Source: www.hafsite.org
WASHINGTON, D.C., June 7, 2010 (Press release): In a busy week of interactions with Obama Administration officials, on May 24, Hindu American Foundation (HAF) co-founder and member of the Board of Directors, Nikhil N. Joshi, Esq., attended an invitation-only White House Reception recognizing Asian-American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. President Barack Obama made brief remarks to the approximately 200 leaders and elected officials representing various faith communities from across America congratulating them for contributions to American culture and the U.S. economy. Joshi listened as President Obama reiterated the importance of the White House celebrating Diwali, among other significant religious holidays, as a means to provide uplift and recognition to all communities calling America home.
“As a Hindu, it was an honor to join the President in celebrating the positive impact of having a diverse nation.” said Joshi after the event. “We are pleased that the White House continues to include members of all communities in this important event, which can only help remind our nation and its leaders to adhere to our longstanding pluralistic tradition of inclusiveness, respect and understanding.”
Earlier, on June 7, Sheetal Shah, HAF’s Director of Development, joined a group of prominent academics, interfaith leaders and advocacy groups at the White House for a half day conference entitled, “Advancing Interfaith and Community Service on College and University Campuses.” The conference, organized by the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships along with the Interfaith Youth Core, explored President Obama’s initiative of building bridges between faiths through interfaith service projects.
“It was gratifying to see a number of representatives from the Hindu, Buddhist, Jain and Sikh faiths alongside members of the three Abrahamic faiths.” said Shah. “The importance of this interfaith service initiative cannot be understated because, as Professor Stephen Prothero so eloquently wrote afterwards, ‘while race was the problem of the 20th century, religion is the problem of the 21st century.’ It is imperative that we begin developing an interfaith understanding at the college level.”
Shah also attended a presentation by US Agency for International Development (USAID) focused on Indian-American capacity building on Thursday, June 3. While HAF does not currently provide on the ground development work in India and is therefore ineligible for USAID grants, Shah added that the Foundation could potentially assist those Indian organizations that are providing valuable services.