Ahead of 2014 Lok Sabha polls, a section of Muslims has prepared a charter of 20 demands and sent it to different political parties. Called Muslim electoral declaration, the demands are now being discussed among community members.
SOURCE: The Times of India

1984 anti-Sikh riots: US court asks Sonia to respond by Jan 2
A US federal court has given Congress president Sonia Gandhi till January 2 to respond to a Sikh body’s charges of protecting and shielding party leaders allegedly involved in the 1984 anti-Sikh violence.
SOURCE: The Hindu

How Yoga Became A $27 Billion Industry — And Reinvented American Spirituality
In the more than 40 years since Khalsa opened his school, he has watched as yoga in America has evolved from a niche activity of devout New Agers to part of the cultural mainstream. Dozens of yoga variations can be found within a 1-mile radius of his studio in Manhattan’s Flatiron District, from Equinox power yoga to yogalates to “zen bootcamp.” Across America, students, stressed-out young professionals, CEOs and retirees are among those who have embraced yoga, fueling a $27 billion industry with more than 20 million practitioners — 83 percent of them women. As Khalsa says, “The love of yoga is out there and the time is right for yoga.”
SOURCE: Huffington Post

Annie, why won’t my mother let me choose my own religion?
I am 14 years old and facing a dilemma. My father isn’t particularly religious, but my mother is a strict Catholic, and my older sister and brother have been confirmed. I have another six months before I am expected to go through the process of confirmation. I do not want to do this. But as the time approaches, my mother has become increasingly forceful on the subject.
SOURCE: The Omaha World Herald

Over 100,000 Muslims take pledge against terrorism, spread message that Islam is religion of peace
The ceremony,organised by the Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Hind, was held at the Ramlila ground, and came after a two-day conference attended by clerics of Jamiat-e-Ulemas in the Maldives, Britain, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar at Deoband in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur district, where it was decided to set up a forum to promote world peace.
SOURCE: India Today

Spirituality: Rational and Radical
Most people sense that spirituality is about much more than beliefs in unseen forces and attachment to tribal identities. However, to develop a constructive alternative account we need to draw the discussion away from competing clusters of perspectives on the nature and meaning of the universe (theistic, atheistic, spiritual but not religious, agnostic etc) and back towards human practices and experiences that ground spirituality in our lives, where we can see its universal relevance and political importance.
SOURCE: RSA

Is Atheism a Religion?
Ninian Smart has identified seven characteristics of religion:
Narrative
Experiential
Social
Ethical
Doctrinal
Ritual
Material
Does atheism have these characteristics?
SOURCE: American Clarion

Islam in the West
Islamophobia designed to distort the image of Islam is sometimes turned on its head. A case in point is the story of Swiss politician Daniel Streich, known for his campaign to ban minarets, who has reverted to Islam. During the minarets campaign, Streich started reading the Quran in order to find ammunition with which to attack Islam. The Quran had a deep impact on him, and Streich began to agree with and acknowledged the proclamations of the Quran. Streich embraced Islam in 2008 and left the Swiss People’s Party in 2009 calling its campaign against Islam as witch hunt. Deeply opposed to the minaret ban, Streich now promotes religious tolerance and he is hoping to build Switzerland’s fifth mosque and the most beautiful in Europe. Streich, who now regularly recites Quran and offers his prayers five times a day, says he has found the truth of life in Islam. “Islam offers me logical answers to important life questions, which, in the end, I never found in any other faith,” he says.
SOURCE: Oman Daily Observer

‘Religion leaders, capitalists corrupting literary forums’
Jana Nudi, the two-day literary meet, which ended here on Sunday, resolved to press the State government for passing the Anti Superstition Bill. It resolved to oppose all forms of discrimination in serving food in temples. It also resolved to oppose all forms of palanquin processions. It was resolved that religion leaders and capitalists were corrupting literary institutions. The writers resolved that there would be opposition to all forms of violence against women.
SOURCE: The Hindu

Don’t Judge Religions By Extremist Acts
Secretary General of Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) Dr Khalid Abubakar Aliyu says Muslims and Christians are not at war anywhere and that conflicts perpetuated by a few extremist religious leaders for reasons other than religion should not be blamed on the religions.
SOURCE: AllAfrica