Prayers are good! Am I a Christian, Jew, Hindu?
This senior couple was irresistible; eyes closed, holding each other’s hand, they
were praying before eating their breakfast at McDonald’s this morning in
Jackson, Tennessee on I-40. After I picked my coffee, I stopped and told them
how much I appreciated them, it was nice to see them pray and have that
peaceful moment of prayer together.
I asked their permission to take their picture and told them that I will write
on my face book and my blog and will be happy to send to them. They said, they
did not have an email account, nor do they have a face book account, she said, but
we see each other’s face with admiration all day long! Wow!
They asked me if I was a Christian – broadly yes, if it means embracing the
whole humanity, loving fellow beings, seeking forgiveness and forgiving, and
taking care of fellow beings, I would qualify to be a Christian.
I loved the expressions on their face and invariably they asked what are you, a
Hindu? Broadly yes, if it means considering the entire world as my family… and
I would qualify to be a Hindu.
They started laughing, would you qualify to be a Muslim? I said, of course I do, if it means treating
every human on an equal footing, and being just to fellow beings…. and by the way, I am a Muslim.
They did not know what to say..... then they recovered and said, " Then you are the first Muslim I have talked with in person, you are alright..."
Am I a Jew? Yes, I am. Am I a Buddhist? Yes I am. Am I an Atheist? Yes I
am. Each one of us is a composite being,
and we can express the whole of us or part of us.
IT was a good 15 hours drive from Jeffersonville, Indiana to Dallas, Texas the
mind was occupied with ideas, plans and enjoying what the creator has endowed
us all with. I have so much to thank for…
God has been good to me. Thank
you
mike
Mike Ghouse,
President
America Together Foundation
(214) 325-1916
text/talk
...............................................................................................................................
Mike Ghouse is a public speaker, thinker, writer and a
commentator on Pluralism, Islam, India, Israel-Palestine, Politics and other
issues of the day. He is a human rights activist, and his book standing up for
others will be out soon | He is producing a full feature film " Sacred" to be released on 9/11
and a documentary "Americans
together" for a July 4 release. 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 - Mike is
committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on
issues of the day.
B U L L E T I N
PLEASE VISIT www.CenterforPluralism.com for all information - Please note that this site was Foundation for Pluralism before
-----------------------------
Monday, March 30, 2015
Sunday, March 29, 2015
Out of my mind: Being a Hindu
Indeed, "Hindu religion may be tolerant, but Hindu society is intolerant and inegalitarian." the same goes with Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Buddhism, a few bad men make the good religions look bad. Let me repeat for every Hindu ass, there is a Muslim, Christian, Jewish and Buddhist ass. I am a big admirer of Bhagvad Gita, and Mr. Desai's reference about those two verses bothered me, and I have to verify the verses Mr. Desai has quoted and read it in full, as I do with Quran or the Bible - read at least three verses before and after to get the contextual meaning.
Mike Ghouse
MikeGhouseforIndia.blogspot.com
# # #
Mike Ghouse
MikeGhouseforIndia.blogspot.com
# # #
OPINION: "No one should be surprised that many Dalits left Hinduism. Indeed the puzzle is that so many remained," says Lord Meghnad Desai.
Out of my mind: Being a Hindu
There is joy in heaven when even one sinner repents. So goes the Christian prayer. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad may not be best placed to be greeted as a Christian sinner, but the good news is that it has repented. It has finally discovered that the curse of untouchability may have been the reason Dalits preferred to abandon the Sanatana Dharma and migrate to other more egalitarian religions. Who needs ‘ghar wapsi’ if the ghar you are being invited back to treats you like dirt?
No one should be surprised that many Dalits left Hinduism. Indeed the puzzle is that so many remained. There is a fundamental misunderstanding among the champions of Hindu nationalism. We are constantly told that Hindu religion is so tolerant that secularism is in its very spirit. You don’t need to contrast a secular India with a Hindu India. This tolerance is something of a myth, but not too far from the truth.
RELATED
Hindu religion may be tolerant, but Hindu society is intolerant and inegalitarian. One may admire the contemplation of Advaita, but then how can one reconcile the contempt for the Shudra and the ati-Shudra with the assertion of a universal abstract Brahman? Hindu society mistreats the majority of its people. Even the Bhagavad Gita displays this prejudice when it contrasts the “virtues” of the two upper Varnas with the “mundane character” of Vaishyas and Shudras (Adhyaya 18, shloka 41-48). For all the spirituality and loftiness of the Vedas and Upanishads, the unassailable facts were of inhuman treatment of Dalit men and even more so of their women, who were treated as sex objects. Shudras did not do better. The Bahujan, the majority, were the losers in Hindu society.
Much of Hindutva ideology is propagated by the upper castes, particularly Brahmins. There is no discussion about how the lowly jatis felt about the mythologies and philosophies of Brahmanism. Jyotiba Phule was the first modern writer to articulate a trenchant anti-Brahminical message. Dr Balasaheb Ambedkar wrote tirelessly in a critical manner against the pretensions of Brahminical spirituality. Read his critique of the Bhagavad Gita and you will realise how different that great text of Brahmanism looks to the lower castes. He fought tirelessly against caste and Brahmanism. At the end of his life, he gave up his efforts at making fellow Hindus aware of the defect in their society and took his followers to Buddhism.
Mahatma Gandhi tried his best to convince Hindu society of the evils of untouchability. He did not want to break up the Hindu mass support for independence by dividing it on the untouchability issue as Ambedkar wanted to. Yet he failed to persuade Varna Hindus to abandon untouchability. They all paid lip service to his Harijan Seva programme, but the exploitation and contempt remained. India still needs SC/ST reservations even after 67 years because Hindu society is unreformed and unrepentant.
Hindu society was lucky that the Muslim rulers of India, through the six centuries that they ruled in North India, left the jati system undisturbed. They converted the untouchables but, throughout Muslim rule, Hindu society survived intact. Then the British did something much worse than conversion. They gave free access, regardless of caste, to modern education. This was revolutionary in a society where education was the monopoly of the top two jatis. A Shyamji Krishna Varma could never have been a Sanskrit scholar nor a Mohandas Gandhi a barrister if the British had not brought modern ideas and education to India. It was education more than Christianity which challenged Hindu society.
South India gained the most from this revolution. The anti-Brahmin movement, which the Justice Party launched, followed by the Dravida movement of the Periyar, has made South India very different from the North. It is the North which is still stuck in the past. It is the BIMARU states which are the strongholds of the Hindutva movement. South India has scores higher on the Human Development Index than North India.
The jati system fragments Hindu society. The VHP may dream of a Hindu nation, but to be a Hindu is to be divided and fragmented. That is what will save India from the VHP.
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Happy Ramnvami, birth celebrations of Lord Rama
By Mike Ghouse | http://foundationforpluralism.blogspot.com/
Ramnvami is birth celebration of Lord Rama, the Hindu king who set the high standards of morality in governance, of accountability, truth and integrity- his rule was called Ram Rajya. In the Hindu tradition, he is an avatar (representation) of Vishnu, the energy that sustains the world, the other two energies are Shiva that destroys (brings closure) and Brahma, who originates life.
The epic Ramayana is said to be 8000 years old or beyond, staged in most of the towns in India, if not all. I grew up watching the Ramayana played out on stage on my street in Yelahanka, the town that gave birth to Bangalore. It was a long show – from 10 PM through 5 Am in the morning. One of my cousin’s husband use to play the role of Hanuman in the play in another town and my brother in law's friend played Laxman in the show.
There are great story tellers of Ramayana who go around this season and share the stories, and here in Dallas there was a Morari Bapu, and I have listened to him at the Ekta Mandir as well as the Caribbean Hindu Temple in Dallas.I have done a few talks and storytelling myself about Dussehra celebrations, a story where the good wins over the evil by burning the effigy of Ravan. Indeed in a mixed gathering of people, after my story telling, most of the non-Hindus were able to answer the questions about Rama and Sita, Ravan, Bharat and Laxman, as a teacher of Pluralism, it was a satisfying experience to hear the positive feedback.
It’s a dream of many Hindus for the return of Ram Rajya, the governance of justice, fairness and truth. As a Muslim, I revere Rama and what he stood for. When you hear the story of Moses, Buddha, Rama, Krishna, Prophet Muhammad, Nanak, Mahavira… I see the commonalities in the life of all the great spiritual masters – they lived for creating common good in the society, they worked where justice prevailed for every human being and everyone was treated with dignity. The story is same, the greatness is same and I honor all of them.
Happy Ramnvami – Ram just does not belong to Hindus, his message belongs to all of the humanity.
Jai Shree Ram.
Published at http://FoundationforPluralism.blogspot.com
Ramnvami is birth celebration of Lord Rama, the Hindu king who set the high standards of morality in governance, of accountability, truth and integrity- his rule was called Ram Rajya. In the Hindu tradition, he is an avatar (representation) of Vishnu, the energy that sustains the world, the other two energies are Shiva that destroys (brings closure) and Brahma, who originates life.
There are great story tellers of Ramayana who go around this season and share the stories, and here in Dallas there was a Morari Bapu, and I have listened to him at the Ekta Mandir as well as the Caribbean Hindu Temple in Dallas.I have done a few talks and storytelling myself about Dussehra celebrations, a story where the good wins over the evil by burning the effigy of Ravan. Indeed in a mixed gathering of people, after my story telling, most of the non-Hindus were able to answer the questions about Rama and Sita, Ravan, Bharat and Laxman, as a teacher of Pluralism, it was a satisfying experience to hear the positive feedback.
It’s a dream of many Hindus for the return of Ram Rajya, the governance of justice, fairness and truth. As a Muslim, I revere Rama and what he stood for. When you hear the story of Moses, Buddha, Rama, Krishna, Prophet Muhammad, Nanak, Mahavira… I see the commonalities in the life of all the great spiritual masters – they lived for creating common good in the society, they worked where justice prevailed for every human being and everyone was treated with dignity. The story is same, the greatness is same and I honor all of them.
Happy Ramnvami – Ram just does not belong to Hindus, his message belongs to all of the humanity.
Jai Shree Ram.
Published at http://FoundationforPluralism.blogspot.com
Thank you
mike
Mike Ghouse, President
America Together Foundation
(Foundation for Pluralism)
Dallas | Washington
(214) 325-1916 text/talk
...............................................................................................................................
Mike Ghouse is a public speaker, thinker, writer and a commentator on Pluralism, Islam, India,Israel-Palestine, Politics and other issues of the day. He is a human rights activist, and his book standing up for others will be out soon | He is producing a full feature film ” Sacred” to be released on 9/11 and a documentary “Americans together” for a July 4 release. 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 – Mike is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day.
mike
Mike Ghouse, President
America Together Foundation
(Foundation for Pluralism)
Dallas | Washington
(214) 325-1916 text/talk
...............................................................................................................................
Mike Ghouse is a public speaker, thinker, writer and a commentator on Pluralism, Islam, India,Israel-Palestine, Politics and other issues of the day. He is a human rights activist, and his book standing up for others will be out soon | He is producing a full feature film ” Sacred” to be released on 9/11 and a documentary “Americans together” for a July 4 release. 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 – Mike is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day.
Saturday, March 28, 2015
Festivals of the World: Passover - Jewish Festival of Freedom
Festivals
of the World: Jewish Passover | Foundation for Pluralism | Americans Together
Link: http://foundationforpluralism.blogspot.com/2015/03/festivals-of-world-passover-jewish.html
Link: http://foundationforpluralism.blogspot.com/2015/03/festivals-of-world-passover-jewish.html
Tonite marks the Passover over with a Seder, a
ritualized dinner to commence the Passover. A few years ago, my daughter and I were
guests at Temple Shalom for the Passover Seder, it was a great experience
reading the scriptures and following the tradition.
The day is not far when all of us on the
planet, will learn about each other, and see the beauty and essence in each
tradition and possibly celebrate and commemorate. Knowledge leads to
understanding, and understanding to acceptance and appreciation of the
otherness of others, thus creating a cohesive enjoyable world for us. Please do share this with your non-Jewish
friends.
"Festivals of the World" is an
educational series by Mike Ghouse that has been active since 1993. When we live
in the same communities as neighbors, we might as well learn about each other.
The best way to build cohesive societies is for its members, is to participate
in festivities as well as commemorations of each other, or, at least understand
each other's' joys and sorrows. Please note the simplicity in writing is
designed for people of other faiths to learn and to know, so we can function
cohesively.
I am pleased to introduce Rabbi David Hartley
Mark, who will be helping me share information about Jewish Holidays. The
information follows the article. You
will find information about most holidays by searching the name of the holiday
in the search box at http://foundationforpluralism.blogspot.com/
it will also be shared at various yahoogroups including Foundationforpluralism@yahoogroups.com
Thank you.
Mike Ghouse
# # #
Thank you.
Mike Ghouse
# # #
Passover, Festival of
Freedom
By Rabbi David Hartley Mark,
M.A., M.Phil.
Jewish Educator and
English Instructor
Of all Jewish holidays, Passover’s
theme is the most universal: the message of freedom. ‘Way back in 1400 BCE,
during the reign of the mighty Pharaoh Ramses II (or perhaps his son,
Merneptah), an invisible God reached out of the heavens and into human history.
“Let My people go!” ordered Moses, His prophet, and, shocked and demoralized by
ten plagues which afflicted his country, his cattle, and his people, Ramses had
no choice but to comply, according to the biblical Book of Exodus.
Today, this message continues to
resonate in oppressed nations worldwide, where uncounted millions of human
beings yearn for the very freedoms which we Americans take for granted: freedom
of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of religion, freedom from want, and
freedom from fear.
What do Jews do during Passover, Pesach in Hebrew? For the seven-day
(eight, outside of Israel) period of the holiday, observant Jews refrain from
eating leavened foods, and instead eat foods consisting of matzah,
the grain of which (usually wheat) has been mixed with water and baked before
eighteen minutes have passed, in remembrance of the speed in which the
Israelites departed Egypt during the Exodus.
In synagogue or temple, Passover features temple
prayers and Torah (The Holy Scroll of the Pentateuch, or Five Books of Moses)
Readings relating to the Exodus and to the Springtime Harvest, as well as the
Prayer for Dew, reminding us of the holiday’s agricultural roots as the start
of the Harvest Season in Israel.
The holiday is largely home-based, with the seder (Hebrew, “order”) meal, the
special feast, at its center. This year, Jews will enjoy their seder-meals on
Friday and Saturday evenings, April 3 and 4.
The Seder is a repast full of symbolism: while
singing and chanting prayers and songs from a special book called the Hagadah, (Hebrew, “the Telling”), we eat
white horseradish, the “bitter herb” which reminds us of the bitterness of
slavery, and dip green parsley, the symbol of springtime, into salt water, to
recall the bitter tears of slavery, while often reclining at the table in the
attitude of free people. Indeed, the seder represents the earliest audio-visual
learning experience known to humankind, and everything we do there is meant to
provoke questions and discussion, often far into the night—although we
encourage our youngest children to become involved, too, since we center our
Judaism on religious education and positive experiences. Jews must remain
Jewish; it is our fate and our good fortune.
It is a dinner full of ritual, in which the
participants partake of four cups of wine, to represent the four promises God
made to our ancestors: “I took you out of Egypt; I saved you from Pharaoh’s
wrath; I liberated you from slavery; I took you to be My special people.” Because
of this, the number four resounds throughout the Seder-Meal: the Hagadah-book
tells the youngest participant to ask Four Questions relating to different
foods, different aspects of freedom. It describes Four Children: the Wise, the
Wicked, the Simple, and the One Who Does Not Know How to Ask, referring either
to actual types of children who must be educated in ways suitable for their
learning abilities or personalities. It might also symbolize all human beings,
who must pass through different stages of development, before learning to
understand and accept human differences—a crucial stage in reaching World Peace
among the Races, Religions, and Ethnicities. That is the Universal Message of
Passover—liberation from hatred and prejudice, and we pray for the swift
arrival of that day.
Passover marks the beginning of the spring
harvest season. Accordingly, the temple service during the holiday includes a
prayer for dew, representing both God’s visible grace upon the earth, and the
gentle rain which sustains the standing barley. May Passover 2015 bring
blessings of peace and freedom for all!
Rabbi David Hartley Mark has an extensive educational and
teaching background. He has earned several
academic degrees including a Master’s in Philosophy, advanced studies in
Judaism and Rabbinical studies.
Festivals of the World: Jewish Passover | Foundation for Pluralism | Americans Together
Link: http://foundationforpluralism.blogspot.com/2015/03/festivals-of-world-passover-jewish.html
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Thursday, March 12, 2015
Kenyan Lawyer Sues Isreal For Killing Jesus, the Indian Angle
This may be the best thing that has happened for the Jewish Christian relationship. Pope Frances is working on it and I have written about it; to absolve Jews from what happened 2000 years ago! The world would be better off if this removes the anti-Semitism from the minds of those Christians who constantly harp no calling the Jews, “Christ Killers”, and the evangelicals going completely on the other side to offset the wrong they have done for over 2000 years.
I hope the verdict, if it were, be that each society functioned according the prevalent norms of the time, but the people living today have nothing to do with what someone did in the past, even if you were to trace their direct descendants, how are they responsible? Why should some one point a finger at me for something Genghis Khan did, as I may have his genes.
Indeed, the same can be done in India, United States and elsewhere. Muhammad Ghazni needs to be sued, the terrorist King who had vandalized Hindu places of worship, robbed their wealth at Somnath temple, and there is a rumor out there that his thugs dug up graves of buried Hindus to take out a Silver coin left in their mouths at burial.
The Hindus (not all, but those who are stuck in history) continue to blame Muslims of today. No Muslim today is responsible for the acts of what the Kings did in the past.
I hope the verdict, if it were, be that, with the exception of a few, most of the Kings be declared thugs, be it Muslim, Hindu, Christian, Jewish, Zoroastrian, Buddhist, Pagan or otherwise. The bad boys had the following goals; to forcibly take over next door land, kill the king next door, rob others properties, take over other’s women… and further declaration that no individual living today is responsible for the acts of those kings.
Let’s free ourselves from the obsessive hatred for the other. Amen.
References:
1. Pictures https://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeghouse/sets/72157624336357507/
2. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/standing-up-for-jews-gays_b_650167.html
3. http://mikeghouseforamerica.blogspot.com/2010/07/standing-up-for-jews-gays-and-mexicans.html
Mike GhouseFoundationforPluralism.blogspot.com
# # #
Kenyan Lawyer Sues Israel For Killing Jesus, the Indian Angle
http://www.jewsnews.co.il/2015/03/08/kenyan-lawyer-sue-isreal-for-killing-jesus/I hope the verdict, if it were, be that each society functioned according the prevalent norms of the time, but the people living today have nothing to do with what someone did in the past, even if you were to trace their direct descendants, how are they responsible? Why should some one point a finger at me for something Genghis Khan did, as I may have his genes.
Indeed, the same can be done in India, United States and elsewhere. Muhammad Ghazni needs to be sued, the terrorist King who had vandalized Hindu places of worship, robbed their wealth at Somnath temple, and there is a rumor out there that his thugs dug up graves of buried Hindus to take out a Silver coin left in their mouths at burial.
The Hindus (not all, but those who are stuck in history) continue to blame Muslims of today. No Muslim today is responsible for the acts of what the Kings did in the past.
I hope the verdict, if it were, be that, with the exception of a few, most of the Kings be declared thugs, be it Muslim, Hindu, Christian, Jewish, Zoroastrian, Buddhist, Pagan or otherwise. The bad boys had the following goals; to forcibly take over next door land, kill the king next door, rob others properties, take over other’s women… and further declaration that no individual living today is responsible for the acts of those kings.
Let’s free ourselves from the obsessive hatred for the other. Amen.
References:
1. Pictures https://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeghouse/sets/72157624336357507/
2. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/standing-up-for-jews-gays_b_650167.html
3. http://mikeghouseforamerica.blogspot.com/2010/07/standing-up-for-jews-gays-and-mexicans.html
Mike GhouseFoundationforPluralism.blogspot.com
# # #
Kenyan Lawyer Sues Israel For Killing Jesus, the Indian Angle
A Kenyan lawyer filed a petition with the International Court of Justice in The Hague, suggesting that the trial and crucifixion of Jesus Christ was unlawful, and the State of Israel among others should be held responsible, Kenyan news outlet the Nairobian reported some time ago.
Dola Indidis, a lawyer and former spokesman of the Kenyan Judiciary is reportedly attempting to sue Tiberius (emperor of Rome, 42 BCE-37 CE), Pontius Pilate, a selection of Jewish elders, King Herod, the Republic of Italy and the State of Israel.
“Evidence today is on record in the Bible, and you cannot discredit the Bible,” Indidis told the Kenyan Citizen News.
Although those he suggests should have been convicted during the original trial have not been alive for more than 2,000 years, Indidis insists that the government for whom they acted can and should still be held responsible.
“I filed the case because it’s my duty to uphold the dignity of Jesus and I have gone to the ICJ to seek justice for the man from Nazareth,” Indidis told the Nairobian.
“His selective and malicious prosecution violated his human rights through judicial misconduct, abuse of office bias and prejudice.”
Indidis apparently named the states of Italy and Israel in the lawsuit because upon the attainment of independence, the two states incorporated the laws of the Roman Empire, those in force at the time of the crucifixion.
He is challenging the mode of questioning used during Jesus’s trial, prosecution, hearing and sentencing; the form of punishment meted out to him while undergoing judicial proceedings and the substance of the information used to convict him.
The case was first filed in the High Court in Nairobi but was rejected. Indidis then applied to have it heard at the ICJ.
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Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Transcript: Obama's Speech Against The Iraq War
Blog: Foundationforpluralism.blogspot.com | Barack Obama's October 2, 2002 Speech
John Huff, I cannot thank you enough for sharing this piece of wisdom. The first time I heard about him was in 2007 and read his speech he gave to senate in Chicago, I became a big fan since then and devour his speeches. I have written over 75 pieces about him at
John Huff, I cannot thank you enough for sharing this piece of wisdom. The first time I heard about him was in 2007 and read his speech he gave to senate in Chicago, I became a big fan since then and devour his speeches. I have written over 75 pieces about him at
PRESIDENTIAL
POLITICS on the left column at www.TheGhousediary.com
I
need to write a short summary Barack Obama the Pluralist. The following piece
is reflection of my view precisely, I could not have expressed it better. I am
a moderate and a pacifistic, but believe in the necessity of war to
remove evil, if we cannot stop through dialogue, we have to warn and capture.
John, I cannot tell you how happy I feel treading this transcript of Obama,
after I wrote an article "Go
ahead and Destroy ISIS" http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/president-obama-go-ahead-_b_5765264.html#es_share_ended I
was hounded by my friends, that how can I advocate war. I have explained ineffectively, but Obama's explanation has given me clarity that I never had before.
When I meet him, my one minute elevator speech would be, " Mr. President, next time you speak, I will send you the speech in advance, and after you speak, please open the envelope you will be speaking at least 50% of the same thought, acts and words" Its my challenge to your after observing you and writing about 75 articles about you, even you use the same altered lines when you spoke in India."
Mike Ghouse
MikeGhouse.net
# ##
NPR - Transcript: Obama's Speech Against The Iraq War from 2002
The following is a transcript of the remarks then-Sen. Barack Obama delivered in Chicago on Oct. 2, 2002. In his speech, Obama said that what he was opposed to was "a dumb war ... a rash war." He said the war was a "cynical attempt" to shove "ideological agendas down our throats" and would distract from domestic problems such as poverty and health care.
Good afternoon. Let me begin by saying that although this has been billed as an anti-war rally, I stand before you as someone who is not opposed to war in all circumstances. The Civil War was one of the bloodiest in history, and yet it was only through the crucible of the sword, the sacrifice of multitudes, that we could begin to perfect this union, and drive the scourge of slavery from our soil. I don't oppose all wars.
My grandfather signed up for a war the day after Pearl Harbor was bombed, fought in Patton's army. He saw the dead and dying across the fields of Europe; he heard the stories of fellow troops who first entered Auschwitz and Treblinka. He fought in the name of a larger freedom, part of that arsenal of democracy that triumphed over evil, and he did not fight in vain. I don't oppose all wars.
After Sept. 11, after witnessing the carnage and destruction, the dust and the tears, I supported this administration's pledge to hunt down and root out those who would slaughter innocents in the name of intolerance, and I would willingly take up arms myself to prevent such tragedy from happening again. I don't oppose all wars. And I know that in this crowd today, there is no shortage of patriots, or of patriotism.
What I am opposed to is a dumb war. What I am opposed to is a rash war. What I am opposed to is the cynical attempt by Richard Perle and Paul Wolfowitz and other armchair, weekend warriors in this administration to shove their own ideological agendas down our throats, irrespective of the costs in lives lost and in hardships borne.
What I am opposed to is the attempt by political hacks like Karl Rove to distract us from a rise in the uninsured, a rise in the poverty rate, a drop in the median income — to distract us from corporate scandals and a stock market that has just gone through the worst month since the Great Depression. That's what I'm opposed to. A dumb war. A rash war. A war based not on reason but on passion, not on principle but on politics. Now let me be clear — I suffer no illusions about Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal man. A ruthless man. A man who butchers his own people to secure his own power. He has repeatedly defied UN resolutions, thwarted UN inspection teams, developed chemical and biological weapons, and coveted nuclear capacity. He's a bad guy. The world, and the Iraqi people, would be better off without him.
But I also know that Saddam poses no imminent and direct threat to the United States or to his neighbors, that the Iraqi economy is in shambles, that the Iraqi military a fraction of its former strength, and that in concert with the international community he can be contained until, in the way of all petty dictators, he falls away into the dustbin of history. I know that even a successful war against Iraq will require a U.S. occupation of undetermined length, at undetermined cost, with undetermined consequences. I know that an invasion of Iraq without a clear rationale and without strong international support will only fan the flames of the Middle East, and encourage the worst, rather than best, impulses of the Arab world, and strengthen the recruitment arm of al-Qaida. I am not opposed to all wars. I'm opposed to dumb wars.
So for those of us who seek a more just and secure world for our children, let us send a clear message to the president today. You want a fight, President Bush? Let's finish the fight with bin Laden and al-Qaida, through effective, coordinated intelligence, and a shutting down of the financial networks that support terrorism, and a homeland security program that involves more than color-coded warnings. You want a fight, President Bush?
Let's fight to make sure that the U.N. inspectors can do their work, and that we vigorously enforce a non-proliferation treaty, and that former enemies and current allies like Russia safeguard and ultimately eliminate their stores of nuclear material, and that nations like Pakistan and India never use the terrible weapons already in their possession, and that the arms merchants in our own country stop feeding the countless wars that rage across the globe. You want a fight, President Bush?
Let's fight to make sure our so-called allies in the Middle East, the Saudis and the Egyptians, stop oppressing their own people, and suppressing dissent, and tolerating corruption and inequality, and mismanaging their economies so that their youth grow up without education, without prospects, without hope, the ready recruits of terrorist cells. You want a fight, President Bush? Let's fight to wean ourselves off Middle East oil, through an energy policy that doesn't simply serve the interests of Exxon and Mobil.
Those are the battles that we need to fight. Those are the battles that we willingly join. The battles against ignorance and intolerance. Corruption and greed. Poverty and despair. The consequences of war are dire, the sacrifices immeasurable. We may have occasion in our lifetime to once again rise up in defense of our freedom, and pay the wages of war. But we ought not — we will not — travel down that hellish path blindly. Nor should we allow those who would march off and pay the ultimate sacrifice, who would prove the full measure of devotion with their blood, to make such an awful sacrifice in vain.
Labels:
Barack Obama 2002,
interfaith speaker,
Mike Ghouse,
Obama on War,
Pluralism Speaker,
Pluralist
Monday, March 9, 2015
India's daughter, an educational documentary banned in India - Shame on India's political leadership, not India
Foundation for Pluralism | Shame on us, mistreatment of women continues
Link: http://foundationforpluralism.blogspot.com/2015/03/indias-daughter-educational-documentary.html
Note: Those who are concerned about their honor or the honor of India, please read the whole damn thing and defend the victims of rape rather than the rapists, work on changing the ugly misogynistic culture than blaming and banning the film.
India's Daughter is an educational documentary about the ugly mindset of rapists, the filthy misogynists who defend the rapists rather than the victims, and the good majority of Indians who stood up against such atrocities giving hopes to women in India and held rallies.
The Government of India has banned showing of this documentary. The entire nation is outraged at this, except of course the right wingers, who are care about image of India rather than the suffering of the victims. Shame on those attitudes.
Venakaiah Naidu, a minister in the current government says, the documentary is made to defame India. To hell with such fame, he has no qualms with the suffering of the woman, but concerned about the fame. We the people make India, and not the other way around.
The Home Minister (Homeland Security) says he is hurt with the documentary. Were you not hurt when Damini was gang raped on the public bus? You rather have women raped and not reported than being called rape capital of the world. Shame on you for your messed up thinking. You really should resign in shame.
The rapist and his defense lawyers have said "the woman should not have resisted the rape", "it is our culture " "why was she out at 9 PM" Blaming the victim? I have been wanting to write for the last three days since I watched the documentary... but could not get my anger out.
The NDTV ( New Delhi TV) in protest kept their screen with this simple message, a powerful message to send to the nation.
One of the interviewees said it right- the protest and the film brought a major paradigm change in the public - shift the blame to rapist from the victim.It took me two days to gather up myself to write about this, as you read the statements and watch some of the video links you'll be outraged too. Before I touch upon the history of misogyny prevalent through out the history of mankind and by societies regardless of the nation, race, religion or social status, let me go to India first, the current outrage.
Down below you find many videos and debate links to watch including articles to read.
Throughout the history of mankind women have been reduced to Chattels - property of men. Thank God much of those attitudes are disappearing,. at the same time pockets of extremism are rising unchecked today.
From the extremities of forcing women and shooting them in soccer fields by the Taliban, the enslaving of women by the ISIS, blaming and stoning the raped victims in Saudi Arabia, abductions of girls by Boko Haram, and the violence against women including the United States, burning women by dousing them kerosene in India to unmitigated rapes in East African Nations. Check the statistics, Sweden ranks high in Rapes and no nation and no religious group is free from this evil. The bottom line is how we raise our kids.
The shame is on India’s government, not India. The shame is on those Indians who have the ugly misogynist mindset. The right wingers are so pathetic, they simply do not understand the difference between the Leadership and the Nation, the leaders come and go while the nation endures.
Videos to watch
Our leadership is concerned about our image with the westerners, that is sickening, we should defend the victims and not the image.
Read these articles:
Link: http://foundationforpluralism.blogspot.com/2015/03/indias-daughter-educational-documentary.html
Note: Those who are concerned about their honor or the honor of India, please read the whole damn thing and defend the victims of rape rather than the rapists, work on changing the ugly misogynistic culture than blaming and banning the film.
India's Daughter is an educational documentary about the ugly mindset of rapists, the filthy misogynists who defend the rapists rather than the victims, and the good majority of Indians who stood up against such atrocities giving hopes to women in India and held rallies.
Venakaiah Naidu, a minister in the current government says, the documentary is made to defame India. To hell with such fame, he has no qualms with the suffering of the woman, but concerned about the fame. We the people make India, and not the other way around.
The Home Minister (Homeland Security) says he is hurt with the documentary. Were you not hurt when Damini was gang raped on the public bus? You rather have women raped and not reported than being called rape capital of the world. Shame on you for your messed up thinking. You really should resign in shame.
The rapist and his defense lawyers have said "the woman should not have resisted the rape", "it is our culture " "why was she out at 9 PM" Blaming the victim? I have been wanting to write for the last three days since I watched the documentary... but could not get my anger out.
The NDTV ( New Delhi TV) in protest kept their screen with this simple message, a powerful message to send to the nation.
One of the interviewees said it right- the protest and the film brought a major paradigm change in the public - shift the blame to rapist from the victim.It took me two days to gather up myself to write about this, as you read the statements and watch some of the video links you'll be outraged too. Before I touch upon the history of misogyny prevalent through out the history of mankind and by societies regardless of the nation, race, religion or social status, let me go to India first, the current outrage.
Down below you find many videos and debate links to watch including articles to read.
Throughout the history of mankind women have been reduced to Chattels - property of men. Thank God much of those attitudes are disappearing,. at the same time pockets of extremism are rising unchecked today.
From the extremities of forcing women and shooting them in soccer fields by the Taliban, the enslaving of women by the ISIS, blaming and stoning the raped victims in Saudi Arabia, abductions of girls by Boko Haram, and the violence against women including the United States, burning women by dousing them kerosene in India to unmitigated rapes in East African Nations. Check the statistics, Sweden ranks high in Rapes and no nation and no religious group is free from this evil. The bottom line is how we raise our kids.
The shame is on India’s government, not India. The shame is on those Indians who have the ugly misogynist mindset. The right wingers are so pathetic, they simply do not understand the difference between the Leadership and the Nation, the leaders come and go while the nation endures.
Dhitkaar ho aisi shaan pur
Laanat ho aise maan pur
Laanat ho aise maan pur
We have come far but we still have ways to go, shame on all those men who believe women are made for their pleasure, that women have to behave, that they have to remain silent when being raped... I am way too angry to write, but I have to voice against it.
USA - Congress and Texas legislature have both rejected Equal pay for women, a few SOB's have said that rape is divine way of creation. I wish we could collect all the sayings of clergy, congressman and senators and nail these SOB's.
USA - Congress and Texas legislature have both rejected Equal pay for women, a few SOB's have said that rape is divine way of creation. I wish we could collect all the sayings of clergy, congressman and senators and nail these SOB's.
SAUDI ARABIA - A woman who is gang raped gets lashes, what's wrong with these men? The rapists go Scot free because there are no witnesses? We need to demand them to drop these policies.
ISIS - These criminals need to be given a three day warning to surrender or face the drones, or gas (not deadly) to unconsciousness for for a few hours on a patch of 10 square miles of the ISIS territory at a time and pick them all up and put them on trial.
INDIA - Women are not safe in India after 7 PM, even if they are accompanied by men. I am glad a huge awakening is taking place, but there is this mindset, that women are to be had, that women are a game. The first thing that needs to come is for the stupid authorities to give a stern warning that rape will not be tolerated and Prime Minister Modi needs to uplift the ban, blame the rapist culture and not the documentary that is aimed to bring awareness of such culture.
I will be updating and completing this article by 3/11/15, with a suggestion as to what you can do, how you can contribute towards changing this mindset.
Videos to watch
Kiron Kher on the film (2.59)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oorpLTaKszA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oorpLTaKszA
Appeal to Modi by the Producer (20:00)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cShXikihcEw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cShXikihcEw
Is banning the film right thing to do? (15:11)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfGkCPAWaic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfGkCPAWaic
Lyricist Javed Akhtar powerful speech (0:59)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsuDxiE8t3c
To the point of banning the film
Lalita Kumarmanagalam is a loser and she is chair of Women's council
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8VL2_sCKz8
Lalita Kumarmanagalam is a loser and she is chair of Women's council
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8VL2_sCKz8
Government goes after the BBC: (25:00)
She Deserved To Be Raped" Says New Delhi Bus Driver|
Documentary Film Maker Leslee Udwin Speaks To Media
This is a must watch 1 Hour 30 Minutes show about the rape crises and
the solutions in India.
Satyamev Jayate Season 2 | FULL Episode # 1
Fighting Rape (1.5 Million Views)
Fighting Rape (1.5 Million Views)
A few powerful comments
"I strongly urge you to watch BBC documentary " India's daughter" on Utube. It's chilling account of Nirbhaya story and is meant to compel every MEN and women to introspect, the way we see and treat women. " Dr. Dhiren Shah
My Tweets
"I strongly urge you to watch BBC documentary " India's daughter" on Utube. It's chilling account of Nirbhaya story and is meant to compel every MEN and women to introspect, the way we see and treat women. " Dr. Dhiren Shah
My Tweets
Honor of our women
should come before the country, we make the country and not the other way
around.
INDIA'S honor comes from honoring our women,
and protecting them from rapes, rather than the protecting the honor of criminals. BJP
is wrong
Our leadership is concerned about our image with the westerners, that is sickening, we should defend the victims and not the image.
Together we make India
and not the other way around. Hamari manavta
Zinda hai to Bharat ma bhi Zinda hai.
We should have guts to
face and fix it and not bloody pretend to be holy. Our maan should be based
on our integrity.
INDIA'S DAUGHTER -
documentary banned. These men want to guard the honor of women by suppressing
info about rapes? Fall of BJP begins.
Read these articles:
Indian women about Rape
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/mar/03/indian-women-delhi-rape-film-rapist-indias-daughter
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/mar/03/indian-women-delhi-rape-film-rapist-indias-daughter
Mob Breaks into Jail, drags the rapists and hack him to death
http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/06/asia/india-rape-suspect-hanging/
http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/06/asia/india-rape-suspect-hanging/
India Bans the film
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/05/world/asia/indian-court-bans-broadcast-of-documentary-on-delhi-gang-rape.html
U.N. Finds ‘Alarmingly High’ Levels of Violence Against Women
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/10/world/un-finds-alarmingly-high-levels-of-violence-against-women.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/05/world/asia/indian-court-bans-broadcast-of-documentary-on-delhi-gang-rape.html
U.N. Finds ‘Alarmingly High’ Levels of Violence Against Women
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/10/world/un-finds-alarmingly-high-levels-of-violence-against-women.html
Thank you
Mike Ghouse, President
America Together Foundation
(Foundation for Pluralism)
Dallas | Washington
(214) 325-1916 text/talk
...............................................................................................................................
Mike Ghouse is a public speaker, thinker, writer and a commentator on Pluralism, Islam, India,Israel-Palestine, Politics and other issues of the day. He is a human rights activist, and his book standing up for others will be out soon | He is producing a full feature film ” Sacred” to be released on 9/11 and a documentary “Americans together” for a July 4 release. 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 – Mike is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day.
Mike Ghouse, President
America Together Foundation
(Foundation for Pluralism)
Dallas | Washington
(214) 325-1916 text/talk
...............................................................................................................................
Mike Ghouse is a public speaker, thinker, writer and a commentator on Pluralism, Islam, India,Israel-Palestine, Politics and other issues of the day. He is a human rights activist, and his book standing up for others will be out soon | He is producing a full feature film ” Sacred” to be released on 9/11 and a documentary “Americans together” for a July 4 release. 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 – Mike is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day.
Labels:
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Mistreatment of women,
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Shame on India's government,
Venakaih Naidu
Saturday, March 7, 2015
Fight extremism collectively by Harun Yahya
Harun Yahya, is a Turkish author referred to as "the biggest propagator of ijaz literature" as well as an Islamic creationist. Wikipedia www.harunyahya.com.
Here he addresses how to fight extremism collectively.
Link: http://foundationforpluralism.blogspot.com/2015/03/fight-extremism-collectively-by-harun.html
# # #
Here he addresses how to fight extremism collectively.
Link: http://foundationforpluralism.blogspot.com/2015/03/fight-extremism-collectively-by-harun.html
# # #
By Harun Yahya
Wars, dedicated to destruction and bloodshed down the ages and used as a tool by communities in international relations, are continuing to wreak havoc on the world in the 21st Century. The entire world is afflicted by corruption and turmoil, such as the wars that are devastating dozens of countries, civil wars of brother against brother, genocide, mass slaughter and acts of terror. Thousands of people lose their lives in incidents of terrorism every year: Thousands are the victims of slaughter. Innocent people, the elderly, children and babies are wronged, and thousands of people are forced from their countries as refugees. Some one in four people in the world live beneath the poverty threshold, one billion lacks decent accommodation and 100 million are homeless. There is a significant rise in all areas of crime from murder to robbery, and from theft to drugs trade. The number of child criminals and children forced into crime is growing all the time. Moral degeneration is also worsening in direct proportion.
The world is facing innumerable problems. These include the unstoppable rise in armaments on a national and individual level, the devastation caused by the global economic crisis, unemployment, the increasing hostility toward migrants and foreigners, especially in the West, and the global spread of racism based on differences of language, religion and sectarian or ethnic differences.
Together with terror, racism is one of the gravest threats facing the world. Racism, which contracts at some times and then flares up again when the conditions are right again, is a sickly philosophy that lies behind much conflict and fighting. It is today on the rise in many Western countries, including the U.S., which boasts of the value it attaches to democracy and human rights and of treating all beliefs equally.
Although the U.S. has adopted a number of laws penalizing racism and discrimination for the purpose of establishing equality among its citizens over the last 50 years, legal experts, opinion leaders and the public think that racism and discrimination are on the increase. Black people and those of Asian and Latin American origin complain of being the frequent victims of racist attacks and of being deprived of even the most basic citizenship rights. Muslims, a faith group even more discriminated against than others, also say that Islamophobia is on the rise in the U.S. and that they no longer feel safe.
It is this prejudicial mindset that lies behind the killing of three young Muslims in North Carolina the other day. The lack of legislation regarding Islamophobia as a crime has again been raised in the wake of these killings by an extreme American bigot. Muslims regard the way that anti-Semitism is regarded as odious and unacceptable in the U.S. - while Islamophobia is not - as a double standard. The latest development on the subject is a promise by President Obama that religious and cultural rights will be protected by legal proceedings.
While many of his policies are criticized, the way that President Obama is careful to avoid using the words ‘Islam’ and ‘terror’ together and has been keen to build positive relations between the Western world and Muslims ever since he came to power is a very positive thing. In his statement regarding the killing of the three Muslims, Obama condemned a prejudicial attitude toward Muslims and emphasized that nobody in the U.S. should be made a target because of his religious identity and beliefs. He described the attacks as brutal, shocking and unacceptable.
The matters touched on by President Obama during the White House Summit on Tackling Violent Extremism were significant. He said that the organizations spreading terror through the Middle East and Europe did not represent Islam, and were distorting the faith in the light of their own sinister aims. He underlined the need to differentiate between Islam and radicalism by saying that terrorists cannot speak for a billion Muslims.
Another message at Obama's summit address was that violence drawing their strength from extreme views cannot be fought by military means alone, and that success can only come from winning over hearts and minds, not from simply fighting terror with guns. The fact that the U.S. has grasped that using violence against violence cannot solve anything and that the solution to violence lies in winning over hearts and minds - or through love, tolerance and forgiveness to put it another way - is certainly grounds for rejoicing and will contribute to world peace. One hopes that Obama will maintain this constructive and inclusive way of speaking, that condemns violence and hatred and seeks to emphasize what we have in common, rather than our differences, and that the U.S. will be instrumental in eradicating anarchy and terror as a power that concentrates on peace, not conflict.
Obama's message at the end of his speech that young people need to be given hope and a better future had an importance all its own. At a time of upheaval and collapse at both the individual and societal level, it is the future generations, young people, who are suffering worst of all. Rather than seeking to improve themselves through moral development, young people raised in a climate of hatred, lovelessness, selfishness and self-interest are more interested in pursuing their own interests and the material living standards of our day. As a result, they take their places in society as people devoid of any moral values, with no purpose to their lives and a spiritual malaise in their hearts. Yet what young people whose characters are still forming really need is spirituality.
The way to offer them a better life is for the peoples of the world to set their differences aside and join hands in a spirit of friendship and brotherhood. The responsibility is incumbent on everyone, not just on nations and politicians. It must not be forgotten that every individual has talents he can employ in the name of good.
# # #
Labels:
Fight extremism,
Harun Yahya,
Obama's words,
Pluralism,
President Obama,
World Muslim Congress
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