How do you commemorate Imam Hussain?

Since, I write about every festival and commemoration of the people of the world, I was asked by a friend and then more asked, how do I pay my respects?

You don’t have to be a Muslim to commemorate Imam Husain’s commitment to righteousness.  We celebrate the birthdays of Mahatma Gandhi, MLK and others regardless of what religion we practice, and commemorate their death as well. Imam Hussain is another great personality who refused to endorse a corrupt man to govern his state, his endorsement was critical for the ruler Yazid, which he did not get, and like all other dictatorial maniacs, Yazid had Imam Hussain and his entire family killed. Imam Hussain may be gone, but his legacy lives on. Imam Hussain was killed on this day, the 10^th day of the first Month of the Muslims calendar called Muharram. I believe this day coincides with the day Moses returned, Noah’s ship landing and among other things.

The easy thing to do is sit down for five minutes, close your eyes and reflect on all men and women who stood up for righteousness, we are all beneficiaries of such a gift of sacrifice on their part. And make a small commitment to yourselves that you will stand up for the rights of others regardless of who they are,  and the least you can do is to speak up, or write a comment when you read, don’t back from doing the right thing…. Great men and women of spirit do not want anything, all they want is for all of us to get along and live a greater life and when you make a small commitment, they feel that their effort was appreciated.

Muslims do a variety of things including fasting and joining together to pray and pay a tribute to him. You can read more about the imam and share the article at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/muharram-2011-centrality-imam-hussain_b_1117929.html

Mike Ghouse is committed to building a cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. His work is listed at www.MikeGhouse.net