Saturday, April 19, 2014
Texas Faith - In faith and gender politics, what does submission mean — as in, submissive spouse?
FAITH AND GENDER POLITICS - WHAT DOES SUBMISSION MEAN?
Men are traditionally insecure beings when it comes to dealing with women, particularly the hardcore conservative men, be them be Arabs, Americans, Chinese or Africans. Each one has adopted a blunt to subtle way of “keeping the woman in her place.” Look at our own conservatives denying equal pay, equal insurance rates, and equal say in health matters and on and on… Mike Ghouse. This is my Bi-monthly take on issues published in Dallas Morning News on April 1, 2014.
URL - http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2014/04/texas-faith-in-faith-and-gender.html
Texas Faith - In faith and gender politics, what does submission mean — as in, submissive spouse?
By Wayne Slater
wslater@dallasnews.com
12:16 pm on April 1, 2014 | Permalink
When Sarah Palin ran for vice president, as Hillary Clinton considers a race for president and with Wendy Davis actively engaged in a bid for governor, one aspect of that culture war is what it means in religious terms to be submissive – most notably, a submissive wife. A recent USA Today article notes the subject is popping up these days, preached from the pulpit, pontificated about in a spate of new book releases and prominent on the agenda of next month’s Southern Baptist leadership summit. “All seek to answer the question of whether wives are 100 percent equal partners or whether ‘biblical womanhood’ means a God-given role of supporting their husbands — and, in turn, knowing their husbands are honor-bound to die for them, if necessary.”
Submission in matters of faith and gender politics (Artwork/Todd Slater)
Biblical references to husbands leading their households have long invited interpretations that sound to many people a lot like inferiority. Where’s the equality in submission? And yet Cynthia Rigby of the Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary and a member of the Texas Faith panel noted in the USA Today story, the Scriptures came out a world where women couldn’t own property and could be divorced by their husbands saying the word three times. In that world, holding wives up as “holy and without blemish” was a radical idea, she said. In her upcoming book, “Shaping Our Faith: A Christian Feminist Theology,” Rigby explores the idea biblical submission and its implications in the wider public debate.
With gender politics is so much part of our public debate, how do we interpret the idea of submission? What does submission in a religious, political and modern cultural sense really mean?
MIKE GHOUSE, President, Foundation for Pluralism and speaker on interfaith matters, Dallas
The idea of submission was born to address our insecurities. The sense of loss we experience when we do not have control over our surroundings propels us to create a God in our own image, who in turn demanded submission or conformity to certain rules to assure individual and collective safety. Submission is both voluntary and compulsory.
Ganging up against a thought or an action that questions the established system or fighting tooth and nail against deviation from traditions has become a norm of compulsory submission. New ideas are rejected by conservatives, the holders of the given values of a society with loud shrill voices, sheer pressure or outright denunciation as a fringe or a liberal idea. It tears the cohesiveness of the society and creates chaos.
The irony of submission is most of the liberal ideas become acceptable over a period of time, and get established as the new norm, and will be guarded as a conservative value against a newer idea.
Voluntary submission on the other hand is subscribing to a new idea, practice or an action (gaining acceptance of same sex marriage) to keep the societal cohesion intact. The conservatives demand submission to the establishment, where as liberals want the establishment to be submissive to the inclusion – both have the same goal to keep the society intact and in balance with least conflicts.
Submission and Gender Politics
Men are traditionally insecure beings when it comes to dealing with women, particularly the hardcore conservative men, be them be Arabs, Americans, Chinese or Africans. Each one has adopted a blunt to subtle way of “keeping the woman in her place.” Look at our own conservatives denying equal pay, equal insurance rates, and equal say in health matters and on and on…
The drivers among conservative men “assume” that God gave them superiority over women and expect women to submit to them to keep peace in the family or society, period. They still have not woken up to the fact that we do not live in caves anymore, and men and women are equal partners in all aspects of life.
Over the years we have built up a good and just God who cannot tell us to discriminate any of his creation, but the drivers among conservative men have figured it out to make God sing in their tunes through the Bible, Quran, Torah and other holy books about women.
Thanks to Geraldine Ferraro, vice presidential candidate with Walter Mondale, the woman who paved the way for the highest office on the land, and then came Sarah Palin with John McCain, and both of them have established a new bar for women. Now Hilary Clinton and Wendy Davis are going for the highest national and state offices and both of them have fully earned it to be one the best Presidents of the United States and Governors of Texas respectively.
The cave men cannot handle it, and have gone berserk and will resort to ganging up on the Hilary and Wendy. Instead of debating on the issues, they will attack them personally, and make every attempt to push them to the extreme to give up. At the end of the race, they will learn that these women are tough and will cause the establishment to submit to a new norm, a liberal value that will eventually become conservative, reaching new heights of balance and social cohesion. Additional comments I have added after the publication:
1. Almost all the conservative ideas of today were liberal ideas of yesterday.
2. Cynthia Rigby' statement about Christian dogma amazed me "the Scriptures came out a world where women couldn’t own property and could be divorced by their husbands saying the word three times." Indeed Prophet Muhammad challenged that and said, " women could divorce their husbands equally, and she can refuse to obey if it is against her faith and tradition". But People still don't follow it.
3. No religious group needs to gloat, every one of the scriptures have been misinterpreted. Religions meant good for the society, and of course clergy have made it good for their ego. We simply cannot accept any misogynistic representation of scriptures. God is not a misogynistic thing, he, she or it created all of the universe with equal attention and equal rights to one's space, sustenance and nurturence.
To read the opinions of other panelists, visit Dallas Morning News at http://dallasmorningviewsblog.dallasnews.com/2014/04/in-faith-and-gender-politics-what-does-submission-mean-as-in-submissive-spouse.html/#more-37026
...............................................................................................................................
Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, peace, Islam, Israel, India, interfaith, and cohesion at work place. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. He believes in Standing up for others and a book with the same title is coming up. Mike has a strong presence on national and local TV, Radio and Print Media. He is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News; fortnightly at Huffington post; and several other periodicals across the world. His personal site www.MikeGhouse.net indexes all his work through many links.
Men are traditionally insecure beings when it comes to dealing with women, particularly the hardcore conservative men, be them be Arabs, Americans, Chinese or Africans. Each one has adopted a blunt to subtle way of “keeping the woman in her place.” Look at our own conservatives denying equal pay, equal insurance rates, and equal say in health matters and on and on… Mike Ghouse. This is my Bi-monthly take on issues published in Dallas Morning News on April 1, 2014.
URL - http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2014/04/texas-faith-in-faith-and-gender.html
Texas Faith - In faith and gender politics, what does submission mean — as in, submissive spouse?
By Wayne Slater
wslater@dallasnews.com
12:16 pm on April 1, 2014 | Permalink
When Sarah Palin ran for vice president, as Hillary Clinton considers a race for president and with Wendy Davis actively engaged in a bid for governor, one aspect of that culture war is what it means in religious terms to be submissive – most notably, a submissive wife. A recent USA Today article notes the subject is popping up these days, preached from the pulpit, pontificated about in a spate of new book releases and prominent on the agenda of next month’s Southern Baptist leadership summit. “All seek to answer the question of whether wives are 100 percent equal partners or whether ‘biblical womanhood’ means a God-given role of supporting their husbands — and, in turn, knowing their husbands are honor-bound to die for them, if necessary.”
Submission in matters of faith and gender politics (Artwork/Todd Slater)
Biblical references to husbands leading their households have long invited interpretations that sound to many people a lot like inferiority. Where’s the equality in submission? And yet Cynthia Rigby of the Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary and a member of the Texas Faith panel noted in the USA Today story, the Scriptures came out a world where women couldn’t own property and could be divorced by their husbands saying the word three times. In that world, holding wives up as “holy and without blemish” was a radical idea, she said. In her upcoming book, “Shaping Our Faith: A Christian Feminist Theology,” Rigby explores the idea biblical submission and its implications in the wider public debate.
With gender politics is so much part of our public debate, how do we interpret the idea of submission? What does submission in a religious, political and modern cultural sense really mean?
MIKE GHOUSE, President, Foundation for Pluralism and speaker on interfaith matters, Dallas
The idea of submission was born to address our insecurities. The sense of loss we experience when we do not have control over our surroundings propels us to create a God in our own image, who in turn demanded submission or conformity to certain rules to assure individual and collective safety. Submission is both voluntary and compulsory.
Ganging up against a thought or an action that questions the established system or fighting tooth and nail against deviation from traditions has become a norm of compulsory submission. New ideas are rejected by conservatives, the holders of the given values of a society with loud shrill voices, sheer pressure or outright denunciation as a fringe or a liberal idea. It tears the cohesiveness of the society and creates chaos.
The irony of submission is most of the liberal ideas become acceptable over a period of time, and get established as the new norm, and will be guarded as a conservative value against a newer idea.
Voluntary submission on the other hand is subscribing to a new idea, practice or an action (gaining acceptance of same sex marriage) to keep the societal cohesion intact. The conservatives demand submission to the establishment, where as liberals want the establishment to be submissive to the inclusion – both have the same goal to keep the society intact and in balance with least conflicts.
Submission and Gender Politics
Men are traditionally insecure beings when it comes to dealing with women, particularly the hardcore conservative men, be them be Arabs, Americans, Chinese or Africans. Each one has adopted a blunt to subtle way of “keeping the woman in her place.” Look at our own conservatives denying equal pay, equal insurance rates, and equal say in health matters and on and on…
The drivers among conservative men “assume” that God gave them superiority over women and expect women to submit to them to keep peace in the family or society, period. They still have not woken up to the fact that we do not live in caves anymore, and men and women are equal partners in all aspects of life.
Over the years we have built up a good and just God who cannot tell us to discriminate any of his creation, but the drivers among conservative men have figured it out to make God sing in their tunes through the Bible, Quran, Torah and other holy books about women.
Thanks to Geraldine Ferraro, vice presidential candidate with Walter Mondale, the woman who paved the way for the highest office on the land, and then came Sarah Palin with John McCain, and both of them have established a new bar for women. Now Hilary Clinton and Wendy Davis are going for the highest national and state offices and both of them have fully earned it to be one the best Presidents of the United States and Governors of Texas respectively.
The cave men cannot handle it, and have gone berserk and will resort to ganging up on the Hilary and Wendy. Instead of debating on the issues, they will attack them personally, and make every attempt to push them to the extreme to give up. At the end of the race, they will learn that these women are tough and will cause the establishment to submit to a new norm, a liberal value that will eventually become conservative, reaching new heights of balance and social cohesion. Additional comments I have added after the publication:
1. Almost all the conservative ideas of today were liberal ideas of yesterday.
2. Cynthia Rigby' statement about Christian dogma amazed me "the Scriptures came out a world where women couldn’t own property and could be divorced by their husbands saying the word three times." Indeed Prophet Muhammad challenged that and said, " women could divorce their husbands equally, and she can refuse to obey if it is against her faith and tradition". But People still don't follow it.
3. No religious group needs to gloat, every one of the scriptures have been misinterpreted. Religions meant good for the society, and of course clergy have made it good for their ego. We simply cannot accept any misogynistic representation of scriptures. God is not a misogynistic thing, he, she or it created all of the universe with equal attention and equal rights to one's space, sustenance and nurturence.
To read the opinions of other panelists, visit Dallas Morning News at http://dallasmorningviewsblog.dallasnews.com/2014/04/in-faith-and-gender-politics-what-does-submission-mean-as-in-submissive-spouse.html/#more-37026
...............................................................................................................................
Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, peace, Islam, Israel, India, interfaith, and cohesion at work place. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. He believes in Standing up for others and a book with the same title is coming up. Mike has a strong presence on national and local TV, Radio and Print Media. He is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News; fortnightly at Huffington post; and several other periodicals across the world. His personal site www.MikeGhouse.net indexes all his work through many links.
Holocaust and the Muslim guy
Published by Huffington Post http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/holocaust-and-the-muslim-_b_4629509.html
Frequently, I am introduced in the following manner, "He is the first Muslim guy to commemorate Holocaust, and perhaps the first non-Jewish person to commemorate the Holocaust as well."
As a Muslim committed to building cohesive societies, it was an honor to step up to the plate. Quran 3:133, "And vie with one another to attain to your Sustainer's forgiveness and to a paradise as vast as the heavens and the earth, which has been readied for the God-conscious." I am not driven by paradise, nor do I seek rewards. But it does mean building a cohesive world where no one has to live in apprehension or fear of the other. God-conscious simply means being caring and sensitive to all of God's creation; life and matter.
Of all the people on the earth, my mother would be pleased to know I am doing what it takes to be a "good Muslim," to respect, honor and protect the sanctity of life.
I have always believed, and I read the assessments of some of the best brains that if we can resolve the Jewish-Palestinian conflict, i.e., security to Jews and justice to the Palestinians, most of the world issues will collapse and a period of peace on earth will begin.
Commemorating Holocaust and Genocides for seven years is a fulfillment of a lifelong desire. 
Here is how it happened. When I was ten years old, I read just about every book my mother read. She was indeed a voracious reader on religion and social sciences; however, I was banned from reading certain books, and one of them was "Eishmann 60 lakh Yahudiyon ka Katil" in Urdu language. That is Eichmann, the killer of 6 Million Jews. My mother insisted that I was a kid and I should not read the book, she was protective of her child. However, I was able to sneak in and see a few horrible pictures which had shut me down for the next 44 years of my life. 
The picture continues to influence me; it is about betrayal of a people. A group of Jews were shoved in front of a ditch and then were shot into the pit. The looks of helplessness on their face, as if looking at me and saying, "you are not going to do anything about it?" They were not complaining, but with all humility enduring the betrayal from the entire world, it has been a difficult picture for me.
For the next 44 years of my life, I was not able to see the WWII movies with scenes from holocaust on the screen. I would turn the TV off and go into silence for a while, just could not get over the idea how people can do that to other people. There was fear in me, fear to witness that betrayal. They never begged any one to save their life and just stared into the spaces even without complaining. I have held them in a very high esteem for the dignified death they faced.
Fast forward: Sunday, September 11, 2005.
The first Public commemoration of 9/11 was initiated by Muslims, and we called it Unity Day USA to boldly bring together Americans of different faiths, ethnicities and cultures together to rededicate our pledge to the safety and security of America.
About 650 People attended the event including 10 Mayors and several Police and fire chiefs, FBI Chief, and clergy from every faith and civil leaders were represented in the event.
While Mayor Joe Chow of Addison was speaking, the Fire Alarm went off creating a panic. Remember, it was a 9/11 commemoration! Most people were dashing out of the building including my Jewish friends who sat in the front row, what I distinctly remember was the fear in their eyes, and that bothered me to no end. They were my guests and that is no way to treat the guests.
No human should be afraid of the other.
It was a false alarm; Mayor Simpson of Frisco announced it within 3 minutes. I asked the FBI Chief Guadalupe Gonzalez to assure the people and ask them to come back, finally, everyone made it back and took the seats waiting for the Fire Marshall to come and turn the Alarm off. I love Mayor Joe Chow, while all of this was happening he continued with his speech.
That fear prompted me to do something about it, not sure what. But I do know what Goethe had said, "When you are committed, all sorts of things will happen to you, and providence moves in and God paves the way to fulfill your commitment." In November, the United Nations made a proclamation to commemorate Holocaust on January 27, 2006. I said to myself, did God pave the way for me?
Sixty years after of the Holocaust, the United Nations finally established the Holocaust Remembrance Day on November 1, 2005. "At its sixtieth session, the General Assembly resolved that the United Nations would designate 27 January as an annual International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust; and requested the Secretary-General to establish a programme of outreach on the subject of the "Holocaust and the United Nations", and to report on the implementation of that programme at the sixty-third session of the Assembly (resolution 60/7).
I called on my friends with the idea of commemorating the event, and thus began this journey. Education is the purpose; we have to learn, acknowledge and reflect upon the terrible things that we humans have inflicted upon each other, and we have to understand that our safety hinges on the safety of all others around us. It is a comprehensive event where all human failings, massacres, genocides and Holocaust will be addressed in one fashion or the other.
Yom HaShoah has been commemorated in Synagogues since the 50's, and for the first time in history, others have joined in the commemoration, it's just not Muslims, but people of all faiths have participated in the interfaith pluralistic prayers. I just want to assure my Jewish friends that you are not alone; we are with you in the most somber moment of your life. 
The first commemoration lifted a huge burden off me. I felt the relief. This was my calling - to build bridges. William and Rosa Lee Schiff, the holocaust survivors delivered a talk for over an hour - it was literally pin drop silence.
There are incredible stories associated with this journey. There was harassment, threats, bias, and prejudices from across the spectrum. Each group was about me, me and my pain.
We had many a tense moments, some were purely political, everyone was reluctantly ready to face them; it was the resistance to the inclusion of pain of others. Although I do not believe in divine intervention, a revelation came to me a few seconds before such an acknowledgment.
"Dear friends, it is painful to miss out the suffering of one people or the other, we do not want to live with the burden of consciously or subconsciously excluding the suffering of any, hence, to be fair to all, let's silently pray for every atrocity that comes to our minds, and pray for the relief of the victims, and punishment or release to the perpetrators" - Sounds simple? But that offered a magical relief to the people who were tensed up for that moment. Thank God, every atrocity was silently included in one's prayer or the other.
It has not been an easy story. A few have dropped me from their lists; a few did not want to see me ever again. People who taught tolerance were intolerant; a few people in the pulpit did not tell the truth to their congregants. Maria Arita of Fox News and I had a heart to heart on a few items. Maybe, I will write a chapter urging people and organizations to guard themselves from a few who can prevent good things from happening. Thank God, we have made through it all.
Frequently, I am introduced in the following manner, "He is the first Muslim guy to commemorate Holocaust, and perhaps the first non-Jewish person to commemorate the Holocaust as well."
As a Muslim committed to building cohesive societies, it was an honor to step up to the plate. Quran 3:133, "And vie with one another to attain to your Sustainer's forgiveness and to a paradise as vast as the heavens and the earth, which has been readied for the God-conscious." I am not driven by paradise, nor do I seek rewards. But it does mean building a cohesive world where no one has to live in apprehension or fear of the other. God-conscious simply means being caring and sensitive to all of God's creation; life and matter.
Of all the people on the earth, my mother would be pleased to know I am doing what it takes to be a "good Muslim," to respect, honor and protect the sanctity of life.
I have always believed, and I read the assessments of some of the best brains that if we can resolve the Jewish-Palestinian conflict, i.e., security to Jews and justice to the Palestinians, most of the world issues will collapse and a period of peace on earth will begin.
Commemorating Holocaust and Genocides for seven years is a fulfillment of a lifelong desire. 
Here is how it happened. When I was ten years old, I read just about every book my mother read. She was indeed a voracious reader on religion and social sciences; however, I was banned from reading certain books, and one of them was "Eishmann 60 lakh Yahudiyon ka Katil" in Urdu language. That is Eichmann, the killer of 6 Million Jews. My mother insisted that I was a kid and I should not read the book, she was protective of her child. However, I was able to sneak in and see a few horrible pictures which had shut me down for the next 44 years of my life. 
The picture continues to influence me; it is about betrayal of a people. A group of Jews were shoved in front of a ditch and then were shot into the pit. The looks of helplessness on their face, as if looking at me and saying, "you are not going to do anything about it?" They were not complaining, but with all humility enduring the betrayal from the entire world, it has been a difficult picture for me.For the next 44 years of my life, I was not able to see the WWII movies with scenes from holocaust on the screen. I would turn the TV off and go into silence for a while, just could not get over the idea how people can do that to other people. There was fear in me, fear to witness that betrayal. They never begged any one to save their life and just stared into the spaces even without complaining. I have held them in a very high esteem for the dignified death they faced.
Fast forward: Sunday, September 11, 2005.
The first Public commemoration of 9/11 was initiated by Muslims, and we called it Unity Day USA to boldly bring together Americans of different faiths, ethnicities and cultures together to rededicate our pledge to the safety and security of America.
About 650 People attended the event including 10 Mayors and several Police and fire chiefs, FBI Chief, and clergy from every faith and civil leaders were represented in the event.
While Mayor Joe Chow of Addison was speaking, the Fire Alarm went off creating a panic. Remember, it was a 9/11 commemoration! Most people were dashing out of the building including my Jewish friends who sat in the front row, what I distinctly remember was the fear in their eyes, and that bothered me to no end. They were my guests and that is no way to treat the guests.
No human should be afraid of the other.
It was a false alarm; Mayor Simpson of Frisco announced it within 3 minutes. I asked the FBI Chief Guadalupe Gonzalez to assure the people and ask them to come back, finally, everyone made it back and took the seats waiting for the Fire Marshall to come and turn the Alarm off. I love Mayor Joe Chow, while all of this was happening he continued with his speech.
That fear prompted me to do something about it, not sure what. But I do know what Goethe had said, "When you are committed, all sorts of things will happen to you, and providence moves in and God paves the way to fulfill your commitment." In November, the United Nations made a proclamation to commemorate Holocaust on January 27, 2006. I said to myself, did God pave the way for me?
Sixty years after of the Holocaust, the United Nations finally established the Holocaust Remembrance Day on November 1, 2005. "At its sixtieth session, the General Assembly resolved that the United Nations would designate 27 January as an annual International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust; and requested the Secretary-General to establish a programme of outreach on the subject of the "Holocaust and the United Nations", and to report on the implementation of that programme at the sixty-third session of the Assembly (resolution 60/7).
I called on my friends with the idea of commemorating the event, and thus began this journey. Education is the purpose; we have to learn, acknowledge and reflect upon the terrible things that we humans have inflicted upon each other, and we have to understand that our safety hinges on the safety of all others around us. It is a comprehensive event where all human failings, massacres, genocides and Holocaust will be addressed in one fashion or the other.
Yom HaShoah has been commemorated in Synagogues since the 50's, and for the first time in history, others have joined in the commemoration, it's just not Muslims, but people of all faiths have participated in the interfaith pluralistic prayers. I just want to assure my Jewish friends that you are not alone; we are with you in the most somber moment of your life. 
The first commemoration lifted a huge burden off me. I felt the relief. This was my calling - to build bridges. William and Rosa Lee Schiff, the holocaust survivors delivered a talk for over an hour - it was literally pin drop silence.
There are incredible stories associated with this journey. There was harassment, threats, bias, and prejudices from across the spectrum. Each group was about me, me and my pain.
We had many a tense moments, some were purely political, everyone was reluctantly ready to face them; it was the resistance to the inclusion of pain of others. Although I do not believe in divine intervention, a revelation came to me a few seconds before such an acknowledgment.
"Dear friends, it is painful to miss out the suffering of one people or the other, we do not want to live with the burden of consciously or subconsciously excluding the suffering of any, hence, to be fair to all, let's silently pray for every atrocity that comes to our minds, and pray for the relief of the victims, and punishment or release to the perpetrators" - Sounds simple? But that offered a magical relief to the people who were tensed up for that moment. Thank God, every atrocity was silently included in one's prayer or the other.
It has not been an easy story. A few have dropped me from their lists; a few did not want to see me ever again. People who taught tolerance were intolerant; a few people in the pulpit did not tell the truth to their congregants. Maria Arita of Fox News and I had a heart to heart on a few items. Maybe, I will write a chapter urging people and organizations to guard themselves from a few who can prevent good things from happening. Thank God, we have made through it all.
Hate is one of the many sources of disrupting peaceful functioning of a society and it is our duty, both individually and severally to track down the source of such hate and work on mitigating it. Indeed, each one of us needs to do our share of work. It is also our moral responsibility to keep law and order and faithfully guard the safety of every citizen.
The spark of hatred will not disappear through law and order, it would be temporary off the screen, but will reappear at every little conflagration. As civil societies, this has to be worked out for the long term
good. The injustice done in the past will not fall off the earth, it lingers and eats away peace between individuals and nations, and we are responsible to bring a closure to the loose ends of many a conflict, so we all can trust each other and feel safe, and focus on the collective prosperity of all.
The program will address preventing such occurrences, and most importantly, how to bring closure to these sparks and work on building cohesive societies, where no human has to live in apprehension or fear of the other.
There is a shameless cruelty in us, either we shy away or refuse to acknowledge the sufferings of others, worrying that it will devalue our own or somehow it amounts to infidelity to our own cause. Shame on us that we justifying massacres by believing and propagating that the victims deserved it or asked for it. We sincerely hope the attendees will walk out with the following understanding:
- Other people's suffering is as legitimate as mine;
- It is easy to see ourselves as Victims, but we must also see the perpetrator in us;
- When we strip the politics out of a conflict, we see hope;
- We can value others suffering without lessening our own;
- The overriding desire to highlight our own blinds us from other's suffering.
- A sense of responsibility for creating a better world is awakened
- Ultimately co-existence and every one's safety and peace should be the driving thought.
Friday, January 24, 2014
Gujarat Massacre, Native American Genocides and Holocaust
Holocaust and the Muslim Guy
Frequently, I am introduced in the following manner, "He is the
first Muslim guy to commemorate Holocaust, and perhaps the first
non-Jewish person to commemorate the Holocaust as well." Of all the people on the earth, my mother would be pleased to know that I am
doing what it takes to be a "good Muslim," to respect, honor and protect the
sanctity of life.
As a Muslim committed to building cohesive societies, it was an honor to step up to the plate. Quran 3:133, "And vie with one another to attain to your Sustainer's forgiveness and to a paradise as vast as the heavens and the earth, which has been readied for the God-conscious." I am not driven by paradise, nor do I seek rewards. But it does mean building a cohesive world where no one has to live in apprehension or fear of the other. God-conscious simply means being caring and sensitive to all of God's creation; life and matter.
Of all the people on the earth, my mother would be pleased to know I am doing what it takes to be a "good Muslim," to respect, honor and protect the sanctity of life.
I have always believed, and I read the assessments of some of the best brains that if we can resolve the Jewish-Palestinian conflict, i.e., security to Jews and justice to the Palestinians, most of the world issues will collapse and a period of peace on earth will begin.
Commemorating Holocaust and Genocides for seven years is a fulfillment of a lifelong desire.
Continued at Huffington post - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/holocaust-and-the-muslim-_b_4629509.html#es_share_ended
# # #
As a Muslim committed to building cohesive societies, it was an honor to step up to the plate. Quran 3:133, "And vie with one another to attain to your Sustainer's forgiveness and to a paradise as vast as the heavens and the earth, which has been readied for the God-conscious." I am not driven by paradise, nor do I seek rewards. But it does mean building a cohesive world where no one has to live in apprehension or fear of the other. God-conscious simply means being caring and sensitive to all of God's creation; life and matter.
Of all the people on the earth, my mother would be pleased to know I am doing what it takes to be a "good Muslim," to respect, honor and protect the sanctity of life.
I have always believed, and I read the assessments of some of the best brains that if we can resolve the Jewish-Palestinian conflict, i.e., security to Jews and justice to the Palestinians, most of the world issues will collapse and a period of peace on earth will begin.
Commemorating Holocaust and Genocides for seven years is a fulfillment of a lifelong desire.
Continued at Huffington post - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/holocaust-and-the-muslim-_b_4629509.html#es_share_ended
# # #
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Prophet Muhammad's peace formula - Happy Milaad
The 1444th Birth Celebration of Prophet Muhammad
I wanted to understand the prophet as a human with whom I can relate, and critically review his contributions towards creating cohesive societies, where no individual had to live in apprehension and fear of the other. The book, Muhammad by Karen Armstrong was a great help in understanding the man and his decision making process geared to create peaceful societies, and have since come to love his work.
I wanted to understand the prophet as a human with whom I can relate, and critically review his contributions towards creating cohesive societies, where no individual had to live in apprehension and fear of the other. The book, Muhammad by Karen Armstrong was a great help in understanding the man and his decision making process geared to create peaceful societies, and have since come to love his work.
The best way to honor the prophet is to follow him, and become a Rahmat
(kind and just) to your spouse, kids, siblings, parents, family, friends,
customers, clients, vendors and every human around you. And if others feel safe
and secure with you, God and the prophet would be pleased with you.
I have made an attempt to narrate how the 15 incidents were influenced by Prophet Muhammad' peace gene.
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Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Pope Francis, the pluralist
The age old conflicts between Judaism and Christianity, and Christianity and Islam, and denigration of Paganism and Hinduism have been down cast on the peace and tranquility of the world.
After Gandhi, MLK and Mandela, Pope Francis is one person that does not have barriers between him and humanity. He is almost following the teachings of Jesus and Prophet Muhammad in spirit. Let's pray that he becomes an instrument of mercy to mankind.
I have written 15 articles about him and hope to meet up with him.
http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2013/12/pope-francis-articles.html
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Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, peace, Islam, Israel, India, interfaith, and cohesion at work place. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. He believes in Standing up for others and a book with the same title is coming up. Mike has a strong presence on national and local TV, Radio and Print Media. He is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News; fortnightly at Huffington post; and several other periodicals across the world. His personal site www.MikeGhouse.net indexes all his work through many links.
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Festivals of the World: Essence of Christmas
Should Christmas be an exclusive Christian event? This Muslims' answer is no. We cannot limit Jesus to be exclusively owned by any group of people, nor can anyone monopolize his message. Jesus and his message belong to the whole of humanity. For Christians, he is the son of God, and for all others, he is a great man who brought the message of hope and peace to the world. Whether we believe in God or not,
Continued http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/festivals-of-the-world-es_1_b_4492571.html#es_share_ended
Thank you
Mike Ghouse
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Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, peace, Islam, Israel, India, interfaith, and cohesion at work place. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. He believes in Standing up for others and a book with the same title is coming up. Mike has a strong presence on national and local TV, Radio and Print Media. He is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News; fortnightly at Huffington post; and several other periodicals across the world. His personal site www.MikeGhouse.net indexes all his work through many links.
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Continued http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/festivals-of-the-world-es_1_b_4492571.html#es_share_ended
Thank you
Mike Ghouse
...........................................................................................................
Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, peace, Islam, Israel, India, interfaith, and cohesion at work place. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. He believes in Standing up for others and a book with the same title is coming up. Mike has a strong presence on national and local TV, Radio and Print Media. He is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News; fortnightly at Huffington post; and several other periodicals across the world. His personal site www.MikeGhouse.net indexes all his work through many links.
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Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Texas Faith: Does a white Christmas mean Santa and Jesus have to be white?
Some of the white Christians will resist the idea of Jesus to be anything but what they have come to believe, as if Jesus will cease to exist if he were black. The black Christians may feel the image of white Jesus and Santa was imposed on them, and it is human to resist anything forced on you against your will. I am certain they had their own un-articulated image of Jesus and Santa for as long as they have been Christians. Mike Ghouse
TEXAS FAITH: Does a white Christmas mean Santa and Jesus have to be white?
By Wayne Slater - wslater@dallasnews.com
1:54 pm on December 17, 2013 | Permalink
A cable television anchor named Megyn Kelly told viewers last week that Jesus and Santa Claus are both white men. At issue was a Slate article written by a black writer titled “Santa Claus Should Not Be A White Man Anymore.” The context of the piece was the tendency of cultures to view important figures in the most familiar and comfortable light. On her Fox News program, Kelly took issue with the writer.
“Just because it makes you feel uncomfortable doesn’t mean it has to change. Jesus was a white man, too. It’s like we have, he’s a historical figure that’s a verifiable fact, as is Santa, I just want kids to know that. How do you revise it in the middle of the legacy in the story and change Santa from white to black?”
Both sides pounced. Liberal web sites and late-night comics lampooned her. Conservative web sites defended her. Saturday Night Live did a skit featuring a black Santa. The debate went viral on the Internet. Kelly subsequently suggested she was joking and cast herself as a victim of identity politics. Clearly, her facts were flawed. Jesus was a 1st Century Jew who was likely dark skinned and Santa Claus is a mythological figure whose historical antecedent was from Turkey.
People believe what they are prepared to believe. What’s interesting was the passionate reaction to the remarks. Why the fierce dustup? Why did the idea that a white Christmas means Santa’s white cause so much consternation? What did this episode say about the way we see the world and our willingness — or reluctance – to see things in different ways?
Our Faith Panel weighs in thoughtfully (and with a few fireworks) on history, ethnic identity, political correctness and the virtues of faith and the holidays:
MIKE GHOUSE, President, Foundation for Pluralism and speaker on interfaith matters, Dallas
If Jesus is our lord, and Santa Claus represents the joys of Christmas, I have to relate with them to call them “our Lord” and “our Santa”. Just as God claims to have created humans in his own image so he can relate with them, I would say, we have created God in our own image, a whopping 7 billion perceptions of God.
Even though God is stamped onto our memory with certain images, features and characteristics, some of us have developed our own embellishments to it to personalize him, her or it. While a majority of Christians, Hindus and others have a built-in image of God, the Buddhist, Jains, Zoroastrians and Native traditions do not have a set image, yet they have created their own image of God. The Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, Baha’i and others do not take God as a being or an entity, and certainly have a built-in resistance to collapsing God into an image or a shape. But deep down, they imagine and describe God as a being, however, they knock it out instantaneously. It’s human to relate God as their own.
I am blessed to have universalized God. Even those who knew me, particularly Muslims in Dallas, thought I was a Hindu, Buddhist or a Baha’i, and the Hindu community thought I was a Christian and a Buddhist until ten years ago. Three years ago, I was in a Muslim conference and an Arab Muslim came over and started praising my articles on Islam, and said he has translated and published them in Arabic. He then asked me how do I know so much about Islam, and when I said, I am a Muslim, he was taken back and said he thought I was Jewish all these years! One of my Hindu friends of 20 years, until recently, insisted that I cannot be anything but a Hindu or at least a Christian.
If someone likes you, they want to see you as their own, in their own image. Of course the white Christians saw Jesus in their own image, and the African Americans just took that image when they became Christians. But I am certain; they had their own un-articulated different image of Jesus and Santa for as long as they have been Christians.
Some of the white Christians will resist the idea of Jesus to be anything but what they have come to believe, as if Jesus will cease to exist if he were black. The black Christians may feel the image of white Jesus and Santa was imposed on them, and it is human to resist anything forced on you against your will.
The need of the day is to upgrade Jesus, above all human imaginations and limitations and accept him in essence rather than in physical form. It is his love and sacrifice to humanity that needs to be appreciated. I hope and pray that at least from this Christmas season forward, we accept and embrace Jesus without reserve just as he set the example of embracing the humanity without reserve. Let him be meaningful to us in every which way he can be imagined.
To see the take from 12 different panelists, go to Dallas Morning News at:http://dallasmorningviewsblog.dallasnews.com/2013/12/texas-faith-does-a-white-christmas-mean-santa-and-jesus-are-white.html/
...............................................................................................................................
Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, peace, Islam, Israel, India, interfaith, and cohesion at work place. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. He believes in Standing up for others and a book with the same title is coming up. Mike has a strong presence on national and local TV, Radio and Print Media. He is a frequent guest onSean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News; fortnightly at Huffington post; and several other periodicals across the world. His personal site www.MikeGhouse.net indexes all his work through many links.
...............................................................................................................................
TEXAS FAITH: Does a white Christmas mean Santa and Jesus have to be white?
By Wayne Slater - wslater@dallasnews.com
1:54 pm on December 17, 2013 | Permalink
A cable television anchor named Megyn Kelly told viewers last week that Jesus and Santa Claus are both white men. At issue was a Slate article written by a black writer titled “Santa Claus Should Not Be A White Man Anymore.” The context of the piece was the tendency of cultures to view important figures in the most familiar and comfortable light. On her Fox News program, Kelly took issue with the writer.
“Just because it makes you feel uncomfortable doesn’t mean it has to change. Jesus was a white man, too. It’s like we have, he’s a historical figure that’s a verifiable fact, as is Santa, I just want kids to know that. How do you revise it in the middle of the legacy in the story and change Santa from white to black?”
Both sides pounced. Liberal web sites and late-night comics lampooned her. Conservative web sites defended her. Saturday Night Live did a skit featuring a black Santa. The debate went viral on the Internet. Kelly subsequently suggested she was joking and cast herself as a victim of identity politics. Clearly, her facts were flawed. Jesus was a 1st Century Jew who was likely dark skinned and Santa Claus is a mythological figure whose historical antecedent was from Turkey.People believe what they are prepared to believe. What’s interesting was the passionate reaction to the remarks. Why the fierce dustup? Why did the idea that a white Christmas means Santa’s white cause so much consternation? What did this episode say about the way we see the world and our willingness — or reluctance – to see things in different ways?
Our Faith Panel weighs in thoughtfully (and with a few fireworks) on history, ethnic identity, political correctness and the virtues of faith and the holidays:
MIKE GHOUSE, President, Foundation for Pluralism and speaker on interfaith matters, Dallas
If Jesus is our lord, and Santa Claus represents the joys of Christmas, I have to relate with them to call them “our Lord” and “our Santa”. Just as God claims to have created humans in his own image so he can relate with them, I would say, we have created God in our own image, a whopping 7 billion perceptions of God.
Even though God is stamped onto our memory with certain images, features and characteristics, some of us have developed our own embellishments to it to personalize him, her or it. While a majority of Christians, Hindus and others have a built-in image of God, the Buddhist, Jains, Zoroastrians and Native traditions do not have a set image, yet they have created their own image of God. The Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, Baha’i and others do not take God as a being or an entity, and certainly have a built-in resistance to collapsing God into an image or a shape. But deep down, they imagine and describe God as a being, however, they knock it out instantaneously. It’s human to relate God as their own.
I am blessed to have universalized God. Even those who knew me, particularly Muslims in Dallas, thought I was a Hindu, Buddhist or a Baha’i, and the Hindu community thought I was a Christian and a Buddhist until ten years ago. Three years ago, I was in a Muslim conference and an Arab Muslim came over and started praising my articles on Islam, and said he has translated and published them in Arabic. He then asked me how do I know so much about Islam, and when I said, I am a Muslim, he was taken back and said he thought I was Jewish all these years! One of my Hindu friends of 20 years, until recently, insisted that I cannot be anything but a Hindu or at least a Christian.
If someone likes you, they want to see you as their own, in their own image. Of course the white Christians saw Jesus in their own image, and the African Americans just took that image when they became Christians. But I am certain; they had their own un-articulated different image of Jesus and Santa for as long as they have been Christians.
Some of the white Christians will resist the idea of Jesus to be anything but what they have come to believe, as if Jesus will cease to exist if he were black. The black Christians may feel the image of white Jesus and Santa was imposed on them, and it is human to resist anything forced on you against your will.
The need of the day is to upgrade Jesus, above all human imaginations and limitations and accept him in essence rather than in physical form. It is his love and sacrifice to humanity that needs to be appreciated. I hope and pray that at least from this Christmas season forward, we accept and embrace Jesus without reserve just as he set the example of embracing the humanity without reserve. Let him be meaningful to us in every which way he can be imagined.
To see the take from 12 different panelists, go to Dallas Morning News at:http://dallasmorningviewsblog.dallasnews.com/2013/12/texas-faith-does-a-white-christmas-mean-santa-and-jesus-are-white.html/
...............................................................................................................................
Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, peace, Islam, Israel, India, interfaith, and cohesion at work place. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. He believes in Standing up for others and a book with the same title is coming up. Mike has a strong presence on national and local TV, Radio and Print Media. He is a frequent guest onSean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News; fortnightly at Huffington post; and several other periodicals across the world. His personal site www.MikeGhouse.net indexes all his work through many links.
...............................................................................................................................
Monday, December 9, 2013
Sunday, December 8, 2013
The Power of Faith - Hindu woman and Muslim man praying together
This is a good story of pluralism, i.e., respecting the otherness of others and accepting the God-given uniqueness of each one of us. This a common scene in India, sadly a few Hindus and Muslims are corrupted and have become intolerant towards each other. Thank God, they are still a few and we have to work in preventing that poison from spreading. Mike Ghouse
URL -http://wisdomofreligion.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-power-of-faith-hindu-woman-and.html
Beauty as seen in a sufi shrine.
[Text and picture by Mayank Austen Soofi]
One humid Saturday afternoon I was at the dargah of sufi saint Sarmad Shahid. It is in Old Delhi, just outside Jama Masjid’s gate no. 3.
The red-walled shrine was empty, save a few pilgrims. There was a man, with a beard and a skull cap, praying in front of Sarmad's tomb. Just then a young woman appeared in a sari and stood by his side. With the sindoor spread length-wise on the parting of her hair, and a black-beaded mangalsutra wound round her neck, it was clear that she was a Hindu.
The woman had a few agarbattis in her hands. The sari’s pallu was drawn modestly over her head. Her eyes were closed, her lips were moving, and so were the agarbattis in a never-ending circle, just the way Hindus do in their temples.
I do not know what the lady was murmuring to her saint. I’m not even certain if she was familiar with the ethos of Islam, but the sight was beautiful. Here was a Hindu woman, standing beside a Muslim man; both making their own personal prayers. Both had their eyes closed. Neither minded the other's presence. Neither felt 'impure'.
We Delhiwallas are just amazing people.
These two were from different religions, different backgrounds, but for a short time, they came together in a place of spirituality and, rather unintentionally, stirred up a joint communion.
It does not matter if the shrine belonged to a sufi saint, or a Hindu god, or a Sikhu guru. It does not matter if they were not in the pursuit of spirituality, but merely petitioning for personal favors. What matters is that together they showed all that is beautiful in our city, and in our religions.
While there is no argument that all faiths have caused conflicts, cruelties and communal riots, the same religions have, at times, brought out the best from their followers. That is why that Saturday afternoon I thought of Samuel P. Huntington’s Clash of Civilizations and laughed.
URL -http://wisdomofreligion.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-power-of-faith-hindu-woman-and.html
Beauty as seen in a sufi shrine.
[Text and picture by Mayank Austen Soofi]
One humid Saturday afternoon I was at the dargah of sufi saint Sarmad Shahid. It is in Old Delhi, just outside Jama Masjid’s gate no. 3.
The red-walled shrine was empty, save a few pilgrims. There was a man, with a beard and a skull cap, praying in front of Sarmad's tomb. Just then a young woman appeared in a sari and stood by his side. With the sindoor spread length-wise on the parting of her hair, and a black-beaded mangalsutra wound round her neck, it was clear that she was a Hindu.
The woman had a few agarbattis in her hands. The sari’s pallu was drawn modestly over her head. Her eyes were closed, her lips were moving, and so were the agarbattis in a never-ending circle, just the way Hindus do in their temples.
I do not know what the lady was murmuring to her saint. I’m not even certain if she was familiar with the ethos of Islam, but the sight was beautiful. Here was a Hindu woman, standing beside a Muslim man; both making their own personal prayers. Both had their eyes closed. Neither minded the other's presence. Neither felt 'impure'.
We Delhiwallas are just amazing people.
These two were from different religions, different backgrounds, but for a short time, they came together in a place of spirituality and, rather unintentionally, stirred up a joint communion.
It does not matter if the shrine belonged to a sufi saint, or a Hindu god, or a Sikhu guru. It does not matter if they were not in the pursuit of spirituality, but merely petitioning for personal favors. What matters is that together they showed all that is beautiful in our city, and in our religions.
While there is no argument that all faiths have caused conflicts, cruelties and communal riots, the same religions have, at times, brought out the best from their followers. That is why that Saturday afternoon I thought of Samuel P. Huntington’s Clash of Civilizations and laughed.
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