Page 15 - Religion Belief

PSG president under investigation for alleged corruption

The president of French soccer champions Paris Saint-Germain, Nasser Al Khelaifi, has been placed under investigation for alleged corruption, judicial sources told Efe on Thursday.

Malaysian officials go undercover to spy on fasting Muslims

Malaysian officials are disguising themselves as cooks and waiters to catch Muslims who don't fast during Ramadan, with a rights group Thursday blasting the "disgraceful act of spying". Thirty-two enforcement officers from a local council in the Muslim-majority country are going undercover at food outlets as part of the scheme, the New Straits Times newspaper reported. Muslims are required to fast from dawn until dusk during Islam's holiest month, unless there are special circumstances such as illness. While Muslims in multi-ethnic Malaysia have traditionally followed a tolerant form of Islam, critics say conservative attitudes have been gaining ground in recent years. The team in Segamat district, in southern Johor state, will be monitoring 185 outlets, with two of the officers selected as they are good at making popular dishes such as spicy fried noodles. "We have specially selected enforcement officers who are dark skinned for the undercover job," Mohamad Masni Wakiman, president ..

Pilgrims flock to Africa's oldest synagogue for annual festival

Worshippers prayed, lit candles and wrote wishes on eggs as an annual Jewish pilgrimage to Africa's oldest synagogue got under way in Tunisia on Wednesday. Hundreds of pilgrims converged on the Ghriba synagogue on the Mediterranean island of Djerba where one of the last Jewish communities in the Arab world lives. They were joined by ministers and other dignitaries to celebrate the two-day Lag BaOmer festival. The event, which starts 33 days after the start of the Jewish Passover festival, coincides with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan this year for the first time since 1987. A fast-breaking meal is due to be shared by Muslims and Jews on Wednesday evening in Djerba. "It's not easy to organise all this while people are fasting here. They are tired, but we are as welcome as usual," said Laura Tuil-Journo from France. This year's pilgrimage is the first since Rene Trabelsi, who has been co-organising the festival for years, was appointed as Tunisia's first Jewish minister in decades, ..

French-Spanish nun killed in Central African Republic: Vatican

A French-Spanish nun has been brutally murdered in a village in the Central African Republic where she taught sewing to young girls, the Vatican said Wednesday. The 77-year old was found beheaded early Monday in the southwestern town of Nola according to the Vatican News website, while a bishop in CAR said her throat had been slit. Pope Francis paid tribute to the nun on Wednesday, describing the murder of a woman "who gave her life for Jesus in the service of the poor" as "barbaric". He called for those gathered in Saint Peter's Square for his weekly general audience to pray in silence for her. "Her attackers broke into her room on the night between Sunday and Monday and took her to the centre she was running for the young girls, where they beheaded her," Vatican News said. "According to a local member of parliament, the murder could be linked to trafficking in human organs," the site adds. A spokesman for the diocese of Burgos in Spain told AFP a bishop in the Central African ...

Pak working on comprehensive project to promote Buddhist relics in the country, says official

The Pakistan Government is working on a comprehensive plan to develop a Buddhist trail by exploring religious sites in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces to help the Islamic nation to attract Buddhists from across the globe, a senior official said Wednesday. Zulfikar Bukhari, the new chairman of Pakistan Tourism Development Cooperation (PTDC), said the rich Buddhist heritage sites in Swabi, Swat of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Taxila in Punjab would be introduced to the world under the project to promote religious tourism. "Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa areas have numerous Buddhist sites. Sacred places of other religions, including Sikhism and Hinduism, were also scattered all over the Pakistan and the PTDC was planning to provide facilities there to attract their followers not only from across the country but also from abroad," he told reporters. He said that the Buddhist sites in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would be developed first and then gradually move down to Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan

Pope urges China's Catholics to unify after bishop deal

Pope Francis is urging China's divided Catholic community to come together in communion, as he seeks to heal decades of estrangement following a landmark deal with Beijing over bishop nominations. Francis made a special appeal at the end of his weekly audience Wednesday, noting that May 24 is a feast day in China dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Francis praised China's Catholics, "who among daily difficulties and effort, continue to believe, hope and love." He urged them to be witnesses of charity and fraternity "always remaining united in the communion of the universal church." China's estimated 12 million Catholics are split between those belonging to the official church and an underground church loyal to the pope. The 2018 deal seeks to unify them and bring all Chinese bishops into communion.

'Menstruation should be celebrated as basic requirement'

Hindu scholar and author Nithin Sridhar says menstruation should not be considered shameful but should be celebrated as a basic requirement of womanhood, as an integral dimension of feminineness.

Deoband asks Muslims to pray for 'suitable results'

Deoband, the renowned Islamic seminary in Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur, has appealed to Muslims to offer prayers if they want the results of Lok Sabha elections to be "suitable for all".

Ayodhya's Shri Sita Ram temple hosts Iftar

In the holy month of Ramzan, a temple here hosted Iftar on Monday.Setting an example of communal harmony, people cutting across religious lines, sat together to relish the Iftar meal in the premises of Shri Sita Ram temple.Speaking to ANI, the priest of the temple Yugal Kishor said: "This is the third time we have organised an Iftar party. I will continue to do the same in the future as well. We should celebrate every festival with great zeal."Echoing similar sentiments, an attendee Mujammil Fiza said that he also celebrates Navratri with his Hindu brethren every year."People with an agenda do not want communities to come together and hold an event like this. In a country where people play politics in the name of religion, people like Kishor send out a message of love," he added.During this month, the devout observe rigorous fasting for about 30 days and do not consume food or water from dawn to dusk. They eat Sehri (a pre-dawn meal) and break the day-long fast with Iftar in the ...

Thousands attend Iftar organised by AMU students

In the holy month of Ramzan, the Student Association of the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) organised an Iftar party on the campus which was attended by as many as 27,000 people.Setting an example of communal harmony, students, teachers and dignitaries, cutting across religious lines, were invited to the Iftar on Monday.People offered prayers before sitting down in long rows to relish the meal.Speaking to ANI, Chairman of AMU Student Association, Salman Imtiaz, said: "This party has been organised for people of all religions. Nobody was stopped from attending it. Allah showers you with more if you feed people with love."During this month, the devout observe rigorous fasting for about 30 days and do not consume food or water from dawn to dusk. They eat Sehri (a pre-dawn meal) and break the day-long fast with Iftar in the evening.Eid ul-Fitr marks the end of the fasting month of Ramzan. The festival is celebrated on the first day of Shawwal, the 10th month of the Islamic lunar calendar.

Lanka govt appeals to parents to send their children to school without fear

Sri Lankan government on Monday appealed to all parents to send their children to school without fear, as the country tightened security ahead of the reopening of some Catholic schools Tuesday for the first time since the Easter bombings. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe requested all students to return to school and resume academic activities as usual since the country's security has been restored to normalcy. The Prime Minister made this request while addressing a press conference at Temple Trees today. During the briefing, Wickremesinghe also emphasised that permission will not be granted to set-up Sharia universities in the country, the Sunday Times reported. We can only permit the establishment of degree awarding institutes. A legal order must be issued to bar any institution from functioning as a Sharia university, Wickremesinghe noted. He also added that all Madarasa institutions will be brought under the Education Ministry in future. Several private Catholic schools will ...

Sabarimala issue didn't affect polls in Kerala: Pinarayi Vijayan

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday asserted that Sabarimala issue did not affect polls in Kerala.He in a veiled attack on the BJP said that it was the latter party which created trouble in the state.Addressing media persons, he said, "We are going to win big. Sabarimala issue did not affect polls in Kerala. All of us know who created troubles there."Asserting that those who created trouble during Sabarimala row are facing in-fighting now, Vijayan said, "Now there is in-fight within those people. Some among them have said that a group of people intervened with the intention of creating trouble there."The Sabarimala temple and surrounding areas witnessed a string of protests since October last year over the Supreme Court's decision to quash restrictions on the entry of women between 10 and 50 years.Nearly four months after the apex court permitted women of all ages to enter the temple on September 28 last year, two women aged below 50 years entered the Lord Ayyappa temple .

Pope ordaining 19 men to priesthood in St. Peter's Basilica

During his homily, he told them to carry out their mission "in joy and charity" and to never "tire of being merciful" toward the faithful

Christians protest over desecration of graves in Pakistan's Punjab province

Members of the Christian community on Sunday protested after police failed to make a breakthrough in a case desecration of graves in a cemetery in Pakistan's Punjab province. The incident happened on May 12, when over 30 graves in a village in Okara district of Punjab province, about 200 km from Lahore, were found desecrated. Following the incident, there were reports of tension between Muslim and Christian communities. After police failed to make any breakthrough in the case, even after six days, the local Christians on Sunday held demonstration outside the Okara police station, demanding action. Protest ended after District Police Officer (Okara) Athar Ismael assured the protesters that police would soon arrest those involved in the incident. "Some miscreants could be behind this incident whose sole purpose seems to cause violence," he said, adding that police was investigating the matter He said recently some influential people from an adjoining village had stopped the Christians ..

PM offers prayers at Badrinath temple

Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered prayers at the Badrinath temple on Sunday, the last day of his two-day visit to Uttarakhand. He reached Badrinath after spending around 20 hours at the Himalayan shrine of Kedarnath. Modi offered prayers at the innermost sanctum in Badrinath, another temple in Uttarakhand's "char dham" religious circuit, dedicated to Lord Vishnu. Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee chief Mohan Prasad Thapliyal said the prime minister offered prayers at the temple for around 20 minutes and was given a greeting card made on a "bhojpatra" (birch leaves) by the temple's priests. He was also given a shawl by the residents of Mana village, he said. The prime minister took a walk inside the temple complex and later, shook hands with the devotees and locals, Thapliyal said, adding that Modi also met pilgrims waiting near the shrine. Members of the committee met the prime minister at the shrine's guest house and submitted a memorandum stressing upon the need to expand the .

Even corrupts have confidence, doesn't mean they will win: Anupam Kher

Even corrupt people like Congress candidate Pawan Kumar Bansal 'can have confidence but that does not mean they will win,' said veteran actor Anupam Kher on Sunday after casting his vote."Even the corrupt people can have confidence, they (Pawan Bansal and party) rely on their corruption while the honest ones rely on their honesty. Doesn't mean they will win," Kher said talking to reporters here.He also said he is feeling a major shift had come in the mood of the nation in the ongoing elections with people actively supporting the development done by the BJP and supporting candidates beyond the boundaries of caste and religion."People all across India are looking for a kind of leaders who can bring their dreams to life. This is true for Chandigarh, in Punjab and the rest of the country. Development is the agenda in this election while caste, creed and religion have fortunately taken a backseat and this is a great sign," he added.Kher's wife and BJP MP Kirron Kher is contesting against ..

PM performs puja at Badrinath temple

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday paid obeisance and performed puja at Badrinath temple on the second day of his two-day visit to Uttarakhand. He reached Badrinath after spending around 20 hours in the Himalayan shrine of Kedarnath. Modi offered prayers at innermost sanctum in Badrinath, another temple in Uttarakhand's 'char dham' religious circuit, dedicated to Lord Vishnu.

Modi offers prayers at Badrinath

After Kedarnath, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday offered prayers at the Badrinath temple in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand.

Modi says fortunate to visit Kedanath; thanks EC to grant its nod to visit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday thanked the Election Commission for granting him permission to visit the Kedarnath shrine at a time when the model code of conduct is in force. Modi, who spent around 17 hours at a holy cave near the shrine, offered prayers and performed puja at the temple. He told reporters he did not ask for anything while praying as it is not his nature. "God has given us capacity to give and not demand," he said. He said may the almighty bless not only India but the whole humankind with happiness, prosperity and welfare. "I am fortunate to visit the temple on multiple occasions," he said while thanking the media for taking out time to visit Kedarnath at a time when the poll process is underway. The media's presence, he said, will send a message that the town has been developed well. Referring to the ongoing development works at the temple town, Modi said development should be a mission in which nature, environment and tourism should not be affected. He said he ..

Modi offers prayers at Kedarnath

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday offered prayers at the Kedranath temple.