The Ghouse Diary: A Great Pluralist, Abdurrahman Wahid passed away.

Friday, January 1, 2010

A Great Pluralist, Abdurrahman Wahid passed away.

January 1, 2010.

6:00 AM

A Great Pluralist, Abdurrahman Wahid passed away.
He was considered Father of Pluralism in Indonesia

I read the news around 2:00 am up again at 6:00 AM to finish reading about Abdurrahman Wahid. A man I have come to admire for his understanding of Islam and its plurality and inclusiveness. I have read a few articles and had made up my mind to visit him some day to let him know that as a fellow Pluralist I salute him. I have quoted his name to many a Indonesians including the ones in Melbourne.

By the way, his take on Melbourne was similar to mine, a city designed to encourage social interaction and comfort with strangers. I love that City.

My "appeal to Indonesian Muslims" got published in Jakarta Post on December 31, 2009 and I truly regret not mentioning his name in the appeal. http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/12/31/letters-an-appeal-indonesian-muslims.html

God willing, I shall make an attempt to read his writings and quote him often, that will give balance to my desire to pay tribute to him.

A Great Man Dies - Abdurrahman Wahid

By Bigfella
"Whether we realise it or not, really, he was the father of pluralism and multiculturalism in Indonesia," he said. The former leader was buried in his East Java hometown, Jombang, where about 5000 supporters gathered to welcome his motorcade. His supporters have held vigils at mosques, churches, .... Bruce Grant is a former diplomat and was foundation chairman of the Australia-Indonesia Institute. His former wife, Ratih Hardjono, has remarried and lives in Indonesia. ...

http://www.worldaffairsboard.com/world-affairs-board-pub/54148-great-man-dies-abdurrahman-wahid.html

Wikipedia :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdurrahman_Wahid

http://www.worldaffairsboard.com/world-affairs-board-pub/54148-great-man-dies-abdurrahman-wahid.html

* Pluralist is one who believes in co-existence and respects the otherness of other for common good. In religious terms, the one who does not depreciate other faiths to have his faith look good. He sees the beauty in each faith and heartily praises one.

http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/Former-Indonesian-President-Abdurrahman-Wahid-Dies-80339347.html

More articles at - http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=abdurrahman+wahid&aq=1&oq=abdurrahman&aqi=g5g-s1g4&rlz=1R2RNTN_enUS359

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INTRODUCTION

Mike Ghouse is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions to media and to the public on important and complex issues of the day and is available to speak in a variety of settings such as schools, seminars, conferences, and places of worship, or the work place.

Mike is a frequent guest on Fox News, (The Hannity Show), and has been interviewed on nationally syndicated Radio shows along with Dallas TV, Print and Radio networks and occasional interviews on NPR. He is a member of the Texas Faith panel of Dallas Morning News and writes on issues facing the nation every week. He has spoken at international forums including the Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions, in Melbourne, Australia, Middle East Peace Initiative, in Jerusalem, the International Leadership conference, in Hawaii, and in Washington

The Foundation for Pluralism champions the idea of co-existence by respecting and accepting the otherness of those different from ourselves. The World Muslim Congress is committed to nurturing the pluralistic ideals embedded in Islam. Heavily involved in both, Mike Ghouse is committed to building cohesive societies and has produced outstanding public events to bring Americans together of different religions, ethnicities and races on common grounds of building a safe and secure America.

He is a speaker, thinker, collaborator and a writer on the subjects of Pluralism, the interfaith movement, cohesive societies, Islam, India, hope and world peace. Over 1000 articles of Mike’s have been published worldwide and two books are poised to be released this summer. His work is reflected in 4 websites and 27 Blogs indexed at http://www.mikeghouse.net/
C
oncerned by the divisiveness, he saw the need to bring Americans together and founded America Together Foundation committed to building a cohesive America, indeed it is in response to ACT America which is bent on pitching one American against the other. We will be holding series of educational programs, conferences and workshops to address the issues that divide us such as Civil Right, GLBT, Quraan, Abortion, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, Racial Profiling and Stereotyping.

The Annual Unity Day USA is in its 7th year now, it is a purposeful event to bring Americans together, on this Unity Day, we the people of the United States of America of every faith, race, ethnicity, culture and background will gather to express our commitment to co-existence, unity, prosperity and wellbeing of our nation.

Thanksgiving Celebration is in its 15th year showcasing cultural diversity.

The 5th Annual Reflections on Holocaust and Genocides is to learn and to acknowledge and reflect upon the terrible things we have inflicted upon each other and commit to avert such tragedies. Through this event non-Jewish people have consciously learned about Holocaust for the first time, it was also for the first time that people of 14 faiths came together to join in to commemorate the Holocaust that commemorated within the Jewish Community for years. They are not alone anymore in their anguish, we are all in it together with them, and it is a Muslim initiative to effect a positive change.

The programs, seminars and workshops conducted by the Foundation for Pluralism have become a part of the America Together Foundation. While the Foundation for Pluralism continues championing the idea of co-existence through respecting and accepting the otherness of other, the commitment to nurturing the pluralistic ideals embedded in Islam through the World Muslim Congress continues.

Mike is a speaker, thinker, collaborator and a writer on the subjects of Pluralism, the Interfaith Movement, Cohesive Societies, Islam, India, Hope and World Peace. Over 1000 of his articles have been published worldwide and two books are poised to be released this summer. His work is reflected in 4 websites and 27 Blogs indexed at http://www.mikeghouse.net

To engage Mike in a dialogue, conference or a talk, write to Ghousespeaks@gmail.com and email dedicated for this purpose or you can call him on a short notice at 214.325.1916

Friday, January 1, 2010

A Great Pluralist, Abdurrahman Wahid passed away.

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