Culture

Nov 10: Qatar has appointed 28 new members to one of its most important consultative bodies, including four women, a royal decree announced. The women will sit on the 45-strong Shura Council, which is responsible for discussing draft laws, general government policy and the state's draft budget, state media said on Thursday. "Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani issued an emiri decree...

Riyadh, Nov 6: The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) recently called on member countries for urgent action and appropriate ways of protecting the remaining Islamic cultural heritage against loss and neglect. OIC Secretary-General Dr. Yousef bin Ahmed Al-Othaimeen made the call during an international conference on “Islamic Action for the Protection of Cultural Heritage” held in Istanbul...

New Delhi, Nov 3: Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led union government is all set to abolish Haj subsidy from 2018 following the recommendation of special committee set up in January this year. The decision has come in the face of strong opposition from the Haj Committee of India that wants the subsidy phased out gradually by 2022, as directed by the Supreme Court in 2012. A review meeting on a new...

New Delhi, Oct 21: Jango, a two-and-a-half-year-old golden retriever, hid beneath a bed with paws on his ears, to escape the deafening sound of crackers this Diwali night. His owner, Punit Narula, a resident of Lajpat Nagar in south Delhi, says his immediate neighbour blows up a "huge quantity of high-decibel fireworks" every Diwali, making lives of dogs miserable. "They (dogs) have a highly...

Jeddah, Oct 20: During the opening session of “The Role of Fatwa in Maintaining Social Stability” conference held in Cairo by Dar Al-Iftaa Al-Massriyyah, the secretary-general of the Muslim World League (MWL), Mohammed Al-Issa, called on muftis and religious men to consider the consequences of fatwas before issuing them, the differences between Islamic communities and immigrant minorities, and the...

Diwali or Deepavali, the festival of lights, sees millions attend firework displays, prayers and celebratory events across the world every autumn. Celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs and Jains for a variety of reasons, the main theme is the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil. Also known as Deepavali, a Sanskrit word meaning “rows of lighted lamps”, it is one of the most popular Hindu...

New Delhi, Oct 13: The Supreme Court today referred to its constitution bench the matter pertaining to a ban on the entry of women at Kerala's historic Sabarimala temple. A three-judge bench headed by Chief justice Dipak Misra framed several questions to be dealt with by the constitution bench, including whether the temple can restrict women's entry. The apex court also framed a question whether...

Frankfurt am Main, Oct 13: God cannot survive science, "The Da Vinci Code" author Dan Brown said today, putting his faith in technological advances to connect people in new ways that would eventually scrap the need for religion. "Historically, no god has survived science. Gods evolved," the best-selling American novelist said at the Frankfurt Book Fair, where he unveiled his newest book, "Origin"...

A committee of experts appointed by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led union government to examine the India’s Hajj policy has now drafted a proposal which includes abolishing subsidy for the pilgrims and allowing women devotees above 45 to travel in a group of at least four without a male. The proposed Hajj Policy 2018-22, by a panel headed by former secretary Afzal Amanullah, also recommends...

Kashmir, Oct 2: Her hijab firmly in place, she slings her bat across her shoulders and rides her Scooty to college and practice, challenging not just her rivals on the cricket field but also societal and religious stereotypes. As captain of the women's cricket team in Baramulla's Government Women's College, Insha is one of the young women setting trends in this suburban town in north Kashmir and...