Mike GhouseComments Off on Writing Poetry Is A Joy
Dr . Mike Ghouse
I am on Dialysis three times a week, and four hours each time. I consider it to be my special peaceful time. I make a list of things to do in the four hours I’m here. Catch up with some emails and some whatsAp and Twitter messages, follow up on the ongoing work at Center for Pluralism and checking with couples about officiating their nikah and interfaith marriages.
Today, I decided to write poetry in Urdu/Hindi language. There is so much to write, ideas started taking the shape of the words. Urdu handwriting looks great when written with a fountain pen and I am left with about 5 pens, and love my Sheafer.
Here are the first two lines of poetry addressed to all, but to the Indian politicians in particular.
تم بھی مر جاؤگے ھم بھی مر جاینگے یاد رکھنا ھم سب خالی ھاتھ جاینگے
You’ll die and I’ll also die one day Remember all of us go empty handed.
Thank you.
Mike Ghouse Washington DC (214) 325-1916 Www.TheGhouseDiary.com
Mike GhouseComments Off on Ghouse on India’s Supreme Court
Good News Item for IRF/ Round Table date August 2, 2022: The Chief Justice of India’s Supreme Court, Mr. Ramana, is retiring this month. He rendered a significant judgment on his way out that restores faith and hope in India’s justice system, even though it is not perfect. I hope Justice Ramana would correct the Modi admin’s reckless removal of article 370, enacting disgusting CAA, and imposing a Sales Tax on food items.
When the fact checker Journalist Zubair was released after 27 days in Jail for tweeting a movie poster meem, the prosecutor demanded that Zubair should not tweet anymore against the government. Justice Ramana countered him and said some to the effect, ‘He is a journalist, and he can tweet whatever he wants; he has that freedom.’ And no journalists should be arrested for their work. We all should celebrate this, which is a step in the right direction. We hope and pray the next Justice will follow in his footsteps – to stick to India’s wise constitution.
Three years ago, on Aug 5, 2019, the Modi government removed article 370, stripping the freedom of the people of the State of Kashmir without their consent, and I spoke out strongly against it in the IRF forum here. The Kashmiri people are still living in apprehension, there is a brutal Indian military presence on their land – 1 army man for every 9 citizens. I hope and pray, that justice will be served to them. Justice denied to anyone is justice denied to everyone (MLK).
Mike Ghouse is a social scientist, author, speaker, and wedding officiant. He offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day to the media and policymakers. More about him at https://theghousediary.com/
The IRF Roundtable is an informal organization, 12 years old, where over 100 individuals representing different human rights organizations come together to discuss the religious freedom issues in just about every country in the world. The other attendees include representatives of the US Department of State, DHS, US AID, USCIRF, and other governmental agencies. Today, Ambassador at Large Rashad Hussain was present in the meeting.
My talk:
The verbal stand that the United States has taken about religious freedom and human rights is the best thing that has happened for the peace and prosperity of the nations, including the United States. However, it is time for us to act upon our words.
Right now, the leadership in India and other nominal democracies are intolerant of people who differ with the government policies; even the journalists cannot be critical, nor do the opposition leaders. All of them are thrown in jail, creating an environment of fear for the population. It is not a good sign.
Most of you are familiar with Zubair’s case – a journalist locked up for tweeting a movie poster five years ago. The only reason for his arrest was that he was a Muslim. It was religious discrimination. On the other hand, Arnab Goswami was also arrested but got bail the same night, whereas Zubair was released 20 days after the international pressure. I am not sure if the state Department did anything, but the UN had called on it.
The United States Foreign policy is predicated on reliable allies, and we have made mistakes every time. As citizens of the United States, we must remind the administration to move with caution in drawing up the defense, business, and other strategic pacts with India; we must protect our interests. We ask the Biden Administration to suggest to Mr. Modi, Shah, Yogi, and other leaders to restore religious freedoms – it is the panacea, cure of all problems. It will restore the fractured social structures and become one cohesive nation again.
As an Indian American, I like to see my motherland become a nation like ours – the United States with liberty and justice for all. Every Indian must feel secure and live without fear to build a strong, cohesive India by honoring the human rights of every Indian.
If the United States were to continue building a strong relationship with India, PM Modi needs to work back to restore India to be a reliable, long-term sustainable ally. Otherwise, we are wasting our relationship.
All President Biden has to say is this.
“Prime Minister Modi, we want to continue to strengthen our relationships with India, provided India abides by the human rights and religious freedom of Indians. Mr. Modi, all you have to say in your national address is this; “I will not tolerate any Indian to harass or lynch another Indian because of their religion. If they do, they will not be spared and punished per the law of the land.”
My Question to Ambassador Rashad Hussain was, what does it take for the President to say this? What is fear?
Mike Ghouse is a social scientist, author, speaker, and wedding officiant. He offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day to the media and policymakers.
When I saw the pictures of this woman wearing the US Flag version of Shoes and the Bikini – my first thought was Freedom – the American Freedom. Freedom is God-given, and we all must be free to express what is right, as long as it does not reasonably offend others and is no one’s loss. The ultimate goal of all societies is to have peace and harmony, and freedom can be absolute if no one messes up the balance.
When I saw the pictures of this woman wearing the US Flag version of Shoes and the Bikini – my first thought was Freedom – the American Freedom. Freedom is God-given, and we all must be free to express what is right, as long as it does not reasonably offend others and is no one’s loss. The ultimate goal of all societies is to have peace and harmony, and freedom can be absolute if no one messes up the balance.
Right now, the leadership in India and other nominal democracies are intolerant of people who differ with the government policies; even the journalists cannot be critical, nor do the opposition leaders. All of them are thrown in Jail, creating an environment of fear for the population. It is not a good sign.
The United States Foreign policy is predicated on reliable allies, and we have made mistakes every time. It is our duty as the US Government and the corporations doing business in India to suggest Mr. Modi, Shah, Yogi, and other leaders restore freedoms. Every Indian must feel secure and live without fear to build a strong, cohesive India by honoring the human rights of every Indian. For us to continue doing business with India, the leaders need to work on being reliable, long-term sustainable allies.
Mike Ghouse is a social scientist, author, speaker, and wedding officiant. He offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day to the media and policymakers.
We are a nation of free people, both politically and religiously, thanks to our founding fathers for setting up a beautiful country for enjoying freedom for generations and perhaps forever. However, we also need the release from entanglements and live freely.
Seriously, you can achieve that freedom by forgiving people who have hurt you and seeking forgiveness from those you hurt. Let me share how it worked for me.
When Texas Savings and Loans crumbled, I was managing the properties of Empire Savings; the CEO was good to me. He reimbursed all the repair expenses. There was a house on Pinery Dr in West Richardson that I spent 35000 on remodeling. As usual, I walked up with the bills – He looked straight in my face and told me he did not own the property anymore. He had transferred to his father’s name. I was angry to no limit, and my blood boiled each time I saw his name or heard it.
Ten years later, I was to speak at the Canyon Country Club, and I had to pass by the Pinery Dr – my blood boiled again. So, I decided to drive in front of the house, parked my car, closed my eyes, sincerely forgave the man, and prayed. That was the last time I was tense. After that, I accomplished peace. I have cleaned my slate and cleaned it frequently.
Spiritual freedom is the most outstanding achievement in one’s life and permanently clings to you till eternity. Those of us, who can free ourselves from tension, pain, anxiety, apprehension, hostility, malice, pressure, tension, stress, strain, and conflicts, are showered with blessings of peace and joy. It is good to be free. You live in the greatest country on the earth; say a word of gratitude to the founding fathers and our constitution.
May you be blessed with true freedom.
Happy 4th, my friends
Mike Ghouse is a motivational speaker and an interfaith wedding officiant. He is the founder of the Center for Pluralism and offers pluralistic solutions to policymakers and the media. More about him at www.TheGhouseDiary.com
The phrase ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbukum’ is a part of the ancient Hindu texts called Upanishads. It means the World is one family. Hindus often cite this phrase to highlight the pluralistic ethos of Hinduism, engraved on the entrance lobby to the Parliament of India.
Vasudhaiva Kutumbukum, in a broader sense, means that the whole World is one, and every part of the World and people are interconnected. A Tamil poem written 2500 years ago explains it beautifully, “Yathum Oore Yavarum Keller” Every place is my home town; Everyone my kith and kin.
We approached Dr. Mike Ghouse, the founder of the Center for Pluralism, to explain the above statement and its connection with Pluralism. He says, “I feel at home everywhere and am comfortable with everyone. He explains that my differences dissolve when I consider everyone part of the web I am in, and a new place is an extension of the place where I was born. Since I have learned to respect the otherness of the other, I am comfortable with everyone.”
Swami Vivekananda expresses his wisdom: “All differences in this world are of degree, and not of a kind because oneness is the secret of everything.”
Indeed, everything in the universe originated from a single act, a single source. If we trace back our origins, we all stemmed from one single couple.
The Quran 49:13, Human beings, we created you all from a male and a female and made you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another. The best among you is the one who cares for their fellow humans. The causer of the universe has created everything interconnected, interdependent, and in harmony. All he wants is for us to sustain that harmony so we can live without apprehensions.
“Pluralism is respecting the otherness of others in religion, politics, society, and the workplace.” Dr. Ghouse continues, “If we can learn to respect the otherness of the others and accept the God-given uniqueness of each one of us, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge.” Dr. Ghouse
Diana Eck of Harvard University’s pluralism project defines, “Pluralism is not diversity alone, but the energetic engagement with diversity. Pluralism is not just tolerance but the active seeking of understanding across lines of difference. Pluralism is not relativism, but the encounter of commitments.”
“In the Indian context, pluralism is the realization and practice of living with diversity in day-to-day life – in culture, society, our political and economic atmosphere.” A society where people with different cultural backgrounds keep their tradition.” Google
Akbar, the great King of India, a pluralist to the core, started bringing Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Jains, Jews, Christians, and others for weekly discussions; he believed the essence of all religions is similar though the rituals were different. He called this syncretic knowledge “Din-e-Elahi,” roughly translated as God’s way of life. He was, however, accused of mixing and matching religions.
Ghouse proudly shares that India’s syncretism is one of the best examples of Pluralism. Some of the most popular Hindu devotional songs were written and sung by Muslims and vice-versa. The Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Jews, and others did not have religious filters for friendship; they celebrated each other’s festivals and ate at each other’s homes. Invariably, Muslims care about what they cook for their Hindus and other friends, as most Hindus are vegetarians.
The shameful part of India’s Pluralism is the mistreatment of the Dalits; even though the Indian Constitution gives equal rights to every Indian, it has not filtered down to the society on a large scale. I hope it changes; Dalits are considered the lowest human beings in the caste hierarchy.
India is going through a very difficult phase now and pluralism is looked upon as a curse word by a few. Lord Krishna had promised that whenever the society becomes chaotic, he will emerge from among the people and restore righteousness. We pray he is right.
***
Mufti Fazal Hamdard is an interfaith activist based in Karachi.
Mike GhouseComments Off on Happy Father’s Day – A Tribute To My Father
On this father’s day, I will be dedicating half an hour to reflect on my father, Mohamed Abdul Rahman. He is one of my mentors and an affectionate and caring father who opened many windows of knowledge for me. I was four years old, and he taught me Kannada, English, Hindi, and Urdu at home and drew animals, cars, bicycles, and other things. The irony is he did not go to High School – when I was out of town, he wrote letters to me in English. He had beautiful handwriting, and I have inherited that.
If I am a pluralist today, if I respect the otherness of others and have no
prejudice towards others, it was his teaching; living by example.
When the Dalits (Lower caste among Hindus) were not allowed in homes in the area, it was a shameful act in practice then, but my father invited them into our home, and my mother shared the food with them on the same plates and the same glasses of water. That was one of the biggest lessons of life to treat everyone with dignity and respect. That teaching landed me in an all-Black neighborhood, and I have been pleased to live here for the last five years.
Mike GhouseComments Off on The U.S. Must Oppose India’s Rising Islamophobia
Letter to the Editor about its Editorial –
Is Biden Admin corrupted to overlook India’s human rights and religious freedom abuses? Human rights organizations and concerned citizens are making efforts to appeal to the administration to take action.
If you remember Ambassador Richard Holbrook, who begged and pushed Senior Bush and then Clinton to take action before a significant Genocide in Bosnia in the proportions of the Holocaust happened, finally they listened. Congresswoman Ilhan Omar asked the Biden administration how many Muslims had to be killed by Modi Government before they woke up?
The Washington Post Editorial is one of the most potent calls to the Biden Admin. It is the most advisement one can give President Biden, “India could be a pluralistic democracy or a country defined by a dark, intolerant nationalism. The United States should work actively in favor of the former.” Indeed, we, the people of the United States, owe the People of India that we are serious about protecting their freedoms, and we will make every effort to bring the deviant leaders of India back on track.
We urge Blinken and Biden to declare India a Country of Particular Concern. We want to assure the majority of Indians that it is not a punishment but a recommendation to restore the religious freedom and human rights of Indians that will benefit every Indian. If Modi does not care, there is a possibility that American corporations may pull out of India and hurt its economy. It is in the interest of every Indian to urge the Modi government to get their act together and not hurt India.
Modi had the right words, sab ka Saath, sab ka Vikas aur sab ka Vishwas. None of which he meant.
As far as Americans are concerned, we want India to be our reliable ally. To be reliable, it has to function cohesively, and every Indian must feel secure about who they are. That is when India will become a reliable ally.
Mike Ghouse offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day and is president of the Center for Pluralism in Washington, DC.
Opinion The U.S. must oppose India’s rising Islamophobia By the Editorial Board June 14, 2022 at 11:35 a.m. EDT https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/06/14/us-must-oppose-indias-rising-islamophobia/ India’s relations with majority-Muslim countries have been strained this month after two officials in Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) made demeaning comments about the prophet Muhammad. Stores in countries such as Kuwait pulled Indian products off their shelves, and protesters continue to call for boycotts of Indian-made goods; more than a dozen governments in majority-Muslim countries and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation condemned the comments. Good. Religious intolerance under Mr. Modi has gone unchallenged long enough.
The backlash produced some modest results. In response, the BJP suspended spokeswoman Nupur Sharma and expelled spokesman Naveen Jindal. The ruling party also issued a statement June 5 denouncing the “insult of any religious personalities of any religion,” stating that the BJP opposes “any ideology which insults or demeans any sect or religion,” as the party “respects all religions.”
This is not how Mr. Modi or the BJP has governed. India, founded as a secular nation despite its 79 percent Hindu majority and 15 percent Muslim minority, has slid toward Hindu nationalism under BJP rule. Bulldozers have razed houses in majority-Muslim neighborhoods under dubious pretenses, with local officials even boasting of the demolitions. The BJP-run state government of Karnataka banned hijabs in schools, a motion the state court upheld in March. Hate crimes against Indian Muslims and other religious minorities number in the hundreds each year, as local and state BJP officials engage in hate speech themselves. Amid all this, Mr. Modi and the national BJP have been quiet — until now.
Given this history, it seems unlikely the BJP’s nice-sounding statements reflect a sudden concern for religious tolerance. Indeed, two people were killed and dozens more injured as police charged a crowd of protesters last Friday.
That India’s ruling party did anything to condemn religious intolerance probably reflects concern about alienating Middle Eastern states, on which India depends heavily for natural gas, economic cooperation, infrastructure projects, counterterrorism and intelligence. Millions of Indians work and live in the Persian Gulf region, sending home remittances. Mr. Modi wants to make India a leader on the global stage; the recent backlash shows that he and his party might respond when other countries object to rife anti-Muslim sentiment in India, tolerated or encouraged by his party.
The United States should increase the pressure. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in April that the Biden administration is monitoring human rights abuses in India; this month, he named India as a country with deteriorating religious freedoms. But the White House has been silent as this most recent controversy has unfolded. India could be a pluralistic democracy or a country defined by a dark, intolerant nationalism. The United States should work actively in favor of the former.
The Post’s View | About the Editorial Board Editorials represent the views of The Washington Post as an institution, as determined through debate among members of the Editorial Board, based in the Opinions section and separate from the newsroom. Members of the Editorial Board and areas of focus: Deputy Editorial Page Editor Karen Tumulty; Deputy Editorial Page Editor Ruth Marcus; Associate Editorial Page Editor Jo-Ann Armao (education, D.C. affairs); Jonathan Capehart (national politics); Lee Hockstader (immigration; issues affecting Virginia and Maryland); David E. Hoffman (global public health); Charles Lane (foreign affairs, national security, international economics); Heather Long (economics); Molly Roberts (technology and society); and Stephen Stromberg (elections, the White House, Congress, legal affairs, energy, the environment, health care).
Mike GhouseComments Off on Sikh Challenges Muslim Leaders
Sikh man tells it like it is, the problem is disunity among Muslims and bad leadership.
It’s time for the majority of normal Muslims to take up the leadership role, gather up normal Hindus, Sikhs and Christians with them and sideline the traditional religious men who have brought nothing but misery and failures.
Mahatma Gandhi like Muslim figure needs to emerge, who will guide people who are willing to get hit, and go to jail, as it happened in Dandi March. Call in the international media, and get out on the street. Let BJP dare mess with the normal Indians.
Mike GhouseComments Off on Hazrat Aisha Was 19 And Not 6
The Quran is a book of guidance to create cohesive societies where God’s creation, all of humanity, lives securely regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, culture, or other uniqueness. God did not deliver the Quran to a group called Muslims; it was for the Aalameen, the entire universe, and its elements to live in harmony (Quran 55:8-11).
Those who follow the Quran are responsible for mitigating conflicts and nurturing goodwill to restore harmony. God created everything in peace and harmony and expected us to maintain it. The word is Islah-al-Alam and Insha’Allah, I will be writing an article on the phrase.
The Quran calls Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) the Rahmatul Aalameen, “And we have not sent you (O Muhammad) but as a mercy for all of humankind, jinn, and all that exists” (Quran 21:107).
However, the Hadiths have painted a different picture. Undoubtedly, in much of its corpus Prophet is presented as a Mercy to humankind. Still, a few hadiths are poisonous and written with triumphant attitudes and not being truthful.
Quote from the article cited below written by Faizur Rahman, “One Islamic preacher Abu Ammar Yasir Qadhi, has the temerity to write in his book, An Introduction to the Sciences of the Quran, that the Sunnah of the prophet can abrogate the Quran.” Zakir Naik has the guts to say that Hazarat Aisha was 6, and so did a Saudi Preacher.
The Nupur Sharma incident should wake us up. We are responsible for cleaning our Hadith books, and some of the Sahih Hadiths are not Sahih at all.
The origins of Islamophobia are traceable to the fear-mongering Hadiths, Seerah, and the wrong translations of a few verses in the Quran. When you hear the Islamophobes misquote Islam, we get outraged, but our ire should be directed at those Hadiths and not the so-called Islamophobes. They are merely quoting what is in the books.
Please check out the following article written a few years ago.
Thanks to Faizur Rahman for presenting an article citing the Quran and placing the age of Hazrat Aisha to be 19. Hindustan Times has published the article. I hope our seminaries in Deoband and Bareilly note this and make the necessary corrections in what they teach there. Muslims have a choice to believe in the supremacy of Hadith or the Quran. The Muslims who do not swallow the dished-out versions of the Prophet’s saying will question them and purge everything that goes against the Quran and does not present the Prophet as a Mercy to humankind (yes, all humanity).
