Religion in Fiji

Religiously, Fiji is a mixed society with most people being Christian (64.4% of the population), with a sizable Hindu (27.9%) and Muslim (6.3%) minority, according to the 2007 census. Religion tends to split along ethnic lines with most Indigenous Fijians being Christian and most Indo-Fijians being either Hindu or Muslim.
Aboriginal Fijian religion could be classified in modern terms as forms of animism or shamanism, traditions utilizing various systems of divination which strongly affected every aspect of life. Fiji was Christianized in the 19th century. Today there are various Christian denominations in Fiji, the largest being the Methodist church. Hinduism and Islam arrived with the importation of large numbers of people from South Asia, most of them indentured, in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Fiji has many public holidays as it acknowledges the special days held by the various belief systems, such as Easter and Christmas for the Christians, Diwali for the Hindus and the Eid-ul-Azha for the Muslims.
History.
Fijian religion prior to the 19th century included various forms of animism and divination. Contact from the early 19th century with European Christian missionaries, especially of the Methodist denomination, saw conversion of dominant chiefs such as Octavia and thus also the people they controlled. Cession of the islands to Great Britain in 1874 saw great change in all aspects of life including religious practice. Christianity became the dominant faith. Hinduism, Sikhism and Islam were introduced as minority migrant communities came to work in Fiji. Fiji's modern religious community is thus:
Demographics.
† Includes atheists and agnostics. Source: ,
Law.
Fiji had traditional law prior to becoming a colony. After cession, laws that governed Britain were also applied to its colonies and religion developed under the Westminster system. Freedom of religion and conscience has been constitutionally protected in Fiji since the country gained independence in 1970. In 1997, a new constitution was drawn up. It stated
Although religion and the State are separate, the people of the Fiji Islands acknowledge that worship and reverence of God are the source of good government and leadership.
but also guaranteed every person
 35.-(1) Every person has the right to freedom of conscience, religion and belief.
(2) Every person has the right, either individually or in community with others, and both in public and in private, to manifest his or her religion or belief in worship, observance, practice or teaching.
(3) The right set out in subsection (2) extends to the right of religious communities or denominations to provide religious instruction as part of any education provided by them, whether or not they are in receipt of any financial assistance from the State.
(4) The right set out in subsection (2) may be made subject to such limitations prescribed by law as are necessary:
(a) to protect:
(i) the rights or freedoms of other persons; or
(ii) public safety, public order, public morality or public health: or
(b) to prevent a public nuisance.
(5) Except with his or her consent or, in the case of a person under the age of 18, the consent of a parent or guardian, a person attending a place of education is not required to receive religious instruction or to take part in or attend a religious ceremony or observance if the instruction, ceremony or observance relates to a religion that is not his or her own or if he or she does not hold any religious belief.
(6) A person must not be compelled to take an oath, or to take an oath in a manner, that is contrary to his or her religion or belief or that requires him or her to express a belief that he or she does not hold.
The 1997 Constitution was suspended in 2009 and replaced in 2013. This constitution states in chapter 1:
4.(1) Religious liberty, as recognised in the Bill of Rights, is a founding principle of the State.
(2) Religious belief is personal.
(3) Religion and the State are separate, which means—
(a) the State and all persons holding public office must treat all religions equally;
(b) the State and all persons holding public office must not dictate any religious belief;
(c) the State and all persons holding public office must not prefer or advance, by any means, any particular religion, religious denomination, religious belief, or religious practice over another, or over any non-religious belief;
and
(d) no person shall assert any religious belief as a legal reason to disregard this Constitution or any other law.
The 2013 Constitution also explicitly allows people to swear an oath or to make an affirmation when legally necessary.
Ancient religion.
The term ancient religion in this article refers to the religious beliefs and practices in Fiji prior to it becoming a Colony.
Gods, temples and magic.
Fijian religion, myth, and legend were closely linked and in the centuries before the cession of 1874, it was considered part of everyday life. Of the traditional religion in Fiji, Basil Thomson (1908:111) writes:
"The religion of the Fijians was so closely interwoven with their social polity that it was impossible to tear away the one without lacerating the other. ... Religion was a hard taskmaster to the heathen Fijian; it governed his every action from the cradle-mat to the grave. In the tabu it prescribed what he should eat and drink, how he should address his betters, whom he should marry, and where his body should be laid. It limited his choice of the fruits of the earth and of the sea; it controlled his very bodily attitude in his own house. All his life he walked warily for fear of angering the deities that went in and out with him, ever watchful to catch him tripping, and death but cast him naked into their midst to be the sport of their vindictive ingenuity."
Myth was very much reality in the years preceding and following cession. For example, in Taveuni their god, Kalou Vu(root god), is named Dakuwaqa (Back boat). In Levuka and Kadavu Islands he is known as Daucina (Expert Light) due to the phosphorescence he caused in the sea as he passed. Daucina, however, has a different connotation as a Kalou yalo (deified ancestors) in other parts of Fiji.
Dakuwaqa took the form of a great shark and lived on Benau Island, opposite Somosomo Strait. He was highly respected by the people of Cakaudrove and Natewa as the god of seafaring and fishing communities, but also the patron of adulterers and philanderers. In the book "Pacific Irishman", the Anglican priest Charles William Whonsbon-Ashton records in Chapter 1, "Creation":
""When I came to Fiji the famed fish-god, the Dakuwaqa, was very much a reality. The Government ship, the Lady Escott, reached Levuka with signs of an encounter with the great fish, while the late Captain Robbie, a well known, tall, and very erect Scot, even to his nineties, told of the sleepy afternoon as his cutter was sailing from his tea estate at Wainunu, under a very light wind, with most of the crew dozing." "A great fish, which he described as near 60 feet in length, brown-spotted and mottled on its back, with the head of a shark and the tail of a whale, came up under his ship, almost capsizing it."
"The crew, instantly awake and concerned, followed the ancient pattern, pouring a strong libation of kava into the sea, which, it would seem, was just the right idea for placating fish-gods; the monster slowly submerged, the breeze gradually gathered the cutter away, its keel dragging along the monster's back, making the skin pale."
"To the Fijian crew this was the "Dakuwaqa"--in the twentieth century; what must have been the effect in the tenth?""
As late as 1957, R.A Derrick (1957:13) states:
"Many Yavusa still venerate a bird (e.g. kingfisher, pigeon, heron), an animal (e.g. dog, rat, or even man), a fish or reptile (e.g. shark, eel, snake), a tree (especially the ironwood or Nokonoko), or a vegetable, claiming one or more of these as peculiarly their own and refusing to injure or eat them. The relationship is evidently totemic, and it is probable that each totemic group originally recognized a complete series of three totems: manumanu (living creature, whether animal, bird or insect), fish or vegetable, and tree."
The Gods and their temples
Traditionally Fijian religion had a hierarchy of gods called "Kalou" or sometimes in the western dialect "Nanitu". In 1854 an early Methodist missionary, Rev. Joseph Waterhouse stated:
"It is impossible to ascertain even the probable number of the gods of Fiji; for disembodied spirits are called gods, and are regarded as such. But the natives make a distinction between those who were gods originally, and those who are only deified spirits. The former they call Kalou-vu (root-gods), the latter Kalou-yalo (deified mortals). Of the former class the number is great; but the latter are without number...There were various ranks amongst the Kalou-vu according to the extent of their territory and the number of their worshippers. Thus, some gods were universally known throughout Fiji, others were local gods of large or small territories, while some were simply gods of particular families."
Basil Thomson (1908:113) suggests that, ""Groups in Fiji who are tauvu or kalou-vata, i.e. worshippers of the same god, have a common origin"."
The Fijian gods (Kalou-Vu, Kalou-Yalo and numerous lesser spirits) were generally not made into any form of idol or material form for worship apart from some small objects used in ceremony and divination. However, it was more prevalent that certain places or objects like rocks, bamboo clumps, giant trees such as Baka or Ivi trees, caves, isolated sections of the forest, dangerous paths and passages through the reef were considered sacred and home to a particular Kalou-Vu or Kalou-Yalo and were thus treated with respect and a sense of awe and fear, or "Rere", as it was believed they could cause sickness, death, or punish disobedience. Others would provide protection. Thomas Williams and James Calvert in their book "Fiji and the Fijians" writes:
"Idolatry - in the strict sense of the term - he seems to have never known for he makes no material attempts to fashion material representations of his gods."
The main gods were honoured in the Bure Kalou or temple. Each village had its Bure Kalou and its priest (Bete). Villages that played a pivotal role in the affairs of the Vanua had several Bure Kalou. The Bure Kalou was constructed on a high raised rock foundation that resembled a rough pyramid base and stood out from other bures because of its high roof, which formed an elongated pyramid shape. Inside, a strip of white masi cloth hung from the top rafters to the floor as conduit of the god. More permanent offerings hung around the wall inside. Outside of the Bure Kalou, plants with pleasant aromas were grown which facilitated spiritual contact and meditation. Many of the gods were not celebrated for their sympathetic ear to man or their loving natures, rather they were beings of supernatural strength and abilities that had little concern for the affairs of man. Peter France (1966:109 and 113) notes:
"Local gods were plentiful, but were celebrated in legend and song more for the wild obscenities of their sylvan antics than for their influence in human affairs...The old tales [told] of gymnastic encounters in bathing places, which celebrated, with hilarious ribaldry, the sexual prowess of ancestor-gods."
First and foremost among the Kalou-vu was Degei, who was a god of Rakiraki but was known throughout most of the Fiji Group of islands except for the eastern islands of the Lau group. He was believed to be the origin of all tribes within Fiji and his power was superior to most, if not all, the other gods. He was often depicted as a snake, or as half snake and half stone. R.A Derrick (1957:11) says:
"In these traditions Degei figures not only as the origin of the people, but also as a huge snake, living in a cave near the summit of the mountain Uluda - the northernmost peak of the Nakauvadra Range. Earth tremors and thunder were ascribed as his uneasy turnings within the cave. He took no interest in his people’s affairs; his existence was no more than a round of eating and sleeping. By association with him, snakes were honoured as ‘the Offspring of the origin’. The snake cult was generally throughout the group."
Other gods recognized throughout the Fiji group were: Ravuyalo, Rakola, and Ratumaibulu. Rokola was the son of Degei and was the patron of carpenters and canoe-builders, while Ratumaibulu assured the success of garden crops. Ravuyalo would stand watch on the path followed by departed spirits: he would look to catch them off guard and club them. His purpose was to obstruct their journey to the afterlife (Bulu).
Aspects and practices of the old religion.
Consulting the gods
The different gods were consulted regularly on all manner of things from war to farming to forgiveness. The Bete (Priest) acted as a mediator between the people and the various Gods. R.A Derrick (1957:10 and 12) notes:
"The gods were propitiated to ensure favourable winds for sailing, fruitful seasons, success in war, deliverance from sickness...In times of peace and prosperity, the Bure Kalou might fall into disrepair; but when drought and scarcity came, or war threatened, the god was remembered, his dwelling repaired, its priest overwhelmed with gifts and attention."
Rev. Joseph Waterhouse (1854:404) reports on the types of worship offered to the gods:
""The temple-worship of the gods consists of the lovi, an act of propitiation; the musukau, an act of covenant or solemn vow; the soro, and act of atonement for sin; and the madrali, an act of thanksgiving. The first-fruits of the earth are invariably presented to the gods."
As a medium of the god, the Bete relied on dreams and, when inspired, fell into trances. His body trembled as he was possessed and in a strange voice he announced the message of the god."
Laura Thompson (1940:112) speaking of the situation in Southern Lau states with regard to the Bete:
""The priest had charge of the worship of the clan’s ancestor gods (Kalou vu). He was the intermediary for the people and the god. Since he was influential in securing mana from the god, he was feared and respected. He controlled the activities of the people in warfare, in times of famine, and in sickness, receiving offerings from the people and presenting them to the god according to the sevusevu ceremonial pattern...The principal offerings were first fruits, kava, and cooked feasts, including human sacrifices. As a small offering wreaths were presented. The priest prayed to the god, who presently took possession of him and spoke through him or revealed his will by means of a sign or omen...When a priest was possessed his whole body shook in convulsions and his flesh twitched...The people gave a loud cry as the god took possession of the priest. When the god finally left the Bete was served with Yaqona. After the ceremony the priest and his clan consumed the sacred offerings."
Rev. Joseph Waterhouse (1854:404/405) notes:
"All the offerings (to the gods) refer to the present life. The Fijians propitiate the gods for success in war, offspring, deliverance from danger and sickness, fruitful seasons, fine weather, rain, favourable winds, etc., etc.; but their religious ideas do neither extend to the soul, nor to another world...The influence of the priest over the common people is immense, although he is generally the tool of the chief. Indeed, these two personages most usually act in concert."
Witchcraft
Consulting the spirit world and using them to influence daily affairs were part of the Fiji religion. Using various specially decorated natural objects like a conch shell bound in coconut fibre rope or war club, it was a form of divination and was not only in the realm of priests. It was referred to as "Draunikau" in the Bauan vernacular and the practice was viewed as suspicious, forcing the practicers to do it stealthily. R.A Derrick (1957:10 and 15) writes:
"The Fijians...attributed all unexplained phenomena to gods, spirits or to witchcraft...Sickness and insanity were the work of malignant spirits, and food gardens wilted under their spells. In such cases sorcery was assumed and steps were taken to find the sorcerer and counter his spell with another, more potent."
A.M Hocart (1929:172) claims:
""That Ba was considered to be the home of witchcraft and that Moala, Mualevu and Matuku also have a bad reputation for witchcraft"."
Dreaming
Dreams were also viewed as a means by which spirits and supernatural forces would communicate with the living and communicate special messages and knowledge. A dream where close relatives were seen conveying a message was termed "Kaukaumata" and was an omen warning of an approaching event that may have a negative impact on the dreamer's life.
R.A Derrick, 1957:15-16:
"Special knowledge could be gained through dreams and, while dreaming, people could be told to do certain things - even murder."
Bert O. States in his book "Dreaming and Story Telling" states:
"They believe dreams are real experiences of the wandering soul released by sleep..."
In some instances, there was also a person whose sole purpose was to interpret dreams. He or she was referred to as the "Dautadra", or the "dream expert".
Martha Kaplan in her book "Neither Cargo Nor Cult: Ritual Politics and the Colonial Imagination in Fiji" notes:
"Seers (Daurai) and dreamers (Dautadra) could predict the future, communicating with deities either in a trance or a dream."
Mana
"Mana" could be loosely translated as meaning magic or power or prestige, but it is better explained by anthropologist Laura Thompson (1940:109) when she writes:
"The concept of mana associated with the ancestor cult is strong in the native pattern of thought. According to this concept mana is the vital force or potency which gives supernatural significance to persons or things...Its presence in a person or thing is not attributed to power inherent in the thing itself but to some spiritual force lodging in it...The first-born of each noble clan was the temporary repository of the mana of the clan’s ancestral forefathers. The chiefs had the strongest forefathers and the high chief was the most sacred because theoretically they received mana from the most powerful ancestor gods."
Ana I. González in her web article "Oceania Project Fiji" writes:
"Mana is a term for a diffuse supernatural power or influence that resides in certain objects or persons and accounts for their extraordinary qualities or effectiveness. In Melanesia a stone having mana may be buried in a garden to increase the crops. Mana may also be attached to songs, dreams or ideas. Mana is not the same as a personal power or influence. It is an arbitrary, uncontrollable force that may come or go without explanation."
In modern Fiji, while the term is still used in a traditional sense, it has a more generalized use and with the introduction of the Fijian Bible it is used to describe miracles. The term Mana, when used in ceremonial speech, can be interpreted as "it is true and has come to pass."
Afterlife
At death it is believed that the spirits of the dead would set off on a journey to Bulu, which is the home of the dead sometimes described as a paradise. Immediately after death the spirit of the recently departed is believed to remain around the house for four days and after such time it then goes to a jumping off point (a cliff, a tree, or a rock on the beach). At that point the spirit will begin their journey to the land of spirits (Vanua Ni Yalo). The spirit's journey would be a dangerous one because the god Ravuyalo would try to obstruct and hinder it on its travels to Vanua Ni Yalo. Anthropologist Laura Thompson (1940:115) writes:
"The dominant belief...is that when a man dies his soul goes to Nai Thibathiba, a ‘jumping-off’ place found on or near each island, usually facing the west or northwest. From here the soul goes to Nai Thombothombo, the land of souls located on the Mbua coast, of Vanua Levu."
Myth and legend.
The Fijian race origins have many different lines passed down through oral traditional story or in relics of songs and dance, the most practical is found oral history. In myth it is accepted by most Fijians that their origins are found through the Kalou Vu Degei. An alternative tale from times past was published in the first part of the 19th century by Ms. Ann Tyson Harvey. This tells of Lutunasobasoba, supposedly a great ancestral chief and a brother of Degei II, whose people came to settle Fiji. The third story of Fijian origin is muddled in the two stories, but can be found in a local article referred to as the: "NAMATA", or the face. There are variations of this story; some versions state three migrations, some exclude Lutunasobasoba and have only Degei, but they have common themes.
In the writings of Ms. Ann Tyson Harvey (1969) in her paper "The Fijian Wanderers" she writes of Tura, who was a tribal chieftain in a time which pre-dates the era of the great pyramids. He lived near what is known as Thebes in Egypt. Legend speaks that his tribe journeyed to South Africa and settled on Lake Tanganyika in Tanzania, where Tura then Married a Tanzanian woman and then with his tribes, for various reasons, traveled ocean-ward out past Madagascar, through the Asian islands, ending their journey in Fiji; by this time Tura had died and his son Lutunasobasoba was leader. During a storm in the waters of the Mamanuca Island Group, he lost the chest of Mana, or more practically put, he lost the chest containing Fiji’s ancestors' written history before Fiji, including the written language.
Tired, old, sick, and weary, Lutunasobasoba set foot at Veiseisei and from there the early Fijians settled Fiji and his children were Adi Buisavuli, whose tribe was Bureta, Rokomautu whose tribe was Verata, Malasiga whose tribe was Burebasaga, Tui Nayavu whose tribe was Batiki, and Daunisai whose tribe was Kabara. It is believed in this mythology that his children gave rise to all the chiefly lines.
However, it is said that smoke was already rising before Lutunasobasoba set foot on Viti Levu. Villagers of the Province of Ra say that he was a trouble maker and was banished from Nakauvadra along with his people; it's been rumored the story was a fabrication of early missionaries. It is also believed there were three migrations, one led by Lutunasobasoba, one by Degei, and another by Ratu,traditionally known to reside in Vereta, along with numerous regional tales within Fiji that are not covered here and still celebrated and spoken of in story, song and dance.
These history have an important role in ceremony and social polity, as they are an integral part of various tribes' history and origins. They are often interconnected between one tribe and another across Fiji, such as the Fire walkers of Beqa and the Red prawns of Vatulele, to mention but a few. Also, each chiefly title has its own story of origin, like the Tui Lawa or Ocean Chieftain of Malolo and his staff of power and the Gonesau of Ra who was the blessed child of a Fijian Kalou yalo. The list goes on, but each, at some turn, find a common point of origin or link to the other.
Religion in modern Fiji.
The term "Modern Fiji" in this article means Fiji after cession to Great Britain.
Christianity in Fiji.
Christianity came to Fiji via Tonga, who were more receptive to the European visitors. As Tongan influence grew in the Lau Group of Fiji, so did Christianity under the Tongan Prince Enele Ma'afu. Its advancement was solidified further by the conversion of the emerging Dominant chieftain of Bau, Seru Epenisa Cakobau. The cession of 1874 saw a more dominant role within Fijian society as the old religion was gradually replaced by the new Christian faith. Bure Kalou were torn down and in their place churches were erected. Most influential were the Methodist denomination, which is the majority today, but other denominations such as Catholicism and Anglicanism, amongst other offshoots such as Baptists, Pentecostal and others, are a part of current Fijian religion. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was established in Fiji in the 1950s and currently reports 50 congregations, a technical college, and a Temple.
The are over 200 Ortodox Cristians, with 4 churches and one monastery.
Hinduism in Fiji.
According to the 2007 census, Hindus form the second largest religious group in Fiji, comprising 27% of the population. Hinduism in varying forms was the first of the Eastern religions to enter Fiji, with the introduction of the indentured labourers brought by the British authorities from India.
Islam in Fiji.
Muslims in the country are mainly part of the Indo-Fijian community, they form about 6.3 percent of the total population (62,534). The Ba province in Fiji has more than 20,000 Muslims and is the most Muslim dominated area in Fiji.
Other religions in Fiji.
Sikhism is also present among the Indo-Fijian population.
Fiji's old religion.
While much of the old religion is now considered not much more than myth, some aspects of witchcraft and the like are still practiced in private, and many of the old deities are still acknowledged, but avoided, as Christianity is followed by the majority of indigenous Fijians.
Fiji religion in society and politics.
The constitution of Fiji establishes the freedom of religion and defines the country as a secular state, but also provides that the government may override these laws for reasons of public safety, order, morality, health, or nuisance, as well as to protect the freedom of others. Discrimination on religious grounds is outlawed, and incitement of hatred against religious groups is a criminal offense. The constitution further states that religious belief may not be used as an excuse for disobeying the law, and formally limits proselytization on government property and at official events.
Religious organizations must register with the government through a trustee in order to be able to hold property and to be granted tax-exempt status.
Religious groups may run schools, but all religious courses or prayer sessions must be optional for students and teachers. Schools may profess a religious or ethnic character, but must remain open to all students.
Religion, ethnicity, and politics are closely linked in Fiji; government officials have criticized religious groups for their support of opposition parties. In 2017, the Republic of Fiji Military Forces issued a press release stating that Methodist leaders were advocating for the country to become "a Christian nation" and that this could cause societal unrest. Following the press release, Methodist leaders distanced themselves from their previous statements, and other religious leaders also affirmed the nonpolitical nature of their religious movements.
Many Hindus of Fiji emigrated to other countries. Several Hindu temples were burned, believed to be arson attacks, for example, the Kendrit Shiri Sanatan Dharam Shiv Temple. While Hindus face less persecution than before, a Hindu temple was vandalized in 2017. Later that year, following an online post by an Indian Muslim cleric visiting the country, a significant amount of anti-Muslim discourse was recorded on Fijian Facebook pages, causing controversy.
Military-church relations.
The Military of Fiji has always had a close relationship to Fiji's churches, particularly the Methodist Church, to which some two-thirds of Indigenous Fijians belong.


David E. Richards

David Emrys Richards (January 23, 1921 – August 21, 2018) was an American prelate of the Episcopal Church who served as the Suffragan Bishop of Albany and then as bishop to multiple missionary districts in Central America.
Early life and education.
Richards was born on January 23, 1921, in Scranton, Pennsylvania, son of Emrys Richards and Ida May Williams. He was educated at Lehigh University from where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1942. He then studied at the General Theological Seminary and graduated with a Bachelor of Sacred Theology in 1945. In 1952, he was awarded a Doctor of Sacred Theology from General.
Ordained ministry.
Richards was ordained deacon on April 7, 1945, at St Luke's Church in Scranton, Pennsylvania, by Bishop Frank W. Sterrett of Bethlehem. On July 6, 1945, he was transferred to the Missionary District of Canal Zone and was ordained priest there in October of the same year by Bishop Reginald Heber Gooden of Central America and Panama. During this time he served as priest-in-charge of the Church of St Mary the Virgin in Cristóbal, Colón, in present-day Panama. In 1948, he returned to the United States and became assistant at St George's Church in Schenectady, New York.
Bishop.
In 1951, Richards was elected Suffragan Bishop of Albany and was consecrated on July 19, 1951, by Presiding Bishop Henry Knox Sherrill. He remained in Albany until 1957, when that September he was elected as Bishop of the Missionary District of Central America. In 1967 he was elected Bishop of Costa Rica, and Bishop in Charge of Nicaragua and Honduras, posts he retained till 1968. From 1968 till 1988 he served as director of the Office of Pastoral Development.
Family.
Richards was married to Helen Rice and together had three sons and one daughter.


List of Hindu temples in Canada


Johannes Bilberg

Johannes Bilberg (17 November 1646 – 11 March 1717) was a Swedish theologian, professor and bishop. As a professor he was involved in the controversy over Cartesianism.
He was the son of school principal and vicar Jonas Amberni and his wife Ingrid Denckert. At the age of thirteen Bilberg started studying at Uppsala University. After he graduated with Bachelor of Arts, he took employment as a tutor for a young baron named Ulf Bonde on a trip around the continent of Europe when they visited royal courts and universities. When he returned home in 1677 he was named professor of mathematics at Uppsala University.
At this time a controversy had erupted between the new Cartesian philosophy and the theological orthodoxy in Uppsala. Priests at the Riksdagen were also involved in the debate, which made the government feel compelled to set up a special commission to investigate the matter. A compromise was reached and Bilberg and the Cartesians were given full rights.
The conflict and battle continued until Bilberg, with the blessing of the King of Sweden, became dean and vicar in Örebro in 1692. In his new home he gathered a number of young disciples who he educated in theology and philosophy. At the command of King Karl XI, Bilberg travelled to Torneå and Kengis along with Anders Spole to study the midnight sun. The expedition, dedicated to Karl as "sun-king", observed that the sun could indeed be observed around the clock at high altitudes. Bilberg afterwards published a work in Latin and Swedish under the title of "Refractio solis inoccidui, in septemtrionalibus oris" (About the refraction of the midnight sun, in the Northlands).
In 1683, Bilberg married Margareta Staaf, whose father was a trader in Uppsala. The couple had four children together. All four were knighted by Karl XII in Bender at which time they were entitled to retain their father's last name of Bilberg.
In 1701, Bilberg was named bishop of Strängnäs after Erik Benzelius resigned to become archbishop. He continued as bishop in that congregation until his death in 1717.


Hendrik Sumendap

Hendrik Sumendap (born June 9, 1948 in Tareran, North Sulawesi, Indonesia ) was elected the Executive Secretary of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Southern Asia-Pacific Division of Seventh-day Adventists to replace GT Ng who accepted the call to become the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists associate secretary in 2007. He was the second Indonesian Adventist to be elected to the post, the first one being Pastor Alex Rantung.
Prior to that position, Sumendap was the Department Director for the Sabbath School and Personal Ministries since 1996.
He was succeeded by Pastor Joshua Mok when he accepted a call to be a local church pastor in New Jersey, United States.
Secretarial Service.
Sumendap was elected to the office of the Executive Secretary in 2007 after Ng accepted the call to the General Conference Headquarters in Maryland, United States of America. His term was cut short due to his retirement. However, during this short term, Sumendap's office was involved in an extensive effort to trim down the church membership figures of the SSD. After coming to office, it became apparent to him that the current membership figures could not be the same with the real figures of church membership. He then initiated efforts to identify the real figures of the church membership in SSD countries. The results was 300,000 church members were identified missing after the updated count.
Previous Roles.
Before his appointment as executive secretary, Pastor Sumendap was the Sabbath School and Personal Ministries Director of SSD from 1997. During his term as a department director, he played a major role in developing training programs for the 4 Phases of Leadership Certification for the church members. He was also instrumental in organizing the "world's largest lay congress" in the Seventh-day Adventist Church with 75,000 people in attendance at Mountain View College, Bukidnon, Philippines.
Prior to serving in the church at the division level, he was the Dean for the School of Theology and later Vice-President for Student Affairs of Mount Klabat College; he was later appointed as associate director of the Church Growth Institute of the Far Eastern Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church then based in Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies, from 1993-1996. As a church administrator, he has also been a church pastor, an editor, a departmental leader in the conference and union level, a college professor, a teacher, and elementary school principal.


Ak Yum

Ak Yum () is an ancient temple in the Angkor region of Cambodia. Helen Jessup dates the temple to the 8th century, and states it is the oldest known example of "temple mountain" in Southeast Asia.
The origins and repair history of the temple are unclear. Stone carrying inscriptions, including one with a date corresponding to Saturday 10 June 674 AD during the reign of king Jayavarman I. The first structure on the site was a single-chamber brick sanctuary, probably constructed in the latter part of the 8th century. Later it was remade into a larger stepped pyramid structure, with a base approximately 100 meters square. The expansion probably took place in the early 9th Century during the reign of King Jayavarman II, who is widely recognized as the founder of the Khmer Empire. When the West Baray reservoir was built in the 11th Century, Ak Yum was partially buried by the southern dike. The site was excavated in the 1932 under the direction of archaeologist George Trouvé.


Jade Buddha for Universal Peace

The Jade Buddha for Universal Peace is a jade statue of the Gautama Buddha sourced from northern Canada in 2000 and later carved by Thai artisans. It is made of polar jade, which is a kind of nephrite. It stands 2.7 metres high, sitting on a solid alabaster throne of 1.4 metres high, and is valued at more than A$25 million. The four-tonne statue was created for the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion in Bendigo, Victoria, in Australia and was consecrated by the Dalai Lama.
Its model is the Buddha statue of the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya, India, which is universally recognized by all Buddhists. The statue toured the world with the purpose of raising awareness of Buddhism and promoting peace.
Mandala lights around the statue.
In many pictures taken by tourists visiting the Buddha, bright and unusual lights appear in the background. These lights allegedly first appeared at Quán Thế Âm temple in Đà Nẵng. They have since been sighted at every showing of the Jade Buddha in Vietnam, Australia and the US. It has been said that only those with a pure heart and pure intentions can take such photographs. Called the "Mandala Lights" because their appearance is similar to a Buddhist mandala, the lights seem to be made of many colours in wildly varying patterns.
Tour.
The purpose of exhibiting the Jade Buddha around the world was to raise awareness of Buddhism and promote peace.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche said that "It will illuminate the world and bring inconceivable peace and happiness and help prevent the destruction that is happening so much in the world, including war."
"I want to emphasize the importance of so many people, I think it seems millions of people, who have seen the statue and have therefore have had strong imprints placed in their minds for enlightenment. … Please remember the benefits to sentient beings in what you are doing with the tour, by people even merely seeing the Jade Buddha, ultimately brings them extensive benefit."
The Jade Buddha was on tour to major cities around the world before it was finally placed inside the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion in Bendigo.


Islam in Italy

Muslim presence in Italy dates back to the 9th century, when Sicily came under control of the Abbasid Caliphate. There was a large Muslim presence in Italy from 827 (the first occupation of Mazara) until the 12th century. The Norman conquest of Sicily led to a gradual decline of Islam, due to the conversions and emigration of Muslims toward Northern Africa. A small Muslim community however survived at least until 1300 (the destruction of the Muslim settlement of Lucera). When the Spanish ruled Sicily and parts of Southern Italy there was a notable Muslim Enslaved population as well as a small Moriscos population.
During the 20th century, the first Somali immigrants from Somalia began to arrive. In more recent years, there has been migration from Pakistan, Balkans, Bangladesh, India, Morocco, Egypt, and Tunisia. There is also some converts to Islam in Italy. (Most notably on the island of Sicily)
Legal status.
Islam is not formally recognised by the Italian state. The official recognition of a religion different from Catholicism on behalf of the Italian Government is in fact to be approved by the President of the Republic under request of the Italian Minister of the Interior, following a signed agreement between the proposing religious community and the government. Such recognition does not merely depend on the number of followers of a given religion, and it requires congruence between the proposing religion principles and the Constitution. Official recognition gives an organised religion a chance to benefit from a national "religion tax", known as the Eight per thousand. Other religions, including Judaism and smaller groups, such as the Assemblies of God, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Seventh-Day Adventists, already enjoy the official recognition in the form of signed agreements with the Italian government. In late 2004, Italian minister, Giuseppe Pisanu set out in an attempt to create a unified leadership amongst the Muslim community. In 2005, the Consulta per l'Islam Italiano was created. This council is composed of 16 members of the Muslim population that are elected by the Ministry of Interiors. The goal of this council was for the Muslim community to have frequent and harmonious dialogues with the Italian government. The Consulta does not have any real power to make binding decisions. It exists as a platform for the Muslim community. Strong disagreement between Council members slows its work.
History.
Saracens.
The Italian island of Pantelleria (which lies between the western tip of Sicily and North Africa) was conquered by the Arabs in 700. The Arabs had earlier raided Roman Sicily in 652, 667 and 720 A.D.; Syracuse in the eastern end of the island was occupied for the first time temporarily in 708, but a planned invasion in 740 failed due to a rebellion of the Berbers of the Maghreb that lasted until 771 and civil wars in Ifriqiya lasting until 799.
Arab attacks on the island of Sardinia were less significant than those on Sicily and eventually failed to achieve the island's conquest, although they induced its separation from the Roman Empire, giving birth to a long period of Sardinian independence, the era of the Judicates.
Conquest of Sicily.
According to some sources, the conquest was spurred by Euphemius, a Byzantine commander who feared punishment by Emperor Michael II for a sexual indiscretion. After a short-lived conquest of Syracuse, he was proclaimed emperor but was compelled by loyal forces to flee to the court of Ziyadat Allah in Africa. The latter agreed to conquer Sicily, with the promise to leave it to Euphemius in exchange for a yearly tribute. To end the constant mutinies of his army, the Aghlabid magistrate of Ifriqiya sent Arabian, Berber, and Andalusian rebels to conquer Sicily in 827, 830 and 875, led by, amongst others, Asad ibn al-Furat. Palermo fell to them in 831, followed by Messina in 843, Syracuse in 878. In 902, the Ifriqiyan magistrate himself led an army against the island, seizing Taormina in 902. Reggio Calabria on the mainland fell in 918, and in 964 Rometta, the last remaining Byzantine toehold on Sicily.
Under the Muslims, agriculture in Sicily prospered and became export oriented. Arts and crafts flourished in the cities. Palermo, the Muslim capital of the island, had 300,000 inhabitants at that time, more than all the cities of Germany combined. The local population conquered by the Muslims were Romanized Catholic Sicilians in Western Sicily and partially Greek speaking Christians, mainly in the eastern half of the island, but there were also a significant number of Jews. These conquered people were afforded freedom of religion under the Muslims as dhimmis. The dhimmi were also required to pay the jizya, or poll tax, and the kharaj or land tax, but were exempt from the tax that Muslims had to pay (Zakaat).The payment of the Jizya is a mark of subjection to Muslim rule in exchange for protection against foreign and internal aggression. The conquered population could avoid this subservient status simply by converting to Islam. Large numbers of native Sicilians converted to Islam. However, even after 100 years of Islamic rule, numerous Greek-speaking Christian communities prospered, especially in north-eastern Sicily, as dhimmis. This was largely a result of the Jizya system which allowed co-existence. This co-existence with the conquered population fell apart after the reconquest of Sicily, particularly following the death of King William II of Sicily in 1189. By the mid-11th century, Muslims made up the majority of the population of Sicily.
Emirates in Apulia.
From Sicily, the Muslims launched raids on the mainland and devastated Calabria. In 835 and again in 837, the Duke of Naples was fighting against the Duke of Benevento and appealed to the Sicilian Muslims for help. In 840 Taranto and Bari fell to the Muslims, and in 841 Brindisi. Muslim attacks on Rome failed in 843, 846 and 849. In 847 Taranto, Bari and Brindisi declared themselves emirates independent from the Aghlabids. For decades the Muslims ruled the Mediterranean and attacked the Italian coastal towns. Muslims occupied Ragusa in Sicily between 868 and 870.
Only after the fall of Malta in 870 did the occidental Christians succeed in setting up an army capable of fighting the Muslims. Over the next two decades, most of the territory held by Muslims on the mainland was liberated from Muslim rule. The Franco-Roman emperor Louis II conquered Brindisi and beat the Arabs at Bari in 871, but then fell captive to the Aghlabids. In his stead the Byzantines conquered Taranto in 880. In 882 the Muslims had founded at the mouth of Garigliano between Naples and Rome a new base further in the north, which was in league with Gaeta, and had attacked Campania as well as Sabinia in Lazio. A hundred years later, the Byzantines called the Sicilian Muslims to ask for support against a campaign of German emperor Otto II. They beat Otto at the battle of Stilo in 982 and for the next 100 years largely succeeded in preventing his successors from entering southern Italy.
In 1002 a Venetian fleet defeated Muslims besieging Bari. After the Aghlabids were defeated in Ifriqiya as well, Sicily fell in the 10th century to their Fatimid successors, but claimed independence after fights between Sunni and Shia Muslims under the Kalbids.
Raids in Piedmont.
After they had conquered the Visigoth Kingdom in Spain (729–765), the Arabs and Berbers from Septimania and Narbonne carried out raids into northern Italy, and in 793 again launched an offensive into northwestern Italy (Nicaea 813, 859 and 880). In 888, Andalusian Muslims set up a new base in Fraxinet near Fréjus in French Provence, from where they started raids along the coast and in inner France.
In 915, after the Battle of Garigliano, the Muslims lost their base in southern Lazio. In 926 King Hugh of Italy called the Muslims to fight against his northern Italian rivals. In 934 and 935 Genoa and La Spezia were attacked, followed by Nicaea in 942. In Piedmont the Muslims got as far as Asti and Novi, and also moved northwards along the Rhône valley and the western flank of the Alps. After defeating Burgundian troops , in 942–964 they conquered Savoy and occupied a part of Switzerland (952–960) . To fight the Arabs, Emperor Berengar I, Hugh's rival, called the Hungarians, who in their turn devastated northern Italy. As a result of the Muslim defeat at the Battle of Tourtour, Fraxinet was lost and razed by the Christians in 972. Thirty years later, in 1002, Genoa was invaded, and in 1004 Pisa.
Pisa and Genoa joined forces to end Muslim rule over Corsica (Islamic 810/850-930/1020) and Sardinia. In Sardinia in 1015 the fleet of the Andalusian lord of Dénia come from Spain, settled a temporary military camp as a logistic base to control the Tyrrhenian Sea and Italian peninsula, but in 1016 the fleet was forced to leave its base due to the military intervention of maritime republics of Genoa and Pisa.
Sicily under the Normans.
The cultural and economical bloom in Sicily that had started under the Kalbids was interrupted by internecine fights, followed by invasions by the Tunisian Zirids (1027), Pisa (1030–1035), and the Romans (1027 onwards). Eastern Sicily (Messina, Syracuse and Taormina) was captured by the Byzantines in 1038–1042. In 1059 Normans from southern Italy, led by Roger I, invaded the island. The Normans conquered Reggio in 1060 (conquered by the Romanin 1027). Messina fell to the Normans in 1061; an invasion by the Algerian Hammadids to preserve Islamic rule was thwarted in 1063 by the fleets of Genoa and Pisa. The loss of Palermo in 1072 and of Syracuse in 1088 could not be prevented. Noto and the last Muslim strongholds on Sicily fell in 1091. In 1090–91, the Normans also conquered Malta; Pantelleria fell in 1123.
A small Muslim population remained on Sicily under the Normans. Roger II hosted at his court, among others, the famous geographer Muhammad al-Idrisi and the poet Muhammad ibn Zafar. At first, Muslims were tolerated by the Normans, but soon pressure from the Popes led to their increasing discrimination; most mosques were destroyed or made into churches. The first Sicilian Normans did not take part in the Crusades, but they undertook a number of invasions and raids in Ifriqiya, before they were defeated thereafter 1157 by the Almohads.
This peaceful coexistence in Sicily finally ended with the death of King William II in 1189. The Muslim elite emigrated at that time. Their medical knowledge was preserved in the Schola Medica Salernitana; an Arabian-Roman-Norman synthesis in art and architecture survived as Sicilian Romanesque. The remaining Muslims fled, for example to Caltagirone on Sicily, or hid out in the mountains and continued to resist against the Hohenstaufen dynasty, who ruled the island from 1194 on. In the heartland of the island, the Muslims declared Ibn Abbad the last Emir of Sicily.
To end this upheaval, emperor Frederick II, himself a Crusader, instigated a policy to rid Sicily of the few remaining Muslims. This cleansing was done in small part under Papal influence but mostly in order to create a loyal force of troops which could not be influenced by non-Christian infiltrators. In 1224–1239 he deported every single Muslim from Sicily to an autonomous colony under strict military control (so that they could not infiltrate non-Muslim areas) in Lucera in Apulia. Muslims were recruited however by Frederick in the army and constituted his faithful personal bodyguard, since they had no connection to his political rivals. In 1249, he ejected the Muslims from Malta as well. Lucera was returned to the Christians in 1300 at the instigation of the pope by King Charles II of Naples. Muslims were forcefully converted, killed or expelled from Europe . However a Muslim community was still recorded in Apulia in 1336 and very recently in 2009, a genetic study revealed a small genetic Northwest African contribution among today's inhabitants near the region of Lucera.
During Spanish rule of Sicily.
During Spanish rule, many Muslims or former Muslims were held as slaves in Sicily. and accounted for a significant portion of these area's populations. Originally consisting mainly of Sicilians and North Africans overtime more Muslim slaves started to be sourced from Genoese and venetian traders who captured Muslims in Turkic regions of Eastern Europe and Central Asia. They were acquired from slave markets or by raiding the unguarded coastlines of the Black Sea and the failing Byzantine Empire. Sub-Saharan Africans were only a small proportion of the slave population until the fifteenth century when the eastern ports were closed to the Genoese and Venetians, Later many slaves began coming from further south from areas of Sub Saharan Africa mainly from Muslim majority areas of West Africa. Slaves commanded a high price, but despite the cost, people from all levels of society owned slaves including nobles, priests, notaries, etc. the majority of slaves were women historical and genetic evidence indicates that they were largely forced to undergo sexual servitude.
The percentage of Muslim or converted Muslim slaves in Palermo is estimated to have been as high as 12% of the population.
To escape the Spanish inquisition of the Moriscos (Muslims who had converted to Christianity) in the Iberian peninsula, a few Moriscos migrated to Sicily. During this time there were several attempts to rid Sicily of its extensive formerly Muslim 'Moor' population. The attacks were also directed against crypto-Muslim slaves and Sicilian renegades who refused to deny Islam during the 16th and the 17th centuries. However, it is doubtful that the order was carried out in practice. The main reason that some former Muslims were able to remain in Sicily was that they were openly supported by The Duke of Osuna, now officially installed as viceroy in Palermo, advocated to the Spanish monarch in Madrid for allowing the Moriscos to stay in Sicily.
15th century: Ottomans in Otranto.
During this century, the Ottoman Empire was expanding mightily in southeastern Europe. It completed the absorption of the Byzantine Empire in 1453 under Sultan Mehmet II by conquering Constantinople and Galata. It seized Genoa's last bastions in the Black Sea in 1475 and Venice's Greek colony of Euboea in 1479. Turkish troops invaded the Friuli region in northeastern Italy in 1479 and again in 1499–1503. The Apulian harbor town of Otranto, located about 100 kilometers southeast of Brindisi, was seized in 1480 (Ottoman invasion of Otranto), but the Turks were routed there in 1481 by an alliance of several Italian city-states, Hungary and France led by the prince Alphonso II of Naples, when Mehmet died and a war for his succession broke out. Cem Sultan, pretender to the Ottoman throne, was defeated despite being supported by the pope; he fled with his family to the Kingdom of Naples, where his male descendants were bestowed with the title of Principe de Sayd by the Pope in 1492. They lived in Naples until the 17th century and in Sicily until 1668 before relocating to Malta.
Attacks in the 16th century.
It is a subject of debate whether Otranto was meant to be the base for further conquests. In any case, the Ottoman sultans had not given up their ambition to take over the Italian Peninsula and to finally install Islamic sovereignty after the conquest of Constantinople. After the conquests of Ragusa (Dubrovnik) and Hungary in 1526 and the defeat of the Turkish army at Vienna in 1529, Turkish fleets again attacked southern Italy. Reggio was sacked in 1512 by the famous Turkish corsair Khayr al-Din, better known by the nickname of Barbarossa; in 1526 the Turks attacked Reggio again, but this time suffered a setback and were forced to turn their sights elsewhere. In 1538 they defeated the Venetian fleet. In 1539 Nice was raided by the Barbary pirates (Siege of Nice), but an attempted Turkish landing on Sicily failed, as did the attempted conquest of Pantelleria in 1553 and the siege of Malta in 1565.
Next to Spain, the biggest contribution to the victory of the Christian "Holy League" in the battle of Lepanto in 1571 was made by the Republic of Venice, which between 1423 and 1718 fought eight costly wars against the Ottoman Empire. In 1594, the city of Reggio was again sacked by Cığalazade Yusuf Sinan Pasha, a renegade who converted to Islam.
Present day.
According to a 2016 Pew Research Center projection and Brookings, there are 1,400,000 Muslims in Italy (2.3% of the Italian population), almost one third of Italy's foreign population (250.000 have acquired Italian citizenship). The majority of Muslims in Italy are Sunni, with a Shi'ite minority. There are also a few Ahmadi Muslims in the country. This diversity has induced a lack of organization throughout the Italian Muslim community. As a result, the community also lacks cohesive leadership.
Despite undocumented immigrants representing a minority of the Muslims in Italy, considering that undocumented migrants and refugees predominantly come from Muslim countries, the issue of Islam in contemporary Italy has been linked by some political parties (particularly the Lega Nord) with immigration, and more specifically illegal immigration. Immigration has become a prominent political issue, as reports of boatloads of illegal immigrants (or "clandestini") dominate news programmes, especially in the summertime. Police forces have not had great success in intercepting many of the thousands of "clandestini" who land on Italian beaches, mainly because of a political unwillingness, partly fostered by the EU, to address the issue. However, the vast majority of the "clandestini" landing in Italy are only using the country as a gateway to other EU states, due to the fact that Italy offers fewer economic opportunities and social welfare services for them than Germany, France, or the United Kingdom.
While in medieval times, the Muslim population was almost totally concentrated in Insular Sicily and in the city of Lucera, in Apulia, it is today more evenly distributed, with almost 60% of Muslims living in the North of Italy, 25% in the Centre, and only 15% in the South. Muslims form a lower proportion of immigrants than in previous years, as the latest statistical reports by the Italian Ministry of Interior and Caritas indicate that the share of Muslims among new immigrants has declined from over 50% at the beginning of the 1990s (mainly Albanians and Moroccans) to less than 25% in the following decade, due to the massive arrivals from eastern Europe.
Recent points of contention between ethnic Italians and the Muslim immigrant population include the strong presence of crucifixes in public buildings, including school classrooms, government offices, and hospital wards. Adel Smith has attracted considerable media attention by demanding that crucifixes in public facilities be removed. The Italian Council of State, in the Sentence No. 556, 13 February 2006, confirmed the display of the crucifix in government sponsored spaces. Smith was subsequently charged with defaming the Catholic religion in 2006.
In November 2016, Minister of the Interior Angelino Alfano reported that Italy had deported nine imams for inciting racial violence.
In January 2017, community groups representing around 70% of the Muslim community in Italy signed a pact with the government to "reject all forms of violence and terrorism" and to hold prayers in mosques in the Italian language or at least to have them translated.
Muslim prison population in Italy.
As of 2013, of the total 64,760 detainees in Italy, approximately 13,500 (20.8%) came from countries with Islamic majorities, mostly Morocco and Tunisia.
In Rome, at least 35% of Italian prisoners come from countries with an Islamic majority and nearly a fourth of Italian prisons have a dedicated Muslim prayer area.
Mosques.
There are a total of eight mosques in Italy. While Italy is home to the fourth largest Muslim population in Europe, the number of mosques is minute in comparison to France (which is home to over 2,200 mosques) and the United Kingdom (which is home to over 1,500 mosques). The scarcity of mosques in Italy is caused predominantly by the fact that Italy does not officially recognize Islam as a religion. Official state recognition would guarantee and protect places of worship, recognize religious holidays and allow access to public funding.
There have been a number of cases of extraordinary rendition of Muslim activists, as well as attempts by a past government to close mosques. Many mosque constructions are blocked by opposition of local residents. In September 2008 the Lega Nord political party was reported to have introduced a new bill which would have blocked the construction of new mosques in much of the country, arguing that Muslims can pray anywhere, and do not need a mosque. The construction of mosques had already been blocked in Milan. The bill was not approved.
Extremism.
In 2007, the Moroccan imam at the mosque in Ponte Felcino in Perugia was deported by the Italian government for extremist views.
Deportation (expulsion) of foreign suspects have been the cornerstone of Italy's preventive counter-terrorism fight against suspected radicals. Every deportee is prohibited from re-entering Italy and therefore the entire Schengen Area, for a period of five years. Italy is able to use this method as many radicalized Muslims are first-generation immigrants and therefore have not yet acquired Italian citizenship. In Italy as elsewhere in Europe, prison inmates show signs of radicalization while incarcerated and in 2018, 41 individuals were deported upon release from prison. Of the 147 deported by the Italian government in the 2015–2017 all were related to jihadism and 12 were imams. From January 2015 to April 2018, 300 individuals were expulsed from Italian soil. The vast majority of the deportees come from North Africa and a smaller group come from the Balkans.
In the mid to late 2010s, a "homegrown" Islamist movement started to emerge in Italy with Islamists writing online content in Italian. While radicalized individuals may get in contact with fellow extremists at mosques, indoctrination and planning of violence take place elsewhere.
From 1 August 2016 to 31 July 2017, a total of eight imams were deported. The following twelve-month period, two were deported.
In July 2016, the Moroccan imam at the "Asonna" center in Noventa Vicentina was deported for reportedly expressing extremist views and for posing a security threat. While most extremists are banned for 5 to 10 years, Muhammed Madad was banned from returning for 15 years.
In March 2018, police carried out an anti-terrorist operation in Foggia against the "Al Dawa" unauthorized prayer hall located near the railway station. Egyptian Abdel Rahman Mohy preached to children using Islamic State propaganda.
According to prison authorities in Italy, in October 2018 there were 66 Muslim detainees who either had been sentenced or were awaiting trial for terrorism offences.
Islamophobia.
Although Muslim population in Italy is very small compared to its counterparts in France, Germany, Britain and Spain, anti-Islamic feeling in Italy runs high due to tensions in the past between native Italians and Muslims, which became clear following the September 11 attacks and 7 July 2005 London bombings. Survey published in 2019 by the Pew Research Center found that 55% of Italians had an unfavourable view of Muslims. Much of the local Italian media indirectly correlates Islam to terrorism as a whole. This contributes to these unfavorable opinions.
Acts of violence against Islamic places of worship.
In recent years there have been some acts of violence against Islamic places of worship in Italy:
Organizations.
A minority of Italian Muslims belong to religious associations, the best known of which are:


Leon Yao Liang

Leo Yao Liang (;1923 – December 30, 2009) was the Roman Catholic bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Xiwanzi, China.
Ordained in 1946, Yao Liang was sentenced to a Chinese Communist labor camp in 1958 and was released in 1984. With the approval of the Vatican, he was ordained bishop on February 19, 2002.


Diocese of the North East Caribbean and Aruba

The Anglican Diocese of North East Caribbean and Aruba was formed in 1842 as the Diocese of Antigua and the Leeward Islands when the Anglican diocese of Barbados, then with the Diocese of Jamaica one of the two dioceses covering the Caribbean, was sub-divided. It celebrated its 175th birthday in 2017.
It is now one of the 8 dioceses within the Province of the West Indies and comprises the 12 islands of Antigua, Barbuda, Dominica, Montserrat, Anguilla, Aruba, Nevis, Saba, St. Barts, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, and St. Martin/St. Maarten. The diocesan cathedral is St John's Cathedral in St John's Antigua.
There is also a Catholic diocese covering a similar area, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint John's – Basseterre
The diocese was under the jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Canterbury from its creation in 1842 until 1883, when the Province of the West Indies was created. Initially the Established Church of the area, and thus supported by public funds, it was disestablished in 1969.
Archdeacons.
In 1866, there were two archdeaconries: George Clarke was Archdeacon of Antigua and George Meade Gibbs of St Christopher's.


Friends Again (TV series)

Friends Again is one-hour television program featuring bible teaching and prayers with Bishop Luis R. Santos, Pastora Norma S. Santos and Admin. Leslie S. Santos (with its very own worship team/band, IDO4).
History.
In 1990, Jesus Christ To God Be the Glory Church International, Inc. led by Bishop Santos launched his own radio show, Friends Again aired at DWOO. 9 years later the show was aired on television, Fridays on IBC 13 from its inception in 1999. In 2003, the show was also aired on RPN and SBN and they aired until December 26, 2007 when SBN becomes the blocktimer affiliate of ETC and RPN becomes the blocktimer affiliate of C/S on January 1, 2008. Friends Again will continue to aired on NBN for the short time between 2007-2008 until moving to Commercial Television in April 2008.
Move to Commercial Television (2008–2014).
In April 2008, Friends Again was moved from RPN, IBC, SBN and NBN to Commercial broadcaster Studio 23. The show which previously on Saturdays at 7:00 AM. from April 5 until August 2. Later in the same year, the show moves to Sunday at 8:00 AM. after Family Rosary Crusade which is aired at 7:00 AM. until January 2011 when both shows moved to an early time of 6:00 AM. for Family Rosary Crusade, and 7:00 AM. for Friends Again. On January 12, 2014, 5 days before the closing of Studio 23, Friends Again aired its last show before moving to Light Network. Since then, Friends Again aired on that channel every Saturday afternoon at 1:00 PM., with continuing coverage on the new channel S+A every Sunday morning, this time the show starts at 6:00 AM.
Theme song.
Since 2008, the theme song of the show, Friends Again is currently seen in the show's opener and it is performed by the church's music ministry, I.D.O.4.


Islam in Portugal

According to the 1991 census recorded by Instituto Nacional de Estatística (the National Statistical Institute of Portugal), there were 9,134 Muslims in Portugal, about 0.1% of the total population. The Muslim population in 2019 was approximately 65,000 people. The majority of Muslims in the country are Sunni, followed by approximately 5,000 to 7,000 Shias Muslims. There is also a small number of Ahmadiyya Muslims. Most of the Muslim population originates from the former Portuguese overseas provinces of Guinea-Bissau and Mozambique, most of the latter having their origin in the Indian subcontinent. Most of the Muslims are from Syria and Mozambique.
History.
From 711 to 1249, much of the territory of what is now Portugal (namely south of the Mondego river, but particularly in the Alentejo and the Algarve) was colonized by Arab Muslims, and was called Gharb Al-Andalus (the west of Al-Andalus). The Portuguese Reconquista forced the Arabs out of Algarve in 1249. However, their presence in Andalusia, a neighboring Spanish region, would stay strong for another 250 years. This presence has left some cultural heritage in Portugal, such as Islamic art. The town of Mértola, in the Alentejo, possesses the only partial remains in the country of an ancient mosque, changed and converted into a Catholic church (Church of Nossa Senhora da Anunciação) after the "Reconquista".
Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims.
The Aga Khan Development Network has been present in Portugal since 1983. Agreements were established between the Ismaili Imamat and Portugal, particularly the Protocol of Cooperation with the Portuguese Government signed in 2005 as well as the Protocol of International Cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs which was signed in 2008.
In 2015, Lisbon was chosen to be the global seat of the Nizari Shi'a community; the second largest Shi'a denomination in the world. In July 11th, 2018 the Aga Khan decided to move his global headquarters along with his official residence to Portugal. On June 3rd, 2015 Portugal's Minister of State and Foreign Affairs Rui Machete and His Highness the Aga Khan signed a landmark Agreement between the Republic of Portugal and the Ismaili Imamat for the establishment of a formal Seat of the Aga Khan in Portugal. The accord, which was approved by Portugal's Parliament and the President of the Portuguese Republic, will result in intensified cooperation between Portugal and the Aga Khan Development Network in supporting research and the knowledge society as well as improving the quality of life of Portugal's inhabitants. His Highness the Aga Khan recently acquired the Henrique Mendonça Palace, a 12-million-euro estate, to take place as the new Global Headquarters and serve as an administrative structure to coordinate the Aga Khan Development Network. Rui Machete told the Portuguese daily national newspaper Público, “It is natural that an institution with an annual budget of between €600-€900 million will bring something to Portugal." The Aga Khan stated that he also has goals to, “plough money into health and social protection services in Portugal." The Aga Khan is followed by more than 15 million Muslims worldwide, of which 15 thousand who live in Portugal.
The Aga Khan Development Network moving its headquarters to Lisbon, Portugal allows there to be a connection between Lisbon and the rest the world in which the Aga Khan Development Network is affiliated. The international organization has many ties to Lisbon, not only because the Ismaili population is one of the biggest there, but also because most funding is coming from private sector partners which are located within Lisbon. Through various programs and initiatives, The Aga Khan Development Network is drastically changing the quality of life in Portugal in ways that are beneficial to people living there. The Aga Khan Development Network has been present in Portugal since 1983 focusing on research and innovative direct intervention in the areas of early childhood education, social exclusion and urban poverty. The activities in Portugal operate within the framework of the agreements established between the Aga Khan Development Network and the Protocol of Cooperation with the Portuguese Government.


Hindu Temple of Central Indiana

Hindu Temple of Central Indiana (HTCI) is the first Hindu temple constructed in Indianapolis.
History.
Before the creation of HTCI, most Hindus would go to Hindu Temple of Dayton or temples in Chicago for Hindu worship services. Members of the Hindu community in the Indianapolis Metropolitan Area decided to create a Hindu temple, which was inaugurated in 2006. In 2011, HTCI held a ceremony for its new idols, Sri Subramanya and Sri Ayyappa.
In June 2015, the temple's $10 million worship hall was opened. The worship hall contains 17 shrines to various Hindu deities spread over four different gopurams, with the main tower being over tall.


Claude Judde

Father Claude Judde (1661–1735) was a French Jesuit from Rouen, known for his spiritual writings.
He entered the Society of Jesus on September 18, 1677, and took his final vows on February 2, 1695. He then began preaching, and became quite well known. Bourdaloue desired for Judde to become his successor, but Judde's superiors asked him to sacrifice his talents and train his fellow Jesuits instead. He accepted this obscure office, and from 1704 to 1721 he served as teacher of the third probation at Rouen, and then rector of the Paris novitiate. His lessons were so admired that his students would copy them to preserve their memories in writing. Many of these copies can still be found today. Father Judde never published any of his works during his lifetime; however, thanks to the transcriptions made by his students, many collections have been produced posthumously.


Parish of Yarrolumla

Yarrolumla Parish is a former parish of Murray County, New South Wales, a cadastral unit for use on land titles. It was formed in the nineteenth century, and existed until 1 January 1911, when the Seat of Government (Administration) Act 1910 came into force, after the land was transferred to the Commonwealth government in 1909 to be used to form the Australian Capital Territory.
It is one of the four former parishes of Murray County which became part of the ACT, along with Canberra, Narrabundah and Gigerline. While other parishes lost land to the ACT, these were the only ones to lose all of the land within the parish. It was bounded to the north by the Molonglo River, and to the west and south by the Murrumbidgee River. It includes the area around Mount Stromlo, and the north-western part of Weston Creek, including Duffy. It does not actually include the present day suburb of Yarralumla, which was in Narrabundah parish, but it was close to it.


Public Affairs Committee (Malawi)

Public Affairs Committee (PAC) was founded in 1992 by the religious community and other pressure groups in Malaŵi to enter into a dialogue with Kamuzu Banda's Presidential Committee on Dialogue in the transition period from the one-party to the multiparty system of government in Malaŵi. Most accounts of the transition credit PAC with a major role at this crucial point in the younger history of Malaŵi.
After the referendum on multipartyism was won in 1993 and the first multiparty elections were scheduled to take place in 1994, a number of pressure groups (notably the United Democratic Front and the Alliance for Democracy) split from PAC to form political parties to contest in the elections. PAC has since carried on as an umbrella organisation for the major faith communities represented in the country by the Muslim Association of Malawi, the Quadria Muslim Association of Malawi, the Malawi Council of Churches, the Evangelical Association of Malawi and the Episcopal Conference of Malawi . As such, it is the oldest and most well-known nongovernmental organisation in the country. PAC also is the national chapter of the World Conference on Religion and Peace (WCRP). The organisation’s mission statement is “to mobilise the general public through the religious community and other stakeholders in promoting democracy, development, peace and unity through civic education, mediation and advocacy”. After existing for over a decade, PAC has worked with a large number of partners (both local and international) in pursuance of this mission, and has put into practice a wide variety of activities.
The organisation has a national secretariat in Lilongwe, Malaŵi's capital city.


Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur

The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur () is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Malaysia. It was erected as the Diocese of Kuala Lumpur by Pope Pius XII on 25 February 1955, and was elevated to the rank of a Metropolitan Archdiocese on 18 December 1972, with the suffragan sees of Malacca-Johor and Penang. It also administers the capital of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur and the states of Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Terengganu. The archdiocese's Mother Church and thus, seat of its Archbishop, is St. John's Cathedral.
History.
In 1786, the first church was established in Penang.This led to the formation of Vicariate of Siam and Kedah, which expanded towards the entire Malayan Peninsula and Singapore. The Vicariate of Malaya was formed in 1841. The Church of Visitation was founded in 1848 in Seremban, Negeri Sembilan. This is the first known church to be erected in central Malaya. A historical moment was made in 1888, when the Diocese of Malacca was formed. The first church in Kuala Lumpur was dedicated to St John the evangelist in 1883, and would be later known as St. John's Cathedral, the Mother Church of Kuala Lumpur.
In 1955, the Diocese of Malacca became a Metropolitan Archdiocese, with the newly formed Diocese of Penang and Diocese of Kuala Lumpur as its suffragan sees. Bishop Dominic Vendargon was appointed as the first Bishop of Kuala Lumpur, and was ordained in the same year. In 1972, the Diocese of Kuala Lumpur was elevated into an Archdiocese, with the suffragan dioceses of Penang and Malacca-Johor.
In 1983, Archbishop Dominic Vendargon retired. Bishop Anthony Soter Fernandez of Penang was appointed as the 2nd Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur. When he retired in 2003, he was succeeded by Archbishop Murphy Pakiam who was then the Auxiliary Bishop. On 3 July 2014, the Vatican appointed Most Rev Julian Leow as the 4th Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur, after the resignation of Archbishop Emeritus Murphy Pakiam was accepted by Pope Francis in December 2013. During the consistory on 19 November 2016, Pope Francis installed Archbishop Emeritus Anthony Soter Fernandez as a cardinal, making him the first Bishop from Malaysia to be appointed.
Statistical summary.
Below are statistics of the archdiocese.
List of parishes in the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur.
These are the list of parishes in the Archdiocese. Outstations are not listed.


Islam in Senegal

Islam is the predominant religion in Senegal. 96 percent of the country's population is estimated to be Muslim, mainly Sunni of Maliki school of thought with Sufi influences. Islam has had a presence in Senegal since the 11th century. Sufi brotherhoods expanded with French colonization, as people turned to religious authority rather than the colonial administration. The main Sufi orders are the Tijaniyyah, the Muridiyyah or Mourides, and to a lesser extent, the pan-Islamic Qadiriyyah and the smaller Layene order. Approximately 1% of the are Shiites and <1% follow the Ahmadiyya/Qadiani religion.
History.
Introduction of Islam.
For nearly a millennium, there has been an Islamic presence in Senegal. Islam's influence in the area began with the conversion of King of Takrur, War Jabi in 1040, likely as a result of the Trans-Saharan trade between North and West Africa. The King attempted to convert his subjects, who are now referred to as Tukulors or the Toucouleur people, in the first attempt to convert an entire region in this area. Other empires, such as the Jolof empire, were more resistant to Islam in favor of their traditional religion. Even in areas where an Islamic presence was found, many continued traditional animist practices, according to Portuguese accounts.
Expansion of Islam.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, Islam was used as a structure of power and militarism. In the 17th century, Islam became the religion of the elite and merchant classes. In 1776, the Tukulors overthrew the Denianke Dynasty and constructed a theocratic oligarchy. Influenced by other Islamic movements throughout West Africa, they worked militaristically to convert traditional religious states and establish Muslim theocratic states. This expansion ceased temporarily when the Tukulors failed to convert the traditional states of the Serer, who defeated them and killed their 19th-century leader Maba Diakhou Ba at the Battle of Fandane-Thiouthioune in order to preserve their Serer religious faith. One such movement from Western Sudan was the Qadiriyya Sufi brotherhood, who traversed the Senegalese countryside gaining followers. This movement was eclipsed by the Tijaniyyah brotherhood.
French colonialism and Islam.
During the 18th century, the French began to colonize the nation. Senegalese Muslims took a variety of responses to French colonization. Especially in the countryside, the Senegalese joined Sufi brotherhoods to unite against colonization. The popularity of the Tijaniyyah brotherhood marks this shift; Islam became “a rallying point for African resistance to the French." El Hadj Umar Tall first created a Tijani brotherhood in West Africa after he was initiated into the Tijaniyya during his hajj to Mecca. In his attempt to create a Tijani Islamic empire in Senegal, Tall is described as the “most eminent of the Muslim clerical warriors." The marabouts, leaders and sources of guidance in Sufi brotherhoods, became alternative sources of authority in dissidence from the French. Later, the Mouride brotherhood would serve this same role of resistance for the Senegalese. Many Mourides were former political authorities who lost their positions as the French took over, and were searching for a new source of power. The French felt threatened and targeted the leaders of these movements. The founder of the Mourides, Cheikh Amadou Bamba was arrested twice by the colonial administration. This injustice only furthered his popularity and the Mourides’ extreme veneration of their leader. To this day, Cheikh Bamba is honored as an important leader of resistance in Senegal.
Other Muslims chose to cooperate with the French, and even gain positions of power within the French government. Senegal was the only colony in Black Africa in which the French used “assimilationist tactics”, allowing elite Senegalese citizenship and political power if they became assimilated into French culture. In the cities, especially the Four Communes the French created, Muslim Sufi marabouts, religious authorities, were involved in Senegalese politics. Some argue that the marabouts collaborated with the French out of best interests for Senegal, because they felt they had no other choice. However, Muslim Reform movements responded angrily to the marabouts’ collaboration with French authorities, calling these moves hypocritical. The most common of these Reformists was the Union Culturelle Musulmane, founded by Cheikh Toure in 1953, led by religious scholars, some of whom studied in Cairo universities.
These Reformists were responding to French colonial repression of Islamic culture in Senegal. As Mbacke’ states, the administration's “ultimate aim was to dominate minds” in order to take over the nation, and they saw Islam as standing in their way. Having enforced a secular state, the French also limited the establishment of Qur'anic schools, created secular rather than Islamic curriculum in public schools, restricted public access books on Islamic topics, limited contacts with Senegal and the Middle East, restricted hajj pilgrimages to Mecca, arrested and killed Muslim scholars.
Sufi Islam.
Sufi brotherhoods.
In Senegal, 95% of Muslims belong to a Sufi brotherhood, more than any Muslim population in the world. The two largest orders are the Tijaniyyah and the Muridiyyah or Mourides, although the pan-Islamic Qadiriyyah and the smaller Layene brotherhood are also represented in parts of the country. In creating a brotherhood, each founder often has the objective of uniting all Muslims. However, in practice, those within a brotherhood often emphasize the superiority of their brotherhood's path over others. Mosques are created by specific brotherhoods, though individuals are free to attend whichever mosque they prefer.
The Qadiriyyah is the smallest and oldest brotherhood in Senegal. It was introduced in the 18th and 19th century by missionaries from Mauritania and the Niger Bend.
More Senegalese Sufis identify with the Tijaniyya order than any other. This order was brought to Senegal by El Hadj Umar Tall (1780-1840), who attempted to create an Islamic empire and organize all Muslims. Though he largely failed during his lifetime, the order has since expanded greatly. The Tijanis place a strong emphasis on Koranic education, and have created schools for girls as well. There are three dynasties of Tijanis, depending on the marabout a following owes most allegiance to: the Sy and Niasse in Wolof and Serer, and the Tall in Tukulor. The Niasses are sometimes seen as radical and a threat to Senegalese national authority, but Tijanis have otherwise maintained strong relationships with the Senegalese government.
The Mouride order is the most tightly organized and influential of Senegal's Sufi brotherhoods. When first created, the Mourides proclaimed their superiority over the Tijaniyya, who in turn responded with violent repression of the Mourides. The Mourides were founded by Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba (1850-1927) who strongly rejected the French colonial powers, and this position attracted many political leaders who lost their positions due to French occupation. Every year, thousands of Senegal make a pilgrimage to Touba for a religious festival held by the Mourides to honor Cheikh Bamba.
Many have written of the Mourides because a deviationist faction of this brotherhood has become radical and at times dangerous. This faction does not represent a majority of Mourides and a Pew Report on Senegalese religion revealed that 92% of Senegalese do not associate the word "violent" with Muslims.
The Layene are a small but growing Sufi brotherhood. They are often rejected by the larger Muslim population for beliefs some call un-Islamic, including their founder's assertion that he was a Prophet.
Practices.
The Sufi brotherhoods or tariqas in Senegal are organized in elaborate hierarchies. The most powerful leader is the caliph-general, a term enforced by the colonial French and only used in Mouride and Layene orders. The founder of the brotherhood is its first caliph-general, and his position is inherited by succeeders. Secondary to the caliph-generals are shaykhs or marabouts, who act as intermediaries and provide instruction for their murids, or aspirants.
Marabouts rely on donations from their followers, called murids or taalibes. In turn, marabouts work with their followers, often arranging marriages or resolving disputes. Followers perform the harsh work of tending to the caliph's peanut or grain fields, and "the most ambitious or lucky ones" assist the caliph with his private or public affairs with the hope of receiving spiritual teachings.
Traditionally, parents often sent their children to live with their marabout and become taalibes. These children may engage in harsh work in the countryside, or beg for donations in urban areas. This practice has sparked a response from UNICEF and other human rights organizations, who argue that these practices constitute child abuse. These Western organizations often claim this problem is new and on the rise. They associate this practice with parents' inabilities to raise their children, economic strain, or uncontrolled fertility. On the contrary, scholars have found that this practice has existed for centuries, acts as a source of moral training for children, and is actually in decline.
Members of brotherhoods also create smaller associations or daairas within their communities. These groups meet informally to sing religious songs, pray, engage in other types of devotion, and discuss the history of their brotherhood. They also organize religious activities, such as trips to see their marabout. Daairas may be created by residents of a neighborhood, employees of a business, or students at a university. These associations revitalize the connection between marabout and follower, even when separated by distance. Daairas are present in all Senegalese brotherhoods.
Women and leadership.
Senegalese women are active in Sufi brotherhoods. They often organize or play significant roles within daairas, a brotherhood's smaller community associations. Women play a public role in the community doing volunteer work, collecting money for the marabout, organizing religious visits, or promoting the daaira's activities on the radio or television.
Though rare, women can even become spiritual leaders or marabouts within the brotherhood. The Mourides have had one female marabout, Sokhna Magat Diop, who inherited her father's position. Qadiriyya women have also attained the position of marabout.
Senegal has already had a female Muslim prime minister, Mame Madior Boye.
Shia Islam.
Shia Islam in Senegal is practiced by a growing number of Senegalese people, as well as by the Lebanese community in Senegal.
Shia Islam is the primary religion of the Lebanese community in Senegal, which has been established in Senegal for over a century. It is also practiced by a growing number of native Senegalese, including the Wolof and Fula peoples.
Since the 1970s, and especially with the arrival of the Mozdahir community and their leader Cherif Mohamed Aly Aidara in the early 2000s, the number of native Shi'i Senegalese has steadily increased in both urban and rural areas. According to Leichtman (2017), Mozdahir's various rural development projects help bridge the urban-rural divide among Shi'i Muslims in Senegal, and have helped to increase the number of Shi'i Muslims in Senegal.
Popular culture.
The importance of Sufism is evident in Senegal's modern popular culture. Nearly every Senegalese singer has a song incorporating themes of Sufi history. Especially common are praise songs honoring individual Sufi leaders, as well as work having to do with the controversy of spiritual leaders involving themselves in politics. International stars such as Baaba Maal and Youssou N'Dour incorporate Sufi themes into their work. Youssou N'Dour's entire album "Egypt" deals with Sufism. N'Dour describes the album as an exploration of his own personal faith, as well as a means of connecting North African and Arab Islam to West African Sufism.


John Baptist Yang Xiaoting

John Baptist Yang Xiaoting (; born April 9, 1964) was a Chinese Catholic priest and Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Yan'an since 2011.
Biography.
Yang was born in Zhouzhi County, Shaanxi, on April 9, 1964. He was ordained a priest on August 28, 1991.
He accepted the episcopacy with the papal mandate on July 15, 2010. On March 25, 2011, after the death of his predecessor, he became bishop of the Yan'an.
In 2010, he was elected vice-chairman of the Bishops Conference of Catholic Church in China (BCCCC). In December 2016 he was elected vice-president of the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association.
In October 2018, Yang attended Mass with Joseph Guo Jincai at St. Peter's Square in the Vatican City, after China and the Vatican signed an interim agreement on the appointment of bishops last month.


Javanese Kshatriya

Javanese Kshatriya is a Hindu Kshatriya community which originally existed in the island of Java in Indonesia. According to the ancient Hindu law, the Kshatriyas are alone having the rights to bear arms in order to defend the country. Indigenous Kshatriya communities currently exist in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Vietnam as well as in the island of Bali in Indonesia.
Most prominent of the Kshatriya clans in Java were those located in "Koripan, Gaglang, Kediri and Janggala". The literary work "Rangga Lawe" describes in detail about the Kshatriyas and Vaishyas of the Kediri royal palace. Jawa or Kediri was the largest Hindu kingdom, which was ruled by Kshatriyas in the island.
Javanese Kshatriyas were popularly known as "K'bo" or "Mahisa" (meaning buffalo) and "Rangga" to indicate their strength. The Kshatriyas came to Java in small numbers, but most of the princes were of the third caste, the wesya (Vaishya). Most important of the Kshatriya families in Java were "Mahisa Bungalan, K'bo Wilalungan, K'bo Siluman, K'bo Jerang, K'bo Kanigara, K'bo Chaluk, K'bo T'ki, K'bo Taluktak, Ki Mahisa Safati, K'bo Mundarang, and further Rangga Smi, Rangga Mayang, Rangga Palana, Rangga Ralengsong, Rangga Pasung, Rangga Wirada, Rangga Rabete, Rangga Sumbi, Rangga Sampana, and Anurangga Sunting". Some of these Kshatriya clans migrated to the island of Bali as well. The royal family of Deva Agung, who is considered to be the ancestor of almost all the Kshatriyas in Bali, was originally a Kshatriya from Java.
The Javanese Kshatriyas became extinct during the early 17th century as a result of constant warfare with their Islamic rivals. No descendants remain of this community now, except those in Bali who claim ancestry from Dewa Agung.


Dimitrios Panagiannousis

Dimitrios Panagiannousis (; Servia, 1750 – 1828) was a Metropolitan of Belgrade and Budapest. He was also known as Popovic or Popovikis (the name Popovic was the most common attributive for Greek immigrants in Hungary). He was ordained Metropolitan of Belgrade in 1783 and of Buda in 1790.


Indian New Life League

Indian New Life League is a denomination of the Christian church, with one congregation in Bhutan.


Gulshani

The Gulshani () is a Halvati (Khalwati order) sub-order founded by Pir Ibrahim Gulshani, a Turkmen sufi sheikh from Eastern Anatolia, who died in Egypt. His family roots reaches to Oguzata shah in Azerbaijan.
When the Ottomans conquered Egypt the Gulshani order became popular with serving soldiers of the Ottoman army in Egypt. The order was later carried back to Diyarbakir and Istanbul where several "zawiya"s or "tekke"s were established. One notable such tekke was that of the ancestor of Şamsettin Efendi, Pir Ikmalettin Efendi in Diyarbakir.
Ibrahim Al-Gulshani is buried at the takiyyat in Cairo, which was built in 1519–1524. The building, now abandoned, is included on the World Monuments Fund's 2018 list of monuments at risk.


The Message (Philippine TV program)

The Message is a religious program broadcast by Philippines-based church, Iglesia ni Cristo and aired over their secular-programming television station, INC-TV. The show uses the English language as its main language. It discuss the religious teachings and beliefs of the Iglesia ni Cristo.


Ivan Despot

Ivan Despot O. F. M. (Zaostrog, 1851 – Split, 1886) was a Croatian theologian, priest, translator, writer and poet.
Life.
Ivan was the son of Mate Despot (1812 - 1895) and Kata Matutinović (1822 - 1855) born in Zaostrog. He learned to read and write at the Franciscan monastery of St. Mary consequently joining the seminary in Sinj. He later took theological studies in Šibenik and Makarska (1869–74). After being ordained a priest he became a professor of philosophy and later a parish priest in Sumartin on the island Brač. He translated many Latin, Italian, French literary works from to Croatian. He wrote poems, short-stories, novels, literary criticism as well as political and historical articles. From 1872 he published in many magazines of the time such as "Dragoljub, Glas Hercegovca, Hrvatska, Hrvatska vila, Hrvatski dom, Iskra, Katolički list, La Dalmazia cattolica — Katolička Dalmacija, Nada, Narod, Narodni list, Narodni koledar, Obzor, Slava preporoditeljem, Slovinac, Sriemski Hrvat" i "Vienac." His literary correspondence included Stanko Vraz, August Šenoa, Franjo Marković and others.
After having died at the young age of 34 from tuberculosis he was buried in the Franciscan monastery of St. Mary in Zaostrog. His bust was made by the famous sculptor Ivan Rendić.
His nephew was Ilija Despot, an author and poet.


Qibar

Qibar (alternatively spelled "Qaybar", "Qeibar" or "Qibare"), officially called al-Hawa () is a village in northwestern Syria in the Afrin District of the Aleppo Governorate. The village is also known as Arshqibar ("Arsha wa Qibar") as it absorbed the adjacent village of 'Arsha. It is located in the plain of Jouma (Guma) at an elevation of 360 meters above sea level. Nearby localities include Afrin city to the west and Maryamin to the west, while Aleppo is 40 kilometers to the northwest.
According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Qibar had a population of 743 in the 2004 census. The population in 2016, during the Syrian Civil War, was estimated at over 6,000. In 2009, researcher Fermaz Gheribo recorded seventy Yazidi families in the village and author Sebastian Maisel asserts half of the families in the village are Yazidis. It serves as the traditional seat of the chief Yazidi family of the Afrin area, the Darwish clan. The name of the village was officially changed to "al-Hawa" during the Arabization campaign of President Hafez al-Assad during the 1970s.
The vicinity of Qibar contains abundant archaeological remains from ancient settlements and several caves containing ancient inscriptions. There are three nearby Yazidi shrines, namely the Cave of Cilmera, Melekadi Shrine and Hercerka Sheikh Huseyn Shrine. The village was the scene of a battle between the Byzantines and the Arabs which preceded the Battle of Azaz in 1030. The medieval Syrian geographer Yaqut al-Hamawi mentioned the village in his 13th-century work. For ten years during French Mandatory rule in Syria, a Yazidi school operated in Qibar with a Christian and a Yazidi teacher and a Yazidi religious instructor from Sinjar.