Srimad Bhagwad Gita to be taught in Madarsas in MP

Barely four months ahead of the state assembly elections, the state government has decided to teach the Bhagavad Gita to students of Class 1 and 2 in its Urdu-medium schools from the current academic session 2013-14. The decision is likely to kick off a fresh row over inclusion of the Bhagavad Gita teachings in school syllabus.

The school education department's order (F-46-3-2013-XX-3) dated August 1, 2013 says, "State government, hereby in exercise of powers conferred by sub-section (1) of Section 4 of Madhya Pradesh Prathmik, Middle School Tatha Madhyamik Shiksha (Pathya Pustakon Sambandhi Vyavasatha) Adhiniyam, 1973 (No. 13 of 1973) permits to add one chapter each based on incidents enumerated in the Bhagavad Gita in the textbooks of General Hindi prescribed to Class 3 to 8, Special English and Special Urdu in Class 1 & 2 for the academic session 2013-14."

The order is subsequent to an order passed by the school education department on July 4, 2013 whereby chapters based on 'incidents enumerated in the Bhagavad Gita' are supposed to be included in the textbooks of Special Hindi from Class 9 to 12 and Special English in Class 11 and 12.

The state government made the announcement in the year 2011 to introduce Bhagavad Gita teachings in the school syllabus which was later opposed by minority communities. So far, the decision has been implemented in parts. This would be the first time when the teachings would be added as a part of Special Urdu textbooks in Class I and 2. 

The Jabalpur bench of high court dismissed a petition last year filed against the government's decision by the then spokesperson of Catholic Bishop Council Fr Anand Mutungal.

"Gita teachings in Urdu textbooks mean the state government intends to introduce the teachings as part of the syllabus in Madarasas. We have been opposing mixing of religion with education. It would have adverse impact on the tender hearts and minds of students in their formative years of life," said Javed Anis, secretary, Madhya Pradesh Lok Sangharsh Sajha Manch who has been opposing Gita teachings in schools for a long time. 

However, school education minister Archna Chitnis dismisses such apprehensions that Bhagavad Gita teachings would affect the personality of the students adversely or that it would be a part of Madarsa syllabus. In fact, she says, it would have a positive impact.

"This would be introduced in the state government's Urdu-medium schools only," she said,

She said, "What we are teaching is not exactly Bhagavad Gita in any religious form. We have picked up some threads from Gita to instill a sense of duty and responsibility, obedience, love for nature and environment etc into the students. It is wrong to say that we are trying to saffronise education. These teachings are a part of school syllabus for the past two years but there has been no controversy at all."

 Source: hindustantimes dot com

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Reverted from Islam to Hinduism by Malaysian court

KUALA LUMPUR – In an unprecedented ruling, a Malaysian court ruled on Thursday, July 25, dismissed the 2009 conversion of three Hindu children to Islam without their mother's consent.

"Under the Perak Islamic Administration Enactment, the three children must have the intention to embrace Islam without force,” Judicial Commissioner Lee Swee Seng in the High court said in the ruling cited by Bernama News Agency.

"In this case, the three children cannot be proved to have recited the shahada (declaration of faith) and they, as well as their mother, were not present at the Islamic Religious Office for the conversion purposes," he said when delivering his judgment which lasted one hour and 40 minutes.

The judge added that the conversion of three Hindu children to Islam was null and void as they were not present to recite the shahada before the religious officer.

The case came to light after Indira Gandhi challenged the conversion of her children, now aged five, 15 and 16, by their father in 2009 without her knowledge.

Under Malaysian Islamic law, which governs civil matters for Muslims, a non-Muslim parent cannot share custody of converted children.

Facing the possibility of losing custody of her children, she filed a lawsuit at the high court demanding the nullification of their conversion to Islam.

The ruling follows a decision by the Malaysian government to withdraw a controversial bill on child conversion that caused uneasiness among non-Muslims.

The decision followed criticism to the bill which would have allowed parents to convert a minor child to Islam without the consent of the other.

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The court ruling won plaudits from Malaysian religious groups.

"We are very happy about that decision," Mohan Shan, an official with the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism, told Agence France Presse (AFP).

“But it must be accepted by all the Islamic and other government agencies.”

Indira's lawyer K. Shanmuga also welcomed the rare verdict in the multiracial but Muslim-majority nation.

"It is the first time ever that a child's conversion certificate has been quashed by a high court," he told AFP.

Usually dubbed the "melting pot" of Asia for its potpourri of cultures, Malaysia has long been held up as a model of peaceful co-existence among its races and religions.

Malaysia has a population of nearly 26 millions, with Malays, mostly Muslims, making up nearly 60 percent.

Under Malaysia's two-tier judicial system, Shari`ah courts handle family law cases involving Muslims, while secular courts handle those involving non-Muslims.

Malaysia's Constitution says that the religion of a child under 18 should be decided by the parent or guardian.

Some lawyers have argued that this should be interpreted to mean both parents, but the courts have not agreed, ruling that the consent of one parent is sufficient to convert a child to Islam.

Source: onislam dot net

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Ganeshotsav in Trinidad and Tobago

GANESH Utsav, an Indian festival brought to Trinidad and Tobago by indentured labourers more than 150 years ago, was this week celebrated by Hindus throughout the country.

The ten-day worship to Lord Ganesh, remover of obstacles, culminated with a procession, where Ganesh murtis were immersed in the sea yesterday.

Hindus sang praised to Lord Ganesh, the elephant-headed God, as they walked to the water courses and coasts from daybreak.
The procession was held in St Margaret's, Claxton Bay, Debe, Penal, South Oropouche and other communities.

The event followed nights of worship, conducted at mandirs across the country.

Pundit Khemraj Vyas, secretary of the pundit purshard, said Lord Ganesh was one of the manifestations of divinity. "Hinduism preaches that there is only one God and this God takes on many different forms front time to time. Ganesh is one such form. His birth is described as taking place in this particular month," he said.
Vyas said Hindus observe the birth of Lord Ganesh with a ten-day festival. 

He said a murti of the Hindu God is made out of clay and ceremonies are performed. He said offering are made to the murti, including water, coconut and flowers as devotees wave the sacred light (aarti). 
"Hindus perceive (Lord Ganesh) as the remover of obstacles and the Lord of beginnings. The worship of Lord Ganesh is very important," he said.

The Hindu festival season begins with Ganesh Utsav and will continue with Pitri Paksha, a period during which offerings are made to the soul of departed ancestors. When Pitri Paksha ends, the festival of Ram Leela would be celebrated and would be followed by Divali, the Festival of Lights.


Courtesy :  trinidad express dot com

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Hindus/Sikhs get parliament seat: Afghan President

KABUL, Afghanistan: Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai has issued a legislative decree that gives minority Hindus and Sikhs a seat in the country's next parliamentarian election.

A statement on Wednesday from the presidency said the seat would be in the parliament's lower house. The addition would make the parliament now have 250 seats.

Karzai's decision comes after lawmakers declined to require a special seat for Hindus and Sikhs in the law. Under Afghan law, the president has the power to issue legislative decrees when the parliament is on vacation.

Courtesy: times of india dot indiatimes dot com

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Hindu couples celebrate 'Karwa Chauth' in Pakistan

Dozens of Hindus celebrated the Indian festival of Karwa Chauth in Pakistan's largest city Karachi with traditional fervour and gaiety.

Hindu couples gathered at the Laxmi Narayan Mandir near the Netty Jetty bridge yesterday night to celebrate the occasion.

On Karwa Chauth, Hindu women, especially in North India and Gujarat, traditionally observe day-long fast for longevity and well-being of their husbands.

They break their fast after sighting the moon through a sieve.

Mehndi and heena are used for body arts by women during the festive season.

Rani, who broke her fast on the footsteps of the mandir which overlooks the Netty Jetty waters said for her and many other Hindu married women the annual festival had become very important because of its religious significance.

"Given the sort of situation we are facing in Karachi these days basically everyday is Karwa Chauth for us women no matter which religion they belong too. Things are so uncertain we just keep on praying that our husbands return home safely after work," Rani said.

"We have Karwa Chauth and we fast because it means it will keep our husbands safe and protected throughout the year and that is now very important in Karachi," she said.

The law and order in Karachi which is the country's financial hub has spiralled out of control in recent times with an increase in street crimes, muggings, target killings and kidnappings and gang wars.

The city has also been hit by sectarian violence. As per tradition, as soon as the moon peeks through the clouds, these women glance at it through a sieve and then look through it at their husbands.

The man will then offer his wife some water and something sweet to break the fast. 

Courtesy: Deccan Chronicle

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3000 jobs for Kashmiri Hindus returning home

SRINAGAR: The Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has said that the government would work out a strategy to provide jobs to another 3,000 Kashmiri migrant Pandit youth should they return home.
He said 2,160 Kashmiri migrants have been employed so far in the Valley while the selection for another 1,443 posts is under process.
He said as soon as these posts are filled up the process for recruiting another lot of 3,000 migrant youth would start.
“We have already taken up this issue with the Centre and hope very positive response in this regard”, he said
Tens of thousands of Kashmiri Pandits left their ancestral homes in droves 23 years ago when insurgency broke out in the Muslim-majority state. While some made their way to Delhi and other parts of the country, thousands of them live in the state’s winter capital, Jammu.
The Chief Minister directed for holding special entrepreneurship workshops at migrant camps in Jammu and in the Valley to make migrant youth aware of the self-employment schemes and facilities available to them to launch livelihood generating units.
Chairing the meeting of Apex Advisory Committee for Migrants on Friday here, the Chief Minister said that the State Government has vehemently taken up the issue of enhancing building construction finance available to migrants who want to return. He said the there is a plan to raise monetary help for construction of houses from present Rs. 7.5 lakh to over Rs. 20 lakhs.

Courtesy: freepresskashmir

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Pakistani Hindus observe Durga Puja

Pak Hindus observe Durga Puja

Hindus in Pakistan celebrated the community-based Durga Puja festival in one of the country's oldest temples here. 

The 150-year-old Swami Narayan Mandir is located in the violence-prone old quarter of Karachi, Pakistan's biggest city. 

"The Durga Puja was completed on Saturday after being held for nine days and is a big occasion for the Hindus in Pakistan," Ramesh Kumar of the Pakistan Hindu Council said. 

Kumar said Sanskrit shlokas written in Urdu script were chanted since the Hindus in Pakistan are not proficient in Sanskrit or Hindi and the new generation Hindus were more proficient in Urdu language which is why the Gita had also been written in the Nastaleeq script. 

Kumar pointed out that majority of the Hindu community had little opportunities to learn the Sanskrit or Hindu language in Pakistan. 

He said that efforts are now on to compile a comprehensive database on the Hindu community in Pakistan since there are around seven million of them in the country mostly in Karachi and Sindh province.

 

Courtesy: business-standard dot com

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Bangladesh PM stresses full rights for Hindus

PM stresses full rights for Hindus

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday asked the Hindus to live in Bangladesh with full rights.
“You’re the children of the soil. You’ll live here with your full rights,” she said, while visiting the Ram Krishna Mission and Dhakeswari Temple to see the Puja Mandaps there.
Since assuming office, the present government, has been working tirelessly to establish equal rights of all citizens, she said, adding, “People of all religions are living in the country like relatives.”
The premier said during the Liberation War, all people irrespective of religion and race took part in the fight to liberate the country under the leadership of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Recalling several attempts destroy communal harmony in the country, she said these vested quarters never wanted communal peace in the country.
Hasina said, “I don’t believe, these people believe in the real Islam. Those who truly believe in Islam can never attack the people of other faiths.”
She also mentioned that it was a great sin to put hindrance on performing religious activities by the people of other faiths.
Hasina said this government, after coming to power through the 2008 election, has amended the Constitution to establish the spirit of the Liberation War again.

Courtesy : The Dailystar dot net

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Hindus given dhoti/sindoor to join rally in B'desh

Sources said the district unit BNP distributed dhuti, panjabi and sindoor boxes among some 4,000 Hindus

The Hindus of Borobari and Panchagram unions under Lalmonirhat district were reportedly asked to join Khaleda Zia’s Rangpur rally wearing traditional attires.

Sources said the district unit BNP distributed dhuti, panjabi and sindoor (red lead) boxes among some 4,000 Hindus of several villages in the union.

However, Rangpur district unit BNP General Secretary Hafizur Rahman denied the allegations.

The issue was also discussed at the district’s law and order meeting on September 12 following allegations of Hindu communities. The authorities then directed the law enforcers to take necessary steps in this regard.

The Hindus were asked to stay ready wearing the religious attires, and that designated buses would take them to the rally venue. They were allegedly threatened of actions if they had not attended the rally.

Courtesy : Dhaka Tribune

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