Tulsi Gabbard
When a person thinks, I am a Christian, this other person is a Muslim, therefore he is my enemy, or I am a Muslim, this other person is a Hindu, therefore she is my enemy, they reveal their own lack of spiritual depth. No religion teaches this, and any understanding of any religion that adopts this divisive attitude proves itself false by doing so.Collection: Religion
I am a military police officer and I have served on two deployments; my first was to Iraq, in a medical unit, and my second deployment was to Kuwait, as a military police platoon leader.Collection: Medical
When I deployed to Iraq with my fellow soldiers, putting our lives on the line for our country, no one in the media questioned our patriotism because of our religion.Collection: Patriotism
This commitment to equality and justice for all are the ideals that our country was founded upon and what we continue to aspire to as people. We cannot be complacent, and must vigilantly affirm this again and again, as bigotry and hatred have an insidious way of seeping into our society.Collection: Equality
Finding common ground means reaching out with respect and aloha - despite the issues that divide us, despite the hurt, despite the fear - and recognize what unites us as human beings.Collection: Respect
I believe we can make progress on bringing true equality and fairness back to our government if we continue to work together and make our voices heard.Collection: Equality
My mom was a practicing Hindu, and my dad was a Catholic who practiced yoga meditation and karma yoga. My earliest memories are of the bright colors, beautiful sounds, and fragrant aromas of both Christian and Hindu celebrations.Collection: Dad
In the military, I learned that 'leadership' means raising your hand and volunteering for the tough, important assignments.Collection: Leadership
As a combat veteran, I know the cost of war.Collection: War
No matter where you're from, no matter what religion you practice, your ethnicity, race, or anything else - what is it that can bring us together as people? It is, what we call in Hawaii, aloha... sincere, deep love and respect for other people as children of God.Collection: Respect
Each of us wants to be free. But if we want to be free, we also need to appreciate that others also desire the same thing.
If we want to preserve the foundation of our democracy, it's vital that we find common ground that allows us to work for the greater good of this nation. This does not mean giving up our values. This does not mean swallowing a bitter compromise.
The cause of peace is too great for us to allow political disagreements or partisanship to stand in our way.
When I walk around my neighborhood, the grocery store, or the farmers market, I don't see Democrats or Republicans, Progressives or Conservatives. I see my brothers and sisters - living, breathing human beings with diverse and complicated stories, views, and desires that can't be packaged neatly in a box.
As a soldier, I stand ready to serve and protect and defend this country. And as a soldier, I know the cost of war. And as president and commander-in-chief, I will end these regime-change wars.
It's when we care for each other - choosing inclusion and love over division and hatred - that this great country is at its greatest.
Some Republicans are good, and some Republicans are bad. Some Democrats are good, and some Democrats are bad. There are good police, and there are bad police. There are good black people and bad black people. There are good white people and bad white people.
I am a practicing Hindu and have made no secrets about it.
These days, it's often women in uniform - moms, wives, even grandmothers - who deploy and leave their families behind.
We cannot afford to walk down that dangerous path of government overstepping its boundaries into the most personal parts of our lives.
I volunteered to deploy to Iraq. I was one of the few soldiers who were not on the mandatory deployment roster - close to 3,000 Hawaii soldiers were.
Hawaii is a special place because we have a very diverse population there, who are very respectful and tolerant of those who have differing opinions and different views.
I am privileged to be able to work for the people of Hawaii in whatever capacity.
It is clear that there needs to be a closer working relationship between the United States and India. How can we have a close relationship if decision-makers in Washington know very little, if anything, about the religious beliefs, values, and practices of India's 800 million Hindus?
Hopefully the presence in Congress of an American who happens to be Hindu will increase America's understanding of India as well as India's understanding of America.
Looking at someone in a deployed setting, it's not in their best interest to get pregnant overseas, but if it happens, it happens.
I chose to take the oath of office with my personal copy of the Bhagavad Gita because its teachings have inspired me to be a servant-leader, dedicating my life in the service of others and to my country.
When I started my campaign for Congress, I was one who people said, 'Tulsi, you have a bright future, but there's no way you can win.'
We have to put an end to the culture of selfishness and corruption that allows greedy Wall Street banks and executives to rip off working people without any consequences.
Sadly, the system in this country is rigged in favor of wealthy elites who have purchased tremendous influence in our government.
We need to stop judging individuals based on their race, profession, gender, religion, or anything other than their own individual behavior and character.
No member of any 'grouping' should be judged by the activity of some other individual in that same grouping.
Unfortunately, sometimes our leaders, for their own political purposes, want us to think in terms of categories and groupings. Our group vs. this group vs. another group. This must end.
As progressives, we care about the well-being of others. We are soft-hearted and have aloha, respect, compassion for others, and we don't like to see anyone suffering.
Hoping to garner the support of the American people, proponents of regime-change wars routinely cite humanitarian concerns to justify military intervention in foreign countries. But here is the reality: As a direct result of our intervention in Iraq and the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, human suffering increased dramatically.
There is no denying that the interventionist wars in Iraq and Libya that were propagated as necessary to relieve human suffering actually increased human suffering in those countries - many times over.
Nothing is more important to me, and nothing was more important to our founding fathers, than freedom of religion.
People in the Middle East, people everywhere, want peace. But unfortunately too many fail to recognize that that lasting peace can only be found with pluralistic, secular government.
We must remember that this nation was founded by people fleeing religious persecution, risking everything to find a place to be free to worship as they chose or not to worship at all.
I am a very firm believer in the Aloha spirit - respect and love for everyone, irrespective of their religion, race, sex, gender identity, or sexual orientation.
I am proud to be the first Hindu American to have been elected to Congress and now the first Hindu American to run for president.
While in the Middle East, I saw how quickly religious sectarianism and bigotry can lead to the disintegration of a country - how leaders manipulate people to fear others who are different, who look different, or who have different beliefs.
Growing up here in Hawaii, I loved swimming, surfing, and having fun in this paradise we are lucky to call home. But I gradually realized that I was actually happiest when I was doing things for other people, doing things to protect our water, oceans, and beaches.
Our nation was founded on the principle that our government should be of the people, by the people, and for the people - where all people are treated equally, and with respect, in these United States of America.
The best of our nation is exemplified by our nation's veterans who embody what it means to put service above self. Who have sacrificed their own personal interests out of a greater love for our people and our country.
In my past, I said and believed things that were wrong and - worse - hurtful to the LGBTQ+ community and their loved ones.
Every single American deserves to be treated equally by their fellow Americans and under the law.
The Taliban didn't attack us on 9/11 - Al-Qaeda did. That's why I and other people joined the military - to go after Al Qaeda. Not the Taliban.
I am deeply honored and humbled to represent the people of Hawai'i and will continue to do my best to bring the spirit of aloha to our nation's capital.
Our actions to overthrow secular dictators in Iraq and Libya, and attempts now to do the same in Syria, have resulted in tremendous loss of life, failed nations, and even worse humanitarian crises while strengthening the very terrorist organizations that have declared war on America.