Tag: Religious

  • Complaint registered against Ranbir Kapoor for hurting religious sentiments

    Complaint registered against Ranbir Kapoor for hurting religious sentiments

    A person from Mumbai has complained to the local police about Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor, claiming that he and his family offended religious feelings in a popular video of their Christmas celebration.

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    The complaint alleges that the star violated religious sentiments in a viral video showing the family celebrating Christmas. In the video, the Kapoor family poured liquor on a cake before setting it on fire, with Ranbir uttering “Jai Mata Di.”

    The complaint alleges that the star violated religious sentiments in a viral video showing the family celebrating Christmas. In the video, the Kapoor family poured liquor on a cake before setting it on fire, with Ranbir uttering “Jai Mata Di.”

    According to reports, the complainant claims that using intoxicants and chanting religious slogans from another faith during the celebration was disrespectful. The complainant states that in Hinduism, the fire god is invoked before other deities. As of now, no FIR has been registered in the case. The video, captured during the Kapoor family’s annual Christmas lunch, gained significant attention on the internet.

    Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt introduced their infant daughter Raha to the paparazzi during the same event. The couple posed for photographs with their little one upon arriving for the family gathering.

  • Hajjis to get mobile sims and free internet

    Hajjis to get mobile sims and free internet

    Caretaker Minister for Religious Affairs and Inter-faith Harmony Aneeq Ahmed has said that the government will provide free-of-cost mobile SIMs with roaming internet packages for pilgrims, on Tuesday.

    He further stated that female abayas having a Pakistani flag on the backside and 13 Kg suitcases will also be provided to pilgrims performing hajj this year.

    The minister said that it was a historic step that the caretaker government has declared a significant reduction of one lac in government Hajj expenses, adding that a further Rs50,000 will also be reduced in the coming few days after which Hajjaj will get back their money in their accounts.

    He further revealed that a new mobile application has been designed to assist pilgrims, which will provide navigation support and enable constant communication between pilgrims and relevant officials.

    Initially available in English and Urdu, the application will later incorporate various regional languages, he said, adding that, the app will also provide digital training programs to every pilgrim.

    The minister also disclosed a project that the Ministry of Hajj in collaboration with the Ministry of Education has planned to convert city mosques into schools to enroll out-of-school children where the Imam of mosques will play a leading role.

    Minister said that mosques will play their role as community centers in every city area, adding that imams will resolve community issues as well after offering prayers.

    He said that the Ministry of Hajj is taking all four provinces on board and enhancing the connectivity of mosques.

    While describing another project, minister for religious affairs said that his ministry with the collaboration of health ministry has another project in which medical clinics will also be part of mosques.

    Lady health workers and other essential staff of doctors will also be provided in all masajid where they will facilitate to citizens visiting inside the masque of areas, he added.

  • Pakistani Hajjis to get special perks to make pilgrimage easier

    The Ministry of Religious Affairs has unveiled its Hajj policy for 2024, designed to bring a revolutionary transformation to the pilgrimage journey for Pakistani pilgrims.

    Caretaker Religious Affairs Minister Aneeq Ahmed announced this game-changing policy, which will be presented to the cabinet for approval within the next 10 days.

    The most striking feature is the introduction of a short Hajj option, where pilgrims have the flexibility to go for Hajj from 18 to 30 days, which empowers pilgrims to customise their journey as per their preference.

    QR codes for suitcases

    The new policy also introduces technological advances in which each Hajj pilgrim will be provided with two specially designed suitcases adorned with QR codes. These QR codes will contain essential information such as the pilgrim’s name, passport number, residence, school number, and other pertinent details. This innovation aims to streamline logistics and enhance security during the pilgrimage.

    Special Mobile Package

    In a significant step towards connectivity, the ministry has secured an agreement with a Saudi Arabian mobile phone company to offer a special mobile package exclusively for Hajj pilgrims. Priced at Rs 4,000, it enables pilgrims to make audio and video calls, ensuring they can stay in touch with their families back in Pakistan throughout their Hajj journey.

    Minister Aneeq Ahmed expressed his optimism about these advancements, stating, “Now Pakistani pilgrims will not be lost in the crowd. These changes are designed to simplify the Hajj experience, enhance communication, and provide pilgrims with peace of mind.”

    Additionally, the Saudi government has offered official residences for Pakistani pilgrims, further easing their accommodations during their sacred journey.

  • Pakistani contestant at ‘The Voice’ moved social media, judges with her voice

    A Pakistani contestant on the popular Hollywood singing show ‘The Voice’ is garnering praise on social media for her powerful singing, which even received applause from the judges on the show!

    https://twitter.com/superkhadijaman/status/1635330298446778368?s=20

    Tasha Jessen, who was born in Faisalabad, Pakistan, sung ‘Rivers’ by Leon Bridges. Three judges on the show, Chance The Rapper, Niall Horan and Blake Sheldon, all turned around and wanted Jessen to become a member of their team.

    At her audition, Jessen revealed that she came from a family of singers but as a Christian born in Pakistan, it was incredibly hard for her to chase her dreams:

    “Growing up, my parents were super musical; my whole family sings,” said Jessen. “But life was hard in Pakistan because Pakistan is an Islamic country, and I was the one Christian kid in school.”

    Jessen explained that she stuck out like a ‘sore thumb’ and because of the ongoing religious persecution against Christians in Pakistan, her family fled to Thailand.

    “We had so much chaos happening around us, and we forgot about music,” she explained.

    Jessen later married Maverek and moved to United States last year, and often collaborated with her husband to sing at a local church in Colorado.

  • Indian extremists trend #BoycottShahRukhKhan for viral picture with PM Imran Khan and film ‘Pathan’

    Indian extremists trend #BoycottShahRukhKhan for viral picture with PM Imran Khan and film ‘Pathan’

    Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has landed himself in a huge controversy as #BoycottShahRukhKhan trended on Twitter over the last weekend.

    Twitter was flooded with netizens claiming that the Don 2 star has ‘seriously hurt some religious and patriotic emotions over and over again’.

    Twitterati shared the actor’s old pictures and clips from the past where Shah Rukh Khan was seen with Prime Minister Imran or speaking of intolerance in India.

    Ahead of SRK’s movie release ‘Pathan‘, netizens started questioning “Why praise Pathan in India?”

    A Twitter user wrote, “He [SRK] is making [a] movie on Pathan…I mean it’s [a] spy action movie so why don’t they give him [a] Hindu name, Why praising Pathan in India?”

    Another Twitter user sharing a video tweeted, “This guy @iamsrk is pro-Pakistani and he has proved it many times.”

    A man shared an interview of the king of Bollywood and wrote, “Time to show Pakistan lover @iamsrk some intolerance by boycotting him and continuing his streak of Consecutive Flops on Box office. Soon he will settle down in Pakistan.”

    https://twitter.com/imaatmanirbhar/status/1438373109896126467
  • Destroying Buddha

    Destroying Buddha

    Police in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on Saturday arrested four men involved in smashing an antique Gandharan Buddha statue found during construction work in Mardan. The remaining parts of the 1,700-year-old statue have also been recovered by Mardan police.

    When videos of a man breaking the antique statue surfaced on social media, many Pakistanis expressed their anger and disappointment at the blatant vandalism of an ancient cultural heritage. According to reports, the man who broke the Buddha statue was instigated by local cleric[s]. The video reminded one of the Bamiyan Buddhas in Afghanistan, which were once the world’s tallest Buddhas but were blown up and destroyed by the Taliban in 2001 on orders by Mullah Omar.

    Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry tweeted that if the progressive people of Pakistan remain silent observers and neutral, all hopes of a progressive and modern Pakistan will be dashed. Chaudhry added that “social degradation is immense and silence is not an option unless you want this society to be as dead as [a] graveyard”. His words about a dead or decadent society should be pondered over. Pakistani society is fast turning into a reactionary and intolerant one. The construction of a Hindu temple was halted just a week ago in Islamabad after protests by religious groups and now we have witnessed the destruction of a Buddha statue.

    While the KP government must be appreciated for its quick response in arresting those involved in this crime, we must ask ourselves if we want Pakistan to be a country envisioned by founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah or if we want it to turn it into a land of bigotry. The mistreatment meted out to our religious minorities renders the white in our flag meaningless. Unless and until all citizens are treated equally, regardless of their colour, caste, creed, religion and ethnicity, Pakistan cannot prosper.

    It was also unfortunate to see some of our lawmakers, including Leader of the Opposition Shehbaz Sharif, justify and defend the conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque in Turkey by citing Turkey’s laws and system of judiciary. This kind of obfuscation leads to the justification of bigoted acts. The progressive people of Pakistan do speak out against injustices but they are a minority, or so it seems. We used to say that the ‘silent majority’ in Pakistan is tolerant and against discrimination of religious minorities but in the past few years, we have seen that the so-called ‘silent majority’ actually nods in agreement with the reactionaries.

    It is rather sad to see Pakistan spiral into a regressive society. We must go back to the vision of our founding father who wanted to see a progressive and pluralist Pakistan.

  • Religious, cultural misconceptions of COVID-19 in Pakistan

    IPSOS is an international firm that produces data on the global market and public opinion across the world. From April 4 to 7, they polled 1,000 people across Pakistan to evaluate how Pakistanis treated myths and misconceptions regarding COVID-19.

    The sample size is from all the provinces and territories of Pakistan: Punjab, 57%, Sindh, 22%, Balochistan, 6%, KP, 10% and AJK, 5%. The age bracket is from 18 to 50 plus, and social-economic status is from higher to lower income holders, as shown in the picture below.

    COVID-19 MYTHS IPSOS SNAP POLL

    The results are overwhelming. As per the report, only “2 people out of 5 can correctly recall the official helpline (1166) to report COVID-19 cases, rest are either unaware or cannot recall correctly.”

    COVID-19 MYTHS IPSOS SNAP POLL

    RELIGIOUS AND SCIENTIFIC MISCONCEPTIONS

    Moreover, Pakistanis have alarming religious and scientific misconceptions on COVID-19. According to the data: 82% believe that “they can remain protected if they do wudu 5 times a day. “67% believe that “Allah has control over all viruses so congregation prayer in the mosque (jamaat) cannot infect anyone with the virus. 58% think that if “once the summer hear starts, the coronavirus will disappear.” 48% says that “shaking hands is Sunnah, so they cannot infect anyone with COVID-19 by doing so.”

    Other majors misconceptions are mentioned below in the slide.

    COVID-19 MYTHS IPSOS SNAP POLL

    CONSPIRACY THEORIES

    Apart from religious and scientific misconceptions, a large number of Pakistanis have controversial misconceptions on COVID-19. 43% in Pakistan see COVID-19 as a “foreign conspiracy by America and Israel to weaken us (Pakistan).” 43% believe that they “should avoid people from certain sects or faiths, as they are more prone to coronavirus.” 39% think “Women who breastfeed should be in ablution/wudu all the time, so they don’t transfer COVID-19 to the baby. 30% is off the view that “only sweepers and domestic workers can contract the virus because they’re not clean.”