Sunday, December 18, 2016

Holocaust and Genocides - 12th Annual reflections in Washington DC

You are cordially invited to join us for this purposeful gathering.
Join us at 1:45 PM on Sunday evening in Washington, DC

XII Annual Reflections on Holocaust and Genocides

January 29, 2017 | 2:00 PM - 4:30 PM Sunday

Ashburn Mosque, 21740 Beaumeade Circle, Unit 100, Ashburn, Virginia 20147

RSVP- https://www.eventbrite.com/e/holocaust-and-genocides-12th-annual-reflections-tickets-30942394535

We are deeply committed to education and relentlessly pursuing to build cohesive societies and offer pluralistic solutions on issues of the day.

We have to learn to acknowledge and reflect upon the terrible things we have inflicted upon each other and have to commit to ourselves to resist the temptations to be prejudiced and stereotype others. We cannot demand peace unless we are peaceful ourselves.

Here is a video from one of our previous events: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uneRYgYfgWI

Many a organizations have joined in commemorating this event and are listed alphabetically. This is the 12^th year for the Center for Pluralism and other organizations have been doing for many years as well.

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A CRITICAL MESSAGE

There are over 100 Genocides and Massacres in just the last one hundred years. I have tried to recite them all, and it took me three hours just to recite the name, place, number of deaths, source of conflicts, perpetrators and victims of each occurrence.

Shame on us if we exclude any one of the Genocides and or ethnic cleansing or massacres. God bless us, we have not excluded any. An effort was made to hold an "All Day" Holocaust and Genocides event and failed , as no one registered for it. We are still open to it.

Part of the learning at this event is to think of other people's pain and suffering as opposed to being hung up with "Me, me, and my suffering alone."

So we chose to keep it to two hours and reflect upon Holocaust, as the anchor event and give a brief talk about a genocide, a genocide in making and a massacre. Over the years we have been able to cover at least 20 such human failings.

We will observe a minutes silence and ask each person attending the event to pay tribute to each one of such atrocity he or she is familiar with. However, we have videos listing most of the Genocides and here is one compiled a few years ago, and it is not complete either.

We want you to take the responsibility to go through the list and send us the corrected information, what is missing including the one's that have affected you deeply. We hope in the next few years, we would have list of every tragedy. Please remember we are a volunteer organization and all the work is done by the volunteers.

Kindly visit www.HolocaustandGenocides.com and see the many things we have done including pictures and reports over the last 11 years.

Mike Ghouse
Initiator of the program Holocaust and Genocides in 2006
Mike@CenterforPluralism.com | (214) 325-1916 Washington, DC

XII Annual Reflections on
HOLOCAUST & GENOCIDES

www.HolocaustandGenocides.com

This annual event is to reflect on human failings, acts of violence, massacres, ethnic cleansing, genocides and Holocaust with the intention of learning to prevent such happenings as an individual, and affirm, ”Never again”.

We hope each one of us would walk out with a commitment to do our share of the work in building a cohesive America, where no American has to feel apprehension, discomfort or fear the other. Indeed, safety of each one of us hinges on the safety of all others around us.

We have to learn to acknowledge and reflect upon the terrible things we have inflicted upon each other. We have to commit to ourselves to resist the temptations to stereotype others. We cannot demand peace unless we are peaceful ourselves.

There is a shameless cruelty in us, either we shy away from facing or refuse to acknowledge the sufferings of others, worrying that it will devalue our own or somehow it amounts to infidelity to our own cause. We cannot justify massacres arrogantly believing that the victims deserved it or asked for it.

Our safety hinges on the safety of others around us, and it behooves us to work for the safety and security of others on this little planet. We have to be continuously aware of the Holocaust and Genocides and prepare us to avert such tragedies.

It is an initiative of American Muslims, striving to build responsible civic societies, where justice and co-existence are our values.

HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE &
GENOCIDE AWARENESS*

2:00 PM -4:00 PM Sunday, January 29, 2017
ADAMS Ashburn Center, Ashburn, VA.

Website: www.HolocaustandGenocides.com

PROGRAM

Pledge of Allegiance & National Anthem

Purpose of Gathering

Moment of Silence to Commemorate Genocides

Holocaust Survivor Johannah Neuman

Summary of Genocides *

Signs of Demonization Leading to Violence

Audience feed back and their personal experiences

Interfaith prayers representing many faiths

Prayer break for Muslims

Fellowship

Friday, December 9, 2016

Changing the mood of America

At this point in history, we are going through difficult times. Whether you are on the right, left or the center, you are concerned about the liberties and freedoms of all Americans. The divisiveness, even though temporary, has caused us to lose trust in each other to function effectively as a nation.

So what can we do?

Our President John Kennedy had famously urged us, “Ask not what the country can do - ask what you can do for your country.” and Professor William James had written that our actions can change the moods.

Here is what we can to do to restore America where no Americans feels left out, but feels included in nation building.

Let’s close 2016 on a positive note, let’s come together as Americans, and celebrate our collective Festivals of Hanukkah, Christmas, Milad, Kwanza, Janamashtami, Gurpurab and the festivities of Native Americans, and other traditions including Atheist/Humanist. Each group will get to sing honoring their faith tradition.

When we are together, it is uplifting!
We can change our moods!

The following video has clips from Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, Milad, Janamashtami and other great celebrations. On the actual day of Festival of Faiths, Americans Together will celebrate their traditions.

Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjhbRkN7soQ
Details http://centerforpluralism.com/festival-of-faiths/
Attend RSVP – Eventbrite
Sing? If your group likes to sing Register@Centerforpluralism.com
List? Please send an email to Register@Centerforpluralism.com
Op-Ed Ask not what the President can do for us?” will be released soon
More http://Centerforpluralism.com/Workshops
Browse Tabs at www.Centerforpluralism.com
Event Celebrating America –Festival of Faiths on Sunday, 12/18 – 12 to 2 PM
Where Jefferson Memorial, Washington, DC

*****

Dr. Mike Ghouse is founder and president of Center for Pluralism aka Americans Together. He is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. All about him in 65 links at www.MikeGhouse.net

Tuesday, December 6, 2016

XII Annual Reflections on Holocaust and Genocides

Join us at 3:00 PM on Sunday evening in Washington, DC
A casual gathering.
You are cordially invited, its free
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Holocaust and Genocides

3:00 PM - 5:00 PM SUNDAY

JANUARY 29, 2017

We are deeply committed to education and relentlessly pursuing to build cohesive societies and offer pluralistic solutions on issues of the day.

We have to learn and to acknowledge and reflect upon the terrible things we have inflicted upon each other and have to commit to ourselves to resist the temptations to be prejudiced and stereotype others. We cannot demand peace unless we are peaceful ourselves.
There is a shameless cruelty in us, either we shy away from facing or refuse to acknowledge the sufferings of others, worrying that it will devalue our own or somehow it amounts to infidelity to our own cause. We cannot justify massacres arrogantly believing that the victims deserved it or asked for it.

Our safety hinges on the safety of others around us, and it behooves us to work for the safety and security of others on this little planet. We have to be continuously aware of the Holocaust and Genocides and prepare us to avert such tragedies.

RSVP: ConfirmAttendance@gmail.com

Detail of Past events at: http://www.holocaustandgenocides.com/

It is an initiative of American Muslims, striving to build responsible civic societies, where justice and co-existence are our values.

To all those, who have endured holocaust, genocides, massacres, bombs, annihilation, land mines, hunger, rape, torture, occupation and inhuman brutality, we say we share your fears and apprehensions.

The least we can do in the process of healing is to acknowledge every one's pain in one voice. We have begun the process of coming together as one people, to stand with you, we are indeed one world and a single humanity, and caring for each other brings safety and peace to all of us. I cannot be safe if the people around me are not, and I will not have peace if people around me don't. It is in my interest to seek a peaceful world for one and all.

We are working on initiating a course on tolerance education, so one day; we all can learn to have a heart that opens to the pain of every human, yes, we can do that.

Bringing people to understand the suffering of people has been my personal drive, I must say that through this program, many a non-Jewish people have come to understand about Holocaust for the first time. You can see pictures people from Atheist to Zoroastrians and every one in between has been a part of this event. And every one has shared a prayer in the events. We have to create the awareness to get people to become activits and speak up and say Never again.

Mike Ghouse
(214) 325-1916

Monday, July 11, 2016

Remember Srebrenica

Back in the Nineties, while I was watching the cable talk show, Phil Donahue and a Russian guy were talking. One of them discounted the rapes of Bosnian women in a shameless cavalier manner, as if the women (Muslim) meant nothing to him. By the way, as a disclosure, I was an Atheist then, but was outraged and could not sleep, went to my office and set my fax machines through Mac to fax non-stop to them to cut the crap out. The next day they stopped…. it was depressing… I can never forget the outrage I had felt.

Those were the bad times watching the massacre in Bosnia, Serbia and Herzegovina. When I watched this video from Aljazeera, my blood boiled again.

We organize an annual event called www.HolocaustandGenocides.com and had covered this event at that time. Christiana Amanpour’s documentary on the subject is admirable.

Dr. Peerwani from Dallas area had visited Bosnia and did the post-mortem on many and had a difficult report to share.

Thanks to Al-Jazeera for this video, way back in July 1995, around 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were killed in mass executions on July 11, 1995 by Bosnian Serb forces. This is where the bodies of those who have been found are laid to rest.

https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera/videos/10154460753433690/

Sunday, July 3, 2016

A Tribute to Elie Weisel, a great humanitarian

Elie Weisel has just passed away, may his soul rest in peace. I have been watching his picture in the wagon for many years and we had highlighted the picture in our programs at Holocaust and Genocides for nearly a decade.

I am pleased to share the tributes written by ADL and Parliament of World Religions.

Mike Ghouse
HolocaustandGenocides.com

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Elie Wiesel stirred the world with the necessity of madness

Courtesy : https://cruxnow.com/obituary/2016/07/03/wiesel/?mc_cid=bce73da150&mc_eid=d97a8b6779

Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor and Nobel laureate, died July 2 at the age of 87.

For Elie Wiesel, who died July 2 at 87 years old, madness was not insanity. It was rather the willingness, often in the face of incredible odds, to stand up for human dignity no matter what one's national identity, racial heritage or sexual orientation might be.

My first encounters with Elie Wiesel came during several early conferences on the Holocaust where he was a plenary speaker. I was amazed at the way he could silence a large ballroom with his message. It clearly had profound intellectual content, but most of all, it spoke to the heart.

Without the latter, the passionate commitment to remembrance and continuing human dignity that were the hallmark of Wiesel’s contribution to contemporary global society likely would have fallen on deaf years.

My encounters with Wiesel took on much greater depth when he graciously included me in the original membership of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, which was charged by President Jimmy Carter, with the unanimous consent of Congress, to erect a suitable memorial to the victims of the Nazi genocide in the nation’s capital.

This presidential appointment allowed me to participate in one of the most meaningful events of my life, as I worked with Elie and many other committed Jews and non-Jews in transforming Carter’s mandate into concrete reality.

During the years of work with Wiesel on the design and construction of the museum, I gained many insights from him as he worked through the often difficult process of deciding on what should be and not be included in a memorial museum located on some of the most sacred space in Washington.

Many of those insights have remained ingrained in my consciousness to this day.

On occasion, Wiesel would speak of the necessity of madness. For him, madness was not insanity. It was rather the willingness, often in the face of incredible odds, to stand up for human dignity no matter what one’s national identity, racial heritage or sexual orientation might be.

Early on in the process of building the museum, a wealthy benefactor offered to contribute the first substantial gift to the museum. But the offer had a condition attached. The donation depended on Wiesel agreeing that only Jewish victims of the Nazis would be memoralized in the museum.

The gift was tempting, because the U.S. Congress was pressing the Holocaust Council to get started on the museum, and its funding had to come largely from the private sector. Yet in the end, Wiesel declined the offer.

From there on in, he remained committed to memorializing all the Nazi victims, meaning the disabled, the Poles, gay people and Roma and Sinti (Gypsies). While Wiesel certainly recognized the special features of the Nazi onslaught against the Jews, he was committed to the principle that one can never prioritize victimization.

And so, the inclusion of all the victims in the museum’s permanent exhibits was settled.

One of the most trying moments in my relationship with Wiesel came on the occasion of President Ronald Reagan’s decision to visit the German military cemetery at Bitburg. Wiesel was deeply disturbed at the president’s choice, and publicly criticized it. He summoned a number of the members of the council to an emergency meeting in his office, myself included.

He expressed serious reservations about remaining the chair of the council. Resignation seemed the only way to protect his own integrity and that of the victims. After profound soul-searching with those of us in the meeting, he decided continuing his commitment to the erection of the museum had to take priority over his profound regret that Reagan’s visit had compromised the moral challenge that the Holocaust continues to place before humanity.

For me, these several hours in the room with Wiesel showed the depth of his own moral commitment and demonstrated how moral decision-making might emerge in very difficult circumstances.

Wiesel also showed great foresight in agreeing with a notion originally proposed by the late Hyman Bookbinder of the American Jewish Committee, a longtime social activist and a member of Carter’s original exploratory commission on the Holocaust, which eventually recommended the creation of the permanent council.

Bookbinder insisted that a future museum should not focus exclusively on memorializing the Nazi victims. It also had to include a futuristic dimension. Wiesel took up this idea, and made it a central part of the museum’s motto - “Remembering for the Future”.

He clearly saw the need for the museum to include programming with regard to any subsequent genocides through the creation of a Committee on Conscience. Though it took some time for this committee to see the light of day, because of political opposition and concern on the part of some survivors, Wiesel held firm to his support.

Today the museum is a major force in Washington on the issue of genocide, thanks to Wiesel’s persistence.

Finally, I cannot help but think about one of Wiesel’s most notable quotes as we today struggle to see our way through a time of continuing terror. Wiesel said that if we forget the victims of the Nazis, in effect we kill them a second time.

As I listened to the news about the terror attack at the Istanbul airport, this quote haunted me as the news media reported on how quickly the airport was reopened (the Turkish Airlines flight from Chicago to Istanbul was delayed only about fifteen minutes). I can certainly understand the desire on the part of the Turkish authorities to prevent the terrorists from any ongoing victory.

But Wiesel’s powerful comment must also challenge us against accepting such a situation as the “new normal”, as one U.S. government official put it. We must continue to mourn the victims of genocide and terror attacks, as well as the killing of so many in our urban areas. Otherwise such human destruction can easily become the “new normal.”

The final chapter of Elie Wiesel’s legacy has been closed by his death. But the passion of his vision for human dignity and the continuing challenge of his personal moral commitment grounded in his personal experience of victimization will live on. For me, they remain seared in the depths of my soul.

For this, I am grateful that our lives intersected.

Father John T. Pawlikowski OSM, Ph.D., is Professor of Social Ethics and Director of the Catholic-Jewish Studies Program at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. He served for four terms on the board of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and continues as a member of its Academic Committee and its Committee on Religion, Ethics, and the Holocaust.

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Jonathan Greenblatt of ADL writes;

Courtesy - ADL

We were deeply saddened to learn the news of the passing of Elie Wiesel, the Nobel laureate, Holocaust survivor, professor, and a longtime and dear friend of the Anti-Defamation League.

He was a Holocaust survivor who used the memory of his personal tragedy to spark worldwide awareness of the Shoah and the memory of the six million Jews. Through his books and his speeches, he emerged as one of the most important moral voices of the 20th century, a man whose message reached billions of people.

But the power of Elie’s voice lay in its ability to contextualize the Holocaust and to connect lingering outrage to contemporary action. He spoke out vigorously about the plight of Soviet Jewry; advocated for the repatriation of Ethiopian Jews in the state of Israel; spoke out on behalf of Bosnian Muslims during the Serbian Civil War; and called world leaders’ attention to the Rwandan genocide. Along the way, he acted as a global conscience, repeatedly reminding the world of the dangers of unchecked racism and anti-Semitism. He embodied, in both word and deed, the admonition of “Never Again!,” and sought to protect the downtrodden of all races and religions with unrelenting passion, determination and pluck.

Throughout much of his life, Elie remained a true friend of ADL and a staunch advocate for our efforts to combat global anti-Semitism, particularly in Europe. Elie was always willing to help in any way he could. Often, behind the scenes and publicly, he played a pivotal role in our efforts, whether as an advisor to our leadership, as an interlocutor in our interactions with diplomats and governments, or as a soft-spoken but undeterred voice against recurrences of anti-Semitism around the world. It was reassuring that Elie was always just a phone call away.

Most memorably, he and his wife, Marion, were frequently our guests at key moments in ADL’s history. He was one of the early recipients of the prestigious ADL Joseph Prize for Human Rights. In 2003, when ADL convened a World Conference Against Anti-Semitism in New York City, Elie delivered the keynote address, speaking passionately against the tide of old and new anti-Semitism sweeping across Europe, and calling on governments to do more to combat this pernicious hatred. In 2004, we praised his bold action of returning an award he received from the government of Romania in protest of the same award being bestowed on two anti-Semites.

We honored him on the occasion of his 75th birthday, and again in December 2013, when ADL presented him and Marion with the ADL Jabotinsky Prize for Courageous Jewish Leadership. The award recognized their combined efforts, working through the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity, to various causes, including that of supporting the needs of Ethiopian-Born Israeli youth. That same year he served as an honorary member of our Centennial Committee.

Almost a year ago, Elie joined us at a gala tribute in New York City in recognition of Abe Foxman’s 50 years with ADL and his retirement as national director. True to form, Elie once again delivered an impassioned appeal for the world to wake up to the forces of intolerance and bigotry that led to the events of the Shoah in the 1940s, and which again were being manifested in new guises in places such as Iran.

We will never forget his intellect, his passion, and his impact. May his memory be for a blessing.

Sincerely,

Marvin D. Nathan

National Chair

Anti-Defamation League

Jonathan Greenblatt

CEO

Anti-Defamation League

Thursday, February 25, 2016

10th Annual Holocaust and Genocides commemoration

X ANNUAL HOLOCAUST AND GENOCIDES COMMEMORATION | www.HolocaustandGenocides.com

The purpose of this event is education, information and activism. We hope to learn and acknowledge our failings and make a personal commitment to do our individual share of saying “Never Again”.

Event: 10th Annual Holocaust and Genocides
Date: Sunday, January 22, 2017
Time: 11:00- 2:00 PM
Place: TBD
Address: Washington, D.C.
Rsvp: holocaustandgenocides@gmail.com
Site: www.HolocaustandGenocides.com
Donations- http://americatogetherfoundation.com/donate/

We hope you will walk out of the event with a genuine feeling of being a contributor towards building a cohesive world where no human has to live in apprehension or fear of the other.

The Holocaust event has been commemorated by the Jewish community since 1953 for the loss of 6 million Jews during the Holocaust, known as Yom HaShoah in Synagogues around the world. The general public learns it by visiting the Holocaust Museums and educational institutions.

We at America Together Foundation are committed to spread the knowledge of Holocaust and Genocides through interfaith and public events.

Our format has been simple and consists of four parts: interfaith prayers, the Holocaust, Genocide (one or two each time), a Massacre, action items for individuals and the pledge of peace. Silently we acknowledge all suffering, but physically we are limited to a Genocide and a Massacre at one time.

I believe, when we acknowledge each other’s grief and participate in each other’s commemoration, we connect with the humanness within ourselves and seed the relationship of understanding and caring for each other.

There is a shameless cruelty in us, either we shy away or refuse to acknowledge the sufferings of others, worrying that it will devalue our own or somehow it amounts to infidelity to our own suffering, and every community and nation has suffered through this.

The purpose of this event is education; we hope to learn and acknowledge our failings and make a personal commitment to do our individual share of saying “Never Again”.

Our mission is to create awareness of the inhumanity within each one of us and hope to find the solutions.

The goal ought to be respecting the otherness of others and accepting the God given uniqueness of each one of us, anything short of that will leave unattended-sparks ready to flare up at short notice with the whiff of oxygen.

It is a bridge building event and we sincerely hope the attendees will walk out with the following understanding:

Other people’s suffering is as legitimate as mine;
It is easy to see ourselves as Victims, we must also see the perpetrator in us;
When we strip the politics out of a conflict, we see hope;
We can value others suffering without lessening our own;
The overriding desire to highlight our own blinds us from other’s suffering.
A sense of responsibility for creating a better world is awakened.

A initiative of American Muslims, organized by the Foundation for Pluralism, World Muslim Congress and America Together Foundation.

We are looking for participating organizations, sponsors and volunteers. Please text or call me at the number below.

References:

Our first event: Hon. Roslie and William Schiff, the Holocaust survivors delivered the key note, while people from many faiths participated in sharing scriptures from their holy books:.http://www.foundationforpluralism.com/Images_HolocaustDay/HMD2006_ProgramReport.asp

Holocaust and the Muslim guy: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/holocaust-and-the-muslim-_b_4629509.html

United Nations proclamations: http://www.un.org/en/holocaustremembrance/docs/res607.shtml

Dr. Ghouse is a community consultant, social scientist, thinker, writer, news maker, and a speaker on Pluralism, Interfaith, Islam, (Muslim). politics, terrorism, human rights, India, Israel-Palestine and foreign policy.

He is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. Visit him in 63 links at www.MikeGhouse.net and for his writings at www.TheGhousediary.com
Mike Ghouse
(214) 325-1916 | text or talk
SpeakerMikeGhouse@gmail.com

Saturday, January 23, 2016

The plight of Kashmiri Pundits

No human being should endure the humiliation and injustice. This is what makes the society less than civil.

The suffering of Kashmiri Pundit’s is shameful, and they have been thrown out of their own homes where they lived for centuries. It is time that we the people talk about it and resettle them back in their homeland.

No nation should ignore injustice to her citizens. I hope Mr. Modi can take care of this, it’s long overdue. It's painful what has happened to the pundits. We have addressed this issue in our annual Holocaust and Genocides programs over the last ten years, along with many issues around the word including the Sikh Genocide, Bangladesh Genocide, Gujarat Massacre, and Burning of Dalit Villages.

As humans, we should feel the pain for every human and rise about the religious lines; indeed, it is the sectarianism that breeds most of the conflicts.

The menace of terrorism must be dealt with appropriately. The war on Terror will not cut it, it is the dumbest idea ever floated by Bushmen, and it has not receded, but aggravated it further. A dialogue is critical, only the powerful have the ability to shape things for common good. Only the powerful have the ability to demonstrate their civility, our government should take responsible steps to restore justice to the Kashmiri Pundits.

Here is a video produced by Anupam Kher.
https://youtu.be/P-mX7k_Z8qs

Mike Ghouse
www.HolocaustandGenocides.com