Page 53 - Religion Belief
Lord Ram ancestor of Hindus as well as Muslims, says Ramdev
Asserting that the issue of construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya was linked to the nation's pride, Yoga guru Ramdev Friday said Lord Ram was the ancestor not only of Hindus, but also of Muslims. Talking to reporters at Nadiad town in Kheda district, around 70 kms from here, he said the Ram temple issue was not linked to vote bank politics. "I firmly believe that Ram mandir must be built in Ayodhya. If not in Ayodhya, where would you build it? It is obvious that it will not come up at Mecca, Madina or Vatican City," he said in response to a query. Ramdev was in Nadiad town to take part in a Yoga Shibir organised by Santram temple. "It is an undisputed fact that Ayodhya is Lord Ram's birthplace. Not just Hindus, but Ram was the ancestor of Muslims too. This issue of Ram temple is all about nation's pride. It has nothing to do with vote bank politics," he claimed. The opposition Congress hit back at Ramdev saying religious leaders like him were "beneficiaries" of the ...
Bengali translation of Guru Granth Sahib released
A Bengali translation of the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of the Sikh religion, was released by former President Pranab Mukherjee on Friday. The book in five volumes was released at a programme held at the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Golpark, here. It took four years for Chayon Ghosh and Jhuma Ghosh to translate the book. The event also marks the 550th birth centenary celebration of Guru Nanak. Mukherjee spoke about the importance of the Guru Granth Sahib which is treated as a living God by Sikhs.
BJP's youth wind demands land to construct temple on AMU campus
The BJP's youth wing has demanded land to construct a temple on the AMU campus, saying Hindu students were facing problems in performing prayers. In a letter to AMU Vice Chancellor Tariq Mansoor, Mukesh Singh Lodhi, the district president of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), said if the university doesn't fulfil their demand within 15 days, they would install an idol and begin constructing the temple at a suitable site. Leaders of AMU Students' Union said the BJP youth wing leader's threat was an attempt to disturb peace in the city and polarize voters in the run-up to the general elections. Former AMUSU president Faizul Hasan told PTI, "This is not a question of religious piety because there are a number of temples in the vicinity and there has never been any such issue since the university was established." "We fully respect the religious sentiments of all students and are always sensitive to their genuine demands. However, anybody who has been following AMU affairs for four .
US not pursuing action against Sentinelese tribe for killing missionary
The US is not pursuing action against the Sentinelese tribe members who killed an American missionary trying to enter their forbidden island, according to the top State Department official for religious freedom.
'Sant versus sant': Route to Ram temple paved with discord
At a time when the long-standing, contentious issue of the Ram Mandir is back in the spotlight, the seers and saints of Ayodhya, identified as the final 'karta-dhartaa' (doers) in the decades-old movement for construction of a grand Ram Temple here in Uttar Pradesh, are a divided lot.
US nuns urge changes to church structure to address abuse
The largest association of religious sisters in the United States called Thursday for an overhaul of the male-led leadership structure of the Catholic Church, after Pope Francis publicly acknowledged the problem of priests and bishops sexually abusing nuns. The Leadership Conference of Women Religious also appealed in a statement for reporting guidelines to be established so abused nuns "are met with compassion and are offered safety." The conference's statement followed Francis' acknowledgement this week that clergy abuse of nuns was a problem. The pope said the Vatican was working on it but more needed to be done. His comments, given in response to a reporter's question during an in-flight press conference, were the first public acknowledgement by a pope of a long-simmering scandal. Reporting by The Associated Press and other news media, as well as the reckoning demanded by the #MeToo movement, has brought the issue to the fore. The LCWR, which represents about 80 percent of ...
Russia detains more Jehovah's Witnesses amid crackdown
Russian authorities have detained Jehovah's Witnesses in the central region of Mordovia, police said on Thursday, as part of a crackdown which the UN warned was setting a "dangerous precedent". Russia brands the US evangelical Christian movement a totalitarian sect and in 2017 designated it as an extremist organisation, ordering its dissolution in the country. On Wednesday, a Russian court sentenced Dennis Christensen, a Danish Jehovah's Witness, to six years in prison for "extremism" - the first adherent of the movement to be sent to prison in Russia. The same day, several Jehovah's Witnesses were detained in Mordovia, police said. "The large-scale operation" was conducted by the FSB security service together with police and other law enforcement agencies, police said. "An investigation is under way," police said in a statement. The sentencing of Christensen provoked an outcry, with rights groups comparing Moscow's pressure on the group to the persecution of the Soviet era. The UN on
Will not tolerate bid to create communal tension: Assam govt
Assam government Thursday informed the Assembly that it would not tolerate efforts to create communal disturbance in the state and assured the members of maintaining peace at any cost. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary said the Home department is keeping a strict vigil in this direction after AIUDF MLA Aminul Islam alleged that attempts are on to engineer a communal riot in the state. "If anyone tries to disturb the peace of Assam, we will not tolerate it. We are taking all precautions to avoid any untoward incident," Patowary replied on behalf of Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal who holds the Home portfolio. He said Assam did not witness any Hindu-Muslim clash even after the demolition of the Babri Masjid when communal riots took place in many states. "It is our responsibility to maintain peace. We assure you that it (riots) will never take place. It is the land of Sankardeva and Aajan Fakir," Patowary said. Sankardeva was a 15th century Hindu ...
India, Bangladesh relations on upward trajectory: Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday met visiting Bangladesh Foreign Affairs Minister A.K. Abdul Momen and said that relations between the two neighbouring countries have been on an upward trajectory and New Delhi will work to build on this momentum.
Year-long research on living traditions put on canvas
A year-long journey that artist Astha Butail undertook in researching living traditions that are passed on to generations through teaching and oral poetry, has culminated in the form of an ongoing exhibition here titled "In the Absence of Writing".
SC to look into Sikh lawyer's plea to allow kirpan in court room
The Supreme Court on Thursday assured a Sikh lawyer that it will look into his grievance of not being allowed into the court room with a kirpan - a symbol of the Sikh religion.
Polish archbishop meets victims of paedophile priests
Polish Archbishop Stanislaw Gadecki has met several victims of church sex abuse ahead of a Vatican meeting on the issue later this month. Pope Francis has called senior bishops from around the world to Rome on February 21-24 to provide them with concrete measures to deal with widespread clergy sex abuse of children and young people. "A couple of weeks ago... I invited victims of clergy sexual abuse in childhood or youth to meet with me," Gadecki said in a video message on the episcopate's website on Wednesday. "I am grateful to all 28 individuals who accepted the invitation. I have already met with some of them. The rest of the meetings will be scheduled bit by bit," he added. It is difficult to pinpoint the extent of sex abuse by clergy in the devout Catholic country of 38 million people. But Marek Lisinski, head of a Polish foundation for its victims, told AFP that around 700 victims had disclosed clergy abuse to the organisation. Polish courts have convicted 62 priests of the ...
Bihar: Muslim teacher attacked for not saying 'Vande Mataram' on Republic Day
A scuffle broke out between a teacher, who identifies himself as Afzal Hussain, and locals at a primary school in Abdullahpur on Wednesday after the former allegedly refused to say 'Vande Mataram' after flag-hoisting on the Republic Day (January 26).The video of the incident has apparently gone viral on social media after which Hussain too stated that he had not said 'Vande Mataram' as the same is against his religious belief.He said, "We believe in Allah and Vande Mataram is against our belief. The term means Vandana of Bharat Mata which is not what we believe in. Nowhere in the Constitution is it written that saying Vande Mataram is necessary. I could have lost my life."However, District Education Officer Dinesh Chandra Dev told the media that he has not received any complaint regarding the incident.Furthermore, Dev asserted: "Had we got any such information, an investigation would have been done. But till now we have not got any such complaint.
Bangladesh, Indian Foreign Ministers to hold consultative meeting
Bangladesh Foreign Minister A K Abdul Momen will co-chair the Fifth Joint Consultative Committee meeting with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj here on Friday, an official statement said.
Ram, 'Gau Mata' basis of Hindu culture: Bhagwat
Describing Ram and 'Gau Mata' as the "basis of the Hindu culture", RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat Wednesday said every Indian "must feel" that the Ram temple in Ayodhya should be built at its original place. "We revere Ram. Gau mata and Ram form the basis of the Hindu culture. EveryIndian must feel that the Ram temple in Ayodhya should be built at its original place. If it comes up there, the identity of Hinduism will be established in the world," the RSS chief said during his interaction with retired officials in the course of his four-day stay here. On the final day of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad's conclave at the Kumbh Mela here, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said Friday the Ayodhya issue was at a decisive stage, suggesting that those campaigning for the construction of a Ram temple should wait it out for a few months. On Wednesday, he said madarsas "will have to be taught" the meaning of Indianness which believes in non-discrimination between religions and the language of peace. "Muslims are ...
Nuns 'sex slaves' scandal fresh blow to Catholic church
Pope Francis's public admission that priests have used nuns as "sexual slaves" -- and may still be doing so -- marks a new chapter in the abuse crisis rocking the Catholic church. "It is the first time that the pope, but also the church as an institution, has publicly admitted this abuse is taking place, and that's hugely important," Lucetta Scaraffia, editor of the Vatican's women's magazine, told AFP on Wednesday. The pontiff on Tuesday said Catholic priests and bishops had been sexually abusing nuns, and that his predecessor Benedict XVI had dissolved a religious order of women because of "sexual slavery on the part of priests and the founder". The Church has "suspended several clerics" and the Vatican has been "working (on the issue) for a long time," he said. The abuse was "still going on, because it's not something that just goes away like that. On the contrary," he added. The nuns scandal broke as the Catholic church has had to contend with a wave of cases involving paedophile .
Iran pushes back after Trump's charges of anti-Semitism
Iran's foreign minister is pushing back after President Donald Trump said the country does "bad, bad things" and appeared to link it to the deadly attack on a Pittsburgh synagogue last year by an American anti-Semite. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted Wednesday that "Iranians including our Jewish compatriots are commemorating 40 yrs of progress despite US pressure, just as @realDonaldTrump again makes accusations against us." In his State of the Union address, Trump said Iran "chants death to America and threatens genocide against the Jewish people. We must never ignore the vile poison of anti-Semitism or those who spread its venomous creed." He then spoke about the synagogue shooting, in which 11 people were killed, without directly implicating Iran.
TDB changes stance, now backs entry of all women to Sabarimala
The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), which manages the Sabarimala temple, on Wednesday joined the Kerala government in supporting entry of women of all ages into the hilltop shrine, saying that any practice has to be consistent with the Constitution's dominant theme - "all persons are equally entitled".
Assam budget earmarks Rs 300 cr to boost tourism in state
Over 1,000 religious and historical places, and places of tourist attraction in Assam will be given facelift as the state's budget for 2019-20 has earmarked Rs 300 crore for the purpose, said a state Minister on Wednesday.
Temple board, Kerala oppose pleas seeking review of verdict allowing women into Sabarimala
Travancore Devaswom Board, which runs Sabarimala temple, and the Kerala government Wednesday opposed in the Supreme Court a batch of pleas seeking review of its historic verdict allowing entry of women of all ages into the shrine, even as several organisations sought re-consideration of the judgement. The apex court, by a majority of 4:1 on September 28 last year, lifted the ban that prevented women and girls between the age of 10 and 50 from entering the temple in Kerala and had held that this centuries-old Hindu religious practice was illegal and unconstitutional. A five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, which had earlier agreed to hear in open court the pleas seeking review of the verdict, Wednesday reserved its decision after hearing for three-and-half hours the parties, including Nair Service Society, Thantry of temple, temple Board (TDB) and the state government, in favour and against of the plea. As many as 65 petitions including 56 review petitions