Thursday, December 31, 2015

Results for Muslims

Results for America Together Foundation, World Muslim Congress and the Foundation for Pluralism. 

There are many outcomes we desire.  Here is what we have done and continue to do, and if this appeals to you, we ask your support.

Conflicts fade and solutions emerge when we learn about each other, and demystify the myths about others.  

What have we done? It’s a successful three fork strategic action plan; engage with TV, Print and Radio Media, engage with polarized minds and, be a catalyst in social integration.

All our work is about taking the relationships from detached estrangement to positive engagement with successful outcomes, almost all our activities are bridge building in nature. 

1. Positive engagement with Fox News, instead of running away from it. We chose to work with Sean Hannity and Stuart Varney, who finally promised not to use the phrase “Muslim Terrorist” or bash Quran.  I have been on Hannity for six years and have appeared on 110 TV shows and innumerable Syndicated Radio shows and about 5 times on Stuart Varney Show, and nearly 150 times on Fox News. Video-1Video -2

2. Unity Day USA, turning a negative 9/11 day into a positive unifying day for over 12 years in a row now. www.Unitydayusa.com

3. Holocaust and Genocides – for 10 years now, we have been building bridges with people, and almost all communities who have endured these brutalities by coming together and seeing the humanness in each one of us and reflect on never again.  www.HolocaustandGenocides.com


4. Thanksgiving Celebrations and Awards Night – for 18 years, we have been sharing different cultural expressions with fellow Americans. www.thanksgivingcelebrations.org


5. Peacefully easing the Quran burning pastor Terry Jones into oblivion through non-violent positive engagement. If funds become available a documentary will be made for the Muslim world to understand free speech and for non-Muslims to clearly understand that violence is not Islamic but comes from the fringe among us.  http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2014/04/reestablishing-right-muslim-attitudes.html


6.  Successfully handled Quran bashing by Pastor Robert Jeffers into an educational event and creating a positive understanding about Quran among pastors, clergy, rabbis, and others. These ten pastors in Dallas will defend the sanctity of Quran with their church members, as they were a part of the solutions in the conference.  Umpteen TV and Newspaper write ups about it. www.QuraanConference.com


7. In Summary – over 3000 Articles on Islam, Pluralism and other matters are written. 175 TV appearances, over 150 syndicated Radio shows, and over 30 major events to bring people together.

Our mission at America Together Foundation is simply this; “To build a cohesive America where no American has to live in tension, apprehension or fear of the others.”  We need an America where Muslim, Jews, African Americans, Latinos and all others feel safe, and want their children’s life style to continue to be secure despite Trumps and other hiccups.

 www.Americatogetherfoundation.com,www.foundationforpluralism.com and www.WorldMuslimCongress.com ;


We can do a lot more to turn things around for Muslims and fellow Americans, please donate generously athttp://americatogetherfoundation.com/donate/


What did I write about Sean Hannity, Stuart Varney and Fox News today?
Let me know, and I will be happy to email you.



Mike Ghouse
(214) 325-1916
Dr. Mike Ghouse is a community consultant, social scientist, thinker, writer, newsmaker and a professional speaker on PluralismInterfaithIslam politicshuman rights,  Terrorism,
  and foreign policy.  Mike is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. Visit him - 63 links at www.MikeGhouse.net and his writings are at TheGhousediary.com 

Friday, December 25, 2015

Holiday readings on Christmas day and Milad-un-Nabi

I am pleased to share a few notes for your joyful reading on this auspicious day, when more than half of the world population is praising two men who brought the message of peace to the world, and who wanted the world to live in harmony and balance between each other and their environment. 

1. Holiday Reading
2. Joan and Katherine made my day
3. What is Pluralism?
4. Invitation to a historic event
5. How can you help?

 

The current world population is 7.3 Billion,  and the Christians and Muslims together add up to 3.9 Billion (2.2 Billion Christians and 1.7 billion Muslims ). God places a huge responsibility on our shoulders to keep the world intact, they way he created, with all elements of the creation functioning together cohesively. We have an obligation to create safe and secure societies for all of us, every human, where everyone minds his own unique life (be it social, cultural, spiritual or religious) but yet nurtures the connectivity of all beings. At American Muslim Institution, we take this responsibility seriously and will take the initiatives to forge the ideals of one nation, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. We are committed to a cohesive and safe America for everyone. 

To understand a cohesive world, our bodies are an example. Each organ of our body system is interconnected, and the heart, brain, kidneys, lungs, liver, stomach and anus are all coded to work with each other, no organ is superior to the other and all are equally partners in our system.  If one element malfunctions, or loses its balance, it will affect the normal functioning of all. That is how God created a cohesive universe, and the cohesive planet earth, where life, matter and environment function together in balance.  If we lose any balance, we mess up our own safeness. 

Chief Seattle, a Native American said this perfectly, “All things are connected. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons of the earth. Man did not weave the web of life; he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the webs, he does it to himself."


Both Jesus and Muhammad created a vision of such a cohesive world in the form of heaven, where every soul would live in eternal bliss, a conflict free zone, living their own bliss and letting others live theirs.  This vision is expressed in the form of Pluralism, an attitude of respecting the otherness of others and accepting the God given uniqueness of each one of us, and when we reach that level of integrity in our attitudes,  conflicts fade and solutions emerge,  and that was their vision.  

I call Jesus, the first pluralist in the world and Muhammad the second one sequentially. Indeed, both the men were (are) a mercy to mankind.  Neither of them was needed, if the world was created to be 100% perfect, the world is indeed built-in with 1/10th of 1% of extremity or anomaly, that is capable of messing the balance of the entire 99 - 9/10th of the world. One embraced the diversity of God’s creation and the other prayed for the ignorance embedded within others.  Together they offered solutions to restore the world through forgiveness, humility, kindness, justness and acceptance of the otherness of others.


The other half of the population is guided by great men like Zarathustra,  Moses,  Krishna, Rama, Buddha, Confucius, Mahavir, Nanak, Bahaullah and a host of others from the native and earth based traditions including those who do not believe in a defined God, but advocate creating balance in the society.  All of spiritual masters taught us to be kind and gentle to the fringe among us.  Each one of them taught to respect the sanctity of life.  A majority of us get that right and the fringe among us don’t, and it is our duty to include them kindly and gently to be a part of the norm as Jesus did.    

Joan and Katherine made my day!
While driving to Staples this morning to pick up the banner for the event on Saturday, I got a call from a Katherine, she seemed so happy about the joint birth celebration of Jesus and Muhammad (pbuh)  that I had to pull over to listen to her sentiments and what a joy it was to hear her out.  She said, she sees hope, when the people of two of the largest religions come together to create harmony in the world. She was full of praise for Rizwan Jaka, the chairman of the board of trustees for ADAMS center.  It was indeed a joy to know the work of Rizwan and his entire team at ADAMS center in creating such a cohesive environment. 

I reached Staples, and had to wait, while waiting, I opened the email, the first one was from Joan Greenbaum, and it read, “And thank you for the invitation and honor to be a part of the Season of Peace celebration.  My hope is that the celebrations of the births of these two men, who were instrumental in teaching all of us about peace and humanity, will remind those who have lost sight of our shared heritage, that we are all children of God.  And remind them that we want a civil society that values all.”


Both of them made my day! They were good positive voices and notes. I was excited and had to call in my friends, as many as I can, including  Ambassador Islam Siddiqui and Dr. Aquilur Rahman, President and Chairman of AMI respectively, and who inspire me to do more, but then I did not call other friends as I got tied up on the phone. Thanks to my board of Directors at AMI who encourage me and are committed to a beautiful America.
There is more! The Muslim community in Washington, DC has done a great job in building relationship with members of the families of faiths. As we have done in Dallas with so many events from the Foundation for Pluralism, America Together Foundation, Irving Mosque, The Islamic Center of Richardson and others. Louisville Kentucky has also set a great example, and the Phoenix people have set a record in turning hostility into friendliness with the armed protesters. 

Indeed, we are doing the right things; we need to continue doing them as the work is not a match for the gravity of the negativity out there.  That negativity can be minimized by doing more interfaith understanding. 

I appeal to those few Muslims among us to seriously look at the larger picture and examples of the prophet and his work.  He was the first man in the universe to conduct interfaith dialogue, right in his Mosque; this is a great Sunnah we need to follow.  He was Amin (a great citizen who is trust worthy, truthful, just, and kind with no barriers between him and God’s creation) first, and that is what we have to work on, to be the Amins, the great citizens of this nation,  and all else will fall in its place.  

Thank God, over the last 22 years, I am blessed to have written over 3000 articles, and ahve given innumerable talks. Of them, 1000 were on every aspect of Islam, a thousand on politics, foreign policy, sports, movies, personalities etc and a 1000 about Pluralism.  I am also blessed to have many friends from every faith (including Atheists) cultural, social and racial and ethnic traditions.  

What is Pluralism? 

We have crystallized the definition of pluralism to, “respecting the otherness of the others and accepting the uniqueness of each one of us”. Pluralism is nothing but an attitude of live and let live, and it is applicable in every aspect of life including culture, society, religion, politics, gender, food, ethnicity, race and other uniqueness’s.

By the end of 2020, there will not be a major city in America, and perhaps in the world, where you will not find people of different faiths, cultures, ethnicities, races, nationalities and social backgrounds working, eating, playing, marrying, and doing things together.

We need to prepare ourselves for those eventualities to prevent possible conflicts, and lay a good foundation for nurturing goodwill and effective functioning of the societies. Exclusive communities will become a thing of the past.  If you live amidst others, you must also respect the otherness of others, as you expect them to do the same for you.
You are who you are, and I am who I am. As long as we don't mess with each other’s space, sustenance and nurturence, and mind our own business, we all will do well.  If we can learn to respect the otherness of other and accept the God-given uniqueness of each one of the seven billion of us, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge. 

You are responsible for other’s actions but your own. Internally it will burn you inside; externally you’ll be punished by the society. No one but you should be blamed for your actions. If you murder someone, it’s you, who needs to be hauled off, not your parents, spouse, siblings, or your children. If you are a rapist, it is you who needs to be punished and not your teacher, mayor, congressman, senator, imam, pastor, pundit, rabbi, shaman, clergy, Quran, Bible, Torah, Avesta, Bhagvad Gita, Guru Granth Saheb, Kitab al Muqaddas and other holy books of any religion for that matter.

Pluralism is not a set of rules, it is simply an attitude of live and let live religiously, politically, culturally and socially.  We are committed to building cohesive societies, where no human has to live in apprehension, discomfort or fear of a fellow being.

Invitation

"To a historic event"

It is for the first time in history of Christianity and Islam, that Muslims and Christians are celebrating the birth of Jesus and Prophet Muhammad on the yet another historic place; the steps of Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.  

Saturday, December 26, 2015 at 1:00 PM
Enjoy the Christmas Carols & Milad Nasheeds
Bring your own chair and an umbrella




Parking - Road side public parking subject to availability.

Rail and Bus - The nearest metro stations are Foggy Bottom (23rd St. & I St. NW) and Smithsonian (12th St. &Independence Ave. SW). The Circulator Bus also runs to the Lincoln Memorial along Independence directly from the Union Station.

How can you help? 

1. First attend the event on Saturday and invite your friends to join.
2. Write a heart felt note, why is it necessary to know each other**
3. Depending on the time, I may record your 1 Minute speech as a feed back of the event.
4. Donate if you can.

We have a lot more work to do to build a cohesive America where no American has to live in apprehension or fear of the other. To do this work, takes money, and we invite you to seriously your tax deductible donations to American Muslim Institution, 110 Maryland Av, NE, Suite 508, Washington, DC 2002.

Link to this note, if you would like to share.  http://americanmusliminstitution.blogspot.com/2015/12/holiday-readings-on-christmas-day-and.html

God bless you and God bless America. 


If you wish to read more about these two guys:








Thank you, 
Dr. Mike Ghouse is a community consultant, social scientist, thinker, writer, news maker, and a speaker on 
PluralismInterfaithIslampolitics, human rights, India, Israel-Palestine Terrorism and foreign policy. Over 3000 Articles have been published on the subjects. He is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. More about him in 63 links at www.MikeGhouse.net and bulk of his writings are at TheGhousediary.com

** send the note to MikeGhouse@aol.com 

Thursday, December 24, 2015

First time in history – Celebration of birth of Jesus and Prophet Muhammad on the steps of Lincoln Memorial.


PRESS RELEASE

Mike Ghouse (214) 325-1916
Washington, D.C.,
Mike@AmericanMuslimInstitution.org
www.AmericanMuslimInstituition.org

First time in history – Celebration of birth of Jesus and Prophet Muhammad on the steps of Lincoln Memorial.

Washington, D.C., December 22, 2015 – For the first time in the history of Christianity and Islam, the Christians and Muslims are jointly celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ and Prophet Muhammad, and it is on the historic steps of Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC.


What: Interfaith celebration of Christmas and Milad
Date: Saturday, December 26, 2015
Time: 1:00 PM
Place: On the steps of Lincoln Memorial, Washington, DC
Bring your own Chair and Umbrella

Transportation: Listed below

Mike Ghouse, the Executive Director of American Muslim Institution, a proactive voice for American Muslims said, “It is a God-given opportunity to further strengthen our bonds with each other on the auspicious occasion of the birth of Jesus Christ and Prophet Muhammad which fall on 25th and 24th of December, respectively.  It provides us a great spiritual incentive to know each other for better.  We have an obligation to create a safe and secure America for all of us.”

Dr. Aquilur Rahman, Chairman of the AMI Board said, “We chose this location, as it signifies another great event in our history, Rev. Martin Luther King’s dream speech which became a catalyst in fulfilling the vision of our founding fathers that we are all created equal. We have one more step to take towards a cohesive America.”


It is a symbolic interfaith event with Christmas Carols and Milaad Nasheeds and a short message from faith leaders, an inclusive event to build a safe, secure and cohesive America. The more we know each other, the fewer misconceptions we will have. “

Rizwan Jaka, Chair, Board of Trustees & Interfaith Co-Chair, All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS) adds,“ God wants all of us to come together and create a safe and secure America for each one of us, we are all in this together, and let’s appreciate this to uphold religious freedom and  beckon a peaceful and prosperous 2016 and more.”


Syed Moktadir, President of ADAMS and the Vice Chairman of the U.S. Muslim & Christian Coalition (MCC) for the Protection of Christian and Religious Minorities in Arab World said, "the birth of Jesus and Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Them) brought so much blessing and light to our world that the hearts of the faithful continue to be full of love and passion for both of them and for all the prophets of God who came to guide humanity to worship God alone and unite the humanity through His worship. This event is yet another manifestation of that interfaith unity."

This is an initiative of American Muslim Institution and
the All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS), one of the largest Muslim communities/mosques in the DC Metro Area and in the United States.

Parking - Road side public parking subject to availability.

Rail and Bus - The nearest metro stations are Foggy Bottom (23rd St. & I St. NW) and Smithsonian (12th St. &Independence Ave. SW). The Circulator Bus also runs to the Lincoln Memorial along Independence directly from the Union Station.

A few articles worth your read about Prophet Muhammad

A Muslim’s Christmas -
http://thearabdailynews.com/2015/12/15/a-muslims-christmas/



 # # #


Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Muslim Speaker Mike Ghouse

The Voice of Moderate Islam in America - Mike Ghouse:
email: SpeakerMikeGhouse@gmail.com 
Text/talk: (214) 325-1916 Washington | Dallas


 
Since 9/11, Americans across the political spectrum have been asking, “Who are the authentic moderates of Islam, and where are they?” And, “Who speaks for American Muslims?” Talk show hosts, journalists, lawmakers, interfaith authorities and thought leaders have asked: Where are moderate Muslims to join the debate on social, civic, religious and political issues, including racism and violent extremism?

Their spokesman is Dr. Mike Mohamed Ghouse, who recently has moved to Washington, D.C.

Dr. Ghouse is a proud, unapologetic Moderate Muslim and a passionate advocate of Pluralism in religion, society, politics, race, dining, clothing, dancing, sports and every aspect of life. He is a public speaker, thinker, writer and a commentator who is considered an authority on Pluralism and Interfaith relations in America, and he offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day.

Who is a Moderate Muslim? Some one who lives his life and let others live theirs, and some one who minds his own business. He or she will not look down upon other people's faiths, traditions and practices, but considers them to be as unique as his or her own, but never inferior.  In every group; religious, social, national, political or racial, there is always the right and extreme right who is intolerant and wants to impose his or her ideals on others. The left and extreme left on the other hand has no boundaries. Moderates are usually 90% of any group, but they do not engage in anything and mind their own business and take up when things  when they really get out of hand. The new breed of Moderates like Dr. Ghouse are full of passion to save the nation and the communities for the common good of all Americans. 

What is Pluralism? It is simply, he says, “respecting the otherness of others, and accepting the God-given uniqueness of each one of the 7 billion of us. When we do that, conflicts fade and solutions emerge.”

He is respected by his peers as a patriotic American and firmly stands for the American values such as the freedoms established by the First Amendment. In fact, Dr. Ghouse considers the U.S. Constitution a sacred document that respects and honors every human being.  He exalts America’s immortal Declaration of Independence.  While living in Dallas for more than three decades, he became a fixture at Veteran’s-Day ceremonies and July 4th parades.  He has spoken at innumerable luncheons for homeless veterans and visits with veterans at VA hospitals.  Dr. Ghouse drives around the Veterans’ cemeteries on Memorial Day and offers prayers for all those who have defended our freedom.  He will fight and defend the freedom of America any time and all the times.

Dr. Ghouse also served as a Commissioner at City of Carrollton, Texas for two terms.

He has contributed significantly to the richness of America, and his gift to America would be the gift of Pluralism, an old attitude emerging as a new discipline that he intends to teach and promote through workshops. Dr. Ghouse hopes to train America’s candidates for higher office regarding what the founding fathers meant when they declared that “all humans are equal.” 

Dr. Ghouse believes in building a cohesive America, where no American has to live in apprehension or fear of the other and which will be achieved through personal interaction.   To that end, he has organized 17 Thanksgiving celebrations; 12 Unity Days USA; and 10 ceremonies to honor victims of Holocaust and Genocides.

Dedicated Both to Islam and to ‘the Other

Dr. Ghouse defines “moderate Muslim” as someone who respects the otherness of others and accepts the God-given uniqueness of each person in God’s creation.  He has published more than 1000 articles on diverse aspects of Islam and maintains a blog on QuranShariaBlasphemy, Apostasy, Hijab, Reforms, Ramadan, Women’s issues and community relations.  He is driven by the pluralistic wisdom in Quran, and his mission is authenticated by many a verse from Quran, including 49:13, which generally means because each one of us is created to be an unique individual, we are bound to have conflicts between family members, nations, religions and communities, and it is because we don’t know each other and when we start to genuinely learn about the other, myths disappear into thin air and peace dawns on us.”  There is a full video of his talk on 
Pluralism in Islam.

Continued at: http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2015/10/the-voice-of-moderate-islam-in-america.html