Mike GhouseComments Off on Hindu American Foundation Files A Frivolous Lawsuit
The Hindu American Foundation has filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education against the University of Pennsylvania “for its part in co-sponsoring the Dismantling Global Hindutva (DGH) conference, which it alleged was anti-Hindu.
Indeed, all of us from every faith should stand up and dismantle ISIS, Hindutva, Taliban, Neocon, Nazi, Supremacist ideologies everywhere. They are a threat to religious freedom and human rights.
The HAF claims that the conference was Anti-Indian and Anti-Hindu. They should know that in democratic societies, criticism of Government is the most patriotic thing to do.
Criticizing the Modi government is not Anti-Indian; I am sure there are many Indians who had criticized the Congress Government, did that make them Anti-Indian? Some members of the HAF may hate Gandhi as many BJP members do; does that make them Anti-Indian?
Hinduism is a 5000-year-old religion, an eternal religion, and it does need defenders. It will always be there.
Hinduism is a religion that guides humankind to seek Moksha, salvation, Mukti, or freedom from tensions. In contrast, Hindutva is a political ideology that gives tensions and creates conflicts. It is a breeder of hate and violence in India.
I wish HAF withdraws the lawsuit and spends time on education. They can clarify that Hindutva was a term invented by Savarkar in the 1920s to spew hate against Muslims and Christians. They can hold conferences on College campuses and let them know that Hindutva is not Hinduism. The best way to serve Hinduism is to educate about it. Hinduism is a faith whose foundation firmly stands on freedom. As a pluralist, I stand by firmly with Hinduism and doing my share by separating the chaff from the wheat – that is separating Hinduism from Hindutva.
Dr. Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker, author, community consultant, pluralist, activist, newsmaker, and an interfaith wedding officiant. Mike is deeply committed to Pluralism in Religion, Politics, Societies and the workplace. He is an activist for Human Rights and freedom. He has dedicated his life to building a cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions to the media and the policymakers on issues of the day. Everything about him is at www.TheGhousediary.com
Mike GhouseComments Off on Equality Common Sense Islamic Value
https://youtu.be/eBkvhXzYDTo
11 of 20 common sense Islamic values
Equality is the mother of all values of Islam. Prophet Muhammad, maybe the first man in history to restore gender equality and liberated women from the tyranny of men, and worked on gradually rid of slavery. Indeed, equality permeates every aspect of Islam, particularly rituals. Men and women are equal in the eyes of God (3:195, 33:35). Men and women are each other’s garments, that is protectors, defenders, secret keepers, and soul mates. On the day of the Judgment, each individual is responsible for his and her actions alone.
Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. In his last sermon on March 6, 632 A.D had said, “All mankind is from Adam and Eve, and the summary is all are equal, and no one is more privileged than the other.’ 1144 years later, Thomas Jefferson wrote in the immortal declaration of our independence. All men are created equal. Their Creator endows them with certain inalienable rights; among them are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Such is the power of equality – it creates functional societies with the least conflicts.
• Previous Videos at https://www.youtube.com/MuslimsTogether
• A full schedule of 17 values at https://worldmuslimcongress.org/islamic-values-by-kaskas-ghouse/
• Speaker Profiles at https://worldmuslimcongress.org/islamic-values-speaker-profiles/
Islamic values are the essence of Islam; these values contribute to creating a better world to include all of God’s creation. God does care that we respect his entire creation—the whole universe. Everything in the universe except our interactions with fellow humans is programmed to be in harmony. The free will bestowed upon us creates conflicts among fellow humans, and for our good, we must mitigate conflicts and nurture goodwill, forge peace and balance.
Islah-al-Alam is restoring the harmony in creation that God created, but due to our freedom and free will, we make mistakes that we have to repair.
Mike GhouseComments Off on Today Is Mahatma Gandhi’s Birthday
I was at the Indian Embassy to pay homage to the Mahatma. I wrote a challenging but genuine article (last year) about Gandhi being ejected from India.
Today is Gandhi’s birthday, and it is time to reflect on the hatred and love he receives from Indians. A majority of the Indians and the world revere him while the Hindutva outfits curse him. India is a ruptured nation at this time, and its social structure is collapsing; people live in fear of commenting on the Government’s policies, the economy is tanking due to gross mismanagement, and the political stability has become questionable in the short run.
May God guide the RSS organization to renounce its extremist ideology and stop hating Christians, Dalits, and Muslims. May God bless Modi with common sense to repent his sins (Praischit) and restore security, peace, and harmony to every Indian. I pray he speaks out against lynching, harassment, rapes, and disenfranchising fellow Indians who are not Hindus to restore righteousness to the nation. Then the world can count on India as a stable and reliable ally and democracy. May we not lose the trust of the community of nations. We need them, and they need us.
Despite the lynching, harassment, rapes, and disenfranchisement of Muslims, Dalits, and Christians, they have not resorted to retaliation or any violence. I hope and pray that the Modi Government appreciates Muslims and Christians who genuinely follow Mahatma Gandhi’s ideals of Non-Violence.
Mike GhouseComments Off on My Short Speech At IRF Roundtable
09/28/21
Thanks Greg, and thanks every one for sharing your updates. We have a lot of work to do, we have to repair the world where all of us can live freely and securely.
My talk today is about India – 6 key points.
It is our moral duty to condemn what is bad and appreciate what is good so that all people can live with freedom. I am about to share the violations of religious freedom in India, my dear motherland. Yes, we have heard it repeatedly, but imagine the people who are enduring lynching, harassing, and torture every day for their belief in Christian and Islamic values. They are living in constant fear not knowing when they will be lynched.
2. Last week, a religious Man Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui, was arrested on Wednesday in the City of Meerut by Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on charges of running a conversion racket, these are false charges per the news reports, but it does not matter to them. The Modi and Yogi governments are continually harassing Christians and Muslims on the issue of conversion. As usual, PM Modi remains silent, as if he wants the lynchings and rapes to continue.
. This week in Assam, the Eastern State of India, the Modi government is forcibly evacuating the farmers and Muslims from their homes and placing them in gigantic internment camps. Their fault is they did not have the birth certificates to prove their citizenship even though they have lived there for several generations. To tell you the truth, most people in India don’t have a birth certificate. I don’t have it; neither Modi nor his mother may have a birth certificate. Yet, they are singling out Muslims.
4. The reign of terror continues worldwide from the Hindutva gang. In the last few months, almost every scholar was harassed and threatened with life who spoke against the Modi government’s policies. Dr. Audrey Truschke from Rutgers University got death threats from the Hindutva Brigade. This week Professor Mohan Dutta, a New Zealander, is being harassed for criticizing Hindutva Extremism.
5. The Hindus for Human rights, a participant in the IRF Round table, writes, “Hindutva, or Hindu fascism, is a majoritarian political ideology and far-right ethnonationalist movement that uses religion as a justification for atrocities against Dalits, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Ravidassias, and Buddhists.” This political ideology wants to kick some 250 million Muslims and Christians out of India or force them to live as second-class citizens.
6. All President Biden has to say is this; “Look, Mr. Modi, what is happening in India is not acceptable to us, don’t take advantage of us because we want India to be the bulwark against China. If your country is fractured, you will not be a reliable ally, and we and our businesses may distance you from you.”
India needs us, and we need India, and we need to have an honest relationship, where we can hold each other accountable on human rights and religious freedom violations, so both of us be exemplary nations.
Mike Ghouse About Mike at https://theghousediary.com/
The Ghouse diary is about the articles I write, however, I am pleased to post the articles on the subject written by others including a few of my own.
With prejudice towards none, but condemn what is wrong and support what is right. It is our moral duty to separate the chaff from the wheat, Hindtuva from Hinduism. I have made a point to speak about it in rallies, protests, etc. We cannot let people show their anger towards Hinduism for the acts of Hindutvadis.
Chief Seattle, a Native American said this perfectly, “All things are connected. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons of the earth. Man did not weave the web of life; he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the webs, he does it to himself.” Yes, the ideologies like Hindutva, ISIS, Taliban, Extreme Zionism (distinct from Zionism) to Brotherhood and the Neocons, and other outfits are hurting themselves in the long haul.
I have gone through hundreds of articles, I wish I had saved them, here are a few as they come.
Mike GhouseComments Off on Hindutva is Not Hinduism
By Mike Ghouse
The words Hindu Terrorism and Hindu Terrorists are offensive to Hindus, rightfully so, and it is offensive to this Muslim as well.
Neither Hindus are terrorists nor Hinduism is, it is a group within Hinduism that follows Hitler and Mussolini’s ideology of the supremacy of their group that is dangerous to India’s cohesive social structure, and sadly it is creeping into the United States of America. It is identical to ISIS and Al-Qaeda who want to force others to obey them or live under them as second class citizens or disappear somewhere. Hindutva is the Hindu Taliban, the Hindu counterpart of Muslim Taliban.
I have relentlessly fought against the phrases Islamic Terrorism and Muslim Terrorists over the years. Fox New’s Stuart Varney agreed not to use those phrases, and Sean Hannity had also agreed once, but with ISIS he resumed his attacks. Those phrases are not only offensive but downright stupid; let me explain why.
When you witness harassment and lynching of Christians, Muslims, Dalits, Sikhs, Atheists, Moderate Hindus, and others, you are tempted to blame Hindus and express your anger by recklessly calling them “Hindu Terrorists” or even blaming the religion. In the last few weeks, I have made a point in several meetings. Neither Hindus are terrorists nor are the Muslims.
That is what happened in Iraq, the lynching and harassment of Christians, Shias, and Yazidis led the people to call them “Muslim Terrorists.” The wrong-doers did not follow their religion, had they followed, they would not have killed a single human. Quran forbids killing even a single soul, let alone suicide. Hinduism respects every form of life. In both cases, the average Hindu and the average Muslim condemn these acts.
There are words to identify these men. They are called ‘Islamists” if they claim to belong to Islam, and ‘Hindutvadis” if they claim to belong to Hinduism. They are political movements and are a threat to the peace, harmony, and security of a nation. They simply don’t respect the otherness of the other.
Look at it this way, if a rapist is running around in your neighborhood, everyone is cautious and watches out for strangers. You are careful to close the doors and accompany your wife, sister, mother, and daughter when you are out. It is certainly difficult for a single woman or a woman household. But when the rapist is captured and punished, we all feel secure again and breathe fresh air.
The killers, lynchers are no different than rapists; we need to capture them; it will free society from anxiety, and trust and righteousness will return to the community.
Blaming the religion does no good because you cannot kill, hang, bury, or shoot it as it is intangible, and amounts to barking in the dark. What a stupid thing to do.
The source of terrorism comes from cult leaders. These men are good orators and dupe ‘some” people that they are superior to the others. They convince the simpletons that their way of life is threatened. These simple men fall for them and spend their whole lives hating and scheming to annihilate the other or show them their place instead of living their lives and letting others live theirs.
These men are in every religious, social, and cultural group. Osama Bin Laden, Abu Bakr Baghdadi in the case of Islam, and Hedgewar, Veer Savarkar, and Guru Golwalker in the case of Hinduism.
“Hinduism is a religion, guiding one to live a meaningful life, whereas Hindutva is a political movement claiming Hindu belief to be superior to others. Hinduism guides people towards moksha or salvation from the conflicts of life and frees you, whereas Hindutva guides people to acquire political power and subjugate all others – and ofcourse live in tensions forever. What a dumb thing to do.
Hinduism places emphasis on humility and not arrogance. Indeed, if anyone believes that his/her faith is superior, he or she has not understood the religion. Simply put the purpose of life in Hinduism is four-fold, to achieve Dharma, Artha, Kama, and Moksha. Dharma means living righteously and act morally and ethically throughout one’s life. Artha means honest work to live a good life and Kama is about fulfilling desire and passion in one’s life. Finally, it is Moksha – freedom from the cycle of life, and to me, it means living freely with the least tensions and least conflicts – that that is what paradise is all about.
Even though the word Hindutva has Hindu in its name, it is not Hinduism from any stretch of the imagination. It is a political movement like Al-Qaeda, ISIS, Nazi, right-wing Zionism (not Zionism), KKK, Neocons, Taliban and others.
The Hindutva movement has been described as “fascist in the classical sense,” adhering to a disputed concept of homogenized majority and cultural hegemony. Savarkar’s (one of the fountainheads of the movement) ideology meant the socio-political force to unite all Hindus against foreign influence.” It is like Christians in America wanting to give a boot to all others who are not Christians, and that is what the Hindutva forces want to do in India to boot 230 Million Christians and Muslims.
Haaretz writes. “Hitler and Mussolini have inspired the fountainheads of the Sangh Parivar. “In 2004, when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat, school textbooks published by the Gujarat State Board portrayed Hitler as a hero and glorified fascism. The tenth-grade social studies textbook had chapters entitled “Hitler, the Supremo,” and “Internal Achievements of Nazism.” The section on the “Ideology of Nazism” reads: “Hitler lent dignity and prestige to the German government. He adopted the policy of opposition towards the Jewish people and advocated the supremacy of the German race.” Further praising Hitler’s “inspiring leadership,” “achievements,” and how the Nazis “glorified the German state” so, “to maintain a German race with Nordic elements, [Hitler] ordered the Jews to be persecuted.”
A growing contempt for India’s minorities manifests itself racist remarks passed with casual insouciance.
We are Our Nationhood Defined a book by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) ideologue MS Golwalkar.
“”…To keep up the purity of the nation and its culture, Germany shocked the world by her purging the country of Semitic races – the Jews. National pride at its highest has been manifested here. Germany has also shown how well-nigh impossible it is for races and cultures, having differences going to the root, to be assimilated into one united whole, a good lesson for us in Hindustan to learn and profit by,”
Hinduism has always been a pluralistic tradition, and it has welcomed Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Baha’i, Zoroastrianism, and other cultures into its fold. All religions have thrived in India, just like they do in the United States.
The Quran says, don’t let your hatred for one make you unjust. So, don’t let your hate for the killers make you unfair towards Hindus or Hinduism. We all have to live together, and we should avoid language that deepens the chasm between people.
Religion is never the problem, it is the small band of people that create a mess.
To get a complete picture of the dangers of Hindutva in India and here in the United States, please read the links provided below
Here is an unnecessary Long but pointed dialogue between Bhakt (member of Modi cult) Bannerjee and Devdutt Patnaik https://youtu.be/sVigXMCw1mY
Hindutva V. Hinduism
# # #
Dr. Mike Ghouse is a thinker, author, speaker, newsmaker, and interfaith wedding officiant. His new book American Muslim Agenda is available on Amazon. He is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. His information is linked-in.
Mike GhouseComments Off on Service to Mankind: The Common-Sense Value 9 of 17
Service to Mankind: The Common-Sense Value 9 of 17
COMMON SENSE ISLAM – SERIES
Service to mankind is the 9th of 17 Common Sense values of Islam Sunday, September 19, 2021, 2-3 PM EST If it is not common sense, then it is not Islam.
Program presenters: Dr. Safi Kaskas & Dr. Mike Ghouse
Caring for fellow beings is the mother of all values, it is an all-encompassing value. It is one of the seventeen critical Islamic values that contribute to creating secure societies for everyone. God in the Quran says if you take care of my creation, I will take care of you.
Islamic values are the essence of Islam; these values contribute to creating a better world to include all of God’s creation. God does care that we respect his entire creation—the whole universe. Everything in the universe except our interactions with fellow humans is programmed to be in harmony. The free will bestowed upon us creates conflicts among fellow humans, and for our good, we must mitigate conflicts, and nurture goodwill, forge peace, and balance.
Islah-al-Alam is restoring the harmony in creation that God created, but due to our freedom and free will, we make mistakes, that we have to restore.
Mike Ghouse, President www.CenterforPluralism.com Office (202) 290-3560 Cell (214) 325-1916 Washington, DC
Mike GhouseComments Off on Prof Audrey Turshcke Threatened
Dr. Audrey Truschke Speaks on Hindu Supremacism & Threats to Academic Freedom in the United States
Prof Audrey Trushcke of Rutgers University is constantly threatened by the extremists Hindu Taliban, the Hindutva gang who have nothing to do with Hinduism or Hindus.
I can relate to the professor’s experience. I’ve had death threats from the white supremacists several times, including a letter with anthrax, which I turned over to the police.
One Patel threatened me on my radio show on a live call, stupidly gave me his number when I said, I’ll call him back. My Desi radio show was inclusive; we called the news segment BINPS – Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka- all my work involves equal treatment of fellow humans and nations, hence, in alphabetical order. The Patel guy had a problem with Pakistan in my news segment.
A month later, Late Ravi Kanth of Tv Asia called me up, and a guy from Dallas also threatened him for the same reason. I asked him if it was Patel, then I gave him the number. Finally, the FBI locked him up in Oklahoma penitentiary.
Another Russian guy posing as a Muslim had called me; the stupid also gave me his number. The story is in Wall Street Journal and a Japanese newspaper.
I was even threatened with a fatwa bomb by a Muslim about my radios show where I treated all religions on equal footing; he had a problem. In the end, I told him and his gang to go ahead, make my day. They didn’t. I’m least afraid of these chickens. If I were the professor, I’d invite them to my office to talk with me, and if they lose civility, the FBI will be in the next room to arrest them.
Thank you
Mike Ghouse, President Center for pluralism https://centerforpluralism.com Washington DC (214) 325-1916
Mike GhouseComments Off on Forgiveness: The Common-Sense Value 8 of 17
https://youtu.be/zYm6KIyorHc
9/11: WHAT IS YOUR STORY?
Join us on Zoom on Saturday, September 11 at 9:46 AM EST
“Ask not what the country can do for you, ask what you can do for the country.” President Kennedy. If you have done anything impactful for 9/11- please share your story in 3 minutes if you have done something for the country.
On that day, I made a commitment that I will dedicate this day, every year of my life to unit Americans and I have been doing this for 20 years now.
I was on the Radio for 7 hours in 2001 and have dedicated this day for my country – and have been commemorating it as Unity Day USA, for 20 years. We bring Americans Together to rededicate their pledge for the safety and security of Americans. The story I wrote has been seen by over 2 million viewers. I was in Dallas, Texas, my hometown.
I am inviting some if not all of the individuals including Mayors, religious and civic leaders on my Radio show that day to share their views after 20 years.
My 9/11 Story over 3.5 million reads https://theghousediary.com/my-9-11-story/
Mike GhouseComments Off on Is Shabbir Ali A Heretic ?
Watch it from 1:25 – 3:25 for 2 minutes. – it is a 6 minutes video. It has got 20,000 views
Do you agree with the speaker, Shabbir Ali? He is accused and called a heretic.
Some ten years ago, three of the Imams in Dallas sat with Hindus and others in interfaith meetings; one received a recognition certificate from a woman Deputy Mayor of the City of Richardson in Texas in our program, and the other two also received. We had to remove the picture of the Imam receiving the certificate from the woman.
Two of them were harassed, and one of them was chased out for being with the “Kafirs” a grossly misunderstood term. The Imams shared the extensive and exhaustive emails with pictures from my events. The Imams did not defend themselves well.
Fortunately, no one attacked me seriously, as I gave it back to them. I even had a fatwa against me telling me that my marriage with my wife would be annulled if I didn’t reverse my position of saying Peace to Buddha on my Radio show. I told them to “Go ahead and make my day,” a famous dialogue of Clint Eastwood. That was the end of it, and they did not make my day.
