Religion

Indian Muslim Shopkeepers Banned From Selling At Hindu Festival

Muslims are banned from setting up temporary shops during a biennial Hindu festival. Organizers of the Kote Marikamba Jatra, a celebration held every two years in Shivamogga, Karnataka, have blocked Muslim vendors from setting up stalls.

Kote Marikamba Jatra is a fair festival held every other year in February or March. The center of the festivities is the Marikamba Temple, a temple dedicated to the Hindu goddess Marikamba Devi.

Ayatollah Khamenei's New Fatwa: 'Fake' Likes & Follows Are Banned

Iran's current Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, issued a fatwa against "fake" likes and followers on social media. Khamenei's declaration comes as his followers posed questions at him through his website.

Fatwas are legal opinions or rulings issued by an Islamic scholar. These fatwas are based on Quranic teachings and are socially and sometimes legally carried out as laws.

Survey Finds Few Americans Attribute Suffering to God

A survey published by the Pew Research Center (PRC) on November 23 showed that most US adults don’t blame God for bad things happening, but rather people and society are to blame.

Conducted between September 20 to 26, the survey polled 6,485 U.S. adults online through the American Trends Panel (ATP). The ATP consists of more than 10 thousand adults located in the U.S. and is selected randomly to create a nationally representative sample.

Lawsuit Exposes International Human Trafficking in Hindu Temples

A lawsuit against a Hindu organization based in New Jersey has been amended with more plaintiffs and more respondents spanning five states. The case against Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), a Hindu organization based in New Jersey, now includes temples in California, Illinois, Texas, and Georgia.

Study Finds White Evangelicals Oppose Religious Diversity

A 2021 survey published on November 1, by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) revealed the extreme opposition that the majority of Evangelicals have towards religious diversity. The 2021 American Values Survey conducted by the PRRI from September 16 to 29, 2021, included 2,508 American respondents. The survey's result showed a growing number of Americans, both religious and non-religious, support religious diversity.

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