Please read the previous two essays listed below as related articles to understand the following essay.
Khalid Azam, thanks for sharing the letter to Kulkarni, and I read through it. I have written several op-eds against him, and of course, I have written over 50 pieces against Modi and RSS ideology. I will continue to write until someday they realize their mistake and renounce their extremism.
The message in the letter to Kulkarni is good documentation of the things we all need to do. Indeed my letter and op-ed also reiterated the same items plus more, including specific statements from Kulkarni.
Please share specific terrible things Kulkarni said directly about MJ Khan, Baseer Pirzada, Nafees Asghar, and Shakib Mashood..
A few things to think through
- Should it matter to us if he keeps the money? It is probably spent; it is a donation for the campaign.
- He has slapped Modi and his policies boldly in his statement. He is a politician and represents all of his constituency; what more do we want? A pound of flesh?
- As long as he is willing to stand up for equal rights for all humans in India and elsewhere on the earth and stand up against Islamophobia, we should be content. That is what we, the 63% of Indians, want, don’t we?
- One of my friends posted this, “We should not expect anyone to represent us and us alone! That will never happen and we will become irrelevant if we insist especially if they win in spite of our opposition. Be realistic and be practical!”
As Muslims, we are driven by passion, nothing wrong with that. We have done things right have made so many mistakes too. Do we want to compound them, or do we want to find a way out of this morass and walk proudly again, bringing Americans Together and Indians Together?
I know a few Muslims who legitimately see a quick view of the situation will call me names, and that is fine. I believe I am doing the right thing, and Insha’Allah will continue to do it. I realize a handful of my fellow Muslims are hell-bent on pulling everyone down instead of respecting another point of view. Let them do what they know the best, and I will do what I know.
I will never denigrate the work of others even if they wage a malicious campaign against me. I really don’t care about the opinions of a few friends who oppose me, they have that right. I have lived my life, and thanks to God for that.
I have nothing to gain from my effort. I don’t get paid but fund my organization with everything I have. No one funds the center for pluralism, except a few friends who have supported specific programs, like the letter-writing campaign and the GoodDeeds website. In both cases, the funding was short by over 1000 dollars. I live on my meager resources, but my life is dedicated to the work I am doing. I am single and live a minimalist life and dedicated to serving humanity on my own terms.
I intend to do the following with Kulkarni, and I will ask you to join me and I know many of you will. I will urge Kulkarni to forgive those who grilled him, and every politician must be probed. I will cite the example of Prophet Muhammad, who forgave his bitterest enemies upon conquering Mecca. That is how you shape just and peaceful societies. We need to come together and do good things.
I will ask Kulkarni to initiate a few substantial Human rights bills to ensure everyone in India and elsewhere in the world would be treated as equals, with equal justice and equal opportunities. If he fails us, other congressmen will do that. That is my plan for the next congress. What is yours?
We need to shed our in-fighting and come together on our own terms. Our (the 67% of Indians) enemy is the RSS ideology and we have to push them hard to see how destructive they are.
May we follow Prophet’s example, please join us at the zoom meeting on 11/15
Muhammad (pbuh) the Peacemaker
Sunday, Nov 15, 2020 – 12:00 to 1:30 PM – EST
Details at https://centerforpluralism.com/workshop-muhammad-the-peacemaker/
Related Articles
Kulkarni’s promise
https://theghousediary.com/kulkarnis-promise/
Right-wing Indians and India’s future
https://theghousediary.com/right-wing-indians-and-indias-future/
IAMC Letter to Kulkarni
https://www.iamc.com/congressional-elections-in-texas-district-22/
50 Plus articles on Modi
https://theghousediary.com/modi-articles-by-mike-ghouse/
Mike Ghouse
The Ghouse Diary
Washington DC