カテゴリー: Religion
Thousands of Nepalese gathered to celebrate the Bisket Jatra festival in the town of Thimi, despite a government request for gatherings not to exceed 25 people. As part of the celebrations, coloured powder is spread to welcome the arrival of spring. Bi…
Pakistani government bans religious leader as row over satirical cartoons simmersFrench nationals and companies in Pakistan have been advised by their embassy to leave temporarily after violent anti-France protests brought large parts of the country to…
Villagers believe Duke of Edinburgh was born on Tanna and left it to woo and wed the Queen Queen returns to royal duties four days after death of Prince PhilipDays after the news of Prince Philip’s death reverberated around the world, a young woman and…
Decades of persecution has left the Shia minority with little space left in its graveyards but prime minister Imran Khan is in no hurry to listenAhmed Shah had always dreamed of bigger things. Though just 17, the high school pupil had taken a job in th…
Tensions between Muslims and Hindus high as Modi’s BJP shows it could win state for first timeIn the sleepy, swampy surroundings of Nandigram, West Bengal, where mango and coconut trees grow in abundance, bicycles meander down dusty lanes and ponds fes…
Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith says he will wear the retaliation like a ‘badge of honour’ China has imposed sanctions on 10 UK organisations and individuals, including the former leader of the Conservative party Iain Duncan Smith, over what it ca…
The Hindu festival of Holi is under way in India. The celebration heralds the arrival of spring Continue reading…
Australia and New Zealand welcome sanctions on China over Uighur abuses but impose none of their own
Chinese embassy accuses Canberra of ‘despicable smearing’ of China after Australian foreign minister raises ‘grave concerns’ about human rightsAustralia and New Zealand have raised “grave concerns” about human rights abuses against Muslim minorities in…
Minister cites national security for decision, saying garments are ‘sign of religious extremism’Sri Lanka has announced plans to ban the wearing of burqas and said it would close more than 1,000 Islamic schools known as madrassas, citing national secur…
Concealing candidates’ surnames in the ultra-competitive civil service exam would help to overcome caste prejudice, report urgesThe exam is considered to be the country’s toughest – about a million people sit it every year vying for only a thousand or …
Nearly 140 parliamentarians warn trumped-up charges could result in death penalty for Jagtar Singh JohalNearly 140 MPs and peers have written to Dominic Raab urging him to do more to secure the release of a young Sikh man facing the death penalty in In…
A year after the city was engulfed by violence, victims are harassed into silence by police and find the law has turned against themFor a year, Irfan has remained almost entirely in his house, too terrified to leave. A Muslim living in north-east Delhi…
Unanimous decision by highest court hailed a step towards acceptance of LGBT+ peopleA Malaysian man has won a landmark court challenge against an Islamic ban on sex “against the order of nature”, raising hopes for greater acceptance of gay rights in th…
Shagufta Kausar and Shafqat Emmanuel have been on death row since 2014 over ‘blasphemous texts’ they deny sendingA court in Pakistan has indefinitely delayed an appeal hearing for a Christian couple who have been on death row since 2014 after being con…
Fleeing to Kyrgyzstan in the 1960s, communities established mosques and villages but the local leaders, or dzhigit-beshchis, are a dying breedDzhigit-beshchi is the name Uighur people in Kyrgyzstan give to the leader they elect for their mahallah – or …