Latest news with #Lama
Scroll.in
4 days ago
- General
- Scroll.in
Nepal's sacred tradition of burning sang incense could wither away
In Bhraka village of western Nepal's Manang district, 72-year-old Buddhist nun Tashi Lama sits in silence, chanting as she turns her prayer wheel. Ever since she took her vows at 25, her mornings begin with prayers and the lighting of sang, a sacred incense made from dried branches and leaves of black juniper (Juniperus indica) and wild wormwood (titepati) among others. 'Lighting sang purifies our environment. It's something we do every day wishing that peace prevails in the world,' Lama told Mongabay. 'Its cedar-like scent evokes calm and hope.' Like Lama, thousands of Buddhists in Nepal's Trans-Himalayan regions such as Manang and Mustang, and those with roots to the area residing around the world light the sang as part of a sacred tradition at the break of dawn wherever they are. However, the sacred tradition which has been going on for centuries is under growing threat from overharvesting, tightening conservation regulations and a warming global climate. At the centuries-year-old Kagyu Monastery in Bhraka – situated at an elevation of 3,475 metres (11,400 feet) above sea level – 48-year-old caretaker Karma Chhiring Gurung, also begins his day by lighting the incense. 'Our ancestors taught us that God will be happy and satisfied if we light sang, and we have been doing it ever since,' he told Mongabay. Black juniper, locally known as dhupi, trees grow only between 3,600 metres-4,800 metres (11,800-15,750 ft) above sea level in Nepal, China, Bhutan, India and Pakistan. Although the global conservation authority IUCN classifies the species as ' least concern ' it warns that, in Nepal, subpopulations of the species face the dual challenge of fragmentation and exploitation for incense and firewood. To address these challenges, communities have long designated areas for leaf collection so that plants in specific areas get time to regenerate. This means that collecting leaves within the village bounds is prohibited. Lama and other residents hike to areas such as Tanke to gather leaves for their personal use. But all that is changing, mainly due to migration and demand for the leaves outside of Manang, Nepal's least populated district with just 5,658 residents (0.019% of the national population, 2021 census). Residents continue to leave behind the villages to move to cities such as Pokhara, Kathmandu and Chitwan for better opportunities, but they take with them their reverence for sang and their religious beliefs. Those who have left their ancestral lands, continue to burn sang wherever they go, be it in Nepal or abroad. In addition to this, residents gift sang as a token of love from Manang to their relatives when visiting them. 'Devotees prefer sang from Manang as it has superior quality and aroma,' said 54-year-old Karma Chhiring Ghale. Jandhen Gurung, 82, who now lives with her daughter after her sons left the village, often travels to Kathmandu and prepares sang by collecting, sun-drying and grinding it for these trips. 'The day is not complete without burning the sang, even in the city, I burn sang. I consider it as a gift for relatives. It cheers me up.' As of April, around 4,490 kg of juniper leaves have legally been collected this fiscal year – which ends on July 15 – from Manang. In 2023-'24, the figure stood at 5,000 kg and, in the previous two years, 1,593 kg and 1,488 kg respectively. The uptick in demand for juniper leaves in Manang, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP). To discourage overharvesting, conservation area authorities now issue permits to collect juniper leaves. Under the prevailing rules, each person is allowed to collect only 10 kg of juniper leaves every year for household use. The rules don't allow collection of leaves for commercial use. Rabin Kadariya, chief of ACAP, says that his office came up with the rules recognising the value of the plant to the local community, but it must not be exploited commercially. 'We increased the quota per person from 3 kg to 10 kg after discussions with local communities,' he adds. Former Bhakra ward chair Karma Gurung was once detained by ACAP for allegedly exceeding the 3 kg limit before the rule change. 'We needed more. That's why I advocated to increase the quota to 10 kg,' he says. Even with the rules in place, 'outsiders' are illegally harvesting and selling juniper leaves, says Karma Chhiring. All this is happening as researchers warn that a warming global climate could have devastating impacts on the Himalayan region and its flora and fauna. Of particular concern to scientists is the prolonged winter drought in the region. This year, Manang witnessed snowfall only after the end of the winter season in April, raising concerns about long dry spells and their impact on vegetation. 'Plants take longer to recover when it is dry,' explains Kadariya. Kadariya's statement is corroborated by a 2024 study on juniper in the central Himalaya. The authors of the study suggest that with the increase in droughts, which can be attributed to climate change, are likely to increase the vulnerability of juniper shrubs. Despite difficult environmental conditions, a 2020 study found, juniper shrubs continue to regenerate effectively, due to its deep roots and ability to withstand dry, rocky soils. However, the study also warns of overexploitation. While local religious use may not threaten its survival, commercial harvesting could.
Japan Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Japan Times
'Stateless overnight': Kuwait strips tens of thousands of citizenship
Leaving her weekly workout class, Lama was shocked to discover she was no longer a Kuwaiti — one of tens of thousands of people, mostly women, suddenly stripped of citizenship. After her credit card payment for the class in Kuwait City was declined, she learnt her bank account was temporarily frozen because her nationality, acquired through marriage, had been revoked. "It was a shock," said the grandmother in her 50s, originally from Jordan, who like others interviewed asked to use a pseudonym, fearing a backlash from the authorities. "To be a law-abiding citizen for more than 20 years and then wake up one day to find out you're no longer a citizen ... that's not okay at all," she said. The mass revocations have been cast as part of a reformist agenda spearheaded by Kuwaiti emir Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, who dissolved parliament and suspended parts of the constitution five months after taking power in December 2023. His latest citizenship policy appears aimed at restricting nationality to those with blood ties to the tiny, oil-rich nation, reshaping Kuwaiti identity and potentially trimming its electorate after years of political crisis, analysts said. In a televised speech to the country of nearly 5 million — only a third of them Kuwaitis — the emir pledged in March to "deliver Kuwait to its original people clean and free from impurities." Lama is among more than 37,000 people, including at least 26,000 women, who have lost Kuwaiti nationality since August, according to a tally of official figures. Media reports suggest the real number could be much higher. While large-scale citizenship revocations are not unheard of in Kuwait, "the volume is definitely unprecedented," said Bader al-Saif, assistant professor of history at Kuwait University. Kuwait already has a big stateless community: the Bidoon, estimated at around 100,000 people, who were denied citizenship on independence from British protectorship in 1961. 'They went after mothers' The latest campaign abolishes naturalization by marriage, which only applied to women, and revokes citizenship granted to wives since 1987. Official data shows 38,505 women were naturalized by marriage from 1993 to 2020. It also targets people with dual nationality, which Kuwait does not allow, and those who became citizens fraudulently — by using forged documents, for example. Others naturalized for their achievements, including pop singer Nawal The Kuwaiti and actor Dawood Hussain, have also lost their citizenship. "Overnight, I became stateless," said businesswoman Amal, who had been Kuwaiti for nearly two decades. Many have been left in legal limbo while they scramble to restore their previous nationality. "The right to nationality is a very basic human right, and failure to respect and ensure it can wreak havoc on people's lives, as ... the Bidoon know all too well," said Amnesty International's Mansoureh Mills. Analysts say the latest drive has the question of Kuwaiti nationhood at its core. "I trace it to the notion of identity: Who are we as a nation?" said Saif. While Kuwait's parliament is a rarity in the monarchical Gulf, its tiered citizenship system limits political rights to those born to a Kuwaiti father. After Iraq's invasion in 1990, naturalized Kuwaitis were granted voting rights after 20 years of citizenship, as were children born after their father's naturalization. It was "a token of appreciation" for standing by Kuwait, Saif said, but also a "push for national unity after liberation." But Kuwait's new leadership has "an exclusionary vision of Kuwaiti nationalism," keeping out "people who lack deep roots there," said Giorgio Cafiero, CEO of Gulf State Analytics. For researcher Melissa Langworthy, who studied citizenship issues in the Gulf, naturalized women are "being told clearly that they are not the ideal reproducers of the nation." "They went after mothers, the heart of the family," lamented Lama, adding: "We are the mothers and grandmothers of the children of this country." 'Innocent women' Initially cast as a crackdown on fraudsters taking advantage of Kuwait's generous benefits, the move was welcomed in a country where many complain of corruption and mismanagement. But the mood quickly changed. A Kuwaiti man whose wife lost her citizenship said the government was equating "innocent women and fraudsters." His wife, a retired civil servant, had her pension suspended for more than six months and her bank loan frozen. "What kind of message are we conveying by inciting racism and treating them unfairly?" he said. Authorities have promised the women will be treated as Kuwaiti and keep their social benefits, but those hit by the campaign have lost any political rights. The emir cited constant standoffs between lawmakers and the royal-appointed cabinet when he dissolved the parliament, which had long delayed reforms needed to diversify the oil-reliant economy. "The Kuwaiti leadership is possibly seeking to reduce the citizen population in order to shape a smaller, more politically manageable electorate," said Cafiero.
New Straits Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- New Straits Times
'Stateless overnight': Kuwait strips tens of thousands of citizenship
DUBAI: Leaving her weekly workout class, Lama was shocked to discover she was no longer a Kuwaiti – one of tens of thousands of people, mostly women, suddenly stripped of citizenship. After her credit card payment for the class in Kuwait City was declined, she learnt her bank account was temporarily frozen because her nationality, acquired through marriage, had been revoked. "It was a shock," said the grandmother in her 50s, originally from Jordan, who, like others interviewed by AFP, asked to use a pseudonym, fearing a backlash from the authorities. "To be a law-abiding citizen for more than 20 years and then wake up one day to find out you're no longer a citizen... that's not okay at all," she said. The mass revocations have been cast as part of a reformist agenda spearheaded by Kuwaiti emir Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, who dissolved parliament and suspended parts of the constitution five months after taking power in December 2023. His latest citizenship policy appears aimed at restricting nationality to those with blood ties to the tiny, oil-rich nation, reshaping Kuwaiti identity and potentially trimming its electorate after years of political crisis, analysts told AFP. In a televised speech to the country of nearly five million – only a third of them Kuwaitis – the emir pledged in March to "deliver Kuwait to its original people clean and free from impurities." Lama is among more than 37,000 people including at least 26,000 women who have lost Kuwaiti nationality since August, according to an AFP tally of official figures. Media reports suggest the real number could be much higher. While large-scale citizenship revocations are not unheard of in Kuwait, "the volume is definitely unprecedented," said Bader al-Saif, assistant professor of history at Kuwait University. Kuwait already has a large stateless community: the Bidoon, estimated at around 100,000 people, who were denied citizenship on independence from British protectorship in 1961. The latest campaign abolishes naturalisation by marriage, which only applied to women, and revokes citizenship granted to wives since 1987. Official data show 38,505 women were naturalised by marriage from 1993 to 2020. It also targets people with dual nationality, which Kuwait does not allow, and those who became citizens fraudulently – by using forged documents, for example. Others naturalised for their achievements, including pop singer Nawal The Kuwaiti and actor Dawood Hussain, have also lost their citizenship. "Overnight, I became stateless," businesswoman Amal, who had been Kuwaiti for nearly two decades, told AFP. Many have been left in legal limbo while they scramble to restore their previous nationality. "The right to nationality is a very basic human right, and failure to respect and ensure it can wreak havoc on people's lives, as... the Bidoon know all too well," Amnesty International's Mansoureh Mills told AFP. Analysts say the latest drive has the question of Kuwaiti nationhood at its core. "I trace it to the notion of identity: who are we as a nation?" said Saif. While Kuwait's parliament is a rarity in the monarchical Gulf, its tiered citizenship system limits political rights to those born to a Kuwaiti father. After Iraq's invasion in 1990, naturalised Kuwaitis were granted voting rights after 20 years of citizenship, as were children born after their father's naturalisation. It was "a token of appreciation" for standing by Kuwait, Saif said, but also a "push for national unity after liberation." But Kuwait's new leadership have "an exclusionary vision of Kuwaiti nationalism," keeping out "people who lack deep roots there," said Giorgio Cafiero, CEO of Gulf State Analytics. For researcher Melissa Langworthy, who studied citizenship issues in the Gulf, naturalised women are "being told clearly that they are not the ideal reproducers of the nation." "They went after mothers, the heart of the family," lamented Lama, adding: "We are the mothers and grandmothers of the children of this country." Initially cast as a crackdown on fraudsters taking advantage of Kuwait's generous benefits, the move was welcomed in a country where many complain of corruption and mismanagement. But the mood quickly changed. A Kuwaiti man whose wife lost her citizenship said the government was equating "innocent women and fraudsters." His wife, a retired civil servant, had her pension suspended for more than six months and her bank loan frozen. "What kind of message are we conveying by inciting racism and treating them unfairly?" he said. Authorities have promised the women will be treated as Kuwaiti and keep their social benefits, but those hit by the campaign have lost any political rights. The emir cited constant standoffs between lawmakers and the royal-appointed cabinet when he dissolved the parliament, which had long delayed reforms needed to diversify the oil-reliant economy. "The Kuwaiti leadership is possibly seeking to reduce the citizen population in order to shape a smaller, more politically manageable electorate," said Cafiero.
Malay Mail
6 days ago
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Nationality is a right, not a favour, say women challenging Kuwait's citizenship crackdown
DUBAI, May 26 — Leaving her weekly workout class, Lama was shocked to discover she was no longer a Kuwaiti — one of tens of thousands of people, mostly women, suddenly stripped of citizenship. After her credit card payment for the class in Kuwait City was declined, she learnt her bank account was temporarily frozen because her nationality, acquired through marriage, had been revoked. 'It was a shock,' said the grandmother in her 50s, originally from Jordan, who like others interviewed by AFP asked to use a pseudonym, fearing a backlash from the authorities. 'To be a law-abiding citizen for more than 20 years and then wake up one day to find out you're no longer a citizen... that's not okay at all,' she said. The mass revocations have been cast as part of a reformist agenda spearheaded by Kuwaiti emir Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, who dissolved parliament and suspended parts of the constitution five months after taking power in December 2023. His latest citizenship policy appears aimed at restricting nationality to those with blood ties to the tiny, oil-rich nation, reshaping Kuwaiti identity and potentially trimming its electorate after years of political crisis, analysts told AFP. In a televised speech to the country of nearly five million — only a third of them Kuwaitis — the emir pledged in March to 'deliver Kuwait to its original people clean and free from impurities'. Lama is among more than 37,000 people including at least 26,000 women who have lost Kuwaiti nationality since August, according to an AFP tally of official figures. Media reports suggest the real number could be much higher. While large-scale citizenship revocations are not unheard of in Kuwait, 'the volume is definitely unprecedented', said Bader al-Saif, assistant professor of history at Kuwait University. Kuwait already has a big stateless community: the Bidoon, estimated at around 100,000 people, who were denied citizenship on independence from British protectorship in 1961. 'They went after mothers' The latest campaign abolishes naturalisation by marriage, which only applied to women, and revokes citizenship granted to wives since 1987. Official data shows 38,505 women were naturalised by marriage from 1993 to 2020. It also targets people with dual nationality, which Kuwait does not allow, and those who became citizens fraudulently — by using forged documents, for example. Others naturalised for their achievements, including pop singer Nawal The Kuwaiti and actor Dawood Hussain, have also lost their citizenship. 'Overnight, I became stateless,' businesswoman Amal, who had been Kuwaiti for nearly two decades, told AFP. Many have been left in legal limbo while they scramble to restore their previous nationality. 'The right to nationality is a very basic human right, and failure to respect and ensure it can wreak havoc on people's lives, as... the Bidoon know all too well,' Amnesty International's Mansoureh Mills told AFP. Analysts say the latest drive has the question of Kuwaiti nationhood at its core. 'I trace it to the notion of identity: who are we as a nation?' said Saif. While Kuwait's parliament is a rarity in the monarchical Gulf, its tiered citizenship system limits political rights to those born to a Kuwaiti father. After Iraq's invasion in 1990, naturalised Kuwaitis were granted voting rights after 20 years of citizenship, as were children born after their father's naturalisation. It was 'a token of appreciation' for standing by Kuwait, Saif said, but also a 'push for national unity after liberation'. But Kuwait's new leadership have 'an exclusionary vision of Kuwaiti nationalism', keeping out 'people who lack deep roots there', said Giorgio Cafiero, CEO of Gulf State Analytics. For researcher Melissa Langworthy, who studied citizenship issues in the Gulf, naturalised women are 'being told clearly that they are not the ideal reproducers of the nation'. 'They went after mothers, the heart of the family,' lamented Lama, adding: 'We are the mothers and grandmothers of the children of this country.' 'Innocent women' Initially cast as a crackdown on fraudsters taking advantage of Kuwait's generous benefits, the move was welcomed in a country where many complain of corruption and mismanagement. But the mood quickly changed. A Kuwaiti man whose wife lost her citizenship said the government was equating 'innocent women and fraudsters'. His wife, a retired civil servant, had her pension suspended for more than six months and her bank loan frozen. 'What kind of message are we conveying by inciting racism and treating them unfairly?' he said. Authorities have promised the women will be treated as Kuwaiti and keep their social benefits, but those hit by the campaign have lost any political rights. The emir cited constant standoffs between lawmakers and the royal-appointed cabinet when he dissolved the parliament, which had long delayed reforms needed to diversify the oil-reliant economy. 'The Kuwaiti leadership is possibly seeking to reduce the citizen population in order to shape a smaller, more politically manageable electorate,' said Cafiero. — AFP
NDTV
6 days ago
- Politics
- NDTV
'Stateless Overnight': Kuwait Strips Tens Of Thousands Of Citizenship
Leaving her weekly workout class, Lama was shocked to discover she was no longer a Kuwaiti -- one of tens of thousands of people, mostly women, suddenly stripped of citizenship. After her credit card payment for the class in Kuwait City was declined, she learnt her bank account was temporarily frozen because her nationality, acquired through marriage, had been revoked. "It was a shock," said the grandmother in her 50s, originally from Jordan, who like others interviewed by AFP asked to use a pseudonym, fearing a backlash from the authorities. "To be a law-abiding citizen for more than 20 years and then wake up one day to find out you're no longer a citizen... that's not okay at all," she said. The mass revocations have been cast as part of a reformist agenda spearheaded by Kuwaiti emir Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, who dissolved parliament and suspended parts of the constitution five months after taking power in December 2023. His latest citizenship policy appears aimed at restricting nationality to those with blood ties to the tiny, oil-rich nation, reshaping Kuwaiti identity and potentially trimming its electorate after years of political crisis, analysts told AFP. In a televised speech to the country of nearly five million -- only a third of them Kuwaitis -- the emir pledged in March to "deliver Kuwait to its original people clean and free from impurities". Lama is among more than 37,000 people including at least 26,000 women who have lost Kuwaiti nationality since August, according to an AFP tally of official figures. Media reports suggest the real number could be much higher. While large-scale citizenship revocations are not unheard of in Kuwait, "the volume is definitely unprecedented", said Bader al-Saif, assistant professor of history at Kuwait University. Kuwait already has a big stateless community: the Bidoon, estimated at around 100,000 people, who were denied citizenship on independence from British protectorship in 1961. 'They Went After Mothers' The latest campaign abolishes naturalisation by marriage, which only applied to women, and revokes citizenship granted to wives since 1987. Official data shows 38,505 women were naturalised by marriage from 1993 to 2020. It also targets people with dual nationality, which Kuwait does not allow, and those who became citizens fraudulently -- by using forged documents, for example. Others naturalised for their achievements, including pop singer Nawal The Kuwaiti and actor Dawood Hussain, have also lost their citizenship. "Overnight, I became stateless," businesswoman Amal, who had been Kuwaiti for nearly two decades, told AFP. Many have been left in legal limbo while they scramble to restore their previous nationality. "The right to nationality is a very basic human right, and failure to respect and ensure it can wreak havoc on people's lives, as... the Bidoon know all too well," Amnesty International's Mansoureh Mills told AFP. Analysts say the latest drive has the question of Kuwaiti nationhood at its core. "I trace it to the notion of identity: who are we as a nation?" said Saif. While Kuwait's parliament is a rarity in the monarchical Gulf, its tiered citizenship system limits political rights to those born to a Kuwaiti father. After Iraq's invasion in 1990, naturalised Kuwaitis were granted voting rights after 20 years of citizenship, as were children born after their father's naturalisation. It was "a token of appreciation" for standing by Kuwait, Saif said, but also a "push for national unity after liberation". But Kuwait's new leadership have "an exclusionary vision of Kuwaiti nationalism", keeping out "people who lack deep roots there", said Giorgio Cafiero, CEO of Gulf State Analytics. For researcher Melissa Langworthy, who studied citizenship issues in the Gulf, naturalised women are "being told clearly that they are not the ideal reproducers of the nation". "They went after mothers, the heart of the family," lamented Lama, adding: "We are the mothers and grandmothers of the children of this country." 'Innocent Women' Initially cast as a crackdown on fraudsters taking advantage of Kuwait's generous benefits, the move was welcomed in a country where many complain of corruption and mismanagement. But the mood quickly changed. A Kuwaiti man whose wife lost her citizenship said the government was equating "innocent women and fraudsters". His wife, a retired civil servant, had her pension suspended for more than six months and her bank loan frozen. "What kind of message are we conveying by inciting racism and treating them unfairly?" he said. Authorities have promised the women will be treated as Kuwaiti and keep their social benefits, but those hit by the campaign have lost any political rights. The emir cited constant standoffs between lawmakers and the royal-appointed cabinet when he dissolved the parliament, which had long delayed reforms needed to diversify the oil-reliant economy. "The Kuwaiti leadership is possibly seeking to reduce the citizen population in order to shape a smaller, more politically manageable electorate," said Cafiero.
