Lantos Human Rights Awards Ceremony

Lantos Human Rights Awards Ceremony | www.TheGhouseDiary.com

Washington, D.C., Thursday, December 10, 2015 – The Tom Lantos Humans rights prize goes to; Rebiya Kadeer, an Uyghur Muslim fighting for the rights of Uyghur Muslims against the oppressive regime of China, Irshad Manji’s  mission is to help inspire individuals to exhibit the moral courage required to do the right thing in the face of fear, and Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a former Muslim from Somalia waging her battle against violence towards women. 

The ceremony was held at the congressional Cannon Caucus Room, Cannon House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 

We appreciate the Lantos Foundation for honoring these distinct women, even though some of us may not agree with some of their stances, we have to acknowledge their bold contributions to the society - stand up and speak up and make the way for a better society of equality and human rights. 

Katrina Lantos 

Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Irshad Manji

Rabiya Kadeer

 The organization was founded by the Congressman Late Tom Lantos, co-founder of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus and Chairman of the House committee on Foreign affairs. He will be remembered for his deep commitment to human rights. During his life, tom helped and inspired individuals around the world. Many more will feel the impact of his work for years to come.

Every religious community has ultra conservatives to ultra liberals and a whole range of moderates in between, and the conservative in Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism or any faith stand opposed to accepting any thing they consider liberal. 

Don’t know much about Rebiya Kadeer, but Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Irshad Manji were not treated with dignity by the uncouth men, just because they differed and had a unique life experience to share. It has happened with many others, instead of engaging, listening and searching for answers in creating effectively functioning societies by working with them, the conservatives among Muslims lost a treasure of knowledge and skills these reformers had to offer. It is still not late to engage with them. 

I spoke briefly with both Manji and Ali, and hope to invite them to a symposium to hear them out. They have advocated Human rights in Islam which must be admired. 

Its reflection time, we have to come together and solve the problems instead of rejecting each other. Problems are too big for us to be petty.

In the conclusion, Katrina Lantos Swett made a profound statement, "Well-behaved women seldom make history. Heretic, Rabble-rouser and Criminal are the words used and abused to describe many remarkable figures throughout history." 

She continued, “Each of the 2015 Lantos Human Rights Prize Laureates has a brutally beautiful story, one that has caused her pain and struggle, and, figuratively and literally, put a target on her back. These three women of Muslim heritage have overcome crushing cultural obstacles to achieve greatness in their own distinct ways, and deserve much more than our recognition - they deserve awe."

Even though the huge majority of Muslims follow and honor human rights, particularly treating women with dignity and honor, a streak is out there among us, indeed, among all communities that is utterly disgusting and misogynistic. It is a shame if we do not stop the abuse and mistreatment of women in our societies.

What does it take?  It takes courage on the part of moderate majority to speak out passionately against abuses of human rights within the Muslim community. We have a treasure of wisdom given to us in the Quran, and by the Prophet to create cohesive societies sans-oppression, and sans apprehension. These values have been grossly violated by Muslims, and equally misrepresented by those who have a gain to be had. Thus far, they have set the narrative; it is time for us to fix the problem as well as the narrative.

Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him summarized about women - he named three women as the model women to follow; Mother Mary, Aasia (who raised Moses) and Fatima (his daughter). What do they represent? To borrow Katrina Lantos thoughts, they were unconventional, non-conformists, and active women who withstood the tides against them.

Today's event inspired me to push myself to get my book about human rights published.

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

Aurangzeb the Mogul King, was he a tyrant?

Bhagvad Gita’s wisdom “Finding the truth is one’s own responsibility” turned my life around, when the awakening came, it was strengthened by what my Mother had said,” You alone are responsible for your actions (peace of mind), and for that, she said you’ve to question everything that is dished out to you. She dared, I am your mother and want the best for you, but when it is about the society you should find the truth on your own, including rejecting what I would say. She then concluded, truth sets you free from anger and ill-will. So her litmus test for truth is removal of hate, anger and prejudices in you. 

So, I am set out to find more about Aurangzeb, I read three different articles and the links are provided below. What I had read in the past was derogatory about Aurangzeb and I had concluded that he was a bigot, which I regret, as I am seeing a different picture of him now.  I want to understand the whole truth about Aurangzeb and remove my ill-will towards him if it were unjust.  I do not want to allow falsity make home in my heart. 

The first time, I have heard positive things about Aurangzeb were from Professor Shakil Samdani of Aligarh Muslim University.  He and I spoke at Asim Siddqui Memorial college in Badaun, and during our drive from Aligarh to Badaun, we had good conversation and was taken back to hear positive things about Aurangzeb, that he did not harass Hindus as was given to understand. 

Unless we question everything, we will be blinded by our hate and politics. Aurangzeb is perceived as a tyrant, even though to be fair to him, many Hindu's cite his land grants to the Temples, Gurdwaras, the multi-faith Members in his governance, earning a living by writing and selling copies of Quran, and not using the public funds for his own.  However, he was surrounded by his Chamchas who did not dare tell him when he was wrong. 

In June this year, I wrote a piece on pulling down the confederate flag as it represented a sad part of our (American) history, and a few days later it was pulled down. Now, the name of the street in New Delhi meets a similar fate, Aurangzeb Road is changed to Abdul Kalam Road. Wrongfully or rightfully Aurangzeb represented a symbol of cruelty to fellow Indians who are Hindus.

We the Indians have collectively bonded with hate for the tyrants from the past, we had many rulers who were tyrants, but somehow, a few kings are remembered with intense dislike, two of them were Aurangzeb and Ghazni. They have been symbols of friction between Hindus and Muslims and have been invoked in communal riots. Of course, you will find at least two Kings in every religion who were tyrants towards their subjects whether they were Hindus or Buddhists.

A few Muslims and Hindus may disagree with me, and that I welcome it as a part of learning to respect the otherness of others in a democratic set up. I believe Muslims are sick and tired of being blamed for the acts of Aurangzeb; they are blamed as if they committed the crimes!  Even if I were a grandson of Aurangzeb, should I be harassed for his acts? Should your parents be persecuted for your acts? Aurangzeb was for himself, like all other Kings be it Hindu, Sikh, Christian, Buddhist or other kings and he does not represent a Muslim in a democracy.

I hope this is a catalytic event to rename the road from Aurangzeb to Abdul Kalam does well for the Hindu and Muslim psyche. I pray that those few Hindus who carried the burden find Mukti from it, and Muslims have nothing to lose from it.  

However, not the moderate majority of Hindus, but the extreme right wing among them needs to question if what has been told to them makes sense. Is there a joy in destroying things that bear Muslim names for them? Does Hinduism teach this? What is next? Is the RSS hell bent on messing up with our history, do they represent the values of Hinduism? Is Hinduism Hijacked? I know the feeling, the moderate Muslims are still fighting the tiny puny group of extremists among us, now the Hindus have that fight on their hands. Do they believe in live and let live or live with hatred for Muslims. Hinduism does not teach anything they are practicing. 


It would be bad for India, if the extremists among Hindus want a pound of flesh, and want to turn our history upside down.   My friend Dr. Zafar Iqbal pointed out in a conversation that Aurangzeb would not give in to the British, so the British resorted to divide and rule and figured out a way to place a wedge between Hindus and Muslims by writing falsities about Aurangzeb. 

I know the pattern well. In my Radio show on the issue of Ayodhya way back in 2003, I quoted a letter of India’s Governor General from the India Gazette in 1853 – he wrote to the bloody King in England that the Muslims and Hindus have built a Ram Chabootra and have started getting along again, if these groups joined, that spells the end of British Raj! (http://mikeghouse.net/Aboutus/Dallas-Observer-on-MikeGhouse.htm )

  
However, together as Indian Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Jains, Buddhist and others, we need to preserve our heritage and faithfully guard our history. We must remove the hate for each other and live like equals - that is the right dharma. 

Let this change of name bring relief to our Hindu friends and remove apprehension for Muslims, that they can live freely without being blamed for Aurangzeb and no more griping and no more flipping the world upside down. Let’s get it over and move forward. 

Articles worth reading:

1. Aurangzeb vs Kalam, full article at http://mikeghouseforindia.blogspot.com/2015/09/aurangzeb-vs-kalam-indian-express.html

2. Was Aurangzeb really a bigot and tormentor of Hindus? A fair assessment by Hindu Scholars : http://caravandaily.com/portal/so-was-aurangzeb-really-a-bigot-and-tormentor-of-hindus-2/

3. Why we should oppose Aurangzebing of Aurangzebhttp://thewire.in/2015/08/30/why-we-should-oppose-the-aurangzebing-of-aurangzeb-9549/

4. Delhi was inspired by history and not bigotry

http://www.firstpost.com/india/renaming-aurangzeb-road-after-apj-abdul-kalam-new-delhi-was-inspired-by-history-not-bigotry-2416606.html

4. Erasing History
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/renaming-aurangzeb-road-after-apj-abdul-kalam/article7604307.ece

5.  RSS to push renaming the roads named after Mughals
http://m.thehindu.com/news/national/rss-to-push-for-renaming-roads-named-after-mughals/article7601138.ece

6.  Why Target Aurangzeb alone Mr. Kejriwal?
http://www.rediff.com/news/column/why-target-aurangzeb-alone-mr-kejriwal/20150901.htm

Mike Ghouse is a motivational speaker committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. His information is in 63 links a www.MikeGhouse.netand his exclusive writings are at TheGhousediary.com 

Interfaith film in the making and Carrollton interfaith meeting

Wednesday, November 09, 2011.
Monthly Interfaith meeting Sponsored by Horizon Unitarian Universalist Church, Carrollton
Hosted by Rev. Dennis Hamilton & Mike Ghouse

The Cities of Carrollton, Farmers Branch and Coppell have an interfaith group that meets on 2^nd Wednesday of the month, and each month one of the organizations hosts the luncheon and shares about their place of worship and what they do.  I am blessed to a part of this esteemed group for nearly five years.

Rev. Hamilton talked about diversity in language from Genesis and it was amazing how diversity is built into that chapter and indeed, in all holy books.

Interfaith gatherings are viewed with suspicion by less than 1% of people from any group, they rumor that it is for conversion and for some gain. There may be a case or two here and there, but they are  very rare, I am humbled to say that, I am blessed to have been a part of most interfaith gatherings than most people. Like everything else in life, about 1% of of any group tends to be suspicious, arrogant and gripped in phobias, you will find them in every religious denomination, religion, race, ethnicity and other groupings.   Interfaith is no exception, a few have commented on my forums and blogs that interfaith is a scheme to convert people or find out what is going on with the other ; a fodder for gossip.  I don’t know where it is true, but certainly not in the interfaith gatherings in Dallas/ Fort Worth area. The Carrollton group is very sensitive and have developed a great system and humorously we add, no conversion and no one has done that inthe last five years, I have been a part of it.

I have also been a part of a number of groups around the world,  including the Rev. Moon's Unificationist Church, I have never been asked to convert, instead they ask each religious group to express their own belief, as they believe and respectfully listen to the otherness of other. I have spoken in a number of their conventions and world wide gatherings, but never have I had the inkling of conversion.

Richardson has a Faith group that meets on first Sunday of every month; they do have a clear policy; listen to others and share yours. We had two gentlemen that came in and wanted to prove to others that their belief was right, which was ok with ever one, but when they say others are wrong, it messes with the cohesion of the group. In the matters of faith, no one is wrong if the belief works for them let it.  Fortunately, they did not come back, they need more time to cushion and understand that there is another point of view.

On my turn,  I talked about the essence of teaching of all the great teachers; to bring society to functioning again, where people can trust each other and go on about their ways. Religion brings a balance in a society where every one learns to respect other’s space, nourishment and nurturance.  Jesus, Moses, Krishna, Muhammad, Buddha, Nanak and all others were reformers who restored the trust and righteousness for the society to function well with the given differences.

Americans together is a documentary about Americans working towards building that cohesive society. Indeed, it is the vision of all the great teachers including Jesus, Muhammad, Krishna, Moses and others. Our Mission is to build a cohesive America, where no American has to live in anxieties, discomfort or fear of the other. Our founding fathers laid the ground work for such a society, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, and that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Martin Luther King Jr. expressed that in his speech, “I have a dream that our little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

Chief Seattle, a Native American said this perfectly, “All things are connected. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons of the earth. Man did not weave the web of life; he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the webs, he does it to himself."

The questions we face are;

1. What are you and I doing to preserve that web?
2. What are our initiatives?
3. What are the divisive issues?
4. How would we allay the prevalent phobias and fears?
5. What is your vision for America?

John F Kennedy, "Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country". We hope to capture your responses in a moving story about America. The occupy movement is a reflection of doing something about it. We need to channel that.

I salute the gentleman from the group, who was kind enough to mention that he did not agree with the idea, most probably about placing all religions on the same footing. I love that spirit. If all of us can disagree with civility and express it, instead of repressing it or agressing it out, life becomes so much better. This is what I mean by accepting the otherness of other, without having to agree and respecting the God given uniqueness of each one of us, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge.  

I shared the incident I had with Pastor Robert Jeffress who probably read the wrong translation of Quraan and said the things he said.  I thought he had backed off, but he repeated the denigration when he introduced Presidential Candidate Rick Perry. 

Here is an abstract from Dallas Morning News
http://www.dallasnews.com/news/columnists/steve-blow/20100919-In-defense-of-Islam-pursuing-9397.ece

Ghouse said he can understand fear and criticism of Islam because he went through a time of similar feelings. As a teen, he was troubled by passages of the Quran. He called himself an atheist for a while.

But he said deeper study led him to realize the Quran had been purposely mistranslated down through history. In the middle Ages, European leaders commissioned a hostile Quran translation to foster warfare against Muslim invaders. Later, Muslim leaders produced another translation to inflame Muslims against Christians and Jews.

"It was all for politics," he said. Ghouse said he hopes to present Jeffress with a modern, faithful translation and challenge him to find evil verses.

"If he can, I will convert. I will join his church," Ghouse said. "If he can't, I will call on him to retract his statements and become a peacemaker."

I was delighted to know that some of our members wanted to know the good translation of Quraan. By far the best available translation is by Muhammad Asad, even in this translation, there are two items that needs to be updated. The one you don't want to see is the one by Hilali Khan fraught with deliberate insertions in the translations to create ill-will between the people, most of the non-Muslims Islamic scholars based their knowledge on that false foundation.  Hilali Khan was a right wing Muslim like the right wingers in all Religions.    

I am looking for ideas and stories where people have done all they can to make America a beautiful nation, the heaven on the earth where no American is apprehensive of the other. We are one nation under God with liberty and justice for all.

 Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer committed to building a cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. His work is indexed at www.MikeGhouse.net
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