INDIAN PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

http://mikeghouseforindia.blogspot.com/2010/11/indian-pledge-of-allegiance.html

INDIAN PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

 With the belief that every Indian wants justice to every human being;  rich or poor, connected or not, and demands fair treatment of every one of the 1.1 Billion Indians, 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 give room to the extremists in every section of our communities be it 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.

I propose that the parliament of India introduce a bill for every political, cultural and religious organization in India to register with the Home Ministry, state their purpose, list their assets for public scrutiny, list the membership roster to be updated annually. Include a modified version of the 7 items into Indian Penal Code, and make it in to the law to punish the violators of the law.

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.

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.

1. I pledge allegiance to India, the nation that stands for liberty and justice for all.

2. I pledge that I honor and treat every Indian with "full" dignity.

3. I pledge that all individuals would be treated on par.

4. I pledge that I will treat all religions with equal respect, equal access and equal treatment.

5. I pledge that I will oppose any act that treats any Indian less than myself.

6. I Pledge that I will work for a India, where every individual can live with security and aspire for prosperity.

7. I pledge that I will protect, preserve and value every inch of India and every human soul in India

This would be the first step towards ensuring a Just, peaceful and prosperous India, that can sustain its progress and peace.

Jai Hind


Mike M Ghouse
SPEAKER | THINKER | WRITER
http://www.mikeghouse.net/ http://www.mikeghouseforindia.net/
2665 Villa Creek Dr, Suite 206,
Dallas, TX 75234

Hannity Radio Show - Mike Ghouse 11.16.2010

I just interviewed with Sean Hannity on his Radio show 1:30 csT and 12:00 midnight in Bangalore, India.  If full body scanner is geared to certain people, in this case Muslim women, it leads to abuse of the system and those criminals who wear the skirts can escape the scrutiny. They brought up Israel does it, we are not Israel, we are America and we have to lead the world in pluralism and just treatment of every individual. We have to honor the dignity and rights of all humanity and not single out groups. That is morally wrong.

Profiling any group is wrong; we cannot take our nations towards fascism in selecting groups who are suspects. Security of every passenger is the responsibility of the carrier and the nation.  Either do the full bodies scan on every one of them or don’t.

My suggestion is to issue clearance certificates to frequent travelers or whoever travels in advance, so we do not have long lines at the airport.

Mike Ghouse is a speaker on Pluralism and Islam offering pluralistic solutions to the media and public on issues of the day. His blogs and sites are listed at www.MikeGhouse.net

Should Christians (and other non-Hindus) beware of yoga?

Courtesy: Dallas Morning News, Texas faith Panel. The president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Albert Mohler, caused a stir with a recent column decrying the practice of yoga by Christians.

Mohler seems to be threatened with the popularity of Yoga, a beautiful practice to bring composure to oneself. He is obsessed with the idea that Yoga is a bait to lure his congregation away into “a spiritual practice that threatens to transform their own spiritual lives into a `post-Christian, spiritually polyglot’ reality”, and then he asks, “Should any Christian willingly risk that?” How mistaken can one be? Yoga is not a mutually exclusive practice, nor is it a religion; it is indeed a catalyst in achieving the union of mind and body that is central to all spirituality.

Yoga is neither Christian nor Hindu; it is a beautiful gift that originated in India for the benefit of mankind to function cohesively.  All individuals and nations should give and receive the good without labeling it.

http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/10/texas-faith-should-non-hindus.html

Mike Ghouse is a speaker on Pluralism and Islam offering pluralistic solutions to the media and public on issues of the day. His blogs and sites are listed at www.MikeGhouse.net  

Harvard donations | Story of gains and losses

Harvard University   It is one of the uplifting best stories of the month! Following the story is another story of Harvard that is in circulation, where Harvard gives birth to Stanford. Good stories.   There is something about the minor minorities, they seem to become the biggest contributors in the growth of any nation, they have the drive to serve. That is certainly the case with the Zoroastrians (Parsees) in India, Jews in America.. need to think more to see if this is a valid statement.   Mike Ghouse www.MikeGhouse.net     Harvard gets biggest international donation in 102 yrs, from Tata Group   BOSTON: India's Tata Group has given a whopping $50 million to the prestigious Harvard Business School here to fund a new academic and residential building on its campus, the largest gift received by the institute from an international donor in its 102-year-old history. The gift comes from Tata Companies, the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and the Tata Education and Development Trust, the philanthropic entities of the Group. It comes days after Anand Mahindra, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Mahindra and Mahindra Group, gave USD 10 million to the Humanities Centre at Harvard. A Harvard alumnus, Mahindra gave the gift, the "largest" in the Centre's history, in honour of his mother Indira Mahindra. Ratan Tata, Chairman of Tata Sons, attended Harvard's Advanced Management Programme -- one of three comprehensive leadership programmes offered by the Harvard Business School's (HBS') Executive Education -- in 1975. He had also received the School's highest honour, the Alumni Achievement Award, in 1995. The School said it will use the USD 50 million gift from the Tata Group to fund a new academic and residential building on its campus for participants in its broad portfolio of Executive Education programmes. HBS hopes to break ground for the building, which will be named Tata Hall, next spring. It is expected to be open for use by late 2013. Calling it a privilege and a pleasure to "give back to Harvard a little bit of what it gave to me," Tata said he hoped the new facility would encourage and inspire future leaders to take advantage of the executive education offerings at HBS. "The Harvard Business School is the preeminent place to be exposed to the world's best thinking on management and leadership and we are pleased that this gift will support the School's educational mission to mold the next generation of global business leaders," Tata said. Expressing "deep appreciation" for Tata's "generosity," Harvard Business School's Indian-origin Dean Nitin Nohria said the "historic" gift comes from an organisation "revered" for its significant economic, civic and philanthropic impact. "The Tata Group is widely respected for integrity and innovation, not just in India -- where it produced both the first indigenous car and the 2,000 dollar Tata Nano automobile -- but in a variety of business lines across several continents, from cars to hotels and from tea to information technology," Nohria said. PTI, Oct 15, 2010, 10.06am IST Read more: Harvard gets biggest international donation in 102 yrs, from Tata Group - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/6752185.cms?prtpage=1#ixzz12RbiIvN5   # # # (Be sure to read to the end !)   A lady in a faded gingham dress and her husband, dressed in a homespun threadbare suit, stepped off the train in Boston , and walked timidly without an appointment in to the Harvard University President's outer office.   The secretary could tell in a moment that such backwoods, country hicks had no business at Harvard and probably didn't even deserve to be in Cambridge .   'We'd like to see the president,' the man said softly.  'He'll be busy all day,' the secretary snapped. 'We'll wait,' the lady replied.   For hours the secretary ignored them, hoping that the couple would finally become discouraged and go away.. They didn't, and the secretary grew frustrated and finally decided to disturb the president, even though it was a chore she always regretted.   'Maybe if you see them for a few minutes, they'll leave,' she said to him!   He sighed in exasperation and nodded. Someone of his importance obviously didn't have the time to spend with them, and he detested Gingham dresses and Homespun suits cluttering up his outer  office.   The president, stern faced and with dignity, strutted to ward the couple.  The lady told him, 'We had a son who attended Harvard for one year. He loved Harvard.. He was happy here. But about a year ago, he was accidentally killed. My husband and I would like to erect a memorial to him, somewhere on campus.'   The president wasn't touched.. He was shocked. 'Madam,' he said, gruffly, 'we can't put up a statue for every person who attended Harvard and died.  If we did, this place would look like a cemetery.'   'Oh, no,' the lady explained quickly. 'We don't want to erect a statue. We thought we would like to give a building to Harvard.'   The president rolled his eyes. He glanced at the gingham dress and homespun suit, then exclaimed, 'A building! Do you have any earthly idea how much a building costs? We have over seven and a half million dollars in the physical buildings here at Harvard.'   For a moment the lady was silent. The president was pleased. Maybe he could get rid of them now. The lady turned to her husband and said quietly, 'Is that all it costs to start a university? Why don't we just start our own?'   Her husband nodded. The president's face wilted in confusion and bewilderment. Mr. and Mrs. Leland Stanford got up and walked away,traveling to Palo Alto , California where they established the university that bears their name, Stanford University , a memorial to a son that Harvard no longer cared about.   You can easily judge the character of others by how they treat those who they think can do nothing for them.   THIS IS A TRUE STORY By Malcolm Forbes about the founders of the now world renowned STANFORD UNIVERSITY !!   People will forget what you said, People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel.   Life is too short for drama & petty things, so kiss slowly, laugh insanely, Love truly and forgive quickly.   --- Mike Ghouse is a frequent guest at the media offering pluralistic solutions to issues of the day. He is a thinker, writer, speaker, optimist and an activist of Pluralism, Interfaith, Co-existence, Peace, Islam and India. He His work is reflected at three websites and 22 Blogs at http://www.mikeghouse.net/

Quran (Koran) Conference in Dallas, an American effort to build cohesive societies

The Conference puts a Quraan in the hands of panelists made up of Pastors, Rabbis, Pundits, Shamans, lay persons, elected officers and the public. It is to demystify the myths about Quraan and Islam. An American effort to build cohesive societies.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Oct 10, 2010 - DALLAS, TEXAS - The Foundation for Pluralism and the World Muslim Congress have announced a conference on Quraan in Dallas to be held between 3:00 PM and 6 PM on Sunday, December 5, 2010 at the Unity Church of Dallas.  

Representing the organizations, Mike Ghouse adds, "As members of diverse family of faiths, we seek to demystify the myths and falsification of our respective faiths. It is time for all of us to gather and understand the Qur'aan, the holy book of Muslims, which has been the subject of attack by a few among us. Indeed, the conference is a positive response to negative sermons delivered from a few pulpits of America this year."

The uniqueness of the event is highlighted by facing the "terrifying passages" of Quraan.  For the first time in history, the actual verses from Quraan will be read directly and explained by non-Muslim panelists made up of Pastors, Rabbis, Pundits, Shamans, Clergy, lay persons and elected officials who have a deep interest in bringing Americans together on common grounds.  The Muslim scholars either affirm their reading or refer to the Quraan for further understanding. It would be indeed a first hand educational experience.

It is time now to replace the ill-will with goodwill; no American has to live in anxieties, discomfort or fear of the other. The purpose of this conference is to remove such myths in an open forum in the public and restore the cohesiveness of our society and work towards building a safe and secure America.  

Bring your children to experience the multi-cultural costumes in a designated room for them.

Refreshments will be served after the event.

THE EVENT IS FREE

Please R.S.V.P. to confirmattendance@gmail.com  
Direct your inquiries to QuraanConference@gmail.com .

For details visit website http://www.quraanconference.com/

Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker, writer, optimist, educator and an activist of Pluralism, Interfaith, Islam and Civil Societies. He heads the Foundation for Pluralism and World Muslim Congress and offers Pluralistic solutions to the media and the public on issues of the day.  Mike's work is reflected at three websites & twenty two Blogs listed at http://www.mikeghouse.net/

 

Why do our faiths shape some political views, but not others?

Why do our faiths shape some political views, but not others?
10 Members of the Texas Faith Panel respond to the question.

"An element of hypocrisy is embedded in what is conveyed from the pulpit. An excessive emphasis is placed on homosexuality which the scriptures do not "appear" to favor, but that is not the only item that is disfavored. An equally strong punishment is prescribed for adultery and incest which are down played by the clergy as though they don't exist." Mike Ghouse, Foundation for Pluralism.

Full Story at: http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/10/texas-faith-why-do-our-faiths.html 

Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker, writer, optimist, educator and an activist of Pluralism, Interfaith, Islam and Civil Societies. He heads the Foundation for Pluralism and World Muslim Congress and offers Pluralistic solutions to the media and the public on issues of the day.  Mike's work is reflected at three websites & twenty two Blogs listed at http://www.mikeghouse.net/

SFG on Protests Against (Mahatma) Gandhi

This is one of the biggest surprises of my life, Gandhi stood up for every human without regards to race, religion or any other compartmentalization.

 

I can understand some of the members of the RSS and other Brigades, who hate Gandhi and will denigrate every opportunity they get in privacy, but in public they act like noble men.  I am appalled but open to learn what they have against Gandhi, what statements they are mis-interpreting, it surprised me. He always spoke the truth, some of the statements he made about Conversions and Palestine may not go well with a few, but that is the truth he spoke firmly.

 

In Dallas, the Indo American Friendship Council is spearheading the effort to install Gandhi Statue in Downtown Dallas, and Prasad Thotakura has involved just about every India based organization. It is a participative effort.

 

We just walked the 2nd annual Gandhi Peace Walk on October 2, 2010

 

Thanks for sharing this.

 

Mike Ghouse

www.MikeGhouse.net

 

 

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2010/10/02/BAMM1FN429.DTL

Group says Gandhi racist, plans to protest statue
John Coté

San Francisco Chronicle October 2, 2010

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2010/10/02/BAMM1FN429.DTL#ixzz11OjXY14L

It doesn't take much to whip up a protest in San Francisco - two
people and a bad idea will do - but Gandhi? Really?

A group billing itself as the Organization for Minorities of India
plans to protest today to demand the removal of the bronze statue of
Mohandas Gandhi that has sat in the plaza behind the Ferry Building
since 1988.

Up until this point, about the only adversity the statue has faced has
been people swiping the trademark circle-rimmed eyeglasses (at least
four times) and the indignity of a roosting seagull or pigeon.

But the group - which says it was formed four years ago to publicize
the oppression of Christians, Buddhists, Dalits, Muslims, Sikhs and
other Indian minorities considered to be on the lowest rungs of the
Hindu caste system - says Gandhi was a racist who harbored violent
urges.

"The popular image of Gandhi as an egalitarian pacifist is a myth,"
Bhajan Singh, one of the organizers, said in a statement. "We plan to
challenge that myth by disseminating Gandhi's own words to expose his
racism and sham nonviolence."

The group plans to present Ferry Building management with a demand to
remove the statue and ask for it to be replaced with one of either
Martin Luther King Jr. or low-caste Dalit leader B.R. Ambedkar.

The statue is on port property but is actually under the purview of
the Arts Commission.

"I suppose Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela must have their
critics as well," Arts Commission President P.J. Johnston said. "These
folks are free to lodge their protest, but I doubt that our commission
will move to take down the statue."

Johnston, whose day job is crisis management, added: "I would just say
that in my professional career, I've had no greater honor than having
to defend Gandhi."

- John Coté