"The community in India where I grew up was quite homogenous, so I was not confronted with issues of discrimination until I came to the United States in 1970. Discrimination is certainly not unique to the U.S.; in fact, compared to other countries I've visited, there is perhaps less here, but it does exist to a degree. When I first experienced it, I had to wonder why it was happening, when God created everyone equal. The Qur'an says: 'We have created you from male and female and made you nations and tribes that you may know one another.' It's clear that the more we make the effort to understand the people around us, the more we neutralize our differences and magnify our similarities.
"For the past 30 years, I've been involved in interfaith activities designed to break down barriers between people. In fact, there used to be an interfaith group that met in our home regularly to talk about how we could come together as people despite our differences. One of the keys, of course, is learning how to express differing opinions without the disagreement leading to dislike or even hate. It's like a family: You don't have to agree on everything, but you can still live in the same house and love each other.
"One of the things I've been involved in organizing over the years is the annual Memphis Interfaith Dinner during the month of Ramadan. One-third of the 450-500 attendees are Muslim; two-thirds are not. That's intentional. On that evening, we have a meal together (eating together is important), listen to talks by people of all faiths, exchange ideas, distribute awards for humanitarian service, and have a panel discussion. I want to continue to contribute in a humble way in any way I can to bring people together in peace."
"For the past 30 years, I've been involved in interfaith activities designed to break down barriers between people. In fact, there used to be an interfaith group that met in our home regularly to talk about how we could come together as people despite our differences. One of the keys, of course, is learning how to express differing opinions without the disagreement leading to dislike or even hate. It's like a family: You don't have to agree on everything, but you can still live in the same house and love each other.
"One of the things I've been involved in organizing over the years is the annual Memphis Interfaith Dinner during the month of Ramadan. One-third of the 450-500 attendees are Muslim; two-thirds are not. That's intentional. On that evening, we have a meal together (eating together is important), listen to talks by people of all faiths, exchange ideas, distribute awards for humanitarian service, and have a panel discussion. I want to continue to contribute in a humble way in any way I can to bring people together in peace."
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