Page 8 - Religion Belief
Berlin Jewish Museum head quits after controversial tweet
The director of Berlin's Jewish Museum resigned on Friday amid controversy over a tweet he sent linking to an article that criticised the German parliament for passing legislation against the BDS movement, which demands a boycott of Israel. Professor Peter Schaefer proposed his resignation "to avoid further damage" to the Jewish Museum, a statement on its website said. It was accepted, the statement added, but no specific reason for his departure was given. German parliament last month condemned the BDS -- Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) -- as anti-Semitic. Lawmakers said the group uses anti-Semitic methods to promote its political goals -- a claim firmly rejected by the movement, which calls for a cultural boycott of Israel over its policies towards Palestinians. Schaefer came under pressure after the tweet of an article that was critical of that parliamentary decision. After the tweet, the Central Council of Jews in Germany said the museum "appears to have totally slid out of ..
Bishop Franco cartoon row: BJP flays LDF, UDF's 'hypocrisy'
The BJP's Kerala unit on Friday hit out at the "hypocritical stance" of the state's ruling LDF and the opposition UDF on the now controversial award winning cartoon, which allegedly depicts rape-accused Bishop Franco Mulakkal in an indecent manner.
India lodges protest over Pak's refusal to grant pilgrims visas on Sikh guru's martyrdom day
India lodged a strong protest with Pakistan over its refusal to grant a visa to an official group of 87 pilgrims for the 'Shahidi Jor Mela' or Sikh Guru Arjan Dev Ji's Martyrdom Day, sources said on Friday.The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has directed Pakistan to "immediately grant visa without any restriction," sources added."MEA has registered its strong protest at Pakistan government's refusal to grant visa for official jatha comprising 87 pilgrims on the occasion of Shahidi Jor Mela - Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji's Martyrdom Day on June 7 under the Bilateral Protocol on Visit to Religious Shrines, 1974. MEA had earlier requested visas for the pilgrims," sources told ANI on Friday.The fifth guru in Sikhism breathed his last in Lahore, Pakistan in 1606. Indian pilgrims observe his martyrdom day by visiting Gurudwara Dera Sahib in Lahore, amongst other things. The gurudwara commemorates the place where Guru Arjan Dev Ji passed away."The Ministry expressed its concern at the disregard .
India unhappy over Pakistan not giving visa to official Sikh jatha
India has registered a strong protest at Pakistan governments refusal to grant visa to an "official jatha" comprising 87 pilgrims who wanted to go there on the martyrdom day of Sikh Guru Arjan Dev, sources said here on Friday.
India lodges protest with Pak over refusal to grant visa to 87 pilgrims
India has lodged a strong protest with Pakistan over its refusal to grant visa to 87 Indian pilgrims who wanted to visit the neighbouring country to observe the death anniversary of fifth Sikh Guru Arjan Dev, official sources said. According to Sikhism, the event is also called Shahdi Jor Mela or Shaheedi Purab of Guru Arjan Dev Ji. The pilgrims, who were denied visa, were part of the official jatha (group), the sources said, adding that restrictive visa was granted to a private group of Indian pilgrims. The Ministry of External Affairs has registered its strong protest at Pakistan government's refusal to grant visa for official jatha comprising 87 pilgrims on the occasion of Shahidi Jor Mela - Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji's Martyrdom Day on June 7, the sources said. The pilgrims visit Gurdwara Dera Sahib on the occasion. The visa for the pilgrims were sought under a 1974 bilateral protocol on visit to religious shrines. "The Ministry expressed its concern at the disregard shown by the High
Nepal activists call for end of animal sacrifice
Nepali activists rallied in Kathmandu on Friday calling for an end to religious animal sacrifices, months ahead of a festival that in the past has seen tens of thousands of animals slaughtered. Some of the more than 100 protestors wore fake buffalo, pig and chicken heads, as they chanted against a practice deeply rooted in the country's Hindu traditions. "This is wrong and must stop," Sneha Shrestha of the Federation of Animal Welfare Nepal told AFP. "We are all equal in God's eyes, God will not ask for (the) sacrifice of her own children." Animal rights campaigners face an uphill struggle in Nepal, where Hindus make up 80 per cent of the population and where ritual sacrifice is a part of everyday life and central to major festivals. Placards at the protest also called for a halt to sacrifices at Gadhimai, a festival believed to be the world's biggest ritual slaughter. Once every five years, the tiny village of Bariyapur near Nepal's border with India flows with blood, as thousands of
Cartoon row: Left govt asks akademi to review award decision
The Left government in Kerala Friday asked a state-run akademi to review its decision honouring a cartoon depicting Bishop Franco Mullakal as a rooster and alluding to the charge of rape against him. Cultural Affairs Minister A K Balan told the State Assembly that the government is of the opinion that the cartoon has "hurt" the sentiments of the Christian community. "The government has already taken a stand that the akademi should review its decision," Balan said. The cartoon titled 'Viswasam Rakshathi' (protection of faith) by K K Subhash of Chengalam and selected by the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi for this years award, had appeared in a Malayalam magazine last year after Mullakal was accused of rape by a nun. Showing Mullakal as a rooster, it also has a pink coloured lingerie in the crosier (staff), carried by a bishop as a symbol of the pastoral office, while a group of nuns is shown fleeing. Replying to a submission by opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala seeking ...
Palestine honours Indian with 'Star of Jerusalem' award
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has conferred an Indian national with the Star of Jerusalem medal, one of the highest honours given to foreign nationals by the Palestinian Authority. At an event organised to honour Sheikh Mohammad Munir Ansari on Thursday evening, Abbas thanked him for serving Palestine and Jerusalem, the third holiest city for Muslims, with distinction. The Palestinian President said the Ansari family's presence in the old city of Jerusalem reflects the strong traditional ties between Indian and Palestinian people. He also called upon for strengthening people to people contact between India and Palestine. Abbas plans to send Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh to India soon to boost tourist inflows from there which can contribute to strong bonding between the two people. Representative of India, Sunil Kumar, who was present the event, also appreciated the role played by the Ansari family in strengthening Indo-Palestine ties. Sheikh Munir Ansari is the ...
Pondy Lt Governor pulls chariot at temple festival
Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi joined hundreds of devotees in pulling the chariot of Tirukameeswarar temple at a village near here on the occasion of the annual car festival Thursday. Bedi pulled the chariot amidst chanting of hymns by devotees at the 12th century temple in Villianur. Chief Minister V Narayanaswamy, Ministers A Namassivayam and M Kandasamy, newly-elected Member of Parliament V Vaithilingam and legislators were among those who participated in the festival. The temple is among the ancient shrines in Puducherry and as per tradition, the Head of the State should drag the chariot on the occasion of the car festival.
Andhra MLA takes oath in the name of Jagan
In a show of loyalty, a newly elected member of Andhra Pradesh Assembly belonging to YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) on Wednesday took oath in the name of Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Kerala Lalit Kala Academy to review award to cartoon featuring Bishop Franco
Kerala Lalita Kala Akademi on Wednesday decided to re-evaluate the award given for cartoon featuring Bishop Franco as a rooster.The decision comes after the Bishop's council raised an objection about the depiction in the cartoon.The prize was announced in favour of a cartoon drawn by Subash KK featuring Bishop Franco as a rooster standing on the top of a police cap.The religious body has raised an objection about the use of undergarment being carried on the holy stick. KCBC has raised the objection against this through Facebook post after which it was decided to re-evaluate the award.
People take dip in Ganga on Ganga Dusshehra
Lakhs of devotees on Wednesday took a holy dip in the Ganga at Har ki Pauri and other ghats of the river on the occasion of Ganga Dusshehra. Dwarkapeeth Shankaracharya Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati took the ritual bath on Brahma Ghat here and prayed for the country's happiness and prosperity by making an offering of milk and flowers. Swami Swaroopanand was joined by a host of seers including Swami Amritananda Saraswati Brahmachari, Subuddhananda ji Maharaj Brahmachari and Sahajananda ji Maharaj Brahmachari as he took the holy dip in the river to mark the occasion. Special prayers were held in the temples and maths dotting the city to celebrate the festival. An idol of Goddess Ganga kept in a flowery palanquin (Utsav Doli) was also bathed in the river at Gangotri in Uttarkashi district on the occasion which also saw thousands of devotees from all over the country and abroad to take a holy dip in the Bhagirathi.
Row over cartoon on bishop Mulakkal hits Kerala
A row has erupted in Kerala over a state-run akademi honouring a cartoon depicting Bishop Franco Mullakal as a rooster and alluding to the charge of rape against him with a furious Church condemning it as vulgar and saying it amounted to humiliating Christian symbols. As the Kerala Catholic Bishop Council (KCBC) demanded withdrawal of the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi's decision to confer the best cartoon award, the CPI-M led LDF government Wednesday ordered the akademi to re-examine the matter. The KCBC asked whether the LDF government was targeting the Christians after reaching a conclusion that the minority community did not stand with the CPI(M) during the recent Lok Sabha elections, in which the Left front won only one of the 20 seats. The Church urged the government to withdraw the award given to the "vulgar cartoon" and also sought an apology by the akademi officials. The cartoon titled "Viswasam Rakshathi" (protection of faith) by K K Subhash of Chengalam and ...
Senior Maoist leaders arrested in Gadchiroli
Gadchiroli Police on Wednesday said it had arrested top Maoists Narmada and her husband Kiran."We intercepted Narmada and Kiran in Sironcha town on Monday evening while they were returning from Hyderabad and arrested them later," said Superintendent of Police, Gadchiroli Shailesh Balkawde .The two were picked up from Sironcha bus station in Gadchiroli.The Gadchiroli Court awarded seven days of police custody remand (PCR) to both of them.Narmada alias Aluri Krishna Kumari alias Sujathakka, aged about 60, is a native of Gudivada in Andhra Pradesh's Krishna district.She had been heading operations in the Gadchiroli division of Communist Party of India (Maoist) for more than a decade.Her husband Kiran Kumar alias Kiran Dada is a member of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC) of the CPI (Maoist).Kiran, 57, is a native of Vijayawada.He was also the state committee member and looked after Prabhat magazine, a political organ of Maoist's DKSZC, apart from looking after propaganda ..
Southern Baptists meet; endorse steps against sex abuse
Confronting an unprecedented sex-abuse crisis, delegates at the Southern Baptist Convention's national meeting voted Tuesday to make it easier to expel churches that mishandle abuse cases. The Rev. J D Greear, president of the nation's largest Protestant denomination, said the SBC faced a "defining moment" that would shape the church for generations to come. "This is not a distraction from the mission," Greear said of the fight against sex abuse. "Protecting God's children is the mission of the church." The SBC's meeting comes as US Catholic bishops convene in Baltimore to address a widening sex-abuse crisis in the Catholic Church. The Southern Baptist Convention says it had 14.8 million members in 2018, down about 192,000 from the previous year. The Catholic Church is the largest denomination in the US, with 76.3 million members as of last year down from 81.2 million in 2005. Sex abuse already was a high-profile issue at the SBC's 2018 national meeting in Dallas, after which Greear .
Awarded cartoon on Bishop Mulakkal to get relook after protest
Following protests from the Kerala Catholic Bishops Conference (KCBC), the state-run Kerala Lalithakala Akademy on Wednesday decided to re-examine its award winning cartoon, which allegedly depicts in an indecent manner Bishop Franco Mulakkal, who has been convicted of rape.
Isolate Pakistan if it harbours terrorism, says US Congressman
Scott Perry, a member of the US Congress from Pennsylvania, reaffirmed support to the religious and ethnic minorities, who came together on Tuesday to stop religious radicalism in South Asia, particularly in Pakistan.Scores of South Asian experts, members of the US Senate and House of representatives flocked the Capitol Hill to discuss and urge Pakistan to stop the persecution of ethnic and religious groups.While speaking to ANI, Perry said, "Pakistan needs to be isolated among the community of nations if they continue to harbour terrorism."Perry also highlighted the plight of all suffering ethnic and religious groups and how Pakistan has not yet taken any strong action against the terrorism operating from its soil."We don't support the fact that minorities are being suppressed anywhere for their religious beliefs or otherwise, and this is one of the reasons why the United States-Pakistan relations remain strenuous because we cannot accept that," Perry told ANI.Earlier this year, the .
Central India gets its first Sikh museum in Raipur
A museum exhibiting Sikh culture and tradition has opened in the heart of state's capital city Ranchi.The museum, Shri Guru Teg Bahadur Sikh Museum, located at Gurudwara Gurusingh Sabha in Guru Nanak Nagar was inaugurated by Chief Minister Bhupesh Bhagel on the 'Shahidi Divas' of Sikh's Guru Arjun Dev on June 7."I feel fortunate that I got a chance to bow before Guru Granth Sahib on the martyrdom day of Guru Arjun Dev Ji, the fifth Guru of the Sikhs. People here have done a great job by establishing 'Guru Tegh Bahadur Sikh Museum' in Shyam Nagar Gurudwara in Raipur. The new generations will get a chance to learn about the glorious history of the Sikhs," the Chief Minister after the inaugurating the museum.The museum enlightens visitors about the ten Sikh gurus and other personalities related to the religion. It also has a library and theatre in its 5,000 square feet premises.Sandeep Singh, Manager, Shri Guru Teg Bahadur Sikh Museum told ANI, "The aim is to connect this generation to ..
'YSR Cong workers damage plaque unveiled by Naidu'
The YSR Congress supporters Tuesday allegedly vandalised a plaque inside the Krishna Zilla Parishad function hall here, unveiled by former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, said officials. The vandalisation of the plaque triggered tension between the TDA and YSRC workers, necessitating deployment of police to avert clash between the rival party workers, they said. The plaque was unveiled by Naidu in February to mark the inauguration of the works on the deep water port works in port town Machilipatnam, the headquarters of Krishna district, they added. The YSRC supporters were allegedly opposed to the installation of the plaque as it did not carry the names of the newly-elected YSRC leaders. Krishna Zilla Parishad Chief Executive Officer Sheik Salaam lodged a complaint with the police, seeking legal action for demolishing the public property. A case has been registered and the investigation is on, said Machilipatnam Deputy Superintendent of Police Mehaboob Basha. MLC ...
Russia to help conserve KP's archaeological heritage
Russia has signed an agreement with Pakistan under which the two sides will cooperate in preservation and renovation of Buddhist sites in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province. Peshawar Museum on behalf of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government signed the MoU with the Russian State Museum to promote and conserve archaeological heritage and religious tourism. The two sides would conduct researches and promote pilgrimage tourism, said Minister for Tourism KPK Atif Khan. The KP province has various archeological sites, including Buddhist relics which attract religious tourists from Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Japan, China and Russia. The government has introduced new visa policy for Buddhist community to perform their religious ritual at the religious sites here in the province. Under the agreement Moscow would cooperate with KP government in preservation and renovation of Buddhists's sites, said Director General Russian State Museum Moscow Embassy Aleksandr V Sedov. He said Buddhists living in Russia have .