Malaysia Catholic Bishops Concerned Sharia Extends Over Non-Muslims

www.asianews.it KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, September 27, 2006: The bishops of Malaysia have voiced concern about the increased Islamization of Malaysian society. On August 14, 2006, the Catholic bishops of Malaysia published a document in the weekly Catholic Herald entitled “The legal implications of conversions to Islam”. The bishops were attempting to educate Catholics against possible conversions to Islam as means…

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Navaratri Celebrated in USA

www.ydr.com PENNSYLVANIA, U.S.A., September 26, 2006: Hundreds of bare feet moved in step to a thunderous drum beat. Every color imaginable could be found on ornate gowns worn by women and girls dancing at Navaratri, a 9-day celebration that devotes three days of worship each to the Goddesses of valor, wealth and knowledge. The celebration is of happiness and worship…

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Amarnath Shrine Board Member Resigns

www.hindu.com SRINAGAR, INDIA, September 16, 2006: Mahant Deependra Giri has resigned from the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB). His resignation was the result of claims by the media that an artificial Siva Lingam was produced in the cave this year. The media also referred to a letter that indicated that the SASB had purchased dry ice. In response, the shrine…

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739 Kalasams Missing at Rameshwaram Temple

www.hindu.com RAMESWARAM, INDIA, September 24, 2006: More than 739 copper kalasams were reported missing from the ancient Ramanatha Swamy temple here on Saturday, while one of the temple officials was placed under suspension in this connection. Temple Executive Officer Mahadevan said, 739 of the 1008 kalasams were reported missing from the temple. The missing kalasams were taken out from the…

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Indonesian Sanskrit Rock Inscriptions Book Released

Rajiv Malik, HPI Senior Indian Correspondent NEW DELHI, INDIA, September 20, 2006: “Sometime back Indonesia suffered earthquakes in which many of their temples had fallen. This included a huge Sivalaya, 100 feet in height, which had 240 temples belonging to its family. In Jakarta, you can see at a central location in the city, the huge statue which depicts Lord…

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Ganesha Visarjana Celebrations in Australia

kkayan@hotmail.com SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, September 24, 2006: Sri Venkateswara Temple, Helensburg, Australia, about 50kms south of Sydney has been celebrating Ganesha Visarjana since 1991. This year the festival, celebrated on September 3, brought over 4,000 people from near and far (“near” by Australian standards is a radius of 500kms). In Sydney, the observance was started in 1996 by a small group…

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Hinduism Today Publisher’s Address to World Religions After 9/11 Congress Now Available On-Line

www.hinduismtoday.com KAUAI, HAWAII, September 25, 2006: Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami, publisher of Hinduism Today, gave the September 15th plenary session address on “Religion and Media” to the World Religions After 9/11 world Congress at the Palais des congres, Montreal, Canada. The Hawaii-based Satguru’s highly illustrated Keynote presentation is now available as an on-line movie at URL above. It was well received…

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Ancient Jain Practice of Fasting to Death Challenged in Court

www.ibnlive.com JAIPUR, INDIA, September 24, 2006: The Jain practice of Santhara or fasting with the intent of dying has been challenged in the Rajasthan High Court. A petitioner has equated the practice with suicide and mercy killing, setting off a debate on the age-old religious practice. “When people on hunger strike are booked by the police, why under the shelter…

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Dasara Festivities Open in Mysore

www.hindu.com MYSORE, INDIA, September 24, 2006: Dasara festivities began in this historic city on Saturday, with the lighting of the traditional lamp and a special puja to Goddess Chamumdeshwari, the main Deity, atop Chamundi hills. Continuing the traditional link, Mr. Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wodeyar, of the Mysore royal family, began the festivities by performing a puja inside the palace. The entire…

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