Page 23 - Religion Belief
Assam: Minaret of historic mosque being shifted to pave way for highway
Aiming to preserve its ancient architecture, a group of architects is engaged in lifting the two-storeyed minaret of a historic 100-year-old mosque to move it to a different location at Nagaon's Puranigudam."Situated along NH 37, the minaret is being shifted as four-laning of the highway is being done. It will be done within 15 to 20 days," said engineer Gurdeep Singh.The shifting of the minaret without dismantling it is made possible with the hydraulic system brought by the Haryana based company RR and Sons."More than 100 people are engaged in this work. It is being done under complete safety. The work is underway in two phases," said Singh.Approximately, 50 per cent of the shifting work has already been completed.Due to the construction of the historic monument, the renovation of National Highway 37 from Nagaon to Upper Assam was facing difficulties. Taking a note of it, the administration took the decision to shift the mosque. However, the final nod was given after discussing the ..
Few Catholic priests in Goa work as Cong's agents, alleges AAP
The Goa unit of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Thursday alleged that a few Catholic priests in the state worked as the "agents" of the Congress. The party said when it comes to seeking votes through religious leaders, both- the BJP as well as the Congress- were similar. Talking to reporters here, AAP's Goa unit convener Elvis Gomes said, "Yes it's true with a few priests. Everyone knows that they are commercial agents of the Congress. They live a life of duplicity. People know about them and hence it doesn't matter much." He said this in response to a question about some Christian priests in South Goa making last-minute appeals to congregations on the day of Lok Sabha elections to vote for the Congress. Polling for the two Lok Sabha seats in Goa and three Assembly bypolls was held on April 23. "There is no difference between the BJP and the Congress when it comes to seeking votes through religious heads. Both practice the art with ease. That's why a party like AAP is more ...
Siddhartha Mohanty takes over as COO of LIC Housing Finance
LIC Housing Finance Thursday said Siddhartha Mohanty has been appointed as its chief operating officer. Prior to taking over as the position, he was executive director with LIC of India. Mohanty started his career as a direct recruit officer with LIC of India in 1985 and has risen through the ranks to this senior position, LIC Housing Finance said in a statement on Thursday.
AAP says some priests in Goa are 'Congress agents'
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Goa on Thursday accused some Catholic priests of acting like agents of the Congress, appealing to the people to vote for the party. The Congress has rejected the allegation, saying the AAP was frustrated.
Sri Lanka beefs up security around mosques after intelligence inputs of terror attack
Security has been beefed up around "a certain category of mosques" in Sri Lanka after intelligence warning that the Islamist extremist group blamed for the deadly Easter blasts was planning an attack on them during Friday prayers, a media report said Thursday. Nine suicide bombers, believed to be members of local Islamist extremist group called National Thowheed Jamath (NTJ), carried out a series of devastating blasts that tore through three churches and three luxury hotels on the Easter Sunday, killing 359 people. A letter, signed by DIG Priyantha Jayakody on behalf of Inspector General of Police Pujith Jayasundara, warned that the group which had carried out the Easter blasts was planning an attack on mosques on Friday, the Times Online reported. The letter dated April 24, 2018 said a certain category of mosques identified as 'Awliya Mosques' could be possible target for these attacks. "Security has been tightened in the vicinity of all mosques owing to these possible attacks. ...
Muslim community has no links with Easter carnage: Cardinal
Sri Lanka's Muslim community should not be blamed for the Easter Sunday suicide bombings that authorities have blamed on a local Muslim group, the Archbishop of Colombo said on Thursday.
Kanye West considering creating his own church
Rapper Kanye West is considering creating his own church to permanently host Sunday Service, claims a source.
AAP says some priests in Goa 'Congress agents'
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Goa on Thursday accused some of the state's Catholic priests of acting like agents of the Congress, appealing to the people to vote for the party.
Kerala Government seeks view of Devaswom Board on men wearing shirts in temple premises
After civil society groups challenged the rule that prohibits the entry of women in the Sabarimala Temple, a local native KG Abhilash has asked the Kerala Government to issue an order allowing men to wear shirts in the temples in the state.Kerala government has sought the opinion of Tantri's over men wearing shirts inside the temples. The government has issued a note to all Devaswom Boards in the state - Travancore Devaswom Board, Cochin Devaswom Board and Malabar Devaswom Board amongst others - to convey their views on the matter.The government sought the report after Devaswom board minister got a complaint from Abhilash.Currently, there is a rule which disallows men to wear a shirt in the temple premises in Kerala.
UP: Muslim family puts Ram-Sita's photo on wedding card to spread communal harmony
To spread communal harmony, a Muslim family in Uttar Pradesh's Chilauwa village has printed image of Lord Ram and Sita on wedding invitation cards of their daughter Rukhsar."In this village, both Hindus and Muslims live together. We want to promote communal harmony amongst people. We should not divide ourselves on the basis of our religion," said Rukhsar's mother, Baby.The bride's brother, Mohammad Umar said that the villagers are happily accepting the wedding invitation. "We are happy to see people's reaction on this," he added.
Mass prayer held for SL terror victims in Meghalaya
A holy mass was held in Meghalaya for the victims and survivors of the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks that killed over 350 in Sri Lanka.
Amarinder accuses Badals of abusing ' Akal Takht for 'political gains'
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh Wednesday accused the Badals of playing with religious sentiments of the Sikhs by abusing the Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of Sikhs, to promote their vested interests. "Such politicisation of religion will backfire on the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)," the chief minister said while addressing a public rally here. "Anyone who tries to use the Akal Takht is not a Sikh in my eyes," Amarinder said. He condemned the "outrageous" attempts of the Badals (Parkash Singh Badal and Sukhbir Singh Badal) to undermine the supreme power of the Takht. "The Akalis claim to be the custodians of Sikh religion but have always used it to promote their political interests," he alleged. Pointing out that even Maharaja Ranjit Singh had bowed before the Akal Takht and served his punishment before it, Amarinder Sigh said the Badals, on the other hand, had "lowered" the prestige of the Takht "by unabashedly summoning and dictating terms to the Jathedar to promote ...
Encounter with 'God' may bring long-lasting health
A personal encounter with the "ultimate reality" or God -- spontaneous or under the influence of a psychedelic drug -- can bring positive changes in psychological health even decades after the initial experience, says an interesting study.
Spiritual experiences confer lasting mental health benefits: Study
People who claim to have experienced personal encounters with 'God' report positive changes in their psychological health lasting decades, scientists say. Over the millennia, people have reported having deeply moving religious experiences either spontaneously or while under the influence of psychedelic substances such as psilocybin-containing mushrooms or the Amazonian brew ayahuasca. A portion of those experiences have been encounters with what the person regards as "God" or "ultimate reality." In a survey of thousands of people who reported having experienced personal encounters with God, researchers from Johns Hopkins University in the US report that more than two-thirds of self-identified atheists shed that label after their encounter, regardless of whether it was spontaneous or while taking a psychedelic. Moreover, a majority of respondents attributed lasting positive changes in their psychological health -- life satisfaction, purpose and meaning -- even decades after their ...
Candlelight vigil held to express oneness with people of Lanka
Calling for unity, love and peace to fight terrorism, a section of Chennai residents Tuesday held a candlelight vigil here to express solidarity with the people of Sri Lanka which was rocked by blasts on Easter Sunday. Senior citizens, members from churches, politicians, among others, from civil society joined the vigil and emphasised on remaining vigilant in unison. Representing the Islamic Forum for Promotion of Modern Thought Faizur Rahman condemned the attacks and said the aim of extremists is to divide and rule. "The only way to counter this is to remain united. In India, Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, believers and non-believers have to exhibit strong unity even in the face of any kind of divisive agenda," he said. Rahman said the aim of his forum is to counter any kind of extremist thought in society. "We counter such thoughts, especially those emanating from some extremist muslim organisations. Our aim is to stop youth from radicalising," he said, ...
One killed in Bengal poll violence
One person was killed after the workers of Trinamool Congress and Congress clashed in West Bengal's Murshidabad district during the third phase of Lok Sabha elections on Tuesday, the police said.
20 years on, Falungong survives underground in China
Sitting lotus-style on an apartment floor, two women quietly rotate their arms in front of them -- a rare sight in China where public displays of Falungong meditation have all but disappeared. It is a shadow of the spiritual movement's heyday in China, where the group once boasted more than 70 million followers before it was outlawed in 1999, giving police carte blanche to persecute members. But 20 years on, the group has remained stubbornly persistent, even as practitioners in mainland China continue to face arrests and torture, according to rights groups. Before the crackdown, Falungong members would congregate in parks in large numbers to practise "qigong" meditation. Now they do their slow movement exercises behind closed doors. "It doesn't matter how the Communist Party suppresses (Falungong), I don't think about it too much," one of the women, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the topic, told AFP. "I just do what I want to do," she said. Falungong, which ...
Indian-origin S Africans flock to temples for Easter weekend prayers
Hundreds of thousands of Indian-origin South Africans flocked to temples catering to the north and south Indian communities for prayers traditionally hosted on Easter weekend each year. Their Muslim counterparts also gathered in their thousands in Johannesburg for the annual Ijtima, a weekend of spiritual activity hosted at this time. The communities take advantage of the opportunity offered by the four-day weekend to allow people to travel to the popular events. In Durban, more than 250,000 devotees participated in the annual Marieamman prayers at two temples established by the first settlers who arrived by boat from India as indentured sugar cane farm labourers in 1860. The temples are in the suburbs of Isipingo and Mount Edgecombe, once surrounded by sprawling sugar cane plantations where the labourers slaved away from dusk to dawn daily, retiring to some solace at the makeshift temples for brief periods. During the four-day Easter weekend, which includes Good Friday and Easter ...
Goa governor expresses shock at Lanka terror attacks
Goa Governor Mridula Sinha on Monday expressed shock at the deadly terror attack on churches and luxury hotels in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday which killed 290 people and wounded 500 others.
Delhi court reserves order on summoning Tharoor in defamation complaint
A court here reserved its order on Monday on summoning Congress leader Shashi Tharoor over his alleged "scorpion" remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal said the court would pass the order on April 27 on whether to summon the Congress MP as the accused in the plea. The court was hearing a criminal defamation complaint filed against Tharoor by Delhi BJP leader Rajeev Babbar, who has said his religious sentiments were hurt by the Congress leader's statement. "I am a devotee of Lord Shiva.... However, the accused (Tharoor) completely disregarded the sentiments of crores of Shiva devotees, made the statement which hurt the sentiments of all Lord Shiva devotees, both in India and outside the country," the complaint says. "The complainant's religious sentiments were hurt and the accused deliberately did this malicious act, intending to outrage the religious feelings of Lord Shiva devotees by insulting their religious belief," it ...
