In India, Muslims and Hindus come together to celebrate Eid Al-Adha

Special In India, Muslims and Hindus come together to celebrate Eid Al-Adha
Muslim devotees chat as one of them holds sacrificial animals, after offering their Eid al-Adha prayers, in New Delhi on June 17, 2024. (AFP)
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Updated 17 June 2024
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In India, Muslims and Hindus come together to celebrate Eid Al-Adha

In India, Muslims and Hindus come together to celebrate Eid Al-Adha
  • Hindu-majority India has the world’s largest Muslim-minority population, comprising 200 million people
  • Muslim and Hindus traditionally get together during religious festivals to celebrate each other’s holidays

NEW DELHI: Indian Muslims and Hindus celebrated Eid Al-Adha on Monday in the spirit of togetherness, as they shared meals to mark the Feast of Sacrifice. 

With over 200 million people professing Islam, Hindu-majority India has the world’s largest Muslim-minority population. 

Indian Muslims joined in communal prayers across the country on Monday to start their celebrations of Eid Al-Adha, the second of the two main holidays observed in Islam. 

“Eid is the most sacred festival for us. The day starts with morning prayer in the mosque nearby, then we prepare the sacrifice of the goat,” Mohammed Altaf, who lives in Delhi, told Arab News. 

Eid Al-Adha commemorates the Prophet Ibrahim’s test of faith when he was commanded by God to sacrifice his son. To reflect his readiness to do so, Muslims around the world slaughter an animal, usually a goat, sheep or cow, and distribute the meat among relatives and the poor.

The holiday is also a time of unity and togetherness for Muslims, with many looking forward to spending the day with friends of different faiths. 

“I cherish (welcoming) my Hindu neighbors to my home when they come for a special meal,” Altaf said. “I live in a mixed-housing society, and it has been custom for many years to invite my Hindu friends from the community and outside to partake in the food that we prepare on this special occasion.” 

Altaf’s household usually makes several preparations of mutton and at least one sweet dish to serve the guests. 

“Not only that, we distribute the raw meat of the sacrificed animals to our relatives and Hindu friends, too. This meat is very sacred, and everyone understands that,” he added. 

Indian Muslims have faced increasing discrimination and challenges in the past decade, accompanied by tensions and riots ignited by the majoritarian policies of the Hindu right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party, which rose to power in 2014. 

Despite incidents of communal violence, Altaf believes that there are people “who know the value of celebrating the festival together,” in order to keep “the secular spirit of India alive.” 

The spirit of togetherness binds India’s diverse communities, said Naser Khan, a resident of Malerkotla city in Punjab. 

“Eid Al-Adha means happiness … This is a very pure festival, and we celebrate it with lots of joy,” Khan said. 

“In India, Eid is not a one-religion festival. Here, people from all faiths participate in each other’s festivals. On Eid, we invite our Hindu and Sikh friends to dine with us and partake whatever we prepare. It becomes an occasion to assert our sense of community and strengthen our communal bonding.”

Prof. Espita Halder, a Hindu woman from Kolkata, was also joining the festivities with her Muslim friends this Eid. 

“We need to create a narrative of harmony. People come close to each other during this festival,” she said. 

Meha Dhondiyal, another Hindu woman based in Lucknow, said Eid has always been “a part of our lives.” She learned the tradition of joining Eid feasts from her father and has since carried it forward with her own Muslim friends.  

“A nation that celebrates together stays together. Festivals are not only religious but of shared culture. And it makes us happy to celebrate Diwali and Holi festivals with Muslim friends,” Dhondiyal told Arab News. 

“It’s also important that in this time of provoked hate due to politics, we keep alive the real alternate narrative of harmony and togetherness. It’s the best way we can think of telling our Muslim friends that they’re not alone. We are together.” 


Pope Francis’s commission against clerical child abuse to publish first report

Pope Francis’s commission against clerical child abuse to publish first report
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Pope Francis’s commission against clerical child abuse to publish first report

Pope Francis’s commission against clerical child abuse to publish first report
  • Pontiff set up the independent panel of experts in December 2014 amid an avalanche of revelations of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy across the world, and its cover-up
VATICAN CITY: The Vatican on Tuesday publishes its first annual report on protecting minors in the Catholic Church, a move requested by Pope Francis amid pressure for more action to tackle clerical child sex abuse.
The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors said its report will be a “first step toward a process of data gathering and reporting,” and will document “where risks remain, and where advances can be found.”
Pope Francis set up the independent panel of experts in December 2014 amid an avalanche of revelations of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy across the world, and its cover-up.
But the commission has faced strong criticism over its organization, funding and role, with several high-profile members quitting.
In 2022, Francis incorporated the commission into the Roman Curia — the government of the Holy See — and asked for an annual, “reliable account on what is presently being done and what needs to change.”
The first of these will be published on Tuesday, launched at the Vatican by the commission’s president, US Cardinal Sean O’Malley, the former archbishop of Boston who has spent decades listening to abuse survivors.
In a statement ahead of the launch, the commission described the report as a “new tool,” part of a process to set out clear standards on protecting children and vulnerable adults.
It will be divided into four areas — a review of safeguarding policies in 15 to 20 local churches each year, trends across continents, policies within the Vatican and the Church’s broader role in society.
“It collects resources and practices to be shared across the Universal Church, and makes specific recommendations to promote further progress in safeguarding,” it said.
Since becoming pope in March 2013, Francis has taken numerous measures to tackle abuse, from opening up internal Church documents to punishing high-ranking clergy, while making it compulsory to report suspicions of sexual assault to Church authorities.
But clergy are still not required to report abuse to civil authorities, unless the laws of that country require it, while any revelations made in confession remain private.
“The global church must implement true zero tolerance on sexual violence by clergy,” Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of the US group Bishop Accountability, which documents abuse in the Church, said earlier this year.
She called for the Church to name convicted priests and insisted that “any priest found to have abused a child or vulnerable adult or credibly accused of abusing a child or adult must be permanently removed from public ministry.”
For all his efforts so far, she said “Pope Francis has shown an absolute aversion to transparency.”
Maud de Boer Buquicchio, a Dutch lawyer and former UN special rapporteur on the sexual exploitation of children who chaired the abuse commission report, said last week it would help promote a “change of mindset in the Church that embraces accountability and transparency.”
During its compilation, “we have been able to explore many of the concerns about the lack of available data,” she added.
Members of the abuse commission are directly appointed by the pope and are experts in fields related to safeguarding, from clinical psychology to law as well as human rights.
But two members representing abuse survivors resigned in 2017, while last year, influential German Jesuit priest Hans Zollner also quit, complaining about “structural and practical issues.”
Francesco Zanardi, founder of Italian survivors group Rete L’Abuso (The Abuse Network), said in 2023 that the commission was “absolutely useless.”

Ghana’s African American diaspora split as US election looms

Ghana’s African American diaspora split as US election looms
Updated 11 min 49 sec ago
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Ghana’s African American diaspora split as US election looms

Ghana’s African American diaspora split as US election looms

ACCRA: Sporting a scarf emblazoned with an image of Kamala Harris, shop owner Jimmie Thorne watched US election coverage on TV from his printing shop in Ghana’s capital Accra.
As US election day draws near, the 70-year-old is among a unique set of African American voters closely following the presidential race from the other side of the Atlantic.
In 2019, Ghana launched a program encouraging members of the African diaspora to relocate to the West African country and reconnect with their roots.
Since the so-called “Year of Return,” which commemorated 400 years since the arrival of the first enslaved Africans in Virginia, many African Americans have moved to Ghana and found a sense of belonging.
Launched by Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo, the program also attracted high-profile visitors such as television presenter Steve Harvey, actor Samuel L. Jackson and rapper Usher, boosting Ghana’s image as a global tourism destination.
But those who have made the move permanent often feel they have a dual identity. Many still vote in US elections despite the distance, with some even influencing their peers back home through advocacy and social media.
It is no secret that Thorne is one such voter.
He spoke to AFP wearing a stars-and-stripes shirt, surrounded by Democratic Party paraphernalia.
“I’m voting for Kamala Harris because democracy is at stake,” he said. “She is the better of the two choices for sure. I have absolutely no doubt.”
Thorne expressed concern about the consequences of a win for Republican Donald Trump, for the United States and Africa.
“If Donald Trump is elected, it’s not good for Africa — he’s called us ‘shithole countries’, and that’s how he sees us.”
Other African American voters in Ghana said they were throwing their weight behind Harris too.
Delia Gillis, an emeritus professor of Africana Studies who moved from the United States to Ghana in 2019, said she was thrilled by Harris’s candidacy, especially as a woman of color.
“It’s exciting to see someone who looks like me running for the highest office,” Gillis told AFP.
“African American women in particular... have been stalwarts in the election process,” she said. “Now we have an opportunity to elect someone presidential in demeanour.”
Not everyone supports Harris, of course.
“I believe Trump deserves another chance,” said Marcus Wright, an African American visitor to Ghana weighing up whether to make the move permanent.
“His economic policies during his administration helped create jobs and gave the US a much-needed economic boost. I think he could do it again.”
Some African Americans in Ghana think their attention is wasted on US politics.
“I don’t care about the US elections,” said Durah Davies, 65, who has lived in Ghana for 15 years.
“The United States has committed unspeakable atrocities, and its policies have historically oppressed Africans globally.
“My focus is on Africa and the well-being of our people here.”

Ghana’s political future
For Thorne and Gillis, Ghana’s political future is as important as the US polls.
Ghana is preparing for its own elections in December, and the contest between Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and opposition leader John Mahama is intensifying.
Gillis believes whoever wins in Ghana must focus on youth empowerment.
“The continent’s future lies in the hands of its young people,” she said.
Having gained citizenship two years ago, Thorne will vote in Ghana for the first time in December.
“I feel like a real citizen now,” he said. “My voice counts, and I’m excited to contribute to the future of my new home.”


China confirms detention of South Korean citizen on suspicion of violating anti-espionage law

China confirms detention of South Korean citizen on suspicion of violating anti-espionage law
Updated 23 min 5 sec ago
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China confirms detention of South Korean citizen on suspicion of violating anti-espionage law

China confirms detention of South Korean citizen on suspicion of violating anti-espionage law

BEIJING: China's foreign ministry said on Tuesday that it confirms China has detained a South Korean citizen on suspicion of violating its anti-espionage law.


At least one policeman dies in Pakistan as gunmen attack polio vaccination teams, sources say

At least one policeman dies in Pakistan as gunmen attack polio vaccination teams, sources say
Updated 17 min 5 sec ago
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At least one policeman dies in Pakistan as gunmen attack polio vaccination teams, sources say

At least one policeman dies in Pakistan as gunmen attack polio vaccination teams, sources say
  • Militants shot dead a Pakistan policeman who was guarding a polio vaccination team

PESHAWAR: At least one policeman was killed in northwest Pakistan on Tuesday as unidentified gunmen attacked a health office where polio vaccination teams were gathered, two sources in the health department said.
Multiple polio vaccination teams were present in the Basic Health Unit in Upper Orakzai in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, one health official said on condition of anonymity as he is not authorized to speak to the media.

“Two militants attacked a policeman guarding a polio vaccination team. The policeman died at the scene. A police team later chased down and killed two attackers and their local facilitator,” said Malik Sikandar Khan, a senior police official in Orakzai, a town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province where the attack happened.


Japan nuclear reactor near Fukushima to restart

Japan nuclear reactor near Fukushima to restart
Updated 16 min 28 sec ago
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Japan nuclear reactor near Fukushima to restart

Japan nuclear reactor near Fukushima to restart
  • Japan shut down all of its 54 reactors after the 2011 Fukushima disaster, but has since brought 12 of 33 still operable units online
  • Japan has been turning back to nuclear power in order to cut emissions, reduce expensive imports of fossil fuels and meet energy demand

TOKYO: A Japanese nuclear reactor with an upgraded anti-tsunami wall was set to restart Tuesday in a region near the crippled Fukushima plant, according to its operator.

Japan shut down all of its 54 reactors after the 2011 Fukushima disaster, but has since brought 12 of 33 still operable units online – although none in eastern and northern regions.

Unit number two at the Onagawa plant in the northeastern Miyagi region, next to Fukushima prefecture, was to become the 13th on Tuesday, according to Tohoku Electric Power Company.

Japan has been turning back to nuclear power in order to cut emissions, reduce expensive imports of fossil fuels and meet energy demand for data centers for artificial intelligence (AI).

“Nuclear power, along with renewable energy, is an important decarbonized power source, and our policy is to make maximum use of it on condition that safety is ensured,” top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters on Tuesday.

The 2011 earthquake and tsunami that killed around 18,000 people cut power lines and flooded backup generators at Fukushima Daiichi, sending three reactors into meltdown.

Safety and regulatory standards have been tightened since, and the Onagawa plant – cleared in 2020 to re-start – has increased the height of its anti-tsunami wall to 29 meters (95 feet) above sea level, one of the highest in Japan.

The reboot also marks the first time a boiling water reactor (BWR) – the same model used at Fukushima – will be brought back online since the meltdown.

“The importance of restarting (nuclear reactors) is growing from the perspective of our nation’s economic growth driven by decarbonized power sources,” Hayashi said.

Under its current plan, Japan aims for nuclear power to account for 20-22 percent of its electricity by 2030, up from well under 10 percent now.

It wants to increase the share of renewables to 36-38 percent from around 20 percent and cut fossil fuels to 41 percent from around two-thirds now.

The E3G think-tank ranks Japan in last place – by some distance – among Group of Seven industrialized nations on decarbonizing their power systems.

This article also appears on Arab News Japan