dhirajdshah@googlemail.com AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND, May 28, 2007: In a historic event for the Hindu community of New Zealand, Prime Minister Helen Clark inaugurated New Zealand’s first Hindu conference by lighting the holy lamp at the Hindu Heritage Center in Auckland, May 12, 2007. The conference theme was The Contribution of Hindu Community to the National Life of New Zealand and…
mangalorean.com MANILA, PHILIPPINES, May 29, 2007: Udupi Puttige Math seer Sri Sugunendra Thirtha Swamiji and also President of the United States based, World Conference on Religion and Peace (WCRP), welcomed the United Nations’ resolution providing special importance to the religious sphere with the support of 50 countries. According to a press release issued by the mutt, the Swamiji, delivering the…
www.hindu.com DHAKA, BANGLADESH, May 27, 2007: A study conducted by Abul Barkat, Professor of Economics at Dhaka University, has deduced that “nearly 200,000 Hindu families have lost 122,000 bighas (40,667 acres) of land, including their houses, in the six years since the Vested Property Act was annulled in 2001 to return property to their original owners.” It all started with…
findarticles.com WASHINGTON, D.C., May 29, 2007: (HPI note: This article from July 15, 2006, is the most complete report we’ve seen on the fraud investigation of the religious worker visa program. It is useful information in understanding the present proposed rule changes for this visa, which is used by many Hindu temples to bring priests and temple artisans to America.…
cynical-nerd.nationalinterest.in BLOGOSHERE, May 27, 2007: Professor Nussbaum’s highly critical look at Hinduism in her recent book, “The Clash Within: Democracy, Religious Violence and India’s Future,” has struck a dissonance cord among some bloggers, in particular one whose nom de plume is “Jaffna.” Some excerpts follow. For the entire polemic, click URL above: “Hers is a foreign policy prescription directed at…
www.hindu.com LONDON, ENGLAND, May 25, 2007: A conference organized by Hindu Aid at the Swaminarayan Hindu Temple in Stanmore was attended by over 150 Hindus, multi-faith and charitable organizations along with representatives from the Development Education Association (DEA) and Department for International Development (DFID), the news release reported. The highlight of the event was to commend British Hindus for their…
www.newkerala.com NEW YORK, May 28, 2007: About 30 students sat barefoot and cross-legged as they chanted Sanskrit verses and did yogic postures in an exercise conducted by the Hindu Students Council at North Carolina State University this weekend. “It’s a concentrated dose of culture, friendship and a lot of learning together,” said Kanchan Banerjee, one of the founders of the…
www.zeenews.com MUMBAI, INDIA, May 27, 2007: Thousands of followers of Dalit icon Babasaheb Ambedkar on Sunday embraced Buddhism at a function here. The function was organized to commemorate the golden jubilee of the Buddha dhamma deeksha (conversion to Buddhism) by hundreds of thousands of Ambedkar’s followers in Nagpur in 1956. Most of those who embraced Buddhism at today’s event were…
www.zeenews.com PITHORAGARH, INDIA, May 26, 2007: Starting out from New Delhi and walking 865 kms to complete their pilgrimage, the first of 16 groups with 45 pilgrims each will commence their journey on June 1. The news release explains, “The journey passes through the beautiful but tough mountain route including an arduous trek of 70 kms from Mangati onwards. There…
www.ashlandcitytimes.com TENNESSEE, USA, May 27, 2007: (HPI note: Many Hindus temples in America have priests who are on the R-1 visa, and these inspections will include those temples.) Methodist minister and Mexican citizen Carlos Uroza finds himself in legal limbo as he ministers to a growing Hispanic congregation at First United Methodist Church in Murfreesboro. Changes in federal policies regarding…