'So my question was, 'What is it that you are proud of? What have you achieved? What is your contribution?' 'He had no answer.'
Civil rights activists on Friday demanded action against some policemen for allegedly torturing 20 members of Christian community for propagating their religion.
The All India Matua Mahasangha has asked its members to apply for Indian citizenship only after the formation of a new government at the Centre.
'We cannot remain spectators to what is happening in Orissa," Bishop Dinesh Kumar Sahu, general secretary of the National Council of Churches in India, a grouping of 30 Orthodox and Protestant churches, told the Ecumenical News International.
Unanimously rejecting the Somasekhara report, absolving Bharatiya Janata Party and Sangh Parivar from the attacks on churches and prayer halls in several places in Karnataka in 2008, the Christian community in the state on Saturday demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the strikes.
'Nowhere does the CAA state that Muslims will be deprived of their Indian citizenship.'
Leaders of the minority Christian community in the restive Khyber tribal region of northwest Pakistan have alleged that some 30 families were directed to leave their homes inside an army camp where they have lived for decades.
The attacks on the Christian community are not restricted only to Mangalore or Orissa, but have spread to other states like Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Chhattisgarh and even the national capital, says activist Jospeh Dias
About 50 people have been arrested in this eastern Pakistani city after a mob torched over 150 houses of the minority Christian community in search of an alleged blasphemer.
Pakistan's minority Christian community's leaders have demanded an impartial inquiry into the alleged poisoning of nine nurses at a government-run hospital.
Karnataka Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Kumar about the situation in the state, the visit by the central team and the remarks made by the Archbishop of Bengaluru.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai has announced that his government will introduce a new stringent law to prevent religious conversion of tribal people, and possibly others. He also advocated for the delisting of tribals, removing them from the Scheduled Tribe category if they convert to another religion, saying it will prevent proselytisation.
The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Orissa government to ensure protection for the Christian community in the state and said withdrawal of paramilitary forces should only take place in co-ordination with the Centre
'What makes this tragedy even more painful is the attempt by some to weaponise it, to paint an entire community with the brush of guilt. This is not just irresponsible. It is dangerous.'
A senior bishop of the influential Syro-Malabar Catholic Church on Thursday said instead of saying in the US that there is no discrimination in India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi should try to convince the Christians in Manipur about that.
Pakistani police have arrested 15 Christians and booked 45 other members of the minority community under the controversial blasphemy law for allegedly desecrating Muslim graves in a village in Punjab province, sparking tension in the area.
The ministry also submitted that the identification of scheduled castes is centred around a specific social stigma that is limited to the communities identified in the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950.
In a setback for the ruling Left front in Kerala, the high court in Kochi on Monday set aside the election of the Communist Party of India-Marxist's A Raja from the Devikulam assembly seat in Idukki district.
The solution to Manipur's problems lies in the government giving concessions to Meitis in jobs and education and to accept autonomy for the tribal dominated areas inhibited by the Kukis, suggests Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
A state government that came to power after swearing to protect all people without discrimination refused to help a non-Christian organisation till the high court rapped it on its knuckles, observes former BJP MP Tarun Vijay, former Chief Editor, Panchjanya, the RSS weekly.
Those convicted included the brother-in-law of Kevin.
BJP and RSS leaders are once again pushing to remove the words 'secular' and 'socialist' from the Constitution's Preamble, showing a deeper effort to change India's identity from a diverse, multi-religious republic to a Hindu-first nation, even though they don't have the numbers in Parliament to officially change the Constitution, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
'During Eid Muslims get Eidi, but Opposition parties never gave that to them.' 'When PM Modi is giving Eidi to Muslims Opposition leaders are getting upset.'
The Election Commission on Saturday deferred the Haryana assembly poll date to October 5 from October 1, saying the decision was taken keeping in mind a centuries-old festival of the Bishnoi community.
George stated that a girl should be married off by the time she is 22 or 23 and that such decency should be maintained.
'Senior Vatican officials were pleasantly surprised at the number of Indians who had come to witness the ceremony.'
Goa's Deputy Chief Minister Francis D'Souza on Monday apologised for his remarks that he is a "Christian Hindu", after being criticised by the Catholic community.
Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar has sent a legal notice to Shashi Tharoor, accusing the Congress MP of making defamatory statements against him on a TV channel recently.
A makeshift prayer hall belonging to the Christian community in Gopanpally village of Nizamabad in Telangana was burnt down by unknown people.
The Supreme Court of India has ruled that religious conversions undertaken solely to avail reservation benefits without genuine belief in the adopted religion amount to "fraud on the Constitution". The court upheld a Madras High Court decision denying a scheduled caste certificate to a woman who converted to Christianity but later claimed to be a Hindu to secure employment benefits.
BJP leader Nitesh Rane reportedly made derogatory remarks saying, "EVM means, Every Vote against Mullah."
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, speaking at the University of Oxford, stressed the importance of inclusive development and stated that division in society is counterproductive. She emphasized that her governance model prioritizes the welfare of all sections of society and does not allow discrimination, highlighting the state's diverse population and the need for a human-centric approach.
The BJP has vehemently criticized the Karnataka government's decision to provide four per cent reservation for Muslims in government contracts, labeling it an "unconstitutional misadventure." The party has pledged to challenge the move in court and has vowed to oppose it at all levels. Meanwhile, the ruling Congress party has defended the reservation, arguing that it aligns with constitutional provisions. The issue has led to heated exchanges in the Karnataka Assembly, with both parties accusing each other of engaging in appeasement politics.
'When voting clause by clause on Waqf came up in the JPC, the TDP and JD-U supported the BJP on each and every clause.'
A leading Catholic Church daily in Kerala has described the Waqf amendment bill as a crucial test of secularism in Parliament, urging MPs to support it. The editorial in Deepika daily comes as the union government prepares to table the bill for parliamentary consideration. The editorial calls the bill a test of secularism and warns MPs that failing to support it would mark them in history as endorsing religious fundamentalism. The paper added that the bill will also put an end to the injustices faced by thousands of Hindu, Christian, and Muslim citizens who have suffered due to the Waqf law. The editorial also recalled the recent statement addressed to Kerala MPs by Kerala Catholic Bishops' Council (KCBC) where the KCBC President Cardinal Mar Baselios Cleemis Catholicos urged amending provisions in the Waqf law that validate claims over land which people of Munambam have lawfully possessed. Opposition parties have slammed the bill as "unconstitutional" and against the interest of the Muslim community.
Besides, Rs 360 crore will be allocated for Chief Ministers' Special Development Programme and Minorities Colony Development Programme in the year, he said.
The US spy chief, now in India, earlier on Monday said the "longtime unfortunate persecution, killing, and abuse of religious minorities like Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, and others has been a major area of concern for the US government and President Trump and his administration."
It is a record that the saffron party has created, where the majority of its legislators belonged to the minority community.
The minority front of the Uttar Pradesh BJP will distribute 'Saugat-e-Modi' kit to 32 lakh poor Muslims on the occasion of Eid this year.
'The entire town, Hindus, Muslims and Christians, my schoolteachers and the ustads from the madrasa were present to witness my arangettam.'
