"Freedom of religion in Bangladesh Bangladesh is a Muslim Majority nation with Islam as its Official religion professed by the majority and freedom of religion is guaranteed by its constitution in which it gives equal rights to all citizens irrespective of religion. The major religion in Bangladesh is Islam (90%), but a significant percentage of the population adheres to Hinduism (9%). Other religious groups include Buddhists 0.6%, (mostly Theravada), Christians (0.3%, mostly Roman Catholics), and Animists (0.1%). Bangladesh was founded as a secular state, but Islam was made the state religion in the 1980s. But in 2010, the High Court"
"introduced to the country in the 1700s when catholic friars entered the Kathmandu valley. Religious tolerance can be found in royal orders dated Falgun Sudi 12, 1884 V.S. issued by the Hindu Shah monarch Rajendra Bikram Shah under the premiership of Bhimsen Thapa to Buddhist monks in the Kingdom of Nepal: According to the 2011 census, 81.3% of the Nepalese population was Hindu, 9.0% was Buddhist, 4.4% was Muslim, 3.0% was Kiratist (indigenous ethnic religion), 1.4% was Christian, 0.2% was Sikhs, 0.1% was Jains and 0.6% follow other religions or no religion. According to the 2001 census, 80.62% percent of"
"of Nepal include Kusunda, MaWalinga and Waling Religions and philosophy of Nepal The 2001 census identified 80.6% of the population being Hindu. Buddhism was practiced by about 11% of the population (although many people labelled Hindu or Buddhist often practice a syncretic blend of Hinduism, Buddhism, and/or animist traditions). About 3.2% practice Islam and 3.6% of the population follows the indigenous Kirant religion. Christianity is practiced officially by less than 0.5%. Hindu and Buddhist traditions in Nepal go back more than two millennia. In Lumbini, Buddha was born, and Pashupatinath temple, Kathmandu, is an old and famous Shiva temple of"
"challenged as no such name as Ne exists in Nepali or other Sanskrit-derived languages. It is believed that Lord Vishnu had organized the Nepali people and gave them the flag, with the sun and moon as emblems on it. https://thediplomat.com/2015/11/r-i-p-indias-influence-in-nepal/ Religion in Nepal Nepal is primarily Hindu in religion though it is multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, multi-lingual and religiously diverse nation with many religions being practiced here since the ancient times. Nepal is also a secular state and Democratic country according to the constitution of Nepal. The treatment of all religions equally by the state and Freedom of religion is also guaranteed"
"Gurung, Bhutia, and Thakali groups who employ Buddhist monks for their religious ceremonies. Most of the festivals in Nepal are Hindu. The Machendrajatra festival, dedicated to Hindu Shaiva Siddha, is celebrated by many Buddhists in Nepal as a main festival. As it is believed that Ne Muni established Nepal, some important priests in Nepal are called ""Tirthaguru Nemuni"". Islam is a minority religion in Nepal, with 4.2% of the population being Muslim according to a 2006 Nepali census. Mundhum, Christianity and Jainism are other minority faiths. The overall literacy rate (for population age 5 years and above) increased from 54.1%"
"all religions in Nepal. However, influencing others to change their religion is prohibited.There has bean political pressure from India's Hindu party's that it should become a Hindu government again but it has received a negative response from the Nepalese government. The ban on evangelism has been protested by Christian missions groups in the country, because the country has a Christian population that is growing faster than its Muslim, Buddhist or Hindu population. Therefore many Christian missions groups are currently working in secret. It is even believed, according to Nepalese theology that Lord Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva had come to Nepal"
"in 2010 and the government intends to use this information to include more languages on the next Nepalese census. As of the 2011 census, 81.3% of the Nepalese population was Hindu, 9.0% Buddhist, 4.4% Muslim, 3.0% Kirant/Yumaist, 1.42% Christian, and 0.9% followed other or no religion. Nepal defines itself as a Hindu nation based in the caste system of traditional Hindu ideology. It is common for many Hindus in the country to also worship Buddhist deities simultaneously with Hindu traditions. The notion of religion in Nepal is more fluid than other countries, particularly Western countries. The Nepali people build their"
"The Constitution also defines Nepal as a secular state that is neutral toward the religions present in the country. The Constitution also bans actions taken to convert people from one religion to another, as well as acts that disturb the religion of other people. There have been sporadic incidents of violence against the country's Christian minority. In 2009 and 2015, Christian churches were bombed by anti-government Hindu nationalist groups such as the Nepal Defence Army. Pakistan's penal code includes provisions that forbid blasphemy against any religion recognized by the government of Pakistan. Punishments are more severe for blasphemy against Islam:"
"& Ishana. They face West, North, East, South and Zenith respectively, and represent Hinduism's five primary elements namely earth, water, air, light and ether. Puranas describe these faces of Shiva as Though Nepal is an officially secular state, its population is predominantly Hindu, and Lord Shree Pashupatinath is revered as a national deity. The Pashupatinath Temple, located at the bank of the river Bagmati, is considered as the most sacred place in Nepal. The mythology hold that Lord Pashupatinath started living in Nepal in the form of a deer, then when he saw the Kathmandu Valley and he was overwhelmed"
"which had been just reformed, having been previously dissolved, declared Nepal a ""secular state"". However, the 2001 census identified 80.6% of the population as Hindu and 10.7% as Buddhist (although many people labeled Hindu or Buddhist often practice a syncretic blend of Hinduism, Buddhism, or animist traditions), 4.2% of the population was Muslim, 3.6% of the population followed the indigenous Kirat Mundhum religion and Christianity was practiced by 0.45% of the population. Buddhist and Hindu shrines and festivals are respected and celebrated by most Nepalese. Certain animist practices of old indigenous religions survive. The Kirati people of eastern Nepal, Limbus"
"introduced in 1951, but was twice suspended by Nepalese monarchs, in 1960 and 2005. The Nepalese Civil War in the 1990s and early 2000s resulted in the proclamation of a secular republic in 2008, ending the world's last Hindu monarchy. The Constitution of Nepal, adopted in 2015, establishes Nepal as a federal secular parliamentary republic divided into seven provinces. Nepal was admitted to the United Nations in 1955, and friendship treaties were signed with India in 1950 and the People's Republic of China in 1960. Nepal hosts the permanent secretariat of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), of"
"The new party had a total strength of 37 in the Parliament of Nepal becoming the fourth largest party. Kamal Thapa was elected chairman of the party in a special general convention in Kathmandu on February 2017. Rastriya Prajatantra Party Nepal Rastriya Prajatantra Party Nepal (; translation: ""National Democratic Party Nepal"") was a Hindu right-wing, cultural conservative and royalist political party in Nepal. The party supports the restoration of the Hindu kingdom in Nepal under the Shah dynasty. The party was registered with the Election Commission of Nepal ahead of the April 2008 Constituent Assembly election. Ahead of the election,"
"country, the Bikram Sambat, which falls in mid-April and is divided into 12 months. Saturday is the official weekly holiday. Main annual holidays include the Martyr's Day (18 February), and a mix of Hindu and Buddhist festivals such as Dashain in autumn, Tihar in mid-autumn and Chhath in late autumn. During Swanti, the Newars perform the Mha Puja ceremony to celebrate New Year's Day of the lunar calendar Nepal Sambat. Being a Secular country Nepal has holiday on main festivals of minority religions in the nation too. The national cuisine of Nepal is Dhindo and Gundruk.The staple Nepali meal is"
"Catholic Church in Nepal The Catholic Church in Nepal is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome. As of 2011 there are over 10,000 Catholics in Nepal, organized into one Catholic jurisdiction known as an apostolic vicariate. Catholicism was first propagated in Nepal during the 18th century, though from 1810 to 1950 no missionaries were allowed in Nepal. Since 1951, missionaries have again been allowed, though proselytism has remained illegal, and conversion to Christianity remained illegal until 1990. In 1983 a mission ""sui iuris"" covering Nepal was created, and in 1996 it"
"was raised to an Apostolic Prefecture. The 1990 Nepali constitution did not guarantee religious freedom for Christians, but as of May 2006 Nepal has been declared a secular state. The interim constitution, finalized in 2007, guarantees some religious freedom but prohibits people from trying to convert others. On February 10, 2007, Benedict XVI elevated the prefecture of Nepal to the rank of a vicariate and appointed Anthony Francis Sharma as the first vicar and first Nepalese bishop of the Catholic Church. The history of Catholicism in Nepal begins with its inclusion in the diocese of Funchal, Portugal, and in 1533"
"of Nepal last from one to several days. As a predominantly Hindu and Buddhist nation, most of the Nepalese festivals are religious ones. The festivals of Nepal have their roots in Hinduism as 82% of the population of the country is Hindu. Buddhism, the second-largest religion of the nation which accounts for 9% of the population, has influenced the cultural festivals of Nepal. Dashain or Dusshera is the longest and the most important festival of Nepal. Generally Dashain falls in late September to mid-October, right after the end of the monsoon season. It is ""a day of Victory over Demons""."
"Nepal Defence Army During Maoist attempts to call a national school strike, they attacked a small Catholic school in mid-western Nepal with a bomb. In May 2009 a group called the Nepal Defence Army bombed Assumption Church in Kathmandu during a prayer service, killing three people. The church was also blackmailed for money in August 2012 by someone claiming to be a member of the group. Catholic Church in Nepal The Catholic Church in Nepal is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome. As of 2011 there are over 10,000 Catholics in"
"also proclaimed Nepal a secular state and included guarantees on religious freedom. The 2015 constitution retained the designation of Nepal as a secular state, but defined secularism to include the ‘protection of religion and culture being practiced since ancient times’. It also prohibited ‘disturbing the religion of other people’ and reiterated the ban on proselytism (or literally, ‘causing someone to change religion’ [""kasaiko dharma parivartan garaunu""]). In 2017, Nepal's parliament passed an ambiguously-worded law criminalizing ‘hurting the religious sentiment of any caste, ethnic community or class by writing, through voice/talk or by a shape or symbol or in any other"
"Gyanendra of Nepal Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev (; gyānendra Śāh; born 7 July 1947) reigned as the last King of Nepal from 2001 to 2008 and ""is also known as last king of hindu religion of the world"". As a child, he was also briefly king from 1950 to 1951, when his grandfather, Tribhuvan, went into exile in India with the rest of his family. His second reign had begun due to the 2001 Nepalese royal massacre. Gyanendra's second reign was marked by constitutional turmoil. His predecessor King Birendra had established a constitutional monarchy in which he delegated policy"
"from numerous towns and the largest cities. In September 2005, the Maoists declared a three-month unilateral ceasefire to negotiate. In response to the 2006 democracy movement, King Gyanendra agreed to relinquish sovereign power to the people. On 24 April 2006 the dissolved House of Representatives was reinstated. Using its newly acquired sovereign authority, on 18 May 2006 the House of Representatives unanimously voted to curtail the power of the king and declared Nepal a secular state, ending its time-honoured official status as a Hindu Kingdom. On 28 December 2007, a bill was passed in parliament to amend Article 159 of"
"Bahá'í Faith in Nepal The Bahá'í Faith in Nepal begins after a Nepalese leader encountered the religion in his travels before World War II. Following World War II, the first known Bahá'í to entire Nepal was about 1952 in the person N. P. Sinha who moved to Birganj and the first Nepalese Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assembly elected in 1959, and its National Assembly in 1972. For a period of time, between 1976 and 1981, all assemblies were dissolved due to legal restrictions. The 2001 census reported 1211 Bahá'ís, and since the 1990s the Bahá'í community of Nepal has been involved"
"subject in Nepal, and Nepali Christians have been subject to sporadic violence and widespread social exclusion. It is frequently claimed in Nepali media and political discourse that missionaries offer the poor material incentives to convert, but research has indicated that most Nepali Christians convert for reasons other than contact with missionaries. Nepal's constitution-writing process of 2006-15, and the 2007 designation of the country as a secular state, intensified controversies surrounding Christianity. The constitution of 2015 re-affirmed secularism but also prohibited proselytism and ‘disturbing the religion of other people’. In 2017, Nepal's parliament passed a bill which prohibited ‘hurting the religious"
"Christianity in Nepal Christianity is, according to the 2011 census, the fifth most practiced religion in Nepal, with 375,699 adherents, or 1.4% of the population. However, it is widely claimed that non-Hindus are systematically under-reported in Nepal's censuses, and informed observers have estimated that there are at least 1 million Nepali Christians. According to a report by Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary, Nepal's church is the fastest growing in the world. The vast majority of Nepali Christians are evangelical Protestants (if evangelical is defined broadly to include charismatics and Pentecostals); there is also a small Catholic population of roughly 10,000. The"
"senior officers of the Nepali Army comprising 74.4% of total senior officers in 1967. Similarly, Chhetris composed of 38.1%, 54.3% and 55.3% of the senior officers in the year 2003, 2004 and 2007 respectively. Clans of the Chhetri include: The 2011 Nepal census recorded Chhetris as the largest Hindu adherents in the nation with 43,65,113 people which is 99.3% of total Chhetri population. Those Chhetri who follow Hinduism may also follow Buddhism. The ancient religion of the Chhetri is Masto which uses nature worship and can still be seen in western Nepal's Karnali district and in India's Gorkhaland. In Nepal's"
"Scholars who have assessed the various estimates have suggested that a figure of roughly 1 million may be the most plausible estimate. The vast majority of Nepali Christians are Protestant evangelicals of various denominations (if evangelical is defined broadly to include charismatics and Pentecostals). There are also roughly 10,000 Nepali Catholics. Additionally, there are small numbers of adherents to non-mainstream Christian groups in Nepal, such as the Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, and World Mission Society Church of God. Christianity in Nepal Christianity is, according to the 2011 census, the fifth most practiced religion in Nepal, with 375,699 adherents, or 1.4% of"
"in Nepal. A statement of this prohibition can be found in the legal code of 1935: To him who preaches beliefs opposed to the traditional religion of the subjects of the kingdom, to him who abandons or cause to abandon one religion to adopt, or cause to adopt, another one, the following rules will be applied: In the whole of the kingdom of Gorkha – Nepal, putting into practice (""calauna"") and preaching (""pracar garna"")…. Kabir panthi, Christian, Islamic and other irreligious (""vi-dharmi"") and foreign (""vi-deshi"") beliefs (""mat"") which ruin the religion traditionally practised (""sanatan-dekhi hindu jati ma cali-aeko"") by the"
"of Indic, Tibeto-Burman, and other families barely survive in the Kusunda language, which is nearly extinct today. Nepal also has at several indigenous village sign languages, Jhankot Sign Language, Jumla Sign Language, and Ghandruk Sign Language, in addition to the Nepali Sign Language designed for national use. Part 1 of the Constitution of Nepal 2015 (2072 B.S.) contains these provisions about the languages of Nepal: Languages of Nepal The 2011 National census lists 123 Nepalese languages spoken as a mother tongue (first language) in Nepal. Most belong to the Indo-Aryan and Sino-Tibetan language families. The official language of Nepal is"
"2001 census, the adherents of Buddhism are as follows: Buddhism in Nepal Buddhism in Nepal started spreading since the reign of Ashoka through Indian and Tibetan missionaries. The Kiratas were the first people in Nepal who embraced Gautama Buddha’s teachings, followed by the Licchavis and Newars. Buddha was born in Lumbini in the Shakya Kingdom. Lumbini is considered to lie in present-day Rupandehi district, Lumbini zone of Nepal. Buddhism is the second-largest religion in Nepal. According to 2011 census, the Buddhist population in Nepal is 9% of the country population. It has not been possible to assign with certainty the"
"and was a pupil of the current Apostoli Vicar, Nepalese Jesuit Father Anthony Sharma. In May 2006, church leaders welcomed the parliamentary declaration that Nepal is now a ""secular state,"" a change from what had been the only officially Hindu country in the world. The first open air Christian musical program was hosted to celebrate the beginning of religious freedom for the first time in Nepal's history. A convent was inaugurated along with a training center in western Nepal in June 2006, a first for western Nepal. Six Nepalese youths went to World Youth Day 2005 in Cologne, Germany despite"
"in Kathmandu on 28 May 2008, and, after a polling of 564 constituent Assembly members, 560 voted to form a new government, with the monarchist Rastriya Prajatantra Party, which had four members in the assembly, registering a dissenting note. At that point, it was declared that Nepal had become a secular and inclusive democratic republic, with the government announcing a three-day public holiday from 28–30 May. The king was thereafter given 15 days to vacate Narayanhity Palace so it could reopen as a public museum. Nonetheless, political tensions and consequent power-sharing battles have continued in Nepal. In May 2009, the"
"is a National Holiday in Nepal and celebrated widely in temples all over the country, but especially in the Pashupatinath temple. Thousands of devotees visit the famous Shiva Shakti Peetham nearby as well.Holy rituals are performed all over the nation. Artists from various classical music and dance forms perform through the night. On Maha Shivaratri, married women pray for the well being of their husbands, while unmarried women pray for a husband like Shiva, considered as the ideal husband. Shiva is also worshipped as the Adi Guru (first teacher) from whom the yogic tradition originates. Maha Shivaratri is the main"
"one-quarter of the population are ethnic Nepalese and practice Hinduism. They live mainly in the south and follow the Shaivite, Vaishnavite, Shakta, Ghanapathi, Puranic, and Vedic schools. Christians both Roman Catholic and Protestant and nonreligious groups comprised less than one percent of the population. Bön, the country's animist and shamanistic belief system, revolves around the worship of nature and predates Buddhism. Very few citizens adhere exclusively to this religious group. The most authoritative law regarding religious freedom in Bhutan is its Constitution. Other ancillary acts of Bhutanese legislation provide the substantive and procedural framework to ensure religious freedom and regulate"
"Kathmandu (1.25% of the total population). Islam in Nepal Islam is a minority religion in Nepal. According to the 2011 Nepal census, 4.4% of the population are Nepalese Muslims. Islam is thought to have been introduced by the Indian Muslims and Pakistani Muslims settling in Nepal. Ahmadis maintain a small presence in Nepal. According to the 2011 Nepal census, there are around 1.164 million Muslims in Nepal. Almost all of them live in Terai Region. Districts with large Muslim concentrations are: Rautahat (19.7%), Banke (19.0%), Kapilvastu (18.2%), Parsa (14.5%), Mahottari (13.3%), Bara (13.0%) and Sunsari (11.5%). There are only 21,866"