Page 20 - Religion Belief
Despite no income, Naik moved Rs 49 crore to bank a/cs: ED
Controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik, accused of money laundering, doesn't have any "known source of income" but still managed to transfer more than Rs 49 crore to bank accounts in India, the ED has claimed in a charge sheet filed against him in a special court. Judge M S Azmi on Wednesday took cognisance of the charge sheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against Naik, currently residing in Malaysia, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). "Zakir Naik, an Islamic preacher who keeps travelling around the world to deliver speeches, does not have any known source of income through any known source of employment or business. "Even in such a situation, he has managed to transfer Rs 49.20 crore to his Indian bank accounts," the charge-sheet said. The ED claimed total proceeds of crime in the said case are Rs 193.06. The financial probe agency said Naik, who also faces charges under anti-terror act UAPA, utilised this money to purchase properties in Pune and ...
Over 100 Hindu inmates of prisons in Delhi join Muslims in observing roza
Over 100 Hindu inmates of prisons in Delhi are observing roza, the dawn-to-dusk fast during Ramzan, along with Muslim prisoners. In a statement, the Tihar prison administration said out of 16,665 inmates lodged in 16 central jails of Delhi prisons, 2,658 prisoners are observing rozas. Out of these 2,658 inmates, 110 are Hindus. There are 31 Hindu women inmates and 12 Hindu adolescent inmates observing the fast during the holy month of Ramzan, the statement read. According to prison authorities, 'langar' timings have been modified to ensure availability of prescribed meals for 'sehri' and other prayers. "Inmate canteens have been stocked with Rooh Afza, dates and fresh fruits which can be purchased by the inmates. Arrangements for 'roza iftar' have been made in all central jails," the authorities said. Religious and charitable organisations have been permitted to make visits to conduct prayers and 'roza iftar' with inmates, subject to usual security precautions, they said. Delhi ...
Pak sets up committee to determine dates of religious festivals scientifically
Pakistan has set up a committee to determine lunar dates of religious festivals through a scientific method and end confusion in dates related to moon-sighting by clerics. "The five-member committee will finalize the calendar to indicate the exact dates of Ramadan, Eid-ul-Fitr, Eid-ul-Azha and Moharram for the next five years with 100 per cent accuracy, Fawad Chaudhry, Minister for Science and Technology, said on his twitter account on Tuesday, quoting an official notification. The committee will replace the Central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee for sighting of the moon, Chaudhry said. The minister had earlier questioned the large amount of money spent on moon sighting every year, saying that the Ruet-i-Hilal committee should carry out the sighting voluntarily, Geo news reported. The minister had said up to Rs 4 million (USD 28,250) were spent on the moon-sighting procedure every year, and that it was time to utilise science and technology to end the controversy, the report said. The Central
Devotees offer prayers at hill shrine
Thousands of devotees from various parts of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Chhattisgarh thronged the Varaha Lakhsmi Narasimha Swamy hill shrine here to offer prayers Tuesday. The Chandanotsavam or the Nijaroopa Darshanam Day is an annual ritual conducted at the temple and it is only on this day thatdevotees would have a chance to see the actual shape of the Lord (Nirjaroopam). On normal days, the deity is covered with a layer of 'Chandanam' (Sandalwood paste). It is on Chandanotsavam day that the sandalwood paste is removed and the deity is covered with a fresh layer of sandalwood paste brought from Andhra Pradesh, Chennai and other places. Devotees visit the shrine to have darshan of the Lord in his true form. After 'suprabhatam' early Tuesday, temple priests removed the sandalwood paste using small gold and silver spades. 'Abhishekam' wasperformed with water from Gangadhara (water from a natural stream that flows down the Simhachala hills 24 x7 throughout the ...
Pakistani girls trafficked to China in new "bride market"
Muqadas Ashraf was just 16 when her parents married her off to a Chinese man who had come to Pakistan looking for a bride. Less than five months later, Muqadas is back in her home country, pregnant and seeking a divorce from a husband she says was abusive. She is one of hundreds of poor Christian girls who have been trafficked to China in a market for brides that has swiftly grown in Pakistan since late last year, activists say. Brokers are aggressively seeking out girls for Chinese men, sometimes even cruising outside churches to ask for potential brides. They are being helped by Christian clerics paid to target impoverished parents in their congregation with promises of wealth in exchange for their daughters. Parents receive several thousand dollars and are told that their new sons-in-law are wealthy Christian converts. The grooms turn out to be neither, according to several brides, their parents, an activist, pastors and government officials, all of whom spoke to The Associated ...
Computer Baba prays for Digvijaya; says 'No Modi if no Mandir'
Hundreds of sadhus Tuesday trooped to the Madhya Pradesh capital to seek votes for the Congress Lok Sabha candidate Digvijaya Singh and campaign against BJP nominee Pragya Singh Thakur. Led by Namdev Tyagi alias Computer Baba, they will camp in Bhopal for three days. They undertook Hath Yoga Tuesday, followed by a road show. Hath Yoga involves 'asanas' (positions) that help in relaxing and breathing control. Computer Baba was bestowed minister of state status by the then BJP-led government in Madhya Pradesh and appointed on a panel to clean the Narmada. "BJP sarkaar 5 saal mein Ram Mandir bhi nahi bana paayi. Ab Ram Mandir nahi toh Modi nahi." (BJP remained in power for five years but it failed to construct Ram Temple, so when there is no Ram Mandir then there should be no Narendra Modi too.)," the Baba said. The self-styled godman, who was recently appointed chairman of a river trust by the Congress government in the state, extended his support to Digvijaya Singh, the ..
In North Macedonia, Pope urges Balkans to embrace diversity
Pope Francis called on the Western Balkans to embrace its patchwork of faiths and ethnicities during a visit to North Macedonia on Tuesday, saying "respect for diversity" is key to the region's efforts to integrate with Europe. The pontiff was welcomed with yellow billboards and buses bearing his smiling face after he touched down in the tiny Balkan state, which is mainly Orthodox Christian but was delighted to welcome him. Catholics make up only a small sliver -- less than one percent -- of the country of 2.1 million, which is also home to a large ethnic Albanian Muslim minority. In an address before President Gjorge Ivanov and Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, Francis praised the "crucible of cultures and ethnic and religious identities" in "your land, a bridge between East and West". North Macedonia's diversity, which reflects the broader Western Balkan region, forms a "mosaic in which every piece is essential for the uniqueness and beauty of the whole." A "peaceful and enduring ...
Woman held in Poland for adding LGBT symbol to revered icon
A protest is planned in Poland later Tuesday after police held for a few hours an Amnesty International activist on allegations she desecrated the country's most-revered Catholic icon by adding the LGBT rainbow colors to its halos. Interior Minister Joachim Brudzinski said on Twitter that the woman was detained Monday in the central city of Plock and would hear charges over the desecration of the icon of Mother of God of Czestochowa. In predominantly Catholic Poland, individuals can face up to two years in prison for hurting religious feelings. Amnesty International has identified the woman detained by police Monday as their activist, Elzbieta Podlesna, and called the charges "spurious.
Pakistani Christian girls targeted by Chinese as brides
Hundreds of women and girls from Pakistan's Christian minority have been trafficked to China as brides in recent months as their country becomes a new marriage market for Chinese men. Chinese and Pakistani brokers are aggressively seeking out girls, sometimes even cruising outside churches to ask for potential brides, and some pastors get payments to lure impoverished parents with promises of wealth in exchange for their daughters. Parents receive several thousand dollars and are told that their new sons-in-law are wealthy Christian converts. The grooms turn out to be neither. Once in China, the girls most often married against their will can find themselves isolated in remote rural regions, vulnerable to abuse, unable to communicate and reliant on a translation app even for a glass of water.
As Ramzan holy month begins, Muslims prepare with fasts
With the start of the holy month of Ramzan, devout Muslims prepare to observe intense dawn to dusk fasts.Preparations are in full bloom and grocery markets are overcrowded with women buying date-palms, dry fruits, vermicelli, sharbat and other food items consumed during Iftar, the after sunset feasts through which people break their fasting.Razia Sultan, a devout Muslim woman says, "The preparations regarding the same began a fortnight ago. This is the month of prayer and Allah is very merciful. We are buying all sorts of things that are required to break the fast. Children are very excited about it."Yasmin, another Muslim woman who visits a grocery shop in her nearby locality in Surat says, "During Ramzan Allah is very merciful. The food lies in front of us but we do not eat it unless we hear Azan, such is the fear of Allah in our minds and heart.""We have started procuring date and dry-fruits almost two months ahead of the Ramzan. The demand for these things and especially sharbat ..
Over Ramadan iftar, Sudan protesters vow to get civil rule
After a day of abstaining from food and drink, Sudanese protesters Monday broke their fast on the first day of Ramadan with chicken soup and vowed to press their campaign for a civilian rule. As the call for the sunset prayer rang out, crowds gathered outside army headquarters in Khartoum for an iftar meal with many saying they were determined not to let the sweltering heat or fasting sap their energy. "We will be able to survive Ramadan and the heat," Hassan Bushra told AFP at the sprawling sit-in site. "What made us survive the bullets and bombs of (ousted president Omar al-) Bashir will make us survive the scorching heat. We are Sudanese. We are used to that," he said. Temperatures soared to 45 degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit) on Monday as the Sudanese like other Muslims around the world began observing Ramadan, during which the faithful fast from dawn to dusk. As the sun began setting protesters thronged the sit-in site to perform the Maghreb (dusk) prayer, and an iftar meal ...
Telangana CM KCR meets Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao met with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan here on Monday.The meeting between the two leaders took place at the official residence of Kerala chief minister.According to sources, both the Chief Ministers held discussions on contemporary politics in view of ongoing Lok Sabha elections.Rao who is on a visit to state also offered prayers at Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in the city earlier in the day.Later, Rao is also expected to visit Rameswaram and Srirangam temples before returning to Hyderabad.
Guj HC seeks state govt's response to PIL against pilgrimage devp board
The Gujarat High Court Monday directed the state government to respond to a PIL which termed "unconstitutional" the latter's decision to develop only Hindu pilgrimage sites through Gujarat Pavitra Yatradham Vikas Board since it was set up in 1997. The division bench of acting Chief Justice Anant S Dave and Justice Biren Vaishnav directed the government to file its reply by June 14, stating why it has not included pilgrimage sites of religions other than Hinduism for development through the board. Petitioner Mujahid Nafees had filed a PIL in October 2018, through his lawyer K R Koshty, contending that setting up the Pavitra Yatradham Board was illegal as it only promoted pilgrimage sites of Hinduism. The state government had earlier sought time to file its reply. The petitioner had sought the court's direction to hold as "illegal and violative of Constitution of India" the government's decision to exclude pilgrimage sites of other religions for development through the board. The PIL ...
Modi utters untruths to sharpen communal polarisation: Yechury
CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said Monday Prime Minister Narendra Modi "utters untruths" to sharpen communal polarisation, shortly after Modi slammed him for his "derogatory" remarks against two great Hindu epics. "As is his wont, Modi distorted what was said in Bhopal where BJP has fielded a terror-accused. Like terror knows no religion, violent people can be found in all groups. Even epics Ramayana & Mahabharata speak of such people. To sharpen communal polarisation, Modi utters untruths," Yechury tweeted. At an election rally in West Bengal's Jhargram earlier Monday, Modi said it had become a "fashion for Communists to use derogatory language against Hinduism". "I can understand if Communists abuse religion. Even those who have Sita and Ram in their names don't respect religion. It is fashionable for them to make derogatory references to our holy books and our religion," he said. Yechury had recently said Ramayana and Mahabharata were specimens of Hindu violence. In .
Sri Lanka min asks security forces to avoid incidents that may lead to radicalisation of Muslims
Sri Lankan security forces should avoid the incidents that caused some people face social stigma during the search operations after the Easter Sunday blasts carried out by a "cult" within the community, as it may lead to radicalisation of moderate Muslims in the country, a Minister has warned. Minister of City Planning, Water Management and Higher Education Rauff Hakeem said Muslims welcome and support the security forces and police to carry out search operations following the April 21 carnage in which over 250 people were killed. There have been few incidents of concern during these operations, which should be avoided as these could lead to radicalisation of moderate Muslims in the country, he was quoted as saying by the Daily Mirror on Monday. "Some people have suffered social stigma as a result of some minor happenings during search operations being sensationalised. One must not get carried away if Islamic literature written in Arabic or in Tamil is found in a house. It may not be .
Avoid radicalization of moderate Muslims: SL Minister
Radicalization of moderate Muslims should be avoided in the aftermath of the Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka, Minister of City Planning Rauff Hakeem has said as he blamed "a cult" within the community for the carnage.
Month of Ramadan fasting for many Muslims begins Monday
Muslims in Southeast Asian countries like Indonesia and Malaysia, and much of the Middle East, including Egypt, Iraq and Saudi Arabia, will fast on Monday for the start of the month of Ramadan. Millions more, however, in India, Pakistan and Iran, will likely be marking the start of the lunar month on Tuesday based on moon sightings there. Muslims follow a lunar calendar, and a moon-sighting methodology can lead to different countries declaring the start of Ramadan a day or two apart. Traditionally, countries announce if their moon-sighting council spots the Ramadan crescent the evening before fasting begins. Across the world, Muslims fast each day for the entire month of Ramadan, abstaining from food and drink from dawn to dusk. That means around 15 hours without food, water, cigarettes or caffeine. Fasting is aimed at drawing worshippers closer to God through self-control, remembrance and humility. The challenge of fasting for many is also a chance to reset spiritually and ...
K'taka to observe holy month of Ramzan from tomorrow
The holy month of Ramzan will be observed from Monday in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts of Karnataka after District Qazi Twaka Ahmad Musliyar announced the sighting of moon at Kappad Beach in Kerala's Kozhikode.Ramzan is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting to commemorate the first revelation of the Quran to Muhammad according to Islamic belief.Ramzan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, which involves rigorous fasting for about 30 days including festive foods like dates, typically serves as appetizers, before a lavish meal served after sunset.During this month, Muslims do not take food or water from dawn to dusk. They eat Suhur (a pre-dawn meal) and break their day-long fast with 'Iftar' in the evening. A time to celebrate with loved ones and seek the blessing of elders.India's 1.2 billion people include 175 million Muslims, and constitute the third-largest Muslim population in the world.Here is how people wishing each other and spreading love to ...
Ramzan from May 7
Ramzan, the month of fasting in Islam, will begin from Tuesday. A spokesperson of Delhi's Jama Masjid said the moon was not sighted Sunday night and hence fasting will begin from May 7. Ramzan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar when Muslims abstain from food and water from sunrise to sunset. Eid-ul-Fitr marks the end of Ramzan.
Lankan blasts: Muslims show solidarity
In an expression of solidarity to their Christian brethren in the wake of the recent serial blasts in Sri Lanka, members of the Muslim community gathered outside the Milagres Church here during the mass on Sunday. The group of Muslims held aloft placards which read "terrorism has no religion," "from New Zealand to Sri Lanka we are united in peace", "Muslims are with Christians" and "terror will not not break our bonds." Christians coming out of the Church also pledged their solidarity with the Muslims. Appreciating the gesture, parish priest Valerian DSouza said both Christians and Muslims are united in condemning the terror attacks in Sri Lanka. Members of Muslim community distributed dates and water to those returning from the morning mass. The series of devastating blasts in three churches and three luxury hotels on April 21 killed 253 people and injured over 500 others.
