The Sunday Island’s Interview with HH Younus AlGohar

The following is the transcript of Steve A. Morell’s interview with His Holiness Younus AlGohar, the CEO of Messiah Foundation International. For the piece published in the Sunday Island Newspaper, visit this link.

 

Mir L Ali, Chairman of MFI says a few words about love.
Mir L Ali: Love, harmony, unification. These are the terms currently used; it is something we have to work on and that’s what our mission is all about. We say, ‘Love for all, hatred for none.’ His Holiness travels all over the world and talks about love. Love is sorely lacking in this day and age. Let’s hear His Holiness.

HH Younus AlGohar: Love stood out in our previous conversation and love will still stand out. Nothing supersedes love; that’s not the issue. The issue is: how to be able to love. We should ask ourselves, ‘What is stopping us from loving each other?’

Everybody knows about love; everybody wants to love, but what we see today in the world is hatred.

You cannot kill anybody for love. Obviously, when people are being murdered and slaughtered under the banner of religions, it is not love.

You cannot kill anybody in love, whether it is human love or it is divine love.

Steve Morell: The message of love that you have given is a broad message of love. Now let’s take it, say, from the time we spoke last. Have you noticed from the people that you speak to that they are getting attracted to what you say?

Well, they are all over the world, in many countries of the world. There are thousands of people who have actually been waiting to hear such a voice, such a message.  All those who want to learn to love they are adhering to our message and to our practice of spirituality. The scope is really high and people are becoming part of this struggle for peace and love.

Let’s assume that they have already been listening to and they have converted to what you say. Has there been a reversal in their ideas at some time? Or will they find that something else is lacking in their lives and just the mere concept of love is not enough?

The concept of love – if it is limited to phraseology and it is not practised under the principles of spirituality – then it is just fake; it is not love. Love is deeply rooted in the heart.

When we give people message of love, we are not just talking about love. We are actually offering people to learn the practical approach and methodology of love which will come from spirituality.

Once a person is spiritualised and the negativity from that person is diminished with the help of spirituality, then that person will always love no matter what happens. He will not go back to the same condition that he previously was in. So it’s not just the message, it’s not just about listening; it’s about adopting spirituality to become spiritualised.

Let’s talk about human frailty. Human frailty can also mean that they are looking for something more in terms of loving a person, loving a thing, etc. Have you experienced that in your teachings in your travels around the world? Maybe in Sri Lanka?

Spirituality is not just about love; it is a whole package. So many people in the world are suffering from different known or unknown ailments; obviously, the ailments are the result of the evil forces that we are not able to see.

But once you are spiritualised, you actually succeed to build up in you a spiritual strength which will protect you against those negative forces.

You become a better human being, you become stronger, you are not vulnerable to any evil thoughts and you are not vulnerable – either spiritually or physically – to anything alien to your soul and your body.

We have four great religions in this country: Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam – and [others]. All these religions teach love. Is there something more that you can tell them?

Well, you can understand: all these four religions that you just mentioned teach love. Look at the result: are they really teaching love? Do we see love either in Sri Lanka, Pakistan or anywhere else in the world? There are mosques, there are temples; there are monks, mullahs and pandits – and they are all claiming to teach love but we don’t see love in practice. Something is missing in their message.

This is the point –

This is the point.

What really is missing?
 
What is missing is the spiritual system which will allow you to purify your heart.

The organ of love is your heart; if that is not activated, you will never learn to love. You will talk about love, but you will never appreciate love. You will want to be loved, but you won’t know how to love.

Somehow or other, something will come in between: your desires, greed, your ego or some other negative deterrent. You will never be able to love. In order to be able to love we need to purify the heart.
Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Christianity, Judaism – all these religions are pure religions but now spiritual system in them is lost. Buddhism stands for enlightenment. It’s not enlightenment of the body; it’s enlightenment of the soul. And when we say, ‘Enlightenment of the soul,’ it doesn’t mean we are going to put a bulb inside the soul and it will light up.

Enlightenment is all about [subtracting] the negative traits and bringing divine inside our character.

We are reading Quran, Bible, Bhagvad Gita and Vedas – but we are just reading it; nothing is going inside.

Our body is involved but our soul and our heart are not involved in the religions. This is why we are not learning to love.

Although the mosques and temples are filled with people who worship there, their hearts are empty. The negative/evil forces are having an enormous amount of effect on their mind and their souls.

Human frailty in any case someday supersedes whatever we want to think. So based on human frailty, how can we sustainably continue to have the concept of love – and loving somebody else and getting that person to love you?

From your birth until this age, a human being always needs a shelter, a helping hand or somebody to look up to when in need – and ask for help.

A human being is never self-sustained. He always in need somehow or other to seek help. When you are a child, you seek help from your mother. When you go to school, you seek help from your teacher. Even when you become mentor in life, you need help.

There are times in life when a human being would feel he is empty, incomplete and he needs some help from divine powers.

That is the case. You are always in need of some help. In most cases, nobody can help you; nobody is able to help you because you are in such a situation. Only the divine will help and we are teaching people how to be in contact with the divine.

For example, we have terrorists roaming about the world and committing all sorts of crimes. People do not know how to react; people do not know how to protect themselves.

The [army of] the United States of America has been in Afghanistan for more than a decade and still that can’t do anything about it with all the weapons, with all the might and power – because they needed God’s help. God’s help will come when you are in contact with God, when God is notified that somebody down there needs his help.

We should be able to make contact with God. Although in every religion we say, ‘We should say prayers and God will listen to our prayers,’ God has created a system and we have to adopt that system – only then God will hear your voice – and that system is spirituality.

You have been here for a reasonable amount of time and you have spoken to people here in Sri Lanka. What has their reaction been to the message you are giving?

The reaction is wonderful, tremendous. We are teaching people to love each other and uphold their integrity of being a Sri Lankan first, then become a Singhali, then become a Tamil and then become a Muslim. This is very important for them and they should be able to learn to respect each other’s religious or ethnic background. That will come only when your heart is purified enough.

So, you’ve had some responses?

Of course, the response is quite satisfactory and the future is bright. I mean, people who are part of our organisation in Sri Lanka – there are all sorts of people: Tamils, Singhalis, Christians, Buddhists – they all respect each other and they message is getting across different ethnic groups now.

Do you meet at a given time, given venue and how often do you meet?

Well, the physical meeting will only take place when I am in Sri Lanka. Otherwise I give a lecture every day in an online conference from London. People who want to listen to me join this conference online. When I come here programmes are organised, I participate and a lot of people come, sometimes in the thousands. I am invited by different organisations in Sri Lanka: by Christian organisations and by Hindu organisations. The response has been really good so far.

In your trip this time will you meet many people?

Yes, I will be meeting a lot of people this time. I am going to different cities for lectures.

And you will be giving the message of love?

Of course.

And you will be conveying to them exactly what we have discussed?

In more details, yes.

Love heals.

Yes, genuine love, not fake love: genuine love that your soul aches for.

You don’t need lectures from people to love others. You should have this genuine love, feeling and pain for others, regardless of their religious backgrounds. That will happen when the soul is awakened.

Genuine love that will come from your heart will let you forget ethnic backgrounds and religious backgrounds.

When you have genuine love in your heart, you will only see, ‘He is a human being, she is a human being. They need love, they need respect.’

When you don’t have genuine love, even when you feel love, there are a lot of things here and there which will make you stop. For example, ‘He is Tamil! He is Singhali! He is Christian! He is Buddhist! He is Muslim!’ There are so many things that roam about ourselves.

Can you be as eclectic as you are now in holding an audience, say for 30 minutes, maybe an hour, and having them completely enthralled in what you are saying? And once they leave they will take the message that you have just given them?

Whenever I spoke to people I was welcomed. People were really thrilled, happy and they rejoiced. This is why they come back again; this is why they are changing. I am not a magician.

What I mean is, you can be a catalyst for change.

I hope to do so. I have to bring about peace and change. You can’t change the face of the world in one day.

No, you can’t.

It takes time, it’s a long struggle. But I must tell you: global, spiritual revolution is on the way. And this world will become a place of love and peace.

That is coming?

That is coming for sure: a revolution where love will prevail.

Is there anything else you’d like to say?

That is enough if people understand it.

Thank you.

I am always pleased to see you.