Religion Dispatches
…world, Arabic numbers are called ‘Indian numbers,’ and why, in the West, ‘Indian numbers’ are called ‘Arabic numbers.’ In India they’re just known as numbers. No matter what they’re called, I think we can all agree they make life a lot easier. 2. Coffee Muslims invented coffee, and coffee is a good thing, and no good thing ever dies. At best it goes cold. In fact, one of the reasons coffee took off is because religious Muslims preferred the bever…
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…y political association, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (of which the current Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a member), imagine the Indian past as an era of Hindu glory that was destroyed by despotic Muslim conquerors. This vision trades in crude tropes and demonizes Muslims, who have participated in Indian cultures for well over 1,000 years and are subjected to increasing Hindutva violence in the 21st century. The Hindutva revisionist histor…
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…ir Kakar analyzes examples of this rhetoric of violation. The Partition of India, which Hindu nationalists blame on Muslims, is described as “chopping the arms off” of the Indian nation. Separation is figured not simply as distinction, but rather as dismemberment and disintegration. According to Kakar, Rithambra, an ascetic orator and ardent nationalist, describes government policies for inclusion of Muslims as “cutting open the Hindu chest” like…
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…uban Foundation for LGBTI Rights, who said he has faced increasing persecution by agents of the government or criticizing Mariela Castro, daughter of Raul Castro and leader of a government-approved organization that advocates for LGBT rights. Kenya: Ugandan refugees imprisoned after protesting conditions in camp 76 Crimes reported that 17 LGBT Ugandan refugees were sentenced to a month in prison after being transferred from one refugee camp to ano…
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…— most commonly known as hijras — were criminalized under laws passed when India was a British colony, and today often make a living as beggars or sex workers. India’s Supreme Court ruled in 2014 that the government must enact broad reforms to correct this history, including outlawing discrimination on the basis of gender identity, creating affirmative action for transgender people in employment and schools, and giving them welfare benefits. A law…
Read More…each programs for the transgender community by the institutional church in India. “The whole church has a big role to play,” said Father Paul Madassery, who is in charge of pro-life support for the Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council. He noted Pope Francis had talked about the need to give “pastoral care to the LGBT community.” “There is an active sex racket from North India eyeing transgender people in Kerala. They are trying to exploit the discrimi…
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…8.9 billion. It has funded water supply projects in poor areas of southern India as well as ashrams, hospitals, universities, and several schools across India and globally. Sai Baba was most famous for his miracles—mainly materializations of valuable objects. He is believed to have had the power to conjure jewelry as gifts as well as sacred ash, which devotees applied to their tongues, throats, and foreheads. The guru was believed to miraculously…
Read More…en Human Rights Defenders like Lankesh make the rapid erosion of rights in India possible,” says Albertina Almeida, human rights lawyer from India. Jersey: Marriage equality in Jersey postponed Marriage equality legislation in Jersey will not be introduced until next spring at the earliest, an announcement which disappointed activists coming on the eve of the Channel Islands’ pride celebration, which had a wedding theme to celebrate what had been…
Read More…ight influence that played a major role in the anti-homosexual campaign in Uganda. Their influence on Uganda’s “Kill the Gays” bill has been well-documented—and may have played an indirect role in influencing Ghana’s new anti-gay activism. Homosexuality is illegal in Ghana, but is considered a misdemeanor—and some gays and lesbians live openly. The viciousness of this new attack, though, could lead to more aggressive anti-homosexuality legislation…
Read More…number of celebrated figures and other possible means. The objective is to promote and solidify homosexuality. Al-Azhar, in a previous statement, reiterated that the amoral and satanic propaganda launched by these various, vicious, parties has the purpose of destroying the human moral order respected by all religions and schools, because this moral order is in line with humanity’s innate quality (fitrah) created by Allah. Promoting homosexuality a…
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