Malaysian Immigration To Speed Up Applications of Temple Workers

www.malaysianews.net KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, September 19, 2008: The Immigration Department of Malaysia has given assurance that it would speed up visa and permit applicationsfor priests, musicians and artisans from India. Human Resources Minister Dr. S. Subramaniam said the department’s director-general Mahmood Adam had assured him that he would meet all state immigration heads soon to ensure that the government’s decision…

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Vedanta Society Builds Vivekananda’s Non-Denominational Temple

www.chicagotribune.com CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, September 22, 2008: A Hinduism-inspired temple that devotees say was 115 years in the making opened Sunday in southwest suburban Homer Glen. Since 1967, the Vivekananda Vedanta Society has been in Hyde Park, but growing membership, lack of parking at the old site, an increasing percentage of members who live in the suburbs and a desire to…

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Iran Apostasy Bill Likely To Become Law

Special to Compass Direct News LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, September 24, 2008: The Iranian government is proceeding with a bill that will make “apostasy,” or leaving Islam, a capital crime. On Sept. 9 the Iranian parliament approved a new penal code by a vote of 196-7 calling for a mandatory death sentence for apostates, or those who leave Islam. The Baha’i…

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High Priest of Thirukoneswaram Temple Shot and Killed

www.asiantribune.com COLOMBO, SRI LANKA, 22 September, 2008: Unidentified gunmen shot and killed Sivasri Kugarajah Kurukkal, High Priest of the Thirukoneswaram Hindu Temple, at about 6:00 p.m. last night, as the 43-year-old priest was riding a motorbike on Vidyalayam Road in the port city of Trincomalee. According to the police report, two bullets struck his head, killing him instantly. Sivashri Kugaraja…

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Guardian Beings Are Here, Say Most Americans

www.time.com WACO, TEXAS, USA, Thursday, Sep. 18, 2008: More than half of all Americans believe they have been helped by a guardian being in the course of their lives, according to a new poll of American religious beliefs by the Baylor University Institute for Studies of Religion. Of the 1700 respondents, 55% answered affirmatively to the statement, “I was protected…

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Major Restoration Project Cleans Madurai Meenakshi Temple Pillars

www.hindu.com MADURAI, INDIA: A major effort is under way to restore the centuries-old pillars of the Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple to their original state. The pillars will be cleaned scientifically. Under a restoration process using non-toxic chemicals, technicians have begun to remove multiple coats of limestone, paint and other artificial substances that have accumulated on the pillars. Initially, 350 pillars would…

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Colonial Rules For Education Should Be Abandoned, Says Education Minister

www.daijiworld.com MANGALORE, INDIA, September 10, 2008: State primary and secondary education minister Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri told teachers today that the prevailing Lord Macaulay Education System in India should be abandoned. Addressing the gathering at a one-day seminar for teachers at Swami Vivekananda Auditorium, Kageri said that the present education system is responsible to the chaos in the society and it…

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Prayer Halls Attacked in Karnataka

www.hindu.com BANGALORE, INDIA: Twelve Christian prayer halls were attacked Sunday, allegedly by pro-Hindu groups, in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Chikmagalur districts of Karnataka. At least eight were attacked Dakshina Kannada district alone, and three in Mangalore; and one person was stabbed. In Kankanady, police prevented an attack and arrested three persons. Thousands of Christians took to the streets to protest…

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