Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
Editorials & Other Articles
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Islamic activists halt construction of first Hindu temple in Islamabad
Source: The Guardian
Islamic activists halt construction of first Hindu temple in Islamabad
Petitions filed in court to block work on first Hindu temple in capital since Pakistan’s creation
Hannah Ellis-Petersen
Wed 8 Jul 2020 14.22 BST
Last modified on Wed 8 Jul 2020 18.45 BST
The controversial construction of the first Hindu temple in Pakistan’s capital has been halted after it was challenged in the courts.
Plans for the Shri Krishna temple on a 1,860 sq metre (20,000 sq ft) site in Islamabad include a Hindu crematorium and a community hall for the city’s minority Hindu residents and visitors.
For years the thousands of Hindus in Islamabad had been pushing for a proper place to worship and to cremate their dead, rather than having to travel sometimes hundreds of miles to perform last rites.
The plans were granted approval by the central government, and last week Imran Khan ordered the release of £500,000 to help fund the project. After becoming prime minister in 2018, Khan pledged to protect the religious freedom of Pakistan’s 8 million Hindus.
However, the temple has proved a highly sensitive issue in the Islamic nation. The Pakistan Muslim League - Quaid, a political party in Khan’s ruling coalition, requested that the project be scrapped, claiming it was “against the spirit of Islam”. Last week a Lahore-based Islamic institution, the Jamia Ashrafia, issued a fatwa against the construction of the temple, declaring it a “non-permissible” act under Islam, and a group of influential Islamic clerics said there would be a “severe reaction” if the temple went ahead.
-snip-
Petitions filed in court to block work on first Hindu temple in capital since Pakistan’s creation
Hannah Ellis-Petersen
Wed 8 Jul 2020 14.22 BST
Last modified on Wed 8 Jul 2020 18.45 BST
The controversial construction of the first Hindu temple in Pakistan’s capital has been halted after it was challenged in the courts.
Plans for the Shri Krishna temple on a 1,860 sq metre (20,000 sq ft) site in Islamabad include a Hindu crematorium and a community hall for the city’s minority Hindu residents and visitors.
For years the thousands of Hindus in Islamabad had been pushing for a proper place to worship and to cremate their dead, rather than having to travel sometimes hundreds of miles to perform last rites.
The plans were granted approval by the central government, and last week Imran Khan ordered the release of £500,000 to help fund the project. After becoming prime minister in 2018, Khan pledged to protect the religious freedom of Pakistan’s 8 million Hindus.
However, the temple has proved a highly sensitive issue in the Islamic nation. The Pakistan Muslim League - Quaid, a political party in Khan’s ruling coalition, requested that the project be scrapped, claiming it was “against the spirit of Islam”. Last week a Lahore-based Islamic institution, the Jamia Ashrafia, issued a fatwa against the construction of the temple, declaring it a “non-permissible” act under Islam, and a group of influential Islamic clerics said there would be a “severe reaction” if the temple went ahead.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/08/pakistan-shri-krishna-hindu-temple-construction-halted-islamabad
3 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
