Number of Muslim ministers comes down

August 14th, 2009 LONDON - A British minister Friday defended his decision to walk out of a Muslim wedding where men and women were separated, saying such practices ran against his efforts to build "inclusion." Farming Minister Jim Fitzpatrick and his wife walked out of the marriage ceremony in his east London constituency - home to a large number of Bangladeshis - after discovering they would have to sit in separate rooms. He told BBC radio Friday that such practices promoted "exclusion rather than inclusion," which his government was trying to build in areas like east London.

July 23rd, 2009 DHAKA - Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, the country's largest Islamist party, expects its non-Muslim members to take an oath to "defend national sovereignty", but this is not required of its Muslim members, a media report said Thursday. The party, that claims to have 25,000 non-Muslim members, submitted its 'reformed' constitution to the Election Commission (EC) Wednesday.

June 4th, 2009 CAIRO - In a much-anticipated speech to the Muslim world from Cairo Thursday, US President Barack Obama said he would expand economic, scientific and educational ties with predominantly Muslim countries. "We will create a new corps of business volunteers to partner with counterparts in Muslim-majority countries," Obama said.

May 28th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Fifty nine ministers took their oath in English and Hindi at a solemn ceremony in Rashtrapati Bhavan on Thursday. President Pratibha Patil administered oath of office to 38 ministers in English and 21 ministers in Hindi.

May 28th, 2009 PATNA - With no leader from Bihar making it to the Team Manmohan Thursday, many in the state, where the Congress won only two Lok Sabha seats, expressed disappointment over the decreasing number of Bihar ministers in the union cabinet - from 12 in 2004 to just one in 2009. Meira Kumar is the lone face from Bihar in Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's cabinet.

May 27th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's new government took shape Wednesday with a 78-member council of ministers, including 33 cabinet ministers and 45 ministers of state, being named after three days of intense negotiations. The new government's 78-strong council of ministers makes place for 19 allies of the second United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government - seven each from the DMK and the Trinamool Congress, three from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and one each from the Muslim League and the National Conference.

May 27th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Almost 50 years divide the oldest and the youngest member of Manmohan Singh's new council of ministers that took shape Wednesday. The average age of the 78-member council is 57.

May 27th, 2009 THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - With as many as six Kerala MPs set to be part of the council of ministers in Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government, the state had reason to be happy Wednesday. Three Congress MPs got the call for the swearing in Thursday.

May 27th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra have five ministers each in the 33-member union cabinet of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced Wednesday while the most populous state Uttar Pradesh finds no representation. Tamil Nadu's total representation in the council of ministers, comprising 33 cabinet ministers and 45 ministers of state, will be 10 -- three from the Congress and seven from its ally DMK.

May 27th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Having a degree in law can apparently improve one's chances of getting a ministerial berth as nearly half of the cabinet members have studied the subject. Of the 33 cabinet ministers named by Wednesday, 15 hold a degree in law.

May 27th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Thirty-eight ministers, including 14 cabinet ministers, will be sworn in Thursday morning in Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's council of ministers. These include seven ministers with independent charge.

May 27th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expands his council of ministers Thursday, adding 14 cabinet ministers, including three former chief ministers and three DMK leaders, and 45 ministers of state. Of the ministers of state, seven will have independent charge.

May 25th, 2009 HYDERABAD - Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy Monday constituted a 35-member cabinet, inducting 20 new faces and dropping four ministers who were part of his earlier ministry.

May 25th, 2009 HYDERABAD - Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy Monday constituted a 35-member cabinet, inducting 20 new faces and dropping four ministers who were part of his earlier ministry.

May 4th, 2009 Some Muslims questioning relationships with FBINEWARK, N.J. — A coalition of Muslim groups is calling for Muslims to stop fully cooperating with the FBI.