinamool Congress is on a temple building spree in Asansol and its surrounding areas in what is seen as its soft Hindutva push to counter the saffron party in this communally sensitive belt in south Bengal in Lok Sabha polls. In the sleepy town of Pandaveswar, which was hit by communal riots last year, a Ram temple is being jointly built and maintained by Hindus and Muslims with assistance of local TMC leaders to help "heal the scars" of the communal violence. Not just Ram temple, seven other Sun temples are being jointly built by people of different communities including Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs in various parts of Asansol. The temple has been built by joint efforts of Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs living in the area. This temple reflects the brotherhood in our locality. "We have been living peacefully for the last several decades except for last year when there was a lot of tension following religious processions, said Abhijit .
Tharoor summoned by Delhi court over 'scorpion' remark
A court here Saturday summoned Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on June 7 on a complaint over his remarks that an unnamed RSS leader had compared Prime Minister Narendra Modi to "a scorpion sitting on a Shivling". Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal was hearing a criminal defamation complaint filed against Tharoor by Delhi BJP leader Rajeev Babbar, who has said his religious sentiments were hurt by the Congress leader's statement. Tharoor had claimed in October last year that an unnamed RSS leader had compared Prime Minister Modi to "a scorpion sitting on a Shivlinga". He had termed it as an extraordinarily striking metaphor. The complaint says, "I am a devotee of Lord Shiva.... However, the accused (Tharoor) completely disregarded the sentiments of crores of Shiva devotees, (and) made the statement which hurt the sentiments of all Lord Shiva devotees, both in India and outside the country." "The complainant's religious sentiments were hurt and the accused deliberately
Mysuru Muslim leader appeals to stand outside Church to offer solidarity with Christians
Mysuru chapter of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind has appealed to Muslims to stand outside a church here while Sunday service is underway to offer solidarity to Christians following the terror attacks in Sri Lanka that killed over 250 people. President of JeIM, Mysore,Munawwar Pasha, said the appeal has been made to convey the message that the Muslims and other communities stand by the Christians at this hour of grief. "I am sending this message to ask the Muslims to stand outside the main church of Mysuru,St Philomena, this Sunday to extend solidarity and show that we stand united and hate cannot divide us," he told PTI. In the audio message, circulated through social media, Pasha said when New Zealand had faced the terror attack at a mosque last month, the Muslims were overwhelmed with the amount of support received from various communities. "We saw thousands stand together in solidarity with us against the far right attack," he said. Pasha said mosques in various parts of the world saw ...
Kerala's eldest man celebrates 102nd birthday
Philipose Mar Chrysostom, the senior most metropolitan of the Thiruvalla-headquartered Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church and also Kerala's oldest man, celebrated his 102nd birthday on Saturday.
Orthodox Christians commemorate Good Friday in Jerusalem
Orthodox Christians from around the world marked Good Friday with a procession through Jerusalem's Old City, retracing the steps Jesus is said to have taken on the way to his death. Thousands of pilgrims, many carrying wooden crosses and at least one wearing a crown of thorns on his head, visited the 14 Stations of the Cross marking the traditional sites of Jesus's condemnation up to his crucifixion. Armed Israeli police lined the route, along the "Via Dolorosa", or "Way of the Suffering", which includes points where Jesus is said to have met his mother, fallen several times, been helped in carrying the cross and met the lamenting women of Jerusalem. The procession ended at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, in Israeli-occupied east Jerusalem, built at the site where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected. Western Christians, who follow a different calendar to the Orthodox churches, made the same procession a week earlier. The majority of the Christians in the ..
Sri Lankans urged to pray privately
Sri Lankans of different faiths were being urged to pray privately amid fears of further attacks on Friday.
Assam: Minaret of historic mosque being shifted to pave way for highway
Aiming to preserve its ancient architecture, a group of architects is engaged in lifting the two-storeyed minaret of a historic 100-year-old mosque to move it to a different location at Nagaon's Puranigudam."Situated along NH 37, the minaret is being shifted as four-laning of the highway is being done. It will be done within 15 to 20 days," said engineer Gurdeep Singh.The shifting of the minaret without dismantling it is made possible with the hydraulic system brought by the Haryana based company RR and Sons."More than 100 people are engaged in this work. It is being done under complete safety. The work is underway in two phases," said Singh.Approximately, 50 per cent of the shifting work has already been completed.Due to the construction of the historic monument, the renovation of National Highway 37 from Nagaon to Upper Assam was facing difficulties. Taking a note of it, the administration took the decision to shift the mosque. However, the final nod was given after discussing the ..
Few Catholic priests in Goa work as Cong's agents, alleges AAP
The Goa unit of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Thursday alleged that a few Catholic priests in the state worked as the "agents" of the Congress. The party said when it comes to seeking votes through religious leaders, both- the BJP as well as the Congress- were similar. Talking to reporters here, AAP's Goa unit convener Elvis Gomes said, "Yes it's true with a few priests. Everyone knows that they are commercial agents of the Congress. They live a life of duplicity. People know about them and hence it doesn't matter much." He said this in response to a question about some Christian priests in South Goa making last-minute appeals to congregations on the day of Lok Sabha elections to vote for the Congress. Polling for the two Lok Sabha seats in Goa and three Assembly bypolls was held on April 23. "There is no difference between the BJP and the Congress when it comes to seeking votes through religious heads. Both practice the art with ease. That's why a party like AAP is more ...
Siddhartha Mohanty takes over as COO of LIC Housing Finance
LIC Housing Finance Thursday said Siddhartha Mohanty has been appointed as its chief operating officer. Prior to taking over as the position, he was executive director with LIC of India. Mohanty started his career as a direct recruit officer with LIC of India in 1985 and has risen through the ranks to this senior position, LIC Housing Finance said in a statement on Thursday.
AAP says some priests in Goa are 'Congress agents'
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Goa on Thursday accused some Catholic priests of acting like agents of the Congress, appealing to the people to vote for the party. The Congress has rejected the allegation, saying the AAP was frustrated.
Sri Lanka beefs up security around mosques after intelligence inputs of terror attack
Security has been beefed up around "a certain category of mosques" in Sri Lanka after intelligence warning that the Islamist extremist group blamed for the deadly Easter blasts was planning an attack on them during Friday prayers, a media report said Thursday. Nine suicide bombers, believed to be members of local Islamist extremist group called National Thowheed Jamath (NTJ), carried out a series of devastating blasts that tore through three churches and three luxury hotels on the Easter Sunday, killing 359 people. A letter, signed by DIG Priyantha Jayakody on behalf of Inspector General of Police Pujith Jayasundara, warned that the group which had carried out the Easter blasts was planning an attack on mosques on Friday, the Times Online reported. The letter dated April 24, 2018 said a certain category of mosques identified as 'Awliya Mosques' could be possible target for these attacks. "Security has been tightened in the vicinity of all mosques owing to these possible attacks. ...
Muslim community has no links with Easter carnage: Cardinal
Sri Lanka's Muslim community should not be blamed for the Easter Sunday suicide bombings that authorities have blamed on a local Muslim group, the Archbishop of Colombo said on Thursday.
Kanye West considering creating his own church
Rapper Kanye West is considering creating his own church to permanently host Sunday Service, claims a source.
AAP says some priests in Goa 'Congress agents'
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Goa on Thursday accused some of the state's Catholic priests of acting like agents of the Congress, appealing to the people to vote for the party.
Kerala Government seeks view of Devaswom Board on men wearing shirts in temple premises
After civil society groups challenged the rule that prohibits the entry of women in the Sabarimala Temple, a local native KG Abhilash has asked the Kerala Government to issue an order allowing men to wear shirts in the temples in the state.Kerala government has sought the opinion of Tantri's over men wearing shirts inside the temples. The government has issued a note to all Devaswom Boards in the state - Travancore Devaswom Board, Cochin Devaswom Board and Malabar Devaswom Board amongst others - to convey their views on the matter.The government sought the report after Devaswom board minister got a complaint from Abhilash.Currently, there is a rule which disallows men to wear a shirt in the temple premises in Kerala.