--> Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from July 7, 2007


Malaysian Muslim Woman Wants to Live as Hindu But

Revathi, 29, a Malaysian woman was born to Indian Muslim parents, who converted from Hinduism to Islam. But Revathi was raised as a Hindu by her grandmother. She married Suresh Veerappan, a Hindu, in 2004 and they had a daughter in 2005. BUT the Malaysian law won’t permit Revathi to live as a Hindu. Because Malaysians who are born as Muslims are legally barred from changing religion. The marriage of Suresh and Revathi is not registered because under Malaysian law Suresh would have had to convert to Islam first. The trouble started when Revathi applied before a court to officially designate her as a Hindu. The authorities seized the couple's daughter and handed the child to Revathi's Muslim mother. Revathi was send to an Islamic rehabilitation center for six months. At the center Revathi was forced to recite Muslim prayers, wear Muslim dress and eat beef. Now authorities have released her from the rehabilitation center but have ordered her to live with her Muslim

Woman Barber at Bhadrachalam Temple

Fate made 30-year-old Saidamma a barber at the tonsure center in the famous Bhadrachalam Temple in Andhra Pradesh. She took up the job when her husband died. If Endowment Commission Department of the state makes her a permanent employee, Bhadrachalam Temple will follow Tirupati to become the second temple in Andhra Pradesh to have Women barbers. Head tonsuring at Hindu temples is symbolic surrendering of one’s ego before the Supreme Being. Tonsuring was a male prerogative in Hindu temples and earlier there were objections from several quarters for permitting women to tonsure head. But things are slowly changing and several women are coming forward to take up the job. Especially, when large number of Hindu women devotees are tonsuring at many famous temples including Tirupati, Palani and Bhadrachalam. Women devotees have opinioned that they feel comfortable with women performing the tonsuring. And Tirupati Trust is earning thousands of dollars by selling women’s hai