Friday, December 18, 2009

Ban conversion. Act on Love Jihad

Ban conversion. Act on Love Jihad
Kerala HC makes a historic intervention
By S Chandrasekhar
The Kerala High Court Justice KT Sankaran in a landmark judgment on December 9, directed the Kerala government to enact laws to prevent conversions in the guise of love and romance. The court also denied bail to two jehadis-Shahansha and Sirajuddin who tried to convert MBA students to Islam in the guise of love. "Educational institutions where the younger generation is engaged in the pursuit of learning should not be the breeding ground of radical religion. There are clear indications of forceful religious conversion in the name of love and attempts to persuade girls who fell in love with Muslim boys to change religion," the Judge observed. The Justice rubbished the Kerala DGP’s report that Love Jihad was non-existent.
"Brilliant Hindus and Christians doing professional courses and from well-to-do families have fallen into the trap and got converted. 100 cases have been reported in Thiruvananthapuram and as per statistics 3000-4000 incidents have taken place during past four years", the court observed
The Judge also observed that Love Jihad is operational all over the country and has the blessings of several Muslim organisations.
The BJP and Hindu Aikya Vedi leader Kummanam Rajasekharan have welcomed the court judgment and have stated that it vindicated RSS/BJP/VHP stand. RSS ideologue, Padmasri P Parameswaran, praised the Judge for his bold stand.
Ban conversion in the guise of romance: HC
Express News ServiceFirst Published : 10 Dec 2009 02:34:00 AM ISTLast Updated :
KOCHI: Observing that there are indications of compulsory religious conversion under the pretext of love, the Kerala High Court on Wednesday directed the state government to consider whether a law should be enacted to prohibit such conversion.
Justice K T Sankaran made the observation while dismissing the anticipatory bail application filed by Shahansha and Sirjuddin, the two accused in a case of alleged compulsory religious conversion.
The duo is accused of trying to convert two MBA students to Islam under the guise of love.
The court said that educational institutions where the young generation is engaged in the pursuit of learning should certainly not be the breeding ground for religion.
After perusing the case diary and reports filed by various law enforcing agencies, the court held that there were indications of forceful religious conversion. DGP Jacob Punnoose submitted earlier that though no movement called Love Jehad or Romeo Jehad had been identified in the state, there was reason to suspect concerted attempts to persuade girls who fell in love with Muslim boys to change their religion.
One of the 18 reports submitted by the DGP said that outfits such as the National Democratic Front, the Popular Front of India and the Campus Front had roots in college campuses.
The report also mentions the Muslim Youth Forum and the Shaheen Force. A Special Branch report said that the organisations trap brilliant upper caste Hindu and Christian girls from well-to-do families, especially those in professional courses. The report says there were more than 100 incidents in Thiruvananthapuram district alone.

"As per the statistics available around 3000-4000 such incidents took place during the last four years," the court said.
"The report says that Love Jehad organisations operate all over the country and are believed to have started their activities with the blessings of Muslim organisations," the court said.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Biswa Mangal Go Gram Rath Yatra kicks off in city

BHUBANESWAR: Biswa Mangal Go Gram Rath Yatra, a national campaign on Sunday kicked off here at Lingaraj Temple. Organising committee spokesman Ravi Narayan Panda said that in the first day, the Rath traversed from Lingaraj Temple and reached Bargarh Brit Colony while passing through Punama Gate, Bhima Tangi, Sundarpada, Samantarapur, Ravi Talkies Square, Bhaskareswar Temple, the Rath would traverse other parts of the city till November 10 and join the main Rath, which was kicked off on Vijaya Dasami Day at Kurukhetra in Hariyana. City Yatra committee coordinator Prafulla Bisoi, RSS Zilla Karyabaha Rajesh Ray, Bebastha Pramukha Umakanta Bhai, Jagannath Patnaik, Kuna Bhai, Indramani Sendha and several others were present. The main will reach Orissa on November 7. The main Rath of the Yatra would stay in Orissa for four days from November 7 to 10. It will arrive at Rourkela on November 7 from Ranchi and reach Sambalpur on November 8 Cuttack on 9 and on 10, it will be at Berhampur and on 11, it would leave for Visakhapatnam. The 108 days long Yatra is demanding national animal status for cow and asked the Centre as well as respective States Government to impose a complete ban on cow slaughtering. The Yatra, which spread the message of 'save cow and save village', had been kicked off will be flagged off on September 28, 2009, on Vijaya Dashami Day at Kurukhetra in Hariyana and will calumniated at Nagpur in 2010 on Makar Sankranti Day," . The Yatra would traverse some 20,000 kilometers. Apart, from the main Yatra, 15,000 smaller Yatra including 150 in Orissa to traverse some 10 lakh kilometers during in 108 days while meetings will be held at 400 places across the country and signature of 50 crore people will be collected and submitted to the President of India seeking complete ban on cow slaughter.

Bishop gets Gandhi award for public apology to Hindus

WASHINGTON: Reverend J Jon Bruno, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, California, was awarded the Hindu American Foundation's annual Mahatma Gandhi Award for the Advancement of Religious Pluralism at the HAF's Sixth Capitol Hill reception in early October.



Bruno had last year offered a public apology to Hindus "for centuries-old acts of religious discrimination, including attempts to convert them".



The Reverend Dr Gwynne Guibord, officer of Ecumenical and Inter-religious Concerns of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles and Theological Consultant for Interfaith Relations for the Episcopal Church, US, accepted the award on behalf of Bruno and the other two awardees -- Reverend Karen MacQueen, a priest in the Episcopal Church and Associate Rector of St Paul's Episcopal Church in Pomona, California and herself.



In his acceptance letter read out at the event, Bruno again apologised profusely for the centuries-old discrimination against Hindus.



"As Mahatma Gandhi taught, cooperation and trust require a sincere commitment to truth," Bruno said. "Mindful of our duty to the truth, I believe that the world cannot afford for us to repeat the errors of our past, in which we Christians often sought to dominate rather than to serve. In order to take another step in building trust between our two great religious traditions, I renew the apology that I have offered to the Hindu community for the religious and racial discrimination that Christians have directed towards Hindus for far too long."



In her remarks, Guibord spoke of how touched she and her fellow awardees were at the "special and unexpected" recognition. "As the climate in our country becomes less and less civil and more violent in rhetoric and action, the work that we do together and separately becomes ever more urgent and important," she said.



"Now more than ever we, as a community that seeks to protect the integrity of both our religions and our democracy, must stand firm in our collective commitment to eradicate hate, discrimination, defamation and dehumanisation of any and all of God's created."



Also receiving the Mahatma Gandhi Award for the Advancement of Religious Pluralism was the American Jewish Committee represented by Richard Foltin, legislative director and counsel in the AJC's Office of Government and International Affairs in Washington, DC, and Nissim Reuben, programme officer on Indian-Jewish American Relations. The AJC was recognised for its work in building bridges between the Jewish and Hindu communities worldwide.



"At a time of international conflicts in which the name of God is too often invoked as justification, it is hard to think of a time when Gandhi's inspiring message of nonviolence and tolerance has not been more pertinent," Foltin said.



Recalling the various occasions when the AJC and HAF have backed each other when their respective religions were under threat, Foltin said such cooperation is "the lesson that each of our faiths teach us".



US Congressman Frank Pallone, founder of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, was presented with a Special Recognition Award for his services to the cause. US Congressman Danny Davis, Illinois Democrat and former chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, who has taken up the cause of Tamils in Sri Lanka [ Images ] on the urging of Sri Lankan Tamil organisations supported by the HAF, said from his perspective of being an African American, his sympathies lay with the displaced Tamils, and vowed to do whatever he could to help.



The Pride of the Community Award was presented to Anju Bhargava, the only Hindu member of President Obama's [ Images ] Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, who said the infrastructure of the Hindu-American community needs to develop further.



Bhargava, the founder/convener of Hindu American Seva Charities, which promotes development and partnership of Seva Centers to provide social services in faith based institutions, said, "One of the things that I am working with as part of the Advisory Council is bringing an awareness of the post-1965 immigrants and especially those of the dharmic tradition -- that our way of being and the way we worship and the way we practice is different from the Judeo-Christian model. So when the government reaches out to the faith-based community and it has a model in its mind, it needs to really look at the other groups that are there and understand the differences in the development."



HAF managing director Suhag Shukla, who emceed the function, said Hindu Americans across the nation increasingly saw the HAF as "a key stakeholder and an institution that reflects their own coming of age".



Earlier in the day, members of the HAF's board of directors and senior staffers had meetings with key US Senators and House members to press for increased scrutiny on aid appropriations for Pakistan. On domestic issues, the HAF backed the demand of other faith-based groups for fairness and compassion in legal immigration legislation, especially as it applies to religious workers, J-1 exchange physicians and widows and widowers of US citizens.



The religious worker Special Immigration program, as well as the J-1 waiver that gives state health agencies the ability to recruit foreign physicians to underserved rural and inner-city communities, are set to expire. The HAF also advocated for an end to the "widow penalty", which places spouses of US citizens who die prior to the end of a two-year conditional period, in deportation.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

7 farmers committed suicide in Orissa

BHUBANESWAR: The toll of farmer suicides in Orissa has gone up to seven with yet another 60-year old farmer committed suicide in Rangadhipa village under Hemgiri police station in Sundargarh district.
The farmer was identified as Mahasai Narang and consumed pesticide.Villagers attributed crop failure as the prime reason for Mahasai to commit suicide but the local administration maintained that financial problems forced the farmer to take such drastic step.With the death of Mahasai, so far seven farmers have committed suicide in the state during October primarily due to crop failure and pest attacks on the crop.
The State Government, which is under tremendous pressure, however announced loan package for the farmers.
Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had already ordered a high level administrative inquiry into the series of suicides of the farmers by the Agricultural Production Commissioner (APC) who has been directed to make field visit and inquire into the incidents.
The Opposition political parties in Orissa, while holding the Chief Minister and Agriculture Minister Damodar Rout responsible for the suicides of the farmers, demanded compensation of Rs five lakh to the next of kin of the deceased and a job to one member of the family.
The Opposition has also demanded to declare all the affected blocks in the state as drought-hit and waive debts of the farmers living in distress.
A fact finding team of the ruling Biju Janata Dal, which visited some of the deceased farmers' villages, submitted a report to the Chief Minister stating that the crop failure and pest attack were the prime reasons for the farmers to commit suicide.
The team has urged the government to launch welfare measures for the farmers to prevent occurrence of such tragic incident in future.

Widows flock holy city for Panchuka, Kartik Purnima

PURI-The last week of the ongoing auspicious month of Kartik has witnessed more devotees flocking to the holy city to observe Panchuka, considered as the holiest days of the Hindu calendar.



Lord Jagannath takes new attire (bhesas) on each day till the conclusion of the brata on the eve of Kartik Purnima. Devotees before the end of their brata visit the Pancha Teerth located around the city and take a holy dip in Mahodadhi Teerth (a portion of the sacred sea) and offer prayers to the Sun God and Lord Jagannath for salvation.



“This is the most sought-after place to attain salvation and the right time to consummate all religious activities,” said one amongst the scores of white-robed, frail-looking widows, mostly in their seventies, who congregate in lakhs at the holy Sri Kshetra Dham to observe the month-long Kartika Brata which kicks off from Kumar Purnima.



As per religious texts, one who observes this sacred brata in Puri attains salvation, which is the ultimate destination. Every year widows come to this city from various parts of the State, particularly from Ganjam, Gajapati, Bhanjnagar and other southern districts besides Chhattisgarh and Midnapore, to observe the brata ceremoniously.



Almost all mathas, dharmasalas and low-cost accommodations of Puri get full with pious devotees. House rents around the temple town go up during this month. Many of them share small rooms on rent while some trace houses of near and distant relatives for accommodation. They take sankalpa (religious vow) in a small ceremony to observe brata with devotion.



Braving the cold and inclement weather these old and emaciated widows rise early in the morning, finish their daily chores and take a holy dip in one of the four sacred tanks namely Narendra, Indradumna, Swetaganga and Markanda of the city.



They deck sandalwood tilak on their forehead and make a beeline in front of the Jagannath temple to witness mangala arti. Considering the huge rush of widow devotees to Puri to observe Kartika Brata, this could well be imagined how Kartika and Puri go in tandem. Devotees also express an unabated interest to solemnise any type of religious activities in the Lord’s abode.



Malati Bewa, a 78-year-old widow from Aska said, “I come here every year to observe the brata after my husband died in a road accident when I was 40 years old. I get mental peace and solace by observing the auspicious brata in Sri Kshetra.” Many others belonging to her village also accompany her every year.



While observing the month-long arduous Kartika Brata devoutly, they take all pains to make it a fruitful one. They don’t bother for the dilapidated mathas and dharmasalas or the exorbitant price of vegetables and observe the brata with strong determination. Some hapless and poor widows even don’t mind to sleep in the temple premises and take very little food suiting their standard of living. For Tulasi Devi from Cuttack, it was nearly a three months long tussle to collect money from her near and dear ones. “I even cannot think of terminating the brata in the wake of a possible financial crunch,” she said.



As per religious rituals, they install a chaura (Tulasi plant) called Brundabati in front of their accommodation to conduct religious practices in the morning. The bratadharis (vowed ones) use tulasi mala as necklace and for chanting sacred mantras especially the Hare Krishna mahamantra.



Prayers, chanting and clash of cymbals demonstrate a deep sense of devotion to Lord Jagannath. After returning from the temple, they recite the Kartik Mahatmya, a religious text, sitting around the chaura. They take cooked mahaprasad once in a day in the late evening before retiring to bed. Barring a few, most of these bratadharis hail from lower economic strata of the society and collect fund from family members and friends for the holy sojourn.



Rama Devi, an octogenarian widow with thick glasses and a wrinkled face with a bent spine, also observed the brata despite her physical constraints. She said that even her sons and grandsons opposed her from proceeding to Puri for the brata in view of her poor health. Since the last 30 years she has been coming to Puri to have a darshan of the Lord and observe the holy brata.



She prays the Lord to allow her to die in the sacred Sri Kshetra Dham and get cremated in the Swargadwar. Srinibas Mishra who gives religious discourses to the devotees in the temple premises during the holy month said that the bratadharis sit for hours together listening to the sermons of the text with rapt attention and pay him for his service.



Loknath Suar, a temple cook said that huge quantities of mahaprasad is cooked everyday and offered in bhands (special bhogs) in view of great demand among the widows. We have men called bojhias who carry mahaprasad on their head and deliver to the monthly enrolled devotees at minimum rate, he said.



The Sri Jagannath Temple Administration has rescheduled the various rites and rituals of Lord Jagannath to allow more time to devotees for darshan of the three deities. Offering of special bhog or cooked mahaprasad is allowed a number of times in order to provide the same to the devotees. Servitors are asked to work overtime while special attention is given to maintain cleanliness and hygiene in the temple premises. Police arrangements have been beefed up in and around the temple on the eve of Kartik Purnima, sources said.