Page 83 - Religion Belief
Nepal's Janakpur awaits Adityanath's presence in 'Bibaha Panchami'
Preparations have started in full swing in Mithilanchal in Nepal's Janakpur region for the upcoming 'Bibaha Panchami' celebrations - observed traditionally to honour the marriage of Lord Ram and Sita - which will be attended by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath."On the occasion of 'Bibaha Panchami', our neighbouring country, India's, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is 100 per cent sure to attend. For his gracious welcome, Province no. 2 already has started the preparations," Federal Minister for Internal Affairs and Law from Province No. 2, Gyanendra Kumar Yadav told ANI.Apart from Adityanath, priests and heads of the various temples will also attend the function.The Federal Government of Province 2 has already started the preparations for their welcome and stay and allocated a bounty of five million Nepali Rupees for the function."'Bibaha Panchami' is one of the festivals which are celebrated in form of culture. This tradition of Lord Ram and Sita's marriage ..
Trinidad's Hindu community head passes away at 70
The much-revered Dharmacharya of the Hindu community in Trinidad and Tobago, Pundit Uttam Maharaj, has died at the age of 70 years following a brief illness.
Hry govt to organise yatra to commemorate Guru Nanak's 550th anniversary
The Haryana government will organise a yatra that will cover all the places in the state visited by Guru Nanak Dev, to commemorate the 550th birth anniversary of the Sikhism's founder. The government has already identified such places, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said at a state-level committee meeting. Haryana and Punjab will organise a series of events throughout 2019 when the 550th birth anniversary of the first Sikh Guru falls. Earlier, Khattar had sought suggestions from the members of the committee for the year-long celebrations which will continue till November next year. The state government has constituted a 100-member organising committee under the chairmanship of the chief minister. According to an official statement, Khattar said the yatra would pass through different parts of the state. He said that an application would be developed soon having information about the places visited by Guru Nanak Dev, year of his visit and other relevant information. The state ...
Sushma Swaraj to co-chair 12th India-UAE Joint Commission Meeting
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will be co-chairing the 12th session of the India-UAE Joint Commission Meeting for Economic and Technical Cooperation with Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Foreign Minister of the UAE during her official visit to the nation from December 3 to 4.She will also be calling on the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan during her visit.The EAM is slated to inaugurate a Gandhi-Zayed Digital Museum in Abu Dhabi, which will be marking Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth celebrations and the centenary celebrations of the birth of the founder of UAE, Shaikh Zayed, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).Swaraj will also hold an interactive session with the Indian diaspora during her two-day visit."India and the UAE enjoy strong bonds of friendship, which are founded on millennia-old cultural, religious and economic interaction between the two regions. In the recent past, with the exchange of visits at the highest ...
Scottish brewery withdraws Ganesha branding following protest
A brewery based in the Scottish border town of Galashiels on Friday confirmed it will remove all references to Ganesha from one of its beer brands following protests by Hindu groups. Tempest Brewing Co. from the village of Tweedbank had been selling its India Pils beer with a colourful image of the Hindu God alongside a message calling on customers to "channel your inner Ganesha and overcome all obstacles with our hoppy pilsner". However, the company has now modified its messaging following objections by the US-based Universal Society of Hinduism. "Tempest Brewing Co. as a whole embraces equality and diversity therefore, we are saddened to hear that our 'India Pils' has caused upset within the Hindu community and we would like to offer our apologies," said Gavin Meiklejohn, Founding Director of Tempest Brewing Co. "India Pils is one of our most popular beers and is already programmed into our schedule for next year. However, we are happy to immediately remove all written references to
Goa plans no-construction buffer zones around religious places
A no-construction buffer zone will be created around places with religious significance to preserve their sanctity and architectural heritage, Goa Town and Country Planning Minister Vijai Sardesai said Friday. Sardesai was talking to reporters after inspecting a mega complex near the world renowned Pillar Seminary, 10 kilometres from here. "The TCP (Town and Country Planning department) will ensure there would be no-construction buffer zones around religious places. This is important considering the local sensibilities, religious sentiments and also architectural heritage," Sardesai said. He said inputs and suggestions from local residents will be taken while embarking on this plan. "We need to work by respecting local sentiments. We need planned development. Precaution would also be taken to ensure new constructions do not overload the village infrastructure," he said.
Mathura temple reopens after 2-day stir
A two-day stir by seers and temple managements here in Uttar Pradesh that was triggered by a green tribunal ordered demolition in which a portion of the Daan-Ghati temple was razed, has been called off, an official said on Friday.
Hungary pledges 1.5 mln euros to fight anti-Semitism
The Hungarian government said Thursday it will spend 1.5 million euros (USD 1.7 million) every year on various projects to combat anti-Semitism. Nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government has been accused of fostering anti-Semitic sentiment through a virulent campaign against Hungarian-born liberal US billionaire George Soros, who is Jewish. Orban vehemently denies any anti-Semitism and has pointed to his close relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu -- who has also criticised Soros -- as proof of his good relations with the Jewish community. The money will go towards supporting a Hungarian Jewish organisation, the Action and Protection League of Europe (APLE), according to government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs. It will help the organisation fund various projects across Europe, including education programmes and a hotline to report anti-Semitic incidents. APLE will also open an office in Brussels "to make its voice heard" at European institutions, Kovacs ...
Muslims and Dalits must unite against BJP before LS polls: Bhim Army
Stressing on the need for Dalit-Muslim-Backwards unity, the Bhim Army Thursday said Muslims have been "cheated" by their leaders and should consider carefully with whom they go in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. "Muslims have been sidelined by those leaders and parties for whom they have been voting till now," Bhim Army Chief Chandrashekar told PTI in an interview on the outfit's campaign to unite Dalits, Muslims and Backwards. "Muslims should understand where their interest lies. They should set a benchmark to see if those they have been voting for are really working for them," he said. "The Muslims' interest lies with Dalits. I think if there is social harmony between them, no politician will be able to divide them. Both sections have remained deprived for long. I realise their weakness and tell them where their interest lies," he added. On whether lack of well-accepted Muslim leadership is a hurdle to Dalit-Muslim unity, Chandrashekar said, "Yes." "Yes, I feel so. Muslims had to face ..
Kartarpur Corridor can undo freeze in India, Pak ties: Pakistani media
The move to build the Kartarpur Corridor has the potential to undo the "freeze" in ties between India and Pakistan and push the two sides to engage in a positive and purposeful manner, the Pakistani media commented on Thursday. The planned corridor will connect Sikh faith's founder Guru Nanak Dev's final resting place in Pakistan's Kartarpur to the Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Punjab's Gurdaspur district in India, fulfilling a long-pending demand of the Sikh community. It took more than 70 years for Pakistan and India to bridge a distance roughly 7 kilometres on either side of their border, the Express Tribune said in its editorial, a day after Prime Minister Imran Khan laid the foundation stone of the corridor on the Pakistani side. The initiative to build a corridor connecting two Sikh holy sites Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur in Pakistan and Dera Baba Nanak in India came from the Pakistan side, it claimed. As proposed, the Indian government will construct and develop the Kartarpur .
Private temples are being promoted over Sabarimala: TDB
Sabarimala temple custodian, the Travancore Devasom Board (TDB), on Thursday expressed concern over the way the ongoing Sabarimala issue has been handled, which it sees as a concerted attempt to promote private temples over the Lord Ayyappa shrine.
Build pressure on MPs to bring ordinance for Ram temple construction: Seer
Shankaracharya Swaroopanand Wednesday said pressure should be built on all MPs for an ordinance for the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya. He said this while delivering a dharmadesh (sermon) here. Pressure should be put on all parliamentarians to build the Ram temple in Ayodhya, Dwarka-Sharda and Jyostish Peeth Shankaracharya Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati said. Responding to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's comment on Lord Hanuman, he said it is against the religion to call Lord Hanuman a 'Dalit' because there is no such word 'Dalit' in the Hindu mythology. The shankaracharya's remark came after Adityanath during a poll rally in Rajasthan on Tuesday said, "Hanuman was a forest dweller, deprived and a Dalit. Bajrang Bali worked to connect all Indian communities together, from north to south and east to west". Lord Hanuman was a 'rudra avatar', born to serve Maryada Purshottam (Lord) Ram, he said.
Govt adopting 'double standards' in implementing SC verdicts: Kerala HC
Facing flak from various quarters on the Sabarimala issue, the CPI(M)-led LDF government in Kerala on Wednesday came in for severe criticism from the High Court which said it was adopting "double standards" in implementing Supreme Court judgements. The court questioned how despite an apex court order the state government was unable to ensure that a group was allowed to offer prayers at a church, when authorities had "no difficulty in deploying thousands of police personnel at Sabarimala". A division bench, comprising justices P R Ramachandran Menon and Devan Ramachandran, was considering a petition by the Orthodox faction of the Malankara Syrian Church seeking police protection for offering prayers at Piravom Church. Earlier, even though the apex court had allowed the Orthodox faction to offer prayers at the church, members belonging to the rival Jacobite faction allegedly prevented them from entering it. The bench asked the the Advocate General to explain how and why the apex court .
If Berlin Wall can be demolished, why can't India-Pak hatred: Harsimrat Kaur
Union Minister for Food Processing Industries Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Wednesday said that if Berlin Wall could be demolished, then why can't the hatred between India and Pakistan with the opening of Kartarpur corridor."When the Wall of Berlin can be brought down, then hatred between India and Pakistan can also be brought down with the opening of Kartarpur corridor. It can be a new beginning in the name of Baba Nanak, who said 'Na Koi Hindu, Na Koi Musalman Lekin Ek Onkar' (No one is Hindu, No one is Muslim but all are one)," she said.Badal, said, "This is a historic day for the Sikh community. No matter which part of the world we are from, for the last 70 years we have been striving to pay obeisance at this historic place. This (Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur) is 4 kilometres away from the border. From the other side, we would bow our heads and during peaceful evenings and would also immerse into soothing religious hymns rising from this holy place. It was so near and yet very ...
Powerful sheikh quits top Olympic body amid late drama
One of the most influential figures in international sport on Wednesday officially stepped down from a powerful Olympic body as he fights forgery charges in Switzerland. Sheikh Ahmad al-Fahad al-Sabah had already announced he was "temporarily" stepping aside from his IOC duties and asked not to be re-elected president of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC). "I am confident I am innocent. I trust the court of justice in Switzerland ... I know I am innocent. I am sure about that and I will follow through on my trust in the court in Switzerland," he told delegates. "I will decide to step aside -- of my own will -- for a while and to come back to you stronger," added the Kuwaiti powerbroker. But there was last-minute drama at the gathering in Tokyo as several representatives pushed for the Sheikh -- the only candidate for ANOC president -- to be re-elected anyway. In chaotic scenes, delegate after delegate spoke to defend Sheikh Ahmad, arguing that he had become ...
Seers oppose UP govt's proposal to erect Lord Ram's statue on the banks of Sarayu
A three-day "Param Dharma Sansad" was held in Varanasi, where seers opposed the Uttar Pradesh government's proposal to install a 221-metre statue of Lord Ram on the bank of the Sarayu river in Ayodhya. Terming the Vishwa Hindu Parishad's (VHP) "Dharma Sabha", organised on November 25 in Ayodhya, as a "politically-motivated event", Dwarka-Sharda and Jyotish Peeth Shankaracharya Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati said Lord Ram should not be politicised, adding that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) could only erect statues, but not build a Ram temple in Ayodhya. "The government can only erect statues, not build the temple," he said, addressing the gathering at the event held at Seer Govardhan from November 25 to 27. He said the government erected a huge statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Gujarat, but there was a need to build a temple for Lord Ram, not erect his statue as he was not a human being. Opposing the Yogi Adityanath government's proposal to install a 221-metre statue of ...
Moshe will become a rabbi like dad: 26/11 miracle baby's uncle
The uncle of 'Baby Moshe', who as a two-year-old miraculously survived shelling and gunfire during the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, says the boy will become a rabbi (Jewish religious teacher) like his father. Moshe's nanny saved his life when terrorists attacked the five-storeyed Jewish centre Chabad House, now renamed as Nariman Light House, killing nine, including his father Rabbi Gavriel and mother Rivka, who was pregnant. Moshe Holtzberg, who lives in the Israeli city of Afula with his maternal grandparents, visited Mumbai with them and Israel's prime minister in January this year. "We hope to see Baby Moshe grow up, become a big rabbi like his father and continue in his parents foot steps," said the late rabbi's younger brother, also named Moshe Holtzberg. "My nephew will be groomed to be the chief rabbi," the senior Moshe told PTI from New York, where he lives. "Yes, he will be shown the way by his (paternal) grandparents Rabbi Nachman Holtzberg and Frieda Holtzberg, .
Tribal group supports Cong CM of Mizoram
A tribal organisation has appealed to Mizoram's powerful Presbyterian Church to support Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla in the Assembly election, describing him as a "prominent Christian leader" in the country. The Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust (KOHRT) -- a Manipur-based organisation of the Kuki tribe -- has alleged that the current political climate was promoting religious intolerance and affecting the Christians. In his letter to Rev. Lalrinnunga, the moderator of Mizoram synod of the Presbyterian Church of India, KOHRT chairman T Lunkim said he considered Thanhawla as a prominent Christian leader in the country. Thanhawla is also considered to be a conscientious and inclusive leader for all the Kuki, Chin, Mizo people across the globe, Lunkim said. He alleged that money power was being used in the northeastern states, terming it a great shame to any state where the larger population follows Christianity." The Kuki leader, however, did not say who was promoting religious ...
SC allows disqualified IUML MLA of Kerala to take part in assembly proceedings
The Supreme Court Tuesday allowed K M Shaji, Kerala MLA of Indian Union Muslim League who was disqualified by the High Court for making communal remarks during 2016 assembly polls, to take part in the house proceedings without voting rights and salary. A bench headed by Justice A K Sikri admitted for hearing the appeal of the MLA challenging the Kerala High Court verdict. "Admit. The appellant shall be allowed to participate in the proceedings in the Legislative Assembly and sign the Register but not allowed to vote as well as financial benefits," said the bench, which also comprised Justices Ashok Bhushan and M R Shah. The top court considered the submission of senior lawyer Kapil Sibal, appearing for the IUML leader, and said that the plea of the lawmaker would be listed for final hearing in the last week of January. Shaji, who had won the elections from Azhikode Assembly constituency in 2016, was disqualified for six year by the high court on November 9. The high court had directed
Sabarimala row: Woman activist arrested over FB post
Woman activist Rehana Fathima, who attempted to enter Sabarimala temple in October, was arrested by the Pathanamthitta Police here on Tuesday for allegedly hurting the religious sentiments of people in a Facebook post.On September 30, Fathima had posted a picture on the social media site, dressing up like an Ayyappa devotee with the caption 'Thathvamasi'.Fathima, along with a woman journalist, had gone to the Sabarimala temple in October. However, she had to return halfway due to protests. Later on, her house was allegedly vandalised by some unidentified miscreants.Till now, no woman has entered the holy shrine despite Supreme Court's September 28 order that lifted the ban on the entry of women of all ages into the temple.A string of protests was witnessed in Kerala in October when the temple opened for the first time after the Supreme Court passed the order, allowing women of all age group to enter into the shrine. Earlier, the entry of women aged between 10 and 50 years was ...