Page 99 - Religion Belief
Nationalism should be biggest religion for everyone: Yogi Adityanath
Nationalism should be the biggest religion for everyone and a collective voice must be raised against the forces of Naxalism, terrorism, corruption and those who work against the nation's interests, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said Saturday. Speaking at an event here organised by Arya Samaj, a socio-religious organisation, he stressed that India is primarily an agricultural country in which "cow-based activities are worthy of being highlighted". A statement quoting Adityanath said his government has made substantial changes in the educational curriculum in Uttar Pradesh. In the school curriculum, the government has added information about the life of great personalities and revolutionaries of the past, the BJP leader said. "We have also discontinued the practice of giving public holidays in the name of these great people. Instead educational workshops are to be held, so that young children can be informed about them," he said. Side by side, the system of Gurukuls ...
Arrest those who published Class 12 book demeaning Sikh gurus: SAD
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) Saturday demanded the arrest of all committee members who authored and passed the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) Class 12 history book with chapters allegedly demeaning Sikh gurus. SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal alleged that five chapters in the book contained "derogatory" references to the Sikh Gurus as well as the 'dharmik granths' (religious texts) of Sikhism. Badal said the book includes a reference to the tenth Sikh Guru, Gobind Singh claiming that he "looted a village named Alishan to show displeasure to Bhim Chand" while another chapter "distorted" the facts about the martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev. "Facts have been distorted to give the false impression that Guru Sahib (Arjan Dev) was just physically tortured, after his punishment was converted into a fine, and not executed by the Mughal ruler," Badal said. The SAD demanded immediate withdrawal of the book while seeking action against PSEB Chairman Manohar Kant Kalohia, for allegedly hurting
SC likely to commence Ayodhya title suit hearing from Oct 29 (Lead correcting intro)
The Supreme Court on Monday is likely to start hearing on a batch of petitions challenging the 2010 Allahabad High Court verdict trifurcating the disputed site at Ayodhya into three parts for Ram Lalla, Nirmohi Akhara and the original Muslim litigant.
Shah hails contributions of Shivagiri Math, SNDP in education
BJP chief Amit Shah Saturday hailed the contributions made by the Shivagiri Math and Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam, founded by social reformer Sree Narayana Guru, in the field of education. Speaking at a function got up to mark the 90th Mahasamadhi of Sree Narayana Guru at the Math, Shah said the role of educational institutions under it and SNDP in Kerala, achieving 100 per literacy, cannot be forgotten. Shah said the Guru through his simple messages succeeded in delivering the "essence of Upanishads" to the common man. The Centre has sanctioned Rs 20 crore for the development of amenities at Varkala Railway station, main gateway for the Math, he said. Similarly, the Rs 70 crore announced by the union Tourism department for the development of places connected with Sree Narayana Guru would help preserve his teachings and philosophy, Shah said. Union Tourism minister Alphons Kannanthanam and SNDP general secretary Vellappally Natesan were among those present on ..
'Hindutva ideology extremist behind attack on Swami Giri's ashram'
Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja on Saturday hinted at Hindutva ideology extremist being responsible for the attack on Swami Sandeepananda Giri's ashram earlier today.Shailaja, who visited Swami Sandeepananda Giri's ashram in Thiruvananthapuram's Kundamankadavu that was attacked by unidentified assailants, said: "We suspect Hindutva ideology extremist are behind the attack. Swami Sandeepananda Giri said women can enter Sabarimala and that if we want to keep old customs, we can't go forward as a human society because several customs discriminate between men and women."She further said that Giri was teaching people to be secular and to not discriminate between men and women; and hence, became subject to the attack. "Swami Sandeepananda Giri Ji is trying to teach people about it. He is also teaching people to be secular and do not discriminate between men and women and that irritated some people in society. I think they are behind the attack. The intention was to kill him," Shailaja ...
La Martiniere secretary resugns
The secretary of La Martiniere Schools, Kolkata, has resigned from his post citing personal reasons. Supriyo Dhar, who had functioned as secretary of the institutions (La Martiniere for Boys and La Martiniere for Girls) for 10 years, said he had sent his resignation letter addressed to the Board of Governors of the schools on Thursday. "Yes I had been associated with the institution for a decade. I am proud to be part of La Martiniere Kolkata as an institution. But due to some purely personal reasons, I am forced to sever that link. I have made up my mind," Dhar said asserting there was no bitterness. The board of governors meeting is scheduled on November 3, a source in the Kolkata Diocese of the Church of North India (CNI), which runs La Martiniere along with several other missionary schools, said. The office of Bishop Probal Dutta of Kolkata Diocese has already received the letter which will be placed at the Board meeting, the source added. Asked if the resignation ..
SC should not pass orders that can't be implemented, conflict with faith: Amit Shah
Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah on Saturday said that the Supreme Court should not pass verdicts that conflict with the religious faith of the people and can't be implemented on the ground.
Catholic Church fails to get on youth wavelength
Hailed as a chance for the Catholic Church to reconnect with today's young, a month-long meeting at the Vatican has ended with a whimper as bishops from across continents fail to see eye to eye. The 267 prelates attending the meet had been tasked with finding a way to breathe fresh life into a centuries-old institution suffering from both a damaging global sex abuse crisis and widespread secularity in the West. The synod's concluding document, to be published later Saturday, "looks like an Ikea catalogue", one exasperated bishop told AFP on condition of anonymity. "You have everything you need for the bathroom and the kitchen, in all styles, so everyone can identify with it," he said. "One Eastern European bishop ventured to say that the church's rule about 'no sex before marriage' had become untenable. We moved on to the next issue and didn't talk about it again," the bishop said. "The conservatives later joined the fray by demanding a reminder of church morals," he said. Another ...
Sabarimala row: Amit Shah warns of 'throwing out' Vijayan government
Attacking Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, BJP national president Amit Shah on Saturday asked him not to play with the Sabarimala issue and warned him that BJP would not mind throwing out the Kerala government if it tries to tinker with the issues of faith.
Last survivor of WWII raid on Rome's Jewish Ghetto dies
The last survivor of the 1943 Nazi raid on the Rome Ghetto, in which more than 1,000 Jews were taken away to concentration camps, has died aged 91, the Italian Jewish community said Friday. Lello Di Segni was 16 years old when he was seized with his parents and three younger siblings in the round-up during the first weeks of occupation by the Third Reich's troops. Italy, where the far right came to power in June as part of a populist coalition, this year marked 80 years since the promulgation of anti-Jewish laws by Mussolini's fascist regime. News of Di Segni's death came just days after the country also commemorated the 75th anniversary of the Ghetto raid, which saw German police arrest hundreds of people at dawn on 16 October 1943. Some foreigners or people in mixed marriages were released, but of the 1,022 men, women and children sent to concentration camps after the round-up, just 16 returned -- 15 men and one woman. Di Segni was separated from his family and transported to ...
Amit Shah arrives in Kerala
BJP president Amit Shah arrived here Saturday on a day visit to Kerala to attend a party function in the city and the 90th Mahasamadhi observance of saint social reformer Sree Narayana Guru at Varkala near Thiruvananthapuram. Hundreds of party workers gathered to welcome Shah, who became the first passenger to land at the Kannur International Airport slated for official inauguration on December 9. Shah will inaugurate the party's new district office located at Thalikkavu, party sources said. He would also visit the family members of slain BJP activist Remith, who was killed allegedly by the activists of CPI(M) in 2002. Later in the day, Shah will attend the 'Mahasamadhi Navathi Yathi Pooja Sammelan' at Sivagiri, a hillock spiritual mutt established by Narayana Guru in Varkala near Thiruvananthapuram. Shah's Kerala visit assumes significance in the wake of massive protests against the CPI(M)-led LDF government's decision to implement the Supreme Court verdict permitting women of all ...
Like Sister Nivedita, youth should strike balance between science, faith: Irani
Union Minister Smriti Irani on Friday said Irish educationist, social activist and Swami Vivekananda's disciple Sister Nivedita was nothing less than a revolutionary whose life can inspire today's youth to strike a balance between science and faith.
Trump accuses Twitter of delisting his followers
US President Donald Trump on Friday accused Twitter of delisting his followers and making it tougher for new people to join, as he criticised the microblogging site's efforts to remove fake and abusive accounts. Trump has 55.3 million followers on Twitter. The site is the most preferred medium of the president to communicate with his followers. In a tweet, Trump accused Twitter of being biased towards him. "Twitter has removed many people from my account and, more importantly, they have seemingly done something that makes it much harder to join - they have stifled growth to a point where it is obvious to all," said the president. "A few weeks ago it was a Rocket Ship, now it is a Blimp! Total Bias?" Trump wrote. Twitter said it has been removing fake accounts from its system and in the last two months it has lost some nine million accounts. "Our focus is on the health of the service, and that includes our work to remove fake accounts and those engaging in malicious behaviour," Twitter
Nepal President to visit Qatar
Nepal President Bidya Devi Bhandari will visit Qatar from October 29 to November 1, the Foreign Ministry announced here on Friday.
Protection of religious freedom central to Trump admin's foreign policy: Pompeo
Protection of religious freedom is central to the Trump administration's foreign policy, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Friday. "The protection of religious freedom is central to the Trump administration's foreign policy, and protecting this human right is an essential part of who we are as Americans," Pompeo said on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the signing of the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act (IRF Act) into law. "Religious freedom appears first among the rights enumerated in our Constitution. Where religious freedom flourishes, there is greater stability and more economic opportunity," Pompeo said. Signed into law 20 years ago, the IRF Act expanded US foreign policy capabilities to promote and defend religious freedom around the world, he said. "It builds on our founding fathers' firm conviction that the freedom of individuals to believe as they see fit is a god-given right that is central to the success of a nation. "Though the challenges to religious ..
Activist Rahul Easwar booked for remarks on Sabarimala issue
A case was registered against activist Rahul Easwar Friday for allegedly making provocative statement on the Sabarimala issue, police said. A case was registered against Easwar, who belongs to the Thazhamon family of Sabarimala tantris (priests), on the basis of a complaint filed by a Thiruvananthapuram native, they said. He has been charged under IPC Section 153 (Wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot). Easwar, among those who spearheaded the frenzied protests in Sabarimala, had said they had a contingency plan to force the closure of the temple by spilling blood on its premises by some devotees in case any woman in the 'barred' age group managed to reach it. He had claimed that 20 Lord Ayyappa devotees opposing the entry of women in the age group of 10 and 50 were ready to inflict knife injuries on themselves on the temple premises which would have forced the priests to close the gates on account of impurity. "Had their blood fallen on the floor of the ..
Sushma Swaraj to visit Qatar, Kuwait
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will visit Qatar and Kuwait, two of India's key energy security partners in West Asia, from October 28 to 31, it was announced on Friday.
Sabarimala violence: Around 2000 people arrested, cases registered against 452
The Kerala Police have arrested a total of 2,061 people so far, while cases have been registered against another 452 for protesting against the entry of women aged between 10-50 years into the Sabarimala Temple.Briefing scribes about police action initiated in the wake of violent protests, Kerala Director General of Police (DGP), Loknath Behera asserted that suggestions are being taken about how to provide protection to the women."We have registered around 452 cases and arrested around 2,000 people so far. We have identified several others and more arrests will be made. We will do what must lawfully be done. We are taking suggestions from a police committee on how to provide protection to the women. We will discuss it with the government as well. Discussions are going on and we haven't yet come to a conclusion," Behera said.A number of protests were staged after the doors of the Lord Ayyappa's temple opened on October 17 for the first time after the Supreme Court verdict allowing ...
Ireland votes on historic blasphemy ban
Irish voters were deciding Friday whether to repeal a ban on blasphemy -- the latest potential reform distancing the once-devout nation from its Catholic past. The referendum was being held alongside a presidential election in which incumbent Michael Higgins was expected to secure a new seven-year term in the largely ceremonial post. Irish law defines blasphemy as a "matter that is grossly abusive or insulting in relation to matters held sacred by any religion, thereby causing outrage among a substantial number of the adherents of that religion". Blasphemy is punishable by a EUR25,000 ($28,400) fine, although it is believed that the last attempted prosecution in the country was when a priest accidentally burnt a bible in 1855 -- before blasphemy was enshrined in the 1937 constitution -- rendering the present-day law largely obsolete. The law was heavily criticised three years ago when police were forced to investigate British TV personality Stephen Fry for calling God "stupid" during .
Goa BJP man asked for explanation on video supporting arrested
The Goa BJP's minority cell Friday asked one of its functionaries to clarify about a video he posted supporting actor Ajaz Khan who was arrested by Maharashtra police for alleged possession of drugs. Maula Ali Sheikh, vice president of the BJP minority cell had this week uploaded the video on his Facebook page stating that the actor had been framed. "Everyone knows Ajaz bhai is involved in several social initiatives. He has been framed in this case. He is not that kind of person," Sheikh had said in his post. Khan, a former Bigg Boss contestant, was arrested on Monday from a hotel room in CBD Belapur in Navi Mumbai and "ecstasy" tablets were allegedly recovered from him, police had said on Tuesday. After Sheikh's video went viral on social media, the Goa BJP minority cell president Sheikh Jinah Friday asked the former for a written clarification. "I have cautioned him against posting such videos on social media. The actor has been arrested by police and they are ...