Hinduism | Jotup

Christians in Pakistan risk greater persecution from blasphemy laws, while living in poverty

Retrieved on:

Wednesday, July 5, 2023

Among Muslim-majority countries, Pakistan has the strictest blasphemy laws.

Key Points:

Among Muslim-majority countries, Pakistan has the strictest blasphemy laws.
People jailed under these laws risk a sentence of life in prison and worse still, even death.

Hindu converts to Christianity

The evangelizers assumed that these elites would use their influence to convert members of the lower castes.
However, this approach led to few converts.
The missionaries’ new approach proved successful, in part because conversion to Christianity offered hope of escape from Hinduism’s caste system.
By the 1930s, for example, many members of the largest menial caste in India’s Punjab region had converted to Protestant Christianity.

Lower socioeconomic status

Even today, most Pakistani Christians living in major cities are consigned to poorly paid jobs in the sanitation industry.
Pakistan’s government has adopted a systemic policy of reserving sanitation posts for religious minorities.
In contrast, during the same year, the average monthly income for all Pakistanis was US$255.

Blasphemy laws target minorities

Originally, for example, Pakistan’s blasphemy laws were general in nature.
These changes included making blasphemy against the Prophet Muhammad punishable by a minimum sentence of life in prison, and possibly death.
Since Zia’s rule, hundreds of blasphemy cases have been filed.
A mob burned them alive after he accused them of blasphemy.

Mr. Modi comes to Washington – The Indian prime minister's visit could strengthen ties with the US, but also raises some delicate issues

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Monday, June 19, 2023

Modi, 72, was first elected prime minister in 2014 and then reelected in 2019.

Key Points:

Modi, 72, was first elected prime minister in 2014 and then reelected in 2019.
Since then, Modi has earned an international reputation as an unyielding Hindu nationalist and a strongman who leads with tight control.
Over the past few years, particularly since Modi’s 2019 reelection, some scholars and analysts have written about democracy declining in India.
This is partly because of new regulations and government pressure to censor news media and free speech critical of Modi.

Understanding Modi

A longtime member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, a militant Hindu political organization, Modi has been characterized by Indian political observers and foreign analysts alike for his strong Hindu nationalist views.
Modi has denied any role in this event, but police have said that the violence happened with tacit approval of the state government, including Modi.
But Modi has been a widely popular prime minister, with a 78% approval rating as of February 2023.

US and India ties

Ties between the U.S. and India grew under Modi’s leadership, especially around issues of security and defense cooperation.
India, for example, has purchased a substantial amount of sophisticated weaponry from the U.S. over the last few years.
India has also become, albeit somewhat fitfully, a more active participant in the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, which is a loose, four-country initiative that also involves the U.S., Japan and Australia.
An important point of contention between the U.S. and India involves India’s tepid response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Questions dogging the visit

So, especially if the visit yields any tangible benefits for India, the meeting could result in some electoral gains at home.
Questions about a weakening democracy in India, though, as well as violence against minorities, may come to dog the relationship.
Because questions of democracy and the Ukraine war are so fraught, we believe that these issues could stall more political agreements and closer ties between the U.S. and India.
How Biden and Modi tackle these various subjects during the visit could help determine the course of U.S-.India relations.

New Survey Analyzes Awareness of Caste in the US; 2023 Report Just Released by CoHNA

Retrieved on:

Thursday, May 25, 2023

University, An Act for the Admission of the State of California, Food, Hindus, Millennials, Social media, Telescopic sight, Jewellery, Hinduism

Sacramento, California--(Newsfile Corp. - May 25, 2023) - How does an average American view caste?

Key Points:

Sacramento, California--(Newsfile Corp. - May 25, 2023) - How does an average American view caste?
Any potential trial on caste discrimination would empanel a jury of ordinary Americans.
Would they be able to reach a fair verdict or would they be biased about the origins and nature of caste?
They report extensive "personal" experience with caste, which points to the role of social media and hearsay as a source of this knowledge.

From Kali to Mary to Neopagan goddesses, religions revere motherhood in sometimes unexpected ways

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Wednesday, May 10, 2023

Weapon, Male, Religion, Mother, Clothing, Persephone, Infertility, History, Pain, Masculinity, Christianity, Student, Femininity, Child, Fertility, Shekhinah, Muhammad, Female, Fair, Toy, Cereal, Jewellery, Ancient Greece, Judaism, Islam, Shakti, Hinduism

Many religions include goddess-centered traditions that embrace many forms of the divine feminine as central to their belief systems.

Key Points:

Many religions include goddess-centered traditions that embrace many forms of the divine feminine as central to their belief systems.
Kali is often seen as a terrifying figure, depicted using multiple weapons and dressed in clothing of severed heads and arms.
Yet Kali is also an important mother figure who channels her ferocity into the care and defense of all creation.
Beyond the goddess
Many other religions revere mother figures, even if they are not worshipped or considered goddesses.

White Lotus Day celebrates the 'founding mother of occult in America,' Helena Petrovna Blavatsky

Retrieved on:

Friday, May 5, 2023

Every May 8, thousands of people celebrate White Lotus Day, commemorating a remarkable and controversial Russian American woman: spiritual leader Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, who died in 1891.

Key Points:

Every May 8, thousands of people celebrate White Lotus Day, commemorating a remarkable and controversial Russian American woman: spiritual leader Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, who died in 1891.
HPB, as followers affectionately call her, is remembered as a co-founder of the Theosophical Society.
Aiming to create a universal brotherhood of humanity, theosophy claimed that its tenets came from spiritual masters in the Himalayas.

The ‘veiled years’

Blavatsky was born into a noble family in the Russian Empire, within the territory of modern Ukraine.
As a child, she read occult literature at her grandfather’s home, sparking a lifelong desire to unlock secrets of the universe.
Together with other leaders who later joined the theosophical movement, they popularized Buddhist and Hindu ideas in the West, introducing concepts such as karma and reincarnation.

Universal religion

All objects, animate and inanimate, share the same essence, and the goal of human evolution is spiritual liberation, which might be attainable after many reincarnations.
Styling itself as a universal “wisdom religion,” theosophy aimed to merge knowledge from philosophy, religion and science to explain secret laws governing the universe.
To this day, the society’s official motto is “No Religion Higher Than Truth,” and the main objectives are “to form a nucleus of the universal brotherhood of humanity,” to “encourage the comparative study of religion, philosophy, and science,” and to “investigate unexplained laws of nature and the powers latent in humanity,” according to the Theosophical Society in America.

Lasting stereotypes

English translations of ancient Indian texts and popular books about Buddhism fostered such interest and created fertile ground for theosophy to gain popularity in the West.
Her descriptions paint an idealized picture of religious and philosophical traditions she portrayed as superior to materialistic Western modernity.
In some ways, these ideas echoed common stereotypes in “Orientalist” art and writing of the era, which often depicted Asian cultures as unchanging and exotic.

Complicated legacy

Unlike many other scholars of India in the 19th century, however, she spent considerable time there, and in her writings from that period she often expresses outrage at British colonial injustices.
But her legacy is complex.
It is Blavatsky’s role in popularizing Eastern spiritual traditions abroad that has been her most lasting impact – even if her ideas were often unorthodox.

New Media and Educational Platform Caste Files Launches to Combat Misleading Narratives Around Caste

Retrieved on:

Friday, April 21, 2023

Workplace, Hindus, Attack, California Civil Rights Department, Public policy, CRD, SAN, Hindu American Foundation, Jewellery, 3D printing, Hinduism, Cisco

SAN FRANCISCO, April 21, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Caste Files, a new online media and educational platform, has launched to challenge false and misleading narratives around caste, Hinduism, and race in contemporary society. These narratives have left South Asians and other minority communities vulnerable to attacks and threatened their stability in civil society, including in the workplace.

Key Points:

Caste Files, a new online media and educational platform, has launched to combat false and misleading narratives around caste, Hinduism, and race in contemporary society.
SAN FRANCISCO, April 21, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Caste Files, a new online media and educational platform, has launched to challenge false and misleading narratives around caste, Hinduism, and race in contemporary society.
"Caste Files is a platform that seeks to debunk the false narratives around caste that have been perpetuated by the mainstream media,– said Caste Files Founder Richa Gautam.
"Caste Files was launched to fight back the false and misleading narratives around caste, Hinduism, and race in contemporary society.

Hindu Americans Claim Vindication After California Files to Dismiss Its Lawsuit Against Defendants in the Cisco "Caste" Case

Retrieved on:

Tuesday, April 11, 2023

Hindus, California Civil Rights Department, CRD, Cisco, Telescopic sight, Hinduism

Sacramento, California--(Newsfile Corp. - April 10, 2023) - In a dramatic action, the California Civil Rights Department (CRD, formerly CDFEH) today filed to dismiss its close to three year old case of caste based discrimination against two Indian origin engineers at Cisco.

Key Points:

Sacramento, California--(Newsfile Corp. - April 10, 2023) - In a dramatic action, the California Civil Rights Department (CRD, formerly CDFEH) today filed to dismiss its close to three year old case of caste based discrimination against two Indian origin engineers at Cisco.
To view the full announcement, including downloadable images, bios, and more, click here .
CoHNA is a grassroots level advocacy and civil rights organization dedicated to improving the understanding of Hinduism in North America by working on matters related to the Hindu community and by educating the public about Hindu heritage and tradition.
For more information, please visit https://cohna.org or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/cohnaofficial , on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cohnaofficial and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/cohnaofficial .

Georgia State Legislature Passes the First Ever County Resolution Condemning Hinduphobia and Anti-Hindu Hate

Retrieved on:

Friday, March 31, 2023

Hindus, History, Resolution, Telescopic sight, Hinduism, Anti-Hindu sentiment

Atlanta, Georgia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 31, 2023) - History was made in Georgia as well as in the United States, when a first ever County Resolution condemning Hinduphobia and anti-Hindu hate was passed in the Georgia legislature this week.

Key Points:

Atlanta, Georgia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 31, 2023) - History was made in Georgia as well as in the United States, when a first ever County Resolution condemning Hinduphobia and anti-Hindu hate was passed in the Georgia legislature this week.
The Resolution was directed by Rep. Lauren McDonald and Rep. Todd Jones from Forsyth County in the suburbs of Atlanta and home to one of the largest Hindu and Indian American diaspora communities in Georgia.
The county delegation drew attention to the rising Hinduphobia across the nation and called for an end to such hatred.
For more information, please visit https://cohna.org or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/cohnaofficial , on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cohnaofficial and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/cohnaofficial .

World's first global Youth Interfaith Fellowship on climate change launches at Duke University Divinity School in partnership with Climate NGO - Faith For Our Planet

Retrieved on:

Wednesday, January 18, 2023

DURHAM, N.C. , Jan. 18, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Faith For Our Planet (FFOP), a global interfaith coalition launched the world's first ever global Youth Interfaith Program on climate change at Duke University Divinity School yesterday.

Key Points:

DURHAM, N.C. , Jan. 18, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Faith For Our Planet (FFOP), a global interfaith coalition launched the world's first ever global Youth Interfaith Program on climate change at Duke University Divinity School yesterday.
The Fellowship received almost 5,000 applications and 30 youth faith leaders from twenty countries were selected.
Participants include elected representatives, faith leaders, eco-activists, climate entrepreneurs, sustainability experts, researchers, and policy advocates working closely with governments and civil society globally.
Championing youth inclusion on environmental decision making by Azmaira Alibhai, Faith & Ecosystems Coordinator for Faith for Earth (UN Environment program).

Yoga's Kashmir Connection: Time for Revitalisation

Retrieved on:

Thursday, December 29, 2022

Apart from its resplendent beauty, Kashmir has also been at the forefront of leading the mantle as a site of spirituality.

Key Points:

Apart from its resplendent beauty, Kashmir has also been at the forefront of leading the mantle as a site of spirituality.
It is no surprise then that the Valley of Kashmir is full of places, monuments and sites named after the founder of Advaitism.
Speaking of Adi Shankara's cultural import, the Jyeshteshwara Temple, which is the oldest temple in the Kashmir Valley, is more commonly known as Shankaracharya Temple.
Organised in Srinagar by the Jammu and Kashmir Sports Council and Jammu and Kashmir Yogasana Association, more than 300 more people competed in different age categories in the event.