AUSTRALIA, Feb. 6, 2022 (Press Release, Hindu Council of Australia): A religious freedom bill has been introduced in the federal parliament to make discrimination on the basis of religion illegal. People of faith will not be discriminated against because of their faith or for not having one. However, the bill has created many exemptions. It allows discrimination based on religion…
KHAJURAHO, INDIA, February 4, 2022 (RNS): The ancient, ornately carved Hindu and Jain temples outside this central Indian city have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1986, and they are on the Archeological Survey of India’s list of national treasures. Now, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government is moving toward designating the Khajuraho group of Hindu and Jain temples…
NEW YORK,NEW YORK, January 23, 2022 (thestreet.com): The fast-food giant has tried healthy before, and it failed. McDonald’s Corporation Report wants customers who care about healthy eating, and it wants options for its existing customers when they want a meal that’s healthier than a Big Mac or a 10-piece Chicken McNuggets. The business logic for this makes sense — some…
KAULA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, January 28, 2022 (MHS): In recent weeks the Malaysia Hindu Sangam has released a concise and authentic presentation of Sanatana Dharma’s commonly held beliefs and practices in four languages: English, Tamil, Hindi and Malay. In 2017 their leaders set out to tackle a common problem of Hindu communities worldwide: what exactly do we all believe? Other religions…
KUALA LUMPUR, January 21, 2022 (The Star): The Sri Subramaniar Swamy Temple in Batu Caves has opened the door for Hindus who did not have the opportunity to fulfill their vows to do so even though the Thaipusam celebration ended last Tuesday (January 18). Speaking to Bernama, its Trustee, Datuk N. Sivakumar, said the temple was making all preparations for…
MALAYSIA, January 18, 2022 (Malaysian Insight): Malaysian Hindus face muted celebrations of the annual Thaipusam festival, which were scaled back due to the coronavirus pandemic. The event sees hundreds of thousands of Hindus, a sizable minority in multi-ethnic Malaysia, showcase their devotion to the Deity Lord Murugan. The festival normally sees believers carrying offerings to places of worship to the…
SINGAPORE, January 18, 2022 (The Chestnut Post): In Singapore, over 12,000 devotees celebrating Thaipusam turned up at the Sri Thendayuthapani Temple to give thanks and seek blessings. Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat also visited the temple to take part in festivities. For the second year running, customs like the foot procession, body piercings and the carrying of wooden or…
UNITED STATES, January 9, 2022 (HAF by Shereen Bhalia): Our team at the Hindu American Foundation created a brand new calendar called Dharmic Days and Hindu Holidays, a guide to religious accommodation. This guide tells you the date of major holidays observed by Hindus and devotees of other Dharmic faiths for the next three years. Along with the dates, we’ve…
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, January 12, 2022 (ICRC): The International Committee of the Red Cross has recently initiated a new long-term project on Hinduism/Dharmic religions, where they explore convergences with International Humanitarian Law (IHL), the “law of war” as understood by those religions. To this end, they are seeking Hindu scholars to participate in the research and publishing. If interested, contact Daniel Ratheiser, dratheiser@icrc.org. They…
INDIA, April 13, 2020 (YouTube): Dr. Deepak Vohra, a globally renowned Indian diplomat gave a TEDx Talk on where India be on the global stage by 2030. Gives an entertaining presentation on India’s changing demographics, economic shifts, educational focus and national self-esteem. With a median age of 28 is India is the world’s youngest country (compare to Europe’s median age…