By Zuleqa Husain

Email: husainz@aljazeera.net

https://michaelredmondphotography.zenfolio.com/p812408740

Dr. Sheikh Abdul Husain Jaleeluddin Moeen-ul-Hukama Khusru-e-Deccan Nawab Arastu Yar Jung Bahadur.

Royal physician to last two Nizams

That was the name of my great great grandfather. He was the Royal Physician to the last two Nizams of Hyderabad, Deccan. His first wife Amtul Quyyum Begum helped build a mosque in Husaini Alam. His second wife helped set up a girl’s education fund. Their ideals and legacy are enshrined for posterity in their 12 children and their families, numbering over 1200 today and spread all over the world. Like him, the family is dedicated, has a devotion to serve humanity, and has taken leadership roles in their respective regions.

Arastu: Title bestowed by Nizam Mir Mehboob Ali Khan

Arastu (Arabic for the Greek philosopher Aristotle) as a title was bestowed upon Dr. Abdul Husain by Nizam Mir Mehboob Ali Khan in the year 1905. This later became the family’s last name. Over the years, a majority of the family has settled in the United States of America, some in Pakistan, Canada, England, Ireland, Australia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. A substantial minority still calls Hyderabad home.

For the past 15 years, some members of the family had the vision to bring the entire 1200-member clan in one place. It was a daunting task. About two years ago, a small band decided to make this vision a reality. In 2015, the Haji Kurban Husain family had pioneered a 300 family-member reunion at North Bay Adventure Camp in Maryland USA, exclusively reserving the entire space for the family and conducting many programs over the course of four days. This became a blueprint for the Arastu family. At first the task of just connecting with each family member was intimidating. Getting the young generation excited about meeting their third cousins, fourth cousins, in any era is tough. In a world of nuclear families living in the West, convincing a family to take four days out of their precious vacation time to spend time with distant relatives that they may have never met before is Herculean. By the time ZilHajj rolled around, we had registered over 500 people for the reunion, and had over 700 folks submitting their contact information in our directory, and best of all, we had crossed the Whatsapp limit of 250 participants in our Arastu Reunion group. Apps such as Google Drive and Whatsapp really helped in reconnecting families and individuals who may have known each other as children in Hyderabad, but had lost a part of them when they left Hyderabad for foreign lands. The memories and stories shared on Whatsapp prior to the reunion really set the tone for a nostalgic yet forward looking, legacy-building experience.

500 family members gathered

Those 500 members – from the USA, India, Ireland, England, and UAE gathered in Maryland, USA this past Eid-al-Adha August 2019 to celebrate family ties, rekindle bonds of friendship and learn about the legacy of their family elders. This was an opportunity for the next generations to connect; a way to preserve family traditions and values; a place to have a fun time together, and to reconnect with faraway old friends/relatives.

This was a one-of-a-kind event and quite rare to see Muslim immigrant families host such a gathering that brings together five generations in one place. Elders who were marking their century on this earth and interacting with young kids who are still learning their place in society. Hyderabadi etiquette, Khandaani tehzeeb, and Arastu talent were on full display.

Activities

The program kicked off on Thursday August 8th with an introduction to Arastu Yar Jung through a seven-act play performed by young members of the family. The Hyderabad Chloroform Commission was given prominence to showcase how Arastu Yar Jung invented the modern-day chloroform mask.

Wise words of Arastu Yar jung

Arastu Yar jung would often tell his children, ‘Gain mastery in whatever you do such that your livelihood searches to find you and not the other way around.’

On Friday morning, after congregational prayers, family members were enthralled by the Arastu family vocational fair where they learnt at different stations what projects each member is pursuing. Many showcased their varied career paths such as education, engineering, IT, medicine, architecture, journalism, Islamic studies, law, and art.

Many other activities included zip-lining, kayaking, olympic-level table tennis tournament, cricket, football, musical chairs and chess. Each night family members got a chance to showcase their talents in music, poetry, theatre, and other performing arts.

The real conversations were the ones happening in peer group open chats where each generation came together to discuss their challenges – societal, spiritual, environmental, vocational, educational, and everything in between. Many working groups were created to address them moving forward.

When asked what the difference was between those who were educated and those who were not, the Greek philosopher Aristotle said “as great as between the living and the dead.” He used to say that education was an ornament in good times and a refuge in bad. Not different from what Arastu Yar Jung would say about the same topic. Only befitting then, that the top award at Osmania University given to the student who gets the highest grade in the field of medicine is the Arastu Yar Jung Gold Medal.

Last day of the gathering

Eid came on the last day of the gathering, Sunday morning bright and filled with a sense of rejuvenation. If a family of 500 can wake up to spiritual devotion, hugs, and laughter followed by a sumptuous meal of pot roast, what more could one ask for?

Eid Ka Din Hai Gale Aaj To Mil Le Zalim,

Rasm-e-Dunia Bhi Hai Moqa Bhi Hai Dastoor Bhi Hai

Among his family, many will recognize Dr. Khursheed Husain (physician to the last Nizam of Hyderabad), Fida Husain (Sessions Judge), Mazhar Husain (Director, Bureau of Statistics), Dr. Yousuf Husain (Ophthalmologist), Prof. Abid Ali (Vice Chancellor, Osmania University), Prof. Abde Ali (Principal, College of Chemical Technology, Osmania University), Dr. Shamshad Husain (Director, Shadan Hospital), Minhaj Arastu (Principal, Focus High School), Dr. Irfan Motiwala, Iftekhar Husain (Faiz e Aam Trust), Nabeel Husain (Noori Travels), Ali Shajee Taiyebi & Dr. Gazanfar Husain & Mujahid Husain (Haji Kurban Husain & Sons), Iqbal Taiyebi & family (Shabbir Medical Hall), Asif Husain Arastu (AA Husain & Sons), Saleem Arastu (Hotel Arastu). They are based in Hyderabad, India.

Arastu Yar Jung’s daughter Bilquis Begum has written a book about him in Urdu titled, ‘Maseeh e Deccan’. There is a new English translation of that book available here. Dr. Sajid Ali, grandson of Arastu Yar Jung manages the legacy left by his parents through the yearly Arastu Yar Jung lectures in Hyderabad and the various scholarships offered in his ancestors’ name at Osmania University. His great grandson Dr. Naveed Hussain has written another book that details Arastu Yar Jung’s medical accomplishments. Dr. Naveed Hussain travels regularly to Hyderabad to help train the staff at Nice Hospital.

It was clear from the conversations at the reunion that everyone felt a general sense of coming home, after spending just three days in each others’ company. There was a fervour amongst many to want to build on the legacy of Arastu Yar Jung. After all, Allama Iqbal has said:

Baap ka ilm na bete ko agar azbar ho

Phir pisar qaabil e meeras e pidar kyunkar ho

But it also means that keeping those connections to our families, to our elders and to our community is one of the best ways to build identity; and standing on their shoulders, achieve greatness.

Dekhna saath hi chootay na buzurgon ka kaheen Pattay paydon par lagay hon to haray rehtay hain

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Hyderabad: The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Department of Health Research (DHR), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare invited applications for international fellowships.

The fellowship program will create a pool of talented health research personnel.

According to the report published in Telangana Today, there are two fellowship. They are ‘short term international fellowships for senior Indian biomedical scientists’ and ‘long term international fellowships for young Indian biomedical scientists’.

It may be mentioned that applications are invited for 25 short term and 50 long term fellowship.

The last date to apply for the fellowship is 15th December 2019.

For further details, interested candidates can visit official website of Department of Health Research (click here).

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Washington: Country cap on Green Card will continue to exist as the bill that aims to eliminate it failed US senate test.

According to the report published in The Economic Times, the bill would have reduced the waiting time for the applicants from India and China.

Bill S386 which was sponsored by Senator Mike Lee and Senator Kamala Harris aims to remove 7% annual country cap.

However, Senate failed to pass it by unanimous consent.

It may be mentioned that currently, the waiting time for Indians for Green Card is seven years.

Fairness for High-Skills Immigrant Act

Earlier, Fairness for High-Skills Immigrant Act was passed by US House of Representatives.

It may be noted that US administration under Donald Trump had taken tough stand against Indian skilled workers.

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Riyadh: Saudi Arabia gave a cautious response Saturday to an unexpected offer from Yemen’s Huthi rebels to halt all attacks on the kingdom as part of an initiative to end their country’s devastating war.

The Huthi announcement Friday came on the eve of the fifth anniversary of the start of the conflict and after a wave of drone strikes on Saudi oil installations a week ago knocked out half of the kingdom’s production.

The Iran-backed Huthis claimed responsibility for the attacks, but Riyadh’s ally Washington has condemned them as an “act of war”, placing the blame on Tehran and announcing new sanctions against the Islamic republic.

Saudi Arabia’s response

Saudi minister of state for foreign affairs Adel al-Jubeir took a sceptical position to the announcement from Mehdi al-Mashat, head of the Huthis’ supreme political council, of a “halt of all attacks against the territory of Saudi Arabia”.

“We judge other parties by their deeds, actions and not by their words, so we will see (whether) they actually do this or not,” said the Saudi minister.

“And regarding what prompted them to do this… we have to do more intensive studies,” he said at a press conference in Riyadh.

At a ceremony in Yemen’s capital Sanaa on Saturday marking the anniversary of the 2014 rebel seizure of the city, the Huthis again urged Saudi Arabia to take up the offer.

Warning by Huthis

Mohammed Ali al-Huthi, head of the rebels’ Higher Revolutionary Committee and an influential political figure, warned against rejecting the proposal.

“If they refuse the initiative we will do them more harm,” he said, adding that “any escalation will be countered by further escalation”.

He spoke before tens of thousands of rebels and their supporters who were gathered in Sanaa for a “freedom and independence” rally that featured speeches, dances and poetry recitals honouring the fighters. 

Mashat had said that he hoped “the gesture would be answered by a stronger gesture” from the Saudis, according to the rebels’ Al-Masirah television channel. 

“Pursuing war is not in anyone’s interest,” he added.

The plan calls for rebels to “stop all attacks on Saudi territory by drones, ballistic missiles and other means”, he said.

He also urged the reopening of Sanaa’s international airport and open access to Yemen’s Red Sea port of Hodeida, a crucial entry point for imports and humanitarian aid.

Reversal from previous statements

The announcement was a sharp reversal from previous statements from the Huthis, who earlier on Friday had accused Saudi Arabia and its allies of endangering the fragile truce around Hodeida with strikes on rebel targets north of the port. 

The Huthis have been fighting against a Saudi-led coalition that intervened in 2015 to support the country’s internationally recognised government.

Iran denies US and Saudi accusations that it arms the Huthis.

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TS under ‘Yellow weather' warning till Sep 25

Hyderabad: The southwest monsoon,
which arrived after four weeks late this season, is likely to withdraw in the next 15 days.

“Climatologically, the South west monsoon season ends by September 30, but its with-
drawal this year is likely to be delayed till October 15,” said private weather forecaster Skymet on Saturday.

“The month of June recorded 87 mm of rain against the monthly average of 111.2 mm. July was also deficient with 84.2 mm of rain against the normal of 179.2 mm.

The situation in August wasn’t any
different as the city recorded 129.4 mm of rain, against the average of 207 mm. But September turned out to be good in terms of rain for Hyderabad,” Skymet website said.

Indian Metrological Department (IMD) officials in Hyderabad said in August,
Hyderabad showed a rain deficit of 25 percent. This has reduced to 16 percent now. During its later stages, the southwest monsoon has been quite vigorous over TS because of upper air circulation in
Bay of Bengal, over south Andhra Pradesh coast, which is expected to create a low-
pressure area that will bring rain to nearby regions, including all Telangana districts,
IMD said.

Telangana is now under a Yellow Weather alert with heavy downpour expected in all districts till September 25. Light rain is likely in Hyderabad till September 23.

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Islamabad: Pakistan has slipped two places on the annual global index on peacefulness, finishing at 153 among 163 countries. The index was released on the occasion of the International Day of Peace on September 21. It’s also known as World Peace Day.

In its annual report, the Institute for Economics and Peace presented a comprehensive data-driven analysis on peace, economic value, trends and how to develop peaceful societies.

The Sydney-based think-tank said the global peacefulness improved slightly in 2019. But overall peacefulness has deteriorated 3.78 per cent since 2008.

Iceland tops GPI

While Iceland continues to top the Global Peace Index (GPI) as the world’s most peaceful place, Afghanistan has replaced Syria as the most violent place.

Climate hazard risk

India, together with the Philippines, Japan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, China, Indonesia, Vietnam and Pakistan are the nine countries with the highest climate hazard risk.

India also has the seventh-highest overall natural hazard score in the world.

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Face-recognition tech helps trace, identify him

Hyderabad: The Face-recognition technology helped Hyderabad Metro Rail authorities to trace the person who created nuisance on the Metro train.

The person is identified as Seelam Kanaka Raju is an employee of Container Corporation of India, working in Sanathnagar container depot.

Sources said he is relative of a former MP of Andhra Pradesh, Jesudasu Seelam.
Sources said a special team was formed to keep a watch on Kanaka Raju.

Officials used a combination of traditional and modern facial recognition techniques to nab him. A video of his nuisance activity on September 8 was widely circulated on social media.

He was caught on Monday morning g by the Metro security personnel at the Metro station at Tarnaka and handed over to
Osmania University police.

Kanaka Raju grew a beard after the incident and sported a disheveled look to avoid detection.

A case has been registered under Metro Rail (O&M) Act 2002 and u/s 70 (b) CP Act by the police.

Meanwhile, HMRL is working on creating a WhatsApp facility for commuters to lodge complaints instantly so that offenders can be caught and detained immediately.

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Houston: Prime Minister Narendra Modi met and interacted with members of Dawoodi Bohra community here on Saturday.

They felicitated Modi and recalled his visit to Indore last year to attend a programme of their community. They also highlighted the Prime Minister’s association with Dawoodi Bohra leader Syedna Sahib.

“The Dawoodi Bohra community felicitates PM @narendramodi in Houston. They recall PM Modi’s visit to Indore last year to attend a programme of their community as well as highlight PM Modi’s association with Syedna Sahib,” tweeted PMO India.

PM Modi also meets Kashmiri Pandits, Sikh community

He also met a delegation of Kashmiri Pandits and Sikh community.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address the Indian community at the mega ‘Howdy, Modi!’ event on September 22 at the NRG stadium here. Around 50,000 people are expected to attend the event.

US President Donald Trump will also be taking part in the event.

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Hyderabad: Amazon job for the delivery boy was found fake. Recently, a website which went viral on social media claimed that Amazon is inviting application from the delivery boy.

However, after crosschecking the details, the website found out to be a fake one.

We had also published a news article on the job. Later, we came to know that the fake website is asking aspirants to deposit money.

We apologize for not thoroughly verifying the website.

It may be noted that Amazonjobs (https://amazonjobs.online/apply/) is a fake website.

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Probe in missing person case unravels crime and motive

Hyderabad: The Ibrahimpatnam police on
Saturday arrested four men for murdering a man and covering the offence as a missing person case.

The men were relatives of the deceased, who allegedly harassed his wife and
repeatedly threatened to murder her family members.

The relatives plotted to kill Kishan, and invited him to Nerrapally on August 31.  They attacked  him with axes and sickles, killed him and burnt the body in a pit

The arrested were identified as Gunukulaiah, 58, Gunukula Suresh, 34, Gunukula Naresh, 26 and Guddeti Shekar, 27. Police said three others — Guddeti Srisailam, 31, Rasamoni Krishna, 40, and Guddeti Naresh, 25 – involved in the incident were absconding.

The deceased, Jakkula Kishan, 43, a labourer at a government school in
Hayathnagar, was the cousin of Gunukulaiah. His wife had left him about 6-7 years ago allegedly due to his extra-marital affairs and drinking habit.

Police said Kishan often quarreled with his relatives. He had threatened to kill his wife’s relatives on several occasions.
The relatives then plotted to kill him, and on August 31 they invited Kishan to Nerrapally.

When Srisailam came to know of this, he informed Gunukulaiah. The men
attacked him with axes, sickles
and sticks killed him.

Later they transported the body in Gunukulaiah’s auto into Janaharsha area and dumped the body in a pit they dug earlier and set it on fire.

Police said Gunukulaiah, his sons and son-in-law again went to the spot on September
1 with diesel and set fire to the partially burnt body a second time. They then buried covered the body with soil, police said.

A missing person repory was initially registered following a complaint from Kishan S’s daughter Jakkula Meenakshi.

Police started an investigation and interrogated some people. Leads provided by Gunukulaiah led to recovery of Kishan’s body. A spot PME was conducted by the CAS Govt hospital.

The men were arrested and the sections were altered to murder and other related sections of the IPC.

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Mathura: Despite Parliament passing stringent law i.e., the POCSO Act in 2012, many incidents of crimes against children are reported.

Details of the case

In one such incident, a girl was allegedly raped in a hospital where she was admitted. The accused is identified as Shyam Sundar, a compounder.

According to the report published in News 18, the girl, aged 16, was reportedly raped on Thursday night. This incident took place in a hospital located in Mathura, UP.

Later, the victim’s brother approached the Highway Police Station and lodged a complaint. Based on his complaint, an FIR was registered.

Two other doctors were also booked.

However, no action has been taken against the accused so far as the victim has to record her statement.

Meanwhile, the victim was shifted to a hospital in Jaipur.

Other side of the story

On the other hand, a doctor claimed that it is an attempt to defame the hospital. Raising questions over the allegation, he said that how the crime could take place as the girl was admitted to General Ward where there were other patients also. He also alleged that the staff of the hospital was assaulted.

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Hyderabad: A girl picked up a quarrel with her brother over a trivial issue. Later, she committed suicide. This incident took place in the area which falls under the jurisdiction of Chaitanyapuri Police Station.

As per the details, the girl was undergoing typewriting training and she was to take speed test soon. However, her typewriter went out of order. With an intention to help, her brother arranged another typewriter from her friend.

The girl got irritated and picked up a quarrel with her brother. Later, she committed suicide by hanging herself. Police registered a case and started investigation.

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Riyadh: Saudi ruler, King Salman declared that the recent attack on Aramco installations was a criminal act which not only posed danger to the peace of the region but also to the security of the world.

He further told that after the investigations, Saudi Arabia will take appropriate steps to take defensive action.

Trump imposes new sanctions on Iran

It may be mentioned that US President Trump imposed sanctions on the Central Bank of Iran without disclosing the reasons.

The CEO of Aramco, Mr. Ameen al Nasir in a letter addressed to company employees assured that they are more secure than before.

In his message, he further told that the terrorists want to destabilize the Kingdom but by the Grace of Allah (SWT), our enemies will fail in their attempts. He assured that the production will be restored by the end of this month.

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Mumbai: CM of Maharashtra State, Mr. Devendra Fadnavis assured a delegation of Muslim leaders that ban would be imposed on the movie ‘Ayesha’ produced by Wasim Rizvi, Chairman of Shia wakf board of U.P.

He further told that any action which hurts the sentiments of any religious sect, will not be permitted.

A delegation of Muslim ulema had met Mr. Fadnavis at his residence ‘Varsha’ in Mumbai yesterday.

The delegation included Maulana Moinuddin Ashraf, Mr. Khaleel Zahid, Maulana Khaleelur Rahman and others.

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an anti-mob lynching law was introduced

Senior Congress leader and Thiruvandipuram MP Shashi Tharoor hit out at the Modi government over incidents of mob lynching in the country since the 2014 elections.

Speaking at an event in Pune on Sunday, Tharoor said, “What have we seen in last 6 years? It started with the killing of Mohsin Shaikh in Pune. Then Mohd Akhlaq was killed saying he is carrying beef. But it was reported later that it was not beef. Even if it was beef who gave anyone the right to kill a person?”

Tharoor went on to add, “Is this our Bharat? Is this what Hindu Dharam says? I am a Hindu but not of this kind. Also, while killing people, they are asked to say ‘Jai Sri Ram’. It is an insult to Hindu Dharma. It is an insult to Lord Ram that people are being killed using his name.”

Speaking about 55-year-old dairy farmer Pehlu Khan, who was allegedly lynched to death by self-proclaimed cow vigilantes on suspicion of cow smuggling in Alwar, in April 2017, Tharoor added:

“Also, Pehlu Khan had the licence to carry cow in a lorry for dairy farming, but he was also lynched. One election result gave so much power to such people that they do anything and kill anyone.”

Meanwhile, in order to prevent lynching incidents, an anti-mob lynching law was introduced by several states like West Bengal, Rajasthan, and Manipur.

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The Telangana Christian JAC demanded to sack him, expunge speech from the records of Assembly

Hyderabad: The  various leaders of Christian Community in Telangana State under the umbrella of Telangana Christian JAC  protested against  fallacious remarks made by Mr. Elvis Stephenson, Nominated MLA in State Legislative Assembly hurting the religious sentiments of the Christian Community.

The leaders in about 100 number gathered inside the St. Mary’s Church in Secunderabad and shouted slogans, protested and burnt effigy of the MLA Mr. Elvis Stephenson.

The Telangana Christian JAC was originally planned to take out rally as a protest from St. Mary’s Church to Keys High School. But, the idea was dropped as the Police didn’t grant them permission to do so.  Then they decided to do a protest inside the St. Mary’s Church premises and they also burnt his effigy.

The JAC to give memorandums to Chief Minister, Assembly Speaker and Minister for Minorities on Monday against the MLA

The Telangana Christian JAC demanded to sack the MLA as he is not their representative and urged the Chief Minister and Assembly speaker to expunge his speech from the records of the Assembly  The JAC also decided to give memorandums to Chief Minister, Assembly Speaker and Minister for Minorities on Monday against the MLA. They are even planning to lodge a criminal complaint against the Mr. Elvis Stephenson at Saifabad Police Station for his derogatory remarks against the Christian Religion, Christian Religious Leadership. 

Mr. Gopu Bala Reddy, President of Catholic Reddy Association; Mr. Arogya Reddy, Mr. Shashidhar Reddy, Youth Director, Mr. Roydin Roach, Telangana State President, All India Catholic Union; Mr. Larry Hatch, President of Anglo Indian Association; Ms. Ingrid Payal Khurana, an Anglo Indian; Ms. Sandra from Catholic Community; Mr. LM Reddy from Catholic Christian Community and several others, numbering about 100 gathered, made slogans against the MLA, spoke against his remarks and later joined in burning his effigy. 

Mr. Elvis Stephenson, Nominated MLA Made fallacious statements in Telangana State Legislative Assembly recently  on Christian Community, degrading and attacking all Churches and Christian Faith, informed Gopu Bala Reddy.  He just represents 25 Anglo Indian Families in the city. He is not our representative, nor elected by us.  He has to be sacked. He must tender the Christian Community an unconditional apology, he said.

Speaking further he added that instead of helping Christian Community by getting Government help, he is damaging the religion and our religious sentiments. He is the most inefficient MLA, he spoke.

Mr. Elvis Stephenson is an Anglo-Indian representing a small community of 1000 people or so made false allegations on the Christian Community.  The Constitution of India has given the right to practice and preach Christian faith. 

But, Mr. Elvis Stephenson urged the Telangana Government to take action on independent Pastors who are preaching Bible. The entire Christian Community in the state raises objection to this and condemns it said Arogya Reddy.

Mr. Larry Hatch said Mr. Elvis shouldn’t play politics.  A wrong candidate is nominated for the MLA post.  Mr. Ingrid Payal Khurana said, Mr. Elvis is dividing the community and giving other religions a chance to find a fault with our religion. Instead of talking about women, child problems, he is damaging his own community, she stated.

Mr. Roydin Roach appealed to Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao and Mr. KT Rama Rao to sack the MLA for hurting the religious sentiments of the community.  Catholic School are private.

Even then they have given fee concessions to poor Christian students to the extent of Rs 1.5crore he said.  Ms. Sandra observed that these are our internal matters. The MLA should have raised them with concerned Christian Leadership instead of going in public domain through Assembly. 

In the memorandum to be submitted the Chief Minister, the JAC mentioned that he, the MLA made lot of other false allegations about the Christian Community.   Mr. Stephenson said that the Catholic Educational Institutions were not giving seats and concession to the poor Christians. This is absolutely false, the community observes. 

 We and all our Christian Institutions are for poor Christians first and then only for others, they maintained. We are giving concessions to all eligible Christians. We strictly follow all the rules and regulations of the Government.  Hence we are condemning his statement, they mentioned in the Memorandum to be submitted to the Chief Minister.

Further, the MLA spoken about the Catholic Church hierarchy from the Pope upto Rev. Fathers.  He has no right to question the hierarchy of Catholic Church. Pope, Bishops and Fathers are not only religious leaders but also social leaders of the Catholic Community.  This system is accepted by all countries globally including India.  Hence  his statement is condemned, the Telangana Christian JAC added in the memorandum.

The JAC stated that Stephenson is said to be representing Minority Community of Christians.  He is not a Christina Representative.  He has neither got elected by Christians nor appointed by Church Authorities.  Hence, he has no right to say that he represents Christians.   On the whole, his speech in the Assembly affected the religious sentiments and faith of all Christians.

It has to be condemned. The community wants Chandrashekar Rao to take strict action against him. They are also requesting him and the Speaker to expunge the adverse remarks the nominated MLA made against Christianity and Churches.  His remarks must be taken away from the Assembly records, they demanded.

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The licensing reflects the UAE's leadership for diversity and values of different communities

Abu Dhabi officially recognizes 18 non-Muslim places of worship, including decades-old churches and a temple on Sunday by giving legal recognition.

According to Khaleej Times, the non-Muslim religious congregations were granted licenses in a historic ceremony held at Emirates Palace organized by the Department of Community Development in Abu Dhabi (DCD).

Promoting coexistence &tolerance

Speaking at the event, Dr. Mugheer Al Khaili, chairman of the DCD said, “For decades, our great leaders have welcomed people from various religions, making the UAE a place for all. Abu Dhabi is now a leading model for tolerance and co-existence.”

“The UAE is keen on embracing unity and promoting the inclusion of everyone who had contributed to the development of the country. With this new initiative, the places of worship will now be working and operating under one umbrella.”

The licensing reflects the UAE’s leadership for diversity and values of different communities, Al Khaili said.

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The Yemeni Houthi rebels said they had carried out the attacks.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday warned that foreign forces were threatening the security of the Gulf, after the US said it was deploying troops to the region.

Rouhani’s remarks come a day after it was revealed that the US is sending more troops to Saudi Arabia in the wake of the September 14 drone attacks on a major oil field and a petroleum processing facility in the Kingdom.

The Yemeni Houthi rebels said they had carried out the attacks. But both the US and Saudi Arabia said Iran was behind them. Tehran has strongly denied their claim.

“Foreign forces can cause problems and insecurity for our people and for our region,” the BBC quoted Rouhani as saying in a televised speech on the anniversary of the start of the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war.

He called the deployment of such forces in the past a “disaster” and told them to “stay away”.

“If they’re sincere, then they should not make our region the site of an arms race… The farther you keep yourselves from our region and our nations, the more security there will be.”

Rouhani also said Iran would present a new Gulf peace initiative to the UN, which begins the main part of 74th General Assembly session in New York on Tuesday.

However, he gave no details, saying only that peace in the Strait of Hormuz could be achieved “in co-operation with various countries”.

The President added that Iran was “ready to let go of the past mistakes” made by regional neighbours, the BBC reported.

“In this sensitive and important historical moment, we announce to our neighbours, that we extend the hand of friendship and brotherhood to them,” he said.

The Houthi rebels in Yemen have also made a peace initiative on Saturday, saying they would end all attacks on Saudi Arabia provided the Kingdom and its allies did the same.

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Mumbai:  Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday attacked the Congress and its former President Rahul Gandhi in the issue of Jammu and Kashmir, accusing them of playing politics on a question involving “national security”.

Terming the move to revoke the Constitution’s Article 370 as a “historic decision” on Jammu and Kashmir, Shah said while the BJP had struggled for “one nation, one Prime Minister and one Constitution”, the Congress was indulging in politicising an issue involving the nation’s security.

“The Congress views it as political issue, but we consider this as nationalism,” he asserted.

Shah also charged the former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru for agreeing to an “untimely ceasefire” in 1947 which paved the way for the creation of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

“I congratulate PM Narendra Modi for showing courage and grit in scrapping Article 370 & 35A in the very first session of Parliament after we formed the government for the second time.

“I want to inform Rahul Gandhi that our three generations have struggled to strike down Article 370. So, it is not some political issue like you may believe. Keeping it alive was a political issue for the Congress, but for the BJP it was a matter of the country’s unity and integrity, a dream made true by PM Modi,” Shah said at a meeting of party activists to explain to them the importance of revoking Article 370, which would be a major BJP poll plank for the October 21 Maharashtra assembly elections.

In fact, Maharashtra and Haryana are the first two states going elections after the Article 370 was revoked and the BJP hopes to test the public sentiments on it during the campaign.

Last week, Modi, addressing a rally in Nashik, had urged the people of Maharashtra to “help make Kashmir a paradise again” and embrace all Kashmiris who now want only ‘vikas’ (development).

Shah took a jibe at Gandhi, saying that politics cannot be played on serious matters of national interest.

He advised Gandhi to study Indian history to realise how taking correct decisions are taken on such grave issues.

Kickstarting the BJP’s polls campaign, Shah expressed optimism that the BJP-led alliance would return to power with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at the helm again.

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New Delhi:  Domestic fuel prices have increased significantly over the past one week after the recent drone attacks on Saudi-oil major Aramco and petrol prices across major cities by around Rs 1.60 per litre.

In the national capital, petrol prices have risen Rs 1.65 since the attacks on September 21. On Sunday, the fuel was priced at Rs 73.62 per litre.

Prices in Chennai, Mumbai and Kolkata rose by Rs 1.67, Rs 1.64 and Rs 1.66 to Rs 76.52, Rs 79.29 and Rs 76.36 per litre, respectively, on Sunday, data on the Indian Oil Corp’s website showed.

The rate of increase in prices has been higher in the past four days. On a daily basis, prices in Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai and Kolkata rose by 27 paise, 28 paise, 27 paise and 31 paise compared to Saturday’s price levels.

Diesel prices across the metro cities also increased by over a rupee after since September 14. In Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai and Kolkata, prices of diesel have so far increased by Rs 1.37, Rs 1.47, Rs 1.45 and Rs 1.37 to Rs 66.74, Rs 70.56, Rs 70.01 and Rs 69.15 per litre, respectively, on Sunday.

Experts suggested that following the largest ever-disruption of crude production in Saudi Arabia amid drone attacks on its key facilities, prices of petrol and diesel in India may shoot up by Rs 5 to 6 a litre.

A recent report by Kotak said that in light of the sharp rise in international crude oil prices, Indian oil marketing companies (OMCs) may increase the retail price of diesel and gasoline by Rs 5 to 6 per litre in the following fortnight.

However, government sources have indicated that, even if the surge in crude prices holds on for a longer period, consumers would not be burdened with high auto fuel prices as oil companies and the government may absorb a portion of the price hike.

On September 16, the first working day post the attacks, prices of benchmark Brent crude surge to $72 per barrel. Eventually, however, they have eased following assurances improvement in supplies by Aramco. The demand scenario also has remained stagnant which has helped prices come down from the highs.

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