Indonesians tune in to digital Koran

Ahmad Pathoni, Reuters
Published: Thursday, September 20, 2007,
A boy reads the Koran during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan in the West Bank city of Hebron, September 17, 2007. REUTERS/Nayef Hashlamoun JAKARTA (Reuters) - With her tiny earphones and slim digital player, Jakarta office worker Mira Indriarti looks like any other young music lover -- only she's not listening to the latest tunes, but to a recording of the Koran. Digital Koran is increasingly popular in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country, where such gadgets sell especially well during the fasting month of Ramadan when... continue reading

Three things we must do to facilitate Interfaith Dialogue

Asra Nomani asks the Dalai Lama: "What is it that our leaders can do to transcend the issues of power that make them turn the people of different religions against each other?"

He looked at me intently and said: "There are three things we must do. Read the scholars of each other's religions. Talk to the enlightened beings in each other's religions. Finally, do the pilgrimages of each other's religions." source

To Muslims, Ram is their Imam-e-Hind

[PS. the idea of Imam-e-hind or the leader of India, is based on the poem of Sir Muhammad Iqbal, a poet philosopher of India and Pakistan, ]

To Muslims, Ram is their Imam-e-Hind [read in hindustantimes]

Rama Setu: peoples’ anger @ Hinducivilization
Study of dharma and traditions of over one billion people, hindu.

Rama, a Muslim perspective @ FoundationforPluralism [quote] on Behalf of all Muslims who believe in reason and sanity, I declare that the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) affidavit (since withdrawn) questioning the existence of Hindu god Ram was vitriolic, scathing, unfortunate and blasphemous - not just to Hindus but to all those who cherish our pluralistic cultural heritage. How can a government decide the veracity of a figure like Ram? -- He Ram ke wajood pe Hindostan ko naaz/Ahl-e-nazar samajhtey hein usko Imam-e-Hind! Iqbal, the poet of the East, has written a wonderful and moving poem on the authenticity of the existence of Ram. Logic and science have their say but not in matters of faith. In a nation where religion percolates to all levels of culture, secularism and modernity, themes like Ram, Mohammed, Mary and Moses are all interwoven within the existence of the people. A denial can drive people into a frenzy."

A lifelong affair: In love with love by nida Fazil [quote:] Iqbal called Lord Ram as Imam-e-Hind, adding, "Ye Sheikh o Brahmin hume acche nahin lagte, hum jitne hain ye itne bhi sacche nahin lagte". [end quote]

Thespian Dilip Kumar on Gujarat and the Divisive Politics of Hate: “My Heart Is Lacerated” Firoz Bakht Ahmed had the following interview with veteran actor Dilip Kumar. [Quote:] India is a land of Ram and of Allah. Iqbal once said about Ra: Hai Ram ke wajood pe Hindustan ko naaz/ Ahle nazar samajhte hein us ko Imam-e-Hind. Why should the followers of Ram and Allah be bloodthirsty? [end quote]

Muslims & Mainstream by Asghar Ali Engineer [quote] "It is wrong to say the Muslims refuse to respect Hindu gods such as Ram and Krishna. It amounts to saying all Indian Muslims conform to this behaviour. It is again homogenising the entire community. At best, it is only one trend among many. There are thousands of Muslims who deeply revere them.
The Sufis, of course, had an outlook different from that of the theologians. Mazhar Jani Janan, an eminent 18th century Sufi saint, was of the view that since Allah promised to send His prophets to all the peoples of the world for religious guidance (for every people, there is a religious guide) how could He forget the Indians? And since Indians highly revered Ram and Krishna, they must be His Prophets.
A 20th century Sufi Khwaja Hasan Nizami wrote that Ram and Krishna were the prophets of Allah. Hasrat Mohani, Urdu poet and freedom-fighter who gave a call for complete freedom in 1921 itself and rejected the concept of Home Rule, was a great admirer of Lord Krishna. He performed Haj every year and also visited Brindavan on the occasion of Janmashtami regularly. Some of the Farangi Mahli Ulema in Lucknow also held Lord Krishna in great respect. The Urdu poet Iqbal, described Lord Ram and Imam-e-Hind, i.e., revered religious leader of India."

Islam Is A Faith Like Any Other by Prof. Tahir Mahmood [quote] "In accordance with the Qur'anic exhortation that God sent His messengers to all parts of the globe only some of whom the Holy Book names, include among them Moses and Christ, Buddha and Mahavir, Ram and Krishna, and give them equal respect. The Holy Vedas and the Bhagavad Gita are, like the Torah and the Bible, covered by the Qur'anic concept of suhif-il-oula or earlier scriptures." see also: Lord Ram's existence is India's pride
Woh hadi-e-azeem woh Bharat ka rahnuma
Hai kaun jis ney naam na ho Ram ka suna
Ruhaaniyat ka taaj tha sar par dhara hua
Insaaniyat ka haar galey mein para hua
Lakhon labon pe aj bhi bas uska nam hai
Jo uska naam hai who sabhika salam hai

That great Spiritual Guide, the Leader of India
Who is there who hasn't heard Ram's name?
The crown of spirituality on his head he wore
Garland of humanism in his neck he adorned
On millions of lips is his name until this day
For people, his name remains a greeting way

Innervoice of Tahir Mahmood

This Ram devotee was born a Muslim

'I Sold My Soul on eBay' - Faithwise Review of the Week

A self-described 'friendly atheist' auctioned himself off to a Christian minister, agreeing to visit dozens of churches and record his impressions. Here's what he found. Read the Interview

Life After 'Eat, Pray, Love' Elizabeth Gilbert, author of the best-selling spiritual memoir, on keeping the inner flame lit, Hollywood a-calling, and what happened with her sublime Brazilian lover. Watch the Video

Muslims seek French advice for fasting without feasting
But clerics and medics say the iftar meal to break the fast after sunset has become ever more lavish in recent times, encouraged by the Arab cultural emphasis on big family meals.

Alain Delabos, a doctor who has written several books on dieting, said some Muslims turned the iftar meal into "a nocturnal orgy of sugary food from sunset to sunrise".

"That leads some to end Ramadan with more weight than they had before and others... to see signs of diabetes or an excess in cholesterol emerge," Delabos writes in his book "Chrono-nutrition - Ramadan special" which came out last month.

Providing recipes ranging from roasted figs to red mullet with fennel or lentil soup, Delabos advises Muslims to eat one sugary dish at the end of the day's fast, another light, savoury dish before going to bed and a savoury meal before sunrise. continue reading Zee News

Romance on Iranian TV Crosses Cultures
All Things Considered, September 20, 2007 · Iran state-controlled TV is featuring a mini-series about a love story between an Iranian Muslim man and a French Jewish woman during World War II: Zero Degree Turn. Farnaz Fassihi of The Wall Street Journal has written about the show and discusses it with Robert Siegel.

EEOC: Discrimination against Sikhs in the Workplace Continues Unabated Since 9/11

Why is he in exile? by Ram Rahman
It’s not his art. It’s that M.F Husain has become a pawn for mobilising communal political forces. And so, one of India’s greatest artists will spend his 92nd birthday, on September 17,away from his country

SIX RIGHTS THAT EVERY HUMAN BEING DESERVES AND SHOULD FIGHT FOR
written by Sabina England
1) EQUALITY, DIGNITY AND FAIR TREATMENT FOR ALL
2) OPEN ACCESS TO WATER FOR ALL.
3) FREE EDUCATION FOR ALL.
4) FREE MEDICAL ACCESS FOR ALL.
5) FREEDOM OF SPEECH, RELIGION, AND EXPRESSION FOR ALL.
6) INFORMATION SHARED FREELY FOR ALL

Religion is pluralistic, so let's make sure it stays that way Daily Star Lebanon
By Ali Noer Zaman Commentary by Tuesday, September 04, 2007 One of the much-debated religious issues in Indonesia today is that of pluralism. Its opponents, such as the Indonesian Ulama Council (MUI), believe that pluralist theology is harmful for Islamic theological foundations, as it would undermine the idea that a particular religion is supreme and that other religious beliefs are apocryphal. A MUI fatwa of 2005, which called for the abolishment of pluralistic theology, alarmed the Muslim community of the danger of pluralist theology. continue reading

‘No freedom of religion for Muslims in Goa’ * Gomantak Times says Hindus and Christians, not Muslims, enjoy religious freedom, Daily Times Monitor

Let Her Be Covered Part One
That was her question. In response, my companion assured her that the wearing of the headcovering is a Biblical teaching recorded in 1 Corinthians 11....

Let Her Be Covered Part Two

Knowing Hinduism or Hindu Religion, by Ravikumar Uppaluri

Minorities Under Attack: Sangh Prepares for the Coming Elections

BJP distances itself from ‘fatwa’ controversy The Hindu,
Bhopal: In an apparent damage control excerise, the BJP on Saturday sought to distance itself from the “Vedanti fatwa” controversy and backed the claim of the VHP leader that he was misquoted.

Ram Vilas Vedanti, a senior VHP leader and former BJP MP, said in Ayodhya that whosoever chopped the head and tongue of DMK chief M. Karunanidhi, for saying Lord Ram did not exist, would be rewarded with gold.

Mosque made of chocolate

Chefs give finishing touches to a chocolate model of a mosque at a hotel in Jakarta. The model made from 150 kg of chocolate will be displayed at the hotel during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. (Reuters Photo)

Church bans toddlers' yoga group - Faithwise Review of the Week

A children's group has been banned from a church hall after their yoga lessons were denounced as "unchristian".
Teacher Louise Woodcock from Taunton, Somerset, was told the Yum Yum Yoga classes for pre-school children did not share the church's Christian ethos. continue reading BBC News 31 August 2007 / Watch the news Video

International reaction to kids yoga ban, Sommerset County Gazette, UK - 4 Sep 2007

Sikhs flay RSS for saying Granth Sahib known for Ram's praise
New Delhi, Sep 15 (PTI) Sikh religious leaders opposed to the BJP today condemned the RSS for stating in its mouthpiece 'Organiser' that their sacred texts were "known for their salutations to Sri Rama".

Britain's First Hindu School Gets Okay

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar raps government for Ram affidavit
Spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on Thursday criticised the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government for its judicial affidavit that said there was no historical evidence to prove the existence of Lord Ram.

In a statement issued from Germany, Sri Sri said: "Ramayana and Mahabharata are called "Itihasas" (histories). Itihas means it happened. That Sri Ram did exist is recorded in the epic Ramayana.

"The ancient seers had made clear distinction between "Puranas" (classical literature) and Itihasas. Puranas are mythological, symbolic stories, while Itihasas are that which actually happened."

God, math, and Ramanujan's fascinating story
For his 12th novel The Indian Clerk, David Leavitt, one of America's distinguished writers, chose to work on the relationship between mathematicians G H Hardy and Srinivasa Ramanujan.

Leavitt, a National Endowment for the Arts fellow and professor of literature, offers a complicated and intriguing story starting with Hardy receiving a letter filled with prime number theorems from Ramanujan, a young accounts clerk in Madras (now Chennai).

Hardy and his collaborator J E Littlewood soon decide Ramanujan is a genius and invite him to work with them.

The book explores the difficult relationship between Hardy and Ramanujan, and the various indignities and health problems the Indian genius suffered, leading to an avoidable tragedy. continue reading the process of writing the book with Rediff India Abroad Managing Editor (Features) Arthur J Pais.

Inside the beggars' jail, nemesis of every Indian panhandler
Activists working on behalf of the beggars call the system inhumane.

"One has the right to dignity, right to life, which the government today is denying by putting these destitute people into jails," said Indu Prakash Singh of ActionAid, a nonprofit activist aid group.

One law for one and all, consistently applied (veiled voting vent), Haroon Siddiqui, Toronto Star, September 13, 2007

Voters almost split on funding of religious schools, survey finds