US Immigration Officials to Inspect 4,000 Religious Insitutions for Religious Worker Visa Fraud

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…

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Indian Arrival Day in Trinidad and Tobago

www.trinicenter.com TRINIDAD, May 25, 2007: Indian heritage day will be observed as a national holiday on Wednesday May 30. On May 30, 1845, the Fath Al Razak docked in the Port of Spain harbor in Trinidad and Tobago with 225 adult passengers on board. The passengers were immigrants from India who had come to the British colony to work in…

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Hindu Temples Experiencing Visa Denials for Priests from India

HPI KAUAI, HAWAII, May 26, 2007: HPI has learned that up to a dozen temples in the United States have recently had R-1 (religious worker) visas for priests denied at the American consulates in India. This is in addition to the recent denial of visas for sthapatis (temple architects) and silpis (temple master craftsmen). These denials are coming in instances…

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Hindu to Chair St. Olaf College Religion Department

www.stolaf.edu NORTHFIELD, MINNESOTA, USA, May 25, 2007: This fall Professor of Religion Anantanand Rambachan will chair the St. Olaf Religion Department — making him the first non-Christian in the 133-year history of the college to hold the post. Rambachan spoke recently about what his appointment means for the future of St. Olaf College as well as his passion for fostering…

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Chinmaya Mission Announces Dharma Sevak Course in California

www.chinmaya.org PIERCY, CALIFORNIA, May 25, 2007: Swami Ishwarananda will be conducting a “Dharma Sevak Course” at Chinmaya Mission West headquarters at Krishnalaya, Piercy, California, June 15-29, 2007. This intensive course enhances the participant’s understanding of the essence of Hinduism, as well as enables him/her to conduct classes and study groups on Vedanta. His Holiness Swami Chinmayananda, founder of Chinmaya Mission,…

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Three Out of Four United States Households Ban Smoking in the House

www.cnn.com UNITED STATES, May 25, 2007: Smoking is forbidden in nearly three out of four U.S. households, a dramatic increase from the 43 percent of homes that prohibited smoking a decade ago, the federal government reported Thursday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which conducted the survey in 2003, said it was the first study to offer a state-by-state…

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Kerala Temple Entry for Non-Hindus Advocated

www.ndtv.com THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, KERALA, INDIA, May 22, 2007: A faction within the Thantiri Samajam is supporting reforms and plans to demand entry for non-Hindus at Kerala’s Guruvayur and other temples. The development comes in the wake of a purification ceremony held at the Guruvayur temple after a non-Hindu minister’s family made offerings there. Rahul Easwer, the grandson of the chief thanthri…

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Iraivan Temple Tries Out New Fund Raising Method

www.cafepress.com KAUAI, HAWAII, May 22, 2007: The Iraivan Temple project here at the headquarters of Hinduism Today and HPI has discovered a new fundraising method: Cafepress.com. On the website are available for purchase custom mugs and mouse pads, tote bags and stickers, buttons and magnets and posters, each with Iraivan Temple art printed on them. The items are custom printed…

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