Akal Takht bars gay marriages in gurdwaras

Times of India, 9th July, 2009

Even as Amrit and Jeeta - possibly the first gay couple in India to marry after the Delhi High Court read down section 377 that penalizes sex between homosexuals —spent a day in marital bliss, an uncomfortable and angry Sikh clergy issued directions to all gurdwara management committees of the world to not solemnize such unions ‘‘as it is against Gurmat and has no place in Sikhism.’’

The censure came after a meeting at the Akal Takht secretariat on Wednesday of Sikh high priests, among them the jathedar of Akal Takht, Giani Gurbachan Singh, jathedar of Takht Damdama Sahib, Giani Balwant Singh Nandgarh, and Jathedar of Takht Kesgarh Sahib, Giani Tarlochan Singh.

“Gay marriages are not acceptable in Sikhism and have no place in Gurmat,” said Gurbachan Singh, adding that the five Sikh high priests have issued strict directions to all gurdwaras across the globe to abide by the diktat.

‘‘The heads of other religions and faiths also have a similar opinion on gay relations,’’ he said, finding brotherhood in the group of enraged Hindu, Christian and Muslim leaders who have condemned the court’s rethink on the anti-gay section of IPC.

Harnam Singh Khalsa, head of Damdami Taksal, too, echoed the anti-homosexual chorus, protesting India’s inclusion in the list of 150 countries, including South Africa, China, Nepal, Australia, Canada and Argentina, where homosexuality is legal. ‘‘Gay marriages,’’ he said, ‘‘are not acceptable and we strongly oppose it. We may even begin an agitation against such relations.’’

Going a step further, Sikh seminary Damdami Taksal has asked the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and the state government to take legal steps that would prevent gay marriages in the state ‘‘which would only lead to moral degradation in society.’’

URL:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Akal-Takht-bars-gay-marriages-in-gurdwaras/articleshow/4755390.cms

After Deoband, other Muslim leaders condemn homosexuality

Times of India, 1st July, 2009

Amid government moves for a re-look at criminalising homosexuality, several Muslim leaders have said any attempt to legally permit unnatural sex is an attack on religious and moral values.

"Legalisation of homosexuality is an attack on Indian religious and moral values," over a dozen prominent Muslim religious leaders said in a statement.

The statement has been endorsed by Maulana Jalaluddin Omari, President of the Jamaat-e Islami Hind, Maulana Muhammad Salim Qasimi, Rector of Darul Uloom Waqf, Deoband, Maulana Mufti Mukarram Ahmad, Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid Fatehpuri, among others.

"We are shocked to see reports in the media that the Union government is considering the repeal of Section 377 of the IPC, which means making homosexuality legal," the statement said on Tuesday.

It said that homosexuality is a sin and a social evil which will only lead to societal disintegration and break-up of the family.

Appealing to the government not to be influenced by the "decadent trends of the Western culture" and not to give in to the demands of a minuscule minority, the statement said the government should not test the patience of the silent vast majority of the country which abhors such behaviour.

A prominent body of Muslim community Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind had earlier hit out at the government's proposed move, saying the repeal of the section would create "sexual anarchy" in the society.

"The section should stay as its repealing would result in sexual anarchy in the society. Those opposing the section are influenced by Western culture. Those who argue for independence do not realise that independence should have its limits," Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind spokesperson Abdul Hameed Noamani said.

Leading Islamic seminary Darul Uloom Deoband had earlier also opposed the Centre's move to repeal a controversial section, saying unnatural sex is against the tenets of Islam.

"Homosexuality is offence under Shariat Law and haram (prohibited) in Islam," Deputy Vice Chancellor of the Darul Uloom Deoband Maulana Abdul Khalik Madrasi has said.

The reaction came after reports that Centre was likely to convene a meeting soon to evolve a consensus on repealing a controversial section of the Indian Penal Code which criminalises homosexuality.

URL:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Muslim-leaders-join-Deoband-slam-gay-sex/articleshow/4723843.cms

Triple eclipse doesn't bode well for humanity

DNA, 23rd June, 2009

If India is racked by tumults from its restful neighbours in the near future, blame it on the universe. This year, starting from July 7, the world will witness a rare celestial drama of a triple eclipse over a period of just one month. If history is any indication, this does not augur well for the world, say the authors of the book Will History Repeat Itself, brought out under the Bharat Gyan series. There could, however, also be positives to emerge like Kurukshetra's great lesson and the divine Gita message, say the authors.

July 7 will witness a lunar eclipse followed by a solar eclipse on July 22 and another lunar eclipse on August 6. Six more triple eclipses will occur over the next decade, point out DK Hari and Hema Hari, the authors. Basing their arguments on arche-historical-astronomical analysis, the authors say the three eclipses that occurred during the first recorded triple eclipse in 3067BC brought the Kuruskshetra war; the second in 3031BC submerged Krishna's Dwaraka and saw the internecine war of the Yadavas.

The Kuruskshetra war killed 47 lakh men and beasts in two weeks. And, it is believed that the war used nuclear-like weapons (even weapons so fearsome that they could kill a baby in the womb, while leaving the mother unharmed). The 20th Century eclipse series saw two world wars and the world's first and only nuclear attack. "It was a war of clans; of brothers -- India and Pakistan are like brothers. Could there be a parallel?" The authors wondered aloud at a media-briefing held in the city on Monday.

Triple eclipses are also linked to Biblical stories of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Pleading not to dismiss the celestial happenings as "exotic tales" Hari said the effect of the realignment of heavenly bodies are based on a scientific fact. "When the Earth is caught between the Sun and the Moon, a huge gravitational pull between the Sun and the planets affects the speed of the Earth's rotation. This, in turn, will affect the motion of tectonic plates that could fall out of sync with the Earth's rotational speed. Tremors are the result."

Commenting on the book, Art of Living founder, Sri Sri Ravishankar said man is powerless in the cosmic scheme of things, but his spirituality could save him from a cataclysmic impact. "The microcosm and macrocosm are interconnected. Nothing exists in isolation," he observed.

URL:

http://www.dnaindia.com/lifestyle/report_triple-eclipse-doesn-t-bode-well-for-humanity_1267660