Source: Religious New Service VANCOUVER, CANADA, December 30, 2000: With a multitude of multicultural flavors, Asian immigrants, 50% of whom attend regular religious services, have rescued three of Canada’s largest cities. Previous to the wave of immigration, Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto were considered places where there was an indifference to, or even of, rejection of religion. Now Buddhist, Sikh, Hindu,…
GO TO SOURCE DEHRADUN, INDIA, January 5, 2001: ISI agent Ankur Sharma was apprehended by security guards on January 4 after attempting to steal a cherished statue from the sacred shrine of Badrinath. After some resistance, the culprit was handed over to the local authorities.
Source: India Abroad News Service ALLAHABAD, INDIA, January 2, 2001: Taking precautionary measures for the estimated 70 million devotees who are expected to pilgrimage to the holy “Sangam” at Allahabad, the Uttar Pradesh government is providing insurance coverage. Allahabad commissioner Sada Kant, who has orchestrated the huge event, is reported as saying, “Each of the visitors in the 20- to…
Source: Amnesty International Press Release January 5, 2001: The Bangladesh High Court made a landmark ruling that fatwas — religious edicts issued by the Muslim clergy –are illegal. The court also ruled that such edicts, mainly issued against women, must be made punishable by an act of parliament. Usually imposed against women who assert themselves in village family life, dozens…
GO TO SOURCE PATHANAMTHITTA, KERALA, INDIA, December 25, 2000: A woman pilgrim was killed and 150 others were injured when the iron barricade along the Marakkoottom-Saramkuthi section of the Sabrimala trekking path gave way under crowd pressure. The deceased has been identified as Samrajamma, age 55 of Andhra Pradesh. Sabarimala has been witnessing a high volume of devotees since Sunday…
GO TO SOURCE NEW DELHI, INDIA, December 31, 2000: Conversion and reconversion to and from Christianity has been the source of contention between families and neighbors in India’s state of Gujarat. However, the holiday season passed with no violent incidences among the tribals where the clashes between Hindus and those converted to Christianity are most predominant. Receiving lots of encouragement…
GO TO SOURCE GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, December 31, 2000: Well respected Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, spoke candidly about the issue of conversion. He is reported as telling the Swiss weekly “Dimanche,” “Above all, let us not try to convert one another.” This was in response to the flourishing of Buddhism in Europe and proselytizing by Christians in Asia. The…
GO TO SOURCE WASHINGTON, D.C., January 3, 2001: According to a recent study, teenagers who take virginity pledges, promising to abstain from sex until marriage, often delay intercourse significantly longer than those who do not make a public commitment to chastity. The study, financed by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, analyzed the answers of 6,800 students…
GO TO SOURCE MOSCOW, RUSSIA, December 30, 2000: The mythological Grandfather Frost rooted in Indo-European culture delights children during New Year festivities in Russia by delivering presents. According to a Russian scholar, Grandfather Frost as the dear old man will be shedding his mask to reveal his true identity as Varuna, the Hindu Vedic God of the Seas. This revelation…
GO TO SOURCE NEW DELHI, INDIA, December 30, 2000: With one life every ten seconds being claimed by fatal diseases such as lung cancer and chronic bronchitis, the Delhi government has decided to forbid the sale of tobacco products to youth under the age of 18 years. It is hoped that the new law will curb the wide-spread use of…