Author: Priya Saha

The Catholic Church and youth organizations are distributing winter clothes and blankets among street dwellers to help them deal with a severe winter in parts of Bangladesh.Dinajpur Diocese and the Bangladesh Catholic Students’ Movement (BCSM) of Khulna Diocese have reached more than 1,200 people, including children, belonging to Christian Hindu and Muslim communities.Winter has been particularly severe during the past few weeks in northern districts and may worsen. According to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department, the lowest temperature of 8.3 degrees Celsius was recorded in the northern subdistrict of Tetulia of Panchagorh on Jan. 22. The severity of the winter could increase, according…

The Election Commissioner of India Sushil Chandra on January 8, 2022, announced the assembly poll schedule for five poll bound states—Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa.  Elections will be held for 403 assembly seats in UP, 117 in Punjab, 70 in Uttarakhand, 60 in Manipur and 40 in Goa. Uttar Pradesh will have seven-phase voting during February 10, 14, 20, 23, 27, March 3 and 7. Uttarakhand, and  Goa will vote in a single phase on 14 February and Punjab will  vote in a single phase on 20 February.  Manipur in two phases on 27 February and 3 March.…

Uyghur Muslims living in Turkey called for a boycott on Sunday of the forthcoming Winter Olympics in Beijing.In Istanbul, dozens of members of the Uyghur community, an ethnic minority in Central and Eastern Asia, staged a protest against the Winter Olympics and called for countries to boycott the competition, according to Reuters. China has come under heavy fire from the international community for human rights abuses and alleged genocide being enacted against Uyghurs living in its western region of Xinjiang.At the event, protestors waved the blue-and-white flag of the East Turkestan independence movement, a group China has called a threat…

By Anugrah Kumar, Christian Post Contributor | Sunday, January 23, 2022Christians attend a protest against the killings of Christians in Orissa, in New Delhi August 29, 2008. | Reuters/Adnan AbidiA group of Catholic clergy and laity in India has said that “the complete silence” of India’s bishops despite a rise in attacks on Christians and other minorities is “shocking” and urged the Catholic Bishops Conference of India to speak out.The Forum of Religious for Justice and Peace wrote a letter to CBCI President Cardinal Oswald Gracias of Mumbai calling for Indian bishops to do more to advocate for religious minorities…

ISTANBUL, Jan 23 (Reuters) – Dozens of people from China’s Uyghur Muslim ethnic group protested in Istanbul on Sunday, calling for a boycott of next month’s Winter Olympics in Beijing over China’s treatment of the minority.The protesters gathered outside the city’s Turkish Olympic Committee building, waving the blue-and-white flags of the independence movement of East Turkestan, a group Beijing says threatens the stability of its far western region of Xinjiang.”China stop the genocide, China close the camps”, chanted the demonstrators, some holding up a banner reading “Stop Genocide Olympics”.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comRegisterChinese authorities have been accused…

Sydney Sixers all-rounder Dan Christian was unhappy after Cricket Australia (CA) blocked Australian batter, Steve Smith, from taking part in the remaining phase of the Big Bash League (BBL) XI. Smith was available to play for his home team in the play-off game against Perth Scorchers on Saturday. However, the CA didn’t allow the Sixers franchise to bring in Smith for the game, which expectedly left its players fuming. “It sounds pretty ridiculous that one of the world (world’s best) is stopped from playing in the domestic competition. It makes no sense to us as players. It’s really disappointing from…

PUBLISHED January 23, 2022 KARACHI: Last month India made headlines when anti-Muslim fury reached a fever pitch in Haridwar and New Delhi. Hundreds of right-wing followers of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and its parent body, Rashtriya Svayamsevak Sangh, also known as the RSS, vowed to do anything to turn India, a constitutionally secular republic, into a Hindu Rashtra, or Hindu state. In unison, they took an oath to eliminate Muslims, if necessary, to achieve their goal of converting India into a Hindu-only nation. The dog whistle of Islamophobia in India, which also claims to be the largest democracy, became…

Bangladesh will be hoping for a repeat of the final last time out when they face India in the quarterfinal on January 29 Defending champions Bangladesh triumphed in a winner-takes-all game as they beat the UAE by nine wickets via the D/L method in a rain-interrupted match to reach the quarterfinals of the U-19 World Cup. Bangladesh’s bowlers worked in tandem to restrict the United Arab Emirates to 148. The defending champions then overhauled the target with 61 balls to spare on Saturday. Put in to bat, the UAE slipped to eight for two inside three overs. Dhruv Parashar and…

The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee is telling athletes to ditch their personal phones for burners ahead of next month’s Winter Olympics in China, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal (via Android Central). “Every device, communication, transaction and online activity may be monitored” The advisory was reportedly sent out twice last year to warn athletes about the possibility of digital surveillance while in China. “Every device, communication, transaction and online activity may be monitored,” the bulletin states. “Your device(s) may also be compromised with malicious software, which could negatively impact future use.” As noted by the…

A debate over the hijab — a headscarf worn by Muslim women — has caused a stand-off at a women’s college in the southern Indian state of Karnataka, reports BBC online on Saturday. Six teenage students — at a government-run pre-university college, equivalent to a high school — have alleged that they have been barred from classes for weeks because they insist on wearing a hijab. The college said that it had only asked the students to remove the hijab inside the classroom — they can still wear it around the campus. The six girls wear the college uniform —…

Listen to the kidsWhat a joyous choice you made to feature fifth graders as futurists in the Jan. 3 & 10 cover story, “Flying cars and houses on Mars.” Delightful from the cover photo to the last period. It’s been a long time since I watched the comedy series “Kids Say the Darndest Things,” and it was a pleasure to hear the kids’ voices. I fear some may criticize the lack of seriousness of the feature, but the kids repeatedly asked for a kinder, cleaner, and more peaceful future, and who can argue with that dream?The Monitor staff’s decisions, reporting,…

India is a secular democratic country, while Pakistan is an Islamic republic. But faith-based hatred on religion is undoubtedly on the rise in both countries. In India, the ideology of Hindutva has been undermining the rights of minorities for years now, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government does not even pretend to care. Hindutva is a threat to the minorities in India, and it is spreading like wildfire. The BJP is known for its fascist manifesto. The Hindutva ideology was strengthened after the BJP assumed power. The last week of August 2021 ended on a bitter note for the…