Source: The Hindu

http://www.thehindu.com/2006/10/15/stories/2006101508800300.htm

Governor R.L. Bhatia has called upon the Centre and the State Government to preserve the rich cultural heritage of Jains in the country.

He was inaugurating a seminar on Jainism in Kerala organised by the Bharatvarshiya Dig. Jain Mahasabha and the Wayanad Jain Samaj at Puliyarmala, Kalpetta North, on Saturday.

Mr. Bhatia said the State Government should take...

Author: Poorva Singal

Source: Silver Chips Online

http://silverchips.mbhs.edu/inside.php?sid=6807

Freshman Ruhi Vasavada stands in a small tent crowded by performers, dressed in a long skirt decorated with mirrors, a matching blouse and a sash draped over her head. This performance signifies her fourth year performing for Diwali Mela, a fair to celebrate the Diwali festival. And in front of her are hundreds of people, waiting eagerly for the many...

Source: BBC News

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/south_east/6062358.stm

Warnings about fire safety have been given to people celebrating two major religious festivals this month.

South Wales Fire Service is urging people celebrating Diwali and Eid Ul Fitr to be aware of fire safety in the home during the festivities.

Diwali is associated with candle use, while special meals are prepared for Eid - both of which the brigade says cause a...

Author: Charles C. Haynes

Source: First Amendment Center Press Release

http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/commentary.aspx?id=17529

The village of Suffern, N.Y., treats Orthodox Jews just like everyone else and that’s why it’s being sued by the U.S. Department of Justice for religious discrimination.

Equal treatment, it turns out, sometimes keeps the faithful from practicing their faith.

Orthodox Jews, for...

Source: Islamic Republic News Agency

http://www.irna.ir/en/news/view/menu-234/0610114210122921.htm

Believing that Ramadan is a month during which God tests its followers, a family of the Jain religion in Mumbai, capital city of Maharashtra, has been observing the month- long Ramadan, one of the pillars of the Muslim faith, in the past 30 years.

While the practice is sacred for Muslims, Jains too are known to observe an annual fast during the time of...

Author: Nirmala Carvalho

Source: Asia News

http://www.asianews.it/news-en/A-hundred-thousand-Dalits-gather-in-...

Source: BBC News

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5400232.stm

On October 2, 2006 BBC News reported, "Another person belonging to India's Jain community has died in the western state of Rajasthan after observing a controversial religious custom. Amar Chand, 76, died on Monday after observing 'santhara', a centuries-old Jain practice where a person starves to prepare spiritually for their death. Campaigners want the practice banned, saying it is similar to suicide....

Source: Hindu American Foundation press release

[hinduamericanfoundation.org/media_press_release_dc2006.htm]

On September 30, 2006 a Hindu American Foundation press release reported, "The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) concluded its third annual Government Outreach and Leadership Conference on September 28, 2006. Two days of individual meetings with over twenty-five senators and members of the House of Representatives, Department of Justice, and State Department were highlighted by a dinner reception held within the...

Source: Times of India

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2022865.cms

On September 24, 2006 the Times of India reported, "Agitated over the Gujarat government's move to club them with Hindus, Jain leaders have cited a letter written by the government of first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru that contained an assurance that the community's distinct religious character would be protected. Circulating the letter to the media, the Digambar Jain...

Source: BBC News

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5362802.stm

On September 20, 2006 BBC News reported, "Christians and Muslims in the western Indian state of Gujarat have expressed resentment over an amendment in the law relating to religious conversions. They say that moves by the state government to classify Buddhism and Jainism as branches of the Hindu religion are unconstitutional. Christians and Muslims have accused the authorities of trying to polarise the...

Source: Rediff

http://www.rediff.com/news/2006/sep/11aziz.htm

On September 11, 2006 Rediff reported, "A group of Gandhians will hold a rally at the Lincoln Memorial grounds in Washington, DC to commemorate two ideologically opposed events: the fifth anniversary of 9/11, and the 100th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi's first-ever use of satyagraha. The Memphis, Tennessee-based MK Gandhi Institute, which is organising the rally, will also participate in an inter-faith...

Source: New York Daily News

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/local/story/449389p-378270c.html

On September 5, 2006 the New York Daily News reported, "A Queens state senator and an array of clergy yesterday hailed a new law that prohibits the state Education Department from scheduling statewide exams during religious holidays. 'The law is now on your side,' declared state Sen. John Sabini (D-Queens). The law was spurred after statewide English exams for...

Source: The Mercury News

https://www.mercurynews.com/2007/02/06/a-spiritual-home-for-jains/

On August 27, 2006 The Mercury News reported, "One of the first things Vinod and Sadguna Patak of Gujarat, India, did when their plane touched down on Silicon Valley soil was head to the...

Source: Honolulu Star-Bulletin

http://starbulletin.com/2006/08/27/editorial/special2.html

On August 27, 2006 the Honolulu Star-Bulletin published an opinion piece by Saleem Ahmed, a Muslim, and president of the All Believers Network, and by Joan Chatfield, a Christian, board chairwoman of the Network, "The continuing death and destruction in the Middle East reflect the limitless extent to which individuals and political entities will go to defend...

Source: The Baltimore Sun

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/carroll/bal-ca.hindu20aug20,0,5689203.story?track=rss

On August 20, 2006 The Baltimore Sun reported, "The women are dressed in kaleidoscopic colors, dancing in a whirling pinwheel and tapping wooden sticks with their neighbors' to keep the beat. Their white-robed priest leads the congregation in chants, offering fruit and fragrant flower garlands to the gods who...