Republic Day Message to Modi and Obama

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As a Pluralist Indian American Muslim, I am a big follower of you two, the greatest orators of our times, and earnestly looking forward to hearing a powerful message of hope and inclusion on this Republic Day. 

My interest as a social scientist is cohesion and future of India’s pluralistic ethos, which are threatened by a few short-sighted, but powerful rabble rousers among us.
Mr. Modi, you surprised the nation with your inclusionary statements made on November 1, 2014.  As a Pluralist, I whole heartedly welcomed your statements and congratulated you for taking that step. You said, “The BJP should be like a bouquet so that every Indian felt there was a flower in it that he or she could identify with. “And, “A poor and illiterate person living in a slum should think, ‘Yes, there is a flower for me in this bouquet’. That is the only way he can make his voice heard.”

Mr. Prime Minister, I admire you for saying that, even though I am not your Chamcha (sycophant) blindly praising or even worshiping you, I am pleased to take a critical approach towards your policies with the intent of preventing you from falling from grace.  I will keep you on your toes.

Since you made that statement, a few rogue elements  are hell bent on throwing your bouquet into gutter; your legacy is on the line.  You can go down as the greatest Prime Minister of India or finish your term as a another promiser and talker, the choice is clearly yours, indeed, you alone are the driver of your legacy.

We hope you have not given the explicit permission to anyone to destroy India’s social fabric that includes but not limited to pushing, accusing, and maligning India’s fellow Citizens who are not Hindu. But your silence is really bothering us all, yes all of us Indians. We need clarification today, did you permit anyone to do what they are doing on your watch? 

SAB KA SAATH

Let’s begin with sab ka saath.  We have to have the following actions in building a cohesive India, where no Indian has to live in apprehension or fear of the other, and feel included in the vikas. 

Indeed, your dream of sab ka saath and sab ka vikas can be achieved in your first term with the following steps;


1.  Today, on this Republic Day, let India’s flag be hoisted together with fellow Indians who are Adivasis, Atheists, Bahá’ís, Bos, Buddhists, Christians, Dalits, Hindus, Jains, Jewish, Muslim, Sikhs, Tribals, Zoroastrians and every Indian representation.  Reach out and bring them together to the Red Fort,  and let them together proudly  hoist our Tiranga, then go ahead and give them a hug, it will speak million words of your good intentions. It will generate the spirit of sab ka saath on a social basis.

2. Declare that India is God’s own country, and is represented by every race, nationality, ethnicity, language, culture and religion. We see God as one, none and many; and in every form; male, female, genderless and non-existent, being and non-being, nameless and with innumerable names, and as Indians, we should not be biased towards any one. Aspire for an India that the world can emulate; a pluralistic democracy where every one can eat, drink, wear or believe whatever he or she wants to in her pursuit of happiness. 

3. Announce that from this day forward, every Indian will have equal access to education, employment, housing, business loans, entrepreneurial opportunities and if anyone is denied that opportunity, you will step up and stand up against the violators.
4.  Every Indian wants justice and demands a fair treatment of every one of the 1.31 billion Indians; rich or poor, connected or not, we must come to grips with the social and community life to create an exemplary India that will become a model nation in the world. Create an Equal Opportunity Commission based on US Model. 


PLEDGE TO ONE INDIA 

You can institute a pledge, that every public office holder from the Peon to the President of India and everyone in between must take  and live by it. Violation should disqualify him or her from holding the public office. Let it be monitored publicly.

  • I pledge allegiance to India, one nation that stands for liberty and justice for all.
  • I pledge that I honor and treat every Indian with “full” dignity.
  • I pledge that all individuals would be treated on par.
  • I pledge that I will treat all religions with equal respect, equal access and equal treatment.
  • I pledge that I will oppose any act that treats any Indian less than me.
  •  I Pledge that I will work for an India, where every individual can live with security and aspire for prosperity.
  • I pledge that I will protect, preserve and value every inch of India and every human soul in India

This would be the first step towards ensuring a Just, peaceful and prosperous India, that can sustain its progress and peace.

MODELS OF CHANGE

As a powerful Prime Minister, if you just speak up, it will make a big difference. Take a look at the other world leaders who spoke and have made the difference as examples;

President Obama made a bold statement about accepting the same sex marriage – that one single courageous act changed the nation. The antagonists suddenly found themselves going along with it, and state by state the same sex marriage is becoming the law of the nation. We still got ways to go, but it was his singular stance that eliminated the apprehensions and fears of fellow Americans who are Gays, Lesbians Transgender and bisexual men and women.

For the first time in the history of mankind, a religious leader took the bold step of including Hindus, Pagans, Atheists, Gays, Lesbians, Jews and Muslims as God’s children. In one single stroke he fell many barriers between the people.

Every human wants to be included, and when that Jesus’s embrace wraps every one, the nations will become stronger, secure and will function effectively.German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Monday, ‘Islam belongs to Germany,” in a clear repudiation of anti-immigration protesters gathering in Dresden and other cities. Merkel said her government was doing everything it could to ensure migrants were being successfully integrated into German society regardless of their religion.

I salute Merkel for taking the wisdom road in building a cohesive Germany, where no German has to live in apprehension or fear of the other, and instead focus on prosperity, peace and security for every German. Not only is this good for Germany but will become a model for other nations to emulate. Indeed, “Islam belongs to Germany”.

What Merkel has done will pave the way for positive acceptance of Muslims in Germany. paving the way for forging sab ka saath, resulting in sab ka vikas. Removing tensions and letting people feel welcome and become contributions towards nation building.

SPEAK UP

Of course, it is not your mistake for excluding Muslims or Christians from your language, address or embrace; unfortunately, that is how you were trained.  Each one of us is a slave to or our nurturing, but as a Prime Minister of the nation, you may consider looking at the “exclusive” Madrasas of the Rashtriya Swayam Sevak and the training an average pracharak gets.

You have an opportunity to mend, what Swami Vivekananda had missed; to give hope to the nation and explain and practice the full meaning of Vasudhaiva Kutumbukum.  We hope you would pave the way for an inclusive India, where we don’t make any distinction between one Indian and the other.

Mr. Modi, the Battle is not between Hindus and Muslims, it is between Good and the bad, good is represented by those who mind their own faith as Quran advocates or Bhagvad Gita suggests – it’s your own Karma that will determine your outcomes; there is no compulsion in faith, whereas the evil is represented by hurting and discriminating others for differences in belief.  Let every Indian be free to breathe, drink, eat, wear or believe whatever he or she wants to. I hope your party supports your stand.

YOUR STATEMENT ON THIS REPUBLIC DAY

“My dear fellow Indians, you are, yes, everyone of you is an Indian and that is all it matters to me, as your Prime Minster, I am here to make sure, you have equal access to justice, employment, schooling, loans, housing, health care, food, places of worship and retirement.” You can count on me, and together let’s build an India where every one of you is comfortable with the other regardless of what you speak, believe, eat or wear. “

PLURALISM

What is Pluralism? We have crystallized the definition of pluralism to, “respecting the otherness of the others and accepting the uniqueness of each one of us”. Pluralism is nothing but an attitude of live and let live, and it is applicable in every aspect of life including culture, society, religion, politics, gender, food, ethnicity, race and other uniqueness’s. 

There is not a major City in India, where you will not find people of different faiths, cultures, ethnicities, races, nationalities and social backgrounds working, eating, playing, marrying, and doing things together. 

We need to prepare ourselves for those eventualities to prevent possible conflicts, and lay a good foundation for nurturing goodwill and effective functioning of the societies. Exclusive communities will become a thing of the past.  If you live amidst others, you must also respect the otherness of others, as you expect them to do the same for you.

You are who you are, and I am who I am. As long as we don’t mess with each other’s space, sustenance and nurturance, and mind our own business, we all will do well.  If we can learn to respect the otherness of other and accept the God-given uniqueness of each one of the 1.27 billion of us, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge.

Pluralism is not a set of rules, it is simply the attitude of live and let live religiously, politically, culturally and socially.  We are committed to building cohesive societies, where no human has to live in apprehension, discomfort or fear of a fellow being.

ME?

I am indebted to my motherland for making me who I am, and want to find joy by returning her favor. The song from Pukaar, pukaars me.   “Jis dharti ne mujh ko janam diya, my usi ka pyar paa raha hoon, Jitna bhi mujh se hosakay, my us maa ka udhar chuka raha hoon.” My interest is seeing a cohesive India, where no Indian has to live in apprehension or fear of the other. That is the free India I dream of, and am committed to do my personal share of the work towards that goal through my writings, speeches and actions.


Jai Hind!

OUR FLAG

Mike Ghouse
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Mike Ghouse is a public speaker, thinker, writer and a commentator on Pluralism at work place, politics, religion, society, gender, race, culture, ethnicity, food and foreign policy. He is frequent guest on Fox News and syndicated Talk Radio shows and a writer at major newspapers including Dallas Morning News and Huffington Post.  All about him is listed in several links at www.MikeGhouse.net and his writings are atwww.TheGhousediary.com and 10 other blogs. He is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day.

President Obama and Mike Ghouse on integration of Muslims in Europe to mitigate conflicts

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Ever since I knew Obama through his speech in 2006 at the Chicago Senate, I knew he would be my mentor in Pluralism. I have written over 65 pieces about him.

He and I have got similar attitudes towards conflict mitigation and social inclusion. Throughout this time I have asserted, including his state of the Union’s in the last 5 years, that I could be his best speech writer. Like always, I have written things before he speaks – and the essence of both of our talk is similar if not identical.  I am glad Huffington Published my article on 1/15/15 and Obama’s piece is published on 1/16/15.

Here are both:

Angela Merkel Can Prevent Another Charlie Hebdo

Posted: 01/15/2015 3:15 pm EST Updated: 01/15/2015 3:59 pm EST
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/angela-merkel-can-prevent_b_6470140.html

In a divisive world where the leaders are sacrificing the long term safety of a nation for the short term political gains, and putting the nation on a destructive path of exclusion of those who differ, Merkel has done the right thing; choosing inclusion.
2015-01-14-Angela_Merkel_2008.jpg
Reuter’s reports that German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Monday, ‘Islam belongs to Germany,” in a clear repudiation of anti-immigration protesters gathering in Dresden and other cities. Merkel said her government was doing everything it could to ensure migrants were being successfully integrated into German society regardless of their religion.
I salute Merkel for taking the wisdom road in building a cohesive Germany, where no German has to live in apprehension or fear of the other, and instead focus on prosperity, peace and security for every German. Not only is this good for Germany but will become a model for other nations to emulate. Indeed, “Islam belongs to Germany”.
It is tempting to fall prey to the vociferous bunch who claps endlessly when a short-sighted leader talks about pushing “the other'” to the corner, and or forcing “them” in to obedience. They assume that the world is with them, but they fail to see an eternal battle of rights in the making.
Out of the chaotic conservatives, she emerges like the morning star, demonstrating what a genuine conservative patriotic leadership is all about; a nation builder.
Let me share recent parallels that shaped major events.
President Obama made a bold statement about accepting the same sex marriage – that one single courageous act changed the nation. The antagonists suddenly found themselves going along with it, and state by state the same sex marriage is becoming the law of the nation. We still got ways to go, but it was his singular stance that eliminated the apprehensions and fears of fellow Americans who are Gays, Lesbians Transgender and bisexual men and women.
For the first time in the history of mankind, a religious leader took the bold step of including Gays, Lesbians, Lesbians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus and Atheists as God’s children. In one single stroke he fell many barriers between the people.
Every human wants to be included, and when that Jesus’s embrace wraps every one, the nations will become stronger, secure and will function effectively.
What Merkel has done will pave the way for positive acceptance of Muslims in Germany. Removing tensions and letting people feel welcome and become contributors towards nation building.
Here is a lesson for Netanyahu, Modi, Sharif, and other leaders who fall prey to the claps and sacrifice the long term goodness of the nation for the short term pleasures of praises. May God guide everyone to see the goodness in inclusion, aka Pluralism! Pluralism is simply an attitude of learning to respect the otherness of others and accepting the God given uniqueness of each one of us, and when we do that conflicts fade and solutions emerge.
Mike Ghouse is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day.

# # #
Obama says Europe should integrate Muslims to curb terrorism
http://www.latimes.com/world/europe/la-fg-obama-muslims-20150116-story.html

Jan 16, 2015 – 2:13 PM

President Obama warned Europeans “not to simply respond with a hammer” in working against radicalization among its Muslim populations, and argued that the United States had an advantage on this front because American Muslims are better integrated into society.

“Our Muslim populations, they feel themselves to be Americans. There is, you know, this incredible process of immigration and assimilation that is part of our tradition that is probably our greatest strength,” Obama said Friday, as he stood next to British Prime Minister David Cameron at a news conference. “There are parts of Europe in which that’s not the case, and that’s probably the greatest danger that Europe faces.”

The comments were an unusually public bit of cultural analysis and counsel at a forum typically reserved for demonstrations of support and solidarity. In this case, Cameron politely disagreed with the American president’s assessment of immigrant communities in the United Kingdom. 
Obama went on to urge caution as European law enforcement authorities conduct broad counterterrorism sweeps in Belgium, France and Germany, a response to the recent terrorist attacks in France. The president suggested the crackdowns, along with economic disadvantages, would add to a sense of alienation among Muslim communities and feed their recruitment by jihadist groups.

“It’s important for Europe not to simply respond with a hammer and law enforcement and military approaches to these problems, but there also has to be a recognition that the stronger the ties of a North African — or a Frenchman of North African descent — to French values, French republic, a sense of opportunity, that’s going to be as important, if not more important, in, over time, solving this problem,” he said.

Cameron, who was at the White House for a brief visit, pushed back gently on the notion that the problem of radicalization could be blamed on immigration woes. The United Kingdom is “a multiracial, multi-ethnic society of huge opportunity,” he said.
“You can have, tragically, people who have had all the advantages of integration, who’ve had all the economic opportunities that our countries can offer, who still get seduced by this poisonous, radical, death cult of a narrative,” Cameron said.

For more news from the White House follow @khennessey on Twitter.

Muslim solutions to Terrorism in Paris

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Outrage, condemnation, candle light vigils and revenge talk is all
good, but the need is practical solutions beyond condemnations. Obviously the
burden squarely falls on Muslims; we have to grudgingly admit that almost all
acts of terror are committed by men claiming to be Muslims in the pretext of
defending Islam, Quran and the Prophet. It is our duty to build a better world
for all of us to live in peace, and that is all God wants, here is the first
step.
 
By Mike Ghouse
 
A bunch of terrorists rampaged into an office in Paris and killed 12
persons including four journalists; Charlie Hebdo magazine’s editor and
cartoonists, Stéphane Charbonnier, Cabu, Georges Wolinski and Bernard Verlhac.
Similarly a bunch of terrorists walked in to a school in Peshawar and massacred
131 innocent children and 17 adults.

What follows is outrage and condemnation
of these acts of terror along with candle light vigils and revenge talks. What
is grossly missing is solution beyond condemnations. Obviously the burden
squarely falls on Muslims; we have to grudgingly admit that almost all of the
acts of terror are committed by men claiming to be Muslims in the pretext of
defending Islam, Quran and the Prophet.
 
If you believe Charlie Hebdo should not have published the cartoons of the
prophet, you have a point, and that is how civilized people behave; respectful
of other’s sensibilities. However, that does not give a license to the
terrorists to kill another human being, in a civil society that we all cohabit,
they have a right to disagree and protest it in a civilized manner to bring
about respecting the otherness of others, but no one has a right to kill
other.

It is the duty of governments to keep law and order and faithfully
guard the safety of every citizen. Hate is one of the many sources of disrupting
the peace in a society and it is our responsibility to track down the source of
such hate and work on mitigating it. We have an obligation to maintain a balance
in the society. Those who violate the rights of others deserve all the
punishment prescribed in a civil society in a humane manner.

Freedom of
expression is the God-given right of every human, and is the foundation of civil
societies. Indeed, it is the freedom of speech that has allowed Islam to grow in
Europe and America. We should honor and respect that freedom with all our heart,
mind and spirit. We cannot betray the very ideals that gave us the freedom to be
who we are, and we cannot allow anyone to violate others freedom.
In behalf
of World Muslim Congress, I condemn these acts of terrorism and urge the French
police to spare no resources to get them, including those who knew about the
plan, but did not report to the police, that is outright treason. These guys are
dangerous to society at large and Muslims in particular.

What is our
responsibility as Muslims?

Islam stands for freedom of expression, there is
no compulsion in the matters of faith, and you simply cannot force anyone to
believe against his or her will. God insists the plurality of religion many
times in Quran – he says, weather you are a Jew, Christian or other, you need
not worry, I will take care of you, as long as you take care of my creation;
your fellow beings and environment. I gave you a well-balanced world for you to
live enjoy and manage, and if you subscribe to that, I will call you a
subscriber, follower, surrenderer and submitter to my will in preserving the
well balanced peaceful world. Don’t mess with me and my creation, and you are a
tiny insignificant speck in the scheme of things, and I am the most powerful,
say God is great (Allahu Akbar). Indeed, Allahu Akbar is a call for humility and
not killing.

Where did we go wrong?

Many things, but let’s start with
Blasphemy Laws. Yes, these laws go against what God want – freedom of
expression! The laws also blunt God’s warning – that he does not like the
oppressors. Ironically the word “Blasphemy Isn’t Even Mentioned In The Quran” as
Fareed Zakaria has pointed out in his article with the same
title.

Shamefully, there are books out there, (not the Quran), which proclaim
“Gustakh-e-Rasool” – (one who pokes fun at the prophet) deserves to be killed
“Wajib Qatal.” A Muslim in India has offered bounty to those who kill
blasphemers, and embarrassingly not all, but a significant number of Muslims in
Pakistan, Egypt, Iran and Saudi Arabia have been brain washed to believe in it.
They put these secondary books on par with Quran. Indeed, these men over a
period of time have unknowingly made some of the Muslim scholars equal to God, a
grave sin in Islam.

These men ignore God’s guidance to keep the cohesiveness
of the society – including “suicides” “Killing another human” “no compulsion”
and “God alone is the master of the day of judgment”.
Criticism of Islam and
Cartoons of Prophet

Criticism of Islam, Cartoons of the prophet or cursing at
the Quran will not make them disappear. Islam is not going anywhere and neither
the prophet. They are here for good and nothing will happen to them, and they
are not weaklings that seek the protection from ordinary humans. They are beyond
all that. Indeed, the acts of these terrorists, who falsely claim to defend the
name of the prophet, actually make God and the Prophet Look bad to the affected
individuals. 

These men need to know, that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was
criticized, attempts were made to kill him, and he was even harassed including
getting pelted with rocks that hurt him. What did he do in return? Retaliate?
Hurt them? None of it, instead he prayed for their well being. If you are a
follower of the Prophet, you need to be a mercy to fellow humans and not a
terrorist.

How do we restore Islam to its pristine place?

And how do
Muslims become builders of cohesive societies where no human has to live in fear
of the other?

We have to start back with “no compulsion” – if we force,
oppress or kill these believers, the battle will never end. It has to begin with
cooperation, conferences and education – with long term results on mind, and not
quick turnarounds. If things are to be sustained it has to come through free
will. Please note that I have not placed the blame on any one; I don’t intend
to, that is escaping from the responsibility. We have done the wrong and we have
to fix it.

Where do we start?

I would start with a Quran conference the
likes of which is at www.QuraanConference.com – We have to
develop a theme with specific goals – such as starting with “Understanding
Blasphemy” and inviting people with two opposite views. That would be the first
step.

God willing, I intend to write a series of articles and hope to
organize conferences to make an effort to restore Islam to its pristine purpose;
peace and harmony among people and what surrounds them.
It is our duty to
build a better world for all of us to live in peace.

To reprint or reproduce
the article, please feel free to do so, but kindly credit the publisher and the
author. The next article will be about Fixing Sharia Laws.

(Mike Ghouse is
committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on
issues of the day. He is a Muslim pluralist)
 
Thank
you
mike
Mike Ghouse
(214)
325-1916
text/talk
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Mike Ghouse is a public speaker, thinker, writer and a commentator on
Pluralism at work place, politics, religion, society, gender, race, culture,
ethnicity, food and foreign policy. He is a staunch defender of human rights and
his book standing up for others will be out soon, and a movie “Americans
together” is in the making.  He is a frequent guest commentator on Fox News and
syndicated Talk Radio shows and a writer at major news papers including Dallas
Morning News and Huffington Post. All about him is listed in 63 links at www.MikeGhouse.net and his writings are at
www.TheGhousediary.com and 10 other
blogs. He is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic
solutions on issues of the day.

Is Hinduism a violent Religion?

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The extremists among Hindus have hijacked the religion of peace and non-violence, just as the extremists among Buddhists, Jews and Muslims have done it with their religions. It is time for the moderate Hindus to speak up; if not, the new narrative would be Hinduism is a religion of violence, fascism and forcible conversions.

I urge you to read the whole article before drawing conclusions.
Hinduism is indeed blessed not to be slapped with 9/11-like terrorism label on it, despite the massacres of 3000 Sikhs in New Delhi by the violent Hindu mobs in just three days, for a total of 8,000 Sikhs within a week. Nearly a thousand Muslims were butchered by the fanatic Hindus in Gujarat within two weeks in 2002. Christian nuns were raped, their churches pillaged and some of the missionaries were burnt alive including Rev. Graham Staines. What is done to the Dalits, formerly known as untouchable, is unforgivable. The historic 500-year-ld Babri Mosque was destroyed in 1992 by extremists Hindu mobs.
No good Hindu should be offended by the above; they did no wrong. They would be wrong if they don’t speak out against it.

Mike Ghouse in Washington DC for a purpose

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I am in Washington DC between Saturday January 10 through Sunday, January 18 and again on January 26 and 27th for three specific purposes;

1. To share information about the upcoming film “Sacred” – what Muslims ought to be in a given society and hoping to change perceptions about Muslims around the world (appended below).

2. To invite participation in the 8th Annual Holocaust and Genocides commemoration, a bridge builder event set for Tuesday, January 27, 2014 (listed below).
3. To establish America Together foundation with a mission to build a cohesive America where no American has to live in apprehension, discomfort or fear of the other. Islam would be a major beneficiary of the work and we will have a strong presence in the media. 

A. SACRED, THE FILM 
What is Sacred, Flag, Holy Books, Mother, Freedom of Speech?

Sacred Film is about a successful real life event set in Mulberry, Florida coupled with a compelling romantic story built around the Quran burning incident. It is filled with human aspirations, fears, suspense and actions of a typical Hollywood Film.

The film skillfully manages conflicting issues of freedom of speech v what is sacred; safety of Americans v violent reactions; and radicalism v. pluralism. It is an embodiment of conflict mitigation and goodwill nurturance based on teachings of Jesus Christ and Prophet Muhammad. It is a model for building cohesive societies.  Indeed, the concept is encouraged by major institutions.
Through “Sacred”, the world will witness positive changes taking shape; it encourages what Muslims ought to be – the Amins, and how they will be perceived by the society at large. What is good for Muslims has got to be good for the world and vice-versa to restore sustainable harmony.
Sacred is an exemplary story of ordinary Muslim Americans working with fellow Americans of different faiths in forging a new paradigm; a cohesive America where no American has to live in tension, apprehension or fear of the other.

Shooting will begin in March for a September 11 release.  I will be happy to give a presentation to your group.

B. HOLOCAUST AND GENOCIDES COMMEMORATION 

8TH Annual public event to be held in Dallas on Sunday 1/25 and Washington DC on Tuesday 1/27 – It is a community bridge builder.
 

The purpose of this event is education, information and activism. We hope to learn and acknowledge our failings and make a personal commitment to do our individual share of expressing, “Never again”.
Our mission is to create awareness of the inhumanity within each one of us and hope to find the solutions.

The civic leaders, and leaders from the Atheist, Baha’i, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Islam, Jain, Jewish, Native Americans, Pagan, Sikh, Wicca, Zoroastrian and other traditions will come together and share their wisdom and their internal commitment to building a cohesive America, where no American has to live in apprehension or fear of the other. We have to do our share of creating the kingdom of heaven right here on the earth.

The Holocaust event has been commemorated by the Jewish community since 1953 for the loss of 6 million Jews during the Holocaust, known as Yom HaShoah in Synagogues around the world.  Now, we have been sharing that information along with the various Genocides and Massacres around the world with public at large.

We at America Together Foundation are committed to spreading the knowledge of Holocaust and Genocides through interfaith and public events for the last seven years.

Please visit www.HolocaustandGenocides.com
C. AMERICA TOGETHER FOUNDATION

Our mission is to build a cohesive America, where no American has to live in apprehension, discomfort or fear of the other.  We have a few clear cut goals and a few of them are as follows;

1.  Initiate a Leadership program in political Pluralism. We hope to establish the program to orient leaders with the concept of inclusiveness. We want no bigots in our politics and for that we have to start working on it – with a 10 year plan.
2. Establish the Center for Pluralism, an institute to study and teach cultural, family, social, political, and religious pluralism. The shortest definition for Pluralism would be-respecting the otherness of others and when we do that, conflicts fade and solutions will emerge.
3. Push the Interfaith dialogue to its limits, so we can face tough issues head-on, and get it over with it.  I hope we learn to live with our differences, rather than pretending to be nice and live with a load of ill-will within. Such attitudes are explosive and generate phrases like they asked for it, or they deserved it when the other group is in difficult situation. 
4. A film “Americans Together, building a cohesive America” is being conceived for a 2016 Release inclusive of the presidential primaries. We are looking to have our presence in the debates as a moderator to hone on the idea of Americans Together.   Hopefully, this would be a first film where almost every representation of America can be seen. It is again a movie to reflect the book Standing up for others and building cohesive societies. The gist of the film can be seen on the home page ofwww.AmericaTogetherFoundation.com
D. WORKSHOP – PLANNING ON A PRODUCTIVE 2015
I can do a two hour workshop if you can gather up 1o people. 
E. DONATIONS 

Please donate your tax deductible dollars to America Together Foundation, a non-profit 501 (3) (c) Organization. http://americatogetherfoundation.com/donate/

Thank you

Mike Ghouse
(214) 325-1916 text/talk
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. Mike Ghouse is a public speaker, thinker, writer and a commentator on Pluralism at work place, politics, religion, society, gender, race, culture, ethnicity, food and foreign policy. He is a staunch defender of human rights and his book standing up for others will be out soon, and a movie “Americans together” is in the making.  He is a frequent guest commentator on Fox News and syndicated Talk Radio shows and a writer at major news papers including Dallas Morning News and Huffington Post. All about him is listed in 63 links atwww.MikeGhouse.net and his writings are at www.TheGhousediary.com and 10 other blogs. He is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day

Israel cared the Arab Child; the Palestinian Mom wants him to be a terrorist.

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I watched the subject video, and observed several minutes of silence to absorb the pain of the Palestinian woman in the 7 minutes video, and it took me nearly an hour to gather myself to write about it, as I promised my friend Paul Goldstein, that I will write my commentary about it. I hope my Jewish friends see another point of view.
Israel cared the Arab Child; the Palestinian Mom wants him to be a terrorist. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKtWPMW9PSA



My only hope is for us to understand each other, and go beyond the words we hear.

I am quoting a scene from my article that has been very influential in my outlook at the down and depressed. I am making one of the most important points of my life about this woman’s attitude and hope and pray that you get to see that point.

“Holocaust and the Muslim guy” at Huffington posthttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/holocaust-and-the-muslim-_b_4629509.html
When I was ten years old, I read just about every book my mother read. She was indeed a voracious reader on religion and social sciences; however, I was banned from reading certain books, and one of them was “Eichmann 60 lakh Yahudiyon ka Katil” in Urdu language. That is Eichmann, the killer of 6 Million Jews. My mother insisted that I was a kid and I should not read the book, she was protective of her child. However, I was able to sneak in and see a few horrible pictures which had shut me down for the next 44 years of my life.

The picture (not this picture) continues to influence me; it is about betrayal of a people. A group of Jews were shoved in front of a ditch and then were shot into the pit. The looks of helplessness on their faces, as if looking at me and saying, “you are not going to do anything about it?” They were not complaining, but with all humility endured the betrayal from the entire world, it has been a difficult picture for me.
For the next 44 years of my life, I was not able to see the WWII movies with scenes from holocaust on the screen. I would turn the TV off and go into silence for a while, just could not get over the idea how people can do that to other people. There was fear in me, fear to witness that betrayal.

They never begged any one to save their life and just stared into the spaces even without complaining. I am sure the lost faith in God as well. I have held them in very high esteem for the dignified death they faced.

You know the story of Masada; they would rather die than surrender and get humiliated. Did they care what the world thought of them? There are innumerable examples of these acts of dignity.

In my college days, I shared my notes with a few friends to copy the answers on their exam papers, I was caught red handed and was taken to the principal’s office.  My “friends” did not even bother to stop by and ask about me. That betrayal and humility reminded me of the betrayal, the Jews felt in front of that ditch.

Paul, that image strengthens my commitment to human rights. I have lost many friends for my stand, and a lot of income, but I am willing to lose it all but will not back out from speaking for the rights of people. I may be one of the dignified martyrs of Masada being reincarnated.  By the way, those of you who don’t know me, I have stood up for all people with no exception including Jews –http://nabsites.net/demo/standing-up-with-jews/


This lady’s assertion that “death is normal” that “she will send her child back again as a suicide bomber” “death does not frighten us” enlivened that image of Jews at the ditch. She may have been the soul from Masada.

 What have we done as a civilized society to get her to that point? It is the hopelessness of living a normal life.  I saw so much pain in her; she did not see any point in sharing further, what for? Instead of understanding her, we are going after religion, easy way out to blame someone and running away from the responsibility.

She had given up on you and I, she has given up on Palestinians, Jews, Americans and the world, shame on us.  I can forgive those “few” Israelis who are in pain themselves and want to inflict pain on others as if it will relieve them. 

I do not like suicide bombers or any one who destroys life of others, if they claim to do it in the name of religion, it is merely an excuse that we should not be gullible to buy. Islam forbids suicide and killing others unless it is in self defense. 

I am not supporting this woman’s attitude either, all I am doing is seeing her point of view to learn and formulate policies to alleviate the root cause, if we can.

I am ashamed of me, you and others, and the world at large whose prejudice against Palestinians. Perhaps justifiable for their rocket attacks, suicide bombing and biased behavior – even though they have endured living in humility for 30 years without terrorism, the world did not care and did not do a thing about them. But when they resorted to terrorism in 1971, we blamed them and attempted to annihilate them.  It is as if telling the humiliated woman who just got raped, that she deserved it.

Our formulated bias has stripped a sense of justice in us, and that is not healthy for a normal society.  If we justify one prejudice, we are approving other prejudices against us.  It is time to be human and don’t push others to this point.

Please enlighten me otherwise. 

Thank you

Mike Ghouse
(214) 325-1916 text/talk
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. Mike Ghouse is a public speaker, thinker, writer and a commentator on Pluralism at work place, politics, religion, society, gender, race, culture, ethnicity, food and foreign policy. He is a staunch defender of human rights and his book standing up for others will be out soon, and a movie “Americans together” is in the making.  He is a frequent guest commentator on Fox News and syndicated Talk Radio shows and a writer at major news papers including Dallas Morning News and Huffington Post. All about him is listed in 63 links atwww.MikeGhouse.net and his writings are at www.TheGhousediary.com and 10 other blogs. He is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. 

Holocaust and Genocides Commemoration in Dallas and Washington DC

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Thank you
Thank
you
mike
Mike Ghouse
(214)
325-1916
text/talk
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Mike Ghouse is a public speaker, thinker, writer
and a commentator on Pluralism at work place, politics, religion, society,
gender, race, culture, ethnicity, food and foreign policy. He is a staunch
defender of human rights and his book standing up for others will be out soon,
and a movie “Americans together” is in the making.  He is a frequent guest
commentator on Fox News and syndicated Talk Radio shows and a writer at major
news papers including Dallas Morning News and Huffington Post. All about him is
listed in 63 links atwww.MikeGhouse.net and his writings are
at www.TheGhousediary.com and 10
other blogs. He is committed to building cohesive societies and offers
pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. 

Save India from becoming an ISIS Nation

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If Hindu Radicals have their way, no one will be a Christian, Muslim, Sikh, Jain, Jew, Buddhist or the other – they want to convert 100% of Indians to be Hindus. They’ll adopt coercion and all other methods to achieve their goals.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a record of not saying anything to his radical men and let them do the intended damage, and then he will speak. I was his supporter and I am not sure about his integrity any more, he is letting his own dream wrecked by his men, was that the intention?

His Promoters like Ashutosh Varshney, Madhu Kishwar are walking away and I am with them. 

All the major stories are in this link http://mikeghouseforindia.blogspot.com/2015/01/ghar-wapasi-articles-radical-hindus.html and more links are on the right panel at www.MikeGhouseforIndia.blogspot.com 

Mike Ghouse
Picture courtesy – Dainik Bhaskar

Living a fuller life in 2015

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Every day, I will make an effort to read some poetry, humor, philosophy, quality time with family and friends, stay on my goals of life and commitment to Pluralism, and stop and smell the roses. I want to live the full spectrum of life. Here is my poetry part today.
A friend just had a well deserved vacation and I am happy for her, she has gone through a lot, and here is couplet for her in Urdu/Hindi….. I hope she has found some one through this season, every one should find a person in life to trust, confide and to tell things like it is without worries or demands.
Baton hi baaton mein, kisi say dosti ho gayee
apni raah kitnon say mili aur kitnon say judee
A silsila chalta hi rehega, moujoin ki rawanee sa
Zindagi na meri, na aap ke qaboo me rahee
Meaning:
While chatting and meeting aimlessly, I became friends with one
How many paths have crossed mine, and how many went away
The continuity of life will continue, like the waves of the ocean
Life is not mine, and neither yours, its whoever along the way
I may take lessons to write English Poetry.
Thank you
Mike Ghouse
(214) 325-1916 text/talk


………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Mike Ghouse is a public speaker, thinker, writer and a commentator on Pluralism at work place, politics, religion, society, gender, race, culture, ethnicity, food and foreign policy. He is a staunch defender of human rights and his book standing up for others will be out soon, and a movie “Americans together” is in the making. He is a frequent guest commentator on Fox News and syndicated Talk Radio shows and a writer at major news papers including Dallas Morning News and Huffington Post. All about him is listed in 63 links at www.MikeGhouse.net and his writings are atwww.TheGhousediary.com and 10 other blogs. He is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day.

Mike Ghouse speaks today on “A much better tomorrow” at College of Complexes

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Mike Ghouse’ motivational talk on “A much better
tomorrow” at College of Complexes

It was pleasure speaking to a mature group of seniors, bankers, lawyers,
politicians and activists. The conversation that followed was heart to heart, they
were passionate about what they believed and that made the dialogue effective,
as you are dealing with directness. Thanks to Tom Berry for organizing this
dinner talk at Barbecs Restaurant in East Dallas. The forum is called college
of complexes, which was started in Chicago in 1951 with a branch here in Dallas. More
about it at http://www.collegeofcomplexes.org/2.html

My talk “A Much better tomorrow” revolved
around these four items.
You
can make your life purposeful, meaningful and enjoyable, and can choose to be
the driver of your life or be driven by others. The choice, as well as the
excuse, is yours. I pray that we retain the ability to choose what we want in
our lives.

1. Starting
life with a clean slate – our minds and hearts gets cluttered every day, and need rebooting through a variety of practices including a few minutes of
silence,  meditation or prayers. I shared
two heart touching stories about how to live (or die) in peace. I was glad to
see a few women cry and a few men listen to it with pin drop silence.  It is good to be endowed with that emotion and
let it be expressed. What does it take besides guts to clean our slate? It was an elaborate piece based on Michami Dukadam – a concept from Jainism (religion), where we boldly seek forgiveness and forgive other’s short comings. 
2. Carving a Purposeful 2015 – It was mini-workshop in defining
ourselves and assessing where we are, and what we want and how do we go about
that.  All of us wrote the following 7
items and spent a minute or two in thinking about each one of them. We started with a mirror! Looking into the mirror and reflecting where we are on each one of these items – and if we hold this mirror next year at the same time, what will we tell the mirror what we did to change what we did not like?
3. Holocaust
and Genocides commemoration – it’s my story about Holocaust and Genocides based
on my pieces at Huffington post –

I have invited everyone to the  8TH Annual public event to be held in
Dallas on Sunday 1/25 and Washington DC on Tuesday 1/27 – It is a community
bridge builder.
 

The purpose of this event is education, information and
activism. We hope to learn and acknowledge our failings and make a personal
commitment to do our individual share of expressing, “Never again”.

Our mission is to create awareness of the inhumanity within each one of us and
hope to find the solutions.

4. Gratitude – One has to learn to be grateful – it is a powerful
energizer to those who bitch about things in life. It will change you
completely. It is the story of Appaiah as narrated in my article at Huffington
post – http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/interfaith-thanksgiving-story-of-gratitude-and-self-balancing-acts_b_2169789.html
Where Is Happiness?

Volunteer your time for others, not your own community or place of worship but
strangers whom you will not see again. There is a joy in serving others.

Q&A – It was a delight to hear passionate expressions from the members of
the group – be it God, Israel, life, Atheism, Islam or other topics. I am glad
to see some people see beyond the idea of “promised land” and see the conflict
in humanitarian terms. Because, I am a Muslim invariably standard questions come
about – Why don’t the E-moms (Imams) condemn ISIS – of course they have, 60 E-moms
have made a joint declaration, and every Muslim majority nation has condemned
their acts, unfortunately the TV media does not cover it. If one of the Imams
had said, “I justify ISIS” it would have been on the news cycle for months. Tiny
bad news is a fodder for the media, where tonnes of good news do not get
reported, and we fall prey to what we see and hear.

What we need to do contribute to a better world?

1. Questioning everything you hear or read 
2. Making an effort to see others’ point 
3. Expressing gratitude for any good your receive
4. Forgiving and seeking forgiveness often
5. Resisting stereotyping others, it frees us 
6. Being kind to at least one person a day
7. Volunteering 
8. Respecting the otherness of others
9. Reading www.TheGhouseDiary.com

God has not signed a deal
with any one behind other’s back, if God is a just guy, he would not do that.
Indeed, God has not promised anything to anyone behind other’s back. Who wants
a God like that?

God or big bang or evolution has produced as, we are a fact of life, and we have the responsibility to keep the world in balance and harmony. God does not meddle or interfere with our daily routines, it is up to us to preserve that balance and harmony, pay for in anguish when we mess it up and relish when we preserve it, if that balance is not achieved here, the carried forward imbalance will be handled by the mysterious almighty. 


Thank
you
mike
Mike Ghouse
(214)
325-1916
text/talk
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Mike Ghouse is a public speaker, thinker, writer
and a commentator on Pluralism at work place, politics, religion, society,
gender, race, culture, ethnicity, food and foreign policy. He is a staunch
defender of human rights and his book standing up for others will be out soon,
and a movie “Americans together” is in the making.  He is a frequent guest
commentator on Fox News and syndicated Talk Radio shows and a writer at major
news papers including Dallas Morning News and Huffington Post. All about him is
listed in 63 links atwww.MikeGhouse.net and his writings are
at www.TheGhousediary.com and 10
other blogs. He is committed to building cohesive societies and offers
pluralistic solutions on issues of the day.