Dear Friends,
The 2nd Annual Holocaust Remembrance is postponed till next year. Insha Allah, the Jewish and the Muslim communities will do it jointly and will invite other religious groups to join in. The whole world is one family, that is what every religion says, it is time we practice it. Initially we will be working and developing the concept of Holocaust to include all human suffering.
We hope over a period of time, people will be moved enough make a commitment that they will speak up when there is injustice, the least they can do is talk to the people they know. Justice has got to be for the whole world, what is good for one has got to be good for others. The Jewish community traditionally observes the day in April as Yom HaShoah, this observation is proclaimed by the United Nations.
It is our responsibility to cause peace and security for every human being. It is because some one before us has laid out a system that has offered security and peace for us. We know our kids can go to school and come home safely, we know that our family can go shopping in the remotest place in America and come home fairly safely (with exceptions). To have that balance in life, we have to return this to others who are less fortunate than us. Please join us in our efforts to create a better world for every human.
I will be out of town in Ann Arbor Michigan, conducting a workshop at University of Michigan on Pluralism. I hope to have the conference at least observe a minute of silence if not talk about it. Wherever you are, please honor the sufferings of all people, your people and the Jewish people in particular for the persecution they went through during the Nazi Holocaust Pogroms. At least in your own home, please light a candle and pray for the peace and empathize with the people who have endured the suffering.
May God bless us all with peace and good will.
Last years event:
http://www.foundationforpluralism.com/Images_HolocaustDay/HMD2006_ProgramReport.asp
More information at: http://www.foundationforpluralism.com/Holocaustday.asp
Mike Ghouse, President
Foundation for Pluralism – http://www.foundationforpluralism.com/
World Muslim Congress – www.WorldMuslimCongress.com
=======================================
December 29, 2006
To: The leadership of the World Muslim Congress
From: Elliott Dlin, Executive Director, Dallas Holocaust Museum
Re: Postponing observance of the UN declared commemoration of the Holocaust
At a meeting held in my office yesterday with Mike Ghouse and Bernie Mayoff, it was agreed that there is a critical need to offer more and stronger programs that will attract larger numbers of participants for the purpose of educating people about tolerance and understanding.
The UN declared date of January 27 for the commemoration of the Holocaust is a wonderful opportunity to unite a strong coalition of interfaith and international bodies in this community. This coalition will plan and will offer a series of major events, held each and every year, that will appeal to significant numbers of people and hopefully, will have a profound impact in this region.
However, to ensure the success of such an endeavor will require sufficient time to bring together all of the stakeholders, clarify the themes, agree on a focus, plan the events, and publicize them appropriately. Therefore, we suggest that the first of these events be held in January 2008, with the organizational work beginning immediately.
We sincerely hope that the World Muslim Congress will take a major leadership role in bring this vision to fruition.
======================================
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Foundation for Pluralism and the World Muslim Congress are organizing the 2nd Annual Holocaust remembrance on Sunday, January 28th, 2007.
On this Holocaust Remembrance Day residents of the Dallas / Fort Worth Metroplex come together as humans of all affiliations to learn to understand the suffering of The Holocaust; to develop an open mind and an open heart towards each other in the process of healing and repairing the world. [email protected]
Peace is caused by each one of us, just as atrocities are also initiated by individuals. It is our duty to cause peace, to initiate peace and to work for peace. Each one of us is responsible to create a better world for ourselves and for human kind. We have to work toward the belief that saving one life is like saving the whole of humanity.
In 2006 the United Nations proclaimed January 27th as a Holocaust remembrance day to commemorate the greatest atrocity the world had ever witnessed. In support of that, the Foundation for Pluralism organized an event on Thursday, January 26, 2006 to accommodate the Jewish Sabbath as January 27 fell on a Friday in 2006. Information on last year’s event can be found at http://www.foundationforpluralism.com/Images_HolocaustDay/HMD2006_ProgramReport.asp
Contact: Mike Ghouse (214) 325-1916
Foundation for Pluralism & World Muslim Congress.
2665 Villa Creek Drive, Dallas, TX 75234