Mayor says arsonist burn mosque in Palestinian village in West Bank, damage holy books

Mayor: Arsonist torch mosque in West Bank village

RAMALLAH, West Bank – The mayor of a Palestinian village in the West Bank says arsonists have torched a local mosque.
Mayor Ali Satawa says he believes hardline Jews from a nearby Israeli settlement are responsible because arsonists scrawled the word “revenge” in Hebrew on the mosque wall in …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : Mayor says arsonist burn mosque in Palestinian village in West Bank, damage holy books.

Why didn’t Tulsidas mention Ram temple demolition?

NEW DELHI – Was legendary poet Tulsidas, who wrote “Ram Charit Manas” in the 16th century, so scared of Mughal emperor Akbar that he did not mention the demolition of a Ram temple in Ayodhya and the construction of the Babri mosque thereupon in his work?

“If a temple standing on the premises in dispute …. Source article  : Why didn’t Tulsidas mention Ram temple demolition?.

Indonesia’s information minister sparks controversy with anti-gay tweets, AIDS joke

Indonesian minister draws fire for AIDS comment

JAKARTA, Indonesia – An Indonesian government minister who has in the past blamed natural disasters on immorality has caused more controversy by posting anti-gay comments on Twitter and joking about people with AIDS.
Tifatul Sembiring, who is information minister and also a member of the National AIDS commission, jumped into … Read more : Indonesia’s information minister sparks controversy with anti-gay tweets, AIDS joke.

In Egypt’s ‘marriage crisis,’ a TV sit-com becomes a hit by laying out the women’s side

In a TV comedy, Egyptian women gain a voice

CAIRO – It’s rare in Egypt’s pop culture to get a direct and frank look inside the minds of Egyptian women and what they really think of marriage and love. So a TV comedy became a startling voice in this conservative society’s debate over the changing role … Read : In Egypt’s ‘marriage crisis,’ a TV sit-com becomes a hit by laying out the women’s side.

Police: Imam behind mosque planned near ground zero, wife get telephone death threats

Police: NYC mosque’s imam, wife get death threats

NEW YORK – The wife of an imam planning an Islamic community center and mosque near ground zero said Sunday that she and her husband have received death threats.
“For the record, my life is under threat,” Daisy Khan said during a town hall debate on Islam broadcast on … Read more »».

Ayodhya Muslim litigant visits seer to urge negotiated settlement

LUCKNOW – In a major development, Mohammed Hashim Ansari – who has fought legal battles since 1961 for the land where the Babri Masjid stood – Sunday visited a prominent Hindu seer to urge him to jointly work out a negotiated settlement on the lines indicated in the Sep 30 verdict of the Allahabad High … Read more >>.

AP Interview: Sunni governor says prime minister threatens ‘last chance for democracy’

Key Sunni: Iraq facing ‘last chance’ for democracy

MOSUL, Iraq – An Iraqi governor and leading Sunni politician said Sunday that the nation’s “last chance for democracy” could be derailed if the Shiite prime minister keeps his job despite losing to a Sunni-backed coalition in elections seven months ago.
Ninevah provincial Gov. Atheel al-Nujaifi’s warnings show the …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : AP Interview: Sunni governor says prime minister threatens ‘last chance for democracy’.

Embattled megachurch leader says he won’t be pulled into ’street fight’ amid sex allegations

Pastor says he won’t be pulled into ’street fight’

LITHONIA, Ga. – A megachurch pastor accused of luring four young men into sexual relationships said Sunday that he won’t be pulled into a street fight over the allegations and vowed that his faith has been strengthened.
Bishop Eddie Long did not directly mention the accusations to thousands …. Read the original article  : Embattled megachurch leader says he won’t be pulled into ’street fight’ amid sex allegations.

AP Interview: Sunni Iraqi governor says democracy won’t survive under al-Maliki

Key Sunni says PM is threat to democracy in Iraq

MOSUL, Iraq – An Iraqi governor and leading Sunni politician says democracy will be threatened if Iraq’s Shiite prime minister keeps his job.
Ninevah Gov. Atheel al-Nujaifi said in an Associated Press interview Sunday that Iraq is “headed for a dictatorship” if Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki secures … Read more : AP Interview: Sunni Iraqi governor says democracy won’t survive under al-Maliki.

‘To solve Ayodhya, court had to step out of law book’

LUCKNOW – The first bench of the Allahabad High Court that heard the Ayodhya petition in 1989 had made clear that it was doubtful if the questions involved could be solved by judicial process, says one of the three judges who heard the case then.

The court felt it would have to step out of … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : ‘To solve Ayodhya, court had to step out of law book’.

Thousands of Serb pilgrims gather in western Kosovo for enthronement of Serbian patriarch

Serb pilgrims gather in Kosovo for enthronement

PEC, Kosovo – Thousands of Serb pilgrims gathered in a medieval monastery in western Kosovo amid tight security on Sunday to attend the enthronement ceremony of the new Serbian Patriarch Irinej.
The ceremony, in the Pec Patriarchate, the spiritual seat of Serbian clergy, took place just outside the ethnic Albanian-dominated …. Original source  : Thousands of Serb pilgrims gather in western Kosovo for enthronement of Serbian patriarch.

Ayodhya ruling recognises belief on Ram’s birthplace: Advani

NEW DELHI – Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani said Sunday that the Allahabad High Court judgment on the Ayodhya dispute has given judicial recognition to the belief of millions of Hindus that the makeshift temple where Ram idols are installed is the deity’s birthplace.

In the latest post “It is not faith …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Is disputed Ayodhya site the exact birthplace of Ram?

NEW DELHI – Does the 1,500 square yard piece of land where the disputed Babri Masjid once stood support the mansion of Queen Kaushalya, the mother of Hindu god Ram, and is it the exact place of his birth?

According to Justice S.U. Khan, one of the three judges in the Lucknow bench of the …. Read the original article  : Is disputed Ayodhya site the exact birthplace of Ram?.

Mumbai readies for Durga Puja

MUMBAI – A nearly million-strong Bengali community, including Bollywood celebrities like Rani Mukherjee, is all set to celebrate Durga Puja in this Maharashtra capital and its adjoining areas starting Oct 13.

The number of Durga Puja mandals (associations) have gone up from last year’s 86 to 91, indicating the growing popularity and significance of the … Original source on Gaea Times at : Mumbai readies for Durga Puja.