Texas Faith - What does the decision by Southwestern Baptist to accept a Muslim student say about how one faith can reach out to another?

SHOULD BAPTIST SEMINARY ADMIT A MUSLIM STUDENT ??

God emphasized in Quran to “know each other”, and those who make that effort; he callled them the noblest. Jesus called them "Blessed are the peacemakers." Indeed, every religion and every civil society organizes itself to create peace for the individuals and what surrounds him/her: life and environment. If we can learn to respect the otherness of others, and accept the God given uniqueness of each one of us, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge.

I would urge Southern Baptist Seminary President Paige Patterson to consider developing a teaching policy based on the essence of Jesus’ mission: peace on earth. If all religions can genuinely teach about other faiths to their students, the world would be a much better place.

Here is my fortnightly piece at Dallas Morning News:
http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2014/05/texas-faith-what-does-decision-by.html 

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What does the decision by Southwestern Baptist to accept a Muslim student say about how one faith can reach out to another?

By Wayne Slater | wslater@dallasnews.com | 1:33 pm on May 27, 2014 | Permalink
The decision by Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary to admit a Palestinian Muslim to the school’s Ph.D. archaeology program has stirred attention. For one thing, the decision was an exception to the seminary’s admissions policy. Southern Baptist seminaries have historically admitted those who intend to become Southern Baptist ministers. Churches send money to help pay for each student’s tuition. And the idea that churchgoers were sending their money to educate a Muslim student didn’t seem right in some quarters.

Seminary President Paige Patterson says the student is “a peace-loving man” who worked with other Southwestern students at the school’s archaeological dig in Israel and will abide by the school’s moral conduct requirements. He said non-Christians have been accepted in the past in rare cases with hopes they would convert.

Texas Faith contributor Jim Denison, a former faculty member and alumni of Southwestern, raises the issue on his website of religious exclusivity. “For a Baptist seminary to admit a Muslim student seems like the Republican National Convention inviting Bill Clinton to be its keynote speaker.  Both decisions would make headlines.”  http://www.denisonforum.org/cultural-commentary/1049-muslim-enrolled-at-baptist-seminary-why-is-this-national-news

All religious faiths are exclusive in one form or another. All have their rules, regulations and conventions. No question that Southwestern has the right to set the conditions for admission – and even the obligation to do so in furtherance of its religious faith. Denison asks a question: What’s the best way to engage people of other faiths?

The Southwestern decision raises some provocative questions: If it were a, say, Methodist seminary, not Southern Baptist, would it have been news? What if the student hadn’t been Muslim? When are a religious faith’s principles and guidelines helpful and when are they not? How should people of one faith engage people of another faith?
Texas Faith Panelists share their views, here is Mike Ghouse:
MIKE GHOUSE, President, Foundation for Pluralism and speaker on interfaith matters, Dallas

The discussion about why and how to engage people of other faiths becomes a good foundation to build upon cohesive societies, where none of us has to fear the other and continue living in peace. I am glad the issue of admission of a Muslim student at the Southwestern Baptist Seminary has come up; it’s a pivot for a positive change.

God created everything in harmony and set the matter aspect of the universe to be in balance – like the Jupiter, Moon and other items that function precisely on a trajectory in their own space. However, when it comes to humans, one of the other aspects of creation, God did not put us on auto-pilot. Instead, he gave us freedom and a brain to figure out such balance, maintain, and restore if lost.

Being the programmer of the universe, and because he intentionally created each one of us to be different, he knew we are bound to have conflicts and tear each other apart.  So he offered guidance to each tribe, community or a nation to preserve that harmony and live in peace.

The Quran is one such book of guidance and God says in verse 49:13 (Asad translation), “O men! Behold, we have created you all out of a male and a female, and have made you into nations and tribes, so that you might come to know one another. Verily, the noblest of you in the sight of God is the one who is most deeply conscious of Him. Behold, God is all-knowing, all-aware.”

God’s emphasis is on “knowing each other” and those who make that effort; he calls them the noblest among you.  Indeed, if we can learn to respect the otherness of others, and accept the God given uniqueness of each one of us, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge.

Jesus called on such individuals on the Mount of Beatitudes, “Blessed are the peacemakers.” Indeed, I would urge Seminary President Paige Patterson to consider developing a teaching policy based on the essence of Jesus’ mission: peace on earth.

If you trace the bloodshed, hatred and ill-will over the last 12 known centuries of conflict between Muslims and Christians, a few men among them have gone against the teachings of their own faiths. Indeed, more students of other faiths need to be admitted, not to convert, but to teach “blessed are the peacemakers” and the “noblest among you” and produce conflict mitigaters.

Note: I had a radio show called Wisdom of religion, all the beautiful religions and the Dallas Baptist Seminary had called me to let me know that they are recording it, and teaching it.

To read the views of other panelists please visit Dallas Morning News at:
http://dallasmorningviewsblog.dallasnews.com/2014/05/texas-faith-what-does-the-decision-by-southwestern-baptist-to-accept-a-muslim-student-say-about-how-one-faith-can-reach-out-to-another.html/#more-39668

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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.

 

Notes from watching Swearing in ceremony of PM Modi and his cabinet

Notes made while watching the Swearing in Ceremony of the PM and new Cabinet, it was a 90 minute event. This is raw, no grammar or spell check done.

·         Awesome event

·         Congratulations to Prime Minister Modi and his Cabinet

·         I don’t know about you guys- the Indian National Anthem has always made me feel tender and emotional, and frequently, I hear this version while working late or when I want to get a break. 

·         No Jai Hind after the national Anthem, even though I did not like Indira Gandhi for her emergency rule – but her voice Jai Hind have been engraved on my mind, I hear her every time, and usually, I am the one in gathering to say it out loud – Jai Hind.

·         It was good to see all people stand up for the National Anthem, of course, as Americans we have opened up, but apparently the TV people made a point about Nawaz Shariff standing up for the national Anthem.   

·          There is a false assumption that one should not stand up for other nations National Anthems, the problem is not with nations and the people – it’s the governmental policies. 

·         This the only glorious moment of the President of India

·         Modi’s swearing in started the roll – I was really hoping that Modi will take the oath, and then all of the ministers, together would take the oath collectively. It was too long to hear the exact same words except their names.

·         It would have been nice for the President and Prime Minister to speak 

·         Swearing in was in Hindi and English – Venkaiah Nadu from Andhra did it in English, followed by a few more including Najma Heptulla….. Ofcourse, they could have done in of the 28 languages

·         Uma Bharati walked out without bowing to the President

·         Good to see many women in the cabinet

·         Men shook hands with the president, women did not. 

·         Modi and someone leaned as if touching the feet

·         Most of them were around 62 – wonder what the median age was

·         Najma Heptulla is the oldest of all 74, born before independence 

·         Smriti Irani is the youngest of all - 38

·         Oddly, women’s age except Najma was not displayed

·         No western clothes were worn – except the shirt and pants by Mr. Gowda

·         As a pluralist I did not like the phrase “Sabhi prakar ke log” – translates to all kinds of people, it should have been “every Indian” and not all kinds of people. 

·         When Sushma Swaraj came – Barkha started talking in her boisterous voice- I have always liked her, but today I shouted her “Shut up Barkha” I want to hear them.  They did not have the sense to shut up. 

·         Disappointments

o   Too many Ministers, I was hoping Modi would cut the bureaucracy down

o   Nirmal Sitaraman should have been given the post of Public relations – she did very well in defending and speaking in behalf of BJP and Modi all these months.

o   Najma Heptulla should not have been given the minority affairs position, it should have been some oneelse who is aggressive and active in the market.

o   Too long – and a punishment of the guests to sit quietly… although many of them were “desis’ and talking with each other. 

·         Positive things

o   Great moment, great ceremony

o   Modi’s vision to be inclusive by inviting SAARC Nations, this is good step forward

o   Someone floated the idea of NAFTA – for Modi to do SAARC deal

o   It was good to see Rahul and Sonia in the audience – In a democracy; we have to learn to accept defeat gracefully.

o   None of the guests seem to have cell phones, and no one was checking messages, it must have been a punishment to Salman Khan, he was restless.

o   Glad they kept the age to be below 75 for Ministerial berths

These are the raw notes with no spell or grammar check

Mike Ghouse
www.MikeGhouse.net

Mr. Narendra Modi’s hypothetical India speech on Monday, May 26, 2014

NARENDRA MODI'S HYPOTHETICAL INDIA SPEECH ON MONDAY 5.26.14

Mr. Narendra Modi will deliver one of his most memorable speeches on Monday, May 26, 2014 upon taking the oath of office of the Prime Minister of India, and I am going hypothesize the contents of his speech based on my embryonic understanding of him firmed up over the last few weeks.   

MR. NARENDRA MODI, INDIA'S PRIME MINISTER

This is the biggest historic moment in the world of governance. Never in the history of mankind, there has ever been an individual freely elected to govern by such a huge mandate, the largest number of people on the earth have voted Mr. Narendra Modi to lead the democratic Republic of India.  On Monday, May 26, 2014, Mr. Modi will take the oath of office of the Prime Minister of India. The theme of his speech would be simple: inclusive development.   

Mr. Narendra Modi’s hypothetical speech on Monday, May 26, 2014

Published at Oped news at
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Mr-Narendra-Modi-s-hypoth-by-Mike-Ghouse-2014-Elections_Bharatiya-Janata-Party_Governance_Historicism-140525-136.html

Other articles of Modi at: http://mikeghouse.net/Articles/Narendra-Modi-India.asphttp://mikeghouse.net/Articles/Narendra-Modi-India.asp

Mike Ghouse is an Indian American Public Speaker, thinker and a writer committed to offer pluralistic solutions on issues of the day - wwwMikeGhouse.net
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Memorial Day Reflections

It is a day of remembrance and reflection, it is time to pray for those have passed away, whether they are related to us or not. Let’s take a few moments to remember all those who have influenced, affected and cared for us, and those who cared for others whether we know them or not. It is an act that enriches our souls and brings humility and connects us back with ourselves.
 

Please do not wish "Happy Memorial Day" – it ain’t, it is rather a day of reflection. Of course it may be nothing for you other than the weekend to relax, and that is fine too.
 
You might find it meaningful to stop and say a prayer at one cemetery or the other, it is merely symbolic, and you don’t have to make an effort, just pull over on the road side of any cemetery and reflect on life for a few minutes.

 You don’t have to be religious to say a prayer – a prayer is merely “wishing goodness” to others. You may see it or not, we are all interconnected and the joy comes from seeing everyone connected is in harmony and peace. The idea of this prayer may be selfish, as we find ourselves some serenity.

If you could, please pray for our men and women who gave up their lives to defend our freedom and safety that we cherish. There is a joy that accrues to you by expressing gratitude.

My Grandfather had advised me to visit a cemetery or attend a funeral of a stranger to pay respects, and he added, for every wedding you attend, match it with attending a funeral or visiting a cemetery, he believed, it will straighten us out as humans, and I found that profound and enriching to the soul.

Of course, you pray for the beloved ones every day, but this is a special day, the national day of remembrance and it would be nice, if we as a nation pray for the well being of all.

I will take a few moments to remember all those who have influenced, affected and cared for me, and those who cared for others whether I knew them or not.

There is a beautiful all inclusive prayer that most Muslims say almost every day – the gist of which is ; Dear God forgive me, forgive my parents, my relatives, my friends, my community,  those who are alive, and those who aren’t. By the way when we seek forgiveness, we are suggesting to ourselves to find relief from all the burdens we carry in our day to day life and cherish a few peaceful moments. May we all be at peace, Amen!

Mike Ghouse is a motivational speaker and all his info is at www.MikeGhouse.net

Pakistan, China and Japan to receive high priority under Narendra Modi's foreign policy

Modi has the passion to leave his legacy, he wants to put his stamp on India. There is something about him that makes him uncommon. This may be an euphoric call for him to follow the Raj dharma - good governance.  As I have said in an earlier note, he was waiting for this opportunity to re-set the course for RSS and BJP away from fascist leanings to pluralistic pathways. He has the mandate and he will do it right. 

The other day, after he received his letter from the President to form the government, in a speech at the Parliament with BJP members, he said “he sets the record ever time, he had not seen Vidhana Sabha of Gujarat until he was elected as CM, and now he steps in to the parliament for the first time ‘after’ elected as the PM. I went deep into that statement, reading into his passion to do unusual things. 

Until after the campaign rhetoric was over, I really did not think he would make a good Prime Minister, but in the last week or so, I have come to believe that no one in India needs to fear the other (part of my definition of cohesive societies ) and Modi has articulated that verbatim.

He will turn things around in foreign policy - he will find a place for India in the UN Security Council, the first step is to have the ability to have good relations with the neighbors to pave the way for that role, and he is going to do that. He will breakthrough and establish newer relationships with our neighbors and China.

Again, I am walking a thin rope with a faith, a new found nascent faith in Modi. I connect with his words, his words are my words. I am really short on time, but before Monday, I may write at least few notes and pass it on to my friends, as I may not get the time to get it published in a paper, but it will be on my blog.  I think 50% of my write up would be reflected in Modi's speech on Monday after his oath of office.
 
Mike Ghouse, is a Public Speaker, thinker and a writer committed to offer pluralistic solutions on issues of the day.

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Pakistan, China and Japan to receive high priority under Narendra Modi's foreign policy 

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/35489428.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

A letter to my Prime Minister Shri Modi by Janab Ali Khan

A letter to my Prime Minister Shri Modi by Janab Ali Khan
URL - http://mikeghouseforindia.blogspot.com/2014/05/a-letter-to-my-prime-minister-shri-modi.html

Kudos to Mr. Ali Khan for writing a thoughtful letter to the next  Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi. As usual one of our right wingers,  a Kiran Mehta see faults in it. Sadly,   the hardcore right and left are incapable of seeing another point of view but tearing up others – and of course their freedom must be valued without having to agree. In a democracy, the best thing to do is respond with a better answer. 

So, here is my response to Kiran Mehta’s five questions (at the very bottom of this entire note);

1.      He said, very few people – that is Muslims of India, have the honor and privilege of choosing their home land – compared to the 80% Hindu majority who did not have that option of choosing.
  2.      He said, the new government will allow me to express my feelings of patriotism in my own language – that is Jai Hind, as opposed to Modi’s language he contrasted Bharat Mata ki Jai.
  3.      Muslims, Dalits, Christians and other do not want any appeasements, handouts or favors, all they want is to have equal opportunities, access and equal say. Thank God India is a democracy that allows every one the freedom to speak  of which you and I are beneficiaries.
  4.      He addressed the specifics – to be treated like an Indian as guaranteed in the constitution, but the right wing elements of India cannot see an India together, like the goon Giriraj, who does not treat other Indians as equals. Ali did the right thing by asking questions, that is the right of every citizen.
  5.      Yes, Indian electorate has chosen development, and Muslims, Christians and Dalits have also chosen Modi in the same percentages as the Hindus.  Modi has the best answer for your question, he said, “whether you voted for me or not, I represent you, and I am your prime Minister’.
  All Ali Khan letter must be admired, and I do hope that Mr. Modi invites him to the inauguration and gives him a hug and assures him that every Indian is his Bhai or Behan as he has repeatedly said.

What Ali Khan did was fulfill the duty of a responsible citizen to point out the flaws, so India can be flawless, that is Patriotism and we need to reward this guy for writing such a letter. Indeed, a true patriotic Indian is the one who takes the responsibility to tear down the government policies, if they are wrong, no matter who they are, God, Gandhi, Pundit Nehru or Narendra Modi.
  
More about Narendra Modi at my website site MikeGhouse.net.  I am getting convinced Modi is the right man to shape India’s rejuvenated destiny, when I read the letters like this.

Mike Ghouse
Dallas, Texas

A letter to my Prime Minister
http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/counterflows/a-letter-to-my-prime-minister/

Congratulations Mr. Narendra Modi!

SUMMARY OF ARTICLES WRITTEN IN 2014
http://mikeghouse.net/Articles/Narendra-Modi-India.asp
 

Congratulations Mr. Narendra Modi!
CAVEAT EMPTOR -PLEASE READ THE DISCLOSURE AT BOTTOM

A few Muslims and Christians may find it difficult to read the phrase, “Congratulations Mr. Modi”- they feel a sense of betrayal in congratulating the “Butcher of Gujarat” or Hindutva forces that “raped the Nuns”.  The Muslim-Christian apprehensions are indeed legitimate and need to be addressed,  and I hope Mr. Modi will take this up and bring a closure to this.  

On his part, Mr. Modi has made statements to include every Indian, "sab ka sath, sab ka vikas" - i.e., together, everyone's prosperity.  I hope and pray that he will stand by his words. Meanwhile, we have to move forward. 

The time to argue and challenge was lost on May 12, 2014. Whatever needed to be done should have been done at the ballot, and the Modi won the ballot.  An overwhelming majority of Indians chose to trust his words about inclusive development, and on his part,  he has stayed away from communalizing the elections process, which invariably appealed to the voters. We have to honor the verdict of the people of India, and it does not mean we cannot differ and continue to seek redressing the injustices to fellow Indians, but rather work as a team to solve the problems of the nation and uplift the common man, as opposed to spending our time in tearing each other apart with nothing to gain. 

The Dalits, Muslims and Christians have voted for Modi in similar percentages as the mainstream Hindu and other communities have, those are the hard numbers. Dalits have clearly abandoned their Rakhwala's (claimants and protectors) and voted for Modi. Likewise the good polls predicted Muslims could influence the outcomes for 222 MP's, and they did, not the congress or Samajawadi party, but Modi.  Congress and SP's should have won over 150 seats clearly if they had the Muslim and Dalit support, which they did not.  In fact, Modi has earned an inclusive mandate from all communities.  This needs to be dug deeper. We have to look at his statements in the last phase of the elections. In numerous interviews Mr. Modi has done what was needed to be done – articulate his vision for one India and inclusive growth.

The past has to come to an end, and for most Indians, it ended on May 16, and from the 17^th  a new era of action has begun. We have to go forward and focus on nation building . 

On my part,  I pledge to give my support in building a cohesive India, where no Indian is denied equal access, opportunity and justice to become a participant and a contributor to the overall growth of the nation, and more importantly no Indian has to live in fear of the other. I will be happy to part take in such efforts as needed, as my sacred duty to my motherland.   

A full op-ed is in the writing, and I hope to articulate the need to support Mr. Modi, while seeking redressing of justice for the victims of Gujarat Massacre. He also wants justice and will remain innocent until proven guilty of direct involvement.  

Congratulations Mr. Modi, the Indians have placed their trust in you, and now it is up to you to provide the leadership in building prosperity and bring cohesion to the children of India.

Mike Ghouse, is a Public Speaker, thinker and a writer committed to offer pluralistic solutions on issues of the day.

Thank you
Jai Hind



mike
Mike Ghouse
(214) 325-1916 text/talk

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Narendra Modi's speech on Good governance (5/19/14)

This is one of the best speeches Modi has delivered on good governance and a developmental economic model. Some may say that someone else may have written it, that is fine, but he has owned it by delivering it so eloquently and I hope he means every word of it. http://foundationforpluralism.blogspot.com/2014/05/narendra-modis-speech-on-good.html

US Policy on Modi needs to Change (5/16/14)

I do hope, President Obama puts his differences aside, and values the verdict of the people of India, it is not a simple majority, it is a huge majority. Let's give Modi a chance and trust our democracy and support him in his plans - as he has articulated it in his interview time and again. http://mikeghouseforindia.blogspot.com/2014/05/us-policy-on-india-and-modi-needs-to.html

The bigger news of Modi is India wins (5/16/14)

The bigger news is that “India has won” as Modi has put it. An ordinary person has made it to the top, that is the sign of a true democracy, and it’s a positive motivation to the common Indian man – A chai wallah can make it so I one can make it too, if I have the dedication and commitment to do it. http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-bigger-news-of-modi-win.html

India's Modi on His Best Behavior: Can We Trust Him? (5/9/14)

We criticize individuals with the idea of wanting them to reset their course and get back on the righteous path of justice, humility, truth and respect for every life. Here is an effort to invoke Mr. Modi to follow "rajdharma," or good governance. Democracy and pluralism (i.e., respecting the otherness of others) runs in our veins, so let's have faith in our system. If Mr. Modi fails us, we can dump him through ballot or a no-confidence vote, as we did with Indira Gandhi and Vajpayee. To attain greatness and a place in the annals of history, Mr. Modi has a lot more to prove than we can demand. Continued at Huffington Post - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/indias-modi-on-his-best-behavior-can-we-trust-him_b_5280892.html#es_share_ended

Time Magazine changed the Times man of the year (4/23/14)

TIME heeded to Mike's activism on the issue and has now removed the 6 million votes generated from Modi's autobots that were cast yesterday. In the final result now on display at the TIME 100 Poll page, Arvind Kajriwal has been declared the winner and Modi now has voted as the most disliked person in the list with the largest number of NO votes. http://time.com/73538/indian-politician-arvind-kejriwal-wins-time-100-readers-poll/

Modi, Kejriwal become Time's 'most influential' people thanks to dodgy poll and online fan club (4/23/14)

Dallas-based multi-faith peace activist Mike Ghouse says he did exactly that to confirm his suspicion, clicking several times from the same computer to record multiple votes. "This is a serious issue of integrity of the Time Magazine," he said in an email. "Can Time audit its computers to determine how many clicks have come from the same computer?" Obviously, the online battle has no bearing on reality. But the winner will take home the momentary bragging rights of being "elected" Time magazine's most influential person in the world, even though the more important verdict will come on May 16.  http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Modi-Kejriwal-become-Times-most-influential-people-thanks-to-dodgy-poll-and-online-fan-club/articleshow/34123215.cms

 

India's experiment with clean politics (3/13/2014)

Years ago, India ranked # 1 on the list of corrupt nations in the world, and today it is not. Despite the economic, social, cultural frictions we have, we are inherently a pluralistic democracy. http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2014/03/indias-experiment-with-clean-politics.html

Modi's Nakshatras are not in his favor (12/23/13)

Narendra Modi's Nakshatras (stars) are not in his favor, and the Grahan (eclipse) is hovering over him like a dark shadow casting its Rahu Kala (inauspicious times). His run for the Prime Ministership is ashubh (unlucky) for the 2014 elections. We recommend him to withdraw from the race, finish the current term as the Chief Minister of the state and lay a solid foundation for the next run. http://www.opednews.com/articles/Narendra-Modi-s-Nakshatras-by-Mike-Ghouse-Anti-christian_Bharatiya-Janata-Party_Business_Congress-131227-999.html -  It was also published as an interview at Saudi Gazette. http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20140227196984

India's future, Narendra Modi and moving forward (11/04/13)

Unfortunately, the majoritarian attitudes of a few harm India's harmony and adversely affect her prosperity. They harass, threaten and use violence to teach the minorities, women and the weak how to behave, and put them in their place. It is like letting the air out of one of the tires, hurting all of us in the end.

The 1984 Sikh Genocide, the demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992, burning of Hindu Passengers in Godhra and Massacre of Muslims in Gujarat in 2002, the rapes of Nuns, Dalits and destruction of Churches are among the ugly cruelties we have witnessed since independence in 1947. It is a shameful blot on the civility of our Mother; India. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/indias-future-narendra-mo_b_4177079.html

Another 25 Pieces are written prior to it - they are all in Google search, http://MikeGhouseforIndia.blogspot.com and  Sulekha.com

How it all began:

I have been a severe critic of Mr. Modi, and have written and published articles ever since the Gujarat genocide. It started out with organizing a public demonstration against the riots in the first week of March 2002 in front of the old court house in Downtown Dallas.  This was followed by hosting events to show the horrors of the Massacre with Shabnam Hashmi and others to a program to commemorate the  Gujarat Genocide in a public forum on January 26, 2014 as a part of the 7^th annual Holocaust and Genocides event.  

Some of my fellow Hindu Indians (friends at one time)  in Dallas and on forums across the world started hating me and my presence without understanding that someone or the other has to speak up, and some of the hardcore Hindutva fanatics still do, they have clearly not understood the essence of democracy is to give voice to differing opinions and to stand up for the discriminated ones.   

Then some of the Muslims started hating me intensely for my endorsement of Vajpayee’s call to Muslims to join the BJP. We have to be engaged in the society – the answer is as simple as that. None of us can live in pens and expect the world to know us, and us to know others. Quran clearly calls the best one among us are those who "know" each other, knowledge leads to understanding and understanding to acceptance and appreciation of a different point of view - then comes the peace.

You and I have the freedom today because people have opposed and stood up against a singular way of thinking and shunning diversity.  Diversity of thought and expression is a necessity to build cohesive societies.

A lot of articles have been written since then, some preserved at Sulekha.com and at http://MikeGhouseforIndia.blogspot.com
 

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C A V E A T   E M P T O R

I have been critical of Mr. Modi ever since Gujarat Massacre took place in 2002, and have been an activist and written extensively about the policies to govern. I have consistently sought justice for the victims of Gujarat and restoration of their livelihood and recommended on building desegregated societies for the ultimate good of India, but rarely have I sought the pound of flesh. In the last two weeks, however, I have written optimistic notes about Mr. Modi, based on his interviews and his speeches.  In the coming 100 days, IF I see his actions match his good words, and he does some praischit as a part of the raj dharma, I will admire that human quality in him, and would believe that he has the potential to be become one of the visionaries of India like Pundit Jawaharlal Nehru who was instrumental in building a stable democracy, that his daughter could not undo. Because of my write ups, I continue to lose a few my friends and that is ok, I don't need friends like that. We have to learn to live with our differences, and my commitment remains  building cohesive pluralistic societies and I like the new found inclusive language of Modi.
 

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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.