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 CALCUTTA, INDIA, January 2, 2001: The 61st annual congress of Indian historians has begun in the city of Calcutta. At the opening ceremony the Nobel Laureate and economist, Amartya Sen, said that current “fundamentalist trends” in India threatened its secular traditions. He said that Hindu epics such as Ramayana should not be treated as part of Indian…
GO TO SOURCE MUMBAI, INDIA, January 4, 2001: “All-round progress can be achieved only through adoption of a plan based on Hindu philosophy,” said Shri K. S. Sudarshan, Sarasanghchalak (head) of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The occasion was the valedictory function of a 5-day long Vishwa Sangh Shibir attended by total of 571 delegates coming from 39 countries. Issues…
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 ORISSA, INDIA: Hindu girls are forced to tuck their bangles and bindis into their school satchels before entering the premises of St. Mary’s Convent to attend school. Individuals have protested against the ban, including the mother of a young girl who said her daughter was beaten for wearing the traditional Hindu women’s attire to school. The state…
GO TO SOURCE CHENNAI, INDIA, January 1, 2001: Finnish composer and pianist, Eero Hameenniemi, has been taken with Carnatic music ever since he first heard it. Eero and his ensemble, aptly named “Nada,” are now in Chennai and were scheduled to perform with mridangam maestro Karaikudi Mani’s “Srutilaya” January 4 at the Narada Gana Sabha.The Finnish group has been experimenting…
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…