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I stand with Prime Minister Modi

I condemn the convict who wanted to "Eliminate PM Modi." We cannot let individuals destroy our nation, anyone who believes in eliminating' the other amounts to an animal. God has given fangs, paws, and horns to animals to sort out their differences, whereas a tongue to humans to dialogue. Mohammed Rafiq, the criminal wants to eliminate Prime Minister Modi, and this must not only be condemned, but anyone who is involved in it must also be punished severely. It is a shame that he bears a Muslim name. I urge my Hindu, Muslim, Sikh Esai friends to keep this to only criminals and not make this a Hindu-Muslim conflict.

We cannot have lawlessness go to this extreme.

I am opposed to the policies of BJP/RSS, in the end, they are not good for India. The goons in the name of Sangh Parivar are harassing and killing people for being different, including several Atheist writers, because of that we cannot remain silent when someone threatens the duly elected PM. Two wrongs don't make it right.

Modi is duly elected by the people of India and must be honored, the political difference must be sorted out, and he should be criticized for the mistakes without any doubt, but respect him for he is chosen by the people. It is time to stand with the Prime Minister, and I do.


Blast Convict Re-Arrested After "Eliminate PM Modi" Audio Goes Viral

"The conversation was mainly related to finances about vehicles. But suddenly the 1998 serial blast convict Mohammed Rafiq was heard saying 'we have decided to eliminate (PM Narendra) Modi, as we were the ones who had planted bombs when (LK) Advani visited the city in 1998," the police said.

All India | Press Trust of India | Updated: April 24, 2018 10:13 IST
Blast Convict Re-Arrested After 'Eliminate PM Modi' Audio Goes Viral
1998 blast convict Mohammed Rafiq arrested In Coimbatore for plan to "eliminate" PM Modi

COIMBATORE:  The Coimbatore Police has arrested a 1998 serial blast convict Mohammed Rafiq after a recorded telephonic conversation went viral on social media in which he is allegedly heard saying he is planning to kill Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the police said.
According to news agency PTI, the police said that the eight-minute long conversation, which was circulated on social media, was between Mohammed Rafiq, who has completed a jail term in the 1998 blast case and lives in Kuniyamuthur in Coimbatore, and a transport contractor Prakash.

"The conversation was mainly related to finances about vehicles. But suddenly the blast convict was heard saying 'we have decided to eliminate (Prime Minister) Modi, as we were the ones who had planted bombs when (LK) Advani visited the city in 1998," the police said.
Coimbatore suffered a series of bomb blasts in February 1998 in which 58 people were killed and property worth crores was destroyed.

"I have many cases against me and have damaged more than 100 vehicles," the man can be heard telling the contractor during the conversation, the police said.

COMMENTSCoimbatore Police formed special teams to investigate the recorded conversation and verify the genuineness of the persons in it, the police said in a press release seen by news agency PTI.

The man has been arrested based on the conversation, it said
Posted by Mike Ghouse at 8:14 AM No comments: Labels: Coimbatore Blasts, Prime Minister Modi, Stand with Modi



 


We are Desis, and we fight like cats and dogs

In Greenwood, Indiana, a fight broke out in the Gurdwara; it reminds me of the battle a few years ago where the Sikhs were chasing each other with swords in a London Gurdwara. Don’t laugh, we are Desis, and we always fight.

Having visited many places of worship and connected with most ethnic communities, I have witnessed fights like this in Temples, Mosques and Churches and Gurdwaras of Desi Americans. We act in an identical fashion no matter what state we are from, or what country we are from in South Asia.  They have all fought from within and have split into two or three groups.

In Dallas, that is my hometown, the Bengali Association, Kerala Association, Pakistani Association, Bangladeshi Association and the Hindu Temple have all gone to the courts, as they could not sit down and talk with each other.  Hey, we are Desis,’ and we love to fight for no reason, we have to show the other to be an inferior being.  Let me make it clear; it is a just a handful of us in each group, not all of them. As long as we are a small group, we work together cohesively. But once we grow in size, we fight for control, even in America! I was in India in August 2017, and I could hear the same fights in the Mosque and the Temple several blocks away. I was tempted to go to calm them down, it has worked every time. I don't know what it is, people will listen to me.

In a Mushaera program, I was able to pull the big guy out of the hall before he could start the fight, and the same thing happened at the Hindu Temple - two guys got into hand and fist fight and others were joining them.  My printer and his wife were at each other's throats I pulled them apart and worried about him beating me up. Later on, while driving home, I was thinking - those guys could have thrashed me but they didn't, why?  The only answer I could find was, I had nothing to gain from it and they recognized it and listened. I always wondered why the British were afraid to mess with Gandhi, or why were they afraid of MLK?

Of course, there are many good organizations run very well by the Desi Americans, and that is the norm. What we usually talk is exceptions, as that is the only area that needs attention.

I must give credit to a few organizations, and one of them is India Association of North Texas. They are not free from conflicts and pettiness, but the majority of them are good people and follow the rules.  The elected officers respectfully step down and celebrate the past executives, unlike other organizations where they don’t.  Indeed, many of the organizations shamelessly disrespect the previous team, even in a sports association like Cricket.

IANT is an exemplary organization, and I am proud to be a life member of the organization. When I see the conflicts elsewhere, invariably, I talk about IANT in glowing terms.  When I retire, I will do my share of work in adding whatever I can to its inclusiveness. My late wife Najma admired each one of them for their volunteerism.  Dallas is my home and I will come home when I get the things done that I am set out to do; Establish and fund the Center for Pluralism.
If we can learn to respect the otherness of others and accept each other's uniqueness, conflicts fade and solutions emerge.

One Jagbish Singh from Indiana said it right, “The brawl does not reflect their religious teachings, it’s “only a couple of people, two or three people, who are making the problem for everybody.”  Indeed, all the problems in the world we have are three are four people.
Here is that story.

Links - https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/nri/us-canada-news/police-brawl-at-gurdwara-in-indiana-leaves-4-injured/articleshow/63777414.cms

REENWOOD, Ind. -- Police say a brawl at a Sikh temple in suburban Indianapolis has left four people with minor injuries. Greenwood Assistant Police Chief Matthew Fillenwarth says police and medics responded Sunday to a verbal and physical fight involving about 150 people at the Gurdwara Sikh temple in the city just south of Indianapolis.
CBS affiliate WTTV-TV reports the altercation began as there was a change of leadership within the temple that he says happens every two years. Fillenwarth says it's believed that there was a worship service going on when the fight broke out.
WTTV reports the ceremony in question can include daggers. Police were still investigating whether pepper spray or any weapons were used during the incident. No weapons were recovered at the scene.
Fillenwarth says four people suffered minor injuries and were taken to a hospital, where they will be questioned by police.
Police are reviewing surveillance video from the temple and interviewing other participants in the fight.

© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Posted by Mike Ghouse at 11:36 AM No comments: Labels: Dallas, Desis fight, IANT, India Association, India Speaker, Indian Speaker Mike Ghouse, Indiana Gurdwara brawl, Pluralist Mike Ghouse, Sikh Brawl, Sikhism


Modi Asks What He Did To Deserve Insults.

Not all the responses make sense, but some do


Courtesy - Scoopwhoop

PM Modi Asks What He Did To Deserve Insults. This Man’s Fantastic 22-Point Reply Is Going Viral

by Joshua Moraes

A Facebook post 'answering' Prime Minister Narendra Modi's question has gone viral on social media. Recently, the Prime Minister asked 'what he had done to deserve the insults' thrown at him by the Congress. In a Facebook post, Devdan Chaudhuri 'answered' the PM's questions in a 22-point reply. Here is the text in full:
Here is a brief list to answer your question Mister Prime Minister:
1. For destroying India's economy via Demonetisation and not taking responsibility for the damage it has done.
2. For destroying the traditional plural culture of our ancient land via organised polarisation - not just religious, but also regional, linguistic and cultural.
3. For destroying the profound teachings of Hinduism/ Sanatan Dharma by placing Savarkar's fascist Hindutva as Hinduism.
4. For continuing the charade of fake nationalism when your deeds and policies are only harming India.
5. For being a government - not of India - but of Hindutva forces, crony corporations and foreign vested interests - especially the Zionist global banking cartel.
6. For false promises and falsehoods which are being spread through multiple channels everyday.
7. For violating the principles of the Indian Constitution by introducing theocratic militant nationalism and anti-privacy/ anti-freedom Aadhaar.
8. For destroying the pillars of Democracy by de-fanging media and institutions - which are critical to offer any semblance of truth and justice.
9. For not listening to people and the diversity of voices - but to impose dictates via coercion and intimidation.
10. For being anti-intellectual and actively promoting the hatred of the learned and the educated.
11. For doing all the tricks in the book to curb dissent and freedom of expression.
12. For sinking all the human development indexes since 2014.
13. For waging a fake 'morality play 'of anti-corruption crusade when the real policies of the government point to the opposite direction.
14. For hiding from unscripted questions which the people want to ask you - no single press conference since you came to power.
15. For focussing on PR, publicity, events and propaganda, but not the real issues of the nation.
16. For ruining India's traditional 'non-aligned' foreign policy.
17. For instigating the ego - hate and greed - through your theatrical 'carrot and stick' speeches.
18. For surrounding yourself with sycophants who have no talent for governance.
19. For being obsessive about grandiose ideas/ misplaced priorities and failing to deliver.
20. For misunderstanding the meaning of 'development' by neglecting social justice.
21. For being pro-super-rich and putting the poor and the Middle class under the technocratic Neoliberal Economic policies which have hollowed out the West.
22. For raging a war against India via the toxic brew of Hindutva and Neoliberalism, and destroying the people's faith and trust upon the government.
And you ask, what I have done to deserve this?
Here is the original Facebook post:
Well, you can't say the PM didn't ask for it.

Posted by Mike Ghouse at 6:59 PM No comments: Labels: mikeghouseforIndia, Modi, rapists, Response to Modi, What did Modi do

Modi will Sink India if he does no reign in on the rapists

“Whenever adharma takes over a nation, it needs a Krishna to restore faith and trust in the society, and that Krishna is the collective consciousness of Indians resting in women, businessmen, and young men.  They have to take their nation back from irresponsible chaotic governance and restore the good old days of the past where people were not afraid of each other and lived their lives instead of battling their lives.” The brutal rape of an 8-year old and the 4 –year-old is beyond anyone’s understanding. It was a brutal rape and murder. I hope as a nation we condemn what is bad and encourage what is good regardless of the politics or religion of the individual.
This tragedy has united most of the Indians except a few party members of Mr. Modi and Mr. Yogi who are defending the rapists. What is disgusting is even women members of the party like Kirron Kher are discounting it by saying that the rape culture is not new in India.  With friends like her, BJP does not need enemies.
My first response was apprehension.  How difficult must it have been for the child to endure the last few minutes of her life? Several images of 8-year-olds ran through my mind and could not help feel the anguish and anger.  How must mothers and fathers feel if their daughter is out on her way to school?
My second response was, punish the criminals swiftly and restore the trust in society.
I hoped the Prime Minister, and each Chief Minister with the State Police commissioners will jointly announce zero tolerance and severe punishment to criminals who hurt innocent people. If they don’t, we the people need to harass them to do it. At last, we the people have a right to decide whom we appoint to govern us, and how they are accountable to us.
A Bill must be introduced in the Parliament that would require “married men and women” to run the public office, preference must be given to those candidates who have daughters. It is not to discriminate against single people but to ensure the men and women who are responsible for public safety have the heart to empathize with the pain of mothers.
I urge Modi and Yogi to get married, and I am sure they are potent enough for God to bless them with a daughter each to understand at least the anguish of fathers, if not mothers. Sloganeering is good, but their actions determine if they are shooting their mouth off, or if they respect every man and woman of India.
I would appeal to the moderate members of the BJP to take bold steps and correct the mistakes and restore justice and the rule of law in India.
Ms. Prathiba Prahlad from New Delhi was one of the first few individuals in the nation to express her outrage well, and it reflects the sentiments of most mothers of India. Prathiba is a Dancer, Scholar, Culture Specialist, Festival Director at DIAF, Padma & Sangeet Natak Akademi Awardee.
“I’m sick in the pit of my stomach & in deep, deep anguish! Just imagine what horrendous pain, fright & brutality little baby Asifa would have gone through! I’m ashamed of our politicians, I’m ashamed of our society, I’m ashamed of myself & my helplessness! I wish I didn’t live to see this day! India – hang your head in shame … so many of our children, adolescents & youngsters are brutalized every other day! And we call our land a holy land??? A holy land filled with ugly, twisted, violent, brutal, heartless, soulless psychos who commit beastly crimes in the name of religion, caste, honour or just because they view the innocent & the vulnerable an easy prey ??? This land can never be holy unless justice is done to these innocents – unless laws are amended, justice is fast-tracked & the guilty are castrated, tortured & publicly killed … they don’t deserve a trial for god’s sake – even at the risk of being termed undemocratic!”
Whenever adharma takes over a nation, it needs a Krishna to restore faith and trust in the society, and that Krishna is the collective consciousness of Indians resting in women, businessmen, and young men.  They have to take their nation back from irresponsible chaotic governance and restore the good old days of the past where people were not afraid of each other and lived their lives instead of battling their lives. We did not have the lynchings, harassments, and murdering of people who differed with us. We did not regulate what one should eat, and that freedom had offered relative peace.
Why should a mother support BJP?  What security she has for her daughter if these men don’t feel the pain of the mothers? Women tourists are scared to go to Modi’s India and Yogi’s Taj Mahal for fear of being raped. Is this the India we want?
Ban those lawyers from practicing the law for defending the rapists, and ban the politicians from holding public office if they support and abet rapists.
I am not sure if Modi has the guts to do it, but I urge him to take action before people completely write him off.
I urge Hindus and Muslims to feel the pain together and never let the divisive men pit Hindus against Muslims or vice versa.  Let them be the losers and not the general public.
What we need is sane voices – and not a Hindu Muslim conflict which the politicians would love it, but you and I will lose it.   In the last two months, we had two fathers; a Hindu and a Muslim; two great heroic fathers in India. Each one of them lost their sons to hate by Muslim and Hindus each, but the patriotic fathers urged the politicians keep calm and not allow them to pit one group of Indians against the other.  It must have been painful for them not to seek revenge.  I hope Mr. Modi honors them as heroes of India. More at http://mikeghouseforindia.blogspot.com/2018/04/a-way-out-of-hell-forgive-them-for-they.html
Warning to Indians
Let this be a warning to Indian businessmen, Indian women, and all the young people who are enjoying a good life at this time. All of this will come to an end if Law and Order are not restored.
Modi and Yogi have nothing to lose, but ordinary people do, it is their livelihood.  Much of our prosperity hinges on foreign direct investments, export of software and contracting work and tourism including medical tourism.
If the investors continue to see the chaos, rape, communal strife, lynching, harassment, and restrictions on what one eats and who he or she marries, they will pull out of India. Who wants to invest in a place where their investment is not secure?   Would you invest in Burma, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Ethiopia and even Pakistan?
(The author is the president of the Center for Pluralism in Washington, DC. He is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day.)
Posted by Mike Ghouse at 5:01 PM No comments: Labels: #India, #Modi, #NarendraModi, #Rape, #RapeCulture, #YogiAditynath, Asifa, BJP, India Speaker MIke Ghouse, Indian Speaker, rapists, Unnao


A Way out of Hell - Forgive Them for They Know Not What They Do


It is so good to read this piece by Rohit Kumar; God bless him.

One of the best articles I have read on saving people from hell.  Yesterday, I wrote in my Blog admiring two heroes – Imam of Asansol and father of Ankit Sharma and I hope Mr. Modi, the Prime Minister, will take a bold step and celebrate these two individuals as our national heroes.  May God help the PM to do the righteous deed and encourage what is right.   These two men have restored Dharma that was promised by Lord Krishna, and have taught us how to build a peaceful India upon which prosperity rests.

Rohit  may like this article – No one goes to hell at http://centerforpluralism.com/hell-fire-knocks-evangelicals-and-muslims-out-of-the-flock/

Thanks to Wire for producing great articles for Indians, we have to wake up our fellow beings, and the wire is appreciated for that.


On Easter, a look at people who, by avenging wrongs done unto them, could have instigated communal riots and yet chose to take the difficult high road of forgiveness. There is a scene towards the end of Richard Attenborough’s 1982 movie, Gandhi, where the late Om Puri, playing the role of a Hindu man whose son had been killed by Muslims, bursts onto a terrace where Gandhi, weakened by weeks of fasting, is lying on a bed.

The man throws a chapati at Gandhi and shouts, “Eat! I’m going to hell but not with your death on my soul.”

“Only God decides who goes to hell,” the Mahatma responds quietly.
“I killed a child. I smashed his head against a wall!” the man screams.
Gandhi winces and asks, “Why?”

The man’s eyes well up with tears, “They killed my son, my boy. The Muslims killed my son.”

“I know a way out of hell,” Gandhi whispers. “Find a child. A child whose mother and father have been killed. A little boy about this high; raise him as your own. Only be sure that is a Muslim and that you raise him as one.”

The man backs away slowly, with a crazed look on his face, stops, and then turns around and falls at the Mahatma’s feet, sobbing like a child.

I, like countless others, have watched this movie many times over the decades since it first released – sometimes on DVD and sometimes on YouTube, but most often on television when it is shown on October 2. I just realised, however, that I have probably watched it more in the four years since the BJP came to power than in the 32 years preceding it, probably because of the concerted and unabashed way in which powers that currently be, are trying to consign the Mahatma to oblivion, dismantle his legacy and reduce him to a pair of glasses and a logo for an abhiyaan that is attempting to make Bharat swachh.

It is now easier than ever to mock Mohandas and more fashionable than ever to make fun of his foibles. Unfortunately, it has also become easier than ever to question the relevance of the satya and ahimsa he taught in 21st century India. That is, till someone comes along and practices what Gandhi taught and also “shows a way out of hell” by their life and actions.

Consider Imam Rashidi of Asansol, whose son was killed in the communal violence that recently gripped the city. The murder of a 16-year old – and that too the son of a religious leader – is the kind of thing that can envelop a town in communal flames and then burn it to the ground. But the Imam did something completely unexpected. He appealed for peace. A father feeling the greatest pain a human can feel – the loss of a child – did not give in to the desire for revenge.
Instead, he said, “I want peace. My boy has been taken away. I don’t want any more families to lose their loved ones. I don’t want any more houses to burn… I will leave Asansol if there is any kind of retaliation… If you love me, you will not raise a finger. I have been an Imam for the last 30 years. It is important that I give the right message to the people – a message of peace. I need to get over my personal loss.”

The Imam’s response brought tears to my eyes, as it did, apparently to the eyes of those gathered at Eidgah Maidan in Asansol to hear the Imam speak. He showed us a way out of hell.

Earlier this year in New Delhi, Yashpal Saxena, whose only son Ankit Saxena was murdered by the family of the Muslim girl he loved, displayed the same fortitude of spirit when he refused to let the incident become communalised. Of this incident, activist and author Harsh Mander wrote, “By affirming that he bore Muslims no ill will, Yashpal Saxena, whose only son Ankit Saxena was murdered by the family of the Muslim girl he loved, demolished one of the most widely used rationalisations for communal hatred… (He) rejected what I call the Doctrine of Vicarious Guilt… the idea that an entire community must collectively carry the guilt for crimes – real or imagined, committed now or in history – which any of its members may have perpetrated.”

Yashpal Saxena too, through his grief and pain, has shown us a way out of hell.
And who can ever forget that most brutal of murders fifteen years ago when Graham Staines, a missionary in the jungles of Orissa was burned alive along with his two sons by members of the Bajrang Dal. His bereaved widow, Gladys Staines, in what must have been the most difficult decision of her life, managed to look past her own grief and responded with, “I have forgiven the killers and have no bitterness because forgiveness brings healing and our land needs healing from hatred and violence.”

Her words, published and broadcast far and wide in newspapers and on TV channels, Indian and otherwise, gave us all pause. Her act won genuine respect and deep admiration from many.

As Christians around the world celebrate Easter, homilies will be given on peace. Christ’s forgiveness of the Roman soldiers who carried out his crucifixion, will be remembered: “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do” What is perhaps not that well remembered is that about 60 years after the crucifixion of Jesus, the Apostle John (one of Christ’s disciples who was originally a fisherman and who died of old age and not martyrdom like his contemporaries) said:

If a man say, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar: for he that loves not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? (1 John Chapter 4, verse 20)

A simple, yet profound check and balance for those who are driven by religious fervor and ‘love for God’, so-called.

It is heartening to see while there are those in India like Dara Singh, Babu Bajrangi and Shambulal Regar (not to mention the state machinery which not-so-tacitly and sometimes even tacitly encourages the spilling of blood), there are also those like Gladys Staines, Yashpal Saxena and Imam Rashidi who have transcended their anger and chosen to be peacemakers. For the latter, we are forever grateful, for they show ordinary folks like the rest of us that in the face of the most blatant provocation to stoke hate and retaliate, we always have a choice.
Rohit Kumar is an educator
Posted by Mike Ghouse at 9:44 AM No comments: Labels: Ankit Sharma, Imam of Asansol, Rohit Kumar, The wire, Way out of hell. Pluralism