.
Fox 4 interviewed me for over 30 minutes, and perhaps there will be a 30 seconds clip about terrorism and what Muslims are doing about it.
I have addressed all the issues of assimilation and the things we are doing... and handling terrorism, but none of it may be there. I will tape it one of these days and post it on the website.
9:00 PM CST - Channel 4
You can also watch live at http://www.myfoxdfw.com/
Let me know what you think of it
Mike Ghouse
www.MikeGhouse.net
www.FoundationforPluralism.com
www.WorldMuslimCongress.com
Dallas, Texas. USA
.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Are we an Island?
.
Is each one of us an Island?
We locks ourselves up and seldom give access to the other to find out about us or vice versa. Even though we desire to connect with the other,
the fear of rejection is so terrifying, that we are willing to regret...
rather than get rejected.
We are all reservoirs of goodness brimming with the desire to love and yet we go untapped,
what has been your experience?
#
Is each one of us an Island?
We locks ourselves up and seldom give access to the other to find out about us or vice versa. Even though we desire to connect with the other,
the fear of rejection is so terrifying, that we are willing to regret...
rather than get rejected.
We are all reservoirs of goodness brimming with the desire to love and yet we go untapped,
what has been your experience?
#
3000 Muslims Pray at Capitol Hill
3000 Muslims pray at Capitol HillThe following note was posted at Washington Post
As a Muslim, I am pleased with the demonstration of Unity and solidarity with America; however, I found some of the comments to be gratuitous.
One of the Imams in the video wearing the Arab traditional dress invites people to prayers,( links in the article below) it was indeed beautiful, but when he suggests to "lay your idols down and come to pray" was offensive to those who worship the creator in the form of Icons, which he called Idols. The act of denigrating Idol worship reduces Islam to be a faith based on absence of Idols. He knows Islam's existence is not dependent on vilifying other faiths and the call was un-neccessary, most likely the Imam did not realize that it was inflammatory to others who share the city, state, nation and the world with him.
Thank God, the majority of preachers respect and honor divinity of other faiths as they honor their own. A few, just a few preachers among Muslims, Christians, Jews, Hindus and others simply have no regard, how the statements they make don't create goodwill.
You find bigots in your faith as well, they are right there and you know them. The Christians standing and shouting 'repent' and asking people to convert to Christianity also cheapens the teachings of Jesus. Jesus would not have approved their act; you win people by showing your goodness, if they had served the Muslims with Halal refreshments, water and helping with parking, they would have earned the good will for future harvesting of the souls.
Religion is not about reciting Mantras and doing rituals, ultimately it is about becoming a good human being. When Jesus said follow me, Krishna says surrender to me, Allah says submit to my will, they are are asking one to be a good human being like the good God who loves and cares about every one of his creation.
Some of these unspiritual religious men are brainwashed with the idea of conversion. It is time we do our individual and group renaissance - and evaluate the value of conversion. Are we open to investigate if Jesus or Mohammad really wanted people to become Christians or Muslims politically numberwise or they wanted the world to be a better place with better humans. Which route is easire to achieve and sustainable with least conflcits?
We scream at the extremists that they cannot think, are we?
Mike Ghouse
# # #
At Capitol, a Day of Muslim Prayer and Unity
3,000 Gather to Combat Fear and 'Do the Work of Allah' Amid Christian Protests
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2009/09/25/AR2009092502183.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/25/AR2009092502183.html
The following note was posted at Washington Post
3,000 Gather to Combat Fear and 'Do the Work of Allah' Amid Christian Protests
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/25/AR2009092502183.html
By Jacqueline L. Salmon
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, September 26, 2009
#
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Religious Arrogance
ARROGANCE
I wrote the following in the comment section of Washington post in response to Princess Lubna; http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/guestvoices/2009/09/lunar_calendar_holy-days.html
The purpose of religion is to create harmony. Indeed, arrogance is the mother of all disharmonies in the society. Not the religion, but the self appointed guardians of religions add religious arrogance to create disharmony.
If you are Muslim, Jew, Hindu, Christian, Buddhist or a person of any faith, and claim your faith to be wise, oldest, modest, best or perfect then it is sheer arrogance. God has not signed a deal with you or me behind any one's back. Each one of us believes that God is about justness, peace, harmony, co-existence and truthfulness, and then we cannot make God our exclusive property or a partial sneaky God.
As people of faith, we need to resist the temptation to claim that our faith is superior to the other; that amounts to sheer arrogance. God likes a person most who forgives and the least that is arrogant. The purpose of religion is to bring humility, harmony and peace to an individual, and not rattling arrogance. As a Muslim, I do not claim my faith to be superior, but it works for me as your faith works for you.
All faiths work for the individuals who believe in. As they say beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, I would say, faith is in the heart of the believer.
#
I wrote the following in the comment section of Washington post in response to Princess Lubna; http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/guestvoices/2009/09/lunar_calendar_holy-days.html
The purpose of religion is to create harmony. Indeed, arrogance is the mother of all disharmonies in the society. Not the religion, but the self appointed guardians of religions add religious arrogance to create disharmony.
If you are Muslim, Jew, Hindu, Christian, Buddhist or a person of any faith, and claim your faith to be wise, oldest, modest, best or perfect then it is sheer arrogance. God has not signed a deal with you or me behind any one's back. Each one of us believes that God is about justness, peace, harmony, co-existence and truthfulness, and then we cannot make God our exclusive property or a partial sneaky God.
As people of faith, we need to resist the temptation to claim that our faith is superior to the other; that amounts to sheer arrogance. God likes a person most who forgives and the least that is arrogant. The purpose of religion is to bring humility, harmony and peace to an individual, and not rattling arrogance. As a Muslim, I do not claim my faith to be superior, but it works for me as your faith works for you.
All faiths work for the individuals who believe in. As they say beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, I would say, faith is in the heart of the believer.
#
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Stereotyping Muslims and Jews
.
I have been sharing these two stories about how Muslims and Jews stereo type each other and yet, when asked individually, they would seek the truth. I hope through this story, we learn a lesson and speak up the truth, in the long haul, every one would be better off.
I was with a group of Jews after the movie "the monster among us" shown in a local auditorium.
I made copiuos notes about the 72 minute movie, and after the moive, there was a demand from audience to know if a Muslim had seen the movie, and there was a lady who said, I have many Muslim women friends, this movie does not reflect anthing like them. The barrage of questions was endless and I kept raising my hand to address some of the questions, but it took a chorus from the audience "give him the microphone" to get me to speak for a few brief moments.
Indeed the first thing I did was to hug a holocaust survivor who literally cried during the movie and during his comment. I wanted him to know that we are all humans and we need to be together in sharing the sorrows and joys.
I spoke about the movie, and condmned the ugly parts about anti-semitism in Europe, the efforts of the producer were lauded for bringing this to the fore. However, there were serious mistakes made in the movie, either they were deliberately made to fish money out by scaring the Jews who have survived the holocaust or a have made a genuine mistake.
The producer had warned me that the movie is one sided, "strictly a Jewish opinion" that made me want to see that perspective to understand and bring about a solution. In the movie, there was a Jewish professor of Islam in France, who said unlike the Jews and Christians, Muslims don't beleive in the messiah and beleive Muhammad will come and kill or convert every one to be a Muslim. The producer argued about the professors credentials, and I laid it out, that he did not know that aspect of Islam and challenged the audience to pick up the phone and call 100 Muslims randomly to verify this, and make their own determination. It is a cooked up lie to support the movie and further to cash on the fears. There were several flaws in the movie, another one was a man with a beard saying hateful things towards Jews and a book was shown nearby him to create the false impression that it was the Qur'aan he was speaking from.
After the conversations, some 15 people gathered around me with more questions, then I narrated a story about Muslims in the same situation.
I was attending a dinner some five years ago, and after the initial prayers people formed smaller groups for conversation while the food was getting ready to be delivered. I was in a group of about 15 with an Imam in the center. The Imam was telling a story of an acquisition of a Synagogue some where in W.Virginia or one of those states... and concluded that " we beat them Jews in the deal and got it and it is a mosque today".
I jumped at him without blinking an eye, "Prophet Muhammad would not have liked this" I continued, "he would have condemned it, for it breeds ill-will towards a people without any reason"
There was a dead silence and I was worried which way it was going to go, but speaking the truth was paramount, then one of the guys broke that eternal silence of some five seconds and said, "Mike is right, why do we need to hate the Jews?" then one after the other every one nodeed in agreement. I looked up at the Imam, he apologized and I asked him "never do it again" and I have watched him several times after that, thank God, he has fixed himself up.
What I would like you to think about is that critical moment; had the silent been broken by the wrong guy and question me instead, "Mike he is the Imam, he knows what he is talking about, you better apologize to him" do you think the other sheep would have all jumped with him? I considered that, but speaking the truth is paramount, the eveil exists in the world because good people do nothing about it. I would have considered myself evil, had I remained silent. Would you feel the same in a situation like that?
After the story, I asked the Jews around me, by a raise of your hand how many of you would speak out against some one manufacturing ill-will towards Muslims, even it suits them? Every hand went up.
I congratulated them for being honest and forthright and told them... you know it is a coincidene that those Muslims were also 15 and every one spoke against the wrong, and now you have done the same... what if the group was 100, would I get the same response? The hands went up again. The same thing is true with Muslims, Jews, Christians, Hindus or any people.
Shame on us, many of us would walk away from the perceived trouble, it is as though encouraging the wrongdoers to go ahead. We worry about what the Jewish or Muslim or other gangsters are going to do to us if we spoke up? They would not spare Jimmy Carter or Salman Rushdie, they will make their lives miserable. That is fascism to hound the people who speak up.
My friends, this was a great example I have witnessed of stereotyping each other without logic or brains. People are inherently good but we need to keep them up and not let them fall into the pit of connivance.
If you are a Jew, Muslim, Christian, Hindu or otherwise, would you take a pledge to yourselves that you will speak out when some one is falsfying or spewing ill-will towards others, Even if it suits you?
It is you and your conscience and your solitude.
Let's change the world, one at a time. Let's become the change we want it to be like Mahatma Gandhi had said.
Mike Ghouse
#
I have been sharing these two stories about how Muslims and Jews stereo type each other and yet, when asked individually, they would seek the truth. I hope through this story, we learn a lesson and speak up the truth, in the long haul, every one would be better off.
I was with a group of Jews after the movie "the monster among us" shown in a local auditorium.
I made copiuos notes about the 72 minute movie, and after the moive, there was a demand from audience to know if a Muslim had seen the movie, and there was a lady who said, I have many Muslim women friends, this movie does not reflect anthing like them. The barrage of questions was endless and I kept raising my hand to address some of the questions, but it took a chorus from the audience "give him the microphone" to get me to speak for a few brief moments.
Indeed the first thing I did was to hug a holocaust survivor who literally cried during the movie and during his comment. I wanted him to know that we are all humans and we need to be together in sharing the sorrows and joys.
I spoke about the movie, and condmned the ugly parts about anti-semitism in Europe, the efforts of the producer were lauded for bringing this to the fore. However, there were serious mistakes made in the movie, either they were deliberately made to fish money out by scaring the Jews who have survived the holocaust or a have made a genuine mistake.
The producer had warned me that the movie is one sided, "strictly a Jewish opinion" that made me want to see that perspective to understand and bring about a solution. In the movie, there was a Jewish professor of Islam in France, who said unlike the Jews and Christians, Muslims don't beleive in the messiah and beleive Muhammad will come and kill or convert every one to be a Muslim. The producer argued about the professors credentials, and I laid it out, that he did not know that aspect of Islam and challenged the audience to pick up the phone and call 100 Muslims randomly to verify this, and make their own determination. It is a cooked up lie to support the movie and further to cash on the fears. There were several flaws in the movie, another one was a man with a beard saying hateful things towards Jews and a book was shown nearby him to create the false impression that it was the Qur'aan he was speaking from.
After the conversations, some 15 people gathered around me with more questions, then I narrated a story about Muslims in the same situation.
I was attending a dinner some five years ago, and after the initial prayers people formed smaller groups for conversation while the food was getting ready to be delivered. I was in a group of about 15 with an Imam in the center. The Imam was telling a story of an acquisition of a Synagogue some where in W.Virginia or one of those states... and concluded that " we beat them Jews in the deal and got it and it is a mosque today".
I jumped at him without blinking an eye, "Prophet Muhammad would not have liked this" I continued, "he would have condemned it, for it breeds ill-will towards a people without any reason"
There was a dead silence and I was worried which way it was going to go, but speaking the truth was paramount, then one of the guys broke that eternal silence of some five seconds and said, "Mike is right, why do we need to hate the Jews?" then one after the other every one nodeed in agreement. I looked up at the Imam, he apologized and I asked him "never do it again" and I have watched him several times after that, thank God, he has fixed himself up.
What I would like you to think about is that critical moment; had the silent been broken by the wrong guy and question me instead, "Mike he is the Imam, he knows what he is talking about, you better apologize to him" do you think the other sheep would have all jumped with him? I considered that, but speaking the truth is paramount, the eveil exists in the world because good people do nothing about it. I would have considered myself evil, had I remained silent. Would you feel the same in a situation like that?
After the story, I asked the Jews around me, by a raise of your hand how many of you would speak out against some one manufacturing ill-will towards Muslims, even it suits them? Every hand went up.
I congratulated them for being honest and forthright and told them... you know it is a coincidene that those Muslims were also 15 and every one spoke against the wrong, and now you have done the same... what if the group was 100, would I get the same response? The hands went up again. The same thing is true with Muslims, Jews, Christians, Hindus or any people.
Shame on us, many of us would walk away from the perceived trouble, it is as though encouraging the wrongdoers to go ahead. We worry about what the Jewish or Muslim or other gangsters are going to do to us if we spoke up? They would not spare Jimmy Carter or Salman Rushdie, they will make their lives miserable. That is fascism to hound the people who speak up.
My friends, this was a great example I have witnessed of stereotyping each other without logic or brains. People are inherently good but we need to keep them up and not let them fall into the pit of connivance.
If you are a Jew, Muslim, Christian, Hindu or otherwise, would you take a pledge to yourselves that you will speak out when some one is falsfying or spewing ill-will towards others, Even if it suits you?
It is you and your conscience and your solitude.
Let's change the world, one at a time. Let's become the change we want it to be like Mahatma Gandhi had said.
Mike Ghouse
#
Monday, September 14, 2009
Bias against Jimmy Carter
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Met my old Jewish friend at the program connecting faiths; Abraham in different faiths.
He had not returned my calls nor had he responded to my emails for a while, I asked him what do I need to do to connect with him.
His answer surprised me.
He said " he saw that I wrote about Jimmy Carter on my website,
and that turned him off", then he asks me, "How can you do that?"
I asked him we will make the time and talk, why can't we support what Jimmy Carter had said? The man spoke the truth as he saw it, don't you believe you, him and I have the right to speak? Why do we have to hide on such a critical issue?
The policies the hawks of Israel are pursuing is detriment to its own peace, what Jimmy Carter is doing, if listned to, would bring peace and security that the Jews deserve. I hope the Jews and Israelis take a stand and do what is right for them, work for peace and not let the leaders mess up their future.
Bush should have been opposed earlier on, we would not have seen this destruction of our own economy, deaths of our soldiers and some million Iraqis and countless Afghanistan.
Evil persists because good men do nothing about it.
Mike Ghouse
Met my old Jewish friend at the program connecting faiths; Abraham in different faiths.
He had not returned my calls nor had he responded to my emails for a while, I asked him what do I need to do to connect with him.
His answer surprised me.
He said " he saw that I wrote about Jimmy Carter on my website,
and that turned him off", then he asks me, "How can you do that?"
I asked him we will make the time and talk, why can't we support what Jimmy Carter had said? The man spoke the truth as he saw it, don't you believe you, him and I have the right to speak? Why do we have to hide on such a critical issue?
The policies the hawks of Israel are pursuing is detriment to its own peace, what Jimmy Carter is doing, if listned to, would bring peace and security that the Jews deserve. I hope the Jews and Israelis take a stand and do what is right for them, work for peace and not let the leaders mess up their future.
Bush should have been opposed earlier on, we would not have seen this destruction of our own economy, deaths of our soldiers and some million Iraqis and countless Afghanistan.
Evil persists because good men do nothing about it.
Mike Ghouse
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