The Australian tourist had only $8 on his person at the time, but promised to hand in the rest this week.

Footage on social media shows the tourist beside a temple in Kediri wearing just a pair of shorts as he whoops with delight while he is up the tree.

Hindus believe all banyans are ancient trees representing the earth's divine creator. Read more

Last Sunday over 3,500 people joined a charity run organized by Indonesia's Jakarta Archdiocese to raise money to build churches in various parts of the country.

Most were Catholics but Muslims also took part.

Sister Vincensa of the Followers of Jesus joined the 2.5km charity walk with several other sisters from her parish.

She was impressed by how well organised the event was, especially the way it drew people together from different faiths.

"It was really outstanding, not just Catholics but non-Catholics too. We can really feel the spirit of 'unity in diversity'," she told ucanews.com.

At the same time, Catholic groups have collected and are distributing aid for thousands of mainly Mulsim people affected by a deadly earthquake that struck Lombok, Indonesia's popular tourist island.

"Catholic schools have collected tents, and my parishioners have collected rice and instant noodles," Father Laurensius Maryono of St Mary Immaculate Parish in Mataram, the provincial capital, told ucanews.com.

"St Anthony Catholic Hospital has sent teams of medical workers to serve those affected by the quake in Sembalun sub-district, the worst-hit area," he said.

The parish's emergency response team went to the district on 31 July — along with teams from the Diocese of Denpasar and the Mataram chapter of the Union of Catholic University Students of the Republic of Indonesia.

Source

• ucanews.com
• catholicphilly.com
• Image: ucanews.com

He says their fear stems from growing Islamisation in all spheres of life, particularly the economy.

"Most of the people who are well-connected and who are prospering are Muslims, while Papuans are getting left out," said Bahang, a lecturer at the Fajar Timur College of Philosophy of Theology in Jayapura.

Islam symbols are becoming more commonplace in public spaces, he said.

"These are public service spaces for Christians and Muslims alike, but now Muslims control them."

Jayapura city has over 80 mosques and mushollas (mosque-like prayer rooms) built in or near local markets, residential areas and government offices.

The neighbouring district of Sentani has 24 mosques while Jayapura District has 52.

Papua has a population of about 3.6 million people, 61.3 percent of whom are Protestants, 21 percent Catholics and 17.4 percent Muslims.

From the perspective of religious psychology, this growing Islamisation can be seen as a bid to try to marginalise other people's religious beliefs, Bahang said.

He said many indigenous children are already being educated or groomed to serve as the next leaders of Islam in the region.

"These children will someday have to face their own people."

Bahang suggested the authorities prepare a regulation specific to the region to control interreligious tolerance in Papua, in accordance with the Special Autonomy Law.

Religious leaders also need to work on building a dialogue to preempt further problems and involve people at a grassroots level, he added.

When asked to comment on this issue, Saiful Islami Al Payage, chairman of the Papua chapter of the Indonesian Ulema Council, said that "all of these things need to be discussed internally."

Source

• ucanews.com
• Image: ucanews.com

Yugraj Singh Mahil is pictured on the billboard with another candidate Anna Casey-Cox. Both are first time candidates in the city's east ward, standing as part of the Community Voice group.

He said there needed to be greater awareness of the difference between Sikhism and Islam. Continue reading

The Open Day was one of the main activities of the Islam Awareness Week.

Sheikh said it was a very unique opportunity for people as "the treasures on display here are from volunteers' homes because there is no specific museum for such artefacts currently in New Zealand."

Artefacts such as a replica of the Holy Kaaba, life-size camel and posters in different sections such as Islamic arts, science, Islamic Foundations and Islamic culture were on display.

There were Ethnic food stalls, dress stalls, and fun activities for the children as well.

Organiser Hassan Raslan said it went "way better than expected" in light of wild weather the night before.

He said the event aims to show Islam "is not specific to any particular ethnicity" and celebrate the religion's cross-continent diversity.

Thousands of passers by stopped by for a taste of not only food, but art, history, and science from around the Muslim world.

Islam Awareness Week is an annual event that gives an opportunity to New Zealanders to know more about Islam, its teachings, its rich history and its artefacts.

During this week most of the mosques around the nation are kept open all day welcoming people from different faiths to interact with the members of the Islamic faith.

The week was launched by Hazim Arafeh, president of Federation of Islamic Association of NZ on Monday, August 22, at Kilbirnie Masjid in Wellington.

Fijians make up the majority of New Zealand's 45,000 Muslims, followed by Pakistanis, and a minority from the Middle East. Many were born in New Zealand.

Source

• stuff.co.nz
• indianweekender.co.nz
• Image: stuff.co.nz

Only two years before his swearing in, he was working at Silver Fern Farms' Finegand freezing works, while his wife Anna Sui studied towards a PhD at the University of Otago.

Van Thio, a Christian, is part of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy, which recently won landmark elections in the country.

He is the first non-Buddhist to hold the office of the Vice President of Myanmar.

His faith has been the subject of controversy as after his appointment nationalist monks protested saying that only Buddhists should hold political positions.

The choice of having a minority ethnic as a vice president is a symbolic gesture by Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party to assist national reconciliation efforts, say observers.

Combined, Myanmar's minority ethnic groups make up a third of the country's 53 million people.

As part of that, Christians heavily populate Myanmar's ethnic-based states of Chin, Kachin, Karen and Kayah in an otherwise predominately Buddhist country.

Shay Ray Shu Maung, a Catholic and upper house Member of Parliament from the National League for Democracy in Kayah state, said it was unexpected and surprising that an ethnic Chin lawmaker was nominated as a vice presidential candidate.

Leith Valley Presbyterian Church lead pastor the Rev Richard Dawson said Van Thio's rapid rise was a big surprise to his congregation, which Van Thio and his wife were part of from 2011 until they returned home last year.

He said Van Thio was probably as surprised at his appointment as they were, as he settled on a decision to enter politics only as recently as last year.

Mihi Stevens, who gave Van Thio a job at Finegand, thought it was an "April Fools' joke" when she was told about his appointment on 1 April.

She could not remember much about him, but his supervisors told her he was a good worker and "very knowledgeable".

Source

• nzherald.co.nz
• wikipedia.org
• odt.co.nz
• ucanews.com
• Image: mediapermata.com.

A SEN spokesperson, David Hine, said the group of protesters included atheists who wanted no religion to be taught in state schools, as well as religious people who believed all religions - rather than only Christianity - should be taught as part of the school curriculum.

Hine said SEN members were joined by people from Auckland churches and the New Zealand Association of Rationalists and Humanists.

Thursday's hearing at the High Court in Auckland was procedural, with the Churches Education Commission (CEC) seeking to take part in the case.

The CEC provides school Bible lessons 667 state schools.

Justice Susan Thomas reserved her decision as to whether CEC would be joined.

The High Court is expected to hear the full legal bid later this year.

Hine says about nine religious leaders have joined SEN campaigns in the past eight months, including Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Buddhist leaders.

SEN said it has had a boost in membership since news of the hearing was published in the Herald on Sunday last weekend, alongside reports of a religious sex education pamphlet being used in a Christchurch school's health lesson.

About 60 new people joined the network in the 24 hours following publication of the reports, Hine said.

He says it's not religion they object to, but what he calls evangelisation and the brainwashing of children.

"Kids, who by age ten or twelve, are able to fight back. But little kids are not critical and tend to believe what they're told," he said.

Hine claims the legislation that allows Christian teaching in state schools is against the Bill of Rights Act.

Source

• Stuff.co.nz
• New Zealand Herald
• New Zealand Herald
• Radio New Zealand
• Image: Radio New Zealand

Rays of Light is a photographic and multimedia exhibition depicting His Highness the Aga Khan's lifelong commitment to improving multiple facets of the human condition.

The exhibit is organized around five main themes: Hope, Identity, Confluence, Harmony, and Enlightenment. Continue reading

According to the recently released 2011 Census data, the Islamic population in rural areas of PNG has risen from about 300 in the year 2000 to 1352 in 2011.

They are concentrated mainly in the Highlands, especially in Simbu (589), Jiwaka (211), Southern Highlands (113) and Western Highlands (69).

There are also pockets of Islam in rural West New Britain (104), Oro (88) and Morobe (30).

The National Statistical Office has not yet released data regarding the nationality of Muslims in PNG as a whole nor the number of Muslims in urban areas.

The total number of Muslims in PNG, both national and expatriate, could now exceed 2000.

In the previous census in the year 2000 there were only 756, of which 280 were expatriates.

The great majority of Papua New Guinean Muslims now belong to the Sunni branch of Islam.

In the 1980s the majority were Ahmadiya, which is a sect considered heretical in Indonesia and other Islamic countries.

Ahmadis, as they are called, were mostly Simbus living in West New Britain.

When some of them went back to Simbu, they spread their new faith there.

Ahmadis now feel now under attack by the Sunnis and many have abandoned Islam altogether.

"When I asked them why they converted to Islam they corrected me saying, 'We did not convert, we just reverted to our natural religion'." says Fr Franco Zocca from the Melanesian Institute in Goroka.

"It seems that this claim by the Prophet has been the foundation of the Islamic mission strategy in PNG: to convince Papua New Guineans that their traditional beliefs and practices were 'naturally Islamic'."

Over the last 2 years Zocca has been interviewing Muslims in Port Moresby and Simbu.

He says Islam will likely grow in numbers and in power as Muslim refugees at the processing centre in Manus are given residency in PNG.

Young Papua New Guinean Muslim boys and girls are also now boarding in Koranic schools in Malaysia, Fiji and West Papua and "come home well indoctrinated".

Read his post

Source

• The Catholic Reporter
• Image: The Muslim Times

New Plymouth's Indian community has doubled in size in the past three years.

Despite the city's Indian population being 60-70 per cent Hindu and 10-15 percent Sikh and the minority Christian and Muslim, the town has a mosque and plenty of churches but no Hindu temple, New Plymouth Indian Community president Ashwani Kumar said.

He said the influx was a result of the oil and gas industry boom attracting Indian skilled migrants. Continue reading

It has been alleged that dozens of armed people wearing robes assaulted a group while saying the rosary at a house in Sleman regency, Yogyakarta, on Thursday.

They reportedly beat up the house owner, Julius Felicianus, a journalist and three others.

Felicianus is the director of the Galang Press publishing house.

He was at the Galang Press office in Baciro, conducting interfaith prayers with the Yogyakarta Anti-Violence Community (Makaryo) for a safe presidential election when the attack happened.

When he returned to his house he was attacked and suffered severe injuries and broken bones.

Kompas TV reporter Michael Aryawan was also injured. His camera was also taken by the assailants.

Interviewed by AsiaNews, the Archbishop of Semarang, Johannes Pujasumarta said that the reasons behind the attack should be investigated quickly.

He hopes for thorough investigations, not only by the police, but also "the local Catholic community " and the results will be handed over "to the authorities for further investigation".

On May 13, Makaryo recorded 18 unresolved cases of sectarian violence in the province, including one in which the Islamic Jihad Front (FJI) allegedly assaulted the chairman of the Gunungkidul Interfaith Forum, Aminuddin Azis ,on May 2.

Source

• AsiaNews.it
• The Jakarta Post
• Image: Freenewspos.com

And this move, according to the head of the Catholic Archdiocese of Suva, Archbishop Peter Loy Chong, was a sign of unity among the churches in Fiji.

"It is a sign of good energy, good spirit and unity," Archbishop Chong said.

"Not only the Christian churches but also non-Christians such as Muslims and Hindus. Continue reading

New Zealand's High Commissioner to the Cook Islands Joanna Kempkers and Principal of Tereora College (the National College of the Cook Islands) Bali Haque addressed the Diwali gathering as well as various Hindu community leaders.

But the leader of a small christian church, Bishop Tutai Pere of the Apostolic Church of the Cook Islands, says celebrating Diwali involves idolatry, which is a blasphemy against the Christian God,

He said is reported to have said that Diwali is "paganistic or heathenistic practice" He talked about "It's hidden spirit of sorcery and witchcraft" and urged that a stop be put "to this paganistic nonsense".
His remarks have caused Hindus world wide to express their concern:

Vijendra Prakash, the general secretary of the Sanatan Dharam, Fiji's biggest Hindu religious organisation says a Cook Islands Bishop is misguided for opposing the public celebration of the festival of Diwali on Rarotonga.

President of Universal Society of Hinduism Rajan Zed has written to the Cook Islands Prime Minister urging him to investigate the issue and ensure the Hindu community's religious rights are protected.

Read Bishop Tuati Pere's letter to the editor

Source

• NewsTalkZB
• Radio Australia
• Eurasia Review
• Image: images.indiascanner.com

The former St Patrick's Primary School site, in South Dunedin, was bought in April this year by the Christchurch-based charity which has plans to spend about $8 million building the An-Nur Kiwi Academy - a non-profit school under charitable status which will accommodate about 150 year 11 to 13 boys from across the country. Continue reading

This symposium will look into the arguments for and against religious instruction in schools, including a discussion as to how it fits under the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990.

The decision to hold the Symposium comes after the New Zealand Herald's recent articles on religion in schools programmes once again prompted public debate over the issue.

The ability for state primary and intermediate schools to close for up to an hour a week for the purposes of religious instruction given by outside voluntary instructors is preserved under s 78 of the Education Act 1964.

Approximately one in three New Zealand primary schools exercise this opportunity, with parents being able to opt their children out.

Teachings are overwhelmingly based on the Christian faith.

Source

• Religious diversity network
• Image: The New Zealand Herald

"The national forum will celebrate the different ways the Muslim community contributes positively to New Zealand society and the global community," says Ms Collins.

"Holding a forum is one more opportunity for our nation to embrace and see the potential benefits of diversity." Continue reading

The Committee was awarded one of nine annual diversity awards by the Human Rights Commission acknowledging individuals and organisations that have made outstanding contributions to the New Zealand Diversity Action Programme through projects and programmes.

Last month it received the Pearl of Islands Dialogue Award from the Pearl of Islands Foundation - a Turkish cultural organisation in New Zealand which promotes inter-cultural dialogue, religious values and social harmony.

"Dialogue with the Pearl of Islands Foundation is a privileged place of Muslim-Christian relations in the Growing Diversity of New Zealand." Says Sr Catherine Jones, smsm, Chair of the Catholic Bishops Committee for Interfaith Relations.

Source

• Voxy.co.nz
• Image: www.hrc.co.nz

She says not only will it celebrate the different ways the Muslim community contributes to New Zealand society but will also discuss contemporary challenges. Continue reading

With dark brown complexions and sporting traditional Indian tribal clothing (white sari with red border, etc.The statue in a church in the village of Singhpur has sparked outrage from local Hindus and other non-Christians who have called for its immediate removal. Continue reading

"We are called to respect the religion of the other, its teachings, its symbols, its values," he said.

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community hopes that an exhibition it is putting on will create an improved understanding of Islam.

"If more was known about the religion the number of incidents like the recent abuse of Muslim taxi driver Tariq Humayun in Invercargill would decline," says Ahmadiyya Muslim Community missionary, Shafiq Ur Rehman.

He says, "One country or a small minority who are going along the path of radicalism do not represent the true Islam, they are bringing a bad name to Islam."

Shafiq thinks the main misconception people have is that the Koran teaches violence, but, "There is nothing of that kind in the holy book. It teaches tolerance, harmony, mutual respect, freedom of faith and freedom of conscience," he says.

The free exhibition will be held in the Glen Innes Community Centre on August 24.

The exhibition will be a New Zealand first. Event organisers plan to hold similar exhibitions in other Auckland locations.

To mark the the feast of Eid al-Fitr Pope Francis called for "mutual respect" between Christianity and Islam and an end to "unfair criticism" in a personal message on Friday congratulating Muslims on the feast of Eid al-Fitr.

"We are called to respect the religion of the other, its teachings, its symbols, its values," he said in a statement distributed by the Vatican press office.

"I have decided to sign this traditional message myself and to send it to you, dear friends, as an expression of esteem and friendship for all Muslims, especially those who are religious leaders.

"We all know that mutual respect is fundamental in any human relationship, especially among people who profess religious belief," he said.

Source

• Global Post
• Stuff.co.nz
• Image: New York Times