Humanity
is diverse, that's God's intentional creation. The male/ female ratio
has always remained around 50/50 with +/- 2 points variation on either
side. The world would never be 100% male or female, likewise the world
would never be 100% Gay, it will be a natural 10-15% of the population.
Mike Ghouse
Texas Faith: Do we need a new national conversation about marriage?
By Bill McKenzie / Editorial Columnist
Dallas Morning News, Published on February 5, 2012
Ten panelists contributed to this forum, to read the contributions from all the panelists, please visit - http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/2013/02/texas-faith-do-we-need-a-new-national-conversation-about-marriage.html/
Has
the conversation about marriage reached a dead-end in our country, as
Blankenhorn suggests? If it has, please explain what you would like this
conversation to now include. If you think we don't need a new
conversation, please explain.
MIKE GHOUSE, President, Foundation for Pluralism, Dallas, and Speaker on interfaith matters, diversity and pluralism
The
conversation on marriage has just opened up, and we are far from
reaching the dead-end. But until that time we will need two parallel
societies. They will not be in conflict with each other, but each on its
own path.
What is missing in the conversation is our untapped
ability in understanding the wisdom of God. As humans we are
disgustingly selfish, and grind on to the selective verses that suit our
insecurities to force the weak (minority) into obedience, as if we gain
something.
The conservatives among us, particularly those who
are Christians and Muslim, are stuck in the dished-out versions of the
Sodom and Gomorrah story. We need to follow Jesus in spirit, and follow
the merciful and inclusive God of the Universe (Quran).
God has
endowed us with free will. He let Adam make the mistake without slapping
him for eating the forbidden fruit. Instead, he kicked us out, and gave
us an opportunity to multiply and live out in a bigger world with free
will. He wanted us to figure out living with each other without
punishing the few, who opt not to multiply.
As a futurist of
interfaith trends, I have been struggling to understand sin. I found
guidance in Buddhist literature about sin from this analysis, which I
read on ReligionFacts.com:
"'Sexual misconduct' has thus
traditionally been interpreted to include actions like coercive sex,
sexual harassment, child molestation and adultery. As homosexuality is
not explicitly mentioned in any of the Buddha's sayings recorded in the
Pali Canon (Tripitaka), most interpreters have taken this to mean that
homosexuality should be evaluated in the same way as heterosexuality, in
accordance with the following principles: I) Intention - Is the act
motivated by love, generosity and understanding? And ii) consequential -
does the act cause harm and regret (in oneself or others) or benefit
and joy?"
As a pluralist, I draw upon different religious
scriptures, and here is a corollary from Quran about carrying on a civil
dialogue. "Respectfully, I do not practice what you practice, and you
do not practice what I practice, so you live with your belief as I do
with mine, as long as we understand our differences and not harm each
other."
The dialogue must continue until we learn to respect the
otherness of others and live in harmony. No one's belief should be
thrust on the other. That kind of freedom is a hallmark of civil
societies.
…
The phobias that acknowledging and accepting the gay
sexual orientation will cause more people to become gay is as
ridiculous as saying eating Chicken will make you a Chicken. The sooner
we accept this, the quicker we can put this fear behind and move on with
our lives, instead of harassing and denigrating fellow humans. Thank
God, I am blessed to be friends with all of God's creation including
many gay and lesbian friends. The alarmist attitude will evaporate one
day, why not junk it now? Indeed, it's a blessing to be free.
…..
References:
New York Times piece on Blankenhorn. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/30/us/in-shift-blankenhorn-forges-a-pro-marriage-coalition-for-all.html?_r=0
American Values, marriage a new conversation
http://www.americanvalues.org/marriage-a-new-conversation/index.php
Buddhism about Homosexuality
http://www.religionfacts.com/homosexuality/buddhism.htm
Quran about Civil Dialogue
http://www.religionfacts.com/homosexuality/buddhism.htm
. . . . . . . Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a
writer on pluralism, politics, peace, Islam, Israel, India, interfaith, and cohesion at work
place and standing up for
others as an activist. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers
pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. Mike has a
strong presence on national and local TV, Radio and Print Media. He is a
frequent guest on Sean
Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he
contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News, fortnightly
at Huffington post, and
several other periodicals across the world. His personal site www.MikeGhouse.net indexes everything you
want to know about him.
Friday, February 8, 2013
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and I
As a kid I learned things about him and did not relate with him at all,
he was too divine and remote for me. All that changed when I read the
book "Muhammad" by Karen Armstrong. She narrates his life from a
non-religious point of view, as a civic leader of the society, a
dimension that I appreciated it very much. Karen Armstrong's book is one
of the five reasons I chose to become a Muslim after a lapse of nearly
three decades. He was a man that I can relate with, making decisions
that create trust, mutual respect and a sense of fairness among his
people at that time. That was indeed the role of every prophet and
peacemaker of the time. Mike Ghouse
How I Connect With Prophet Muhammad
Published by Huffington Post
On 01/25/2013 9:48 pm
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/how-i-connect-with-prophet-muhammad_b_2547782.html
How do I relate with the prophet? I don't wear clothes like him, eat like him or live like him. But when it comes to respecting fellow beings, nurturing goodwill, mitigating conflicts, forgiving others and building cohesive societies, I can relate.
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was born on 12th day of Rabi' al-Awwal, the third month of the Islamic calendar, and the year was 571 A.D. The birth celebrations will continue through this week, and if you wish to greet a Muslim, you can say, Milaad (birth) Greetings, Happy Maulood-an-Nabi, Maulood-an-Nabi Mubarak, happy Eid Milaad and Milaad's blessings to you.
First thing first, he took the larger view of the society and became a model of what it takes to be an exemplary citizen. The first requirement of any civil society is to trust each other in living their daily life safely and without fear of the other. He earned the trust of the society for being truthful, honest in his dealings, trustworthy and just. The Jews, Christians, pagans and others called him Amin, the trust worthy. That was indeed the first foundational Sunnah (prophet's example).
Wherever he saw conflicts between people, he found a way to mitigate and nurture goodwill amongst them. Indeed, he was committed to building a cohesive society, where no one feared the other, and he continuously built upon creating balance and harmony in the society. Blessed are the peacemakers, said Jesus! Indeed, Prophet Muhammad is my mentor.
Muslims celebrate his birthday in a variety of ways, including cooking the simplest food as an expression of humility. They sing the likes of Christmas carols, called Milaad, Nasheed, even Milaad Carols and other names. I have found it peaceful to think about his work and reflect on how I could relate with him, the ultimate peacemaker.
Do I forgive often? Do I stand up for the rights of others? Am I a blessing to fellow humans? Do others feel secure and safe around me? Today, I have concluded my day with a short prayer and a commitment and get on the road. God willing, I will follow him to the best of my ability.
As a kid I learned things about him and did not relate with him at all, he was too divine and remote for me. All that changed when I read the book "Muhammad" by Karen Armstrong. She narrates his life from a non-religious point of view, as a civic leader of the society, a dimension that I appreciated it very much. Karen Armstrong's book is one of the five reasons I chose to become a Muslim after a lapse of nearly three decades. He was a man that I can relate with, making decisions that create trust, mutual respect and a sense of fairness among his people at that time. That was indeed the role of every prophet and peacemaker of the time.
When someone hurts me, I think of the prophet, he advised against score keeping and piling revenge and aggravating each other, and I love the freedom it gives me, freedom from brooding and obsession to get even with the other.
When someone dialogues with me, prophet's words jump at me, to respect the otherness of other, without having to agree but respectfully differ and move on. Indeed, it is a big lesson in conducting civil dialogue.
When I am frustrated, I think of prophet's narration, God told him to do his work, and not worry if people don't get his message, give them the room to make up their own minds, and let me guide them, and you respect everyone's free will.
Every day, I think about the Prophet, how he would have found a solution to a given conflict, and all I see is the application of the principles of fairness and justice to every human, with goodness and inclusiveness.
My spiritual mentors are Muhammad (pbuh) and Jesus (pbuh), and my civic mentors are Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and Barack Obama.
When I think of getting even with someone who maligns me, I think of the advice of Prophet Muhammad and Jesus: The best thing we can do is to forgive the other; it brings relief and frees us from being possessed.
When I see injustice done to others, the prophets words ring again, the least you can do is to speak out against injustice. Injustice to one is injustice to the whole humanity.
When I see inequality in our society, our immortal declaration of independence kicks in for me, that all men are created equal. I think of prophet's last sermon, where he said no man is superior to the other and that all are equal.
Whenever I think of the liberation of women, I think of the prophet, he was perhaps the first women's libber; and he officially liberated women from the shackles of the bondages. He was a radical of his time, as Jesus was, and said women are free to marry or divorce, own their own business and property, separate from their husbands, and he introduced the idea of consent and free will in marriage. Let's not judge America by the Newtown, Aurora and Oak Creek murderers, and let's not judge Muslims by the misogynistic men among them either.
Whenever I feel judgmental toward others, the prophet's voice pulls me back, only God knows everything about the other, not me, then let me not judge anyone without the full knowledge.
When I think of standing up for others, I think of Gandhi and MLK, if we don't stand up for others, why should anyone stand up for us.
Whenever the idea of being better than others crosses my mind, I think of the prophet, who said, I am a human like you, and don't make a God out of me or paint my pictures and put me on the pedestal. He even said to his daughter, you earn your paradise through your good deeds, the good you do to the fellow beings and not because you are the Prophet's daughter.
Whenever arrogance attempts to creep in me, I hear the words of the prophet, "Treat all prophets the same, no human is above the other" -- instead of saying I am the greatest prophet and listen to me. Feeling and practicing equality is the way for creating peaceful societies.
I will be writing a full chapter on the prophet in my upcoming book, as to how I relate with him in my daily life, and I have learned to give a 20 minutes motivations talk on "Prophet the Peacemaker" and that is rejoicing.
Further reading:
Milaad Mubarak!
How I Connect With Prophet Muhammad
Published by Huffington Post
On 01/25/2013 9:48 pm
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/how-i-connect-with-prophet-muhammad_b_2547782.html
How do I relate with the prophet? I don't wear clothes like him, eat like him or live like him. But when it comes to respecting fellow beings, nurturing goodwill, mitigating conflicts, forgiving others and building cohesive societies, I can relate.
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was born on 12th day of Rabi' al-Awwal, the third month of the Islamic calendar, and the year was 571 A.D. The birth celebrations will continue through this week, and if you wish to greet a Muslim, you can say, Milaad (birth) Greetings, Happy Maulood-an-Nabi, Maulood-an-Nabi Mubarak, happy Eid Milaad and Milaad's blessings to you.
First thing first, he took the larger view of the society and became a model of what it takes to be an exemplary citizen. The first requirement of any civil society is to trust each other in living their daily life safely and without fear of the other. He earned the trust of the society for being truthful, honest in his dealings, trustworthy and just. The Jews, Christians, pagans and others called him Amin, the trust worthy. That was indeed the first foundational Sunnah (prophet's example).
Wherever he saw conflicts between people, he found a way to mitigate and nurture goodwill amongst them. Indeed, he was committed to building a cohesive society, where no one feared the other, and he continuously built upon creating balance and harmony in the society. Blessed are the peacemakers, said Jesus! Indeed, Prophet Muhammad is my mentor.
Muslims celebrate his birthday in a variety of ways, including cooking the simplest food as an expression of humility. They sing the likes of Christmas carols, called Milaad, Nasheed, even Milaad Carols and other names. I have found it peaceful to think about his work and reflect on how I could relate with him, the ultimate peacemaker.
Do I forgive often? Do I stand up for the rights of others? Am I a blessing to fellow humans? Do others feel secure and safe around me? Today, I have concluded my day with a short prayer and a commitment and get on the road. God willing, I will follow him to the best of my ability.
As a kid I learned things about him and did not relate with him at all, he was too divine and remote for me. All that changed when I read the book "Muhammad" by Karen Armstrong. She narrates his life from a non-religious point of view, as a civic leader of the society, a dimension that I appreciated it very much. Karen Armstrong's book is one of the five reasons I chose to become a Muslim after a lapse of nearly three decades. He was a man that I can relate with, making decisions that create trust, mutual respect and a sense of fairness among his people at that time. That was indeed the role of every prophet and peacemaker of the time.
When someone hurts me, I think of the prophet, he advised against score keeping and piling revenge and aggravating each other, and I love the freedom it gives me, freedom from brooding and obsession to get even with the other.
When someone dialogues with me, prophet's words jump at me, to respect the otherness of other, without having to agree but respectfully differ and move on. Indeed, it is a big lesson in conducting civil dialogue.
When I am frustrated, I think of prophet's narration, God told him to do his work, and not worry if people don't get his message, give them the room to make up their own minds, and let me guide them, and you respect everyone's free will.
Every day, I think about the Prophet, how he would have found a solution to a given conflict, and all I see is the application of the principles of fairness and justice to every human, with goodness and inclusiveness.
My spiritual mentors are Muhammad (pbuh) and Jesus (pbuh), and my civic mentors are Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and Barack Obama.
When I think of getting even with someone who maligns me, I think of the advice of Prophet Muhammad and Jesus: The best thing we can do is to forgive the other; it brings relief and frees us from being possessed.
When I see injustice done to others, the prophets words ring again, the least you can do is to speak out against injustice. Injustice to one is injustice to the whole humanity.
When I see inequality in our society, our immortal declaration of independence kicks in for me, that all men are created equal. I think of prophet's last sermon, where he said no man is superior to the other and that all are equal.
Whenever I think of the liberation of women, I think of the prophet, he was perhaps the first women's libber; and he officially liberated women from the shackles of the bondages. He was a radical of his time, as Jesus was, and said women are free to marry or divorce, own their own business and property, separate from their husbands, and he introduced the idea of consent and free will in marriage. Let's not judge America by the Newtown, Aurora and Oak Creek murderers, and let's not judge Muslims by the misogynistic men among them either.
Whenever I feel judgmental toward others, the prophet's voice pulls me back, only God knows everything about the other, not me, then let me not judge anyone without the full knowledge.
When I think of standing up for others, I think of Gandhi and MLK, if we don't stand up for others, why should anyone stand up for us.
Whenever the idea of being better than others crosses my mind, I think of the prophet, who said, I am a human like you, and don't make a God out of me or paint my pictures and put me on the pedestal. He even said to his daughter, you earn your paradise through your good deeds, the good you do to the fellow beings and not because you are the Prophet's daughter.
Whenever arrogance attempts to creep in me, I hear the words of the prophet, "Treat all prophets the same, no human is above the other" -- instead of saying I am the greatest prophet and listen to me. Feeling and practicing equality is the way for creating peaceful societies.
I will be writing a full chapter on the prophet in my upcoming book, as to how I relate with him in my daily life, and I have learned to give a 20 minutes motivations talk on "Prophet the Peacemaker" and that is rejoicing.
Further reading:
Milaad Mubarak!
Follow Mike Ghouse on Twitter:
www.twitter.com/MikeGhouse
----------
Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, peace, Islam, Israel, India, interfaith, and cohesion at work place and standing up for others as an activist. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. Mike has a strong presence on national and local TV, Radio and Print Media. He is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News, fortnightly at Huffington post, and several other periodicals across the world. His personal site www.MikeGhouse.net indexes everything you want to know about him.
Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, peace, Islam, Israel, India, interfaith, and cohesion at work place and standing up for others as an activist. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. Mike has a strong presence on national and local TV, Radio and Print Media. He is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News, fortnightly at Huffington post, and several other periodicals across the world. His personal site www.MikeGhouse.net indexes everything you want to know about him.
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Remembering the Holocaust and All Genocides
There is a shameless cruelty in our societies when it
comes to acknowledging other people's suffering. Either we shy away or refuse to
acknowledge the sufferings of others, worrying that it will devalue our own
and/or it amounts to infidelity to our own cause. I submit to you, that the human atrocities are pent up frustrations and
unresolved issues that reach a boiling point and explode into massacres and
genocides. As civilized societies, we need to bring a closure to the issues
through forgiveness, apology and restoration of justice. The least we can do in
the process of healing is to know and acknowledge every one's pain.
MikeGhouse
www.HolocaustandGenocides.com
....
Remembering the Holocaust and All Genocides
Published in Huffington post on 01/25/2013 11:31 am
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/holocaust-remembrance-and-recognizing-all-genocides_b_2547164.html
...
There is a shameless cruelty in our societies when it comes to acknowledging other people's suffering. Either we shy away or refuse to acknowledge the sufferings of others, worrying that it will devalue our own and/or it amounts to infidelity to our own cause.
Unless we reload our hearts with empathy, and feel the pain and suffering of others, each one of us will continue to dwell in silos and the genocides will continue to happen. As Martin Niemoller wrote in his eternal poem, the essence of which is; first they came for communists, I did not do a thing because I was not one of them; then they came for Jews, and I wasn't one, and finally when all were wiped out, they came for me, and there was no one to defend me.
One of the most popular dialogues from a 1958 Bollywood movie "Yahudi" was, Tumhara khoon, khoon aur mera Khoon pani? -- "Your blood is blood and my blood is water? An immortal dialogue uttered by a Jew in the film, Yehudi as it is called, when the Roman emperor freezes when he learns that his son Marcus cheated Yehudi's daughter. In plain English, the inhumanity in us does not value other people as we value ourselves.
VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=DcloW-WF7l0
By nature many of us are disgustingly selfish, nothing but our own interest matters to us. Do you recall standing in a food buffet line at a friend's wedding, a family or a community gathering? Someone said that the food may be short, but yet, the guy in front of you piled up his plate, or may be the one, knowing well that there a lot of people behind you, and some may not get the food.
It's Not Easy
Those who build bridges understand the experiences we have encountering in organizing the sixth annual reflections on the Holocaust and genocides in Dallas on Sunday, Jan. 27 at the Unity Church of Dallas on Forest Lane. There are nearly 50 genocides in the last century, and it is humanly impossible to talk about all of them in one sitting, the selfish attitudes displayed by each group of people is amazing, each one thinks his blood is blood and others blood is water that can be ignored.
Muslims
Way back in 2006, a Muslim shouts at me in a public meeting, "Why are you commemorating Holocaust of Jews? Why don't you commemorate the Holocaust of Palestinians?" I countered, all of this should be done, why don't you do it? He was belligerent; he was one of the loose mouths and not a doer. Indeed, we plan to attend to every one of the atrocity in the next few years.
Another Muslim knocked God out of his throne, and chose to declare, "If you don't talk about Palestinians, you are not a Muslim." They don't care to read the work that is being done for both Israelis and Palestinians. The Huffington Post has published many articles on the topic and the other work is at www.IsraelPalestineDialogue.com
Another one writes, "You are writing about the holocaust of Jews, you forgot what Stalin did?" My instant response was, "Did you forget the genocides of gays?" And you also forgot about the genocides of Native Americans, African Americans over the Atlantic... the list is a long one. Can I accuse you, that did you did not care about others?
Jews
We were criticized and asked to remove the phrase "A Muslim initiative" from the publicity material. Instead of recognizing the effort to build bridges, they were bent on not giving credit to Muslims for extending the hand of understanding. Please remember, it was not the Jews, it is the few individuals who wore the label Jews. I have known the community closely through strong interactions and conflicts, rather than superficial salaams and shaloms. Indeed, I have a whole book to write about how to improve Jewish Muslim relationships for a better society.
A few years ago a Jewish speaker canceled his speech at the event in the last minute because we were addressing the Gaza massacre as one of the seven items; he considered it anti-Israel and did not participate. However, my Jewish friends attended the event, and called him back to let him know that it was not about Israel, but about the human suffering and the brutal inhumanity in all of us. Most people don't want to face the truth, that someone from their own tradition is capable of murdering and massacring people.
No one should be ashamed of what fellow humans from your group do, what you should be ashamed of is your own attitude toward another human.
Hindus
Several of my Hindu friends have jumped on me for not including the plight of Kashmiri Pundits, they are so obsessed with their own that others don't matter to them. We have mentioned about the plight of Kashmiri Pundits at least three times in five years, those who criticize don't come to the event, unless it is "about them." We need to stand up for everyone, and certainly stand up for others before we do for our own.
Indian Muslims
A friend writes another friend's quote, "The question was why Mike forgot 2002 Gujarat Holocaust & Genocide that was lot bigger and wider than 1984 Sikh Holocaust & Genocide." I did not forget, nor will I ever forget any genocide. In April 2002, rallies were held for Gujarat in down town Dallas, when Shabnam Hashmi came to Dallas, she was hosted to show the documentaries of that genocide. If the event is dear to the people, they should express their love and commemorate it. We will do our share; each event will take its turn.
Indians and Pakistanis
A few Pakistanis think that talking about 1971 Bangladesh genocide is an Indian conspiracy to defame Pakistan, and they resort to attacks on India instead of understanding the suffering of the people.
The Indians on the other hand think that talking about Sikh genocides amounts to defaming India. "Why the hell do you want to bring this up; it's done with." It is not done with, the wounds are still open.
Please remember, there is a fraction of a percent of people in each group, whether religious, ethnic, nationalistic or racial, who tend to ignore facts.
Standing Up For Others
Let's learn to understand the selfishness embedded in us, if we can stand up for others, particularly for strangers, then there is a greater self nurtured within us, making us a better human to live with peace and tranquility. We have to stand up for women's right and the rights of minorities and voiceless as a part of securing the future. Each one of us has to do our share of good to the world around us, for our own good at the end. We have to stand up for others, that is the right thing to do.
Standing in line (food or anything) to wait for your turn is one of the most human things to do. It is a sign of acceptance of equal rights of others, and others needs as much as yours. We have a list of about 50 genocides, and each year we will focus on a few. More than likely, you will find yourselves guilty of not listening or paying attention to other's tragedy but your own. Slap yourselves, if you do not think other's plight is not as important as your own.
Every year we have reflected on our failings, massacres, genocides and the Holocaust. This year, we will focus on the Sikh genocide of 1984. Dr. Amarjit Singh, will deliver the key note address on the topic. Mr. Hasan Mahmud will share about the Bangladesh Genocide of 1971, Dr. Petra Weldes will talk about the effects of stereotyping on the societies, and Kelly Obazee will reflect on current massacres around the world. I will speak about the Holocaust, our anchor event, and the need to take a stand against oppression of others.
Please visit www.HolocaustandGenocides.com for details, the event is an initiative of the Sikh Gurdwaras of North Texas, Foundation for Pluralism and World Muslim Congress.
I submit to you, that the human atrocities are pent up frustrations and unresolved issues that reach a boiling point and explode into massacres and genocides. As civilized societies, we need to bring a closure to the issues through forgiveness, apology and restoration of justice. The least we can do in the process of healing is to know and acknowledge every one's pain.
Follow Mike Ghouse on Twitter:
www.twitter.com/MikeGhouse
----------
Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, peace, Islam, Israel, India, interfaith, and cohesion at work place and standing up for others as an activist. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. Mike has a strong presence on national and local TV, Radio and Print Media. He is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News, fortnightly at Huffington post, and several other periodicals across the world. His personal site www.MikeGhouse.net indexes everything you want to know about him.
MikeGhouse
www.HolocaustandGenocides.com
....
Remembering the Holocaust and All Genocides
Published in Huffington post on 01/25/2013 11:31 am
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/holocaust-remembrance-and-recognizing-all-genocides_b_2547164.html
...
There is a shameless cruelty in our societies when it comes to acknowledging other people's suffering. Either we shy away or refuse to acknowledge the sufferings of others, worrying that it will devalue our own and/or it amounts to infidelity to our own cause.
Unless we reload our hearts with empathy, and feel the pain and suffering of others, each one of us will continue to dwell in silos and the genocides will continue to happen. As Martin Niemoller wrote in his eternal poem, the essence of which is; first they came for communists, I did not do a thing because I was not one of them; then they came for Jews, and I wasn't one, and finally when all were wiped out, they came for me, and there was no one to defend me.
One of the most popular dialogues from a 1958 Bollywood movie "Yahudi" was, Tumhara khoon, khoon aur mera Khoon pani? -- "Your blood is blood and my blood is water? An immortal dialogue uttered by a Jew in the film, Yehudi as it is called, when the Roman emperor freezes when he learns that his son Marcus cheated Yehudi's daughter. In plain English, the inhumanity in us does not value other people as we value ourselves.
VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=DcloW-WF7l0
By nature many of us are disgustingly selfish, nothing but our own interest matters to us. Do you recall standing in a food buffet line at a friend's wedding, a family or a community gathering? Someone said that the food may be short, but yet, the guy in front of you piled up his plate, or may be the one, knowing well that there a lot of people behind you, and some may not get the food.
It's Not Easy
Those who build bridges understand the experiences we have encountering in organizing the sixth annual reflections on the Holocaust and genocides in Dallas on Sunday, Jan. 27 at the Unity Church of Dallas on Forest Lane. There are nearly 50 genocides in the last century, and it is humanly impossible to talk about all of them in one sitting, the selfish attitudes displayed by each group of people is amazing, each one thinks his blood is blood and others blood is water that can be ignored.
Muslims
Way back in 2006, a Muslim shouts at me in a public meeting, "Why are you commemorating Holocaust of Jews? Why don't you commemorate the Holocaust of Palestinians?" I countered, all of this should be done, why don't you do it? He was belligerent; he was one of the loose mouths and not a doer. Indeed, we plan to attend to every one of the atrocity in the next few years.
Another Muslim knocked God out of his throne, and chose to declare, "If you don't talk about Palestinians, you are not a Muslim." They don't care to read the work that is being done for both Israelis and Palestinians. The Huffington Post has published many articles on the topic and the other work is at www.IsraelPalestineDialogue.com
Another one writes, "You are writing about the holocaust of Jews, you forgot what Stalin did?" My instant response was, "Did you forget the genocides of gays?" And you also forgot about the genocides of Native Americans, African Americans over the Atlantic... the list is a long one. Can I accuse you, that did you did not care about others?
Jews
We were criticized and asked to remove the phrase "A Muslim initiative" from the publicity material. Instead of recognizing the effort to build bridges, they were bent on not giving credit to Muslims for extending the hand of understanding. Please remember, it was not the Jews, it is the few individuals who wore the label Jews. I have known the community closely through strong interactions and conflicts, rather than superficial salaams and shaloms. Indeed, I have a whole book to write about how to improve Jewish Muslim relationships for a better society.
A few years ago a Jewish speaker canceled his speech at the event in the last minute because we were addressing the Gaza massacre as one of the seven items; he considered it anti-Israel and did not participate. However, my Jewish friends attended the event, and called him back to let him know that it was not about Israel, but about the human suffering and the brutal inhumanity in all of us. Most people don't want to face the truth, that someone from their own tradition is capable of murdering and massacring people.
No one should be ashamed of what fellow humans from your group do, what you should be ashamed of is your own attitude toward another human.
Hindus
Several of my Hindu friends have jumped on me for not including the plight of Kashmiri Pundits, they are so obsessed with their own that others don't matter to them. We have mentioned about the plight of Kashmiri Pundits at least three times in five years, those who criticize don't come to the event, unless it is "about them." We need to stand up for everyone, and certainly stand up for others before we do for our own.
Indian Muslims
A friend writes another friend's quote, "The question was why Mike forgot 2002 Gujarat Holocaust & Genocide that was lot bigger and wider than 1984 Sikh Holocaust & Genocide." I did not forget, nor will I ever forget any genocide. In April 2002, rallies were held for Gujarat in down town Dallas, when Shabnam Hashmi came to Dallas, she was hosted to show the documentaries of that genocide. If the event is dear to the people, they should express their love and commemorate it. We will do our share; each event will take its turn.
Indians and Pakistanis
A few Pakistanis think that talking about 1971 Bangladesh genocide is an Indian conspiracy to defame Pakistan, and they resort to attacks on India instead of understanding the suffering of the people.
The Indians on the other hand think that talking about Sikh genocides amounts to defaming India. "Why the hell do you want to bring this up; it's done with." It is not done with, the wounds are still open.
Please remember, there is a fraction of a percent of people in each group, whether religious, ethnic, nationalistic or racial, who tend to ignore facts.
Standing Up For Others
Let's learn to understand the selfishness embedded in us, if we can stand up for others, particularly for strangers, then there is a greater self nurtured within us, making us a better human to live with peace and tranquility. We have to stand up for women's right and the rights of minorities and voiceless as a part of securing the future. Each one of us has to do our share of good to the world around us, for our own good at the end. We have to stand up for others, that is the right thing to do.
Standing in line (food or anything) to wait for your turn is one of the most human things to do. It is a sign of acceptance of equal rights of others, and others needs as much as yours. We have a list of about 50 genocides, and each year we will focus on a few. More than likely, you will find yourselves guilty of not listening or paying attention to other's tragedy but your own. Slap yourselves, if you do not think other's plight is not as important as your own.
Every year we have reflected on our failings, massacres, genocides and the Holocaust. This year, we will focus on the Sikh genocide of 1984. Dr. Amarjit Singh, will deliver the key note address on the topic. Mr. Hasan Mahmud will share about the Bangladesh Genocide of 1971, Dr. Petra Weldes will talk about the effects of stereotyping on the societies, and Kelly Obazee will reflect on current massacres around the world. I will speak about the Holocaust, our anchor event, and the need to take a stand against oppression of others.
Please visit www.HolocaustandGenocides.com for details, the event is an initiative of the Sikh Gurdwaras of North Texas, Foundation for Pluralism and World Muslim Congress.
I submit to you, that the human atrocities are pent up frustrations and unresolved issues that reach a boiling point and explode into massacres and genocides. As civilized societies, we need to bring a closure to the issues through forgiveness, apology and restoration of justice. The least we can do in the process of healing is to know and acknowledge every one's pain.
----------
Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, peace, Islam, Israel, India, interfaith, and cohesion at work place and standing up for others as an activist. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. Mike has a strong presence on national and local TV, Radio and Print Media. He is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News, fortnightly at Huffington post, and several other periodicals across the world. His personal site www.MikeGhouse.net indexes everything you want to know about him.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Texas Faith, Is the religious left too nice and without influence?
The
future of our society will be shaped by the moderate majority, for the
first time in our long history, the moderates have discovered that they
don't need to bang their fist on the table, or scream bloody murder to
be heard, they have done it effectively at the ballot box, they waited
for the left or the right to move towards moderation, and the left
jumped on it and got the ride in 2012, and now the right is scrambling
for the ride. Continued at: http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2013/01/texas-faith-is-religious-left-too-nice.html
…..
Texas Faith, Is the religious left too nice and without influence?
By Bill McKenzie / Editorial Columnist, Dallas Morning News, January, 29, 2103
The Washington Post's Lisa Miller wrote earlier this month about how "nice isn't going to win the battle for the religious left."
Miller noted how the religious left once made the case for issues of great consequence, such as women's suffrage and civil rights. But she contends the religious left needs to greatly improve how it makes its priorities and activities more compelling and newsworthy.
Wrote Miller: "Kumbaya is not a story. Why can't we all just get along is not a story. Since the rise of the religious right in the 1970s in reaction to the Supreme Court ruling on Roe v. Wade, the religious left has failed to gain any comparable visibility, traction or voice on major issues in the political sphere.
"News releases from the precincts of the religious left continue to emphasize niceness over moral authority….There's nothing wrong with being polite, of course. But a great, galvanizing, undeniable moral argument is better. 'Civility is a great friend of the status quo,' says Jim Naughton, partner at Canticle Communications, which advises faith-based groups. 'People aren't going to change because you're nice to them.'"
What do you think of her point? Is the religious left indeed without the same influence and profile as the religious right? If so, is it because the religious left has tried more to be civil and nice than to make a compelling moral argument?
MIKE GHOUSE, President, Foundation for Pluralism, Dallas
We are conditioned to seeing everything from a binary perspective; left or right. We lose sight of the critical third dimension; the deadbeat moderate majority. This is the group that is meek, civil and polite, but does act decisively while casting the ballot.
Indeed, the religious left is more influential than the right in pulling the moderate votes.
Obama is reelected with a greater margin over his rival on the right. The public support for legal abortion is accumulating despite the religious right. Same sex marriage is gaining greater acceptability. Obama care is in, Immigration reforms are underway, and gun safety regulation is gathering momentum. Heck, the wars will end with no desire to engage in another senseless war.
On the other hand, the religious right is losing, not because of inadequacy in their principles, but because of their belligerent, unintelligent pounding on the airwaves, and turning the moderate majority off.
Jim Naughton makes a powerful point that Civility is a great friend of the status quo; he is talking about the moderates, and not the ones on the left. Whether it is the city council meeting, church gathering or in informal gatherings, it is always the people on left or the right who drive the conversation, they have no qualms in speaking out passionately, even though they get shot at alternatively by the other, they don’t lose the enthusiasm for their point of view. Whereas the moderates, keep raising their hand politely, hoping to get their turn, but never get a chance to get their point across, they don’t know how to bang their fist on the table, such an act is rude and stupid to them.
Years ago, a Nun made a remarkable point on Tim Russert’s Meet the press. The right will frighten the public and attempts to win by guaranteeing to take care of them, the left will match their tall claims, while the moderates have difficulty in embellishing and giving false hopes, they lack passion.
America is moving towards the center, the moderate majority is realizing its power to keep things at an even keel; they want an America that is good for every one of her citizens, in fact they made that difference in 2012 through the ballot, as they do not have the passion to speak out. Indeed, Americas’ future will be shaped by the moderates.
Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, peace, Islam, Israel, India, interfaith, and cohesion at work place and standing up for others as an activist. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. Mike has a presence on national and local TV, Radio and Print Media. He is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News, fortnightly at Huffington post, and several other periodicals across the world. His personal site www.MikeGhouse.net indexes everything you want to know about him.
…..
Texas Faith, Is the religious left too nice and without influence?
By Bill McKenzie / Editorial Columnist, Dallas Morning News, January, 29, 2103
The Washington Post's Lisa Miller wrote earlier this month about how "nice isn't going to win the battle for the religious left."
Miller noted how the religious left once made the case for issues of great consequence, such as women's suffrage and civil rights. But she contends the religious left needs to greatly improve how it makes its priorities and activities more compelling and newsworthy.
Wrote Miller: "Kumbaya is not a story. Why can't we all just get along is not a story. Since the rise of the religious right in the 1970s in reaction to the Supreme Court ruling on Roe v. Wade, the religious left has failed to gain any comparable visibility, traction or voice on major issues in the political sphere.
"News releases from the precincts of the religious left continue to emphasize niceness over moral authority….There's nothing wrong with being polite, of course. But a great, galvanizing, undeniable moral argument is better. 'Civility is a great friend of the status quo,' says Jim Naughton, partner at Canticle Communications, which advises faith-based groups. 'People aren't going to change because you're nice to them.'"
What do you think of her point? Is the religious left indeed without the same influence and profile as the religious right? If so, is it because the religious left has tried more to be civil and nice than to make a compelling moral argument?
MIKE GHOUSE, President, Foundation for Pluralism, Dallas
We are conditioned to seeing everything from a binary perspective; left or right. We lose sight of the critical third dimension; the deadbeat moderate majority. This is the group that is meek, civil and polite, but does act decisively while casting the ballot.
Indeed, the religious left is more influential than the right in pulling the moderate votes.
Obama is reelected with a greater margin over his rival on the right. The public support for legal abortion is accumulating despite the religious right. Same sex marriage is gaining greater acceptability. Obama care is in, Immigration reforms are underway, and gun safety regulation is gathering momentum. Heck, the wars will end with no desire to engage in another senseless war.
On the other hand, the religious right is losing, not because of inadequacy in their principles, but because of their belligerent, unintelligent pounding on the airwaves, and turning the moderate majority off.
Jim Naughton makes a powerful point that Civility is a great friend of the status quo; he is talking about the moderates, and not the ones on the left. Whether it is the city council meeting, church gathering or in informal gatherings, it is always the people on left or the right who drive the conversation, they have no qualms in speaking out passionately, even though they get shot at alternatively by the other, they don’t lose the enthusiasm for their point of view. Whereas the moderates, keep raising their hand politely, hoping to get their turn, but never get a chance to get their point across, they don’t know how to bang their fist on the table, such an act is rude and stupid to them.
Years ago, a Nun made a remarkable point on Tim Russert’s Meet the press. The right will frighten the public and attempts to win by guaranteeing to take care of them, the left will match their tall claims, while the moderates have difficulty in embellishing and giving false hopes, they lack passion.
America is moving towards the center, the moderate majority is realizing its power to keep things at an even keel; they want an America that is good for every one of her citizens, in fact they made that difference in 2012 through the ballot, as they do not have the passion to speak out. Indeed, Americas’ future will be shaped by the moderates.
. . . .
Eleven panelists
contributed to this forum, to read the contributions from all the panelists, please visit - http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/2013/01/texas-faith-is-the-religious-left-too-nice-and-without-influence.html/
------------Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, peace, Islam, Israel, India, interfaith, and cohesion at work place and standing up for others as an activist. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. Mike has a presence on national and local TV, Radio and Print Media. He is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News, fortnightly at Huffington post, and several other periodicals across the world. His personal site www.MikeGhouse.net indexes everything you want to know about him.
Saudi Arabia, Interfaith and Pluralism
The
State Department has listed me as one of the stops for people visiting
America to learn about our Religious landscape, interfaith trends,
future of religion and pluralism. Over the last six years, I have had
conversations with over 100 visitors from about 30 some nations
including China, central Asian, Middle East, Balkans, and North African
religious leaders and scholars.
It is exciting to meet with them; they are a match with our trends. This group is from Saudi Arabia, Imams, Scholars and heads of religious affairs. It is embarrassing that we Americans stereotype the Saudis; indeed they have their percent of fanatics as we have ours. The first interfaith meeting ever for Saudis was organized here in Dallas in 2003; indeed, it is a pleasure for me to see them take this further.
Please remember nearly 4 Million Americans are incarcerated, they are indeed Americans, them and the 208 Million of us are judged by the same law books, yet, they broke the law and we, the 99% did not. And no one on the earth can call us criminals for that 1% among us, and that is what bloody stereotyping is; to irrationally judge a people based on the examples of a few. The story is no different for Saudis.
One of the toughest discussions we had was about conversions, they were taken back to hear me say, that I don’t ask anyone to become a Muslim, as I respect the other religions equally. I do not consider any faith to be less than adequate. The pluralism /interfaith workshops we conduct, is to bring people together to know each other, so we have least conflicts in the society. There is no intent to convert any one, and no one will get away, claiming his or religion is superior to the others, and I will take the stand and many like me will speak up. Indeed it is a cardinal sin to have such intent in interfaith dialogue. The purpose of dialogue is to learn about each other and not bent on converting the other, or score keeping.
It took them time, but they were open to the idea. I said, if people like to become Muslims because they like my attitudes, even then I ask them to spend the time in learning their own faith than Islam, despite that about a dozen chose to become Muslims, that was their choice. They asked me a lot of questions about Islam, and as an Individual, I am required to learn about my faith, that was the call from the prophet in his last sermon. They appreciated the bluntness, and said a lot of people, say otherwise to appease them.
This is not the first time, the Imams from Egypt, Chad, Tunisia, Morocco, Yemen, Oman, Kuwait, Uzbekistan, China…some 30 nations have concurred their belief in Prophet’s mission of respecting the otherness of others, and almost every one quoted Prophet’s last sermon and the Madinah treaty, first of its kind that endorsed pluralistic governance, the kind that India, UK and Indonesia follow, where the follower of every faith has an option to seek justice by his or her own religious cannons.
There is a lot of goodness out there; we just have to make an effort to invoke it. The purpose of religion is to bring humility to an individual, to know himself and get along with others with least conflicts, ultimately, each one of us is responsible for a cohesive society, where no one has to live in fear of the other. url - http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2013/01/saudis-and-pluralism.html
............ Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, peace, Islam, Israel, India, interfaith, and cohesion at work place and standing up for others as an activist. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. Mike has a strong presence on national and local TV, Radio and Print Media. He is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News, fortnightly at Huffington post, and several other periodicals across the world. His personal site www.MikeGhouse.net indexes everything you want to know about him.
It is exciting to meet with them; they are a match with our trends. This group is from Saudi Arabia, Imams, Scholars and heads of religious affairs. It is embarrassing that we Americans stereotype the Saudis; indeed they have their percent of fanatics as we have ours. The first interfaith meeting ever for Saudis was organized here in Dallas in 2003; indeed, it is a pleasure for me to see them take this further.
Please remember nearly 4 Million Americans are incarcerated, they are indeed Americans, them and the 208 Million of us are judged by the same law books, yet, they broke the law and we, the 99% did not. And no one on the earth can call us criminals for that 1% among us, and that is what bloody stereotyping is; to irrationally judge a people based on the examples of a few. The story is no different for Saudis.
One of the toughest discussions we had was about conversions, they were taken back to hear me say, that I don’t ask anyone to become a Muslim, as I respect the other religions equally. I do not consider any faith to be less than adequate. The pluralism /interfaith workshops we conduct, is to bring people together to know each other, so we have least conflicts in the society. There is no intent to convert any one, and no one will get away, claiming his or religion is superior to the others, and I will take the stand and many like me will speak up. Indeed it is a cardinal sin to have such intent in interfaith dialogue. The purpose of dialogue is to learn about each other and not bent on converting the other, or score keeping.
It took them time, but they were open to the idea. I said, if people like to become Muslims because they like my attitudes, even then I ask them to spend the time in learning their own faith than Islam, despite that about a dozen chose to become Muslims, that was their choice. They asked me a lot of questions about Islam, and as an Individual, I am required to learn about my faith, that was the call from the prophet in his last sermon. They appreciated the bluntness, and said a lot of people, say otherwise to appease them.
This is not the first time, the Imams from Egypt, Chad, Tunisia, Morocco, Yemen, Oman, Kuwait, Uzbekistan, China…some 30 nations have concurred their belief in Prophet’s mission of respecting the otherness of others, and almost every one quoted Prophet’s last sermon and the Madinah treaty, first of its kind that endorsed pluralistic governance, the kind that India, UK and Indonesia follow, where the follower of every faith has an option to seek justice by his or her own religious cannons.
There is a lot of goodness out there; we just have to make an effort to invoke it. The purpose of religion is to bring humility to an individual, to know himself and get along with others with least conflicts, ultimately, each one of us is responsible for a cohesive society, where no one has to live in fear of the other. url - http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2013/01/saudis-and-pluralism.html
............ Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, peace, Islam, Israel, India, interfaith, and cohesion at work place and standing up for others as an activist. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. Mike has a strong presence on national and local TV, Radio and Print Media. He is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News, fortnightly at Huffington post, and several other periodicals across the world. His personal site www.MikeGhouse.net indexes everything you want to know about him.
Friday, January 25, 2013
Genocides, Sikhs, Jews, Hindus, Muslims and their attitudes
There
is a shameless cruelty in our societies when it comes to acknowledging
other people's suffering. Either we shy away or refuse to acknowledge
the sufferings of others, worrying that it will devalue our own and/or
it amounts to infidelity to our own cause.
One
of the immortal dialogue clips from a 1958 Bollywood movie "Yahudi" is
included in the article, where the Jew challenges the roman emperor,
"Tumhara khoon, khoon, aur mera Khoon pani?"
A Muslim shouts, "Why are you commemorating Holocaust of Jews?
A Jewish speaker did not want to hear about Gaza massacre
A Muslim initiative was asked to be removed from the publicity material
A Hindu friend jumps for not including the Kashmiri pundit while it was
A Pakistani says Bangladesh genocide talk equals defaming Pakistan
A Sikh Genocide talk, amounts to shaming the mother land
I submit to you, that the human atrocities are pent up frustrations and unresolved issues that reach a boiling point and explode into massacres and genocides. As civilized societies, we need to bring a closure to the issues through forgiveness, apology and restoration of justice. The least we can do in the process of healing is to know and acknowledge every one's pain.
Full article at Huffington post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/holocaust-remembrance-and-recognizing-all-genocides_b_2547164.html
.................Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, peace, Islam, Israel, India, interfaith, and cohesion at work place and standing up for others as an activist. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. Mike has a strong presence on national and local TV, Radio and Print Media. He is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News, fortnightly at Huffington post, and several other periodicals across the world. His personal site www.MikeGhouse.net indexes everything you want to know about him.
A Muslim shouts, "Why are you commemorating Holocaust of Jews?
A Jewish speaker did not want to hear about Gaza massacre
A Muslim initiative was asked to be removed from the publicity material
A Hindu friend jumps for not including the Kashmiri pundit while it was
A Pakistani says Bangladesh genocide talk equals defaming Pakistan
A Sikh Genocide talk, amounts to shaming the mother land
I submit to you, that the human atrocities are pent up frustrations and unresolved issues that reach a boiling point and explode into massacres and genocides. As civilized societies, we need to bring a closure to the issues through forgiveness, apology and restoration of justice. The least we can do in the process of healing is to know and acknowledge every one's pain.
Full article at Huffington post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/holocaust-remembrance-and-recognizing-all-genocides_b_2547164.html
.................Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, peace, Islam, Israel, India, interfaith, and cohesion at work place and standing up for others as an activist. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. Mike has a strong presence on national and local TV, Radio and Print Media. He is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News, fortnightly at Huffington post, and several other periodicals across the world. His personal site www.MikeGhouse.net indexes everything you want to know about him.
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Texas Faith: What is America’s common creed and how do we forge it together?
President Obama is one of
the best communicators that there is. I am writing a full blown article on how I
felt through the inauguration and I am sure some of you can relate with it.
However, in this piece at Dallas Morning News, it is about his masterful skills
in building bridges between the entrepreneurial individualism of Republicans and
Communalism of Democrats. This is our moment in history, and we have to leave a
legacy of peace, prosperity and harmony to the next
generation.
Published at Dallas Morning News, Monday, January 21, 2013.
Continued at: http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2013/01/texas-faith-what-is-americas-common.html
Texas Faith is a weekly column at Dallas Morning News moderated by Bill McKenzie and Wayne Slater. At least ten panelists contribute each week including Mike Ghouse.
Throughout his inaugural address today, President Barack Obama emphasized our common creed, we the people and taking action together. In short, his speech was heavy on the communal aspects of our work as Americans. His address contrasts with the individualism you often hear from Republicans. They regularly emphasize enterprenurialism, personal initiative and the power of local communities. So, here is the question I would like you to consider: What is America’s common creed and how do we forge it together?
MIKE GHOUSE, President, Foundation for Pluralism, Dallas
President Obama is one of the greatest communicators in our modern history. Perhaps he is the first president to have articulated America’s common creed profoundly, clearly and comprehensively as envisioned in the immortal declaration by our Founding Fathers: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.”
The success of an individual hinges on the success of others around him or her. You cannot build a successful business without the support system and consumers for your goods and services. The president said, “We believe that America’s prosperity must rest upon the broad shoulders of a rising middle class.”
Indeed, the entrepreneurialism of Republicans will bear fruit and multiply when there is an environment for it. It is not a charity, welfare or a noble thing. Instead, it is a genuine investment in human capital that pulls up men and women from the ditches onto a level playing field. That effort allows more people to compete in the marketplace for resources and become “synergists” to each others’ success.
He also articulated the need to be free and to be regulated: “Together we discovered that a free market only thrives when there are rules to ensure competition and fair play.”
The president turned the light on a bridge between individualism and the communal aspect of our life. The bridge was always there but had remained in the dark due to the chasm developed through arrogance of bigger majority in the house by each party in the last eight years. Instead of serving the purpose they were elected for their purpose became defeating the other for some.
The message of the president was for all Americans. I hope the elected ones will heed his wisdom and continue to be a catalyst in the pursuit of our happiness.
And here comes the ultimate wisdom from the president: We have always understood that when times change, so must we, that fidelity to our founding principles requires new responses to new challenges, that preserving our individual freedoms ultimately requires collective action.”..... ..
Eleven panelists contributed to this forum, to read the contributions from all the panelists, please visit - http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/2013/01/texas-faith-what-is-americas-common-creed-and-how-do-we-forge-it-together.html/
Published at Dallas Morning News, Monday, January 21, 2013.
Continued at: http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2013/01/texas-faith-what-is-americas-common.html
Texas Faith is a weekly column at Dallas Morning News moderated by Bill McKenzie and Wayne Slater. At least ten panelists contribute each week including Mike Ghouse.
Throughout his inaugural address today, President Barack Obama emphasized our common creed, we the people and taking action together. In short, his speech was heavy on the communal aspects of our work as Americans. His address contrasts with the individualism you often hear from Republicans. They regularly emphasize enterprenurialism, personal initiative and the power of local communities. So, here is the question I would like you to consider: What is America’s common creed and how do we forge it together?
MIKE GHOUSE, President, Foundation for Pluralism, Dallas
President Obama is one of the greatest communicators in our modern history. Perhaps he is the first president to have articulated America’s common creed profoundly, clearly and comprehensively as envisioned in the immortal declaration by our Founding Fathers: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.”
The success of an individual hinges on the success of others around him or her. You cannot build a successful business without the support system and consumers for your goods and services. The president said, “We believe that America’s prosperity must rest upon the broad shoulders of a rising middle class.”
Indeed, the entrepreneurialism of Republicans will bear fruit and multiply when there is an environment for it. It is not a charity, welfare or a noble thing. Instead, it is a genuine investment in human capital that pulls up men and women from the ditches onto a level playing field. That effort allows more people to compete in the marketplace for resources and become “synergists” to each others’ success.
He also articulated the need to be free and to be regulated: “Together we discovered that a free market only thrives when there are rules to ensure competition and fair play.”
The president turned the light on a bridge between individualism and the communal aspect of our life. The bridge was always there but had remained in the dark due to the chasm developed through arrogance of bigger majority in the house by each party in the last eight years. Instead of serving the purpose they were elected for their purpose became defeating the other for some.
The message of the president was for all Americans. I hope the elected ones will heed his wisdom and continue to be a catalyst in the pursuit of our happiness.
And here comes the ultimate wisdom from the president: We have always understood that when times change, so must we, that fidelity to our founding principles requires new responses to new challenges, that preserving our individual freedoms ultimately requires collective action.”..... ..
Eleven panelists contributed to this forum, to read the contributions from all the panelists, please visit - http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/2013/01/texas-faith-what-is-americas-common-creed-and-how-do-we-forge-it-together.html/
------------
Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, peace, Islam, Israel, India, interfaith, and cohesion at work place and standing up for others as an activist. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. Mike has a presence on national and local TV, Radio and Print Media. He is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News, fortnightly at Huffington post, and several other periodicals across the world. His personal site www.MikeGhouse.net indexes everything you want to know about him.
Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, peace, Islam, Israel, India, interfaith, and cohesion at work place and standing up for others as an activist. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. Mike has a presence on national and local TV, Radio and Print Media. He is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News, fortnightly at Huffington post, and several other periodicals across the world. His personal site www.MikeGhouse.net indexes everything you want to know about him.
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Holocaust and Genocides event in Dallas
PRESS RELEASE
January 16, 2013
Humanity must continuously acknowledge, remember, and reflect upon the inhuman atrocities misguided powers inflicted upon powerless. A stand for justice, education and understanding is badly needed. We hope each one of us would walk out with a commitment to work towards all humanity as one family where each one stands for the rights of others to make the world a safe home for all and a better place for everyone to live. Indeed, safety of each one of us hinges on the safety of others around us.
Every year we have reflected on our failings, massacres, Genocides and Holocaust, this year, we will focus on the Sikh Genocide of 1984, Dr. Amarjit Singh, will deliver the key note address on the topic. Mr. Hasan Mahmud will share about the Bangladesh Genocide of 1971, Dr. Petra Weldes will talk about the effects of Stereotyping on the societies, and Kelly Obazee will reflect on current massacres around the world. Mike Ghouse will speak about the need to take stand against oppression of others, and Holocaust continues to be our anchor event.
There is a shameless cruelty in our societies because we either shy away or refuse to acknowledge the sufferings of others, worrying that it will devalue our own, and or it amounts to infidelity to our own cause. Shame on us that we justifying massacres by pretending and propagating that the victims deserved it or asked for it, or we simply turn the face away.
To paraphrase Sir Edmund Burke, “evil continues to flourish not necessarily because of evil men, but more so because good men do nothing about it.”
The human atrocities are pent up frustrations and unresolved issues that reach a boiling point and explode into massacres and genocides. As civilized societies, we need to bring a closure to the issues through forgiveness, apology and restoration of justice.
To all those, who have endured holocaust, genocides, massacres, annihilation, land mines, hunger, rape, torture, occupation and inhuman brutality, we say, we are with you, and you are not alone. The least we can do in the process of healing is to acknowledge every one's pain.
The sixth annual event is an initiative of the Foundation for Pluralism, Sikh Gurdwaras of North Texas, America Together Foundation, and the World Muslim congress.
CONTACT:
Dr. Harbans Lal, Event Chair (817) 446-8757- email: japji@tx.rr.com
Mike Ghouse, President (214) 325-1916 - email: SpeakerMikeGhouse@gmail.com
January 16, 2013
VI Annual Reflections
on Holocaust and Genocides
4:00 PM - 7:00 PM Sunday, January 27, 2013
Unity Church of Dallas, 6525 Forest Lane, Dallas, TX 75230
Rsvp to: ConfirmAttendance@gmail.com
www.HolocaustandGenocides.com
4:00 PM - 7:00 PM Sunday, January 27, 2013
Unity Church of Dallas, 6525 Forest Lane, Dallas, TX 75230
Rsvp to: ConfirmAttendance@gmail.com
www.HolocaustandGenocides.com
THE
SIKH GENOCIDE OF 1984
Humanity must continuously acknowledge, remember, and reflect upon the inhuman atrocities misguided powers inflicted upon powerless. A stand for justice, education and understanding is badly needed. We hope each one of us would walk out with a commitment to work towards all humanity as one family where each one stands for the rights of others to make the world a safe home for all and a better place for everyone to live. Indeed, safety of each one of us hinges on the safety of others around us.
Every year we have reflected on our failings, massacres, Genocides and Holocaust, this year, we will focus on the Sikh Genocide of 1984, Dr. Amarjit Singh, will deliver the key note address on the topic. Mr. Hasan Mahmud will share about the Bangladesh Genocide of 1971, Dr. Petra Weldes will talk about the effects of Stereotyping on the societies, and Kelly Obazee will reflect on current massacres around the world. Mike Ghouse will speak about the need to take stand against oppression of others, and Holocaust continues to be our anchor event.
There is a shameless cruelty in our societies because we either shy away or refuse to acknowledge the sufferings of others, worrying that it will devalue our own, and or it amounts to infidelity to our own cause. Shame on us that we justifying massacres by pretending and propagating that the victims deserved it or asked for it, or we simply turn the face away.
To paraphrase Sir Edmund Burke, “evil continues to flourish not necessarily because of evil men, but more so because good men do nothing about it.”
The human atrocities are pent up frustrations and unresolved issues that reach a boiling point and explode into massacres and genocides. As civilized societies, we need to bring a closure to the issues through forgiveness, apology and restoration of justice.
To all those, who have endured holocaust, genocides, massacres, annihilation, land mines, hunger, rape, torture, occupation and inhuman brutality, we say, we are with you, and you are not alone. The least we can do in the process of healing is to acknowledge every one's pain.
The sixth annual event is an initiative of the Foundation for Pluralism, Sikh Gurdwaras of North Texas, America Together Foundation, and the World Muslim congress.
CONTACT:
Dr. Harbans Lal, Event Chair (817) 446-8757- email: japji@tx.rr.com
Mike Ghouse, President (214) 325-1916 - email: SpeakerMikeGhouse@gmail.com
America together foundation
2665 Villa Creek Dr, Suite 206
Dallas, TX 75234
2665 Villa Creek Dr, Suite 206
Dallas, TX 75234
ACTION ITEMS:
1. RSVP
to - confirmattedance@gmail.com
or call either of the phone
2. You can list your organization as a supporting organization, please send an
email to HolocaustandGenocides@gmail.com with name and web address.
3. Invite
your friends.
4. Donate - http://americatogetherfoundation.com/donate/
Friday, January 18, 2013
Holocaust and Genocides event on Jan 27, 2013
PRESS
RELEASE
January 16, 2013
January 16, 2013
VI Annual Reflections on
Holocaust and Genocides
4:00 PM - 7:00 PM Sunday, January 27, 2013
Unity Church of Dallas, 6525 Forest Lane, Dallas, TX 75230
Rsvp to: ConfirmAttendance@gmail.com
www.HolocaustandGenocides.com
4:00 PM - 7:00 PM Sunday, January 27, 2013
Unity Church of Dallas, 6525 Forest Lane, Dallas, TX 75230
Rsvp to: ConfirmAttendance@gmail.com
www.HolocaustandGenocides.com
THE SIKH GENOCIDE OF
1984
Humanity must continuously acknowledge, remember, and reflect upon the inhuman atrocities misguided powers inflicted upon powerless. A stand for justice, education and understanding is badly needed. We hope each one of us would walk out with a commitment to work towards all humanity as one family where each one stands for the rights of others to make the world a safe home for all and a better place for everyone to live. Indeed, safety of each one of us hinges on the safety of others around us.
Every year we have reflected on our failings, massacres, Genocides and Holocaust, this year, we will focus on the Sikh Genocide of 1984, a Sikh speaker will deliver the key note address on the topic. Mr. Hasan Mahmud will share about the Bangladesh Genocide of 1971, Dr. Petra Weldes will talk about the effects of Stereotyping on the societies, and Kelly Obazee will reflect on current massacres around the world. Mike Ghouse will speak about the need to take stand against oppression of others, and Holocaust continues to be our anchor event.
There is a shameless cruelty in our societies because we either shy away or refuse to acknowledge the sufferings of others, worrying that it will devalue our own, and or it amounts to infidelity to our own cause. Shame on us that we justifying massacres by pretending and propagating that the victims deserved it or asked for it, or we simply turn the face away.
To paraphrase Sir Edmund Burke, “evil continues to flourish not necessarily because of evil men, but more so because good men do nothing about it.”
The human atrocities are pent up frustrations and unresolved issues that reach a boiling point and explode into massacres and genocides. As civilized societies, we need to bring a closure to the issues through forgiveness, apology and restoration of justice.
To all those, who have endured holocaust, genocides, massacres, annihilation, land mines, hunger, rape, torture, occupation and inhuman brutality, we say, we are with you, and you are not alone. The least we can do in the process of healing is to acknowledge every one's pain.
The sixth annual event is an initiative of the Foundation for Pluralism, America Together Foundation, North Texas Sikh Temples and the World Muslim congress.
CONTACT:
Dr. Harbans Lal, Event Chair (817) 446-8757- email: japji@tx.rr.com
Mike Ghouse, President (214) 325-1916 - email: SpeakerMikeGhouse@gmail.com
America together
foundation
2665 Villa Creek Dr, Suite 206
Dallas, TX 75234
2665 Villa Creek Dr, Suite 206
Dallas, TX 75234
ACTION ITEMS:
1.
RSVP to - confirmattedance@gmail.com or call
either of the phone
2.
You can list your organization as
a supporting organization, please send an email to HolocaustandGenocides@gmail.com
with name and web address.
3.
Invite your
friends.
4. Donate - http://americatogetherfoundation.com/donate/
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