Eminent Islamic scholar Moulana Aqil passes away

HYDERABAD – Eminent Islamic scholar Moulana Hameeduddin Aqil Hussami, who was also a member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, passed away here Friday after a brief illness. He was 82.

Moulana Aqil, who was suffering from lung problem for the last few months, was shifted to his house from a hospital Thursday night … Read more »»».

Federal appeals court upholds ‘under God’ references in Pledge of Allegiance, currency

Fed. appeals court upholds ‘under God’ in pledge

SAN FRANCISCO – An appellate court has upheld references to God on U.S. currency and in the Pledge of Allegiance, rejecting arguments they violate the constitutional separation of church and state.
“The Pledge of Allegiance serves to unite our vast nation through the proud recitation of some of the …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Theater Review: A question of faith compassionately explored in Geoffrey Nauffts”Next Fall’

Review: Question of faith explored in ‘Next Fall’

NEW YORK – To believe or not to believe.
It’s a quandary at the heart of “Next Fall,” Geoffrey Nauffts’ compassionate exploration of faith that has made a smooth transfer from off-Broadway to the big time of Broadway’s Helen Hayes Theatre.
The play, which had a successful run last summer [..] Read the original article: here.

2 brides and a wedding: Mexico witnesses 1st explicitly legal same-sex marriages

In Mexico, gay couples celebrate historic weddings

MEXICO CITY – Two glowing brides in matching white gowns and four other same-sex couples made history in Mexico City on Thursday as they wed under Latin America’s first law that explicitly approves gay marriage.
Mayor Marcelo Ebrard was a guest of honor at the weddings of Judith Vazquez and … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : 2 brides and a wedding: Mexico witnesses 1st explicitly legal same-sex marriages.

Federal appeals court upholds God references in Pledge of Allegiance, currency

Court upholds ‘under God’ in Pledge of Allegiance

SAN FRANCISCO – A federal appeals court in San Francisco upheld the use of the words “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance and “In God We Trust” on U.S. currency, rejecting arguments on Thursday that the phrases violate the separation of church and state.
The 9th U.S. Circuit … Read more >>.

Early results in historic Iraq election show brewing battle between PM, secular challenger

Early Iraq results: PM battling secular challenger

BAGHDAD – First results from Iraq’s parliamentary election showed the prime minister and his secular rival locked in an extremely tight contest Thursday amid fraud allegations by rival parties and a chaotic, unpredictable vote count.
The partial tallies came from only five of Iraq’s 18 provinces. However, Iraqi officials who … Read more >>>.

Discovery of monotheist pharaoh’s mummy provides clues about unique time in ancient Egypt

Mummy of Egypt’s monotheist pharaoh to return home

CAIRO – The DNA tests that revealed how the famed boy-king Tutankhamun most likely died solved another of ancient Egypt’s enduring mysteries – the fate of controversial Pharaoh Akhenaten’s mummy. The discovery could help fill out the picture of a fascinating era more than 3,300 years ago when …. Source article  : Discovery of monotheist pharaoh’s mummy provides clues about unique time in ancient Egypt.

France’s Sarkozy, fallen from his pedestal, faces drubbing in regional election

France’s Sarkozy faces whipping in regional vote

PARIS – Nicolas Sarkozy is looking politically lonely in his presidential palace.
Voters hit by France’s worst recession since World War II are fearing for their jobs, and are worried and conflicted about how Islamic veils and immigrant culture fit in their nation today.
They get a chance to voice their …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : France’s Sarkozy, fallen from his pedestal, faces drubbing in regional election.

Vatican, Italian bishops slam Rome school’s move to install condom-vending machines

Vatican criticizes condom machines in Rome school

ROME – A Rome high school has decided to install vending machines selling condoms for its students, sparking angry reaction from the Catholic Church which claims the move will only encourage youths to have sex.
Cardinal Agostino Vallini, the pope’s vicar for Rome, criticized the decision as trivializing sex.
L’Avvenire, the … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Vatican, Italian bishops slam Rome school’s move to install condom-vending machines.

Religious hatred, politics and poverty weave tapestry of violence across central Nigeria

Religious hatred, poverty behind Nigeria violence

JOS, Nigeria – Christians and Muslims once shared their lives together in Nigeria’s fertile central belt, buying each other’s goods in mixed neighborhoods and cultivating each other’s farms across a sun-baked plateau.
But growing religious hatred, political and ethnic rivalries, and increasing poverty have led to two outbursts of savage violence … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Religious hatred, politics and poverty weave tapestry of violence across central Nigeria.

Where Hindus and Muslims pray together

GADDEAJIJPUR – When Hindus visit a temple in Gaddeajijpur village of Uttar Pradesh, they also make it a point to pray at the adjacent mausoleum. It is no different for Muslims. For, the villagers believe their prayers will not be answered otherwise.

Gaddeajijpur village, located on the outskirts of Hardoi district, some 110 km from …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : Where Hindus and Muslims pray together.

Stone pelting is un-Islamic: Kashmiri cleric

NEW DELHI – Terming stone pelting as a form of protest un-Islamic, the Grand Mufti of Jammu and Kashmir, Maulana Bashir-ud-Din, Wednesday said such violent practices were against the basic tenets of the religion whose essence is “peace and brotherhood”.

“Islam strongly prohibits any means of violence. The stone pelting practice is surely un-Islamic. It causes … Read more »».

Resolve Tibet issue through dialogue, reiterates Dalai Lama

DHARAMSALA – Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama Wednesday reiterated his commitment to settle the Tibetan issue through dialogue and within the framework of Chinese law.

“Whether the Chinese government acknowledges it or not, there is a serious problem in Tibet…For more than 30 years, I have tried my best to enter into talks with …. Source article  : Resolve Tibet issue through dialogue, reiterates Dalai Lama.

Swedish newspapers reprint Prophet cartoon

STOCKHOLM – Several Swedish newspapers Wednesday reprinted a controversial caricature of the Prophet Mohammed as a dog, the day after an alleged plot to murder the cartoonist was disclosed.

Seven arrests were reported Tuesday in Ireland while one woman was charged in the US for conspiring to commit terrorism. The target of the alleged murder plot … Original source on Gaea Times at : Swedish newspapers reprint Prophet cartoon.

Grand Mufti urges Muslim women to enter politics

NEW DELHI – A top Islamic cleric Wednesday welcomed the passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill in the Rajya Sabha, describing it as “a great step towards women’s empowerment”.

“This is a great step towards women’s empowerment. I would urge Indian Muslim women to enter politics and get themselves elected to parliament and state assemblies. They … Read more »»».

Tainted godman’s Malaysian centre will not shut down

KUALA LUMPUR – A centre run by followers of Swami Paramhamsa Nithyananda, allegedly involved in a sex scandal in southern India, will not close down and will continue to promote his teachings, a Hindu leader said.

Malaysia Hindu Sangam (MHS) president R.S. Mohan Shan said they have taken this decision as Nithyananda’s teachings were not against …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : Tainted godman’s Malaysian centre will not shut down.

Mohsina Kidwai elected chairperson of Haj committee

NEW DELHI – Senior Congress leader Mohsina Kidwai was Wednesday elected chairperson of the Haj Committee of India, a government panel that makes arrangements for the Muslim pilgrimage to the holy cities of Makkah and Medina in Saudi Arabia.

Hasan Ahmed and Aboo Bucker were elected vice chairmen at the meeting of the newly constituted committee, [..] Read the original article: here.

Mohali village tense after head priest’s suicide

MOHALI – Security was strengthened outside a Jain temple in Punjab’s Mohali district after its head priest committed suicide Thursday triggering tension in the area, police said.

The family members of the priest alleged foul play.
According to the police, 51-year-old Ajay Muni, head priest of the Jain temple in Pabhat village, set himself afire …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Islamic clerics oppose women’s reservation

LUCKNOW – Not only certain political parties, but even some influential Islamic scholars and clerics are strongly opposed to the women’s reservation bill.

Their opposition seems to stem from the fact that such a provision will not only entitle but also encourage more and more Muslim women to take a plunge into politics, where it would …. Original source  : Islamic clerics oppose women’s reservation.