Holocaust and Genocides: Speaker Mike Ghouse

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Saturday, December 22, 2012

Reflections on Holocaust and Genocides - 6th year

PRESS RELEASE

December 21, 2012

VI Annual Reflections on Holocaust and Genocides
4:00 PM - 7:00 PM Sunday, January 27, 2013
Unity Church of Dallas, 6525 Forest Lane, Dallas, TX 75230
Rsvp to: ConfirmAttendance@gmail.com
www.HolocaustandGenocides.com

ANNUAL ANCHOR EVENT: Holocaust
HIGHLIGHTED: Sikh Genocide

Every year we have reflected on different aspects of Genocides and Holocaust, this year, we will highlight the Sikh Massacre of 1984 and address Rape, Stereotyping, Human Rights, Oppression, Bangladesh Mass Rapes and the idea of standing up for others. All Grim subjects, but we have to face them, at least once a year. It keeps our humanity intact. Holocaust continues to the be anchor event.

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 cause. Shame on us that we justifying massacres by believing and propagating that the victims deserved it or asked for it, or simply turn the face.

To paraphrase Sir Edmund Burke, “evil continues to flourish not necessarily because of evil men, but more so because good men do nothing about it.”

The Massacres we witness against a group of people, are pent up frustrations and unresolved issues that reaching a boiling point and hurt everyone involved. As civilized societies, we need to bring a closure to the issues, which happen through forgiveness, apology and restoration of justice.

Education is the purpose; we have to learn, acknowledge and reflect upon the terrible things that we humans have inflicted upon each other, and to we have to understand that our safety hinges on the safety of all others around us. It is a comprehensive event where all human failings, massacres, genocides and Holocaust will be addressed in one fashion or the other.

We invite sponsors, facilitators, speakers, writers from individuals and organizations to make this happen. It is an initiative of American Muslims striving to build responsible civic societies, where justice and co-existence are our values.

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, but 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

· Ultimately co-existence and every one's safety and peace should be the driving thought.

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.

Every organization that is willing to subscribe to the idea of co-existence is invited to participate, sponsor, and volunteer.

We invite you to submit a 250 word essay on the issue that agonizes you; please offer your solutions with co-existence in mind in another 100 words. Selection will be based on the comprehensiveness of the thought.

Please send an email to: HolocaustandGenocides@gmail.com

Dr. Harbans Lal, Event Chair (817) 446-8757

email: japji@tx.rr.com

Mike Ghouse, President (214) 325-1916 -
email: SpeakerMikeGhouse@gmail.com

America Together Foundation
Foundation for Pluralism

2665 Villa Creek Dr, Suite 206
Dallas, TX 75234

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Sikh Massacre Observance, Euless Gurdwara

DRAFT

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Sikh Genocide Observance
Gurdwara Sikh Sangat
1400 W Euless Blvd, Euless, TX 76040

12:00 -1:30 PM
URL http://holocaustandgenocides.blogspot.com/2012/11/sikh-massacre-observance-euless-gurdwara.html

....................................

"The first response from those who support killing of other people is usually, "they asked for it", "we are fine now and there is no need to mess it up with these programs" and a few more extreme thoughts. These ideas are born out of their inability to deal with the situation and find solutions. Nothing was really fine, if it was, this would not have happened. The idea of this and other programs is to understand the issue, beware and remove the cancerous cell that is destroying the fabric of the society. No one needs to be blamed, but together, we need to remove the root cause. All of us deserve Mukti, an ironic element that one will not have, if the other does not.

Education is the purpose; we have to learn, acknowledge and reflect upon the terrible things we (humans) have inflicted upon each other, and we have to understand that our safety hinges on the safety of all others around us. In a given society there is a spiritual balance that allows each one to pursue his or her own happiness, when some one affects that balance, it hurts us all. There is a perpetrator in us that silently endorses the crimes by not speaking up and ultimately suffers from within, the law of karma is operative within every soul. No one goes scot free." Mike Ghouse, Chair, Annual Holocaust and Genocides event, Dallas.

Click pictures for larger version - more pics at the link
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeghouse/sets/72157631922541157/show/

A seven minutes video clip about the Sikh Massacre
http://www.sikhgenocide.org/nov1984.htm

Dr. Pritpal Singh opens the event

Speakers include: Dr. _____, Mike Ghouse, Dr. Todd Collier, Saji, Richardson Police Officer, Cynthia from DOJ, Sulaiman Hemani and Dr. Pritpal Singh.

Plaques for the guest speakers

Ardas (concluding communion prayers)

Langar - Vegetarian Lunch served, a Sikh tradition around the world.

A few pictures

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeghouse/sets/72157631922541157/show/

More pictures will be added.

The Sikh community was honored at the 8th Annual Unity Day USA event, n September 11, 2012 - Pictures from the event are as follows: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeghouse/sets/72157631762797919/show/

The Sikh community reaffirmed the right values when tragedy befell on their community in the Wisconsin shooting. Indeed, their response to the Wisconsin Gurudwara massacre was exemplary and reflects the teachings of the Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism and every one of the spiritual masters from Zarathustra, Confucius, Moses, Krishna, Mahavira, Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, Baha'u'llah, and other great spiritual masters. Your leadership in building a cohesive America is greatly appreciated by all.

We have a special program on Sunday, January 27 to reflect on the Sikh Massacre

http://HolocaustandGenocides.blogspot.com

Speaker's notes below

Sikh Genocide Observance

Last week, I posted an upcoming event "Remembrance and Reflection: 1984 Sikh Genocide (posted below)" at Dallas Indians, a 1800 member group in the Dallas area for all Indians. I am glad a few friends called in and sought clarifications. It is always good to inquire and find out before building up emotions against it. The event is on Saturday, November 3rd at Noon.

Then I read a beautiful personal story by Kirpal Singh from Melbourne, who shared the story of stereotyping Muslims in Nigeria and alluded to bringing a closure to the Sikh Massacre in India.

The humorous part of the story was, one of the callers was cursing Muslims that they do not understand free speech, and yet, he asked me not post events like this, he believed it was divisive. Indeed on the surface it does sound like it, but when you read the entire note, you will find otherwise.

You might get away refusing to oblige your spouse or a child's request... or even compel them to obey you...but it builds resentment if not dealt with squarely, it puts a damper on the enthusiasm of the relationship and no one lives in peace. If there is a murder, child abuse or sexual abuse in the community, we cannot sit quite, we have to find a resolution so the victims can leave in peace, and justice is meted out to the abuser.

Taking the example to India - The Kashmiri Pandits, Dalits, Muslims, Christians and Sikhs have been treated unfairly and unjustly on occasions, especially when it comes to killing a large number of people. The wounds remain unhealed for the communities and every one lives with un-ease, discomfort and apprehension. Silence or Money compensation is not the way to repair the damage, but an acknowledgement is the way to go. An apology will heal the wounds for the entire society. We need to seek Mukti from the gnawing conscience, and no ones Karma will go unbalanced.

When Queen Elizabeth visited India a few years back, she apologized for the Jalianwala Bagh Massacre, that was the right thing to do and we welcomed it. There have been many more good examples of healing like that.

About six years ago a film was made by Memnosyne Foundation, "One source many paths" where I represented the Muslim community and 47 other people represented other faith traditions. Uma Mysoreaker, president of the Hindu Temple in New York represented the Hindu Community. The Hindus and the Native Americans shared their pain about the forced conversions by Muslims and Christians alike, while Muslims also have been a target of prejudice after 9/11. I apologized for the wrong doings done by Muslims kings like Aurangzeb and Ghaznavi and individuals like Bin Laden.

The healing was done when a Native American offered a Bandana to be received as a closure, a Christian minister gracefully accepted it, .. every one remained silent and absorbed the moments, some of us cried, including me, it was indeed a relief. It is also an acknowledgement that we the people (living now) have nothing to do with what was done, and yet, we owed an apology as the wrong doing was committed in the name of the religion or the land we shared.

The Chapters on Pandits, Dalits, Muslims, Christians and Sikhs can be brought to closure by acknowledgment of the wrong doing, its not going to go away by hiding from it. Humility builds bridges, that is what every religion teaches; to be humble. It is wrong, and dead wrong to believe that we are all against each other, we are not, some of us are, but we need to work cohesively to make India a greater nation by being on a higher moral ground of shedding the arrogance or pretending that, we do not have a problem.

The Sikh Massacre is obviously not brought to the closure, mass graves have been discovered and the identified remains have been given back to their families, but there are hundreds of kids, women and men missing from that period. An accounting needs to be done to bring a relief to families as to what happened to their loved ones. We are all in this together without blaming the past and to find solutions.

The bad guys are not Muslims, Sikhs, Christians or Hindus, the bad guys are those who went on a rampage and hurt fellow Indians be it in Delhi, Gujarat, Bihar or Orissa. No one should go Scot free, an apology from them individual wrong doers, forgiveness from the victims or lawful action is in order to restart

STEREO TYPING

This is the most common form of ignorance that surfaces every minute of the day in our lives. Our freedom to think is lost when we stereotype people and fall in the ditch when we justify it. If we want others to treat as fairly, we have to do it too.

If I murder someone, it is my heine that needs to be hauled off to the jail and mete out the deserved punishment under the law and serve justice. Stereo typing in this instance would be to blame my race, parents, siblings, spouse, nationality or religion, it is not wise, is it?? Yet we do it and let others do it without even imploring them to think. What has India or Islam got to do with my criminal act?

Shame on you and I to allow the mind to believe that the murder by a black man allows us to gossip that blacks are criminals, and start justifying some creepy facts to suit our beliefs. Oh well, the educated ones are not… that is even wronger than the first statement…Are all white people ruthless and war mongers? Are Muslims terrorists? Jews will get you one way or the other?

Catch yourselves in your stereotyping, where you make judgments about a people

We reflect on Holocaust and genocides every year, and one of the element is stereotyping. Details about the VII Annual Reflections on Holocaust and Genocides at www.HolocaustandGenocides.com

Kirpal Singh's story is at url- http://wisdomofreligion.blogspot.com/2012/10/sikhs-genocides-observation-in-dallas.html

Event information from the Sikh Gurdwara is as follows:

Remembrance and Reflection: 1984 Sikh Genocide

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

The DFW Sikh American Community extends its invitation to you for our event "Remembrance and Reflection: 1984 Sikh Genocide". We aspire to share the tragedy which unfolded and provide recognition to an event which has withered away in the annals of history. We seek to provide conversation and engage with our audience to ensure dark moments such as these never occur again and that justice prevails. As the great Martin Luther King stated, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."

We urge and request everyone to attend

When: Saturday, November 3, 2012 from 12 PM â€“ 1 PM
Where: Gurdwara Sikh Sangat 1400 West Euless Blvd. Euless, TX 76040

All our educators, our law enforcement officials, our elected officials, people of faith and in short all our fellow Americans are humbly requested to take advantage of this opportunity. We will highlight and recognize the fundamental principles of this great nation which was on prominent display during and in the aftermath of the Wisconsin massacre of how a nation is to respond and respect its citizens. This fundamental principle must be brought to the forefront for all to appreciate and fathom.

Sikh Americans have been an integral and constructive part of the DFW community for over 50 years and we invite you to share in our experiences and a history which permeates within all of us.

The institution of langar (community kitchen) will be in full effect in which everyone is requested to partake and have a delicious vegetarian meal. So please come by and ask your questions, eat and drink some food, or just engage with your neighbors.

For any questions or comments please contact:

1. Gurvinder Singh

469.222.6288 gurvinder.singh@unitedsikhs.org

2. Manmohan Singh 469.733.5190 m.singh.180@gmail.com

3. Manpreet Singh

972-415-7897 kingmani15@yahoo.com

4. Pritpal Singh

214-505-6375 pritpaltx@yahoo.com

We will be honored and look forward to your presence.

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Mike is a speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, interfaith, politics, foreign policy, Islam, India, Israel, peace and justice. He is committed to building a cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. He is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, commentator on national radio network, writes weekly at Dallas Morning News and bi monthly at Huffington post and several periodicals. His daily blog is www.TheGhousediary.com

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Muslims commemorate Yom HaShoah

Muslims join Jews in commemorating Yom HaShoah. The best thing you can do to support Jews in their most solemn moment of history is to visit the Holocaust Museum in your city and attend the Yom HaShoah commemorative prayers in your local synagogues this week.

The history, Wikipedia, “Yom HaZikaron laShoah ve-laG'vurah” known colloquially in Israel and abroad as Yom HaShoah and in English as Holocaust Remembrance Day, or Holocaust Day, is observed as Israel's day of commemoration for the approximately six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust as a result of the actions carried out by Nazi Germany and its accessories, and for the Jewish resistance in that period."

"In Israel, it is a national memorial day. It was inaugurated in 1953, anchored by a law signed by the Prime Minister of Israel David Ben-Gurion and the President of Israel Yitzhak Ben-Zvi. It is held on the 27th of Nisan (April/May), unless the 27th would be adjacent to Shabbat, in which case the date is shifted by a day In other countries there are different commemorative days—see Holocaust Memorial Day.”

Holocaust survivor Rosa Lee Schiff and Mike Ghouse at Temple Emanu-El

Last year I was at Temple Emanu-El and was got to meet my favorite lady, the Holocaust Survivor, Rosa Lee Schiff who and her late husband William Schiff were the key note speakers at the first Holocaust commemoration after the United Nations proclamation in 2005.

Lao Tsu’s prayer of peace explains the need to participate;

If there is to be peace in the world,
there must be peace in the nations.

If there is to be peace in the nations,
there must be peace in the cities.

If there is to be peace in the cities,
there must be peace between neighbors.

If there is to be peace between neighbors,
there must be peace in the home.

If there is to be peace in the home,
there must be peace in the heart.

Peace on earth let it begin with me,

While listening to the notes of the Holocaust Survivors read by their family members tonight, I was in literal coma, grasping the pain and the betrayal of the world during the most difficult of times for the Jewish community. I sincerely wish the world understands this pain.

Muslims took the initiative to pray and commemorate the Holocaust event annually since the United Nations proclaimed it in November of 2005. Education was the purpose; we have to learn, acknowledge and reflect upon the terrible things we have inflicted upon each other, and we have to understand that our safety and security hinges on the safety of all others around us.

Every year we bring people of different faith together to reflect upon the Holocaust and Genocides and make a personal commitment to speak up, whenever we see a sign of massacre and genocides that is the least we can do.

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 cause. Shame on us that we justifying massacres by believing and propagating that the victims deserved it or asked for it.

Pictures from the first year: https://picasaweb.google.com/FoundationforPluralism/HolocaustCommemorationByMuslims#5278725516349736482

2009 - https://picasaweb.google.com/103008603429198136501/People?authkey=mki9LXwkPSA#5451204111018475202

Pictures for the last five years are at www.HolocaustandGenocides.com

We sincerely pray that the following understanding continues to develop in our hearts;

Other people's suffering is as legitimate as mine; It is easy to see ourselves as Victims, but 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 ultimately co-existence and every one's safety and peace should be the driving thought.

To all those, who have endured holocaust, genocides, massacres, bombs, annihilation, land mines, hunger, rape, torture, occupation and inhuman brutality, we say you are not alone. 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.

Mike Ghouse is the founder of this event and is committed to building a cohesive America, where no Americans has to live in apprehension or fear of the other. He is a speaker, thinker and a writer and offers pluralistic solutions on current issues. His work is listed at www.MikeGhouse.net

Monday, January 23, 2012

5th Annual Reflections on Holocaust and Genocides in Dallas

The 5th Annual reflection on Holocaust and Genocides was held on Sunday, January 22, 2012 at Unity Church of Dallas in Texas.

Education was the purpose; we have to learn, acknowledge and reflect upon the terrible things we have inflicted upon each other, and we have to understand that our safety and security hinges on the safety of all others around us.

We sincerely the following understanding continues to develop in our hearts;

To all those, who have endured holocaust, genocides, massacres, bombs, annihilation, land mines, hunger, rape, torture, occupation and inhuman brutality, we say you are not alone. 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.