Hinduism, Islam Discussed at San Francisco Ladies Consular Corps Luncheon

By Elaine Pasquini


	Ratna Prakash (l) and Dr. Thoraya Elkhadrawy (Staff photo E. Pasquini.)

“I BELIEVE that knowledge is power and ignorance is our worst enemy,” Dr. Thoraya Elkhadrawy told the Ladies of the Consular Corps and special guests gathered at her San Francisco residence April 11. “The only way to understand, respect and live in peace with each other is to learn about other religions and cultures.”

Following a luncheon of Egyptian specialties, Elkhadrawy, wife of Egyptian Consul General Abderahman Salaheldin, and Ratna Prakash, wife of Indian Consul General B.S. Prakash, spoke on their respective religions—Islam and Hinduism.

Prakash, dressed in an exquisite silk sari from her native homeland, discussed the origins and sacred texts of Hinduism, India’s oldest religion. Stressing that her faith is not just a religion, but also a way of life and a philosophy, she explained, “Everyone is free to interpret the religion in his or her own way.”

The tenets of Hinduism include the belief in an absolute formless Brahman—a source of energy found in all forms of life—that life is a cycle of births and deaths, and that all life is sacred.

“Every denomination of Christianity and Islam is practiced in India,” Prakash stated, “and India is a country where Jews are always welcome.” In closing, she reminded her audience: “We need to remember the commonalities in our religions, not the differences.”

“Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world,” Elkhadrawy told her guests. “Its powerful appeal is based upon its simplicity, recognition of other monotheistic religions, and compassion.” The elegant physician explained Islam’s origin dating back to the 7th century. “The Qur’an, as revealed to the Prophet Muhammad, did not come to replace the great revelations made to Abraham, Moses, and Jesus,” she explained, “but is simply repeating the message that God sent to human beings that they must surrender themselves—body, heart, mind and soul—to God and try to create a just and decent society where all human beings are treated with justice and respect.”

Reiterating her Consular Corps colleague’s sentiments, Elkhadrawy affirmed, “We should spend more time focusing on the same compassionate peaceful message that all religions try to bring to our human race.”

Jordanian Ambassador Al-Hussein Honored at Bay Area Reception


Jordanian Ambassador to the U.S. Prince Zeid Ra’ad Al-Hussein (c) with the Honorary Consul of Jordan and Mrs. Kamel Ayoub (Staff photo E. Pasquini.)

The Honorary Consul of Jordan and Mrs. Kamel Ayoub hosted an April 16 reception for Jordanian Ambassador to the United States Prince Zeid Ra’ad Al-Hussein. The informal gathering at Burlingame’s Sheraton Gateway Hotel gave members of the Bay Area’s Arab-American community the unique opportunity to speak one-on-one with the affable ambassador. Mingling enthusiastically with the guests, the 44-year-old father of two was particularly interested in the children in attendance, and graciously posed for photos with many of the guests. Among the crowd were prominent community and religious leaders.

Earlier in the day the ambassador visited California’s world famous high tech companies headquartered in Silicon Valley and also met with San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, who will visit Jordan in May. Al-Hussein and Amine Kherbi, Algeria’s ambassador to the United States, were guests of honor at a luncheon hosted by TechWadi, the leading networking association for Arab-American professionals in the technology industry.

Not Guilty!


	Jes Richardson being arrested for civil disobedience on San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge in 2007 (Staff photo E. Pasquini.)

“Shame on you! Shame on you!” These were the words Jes Richardson voiced that sparked his removal and arrest by Capitol police at the Nov. 6, 2007 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing to confirm Michael Mukasey as U.S. attorney general. The California activist’s exclamation was directed at his senator, Democrat Dianne Feinstein, as she was attempting to explain her support for the Bush nominee. Richardson, along with his fellow Code Pink members—and many of Feinstein’s constituents who were unable to protest at the hearing—opposed Mukasey’s stance on torture and refusal to declare waterboarding as an illegal interrogation method.

On March 11, following a two-day trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia and the jury’s one-hour deliberation, Richardson was acquitted of the charge of unlawful conduct on Capitol grounds. During the trial Richardson’s attorney, Mark Loudon-Brown of the Graduate Fellowship Program at Georgetown Law, asked him, “Why did you speak out that day?” The defendant responded, “Because I don’t want our children growing up in a country that condones torture.”

Activist Lobbies for Anti-War Resolution


Alan Barnett protests the Iraq war (Staff photo E. Pasquini.)

Forty years after Mill Valley resident Alan Barnett successfully helped lobby his town council to adopt a resolution urging then-President Lyndon B. Johnson to “immediately formulate a policy of peace in Vietnam and an orderly withdrawal,” the 80-year-old activist is trying to do the same regarding the Iraq war. While the council adopted an anti-war resolution in 1968, 17 years later it changed its official policy to “not take a position for or against issues which are state or national in scope…” Barnett and fellow members of the Marin Peace and Justice Center are trying to change the city’s position.

In a March 19 op/ed in the Marin Independent Journal, Barnett opined, “Councils that refuse to consider proposals brought to them on state and national issues because they are not local are abridging their citizens’ right to be represented by their council members.”

Hundreds March for Peace


	San Rafael City Council member Greg Brockbank speaks at a March 15 peace rally (Staff photo E. Pasquini.)

“Nurture not Torture” and “Healthcare not Warfare” were just two of the sentiments expressed by some 300 protesters carrying signs and banners at a rally and march in San Rafael commemorating the fifth anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion and occupation of Iraq. Members of Seniors for Peace and the Gray Panthers were prevalent in the crowd, along with parents who brought their young children and pets. Next Generation and the Peace Action Group sponsored the March 15 event, which featured music and speeches in the small town’s downtown plaza. Speakers included San Rafael City Council member Greg Brockbank and anti-Vietnam war activist and writer David Harris. Brockbank related his unsuccessful effort to have his city council adopt a resolution condemning the occupation of Iraq. Bemoaning the financial cost of the war, Harris said, “We don’t have the money and we can’t pretend we do.”

Elaine Pasquini is a free-lance journalist based in the San Francisco Bay Area.