GO TO SOURCE HANOI, VIETNAM, February 16, 2001: Vietnamese authorities have sealed off two phony temples built to bilk Buddhist pilgrims out of offerings at one of the country’s most popular religious sites, an official said Friday. The first two of 42 fake shrines at the Perfume Pagoda were sealed off Thursday, and local officials plan to close the others…
GO TO SOURCE KANPUR, INDIA, February 12, 2001: Attacking and raiding shops selling Valentine’s Day gifts and cards, Hindu Jagaram Manch activists attempted to curb the Western celebration that has become popular among the youth in the last ten years.The District Magistrate in Kanpur has ordered Special Police pickets to be posted at hotels, markets and gift shops to deter…
GO TO SOURCE KAITHAL, INDIA, February 12, 2001: Attempting to kindle a “reverence of all forms of life,” the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty of Animals has started teaching 30 members in the local OSDAV school. On a larger scale the society intends to set up Karuna Clubs in other schools in the district where the philosophy of compassion…
GO TO SOURCE NEW DELHI, INDIA, February 12, 2001: The Vajpayee government proposes to replace the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) with new legislation which will contain strict penalties to prevent anti-India and fundamentalist activities. Under the old FCRA, it is mandatory for all organizations receiving foreign funds to register with the home ministry and file returns on receipt and…
GO TO SOURCE NEW DELHI, February 15, 2001: Christian church authorities in India have launched a legal challenge to the country’s massive population census, alleging it infringes on the religious freedom of lower-caste Christians. A statement of the All-India Christian Council said the census did not give members of the Scheduled Caste category, popularly called Dalits (oppressed, very low caste),…
GO TO SOURCE NEW DELHI, INDIA: February 13, 2001: As part of its campaign to spread the message about the Shri Rama Janmabhoomi movement, the VHP has prepared a booklet entitled “Frequently Asked Questions on the Shri Rama Janmabhoomi movement.” It is available at the above “Source.”
GO TO SOURCE BOMBAY, INDIA, February 12, 2001: The Shiv Sena organization in India has ordered its members to disrupt any Valentine’s Day celebrations in the capital of Bombay by targeting beach and garden parties. The leader of the party, Mr. Bal Thackeray, condemns the festival. He called it shameless and contrary to Indian culture. Shops in Uttar Pradesh selling…
GO TO SOURCE AHMEDABAD, INDIA, February 13, 2001: Conservative Muslims of Ahmadabad and Surat, 580 miles southwest of New Delhi, are destroying their television sets because Muslim cleric Mufti Imtiaz said television was the cause of the country’s killer earthquake. “The mufti told us about the poisoning of minds through television, making Allah angry and causing the earthquake,” said Abdulbhai…
GO TO SOURCE SPRINGDALE, ARKANSAS, USA, February 11, 2001: Jim Lewis got his share of “licks” with a paddle when he was a student in public school. Now that he’s a principal himself, he paddles students only on rare occasions and as a last resort. “Most principals now are far from the disciplinarians that principals used to be,” said Lewis,…
GO TO SOURCE PALAKKAD, INDIA, February 6, 2001: You can’t miss the sign, “Sale, purchase or possession of all intoxicants is punishable.” A reminder of good intentions gone awry. For the air in Attapadi, the largest tribal block in South India, is full of the scent of poppy, ganja and hooch, a trade the locals have perfected. The Karumber, the…