A Successful Parliament of World's Religions in Salt Lake City, Congratulations to the Chair, Trustees, Board Members, volunteers, presenters and the attendees.

A Successful Parliament of World's Religions Event | TheGhousediary.com http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2015/10/a-successful-parliament-of-worlds.html

Congratulations to the Chairman, Trustees, Board members, staff, presenters and the volunteers of the Parliament of World's Religion for organizing one of the most successful interfaith conferences ever, it is a pinnacle of interfaith movement.

The event was held in Salt Lake City, in the state of Utah from October 15 thru October 19, 2015. Each day started with Meditation or prayers (of all faiths) at 7 AM and ended at about 11:30 PM each night. Every minute was packed in the five days of learning and sharing.

Euphoric is the best word to describe the feeling one had during this conference. Where else can you learn so much about a religion, particularly other's religion? Indeed, it was a myth busting event. 


Nearly 10,000 people representing over 200 faith traditions attended the event.  Our special thanks to the Sikh Community for the Langar (serving Lunch) to the attendees for five days in a row.  I met and talked with the people who drove the 18 wheeler from California loaded with food supplies and a big team of people descended in the town and prepared the food along with the volunteers of the Salt Lake Gurdwara ( Sikh Temple). It will be one of the 12 reports I would be writing about the Parliament with pictures and videos.

What a joy it was to see the God given human balance restored at the event. Over 50% of the participants were women, and nearly 30% of attendees were youth and 60% of the MC's were women again. Finally, the right thing has happened! Now, the humanity can hope for a better world with women's merciful and kind hearts overlooking the affairs of religion.

We must congratulate the leadership of Salt Lake City for hosting the event, and most certainly the Mormon Tabernacle for laying the foundation for pluralistic societies - 125 plus children participated together from different faiths and races to share one dream; we are the one.

The 5,200 plus members who attended the packed Tabernacle went home knowing that happiness is in being one, and being with every one without bias. Many faith traditions were represented through a prayer, music and or a song, what a beautiful thing it was to witness! Praise the lord every which way you can! Hallelujah!

Personally, it was a realization of my own dream, Indeed, we have been doing the same for the last 17 years on a smaller scale in Dallas at the Annual Thanksgiving Celebrations and Awards Night and at the Unity Day USA event.

Imagine the kind of beautiful harmonious future those kids will have - knowing and respecting each other, and growing up together and becoming politicians or professionals. Together, they would have learned to work, eat, play, travel and marry each other with least conflicts.

This event gave a lot of hope to the people who are concerned about the ongoing political, religious and social conflicts, every one, I believe walked out with the hope, knowing full well that the ones (10,000 of them) who attended will carry the good word to all corners of the world.   

Thanks to the organizers for placing their hearts, minds and souls into it. They have done their share of work, and now as attendees, friends of the Parliament and goodness spreaders,  we have to do our share of the work. We have to multiply the work of understanding each other, mitigating conflicts and nurturing goodwill to create a cohesive world where no human has to feel alienated or apprehensive of the other. 

God willing, I will do my share of work in letting the world know that the great accomplishments of the Parliament of World's Religions for all of us; the entire world.

As a Muslim and a Pluralist, I believe,  if we can learn to respect the otherness of others and accept the God-given uniqueness of each one of the 7 billion of us, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge. 

About 12 pieces on the subject will be written in the next two months. They will be published in different News papers and most certainly at www.TheGhouseDiary.com and www.Foundationforpluralism.com.  

So what is that we need to do?

First thing first, nearly 2000 of us committed to Chairman Imam Mujahid to become members, if we believe in it, we have to support it. All you have to do is go to: http://www.parliamentofreligions.org/ and become one.

Second thing is to reiterate your own commitment to do good, including but not limited to speaking up against injustice, and to appropriately interrupt spreading of misunderstandings about any one.

Third, gather up the courage to say, “My faith is beautiful to me as yours is beautiful to you, and I will not claim that my faith is superior to any, because it amounts to arrogance, which goes against the very teachings of my (everyone's) faith to be humble. Arrogance destroys relationships and humility builds bridges and harmony among people." Peace and harmony is the ultimate goal of all religions. 

Are you with me? 

Wherever you go, be the peace maker.  Ask yourselves, are my words mitigating the conflicts and nurturing goodwill? 

By the way, the action of "mitigating conflicts and nurturing goodwill" can be found in all religious traditions, and most certainly we attribute the actions of prophet Muhammad (pbuh) to be embedded with conflict mitigation and goodwill nurturence. 

Remember, my peace and security hinges on the peace and security of others around me, if they are not secure, I won't be either. It is in my interest to work for peace within me, my family, friends and the world around me.  

The future of societies rests on our attitudes of pluralism, i.e., “respecting the otherness of others and accepting the God-given uniqueness of each one of us.” If we can learn to do that, conflicts will fade and solutions will emerge. 

Thank you,

Mike Ghouse,
(214) 325-1916

Dr. Mike Ghouse is a community consultant, social scientist, thinker, writer and a speaker on Pluralism, Interfaith, Islam,politics, human rights, foreign policy and building cohesive societies. He offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day and more about him is in 63 links at www.MikeGhouse.net and his writings are at TheGhousediary.com 

Dalai Lama and Worlds Religions

DALAI LAMA & WORLDS RELIGIONS - DALLAS
http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2010/12/dalai-lama-and-worlds-religions.html|

December 9, 2010. This very day last year, I was in Melbourne with HH Dalai Lama along with 6000 (plus) people from across the world representing over 200 religious traditions. He was the key note speaker on the last day of the weeklong conference by the Parliament of World's religions.

 He stayed in the Crown Plaza Hotel across Melbourne Convention Center and a full rainbow cascaded over the Hotel on the last day of the conference. Indeed, it was a welcome rain at Melbourne after a long draught of several years.  What a coincidence, Dalai Lama’s presence made it all happen, the rainbow and the rain. This was also the day he had received the Nobel Peace Prize some 20 years ago.

To continue the work of building bridges,  the folks in Dallas are working the bid to bring the Parliament of Worlds Religions in 2014, and they are getting closer on winning the race over Guadalajara, Mexico and Brussels, Belgium. Dallas has got what it takes to host the event, and most importantly, the impact of the event will be deeper and lasting in building cohesive societies around the World. It is this aspect of the event that will make a big difference in the United States through her American City; Dallas.   

Check out the websites for details:

http://www.facebook.com/DFWInterfaithCoalition

http://www.parliamentofreligions.org/dallasfortworth/

The Foundation for Pluralism and the World Muslim Congress are taking bold initiatives to mitigate conflicts and nurture goodwill in building cohesive societies for America and have planned ion conferences dealing with the issues about Anti-Semitism, Demystifying myths about Quraan,  Racial Profiling,  Homosexuality, and other issues. The first in series was conducted on Sunday, December 5, 2010 – more at www.Quraanconference.com

No American has to live in anxieties, discomfort or fear of the other. The purpose of this conference is to understand the issues and find ways to remove such fears in an open forum and restore the cohesiveness of our society and work towards building a safe and secure America. 

The 7th Annual Unity day, 4th Annual Reflections on Holocaust and Genocides and 14th Annual Thanksgiving Celebrations will continue to be the flagship events of the organizations 2011.  

Dalai Lama says, "Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions."  This quote was shared by a facebook friend Hem-e Tazi and it prompted me write this whole story.  Indeed, I have been writing HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE for over a decade now and have actually made a sign that reads Happiness is a choice. You are the master of your feelings, despite the difficulties; you are the one who decides how you feel.
Please remember smile is contagious and comes right back to you. I wish happiness to all of you now and for years to come.

Give a gentle smile to some one this week and check out the sites for Dallas bid and volunteer, donate and partake in this mega event.

Mike Ghouse for cohesive America
Americans working together
http://www.mikeghouse.net/

Mike Ghouse runs the Foundation for Pluralism championing the idea of co-existence through respecting and accepting the otherness of other and has dedicated to nurturing the pluralistic ideals embedded in Islam through the World Muslim Congress. He is a regular commentator on the TV, Radio and Print media offering pluralistic solutions to the issues of the day. He is a speaker, thinker, writer and a peace activist. Mike's work is reflected at three websites & twenty two Blogs listed at http://www.mikeghouse.net/

Parliament of Worlds Religions in 2014

The theme that might capture our imagination and encapsulate our issues in 2014 would be, “A legacy for the next generation” or “A legacy for seven generations.” It is not a new idea; it is a tradition of the native peoples of America.The issues that affect our lives in the coming decade will continue to be environment, water, hunger, religious and ethnic intolerance. If we shy away from consciously shaping our future, we may drift into the abyss of incoherence. We may be fighting against deeply entrenched positions rather than finding solutions to the common issues.

Continued: http://wisdomofreligion.blogspot.com/2010/07/parliament-of-worlds-religions-summit.html

http://www.mikeghouse.net/

National Public Radio

Monday, December 21, 2009
National Public Radio on the Parliament by Mike Ghouse and Rev. Angie Buchanan
Listen at: http://www.wpr.org/hereonearth/archive_091221k.cfm



My Notes:

The National Public Radio invited Rev. Angie Buchanan, a trustee of the Parliament of the World's religions and Mike Ghouse as an individual to be on the air between 3-4 PM to talk about the Parliament event. It was a good interview and it will be available at http://www.wpr.org/hereonearth/ on Tuesday to download and listen to. Rev. Buchanan gave a wonderful analogy about religions being Islands and the need for the people in each Island to visit and build bridges.

I had a list of things I wanted to say, but due to the format of the interview, I just had to answer the questions they asked.

NPR’s "Here On Earth Program!"
Monday, December 21, 2009 : 3-4 PM
Live interview By Lori Skelton
With Rev. Angie Buchanan and Mike Ghouse

Here are my draft notes…. But the interview went little differently, all the things I wanted to say, could not be said. That is the nature of the Radio Talk Show. Please note I did not check for the grammar, it is simply my draft.

Mike - thank you so much for agreeing to be part of today's program! These are the questions I know I will have, but I also know that once the audience calls in, the conversation can go in many directions - Lori.

1. Brief history of PWR, brief outline

1893 - Chicago – The first congress at the Columbian exposition
1988 – Formation of the council
1993 – Chicago
1999 - Cape Town, South Africa
2004 - Barcelona, Spain
2007 – Universal forum of cultures – Monterrey, Mexico
2009- Melbourne Australia

The Parliament was created in 1893 – Refer to the document

"The Parliament of Religions is undoubtedly the most noteworthy event of modern times. It has stirred the spirits, stimulated mental growth, and given direction to man's further evolution. It is by no means an agnostic movement, for it is carried on the wings of a religious faith and positive certainty." –Paul Carus, 1893

IFAPA announced as the recipient of the 2009 Paul Carus Award
"Interfaith Action for Peace in Africa," an organization formed in 2002 that brings together representatives from African Traditional Religions, Baha’is, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Muslims and Jews, has been named the recipient of the Paul Carus Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Interreligious Movement by the Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions.

"IFAPA," the acronym by which the award-winning group is best known, "models in a creative way, the peace-making potential of the growing interreligious movement," said Rev. Dr. William E. Lesher, Chair of the Council’s Board of Trustees. "The organizations comprehensive, representing the major religions of Africa and also geographically significant with a continent-wide reach and concern," he said. IFAPA’s most public activity has been in the area of conflict resolution, having sent interfaith delegations to Liberia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, North and South Sudan and Togo over the last decade. Other IFAPA activities include a women’s project called, "A Mother’s Cry for a Healthy Africa," and a water project in rural Rwanda.

2) Who attends…how are they chosen?

We invite individuals and communities who are equally invested in attaining the goal – Which was to cultivate harmony among the world's religious and spiritual communities and foster their engagement with the world and its guiding institutions in order to achieve a just, peaceful and sustainable world.

3) Where was the last Parliament before this one held, what were key themes, did they carry over to this Parliament?

Barcelona, Spain
The theme was same - to to cultivate harmony among the world's religious and spiritual communities and foster their engagement with the world and its guiding institutions in order to achieve a just, peaceful and sustainable world.

4) Themes of this Parliament

Hearing each other and healing the earth –

Religious harmony, inclusion of the indigenous peoples, women’s rights, women clergy, homosexuality, apostasy, environment and other issues

Giving the space to every human on this planet and hearing them out.

5) How was the city of Melbourne engaged in participating?

It is not only the City, the Australian Government, the State of
Victoria, the City of Melbourne, and the convention center.
The Governor, the Mayor, MP’s attended the event.

6) What is needed to set up interfaith dialogs?
What are some obstacles? How do you measure progress?

First let me talk about the origins of issue - The needs for the dialogue stems from the problems we have and identified with religion.

The problems of the world are ascribed to religion, The crusades, inquisition, missionizing, conversions, holocaust, genocides – Traditionally religion has been ascribed to all the destruction and death… including the 9/11 horror.

Justice gives birth to peace, one feels secure….

Religion is not the source of the Problem, and that is one of the reasons to dialogue.

The deliberate mistranslation of some 60 verses of Quraan to paint Muslims wrong for their own gains: – need to be known.

To be religious is to mitigate conflicts and nurture good will, and the purpose of religion is bring a social, psychological, spiritual and a moral balance to an individual and what surround him or her; life and matter.

7) How do you respond to the notion that “Yes, there are global problems and organized religion is one of them?”

This is one of the biggest misunderstandings we have to over come –

Our Law books
Nuclear Power
Religion

In the United States roughly 1% of the population is in Jails, but the 99% is not, 1.5 Million traffic tickets are given each year, the 199.5 Million don’t get it. Are the law books wrong or the individuals?

Nuclear power lights up Melbourne, the same power in the hands of Bullies can annihilate Baghdad or Kabul and wipe out the civilizations.
Is the problem with New-Clear power or the individuals who abuse it?

When holy books are misinterpreted, is it the book or the individuals?
It is time we blame the wrong doers and not the Religion, blaming religion is escaping from finding the justice, where as finding the culprit individual can bring justice and find solutions.

Religions do not commit murder, bomb Iraq or the twin towers, individuals do and kill 3000 to a Million people.

8) President Carter was a guest speaker; members of the Obama administration were on hand, were other governments represented? How do you engage with government officials and what are they seeking from you?

It is our duty to keep law and order and faithfully guard the safety of every citizen. Hate is one of the many sources of disrupting the peace in a society and it is our responsibility to track down the source of such hate and work on mitigating it. We have an obligation to maintain a balance in the society. When we are at peace, we can generate peace and we can expect peace around us. Our words and actions should mitigate conflicts and nurture reconciliation and goodwill.


9) What are your next steps?

Ask not what the Parliament can do for you, instead, ask yourselves, what you can to to cultivate harmony among the world's religious and spiritual communities and foster their engagement with the world and its guiding institutions in order to achieve a just, peaceful and sustainable world.

Sister City programs, take the programs to every City

The international Summit on indigenous people is coming up in 2010

The International Summit on Indigenous Environmental Philosophy will provide a forum for Indigenous thinkers from around the world to gather in a retreat setting to discuss two important questions: - What distinguishes Indigenous Environmental Philosophy from Western Environmental Philosophy? - How should Indigenous Environmental Philosophy be incorporated in the international dialogue on Climate Change?
http://wisdomofreligion.blogspot.com/2009/12/indigenous-environmental-summit-2010.html

Programs like "experience the religion" will be initiated in February 2010, comprising ten workshops on the 3rd Sunday of every month

We have to find balance for the society, when others safety is considered, our own safety is guaranteed.

10) How can others become involved?

Log on to http://www.peacenext.org/ and
http://www.parliamentofreligions.org/
and get involved.

Mike Ghouse
~~~