Tag: religion

Yair Wallach: The violence that began at Jerusalem’s ancient holy sites is driven by a distinctly modern zeal

Judaism, as it developed in antiquity and the middle ages, is a religion shaped by the absence of the Temple – destroyed by the Romans in 70CE. And while Jewish prayers speak about yearning for its reestablishment, the biblical practices associated with the Temple (such as animal sacrifice) are antithetical to the praxis and spirit… Read More Yair Wallach: The violence that began at Jerusalem’s ancient holy sites is driven by a distinctly modern zeal

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Public Appeal by Hindus for Human Rights, USA

यदचेतनोऽपि पादै: स्पृष्ट: प्रज्वलति सवितुरिनकान्त:  तत्तेजस्वी पुरुष: परकृतनिकृतिं कथं सहते yad acetano ‘pi pādaiḥ spṛṣṭaḥ prajvalati savitur inakāntaḥ tat tejasvī puruṣaḥ parakṛtanikṛtiṃ kathaṃ sahate Even an inert crystal  blazes with heat  when touched by the sun’s rays.  So how can brilliant people  stand idly by when  others commit atrocities? – Bhartrihari (5th century CE, translated… Read More Public Appeal by Hindus for Human Rights, USA

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Mukul Kesavan – Kumbh vs Corona The logic of Hindu nationalism / Milind Murugkar: The political project of Hindutva is up against many contradictions

The government’s willingness to hold the Kumbh Mela in the middle of the worst health emergency in a hundred years and its unwillingness to curtail it despite a tsunami of second wave Covid infections raise an interesting question. Is Narendra Modi a rational actor on his own terms? Rational, here, doesn’t mean ‘secular’ or ‘progressive’.… Read More Mukul Kesavan – Kumbh vs Corona The logic of Hindu nationalism / Milind Murugkar: The political project of Hindutva is up against many contradictions

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RUCHI KUMAR: In India’s Bohra community, a battle over genital mutilation

The woman took Johari and lifted her frock while her mother held her down on a mattress on the floor; minutes later her clitoral hood had been cut, in accordance with the ancient tradition of khafz, or female genital cutting (FGC). “I was in a lot of pain and I remember crying inconsolably,” says Johari,… Read More RUCHI KUMAR: In India’s Bohra community, a battle over genital mutilation

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Pratap Bhanu Mehta – Weaponising faith: The Gyanvapi Mosque-Kashi Vishwanath dispute

There was something incongruous about the moment when I read the news on April 8 that the district court in Varanasi had directed the Archaeological Survey of India to conduct a study of the Gyanvapi Mosque. This day also happened to be Kumar Gandharva’s birth anniversary. It was hard to resist playing his composition in… Read More Pratap Bhanu Mehta – Weaponising faith: The Gyanvapi Mosque-Kashi Vishwanath dispute

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Rolf Hochhuth, Who Challenged a Pope’s Wartime Silence, Dies at 89 ( May 2020). By Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim

The theater historian Louise Kerz Hirschfeld, who was married to the production’s set designer, Leo Kerz, remembered the mood inside the theater on the opening night. “People were weeping,” she said in a phone interview. “At the end there was this deadly silence. Then, people got up and there was a 20-minute applause. For the… Read More Rolf Hochhuth, Who Challenged a Pope’s Wartime Silence, Dies at 89 ( May 2020). By Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim

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Samuel Paty: French schoolgirl admits lying about murdered teacher

A French schoolgirl has admitted to spreading false claims about a teacher before he was murdered last year. Samuel Paty was beheaded in October after showing students cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. The girl, whose complaints sparked an online campaign against Paty, has now admitted that she was not in the class. Mr Paty’s killing stunned France… Read More Samuel Paty: French schoolgirl admits lying about murdered teacher

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Safwat Zargar: In Kashmir, a temple reopens old schism within Pandit community – and shines light on BJP's politics

On February 16, a temple in Srinagar became the subject of national news in India. Several media outlets reported that the Sheetal Nath temple in Kralkhud locality had reopened after a period of 31 years, with special prayers held on the occasion of Basant Panchami. The reports claimed the temple dedicated to Shiva had remained shut since 1989 when… Read More Safwat Zargar: In Kashmir, a temple reopens old schism within Pandit community – and shines light on BJP's politics

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