Page 35 - Religion Belief
Sushma Swaraj asks Pakistan to return abducted Hindu girls to family
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday asked Pakistan to return to the family two minor Hindu girls who were abducted, forcefully converted to Islam and married off on the eve of Holi in Sindh province."Forced conversion of Hindu girls in Pakistan: The age of the girls is not disputed. Raveena is only 13 and Reena is 15 years old. Even the Prime Minister on Naya Pakistan will not believe that girls of this tender age can voluntarily decide about their conversion to another religion and marriage," Swaraj tweeted referring to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's 'Naya Pakistan' ."Justice demands that both these girls should be restored to their family immediately," she added.Police on Monday detained at least seven people, including a 'nikah khwan' (marriage officiator), allegedly involved in the case.Members of civil society had gathered outside Karachi Press Club on Sunday to protest against the abduction and forced conversion of the two Hindu girls, both sisters, to ...
Goa poll officials ban campaign near churches on Good Friday
Political parties will not be allowed to campaign in the vicinity of churches on Good Friday, which falls on April 19, the state's Chief Electoral Officer Kunal has instructed. The Christian holy day comes just days ahead of April 23, when the state will have polls for two Lok Sabha seats and bypolls for three Assembly constituencies. As per the minutes of the meeting, parties expressed fear that campaigning near churches of the occasion of Good Friday could cause law and order problems and also hurt the sentiments of Christians. Election Commission officials expressed confidence that all arrangements, including police deployment, had been made to ensure law and order was maintained for polls in the coastal state.
Mamata hits out at BJP
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Monday hit out at BJP without naming it for allegedly dividing people along religious lines and even labelling those who differ from it as "Pakistanis". She called upon the people to maintain communal harmony and amity and have faith in all religions to ensure peace and progress in the country. "Enmity has reached the extent where if somebody speaks against a certain party he becomes a Pakistani," Banerjee, a strong critic of the saffron party, said at a function. "We want neither enmity, nor hatred. We want peace and progress to take forward the nation. We don't want any division among the people on the basis of religion," she said. Religion teaches people how to live in harmony with believers of all religious faiths and not to divide the country based on differences in belief, Banerjee added.
Pak approves plan to open ancient Hindu temple corridor in PoK
The Pakistan government on Monday approved a proposal to establish a corridor that will allow Hindu pilgrims from India to visit Sharda Peeth, an ancient Hindu temple and cultural site in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, according to a media report. The Sharda Peeth corridor, when opened, will be the second religious tract after Kartarpur corridor in Pakistan-controlled territory that will connect the two neighbouring nations. India had already sent a proposal to Pakistan to open the temple corridor, the Express Tribune reported quoting sources in Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "After Kartarpur, a piece of big news is in the offing for Hindus. Some of the government officials will visit the area and will later submit a report to the prime minister," the sources said. When asked to comment on the development, official sources in New Delhi said India had made this request several times as part of the Composite Dialogue between India and Pakistan. The proposal was made keeping in mind
Alert in Goa over Christchurch attacks retaliation
Goa is on alert following a tip off from central intelligence agencies about a possible attack on Israeli tourists in the state in what they called "possible revenge" for the terror attack at the Christchurch mosques in New Zealand last week which killed 50 worshippers, police said on Monday.
Christchurch attack graffiti on California mosque
Graffiti referencing to the March 15 Christchurch attacks that killed 50 Muslim worshippers, was discovered at a California mosque after a possible arson, authorities said.
Kerala woman killed in New Zealand terror attack laid to rest
The body of a 27-year-old woman from Kerala, who was among the 50 people killed in a terror attack on two Christchurch mosques in New Zealand, was brought to the state Monday and laid to rest. Prayers were held at the Cheraman Juma mosque at Kodungallor before the body of the woman, Ancia Alibava, was laid to rest. The mosque is said to be the oldest in the Indian subcontinent. Police sources at Kodungallor said the last rites were held at the mosque around 11 am. The body was airlifted to the international airport at Kochi from New Zealand early Monday morning and brought to her native place at Kodungallor. It was taken to the house of Ancia's husband, Abdul Nazar and her parents' house before being kept for public homage at a hall in Kodungalloor. Hundreds of people from various walks of life, including state Education Minister C Ravindranath, Thrissur district Collector, T V Anupama, were among those who paid homage to the woman. Ancia was was pursuing her M.Tech degree in an ...
Scoreboard of the Indian Premier League match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata ...
Scoreboard of the Indian Premier League match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders here Sunday. David Warner c Uthappa b A Russell 85 Jonny Bairstow b Chawla 39 Vijay Shankar not out 40 Yusuf Pathan b A Russell 1 Manish Pandey not out 8 Extras: 8 (B-1, LB-4, W-2, NB-1) Total: 181/3 in 20 overs Fall of wickets: 118-1, 144-2, 152-3 Bowling: Prasidh Krishna 4-0-31-0, Piyush Chawla 3-0-23-1, Lockie Ferguson 4-0-34-0, Sunil Narine 3-0-29-0, Kuldeep Yadav 2-0-18-0, Andre Russell 3-0-32-2, Nitish Rana 1-0-9-0.
Swaraj, Pak minister in war of words over report of kidnapping of 2 Hindu girls in Sindh
A war of words erupted on Sunday between External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Pakistan's Information Minister Fawad Chaudhary over reports of abduction of two Hindu teenaged girls and their forcible conversion to Islam on the eve of Holi in the Sindh province. In a tweet, Swaraj sought a report from Indian envoy in Pakistan Ajay Bisaria on the reported abduction of the girls and their forcible conversion to Islam. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has ordered a probe into the matter. Responding to Swaraj's tweet, Pakistan's Information Minister Fawad Chaudhary said: "Maam its Pakistan's internal issue and (be) rest assured it's not Modi's India where minorities are subjugated, it's Imran Khan's Naya Pak where white colour of our flag is equally dearer to us." "I hope you'll act with same diligence when it comes to rights of Indian minorities," he said. Swaraj, in her response to Chaudhary, said she had only asked for a report from the Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad ...
Rahul slams Javadekar for restricting PhD topics
Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Sunday slammed Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar over a circular issued by his Ministry asking all departments to prepare "a shelf of projects" in line with "national priorities" for PhD scholars.
Sushma seeks report on Pakistani girls' abduction
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Sunday sought details from the Indian Embassy in Pakistan following reports of two Hindu teenager girls being abducted on the eve of Holi in Sindh province.
Complaint filed against Kejriwal's tweet
A Supreme Court lawyer on Saturday filed a complaint against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over a tweet posted by him recently.In his complaint to Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik, Supreme Court advocate Alakh Alok Shrivastava alleged that Kejriwal with his tweet posted on March 20 hurt the religious sentiments of Hindu community."Around 10:13 pm on March 20, the accused posted a tweet from his official Twitter handle depicting a broom chasing away a 'Hindu Swastika' symbol. This is an extremely sacred symbol in Hinduism and is worshipped by many Hindus," the complaint read.The lawyer alleged that the tweet was published online to promote disharmony, enmity, hatred and ill-will among different religious groups."I hereby request you to immediately register a first information report (FIR) against Kejriwal under sections 295A, 153A, 153, 504 and 505 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC)," Srivastava said in the complaint.
Dubai projects NZ PM's image on iconic skyscraper
Dubai has projected the image of New Zealand premier Jacinda Ardern onto its iconic Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest skyscraper, in thanks for her response to last week's mosque shootings. Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum praised Ardern's "support to the Muslim community" after a white supremacist gunman attacked two mosques on Mar 15, killing 50 people. "Thank you PM @jacindaardern and New Zealand for your sincere empathy and support that has won the respect of 1.5 billion Muslims after the terrorist attack that shook the Muslim community around the world," he wrote on Twitter. A photo from Dubai's Public Diplomacy Office showed Burj Khalifa lit up with a picture of Ardern in a hijab, warmly embracing a Muslim affected by the tragedy, under the word "peace" in Arabic and English. Ardern has been widely praised for her handling of the tragedy, meeting victims' families and moving quickly to tighten gun laws while calling for global efforts against extremism online.
Ritual seeks divine grace for Modi to become PM again
A group of women in Gujarat's Surat Saturday performed a 'yagna' ritual to please Lord Shani to ensure that the son of the soil and Prime Minister Narendra Modi wins a second term with huge majority in Lok Sabha elections. More than 500 women congregated at Siddha Kutir in Kapodara locality of the city on the first day of the "108 Shani Mahayagna" on the banks of the Tapi river, organisers said. "As many as 532 women are participating in the Shani Mahayagna. They are sitting for prayers which will be held for two days," said Rekha Rawal, state secretary of voluntary organisation 'Narendra Modi Vichar Manch', which organised the event. They are performing the ritual to seek blessings of Lord Shani to grant Modi another term as the prime minister, she said. Rawal said differently-abled students from a school and the women engaged in cleanliness activities will also join the ritual, which will end Sunday. "We are doing this 'havan' so that Modiji is once again elected as prime minister
Christchurch attack mosque reopens to worshippers
Worshippers on Saturday returned to the Al Noor mosque in Christchurch, one of the two mosques where a gunman massacred 50 people on March 15.
Promoting Urdu but no Javed Akhtar? (Column: Bollywood Spotlight)
The decision by The National Council For The Promotion Of The Urdu Language to use Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan and Katrina AKaif to promote the language has triggered off a wave of outrage.
Christchurch attack: UAE thanks NZ PM for 'sincere empathy' towards Muslims; projects her image on Burj Khalifa
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's hijab-clad picture was projected on the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, on Friday night in gratitude for the support shown by the leader towards the Muslim community in the aftermath of last week's Christchurch terror attacks."New Zealand today fell silent in honour of the mosque attacks' martyrs. Thank you PM @jacindaardern and New Zealand for your sincere empathy and support that has won the respect of 1.5 billion Muslims after the terrorist attack that shook the Muslim community around the world," Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Prime Minister of UAE tweeted..
Pak national among 3 named in NIA's charge sheet against FIF
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a charge sheet against three persons - Mohammad Salman from Delhi, Mohammad Salim from Rajasthan and Mohammad Kamran (absconding), a native of Pakistan - in a case related to Falah-i-Insaniyat Foundation (FIF).In an official statement issued on Friday, the NIA said that after investigation, it was found that FIF chief Hafiz Saeed and his deputy Shahid Mahmood hatched a conspiracy in 2012 to create sleeper cells and logistic base in Delhi and Haryana under the garb of religious work such as construction of mosques, madrasa education, financial assistance for marriage of poor Muslim girls, and so on.In pursuance of this conspiracy, the NIA said, Mahmood tasked his associate Mohammad Kamran, a Pakistani national based at Dubai, for re-routing funds from Pakistan to Dubai and further to India through hawala channels. Kamran was further tasked to identify "religious minded Indian Muslims who could be given this fund in the name of ...
God may have sent Trump to save Israel from Iran: Pompeo
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said it is "possible" that President Donald Trump was sent by God to save Israel from Iran.
Hindus in Bangladesh celebrate Holi festival
Holi, the Hindu spring festival also known as the "festival of colours", was celebrated on Friday for the second consecutive day by the Hindu community in the Bangladesh capital with traditional and religious fervour.