14th Century Kashmiri Poetess Celebrated

Source: Hinduism Today NEW DELHI, INDIA, March 1, 2001: Dr. Karan Singh, Ms. Eva T. Dafarances, wife of Greece Ambassador and other leading scholars presented an evening on Kashmir mysticism February 11 at the India International Centre, New Delhi, reports Virendra Qazi. The highlight of the evening was the life and times of 14th century mystic poetess of Kashmir, Laleshwari.…

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New Website on Tamil Tirumantiram Announced

GO TO SOURCE March 1, 2001: The ancient Tamil scripture, Tirumantiram, is now available in Tamil and English translation at “source” above. It has been posted by Sathiyavel Murugan, a devotee of Thiruperumthiru Somasundara Paramachariya Swamigal, the late pontiff of Madurai Aadheenam, India.

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Wife Torture Bill Spooks Men

Source: The Telegraph NEW DELHI, INDIA, February 25, 2001: Male pressure groups, unhappy with the “expansive” definition of domestic violence including a clause on mental torture in the proposed bill, the Indian government is planning to bring about, are lobbying against it. But women’s and lawyers’ organizations have dug in their heels and are seeking to put an end to…

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UK Set To Ban Terrorist Groups, Including LTTE

GO TO SOURCE LONDON, ENGLAND, February 28, 2001: A total of 21 international organizations, recommended for proscription under the new Terrorism Act 2000, are listed in a draft Order laid before Parliament today by the Home Secretary Jack Straw. The draft Order will be subject to debates in and approval by both Houses of Parliament. Once approved, it will automatically…

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Union Steps In For Indian Temple Masons in Australia

GO TO SOURCE SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, February 27, 2001: Further information is published in this article about the temple masons, or silpis, working at the Sri Venkateswara Temple in Helensburgh, south of Sydney. According to the men, they have been paid $45 a month in cash for a seven-day week. Another $100 a week is sent home to their families. The…

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Michigan School System to Serve Muslim Food

GO TO SOURCE DEARBORN, MICHIGAN, February 24, 2001: In this Detroit suburb where some grade schools are more than 90 percent Muslim, Dearborn schools do not serve food that meets Muslim dietary rules. This policy has prompted thousands of parents to demand cafeteria food that is “halal,” or permitted under Islamic rules. Halal laws are similar to kosher laws. Like…

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92 Kumbh Pilgrims To Get Compensation

GO TO SOURCE KUMBHNAGAR, ALLAHABAD, February 25, 2001: Some of the pilgrims who attended the recently concluded Maha Kumbh Mela would soon receive compensation for injuries sustained during the 42-day-long religious extravaganza, due to the automatic insurance coverage given to every pilgrim. The compensation ranges from US$2,173 to be paid to the relatives of the family who died in an…

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Taliban Won’t Destroy Hindu or Sikh Temples

GO TO SOURCE PAKISTAN, February 27, 2001: Afghanistan is rebuffing international demands to rescind a government order to destroy all Buddhist statues in the country. Some governments pointed out the statues had not been destroyed under the past 1,200 years of Islamic rule in the region. The Taliban’s ambassador to Pakistan, Abdul Salam Zaeef, said on Tuesday, “We don’t care…

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Sydney’s Hindu Temple Allegedly Exploiting Indian Stonemasons

GO TO SOURCE SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, February 26, 2001: Indian workers at a Hindu temple in Helensburgh, south of Sydney, have been taken away from the site, where it is alleged they are being paid $45 (US$23.60) a month for their labor. The men are stone masons from the Indian province of Tamil Nadu, working in Australia on temporary visas, who…

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Mandela Steps Into Racism Row

GO TO SOURCE JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA, Feb 25, 2001: Former South African President Nelson Mandela has condemned “arrogant” members of the country’s African majority who have suggested that minority groups have no role to play in South Africa. The interview with the Johannesburg-based Sunday Times, came in response to a report in the same paper last week about a prominent…

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