Page 84 - Religion Belief

Sabarimala: Activist Rehana Fathima arrested for allegedly 'hurting religious sentiments'

Activist Rehana Fathima, who had attempted to enter the Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala when it opened for monthly puja last month, was arrested Tuesday for allegedly hurting religious sentiments through her Facebook posts, police said. Fathima (32) was arrested from office in Palarivattom in Kochi, they said. The activist, a BSNL employee, was booked by police in Pathanamthitta on a complaint by Radhakrishna Menon, alleging that some of her Facebook posts hurt religious sentiments. She was booked under IPC Section 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs). She was later taken to Pathanamathitta after her arrest, police said. Meanwhile, a BSNL spokesperson said Fathima was suspended from service in view of the police investigation against her. Considering the protest against her by devotees of Lord Ayyappa and BJP activists, the BSNL had earlier transferred her to the Palarivattom telephone ...

BJP Rajasthan manifesto seeks to ban use of 'Gorakh Dhanda' word

Using the word 'Gorakh Dhanda' to describe unethical practices will be a punishable offence if the BJP is voted to power again in Rajasthan, the party said in its poll manifesto Tuesday. Releasing the manifesto for the December 7 assembly polls, the party said the word hurts the sentiments of the followers of saint Gorakhnath and therefore its use should be stopped. In the election manifesto unveiled Tuesday by Union ministers Arun Jaitley and Prakash Javadekar, and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, the BJP said a law will be made to ban and punish for using 'Gorakh Dhandha' word which is commonly used for unethical and unfair practices. Explaining the rationale behind the promise, Onkar Singh Lakhawat, member of the manifesto committee, told PTI, "Guru Gorakhnath was a saint and using this word hurts sentiments of followers, therefore, this will be banned." Besides, the party also promised to include the details of Gorakshnath or Goraknath in the textbooks of the Rajasthan ...

Millions Visit, Dera Sacha Sauda, Sirsa, to Commemorate Incarnation Day of its Founder, Shah Mastana Ji

/ -- 23rd November, 2018, being Kartik Purnima, was a pious day for millions of Dera Sacha Sauda followers as the founder of DSS, incarnated on this day. As part of Incarnation Day celebrations, Blood Donation and Medical camps were conducted by Dera Management and followers. The camps were inaugurated by the Vice Chair Person of DSS, Shobha Insan and the Management Committee Members, by chanting the slogan 'Dhan Dhan Satguru Tera Hi Asra'. A Namcharcha (spiritual congregation) was also organised to commemorate this occasion in Dera Sacha Sauda, Sirsa Ashram. Devotees from states like Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand and from other countries participated in massive numbers. Groceries and warm clothes were distributed to 11 families, and 15 tricycles were given to differently abled. Langar, prasadam, was distributed to all present, as a mark of blessing and grace of the Master. 4307 units of blood was donated by followers in the blood ...

Mukesh Ambani offers prayers at Rameswaram temple

Billionaire industrialist Mukesh Ambani on Tuesday visited the Sri Ramanathaswamy temple here and offered prayers ahead of his daugther's wedding scheduled next month. He was accompanied by his son, Anand and was accorded a welcome by the executive officer Mangayarkarasi. After offering prayers, Ambani placed the wedding invitation card of his daughterIsha at the feet of the presiding deity. Later, the Reliance Industries chairman said he was impressed by the temple's architecture. Ambani donated Rs 55,000 to the temple.

Kerala assembly Speaker turns down private bill on Sabarimala issue

Kerala Assembly Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan on Tuesday turned down a private bill on the Sabarimala Temple issue, submitted by Congress MLA M Vincent.It was declined on the recommendation of the law department underlining that as per the Supreme Court verdict over the issue on October 28, a law in this regard would be "unconstitutional".The bill urged for a new law that would consider Ayyappa devotees as a specific religious group. It also suggested a new law to protect the rituals and customs of the Temple.Last month, a string of protests was witnessed in Kerala when the temple opened for the first time after the top court had passed the order, allowing women of all age group to enter into the shrine. Earlier, entry of women of menstruating age, between 10 and 50 years, was prohibited into the shrine.Over 3,505 protesters were arrested and at least 529 cases were filed in connection with the series of incidents inciting violence in the state.

Malaysia to deport 4 Finns for distributing Christian items

Malaysia is deporting four Finnish tourists and barring them from returning after they were detained for distributing Christian materials on a resort island in the Muslim-majority country. The two women and two men, aged between 27 and 60, were arrested Nov. 20 at their hotel in northern Langkawi island. Langkawi police chief Mohamad Iqbal Ibrahim says the four have been handed over to the immigration department following a decision by public prosecutors to deport them. He said Tuesday they will also be blacklisted and that the attorney-general's office will send a letter to Finland's embassy to express displeasure over their conduct. Proselytizing of Muslims, who comprise nearly two-thirds of Malaysia's 31 million people, by members of other religions is forbidden in Malaysia, although the reverse is allowed.

Hotels, railway station to be built for Sikh pilgrims in Kartarpur

The Pakistan government would provide land to Sikh organisations for hotels in Kartarpur, Nankana Sahib and Narowal, and a railway station in Kartarpur to provide state-of-the-art board and lodging facilities, a Minister announced.

Rahul reveals his 'gotra' in Pushkar temple

Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday revealed his "gotra" as "Dattatreya" in a puja ceremony organised in a Pushkar temple, said a temple priest here.

Firecracker traders seek review of SC curbs on fireworks

Firecracker traders staged a protest here Monday urging the state and central governments to file review pleas on the Supreme Court order imposing curbs on bursting of firecrackers within a specified time limit. Over 1,000 traders from Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Maharashtra took part in the protest. On October 23, the top court had allotted a two-hour duration for bursting crackers on Diwali and other festivals. However, on October 30, it modified its order which had fixed 8 PM to 10 PM as slot for bursting firecrackers on Diwali and other festivals, saying that authorities in states are at liberty to change the timings but the duration will not exceed two hours a day. The court was hearing a plea by the Tamil Nadu government which sought its nod for bursting of crackers on Diwali morning in accordance with the religious practices in the state. "Livelihood of over eight lakh people involved in the industry is at stake now," K Mariappan of Tamil Nadu .

My father was atheist: Kurien's daughter on conversion charge

The daughter of India's "milkman" Dr Verghese Kurien Monday rubbished former Gujarat minister Dileep Sanghani's claim that he diverted dairy cooperative Amuls profit to fund religious conversions in the country. Sanghani had alleged that the late founder-chairman of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) and the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation funded religious conversions by Christian missionaries from Amul's profits. "We should ignore such statements and focus on work done by Verghese Kurien in building institutions that ushered Indias White Revolution," Nirmala Kurien said. "My father was an atheist and (despite being a Christian) was cremated as per his wishes. So was my mother after her death," Nirmala told PTI after an event to mark Dr Kurien's birth anniversary. Born on November 26, 1921, Kurien died on September 9, 2012. "We should also focus on things like the change he made in the life of cattle rearing farmers," she said. "Lal Bahudur Shastri,

Rahul Gandhi reveals his 'gotra' at Pushkar temple

Congress president Rahul Gandhi during his visit to famous Brahma temple here offered 'puja' and also revealed his 'gotra' as Kashmiri Kaul Brahmin, the priest of the temple said.The priest said, "Rahul Gandhi came to the temple to perform 'puja.' Motilal Nehru, Jawaharlal Nehru, Vijaylakhsmi Pandit, Indira Gandhi, Sanjay Gandhi, Maneka Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi are all Kashmiri Pandits."A similar trivia about Rahul Gandhi had surfaced ahead of Gujarat assembly elections in the wake of his frequent temple visits in the state, when he revealed that he is not only a Hindu but a 'Janeu Dhari Hindu,' one who wears a sacred thread.

For BJP, Ram temple is only election issue: Rabri

Former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi said on Monday that the issue of building a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya was a mere election issue for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and that it will never build the promised temple.

BJP worshipper of Ravana, not Ram: Mamata

As the RSS and the VHP upped the ante for the construction of Ram temple at Ayodhya, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday alleged that the BJP is "worshipper of (demon king) Ravana" and not Lord Ram. The Trinamool Congress supremo also said her party does not try to garner votes in the name of god. "They (the BJP) perform puja of Ravana and not Ram, they try to spread differences among people," Banerjee said at a public rally here. She accused the saffron party of trying to divide people in the name of Lord Ram. "They talk of Ram, we pray before Goddess Durga; Lord Ram also performed Durga Puja." The CM said her party follows the tenets of 'Sarva Dharma' -- accommodating all religions and not differentiating people on the basis of faith. "We don't sell the name of god to earn votes," she said. Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat Sunday said in Nagpur the time for patience was over and a law should be brought to facilitate the construction of a Ram ...

Rahul Gandhi offers prayers at Ajmer Sharif Dargah

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday offered prayers at the Ajmer Sharif Dargah in poll-bound Rajasthan's Ajmer city.Gandhi, along with Rajasthan Congress president Sachin Pilot and former state chief minister Ashok Gehlot, paid obeisance at the 13th-century dargah of Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti here.The Congress president, accompanied by Gehlot and Pilot, also offered prayers at Jagatpita Brahma Temple in Pushkar.As campaigning enters its last leg in the poll-bound state, Rahul will be addressing public meetings at Pokhran, Jalore, and Jodhpur.The 200-member Rajasthan Assembly is scheduled to go to polls on December 7, and counting of votes will take place on December 11.

Spiritual leaders reiterate demand for ordinance on Ram temple construction

A day after a mega event was held in Bengaluru, Nagpur, and Ayodhya to muster support for the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya -- Lord Ram's 'janmabhoomi' (birthplace), spiritual leaders have reiterated the demand for an ordinance to be introduced at the earliest.Speaking to ANI, Acharya Satyendra Das, the head priest of the makeshift Ram temple in Ayodhya, said it was high time the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came forward to build the temple. "Until and unless (dates of) 2019 elections have not been announced and the model code of conduct has not been imposed, we are hopeful. If nothing happens, then a decision would be taken in this regard," he added.Expressing dissatisfaction over the Supreme Court's decision to postpone Ram Janambhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit for hearing till January 2019, the priest said that the court should have listened to two sides -- the religious organisations and the litigants and accordingly taken a call."When we got to know that the matter would be

People showed full faith in administration's pledge of ensuring peace: Faizabad DM

The VHP's marathon 'Dharam Sabha' for discussing construction of a Ram Temple in Ayodhya pass was held peacefully, with the Faizabad district administration saying people showed faith in its efforts of maintaining law and order. Faizabad DIG Omkar Singh said, "Drones with camera were deployed to keep a vigil on the VHP gathering and all necessary security measures were taken to ensure that peace is maintained." District magistrate Anil Kumar Pathak said, "We pledged to maintain peace and we did what we committed. People showed their full faith in the administration." The Vishwa Hindu Parishad claimed over 3 lakh people attended the congregation as devotees from all walks of life descended here to discuss the way forward for building the temple. The religious congregation which lasted for nearly five hours saw around 50 seers from different ashrams and akhadas taking part in the religious meeting. The VHP's 'Dharam Sabha' is being touted as the largest congregation of 'Ram bhakts' in .

Uttarakhand CM wants Ram temple, says law can settle Ayodhya dispute

'A Ram temple should be built in Ayodhya only as the whole world looks upon it as the birthplace of lord Ram,'said Trivendra Singh Rawat

No one can stay neutral on Ram Temple issue: Haryana minister

Asserting that no one can stay neutral on building a Ram temple in Ayodhya, Haryana's Cabinet minister Anil Vij Sunday said everyone will have to choose on which side the of the issue they stand. The outspoken Health and Sports Minister in the M L Khattar-led BJP government said the time has come now for every individual and political party besides the religious and social organisations to make their stands clear on the Ram temple issue. "Before the Mahabharta battle, Lord Krishna had said everyone will have to make their own choice whether they are with the Kauravas or the Pandavas," he said. Similarly, the time has come now for every body to choose whether they are opposed to or are in favour of the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya, he said in a Tweet, adding nobody can remain neutral on it. The Shiv Sena had exhorted the Union government Friday to come out with an ordinance and declare a date for the construction of the Ram temple.

Thousands attend congregation to discuss construction of Ram temple at Ayodhya

Thousands of devotees thronged the temple town of Ayodhya on Sunday to attend VHP's marathon 'Dharam Sabha' for discussing construction of a Ram Temple there, with a senior religious leader asserting the dates for the same would be announced early next year. Addressing the sabha after the inauguration marked by chanting of mantras at the Badey Bhaktmaal ki Bagia, Ramji Das of Nirmohi Akhara said:"The date for construction of the Ram temple will be declared in the 2019 Kumbh which will be held in Prayagraj". "It is only a matter of few days, and I request you all to show some patience," the seer remarked. The venue wore a festive look with placards, saffron flags and buntings carried by enthusiastic Ram devotees seen all over. While bhajans of Lord Ram played at different places all along the route, the involvement of some Muslims led by member of Ayodhya Zila Panchayat , Babloo Khan who has been linked to the movement since the past three years, emphasised the composite culture of the

Amarinder seeks Gadkari's intervention for speedy clearance of road projects in historic towns

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh Sunday sought the personal intervention of Union Minister Nitin Gadkari for expeditious clearance of road projects in the historic towns of Sultanpur Lodhi, Batala and Dera Baba Nanak. The towns are associated with the life of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev, whose 550th "Parkash Purb" (birth anniversary) is being observed this month. In a letter to the Union minister for Road Transport and Highways, the chief minister said he was grateful to the government of India for acceding to the request of the Punjab government related to the projects and announcements in this regard, especially the opening of the Kartarpur Corridor to facilitate smooth and easy access to Kartarpur Sahib. In view of the historic importance of these religious towns, Amarinder Singh sought an additional allocation of Rs 150 crore under the Central Road Fund (CRF) for the upgradation of the road network in Sultanpur Lodhi, Batala, Dera Baba Nanak and Gurdaspur. The chief ...