Pluralism News, April 1, 2018
In this issue
- Congratulations to Tufail Ahmad
- Festivals of Apri
- A few events in Washington
- Articles to read and reflect.
Previous week’s News Letter: https://centerforpluralism.com/good-news-from-the-center-for-pluralism-april-8-2018/
Montgomery County Service Awards
Congratulations to Tufail Ahmad, Brian Frosh, Linda Plummer. Tufail Ahmad is a community leader. The Montgomery County Government has awarded the highest community leadership award for service to Tufail Ahmad, chairman of the MCMF Board. He is an exemplary leader in the Montgomery County and is known well for his service to humanity.
Festivals of April
Next week
Festival of Ridvan – Bahá’í. 11 April (Saturday) – 2 May
The essential Baha’i festival. In these 12 days, in the garden outside Baghdad after which the festival is named, Bahaullah declared himself the Promised One, prophesied by the Bab. The first, ninth and twelfth days are especially significant and are holy days when no work is done. It is during this period that Baha’is elect all their governing bodies.
Festival of Adar Mah Parab – Zoroastrian 22 April (Sunday)
On the ninth day of Adar, the 9th month, Zoroastrians celebrate the birthday of fire. They pay visits to the fire temple to make offerings of sandalwood or incense, and to thank the holy fire for the warmth and light it has given throughout the year. Traditionally on this day food is not cooked in the house as the fire is given a rest and the Atash Niyayeesh or petition to the light is recited in honor of the house fire or the ceremonial oil lamp.
Events in Washington DC
A comprehensive DMV calendar in the making waiting for sponsors http://dmvcalendar.com/
Sunday, April 15, 2018 – 5 PM to 7 PM Dinner and dialogue
Know your neighbors – dinner conversation at Chinmaya Mission Event Brite
Wednesday, April 18 – 6-9 PM –
Seminar on protecting the places of worship at Event Brite
Wednesday, May 2, 2018. 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM at Capitol Hill
Election Challenges to Indian Democracy – Event Brite
Sunday, May 6, 2018 – 12-4 PM at Civic Center in Silver Spring
American Muslim Senior society’s conference on Healthy Aging
Phone (301) 327-6828 | web http://www.Amss.org| Lorena Silva a Lorena@amss.org
Sunday, May 6, 2018 – 3 – 7 PM at Rock Creek Park, Picnic area 24
Jewish Islamic Dialogue Society – RSVP to herbcl1@gmail.com
Articles to read and reflect
Gang Rape and Brutal murder of an 8-year-old girl in India
I urge Muslims and Hindus to feel the pain together and never let the divisive crooks pit Hindus against Muslims and vice-versa. Let them be the losers and not the general public.
My first response was, “All the mothers and fathers who have a daughter are apprehensive. Unless the criminals are punished swiftly, the trust in society will be hard to restore. I hope the Prime Minister and Chief Ministers of each state jointly announce zero tolerance and severe punishment to criminals who hurt innocent people. If they don’t, we need to harass them to do it.” https://centerforpluralism.com/rape-and-brutal-murder-of-a-child-in-india/
Why am I a Hindu? By Shashi Tharoor
As I have explained in my recent book, Why I Am a Hindu, the fundamental thing about Hinduism is that it is a religion without fundamentals. There is no founder or prophet, no organized church, no compulsory beliefs or rites of worship, and there is no uniform conception of the “good life,” no single sacred book. https://centerforpluralism.com/why-am-i-a-hindu/
Why am I a Muslim? Mike Ghouse
I was searching for a pigeon hole that fulfilled my needs of universality. I wanted a religion that respected all of God’s creation, where everyone was treated with dignity and equality. I wanted a religion that contributed to the well being of the society and nurtured harmony and served justice. I wanted a religion that did not claim exclusive claims to salvation. A sense of guilt would choke me even to think that one religion is superior to the other. My search template was clear to me. http://worldmuslimcongress.org/why-am-i-a-muslim/
Holocaust and the Muslim Guy
The first commemoration lifted a huge burden off me. I felt the relief. This event was my calling – to build bridges. William and Rosa Lee Schiff, the holocaust survivors, delivered a talk for over an hour – and there was pin drop silence.
There are incredible stories associated with this journey. There was harassment, threats, bias, and prejudices from across the spectrum. Each group was about me, me and my pain. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/holocaust-and-the-muslim-_b_4629509.html
What is Pluralism?
Pluralism is an attitude of “Respecting the otherness of others” and “accepting the God-given the uniqueness of each one of us.” You are who you are, and I am who I am, neither one of us has to compromise the uniqueness of our faith, race, culture, nationality, and language. Our purpose is to acknowledge the differences and live with least conflicts.
We are a non-profit organization, and your donations are appreciated. https://centerforpluralism.com/donate/
What do we do at the Center for Pluralism
It is all in a Summary at home page https://centerforpluralism.com
Pluralism is an attitude of “Respecting the otherness of others” and “accepting the God-given the uniqueness of each one of us.” You are who you are, and I am who I am, neither one of us has to compromise the uniqueness of our faith, race, culture, nationality, and language. Our purpose is to acknowledge the differences and live with least conflicts. Pluralism News is the weekly publication of the Center for Pluralism. You can access this anytime through www.PluralismNews.com. We will be happy to speak to your congregation, students, friends. We can conduct a workshop in building a cohesive community, workplace or society. Pluralism does not mean compromise or appeasement; it is simply a development of an attitude for living with others with least conflicts. Please email to Mike@CenterforPluralism.com
Interfaith Marriages
Marriage is indeed an expression of a commitment to s relationship between two individuals. The men and women who take the bold step to become one regardless of their origins, faiths, races, and ethnicities must be applauded. They are setting an example of how to live in harmony despite their differences. Interfaith marriages are becoming the new norm of the society. In a few years, one out of two unions would be of interfaith. Yes, this is across the board, whether you are a Muslim, Jew, Hindu, Christian, Sikh, Baha’i, Atheist or the other. According to the Pew survey, 40% of people of faiths will be marrying a person of another religion; it is higher among Jews, it is 50%. Details at – www.InterfaithMarriages.org
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Mike Ghouse
Center for Pluralism
Washington, DC