I am an Indian
American, and take immense pride in the pluralistic ethos of India.
Indeed, I have made a commitment to nurture those values, and share them with
fellow humanity in my talks, write ups and media appearances.
Let me be clear; everything is not hunky dory in India, she has deep scars and
wounds that need healing, these wounds** if not treated, will continue to be a
drain on nation's spiritual health.
At times, the frustrations can reach the tipping point leading into riots,
massacres and Genocides, and in the process hurting every one. No one goes scot free from the pain and
suffering, everyone has to pay for the wrong doing, lack of which, the society decays from within.
Collectively, as
Indian Americans, we contribute to the richness of America in the fields of
medicine, science, engineering, biology, politics, religion, information
technology and smart corporate management. However, the time has come for us to
give fullness to our participation by contributing in social sciences.
As a social scientist, my contribution would be sharing my motherland's
pluralistic heritage with my homeland as a gift to America. By the way,
India was one of the first three nations on the earth to recognize American
independence in 1776; it was Tippu Sultan, the head of the state of Mysore
(Karnataka) along with Morocco and France.
TWO DECADES OF RESEARCH ON PLURALISM
In the last twenty years, through Asian News Magazine (1993-2001), Asian News
Radio (1996-2001), Desi TV (1996), Yahoogroups (2003 -now), and various blogs
like Mike Ghouse for India, Sulekha (1999 - now) and several (30) sites for
each topic, I have done extensive research on pluralism and our pluralistic
heritage.
The Asian News Magazine featured the essence of every religion, and the
multi-cultural aspect of India and its inclusiveness, the Asian News Radio
featured weekly hour dedicated to presenting the essence of religious festivals
so we can learn about each other. We also produced more than 500 hours of talk
show radio on religion, every beautiful religion, Pundits, Pastors, Imams,
Rabbis, Shamans and Religious clergy from each faith joined me daily to share
the wisdom of his or her religion, indeed, Atheism and pluralism had its own
slot.
There is not a public forum where I have not been inclusive. A few years ago,
one of the business radio stations (AM 1360) in Dallas was doing a show about
‘giving’ during Christmas season. They invited a Rabbi and a Pastor and wanted
me to fill in for Islam, and I did with a condition that I am allowed to
acknowledge and mention charity in every faith including Hinduism, Baha'i,
Sikhism, Jainism, Buddhism and other traditions.
For two years we conducted two sets of workshops called Understanding Religion,
all the beautiful religions (Atheism was part of the learning). We had a Rabbi,
Pastor, Pundit, Imam, Shaman and respective religious ministers joined in
presenting a three hour workshop - on each faith. Funds permitting, I hope to
recommence the workshops, and create a replicable model. The idea was to
demystify the myths about each faith. Two of the most misunderstood faiths are
Hinduism and Islam, and we cannot let people rot in mis-information, we have to
do our share of the work in creating a better world. Of course, finding the
truth is our own individual responsibility.
Each one of us is capable of standing up for others, when we do that; all of us
would be safe. We cannot demand peace, when we are not peaceful within, we
cannot ask others to be hateful, when we are full of it.
MEDIA PRESENCE
As President of the Foundation for Pluralism, I contribute an article a week to
the Texas Faith column at Dallas Morning News for over three years now, and just
about every piece weaves through several religions. The articles appear
regularly at Huffington Post, and occasionally at Washington post. Heck, when I
wrote a tribute about my late wife, father and mother, I found them reflecting
the values of most religions, if not all.
The TV, Radio, Print, Web and Social Media has been good to me, giving me a
strong national and local presence including Sean Hannity’s Show on Fox News
(over 80 appearances), and many nationally syndicated Radio shows.
Over 2000 articles on the topic of Pluralism, Interfaith, Politics, India,
Israel, Middle East, Islam, Human rights and conflict mitigation have been
published. Major news papers in the United States and across the world,
including Iran, Somalia, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, European and other Asian Nations
have carried them. I have not checked if Timbuktu news papers have carried them
as well.
The international forums including the Council for a Parliament of the World’s
Religions in Melbourne, Australia; the Middle East Peace Initiative in Jerusalem;
and the International Leadership Conference in Hawaii, Chicago and Washington
have also provided me the platform to speak about Pluralism.
It is a blessing to have served as a commissioner for the City of Carrollton
and president of many organizations including Home Owners Association, North
Texas Cricket Association, and a board member of several non-profits such as
the Dallas Peace Center.
No matter where I go, my identity is Indian.
INDIAN DEMOCRACY
We are the original Pluralistic Democracy in the world, and can serve as a
model to nations where they are experiencing co-emergence of multiple religious
people in work place, schools, dining, playground and different aspects of
living. They all can look up to India about moving forward despite the
difficulties, India's diverse population has successfully co-existed for
centuries in relative harmony. Thanks to the founding fathers for embracing
that tradition and opting for a Secular democracy upon Independence in 1947.
Where else on the earth, can you have personal conflicts resolved through your
own religious guidance? Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Zoroastrians,
Buddhists, Jains and others have their personal laws to square with the
personal and family issues as an option. America can benefit from such
practices.
UNRESOLVED ISSUES
I am glad; we are a pluralistic democracy rather than an autocratic, monarchic
or dictatorial system where critical issues take time to resolve through
consensus, rather than imposition. Because of the nature of our
governance, we have piled up unresolved conflicts that will take time to heal.
Among them are; Sikh Massacre, Babri Masjid-Ram Janam Bhoomi, Kashmiri Pundits,
Gujarat Massacre, misogyny, mistreatment of Dalits, and discrimination against
the minorities. There are other issues, but my focus is social issues.
We should not dump these issues onto the next generation, we are conquering the
space, we can conquer our prejudices too, that is the greater Jihad (inner
struggle) Lord Krishna and Prophet Muhammad had called for. The nation is
moving forward despite the issues, and we need to take the initiative and bring
closure to them in our life time. They will not go away by burying our heads in
the sand.
Standing up for others
Standing up for others is the right thing to do, every human goes through a
period of invincibility to vulnerability, if we don't stand up for those who
are vulnerable, then who will stand up for us when we are vulnerable?
The idea of alms, charity, taking care of the elderly, weak, sick and the
children is a common theme in every religious tradition. It is indeed the
insurance for every one's well being. I cannot be at peace when others around
me aren't, and hence it behooves me to take care of the ones who need
assistance.
It’s been my life time honor to stand up for everyone from Atheists to
Zoroastrians and every one in between (www.StandingupforOthers.com).
INCLUSIVE
ATTITUDES ARE CULTIVATED
Our sense of
responsibility is akin to wearing the seat belt. If you live in America, and
don't wear the seat belt in the car while you drive, not only you feel guilty,
but certainly uncomfortable. It was not the case before the seat belt was made
mandatory for the driver and the front seat passenger. It is indeed a
consciously learned behavior. I feel the same sense of discomfort, when I get
to the podium and not mention or include different religions in the speech. My
only fear is excluding others in the public square even by mistake. To
allay that fear; I have learned to start my speeches with Pluralism greetings
and prayers that are inclusive of every one including my Atheist friends (Pluralism Speaker).
Thanks to my father,
mother, and grandfather who lived their lives as an example inculcating Islamic
pluralism in my brothers and the sister, like millions of Muslim parents whom
you may have not met. In my talks, I share small examples and incidents
where small things do matter. We learned the Islamic version of Vasudhaiva
Kutumbukum; the whole world is one family.
Indeed,
Pluralism flows in my veins, and that is respecting the otherness of others and
accepting the God-given uniqueness of each one of the 7 billion of us.
BOLDLY CHANGING THE COURSE OF HISTORY
My father was a Mayor of the town of Yelahanka in the fifties, and we always
had construction work at our apartments or remodeling at our historic house,
originally owned by the founder of Bangalore, Hon. Kempe Gowda in the 16th
century. My father was a maverick, and dared challenging the abusive but
prevalent norms of the society, he had the Dalits (shameful word: Untouchables)
work at our place, my mother would make them tea or give them food in the
plates and cups we used, it was a big no-no in the society at that time, you
‘kept them' away from your house, just as it was for the Blacks in America
then. I am proud of my father, and my mother for supporting him in breaking the
uncouth norms. He was constantly called on to quit, and at times threatened,
but the dare devil held on to his ground firmly and the town loved him dearly
and gradually followed his example.
I saw humiliation in the eyes of men, women and children, who came to collect
water from the public tap on each corner of the street, the upper caste person
would wash the tap three times before he or she collected the water. It was
difficult for me, and I played out my share of the drama and mumbling in
protest. Despite the significant progress made, we have a long way to go in the
housing discrimination, indeed, even in America we have ways to go, but we are
all going forward.
As I am writing this, I grudgingly acknowledge that I have learned nothing new;
my father did everything that I am doing now, Gee, a drop of tear rolls down my
cheek in reverence to Mahatma Gandhi for becoming a catalyst in uplifting the
down trodden and restoring their God-given dignity to them. I just have to pray
for the Mahatma for saving the Indian souls by getting rid of guilt from our
minds, by having us open our hearts and minds toward the fellow beings, just as
MLK did in America.
EARLY INFLUENCES OF PLURALISM
Early on in my life, even though I had chosen to be an atheist, and I stayed
the course for the next thirty years, but never looked down on any faith like a
few of my fanatic Atheist friends do. I have had the opportunity to know and
learn about different faiths and sub-cultures. I went to Mahabodhi (Buddhist)
Society on Thursdays, Mosque (Muslim) on Fridays, and Bhajan Mandir (Hindu) on
Saturday nights. The Interaction with my Jain neighbors and friends, and my
mother’s Zoroastrian friend was productive.
The Saturday afternoon discourse between the Shia Scholar and my Sunni maternal
Grandfather and my father laid the foundation of civil dialogue for me. Then, I
enjoyed the interaction with Sikhs, Adivasis, Tribals, Khandaris and Banjarans
at our mill where we grounded their grain in to flour. The Sikhs were in the
Air force and the Tribals were breaking the nearby hills into crushed stone manually,
I felt connected with all of them, and did not feel a barrier between me and
them.
In the first few years of my childhood I spent Christmas evenings with our
neighbors, and I was also dressed up as Krishna with the Makkhan (butter) when
I was a baby. In my college days, I had serious dialogue with my English
Teacher Ramachandran, a Sai Baba devotee and my weaver friend Mohamed Fakhru,
an Islamic scholar in his own right.
The only religious group I did not interact in India was the Jewish community,
but learned about Eichmann, the killer of six million Jews, the book was in
Urdu language, and my mother prevented me from reading, as she was concerned
about her child’s well being, but it created a sense of incompleteness in me
for not reading the forbidden book. The completeness to my life came when I
organized the first Holocaust commemoration event in 2006 in Dallas. It was the
first such event in history, by non-Jewish people. It is our moral duty to
understand the atrocities we humans have inflicted upon each other and educate
others to say no to such tragic events from even seeding.
I have spent a lot of time reading, I was always in the library and I enjoy
going to the Library to this day. Some of my early influencers were Mahatma
Gandhi, Jiddu Krishnamurthy, Maulana Abul Kalaam Azad, Swami Vivekananda,
Allama Iqbal, Buddha, Abraham Kovoor, Dale Carnegie and a German Scholar who
wrote about comparative religions.
It is a blessing to have seen Mahatma Gandhi twice in my dreams in the early
70’s with Bangalore University’s Vice Chancellor Narsimaiah, and the next time
in early part of 2000. In both instances, all he said was, son you have work to
do and patted on my back, and that has been my inspiration all along to commit
to pluralism. It was Gandhi for me.
GENDER PLURALISM
We grew up with Gender equality, the four brothers and the sister were equals
in every aspect of life. My father never treated my mother any less, he always
consulted her and regretted when he did not. I would have been a farmer or a
politician in India, had my mother not insisted, and my father listened to her,
here I am today. The images we grew up with were of gender equality, treating
men and women the same. The four of us brothers and our sister have all agreed
to share the proceeds of the sale of the property of our parents equally. We
never questioned it and never thought there could be difference in inheritance
laws.
In the early sixties, we had our first woman mayor Mrs. Puttama (she had a
little restaurant) in my town Yelahanka, and nearly twenty years later when I
visited San Francisco, celebrations were on for electing the first woman mayor
in America; Diane Feinstein! I said wow!
COMMUNAL RIOTS
My father is my hero and opened the doors of wisdom to us. Pluralism indeed
runs in my family. He taught us one of the biggest lessons of my life in social
cohesiveness and dealing with extremism that I continue to reflect in my talks,
acts and write ups.
During the communal riots in Jabalpur (India) in the early sixties, both
Muslims and Hindus were killed in the mayhem, as it happens every time. I wish
every father in India, America and elsewhere teaches this lesson to his kids.
He was crystal clear on his take; He told us the "individuals" are
responsible for the bloodshed and not the religions. If we get the guy who
started the conflict and punish him for disturbing peace, rather than calling
it a religious issue for the communities to jump in and aggravate it further,
we would have saved many lives. He would emphasize that you cannot blame the
intangible religion and expect justice; we must blame the individuals who
caused it and punish them accordingly for disturbing the peace and thus bring a
resolution to the conflict by serving justice. He said you cannot annihilate,
kill, hang or beat the religion, then why bark at it?
WHAT IS PLURALISM?
Simply put, it is respecting the otherness of the other and accepting the
uniqueness of each one of us. In cultural terms, it is recognizing your culture
as a beautiful expression of life to you, as my own is to me. When it comes to
food, it is appreciating the Rice you enjoy over the Naan I delight, or
vice-versa. For Americans, it is medium rare stake versus the well done. In
religious terms, it is learning to honor the way your worship or bow to the
creator in gratitude, is as divine as my own.
OUR FUTURE IS PLURALISM
By the end of 2020, there will not be a major work place America or India and
other places, where you will not find people of different faiths, cultures, ethnicities,
races, nationalities and social backgrounds working, eating, playing, marrying,
and doing things together.
We need to prepare ourselves for those eventualities to prevent possible
conflicts and lay a good foundation for nurturing goodwill and effective
functioning of the societies. Exclusive communities will become a thing
of the past. (Foundation for Pluralism, Pluralism Center)
Being a Muslim, I am deeply committed to nurturing the pluralistic values
embedded in Islam (World Muslim congress). The role of a Muslim is to mitigate
conflicts and nurture goodwill, most people get that, a few don’t, just as with
any other religious group.
Pluralism is our future, and as a futurist, based on the trends, I foresee,
that two generations from now, we would be comfortable in saying, my religion,
culture or life style is one of the many choices, and further down the road, a
significant number will proclaim that my way of life is not superior or
inferior to any.
They will consider ‘claiming superiority’ would be sheer arrogance and religion
(a major part of life to many) is believed to imbue humility that builds
societies, communities and nations in creating that elusive kingdom of heaven
where all of us can live without apprehension or fear of the other.
WE ARE ONE NATION
We are one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. We
are represented by every race, nationality, ethnicity, language, culture and
religion. We see God as one, none and many and in every form; male, female, genderless
and non-existent, being and non-being, nameless and with innumerable names.
Indeed, we must preserve the pluralistic heritage of America.
WE ARE ONE NATION
We
are one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.
We are represented by every race, nationality, ethnicity, language,
culture and religion. We see God as one, none and many and in every
form; male, female, genderless and non-existent, being and non-being,
nameless and with innumerable names. Indeed, we must preserve the
pluralistic heritage of America.
ONE INDIA
ADVANCING THE SOCIAL REPONSIBILITY
WE ARE INDIANS AND NOTHING BUT INDIAN
Patriotism
should be defined in terms of what you do to uplift the hopes of people, in
terms of education to all, jobs to as many as we can in each successive year,
home for every human, and a better life style to every Indian.
Each one
of us must do our share in building a cohesive India, where no Indian has to
feel alienated, discriminated, apprehensive or fearful of the others.
Every
Indian must be free to eat, drink, wear and believe whatever he or she is
comfortable. Other than health and security, it should not matter what others
do.
WHO
ARE WE?
Our Motherland is represented by every race,
nationality, ethnicity, language, culture and religion. We see God as one, none
and many; and in every form; male, female, genderless and non-existent, being
and non-being, nameless and with innumerable names.
Collectively,
we are Adivasis, Atheists, Baha’is, Bos, Buddhists, Christians, Dalits, Hindus,
Jains, Jews, Muslim, Scheduled casters, Sikhs, Scheduled Tribals, Zoroastrians
and every possible grouping. We are Brown, Black, White, Yellow and green with
envy, and yet we are one nation and one people and we need to continue to
reinforce that oneness.
We are proud of our
heritage - a multi-faith, multi-cultural, multi-regional and multi-linguistic
society, where we have come to accept and respect every which way people have
lived their lives. For over 5000 years, India has been a beacon of pluralism -
it has embraced Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Baha’i and Zoroastrianism to
include in the array of the indigenous religions; Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism
and Sikhism.
We may
want to consciously start thinking and acting as one people, one people within
a nation and a community and one people globally. It’s like home when we are
conflict free. I do hope each one of us purges any bias towards the
other, there is joy in being free from ill-will. Try to be free from it this
day forward… free from anything that prevents you from being a part of the
whole.
Our
combined philosophies believe in one world; Hinduism describes the world as Vasudhaiva
Kutumbukum, the whole world is one family, the idea of Ek Onkar (one) in
Sikhism, you are all created from the same couple as Qur’an puts it and Jesus
embraced every one regardless of who any one is, and similar philosophies
are grounded in all our religions.
A few
don't follow their own heritage and resort to thievery, loot, murder,
terrorism, rioting, rapes, infanticide and other evils that destroy the
fabric of the society, but a majority of every group goes about
their own way, living their life with struggles and ease and don't even bother
others. We should build our nation upon the wants and desires of 99% of
our population
START
NOW
From
today, and every day from here forward, make a pledge to yourselves to talk in
terms of Indians –and not Malayalee, Gujarati, Bengali, Marathi, Punjabi… or
Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Isaee. Don’t expect others to jump in to do what you do,
give them the time and room to grow in to the idea of Indian. Some will not
subscribe to it, so what, it is their freedom and choice, and lets respect
that, and do our dharma.
India led
the way to the freedom movement, since 1947 every country has been liberated
from colonialism. Indian democracy is a shining example to the world, where the
people have peacefully transferred the powers. Indians are inherently secular
and economically capitalistic. They believe in "live-and-let-live"
life style, which is the essence of capitalism.
Through
the years we have expressed the highest degree of maturity on handling extreme
situations; the more divergent opinions we hear, the larger our heart grows,
the bigger our embrace would be and we can cushion more differences. Let’s
continue to honor the concept that there is always another side to the story,
as finding the truth is our own responsibility.
FIRST STEP
With a belief that
every Indian wants justice and demands a fair treatment of every one of the 1.1
billion Indians; rich or poor, connected or not, we must come to grips with the
social and community life to create an exemplary India that will become a model
nation in the world.
We have to figure out how to co-exist with least frictions. It is in your
interests, my interest and every one's interest to have justice, which gives
birth to sustainable peace and prosperity
We have to find solutions for people who go to the extremes; be them be
Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jain, Muslim, Sikh, Zoroastrian or other, hoping
they would recognize the God given space to each one of us and eventually see
the benefits of co-existence.
WHAT
DO WE NEED TO DO?
We may want to consciously start thinking and acting as one people, one people
within a nation and a community and one people globally. It's like home when we
are conflict free. I do hope each one of us purges any bias towards the
other, there is joy in being free from ill-will. Try to be free from it this
day forward… free from anything that prevents you from being a part of the
parts or the whole.
Our combined philosophies believe in one world ; Hinduism describes the world
as Vasudhaiva Kutumbukum, the whole world is one family, the idea of Ek
Onkar(one) in Sikhism, you are all created from the same couple as Qur’an puts
it and Jesus embraced every one regardless of who any one is... similar
philosophies are grounded in all our religions.
Here is a proposal for the Government of India to consider.|
Every public office
holder from the Peon to the President of India, and every one in between must
take this pledge and live by it. Violation should disqualify him or her from
holding the public office. Let it be monitored publicly.
INDIAN NATIONAL PLEDGE
1. I pledge allegiance
to the Flag of India, one nation under God, indivisible with liberty
and justice for all.
2. I pledge that I will
treat all religions with equal respect, equal access and equal treatment.
3. I pledge that I will
oppose any act that treats any Indian less than me.
4. I Pledge that I will
work for an India, where every individual can live with security and aspire for
prosperity.
5. I pledge that I will
protect, preserve and value every inch of India and every human soul in India
and live up to my pledge
6. I pledge that all
individuals would be treated on par.
This
would be the first step towards ensuring a Just, peaceful and prosperous India
that can sustain its progress and peace
##############
A few links referred to in the writing are:
- The Ghouse diary . www.TheGhouseDiary.com
- Curriculum Vitae - http://www.mikeghouse.net/MikeGhouse-CV-09192012.pdf
- My profile - http://www.mikeghouse.net/Profile.asp
- Mike Ghouse for India - http://MikeGhouseforIndia.blogspot.com
- My Real name - http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2010/01/my-name-is-mike-ghouse.html
- Pluralism Speaker - http://www.mikeghouse.net/InterfaithSpeaker_MikeGhouse.asp
- Muslim Speaker - http://mikeghouse.net/MuslimSpeaker.MikeGhouse.asp
- Linked in profile - http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=3451402&trk=tab_pro
- Foundation for Pluralism - www.FoundationforPluralism.com
- World Muslim Congress - www.WorldMuslimCongress.com
- Quraan Conference - www.QuraanConference.com
- America together Foundation
- www.AmericaTogetherFoundation.com
- Standing up for others - www.Standingupforothers.com
- Reflections Annual Holocaust
and Genocides - www.HolocaustandGenocides.com
- Unity Day USA - www.UnitydayUSA.com
- 30 Blogs - http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2012/11/mike-ghouse-list-of-sites-and-blogs.html
- Video- Trailer Americans Together - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMXsTo4VYh8
- Video- My story, Part I
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLiQeOo9oEs
- Video- My story, Part II - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLiQeOo9oEs
- Video - My latest talk at
Gurdwara - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNxrf8fFU0I
- Video- July4th Tippu Sultan - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXNS365UEw4
- Video - Quraan Translation/Bhagvad
Gita - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZOFLQSAOhA
- Video - Immigration Rally - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrjU0KULv-Y
- Video- Pluralism Prayers - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mc9D9guPMY
- Video- Pluralism greetings,
Chicago - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eo3a8wX6SXQ
-
Video - There are over 200
links on the YouTube.
**
There are many such issues, that no one has dared to bring a
resolution, for example; the atrocities committed by some of the kings
from the Mughal era have deeply wounded the psyche of our Population,
Hindus among us are hurt and are subconsciously enslaved to the idea of
getting even with Muslims, who have nothing to do with what those kings
did, and Muslims on the other hand have not washed their hands
completely off the Moghuls, as if they were our relatives.
The Sikh
Genocide of 1984, The burning of 59 Hindus in Godhra, the Gujarat Genocide of Muslims, the abusive treatment
of Dalits (the misclassified lower rung of the society), and the
unchecked reservations system has boomeranged discriminating the well
qualified because they are not classified in the lower rung. These will
not go away, they simmer inside and act out in denying simple
opportunties of life to another Indian. Shame on all of us, that we have
not let a fellow Indian feel secure in the pursuit of his or her
happiness. We should not let economic problems
Jai Hind
Mike Ghouse
Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, peace, Islam, Israel, India, interfaith, and cohesion at work place and standing up for others as an activist. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. Mike has a 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 everything you want to know about him.
