My friends; my diary and my pen.

http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2012/05/my-friends-my-diary-and-my-pen.html
Other pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeghouse/sets/72157629991224798/show/

My friends, my pen and my diary - Mike Ghouse

My diary has been my best friend, I can share everything and anything with her without being interrupted, corrected, grammared, spelled, criticized, upset or praised. Every human must express his joy, sadness and the emotions; it releases him or her and restores tranquility.

I went to the storage today, and saw my old fountain pen, pleasantly lying in a box and smiling at me… damn it, I am so happy to see her. It is ridiculous that a pen can make you so happy! She is my old friend; she wrote my happy moments and my sad moments and brought calmness to me and restored my tranquility each time I was off. She is my friend, my best friend.

I dedicate this note to my friends Vanja Krupa and Yoshua Budin, whose comments on my facebook wall inspired me to put this note together.

Yoshua wrote, "that one day I rewrite it all and turn it into a real book….Sometimes I look back in these diaries. But not for long. It feels like lingering in the past. And I look forward.

Vanja shared, " Used to write dairy as well, to keep all the impressions, on paper to memorise and reread 'one day' …but I like to have all these Dairies and letters saved in large dusty boxes, for the next generation to read,"

Indeed, I am blessed with 5000 friends on facebook plus 2000 subscribers and additional 2000 in another group on facebook.. I write thank you notes, birthday wishes to almost all... except when my computer has crashed... can you do it? Yes, you can. Just have the will and commitment. I do that every morning.

Yoshua and Vanja's notes reminded me of my own habits. I used to write diaries since I was in college. My friend Jameel gave me an appointment book, the size of a book with 365 pages in it, I wrote so much that, I doubled it to nearly 700 pages by adding two to three pages and gluing it in the book, and I had so much to write including life, family and interfaith. That was early in 1970’s… I wrote every year after that. Finally, I burned all my diaries, the last one in the mid-nineties.

I always had fountain pens, and I wrote letters to my mother in Urdu, and prided in taking time to write to her, wrote as beautiful as I can - and when she said, I have the beautiful handwriting, it made my day. With her passing away, and phone calls becoming economical, I stopped writing in Urdu and there goes the fountain pen with it.

I used to write letters in Urdu to my sister when she got married and left home, I kept writing all the way through the nineties. Oddly I wrote a few letters to my brother Kaleem in Hindi, he was better in Hindi than Urdu. I am regaining my writing skills all over now including Kannada language.

Two years ago, Sada Cumber, the former Ambassador to OIC, gifted me a box of fountain pens… then the old-me woke up and start writing again in the fountain pen. I write everything, reminders to my daily lists, to my 3x5 cards to poetry, then take a picture from my i-pad and keep it for follow up. Odd, but I love it.

When I walked into public life in the early Nineties, I did not think I would have anything private. I was wrong, everyone has things that they don’t want to share - they may be silly things, or even idiotic or bad things. They stay within you and get buried with you. Except a few emotions and reactions here and there, much of my life is an open book. It is all encapsulated in my blogs, my forums, facebook and writings.

Is it the same with you?

Thanks to aol - my 18 years of notes, writings etc were saved in the form of files, and thank to some genius who hacked into my account - all of my work is gone, aol restored some emails, but much of all is gone, 18 years of emails and writings… was I angry? yes I was. Did I cry? No, I felt relief… thought of suing AOL, they guarantee storage, but did not deliver. Any attorney wants to take it up? If you win the big battle, the money will go towards pluralism education; my life commitment. I also have a full manuscript for a book, “The one minute accountant” on my old McIntosh, don’t know how to extract it either… let go man!

What is humbling?

If I croak, meaning die, of course, I will die, that is, if I die within a year… all my writings and books will be meaningless to my wife and my kids… why should they have to go through the pain of deciding what to keep, and what to give away (trashing)? I am glad it disappeared on the net - it frees me and frees them. I have over 5,000 pictures of the Dallas community… if I have the time, I will do an open house - come and get yours.

What about you, what will happen to your stuff should something happen to you? Why do we need to collect it in the first place?

Writing is relaxing… If you wish to receive a post card from me, send me your name and address to speakermikeghouse@gmail.com, and I will handwrite your address and mail it to you, that’s a promise - Insha Allah. That is if God kept me alive.

A few more pictures:

Thank you.

Mike Ghouse is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. He is a professional speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, civic affairs, Islam, India, Israel, peace and justice. Mike is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News and regularly at Huffington post, and several other periodicals across the world. The blog www.TheGhousediary.com is updated daily.

TEXAS FAITH: Is religious freedom under attack in America?

http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2012/05/texas-faith-is-religious-freedom-under.html

Indeed, every group feels that their religious liberty is under attack. Is there a time in history when a group did not feel threatened by co-religionists, other religions and the governments? Here is a short history and possible solutions.

This a weekly column at Dallas Morning News, here is Mike’s contribution on the topic.

MIKE GHOUSE, President, Foundation for Pluralism, Dallas

Indeed, every group feels that their religious liberty is under attack. Is there a time in history when a group did not feel threatened by co-religionists, other religions and the governments? Here is a short history and possible solutions.

Jews have always been under attack. They felt at home in Spain, which was destroyed by butcher Ferdinand. Then, they felt at home in Germany, but the Holocaust tore them apart and their belief in humanity was shattered. Every day, they have to be on guard. Someone or another is making anti-Semitic comments.

Fred Phelps was in Dallas in July 2010 demonstrating hate against Jews. The anti-circumcision bills in San Francisco and Santa Monica in 2011 were irritants. Last month in Houston, the Jewish academy could not participate in a basketball game. It was set on Saturday, most Jews refrain from activity that day. Indeed, it is restricting their freedom to practice their religion by exclusion and being insensitive to their faith.

Hindus are an open game to evangelists. A few years ago, a Baptist convention made a declaration to harvest the "Poor Hindu souls". This year, Russians made a serious attempt to ban Bhagvad Gita, the Hindu Holy Book. In November 2011, a Kentucky state senator attacked Hinduism as an idolatrous belief. California textbooks portrayed Hinduism in negative light, so the battle is still on. There is a debate among Indians: Had Bobby Jindal of Hindu parents and Nikki Haley of Sikh parents practiced their faiths, and not converted to Christianity, would they have become governors?

Sikhs had to fight with Arizona to keep the name of a Sikh 9/11 victim on a memorial wall. Wicca had to fight for the headstone in Arlington Memorial Cemetery for those who died serving America. Of course, there are enough stories about Native Americans, atheists and others.

Muslim Americans strongly feel the noose tightening on their freedom. Most restrictions are coming out of sheer ignorance and a false understanding of what their faith is about, as they practice in America rather than Saudi Arabia or Iran. The senators and representatives who have initiated anti-Sharia bills can't even tell what they are opposing.

The irony is neither the organizations nor the Muslims are seeking Sharia to be a part of the American law. All they are asking is to have options to square personal matters between family members through a jury, mediation, court hearing or the Sharia guidelines. Indeed, it is no different than the option of Jews using Halaqa in their personal conflicts or going to a psychologist for counseling.

Most Christian denominations have been under attack by fellow Christians. Missionaries were unforgivably cruel to natives around the world, including America. Most of the groups that infringe on the freedom of others have also been a victim.

The Catholic diocese has rightly filed the law suit protesting the Government's intrusion in the practice of their faith that the employers provide workers free contraceptives. This is the right thing to do - to stand up for the freedom of religion. As a Muslim I have stood up for freedom of every religious group, in this case with the Catholic Church. Indeed, it was good to see evangelical leader Richard Land make the same pledge along with me on Sean Hannity Radio.

In summary, the issues are about whether a majority - or the government - can arrogantly push vulnerable ones into obeying.

We need to build an America where no one is apprehensive or afraid of the other. Each one of us needs to feel home, a home where everyone can drop his or her guards and lives freely.

It is our duty to safeguard the liberties endowed by our creator to practice our beliefs. It behooves for us to stand up for each other, why should anyone stand up for you, if you are not willing to do the same for them?

To see all the contributors, please visit Dallas Morning news at:
http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2012/05/texas-faith-is-religious-freed.html

. . . . .

MikeGhouse is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. He is a professional speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, civic affairs, Islam, India, Israel, peace and justice. Mike is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News and regularly at Huffington post, and several other periodicals across the world. The blog www.TheGhousediary.com is updated daily.

Tonight on Hannity and Mike Ghouse

Mike Ghouse on Hannity with Lt. Gen. Thomas McInerney about Vietnam War Heroes

http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2012/05/tonight-on-hannity-and-mike-ghouse.html  

Tonight on Hannity, Mike Ghouse from the America Together Foundation said he believes Hayes “made a big mistake by not calling them heroes” but that he does have freedom of speech to say what he thinks." Hayes issued a written apology after the controversial comments and stated that he was “deeply sorry.” 

While many Americans were honoring the veterans this Memorial Day weekend, MSNBC host Chris Hayes was speaking out against calling the men and women who have fought for this country heroes. He said, “I feel uncomfortable about the word hero because it seems to me that it is so rhetorically proximate to justifications for more war.”

Mike continued, "I am willing to give up my life defending our freedom, and if someone tells me that my life was not worth it, it would be offensive to me. On the other hand, I need to honor that we Americans are not sheepish; we differ based on what we believe."

I honor all our war veterans, if the war was immoral, it was not them, it is our leadership, and ultimately us, for not protesting enough to stop the wars. But we have to honor our heroes. I appreciate President Obama's speech and here are my talking points about what Chris Hayes said - about the conflict he has calling them heroes.

Mike's Talking points: 

With Veterans Affairs secretary - who spoke literally the same words. Mike Chose not to use the word " I will be pissed off if someone tells me giving up life in defending our freedom is not worth it," However, the general used the word "jerk" to refer to Chris Hayes.  I wish I had used it, as he and I would have been toe to toe on our take.

Vietnam Veterans are our heroes

1. The struggle Chris Hayes had was real, very real and that is very American to debate within us, in our conscious about the rightness of an issue.

2. We should not gang up on Chris Hayes, instead respectfully differ with him and let the community of nations know that, we are free enough to question even the sacred thing; the military.

3. Soldiers do get affected by the immoral wars and may do things that they should not, like the Abu Graib, blowing up a family celebrating wedding, urinating on dead enemy soldiers. However, we cannot blame the soldiers; we can blame the individuals who did not have the capacity to hold themselves accountable.

4. Probably Chris had difficulty in calling these men Heroes, it is just not him, and I am sure the fellow soldiers would feel the same. It’s an embarrassment and we should not stereo type our soldiers. They are heroes to begin with, but the rascals are among us all in every aspect of life, military is not an exception.

5. Let no one stereo type us, we are a nation of individualism and we differ on issues. Imagine a Martian telling us that we guys all think alike and don’t have the freedom to differ.

6. We as Citizens need to take the responsibility for gratuitous wars, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan wars. There was no need for it. We need to hold the congress and the president responsible and not the soldiers, they did what they pledge to do; defend the nation.

7. God did not get angry with Adam, when Adam did not follow him, did he? That is the kind of attitude we need to develop that is what probably Jesus meant, when he said follow me or Krishna said to surrender to him or Allah said to submit to his will.

8. I do not agree with Chris, but I am proud of him for being an American to speak up his mind.

9. We are successful because we debate, we may not agree, but we value the God given freedom. 

...................................................................

.http://foxnewsinsider.com/tag/mike-ghouse/

MSNBC Host Sparks Controversy For Saying He Feels “Uncomfortable” Calling U.S. Veterans Heroes

http://foxnewsinsider.com/2012/05/29/msnbc-host-sparks-controversy-for-saying-he-feels-uncomfortable-calling-u-s-veterans-heroes/

While many Americans were honoring the veterans this Memorial Day weekend, MSNBC host Chris Hayes was speaking out against calling the men and women who have fought for this country heroes. He said, “I feel uncomfortable about the word hero because it seems to me that it is so rhetorically proximate to justifications for more war.”


Hayes issued a written apology after the controversial comments and stated that he was “deeply sorry.” Tonight on Hannity, Mike Ghouse from the America Together Foundation said he believes Hayes “made a big mistake by not calling them heroes” but that he does have freedom of speech to say what he thinks.


Sean Hannity responded, “This is what bothers me, is that there is a mentality on the left that has seemingly contempt and a lack of understanding for the price that has been paid for them on NBC News to make one idiotic statement after another. He’s free to do it but the freedom comes from the very people that he’s reluctant to call heroes.”

---

Fox News military analyst Lt. Gen. Thomas McInerney said, “I think John McCain said it very well yesterday when he called the guy who was yelling a jerk … Look the people that go in the military, the veterans, they go in to serve their nation. They do not make the decision that we’re going to go to war in Vietnam, Iraq or Afghanistan. Political leaders make that decision.”
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Afghanistan. Political leaders make that decision.”
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(214) 325-1916 | MikeGhouse is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. He is a professional speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, civic affairs, Islam, India, Israel, peace and justice. Mike is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News and regularly at Huffington post, and several other periodicals across the world. The blog www.TheGhousediary.com is updated daily. 

Interfaith Hindu-Christian Wedding

http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2012/05/interfaith-hindu-christian-wedding.html

Interfaith Hindu-Christian wedding

The bride and groom must be admired by one and all, in this divisive world, where people have difficulty in agreeing, and difficulty in getting along – they are setting a new standard, that of respecting the otherness of other and accepting the God given uniqueness of each other. They  both grew up in different religious traditions, but yet, they have fallen the barriers.

Officiated by Mike Ghouse on Saturday, May 12, 2012

Specificities have been taken out including the real names for privacy. I am pleased to welcome y’all to the beautiful wedding of Betson and Preeya on this blessed day.

"There is only one cast, the cast of humanity.
There is only one religion, the religion of love.
There is only one language, the language of the heart.
There is only one God, he is omnipresent."

Jesus Christ set the example to the world through his actions; he embraced the socially rejected like the prostitutes, the lepers and others. Between him and humanity, there were no walls; Jesus wanted to redeem the lost souls.

When Moses came down from Sinai with the tablets, his unstated goal was to restore trust in the society through orderly conduct. Krishna emerged to reinstate dharma (righteousness).    Muhammad revived the message of Abraham, of one common creator and accountability for our Karma.

Buddha and Mahavira taught that one can achieve freedom through self-regulating.  Guru Nanak saw the commonalities between Hindus and Muslims on the basis of Seva (service), while Bahaullah taught the oneness of humanity.  Of course, the Native Americans also set a fine example, sharing knowledge among various tribes for the common good.

Dear creator, please accept our gratitude in every name call upon you; Manito, Yahweh, Elahi, Ishwar, Allah, Mahavira, Buddha, Wahe Guru, Ahura Mazda, mother earth and Jesus Christ.

Let me welcome you with interfaith greetings.

When you say “Hi” to the other person it has three components – acknowledgement, welcome sign, and the desire to be friends. The same idea is embedded in religious greetings. When you say “Namaste” in its most generic meaning, we are saying, let the good in you connect with the good in me, and when you say, Salaam, Shalom or peace, you are adding that may you be soaked in peace – and when you repeat that back to me, you want me to be in peace too… so, together when we connect, and the basis is peace and goodwill – whatever we do from that point - think, talk or act – it is suppose to be peaceful.

Religious greetings of Baha’i, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jain, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, Wicca, Native Americans and Zoroastrians were recited.

It is my pleasure to officiate the wedding ceremony of Betson & Preeya per the social traditions and God as the witness.

The bride and groom must be admired by one and all, in this divisive world, where people have difficulty in agreeing, and difficulty in getting along – they are setting a new standard, that of respecting the otherness of other and accepting the God given uniqueness of each other. They  both grew up in different religious traditions, but yet, they have fallen the barriers.

The Groom is raised with the Christian traditions with his own understanding of the causer of life while the Bride is raised with Hindu traditions with her own understanding of the creator.  They are different perspectives of the same truth, when you believe that, humility embraces you, it becomes your attitude.  

Humility builds societies, arrogance destroys it. 

Traditions teach accountability, when you live a balanced life, without the burden of guilt, wrong doing and ill will – you receive the ultimate gift of freedom. The Hindu tradition calls it Mukti that is freedom from all bondages, while the Christian tradition calls it Salvation.  

We are here today, either through creation or evolution, but we are here, the life is created in pairs, and the creation has programmed the humanity with love and attraction for each other.

Now it is the responsibility of the couple to continue to accept each other as they are, without seeking the other to be different.

Then Proceedings, affirmation, acceptance, ring exchange and the announcement.

A SHORT SERMON

Love, tranquility, mercy, equity, and kindness are the hallmarks of an ideal marriage. If any of these elements decline in intensity, it becomes the duty of the husband and the wife, equally, to reflect and listen to each other in order to fully enjoy the beauty of marriage.

Once you enjoy the harmony and connection between the two, when you feel each other’s joy, each other’s pain and apprehension… neither of you feels alone, there is a sense of security and a sense of relief in it for both, you feel worthy of living and giving the joy to your spouse.  Indeed, that is what a heaven is all about. It is the freedom to be yourselves and joy to care for each other.

What is part of the nature? 

Both of you want peace and tranquility in life, that is a natural state we move towards. If there is a conflict, the bottom line for both of you is to be out of it, but the ego plays it out and you start saying things, doing things that does the opposite of what you want; that is peace.  When there is conflict, just become a listener, not aan aan, yeah yeah yeah…but an active listener showing that you really care to hear him or her out. That is what guides you out of the conflict.

Shared a short story about effective listening – my encounters with President Musharraf of Pakistan right after 9/11 in DC.

The creator or causer of the universe has created everything in pairs, in harmony and in balance.

Ssequence of the proceedings;  

·         Welcome

·         Interfaith greetings  

·         Essentials of marriage

·         Blessings from the family and friends

·         Acceptance of each other.

·         Signature

·         Ring exchange

·         Public Announcement

·         A short sermon

·         A short prayer (Generic and inclusive)

Mike Ghouse,

Officiant, Interfaith weddingsMikeGhouse is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. He is a professional speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, civic affairs, Islam, India, Israel, peace and justice. Mike is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News and regularly at Huffington post, and several other periodicals across the world. The blog www.TheGhousediary.com is updated daily. 

DFW International Festival, May 26, 2012

http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2012/05/dfw-international-festival-may-26-2012.html

DFW International Festival, Arts District Dallas 5/26/12

Sunday, May 26, 2012 | Picture quiz at the end
Other Pictures - http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeghouse/sets/72157629921694462/show/

Ann Marie Weiss is the founder and president of the DFW International way back in mid-nineties; she has dedicated her last twenty years in  making DFW international a cultural voice of the City. Just about every cultural organization is a part of DFW international. If you are not part of the DFW International, then you don’t exist (analogous to the famous saying my friend Mr. DD Maini says, if you have not seen Lahore, you are not born at all).
Congratulations to Anne Marie Weiss and congratulation to our City – we are indeed an international city with ever increasing cultural and religious diversity. I took some pictures of the skyline around the festival spot… I took the pictures of the beautiful sky from where the festival was held.  I have not had a chance to stop and smell the roses – called Dallas. It was really nice to take time to see and experience Dallas.

It was nice to be a part of the big event today, though we had the booth, we did not staff it, but I visited in the morning and again in the evening, and it‘s an incredibly successful event. Booths were organized by nations, cultures and cuisines… There were nearly ten booths representing America, we were one of them, the America Together Foundation.

I remember the days when it began at her house, we used to meet at her house in North Dallas and then in Lake Highlands. However, I have been busy developing and bringing people together since 1993 on a variety of events – The Thanksgiving Celebrations started in 1994, then Unity Day since 2005 and the Holocaust and Genocides reflections in 2006.

There is one extraordinary picture in the 15 pictures… I think I am going to enter the picture into a competition..... Can you recognize the picture? Years ago, I had taken another picture like that randomly… no one could believe that Dallas could look like that on a foggy morning with no one on the street, just me, my camera, sun and the buildings. The one, who points the special about this picture, will have the old picture dedicated to him or her on facebook.

Mike Ghouse 

www.AmericaTogetherFoundation.com

A Saudi woman blasts religious police; a real hero.

A Saudi woman blasts religious police; a real hero.

Saudi woman blasts religious police

This is a shameful act caught on some one’s Mobil phone. A woman is being harassed in a Saudi Mall for not covering her hair and her hands and apparently wearing nail polish. This is Saudi law in action and not an Islamic thing, as it is not practiced in 53 of the 56 Muslim majority nations. It is the Saudi law, Iranian law and Taliban practice (in areas where those few dominate) and not a Muslim thing to force.

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/video/?videoid=a94562e2-0942-4801-a741985a48b0e96c&src=v5:posterframe:titleBar%5Elink:&from=mpl_en-au_news_news%5Enews%5Earticle&uuid=a94562e2-0942-4801-a741-985a48b0e96c

Women have choices in most nations most of the times. However, we cannot say this is a universal truth.

Shamefully, we the men, across the globe need to ask ourselves, if we have the laws where the men can tell the woman to shut up, how many of the men would rejoice? Don’t look elsewhere, nearly a fourth of our own population in America; the men who are going through bitter divorce may love it.

If you are one of them, how different you are from the Saudi religious police, or from those who believe the place of a woman is kitchen and raise children.

Sadistic men are everywhere.

I hope the Saudi Government wakes up and stops this non-sense and abuses of human rights. I hope more women speak up!

I hope the gandoo (gutless) men, ungandoo themselves and speak up instead of walking away when a woman or any one is harassed and oppressed.

It is irritating that an ordinary woman had to defend herself. I would like to go sit in a mall and record all of this non-sense on a hidden camera...

Hold it, no one is free from this evil, the sadistic few among Jews have spat on women for not covering their hair in Israel this year 2012. The sadistic few among Hindus have vandalized the girls on Valentine’s Day in India… the sadistic few among Muslims in Afghanistan also beat women for not wearing the Hijab…and on the other hand the sadistic few among Americans chase women out of a social setting by staring at their bodies … Damn it, women get chased for wearing full clothes and for wearing least clothes, the girls who dare, do risk harassment whether they are in full clothes or the least clothes.

The Talibans dictate women to cover up, the French and others dictate women not to cover up. Who the hell are these men to tell others what to wear? 

I wish a fictional government emerges somewhere, where women rule. In that government, the liberal women will pass laws banning men from wearing suits and full clothing and encourage men to wear fig leaves. The conservative women have the men whipped for not covering other parts of the body.

I would also want to imagine, where the majority of men and women, take up the issue in the ballot and approve live and let live laws. Let men and women wear, eat, drink and believe what suits them as long as they are not hurting anyone measurably.

All of us need to speak up and seek a society where a woman can go anywhere, any time of the day without fear of the other.  Indeed, I have heard two men talk about it – The 2^nd one was Shri C. Rajagopalachari, the last Governor-General of India and the first one was Prophet Muhammad, both of them had said similar things. While Jesus, Moses, Krishna and others worked on building safe societies. The prophet had said he envisions a civil society where a single woman laden with jewelry can travel to Damascus and return back to Madinah without ever fearing or being harassed by one.

We all need to aspire for such a society, where every individual member of a society feels safe.

 Please note, at the end I saw MEMRI.TV logo, and I thank them for highlighting this event, even though their intention is not good.  

MikeGhouse is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. He is a professional speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, civic affairs, Islam, India,Israel, peace and justice. Mike is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity showon Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning Newsand regularly at Huffington post, and several other periodicals across the world. The blog www.TheGhousediary.com is updated daily.

Aamir Khan is God sent

http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2012/05/aamir-khan-is-god-sent.html

As a person committed to building cohesive societies,  I cannot thank God enough for the gift of Aamir Khan to India.

Aamir Khan with the show Satyamev Jayate

He is changing India, and impacting the social attitudes. He is bringing Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Jains, Christians, Buddhists, street people, palace people, men, women and children on common grounds. A deep sense of empathy and connection is binding people together. He will eventually strip biases and prejudices in people towards the other and bring mukti to them. 

It is good teaching material for the organizations committed to the well being of women and children and prevent potential abuse.

He has become my new hero in the line of my social heroes who have worked all their lives to build cohesive societies.  Aamir has turned his fame for common good, a pioneer from the fame industry and I hope; he will inspire the other giants like Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwariya Rai, Shahrukh Khan and others to take time out from making money and doing some good. 


You don't need to be a star to do good, you can do it too. Volunteer your time to serve people whom you don't know, it would be better if you serve the one's don't like them. It will do a lot of good for you.

I have seen two people in Dallas die in car accidents – oddly one was an Indian and the other a Pakistani. Both were money making machines and had refused to donate to charity, to do good for others.  What did they take with them?

Aamir Khan has inspired me with ideas on the documentary I am making. He has put together topics that bind people, I am now reorienting myself to redo the documentary, Americans together, building a cohesive society, where no American has to live in apprehension or fear of the other.  You are welcome to participate in the documentary with ideas, funds, labor and energy.

Please do watch these two videos.
. . . .
Satyamev Jayate :  Female infanticide in India
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1vASMbEEQc

. . . .

Satyamev Jayate : Child Sexual Abuse - 13th May 2012
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=hY8CyTeegrM

. . . .

And read the following if you have the time.

Aamir Khan, the new Social Hero of India

http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2012/05/aamir-khan-new-social-hero-of-india.html

. . . .

Satyameva Jayate: A Truly Cathartic Experience
http://www.boloji.com/index.cfm?md=Content&sd=Articles&ArticleID=12225

. . . .

The Idiocy of The Big, Fat Indian Weddings

http://mikeghouseforindia.blogspot.com/2012/05/idiocy-of-big-fat-indian-weddings.html

MikeGhouse is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. He is a professional speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, civic affairs, Islam, India, Israel, peace and justice. Mike is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News and regularly at Huffington post, and several other periodicals across the world. The blog www.TheGhousediary.com is updated daily.

Teaching intolerance in Saudi Arabia

CORRECTIVE NOTE:  May 25, 2012 - Apparently this is old News prior to correction, however, I have asked the writers in Saudi Arabia to present the new and improved curricullum, we must be fair, it happened with us, our California text books were wrong about Hinduism, much of it is corrected now. Mike Ghouse
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The following is a report about what is taught in Saudi Arabian schools. It amounts to giving sewer to children as a drink… to ruin their minds and hearts in the long haul.

What they are teaching in Saudi Arabia is a major concern, however, it should not be looked as an opportunity to laugh at them, but an opportunity for all of us to examine about ourselves and find a solution to bring about a world wide change, we are all in this together. 

Let’s never forget the words of wisdom from the first pluralist of the world; Jesus Christ, who said, “let he who is without sin cast the first stone.” As a society we should not rejoice the badness of others, instead we need to ponder and find ways for all of us to move towards “treat others as you would want to be treated.” We are all guilty of our own.

Even here in the United States, the most advanced nation, our school books at one time were derogatory towards Hinduism that I know of and have written about it with concern. Our own military was teaching hatred of Muslims in a civil society.  In Pakistan and Bangladesh children were taught to hate Indians, in Palestine and Israel same thing goes; denigration of each other. I am sure some where in India, they teach hatred towards Pakistanis, as it spills out in the language of a few Indians. A few parents still teach (by their attitudes) their children prejudice against Mexicans, African Americans, Muslims, Mormons, Jews, Gay and Lesbians…. the hate business is everywhere. No one is free from it.

We may have ugly feelings towards others, do we need to dump this on our children? What if they turn around and tell us to go hell for teaching them hatred towards.......  are you guilty of using words, comments and examples that amounts to giving sewer to your children to drink? It is time to reflect. 

Is this what we want to teach our children?

We are our children’s number one enemies, with our teaching and observing our stinky examples, they learn to become difficult people and perhaps live in misery their whole lives. They cannot relate with the real world out there.

Nations are no exception to this – the leaders of most of the nations spend their damned time in scheming and destroying others, instead of building bridges and living and letting others live.

This is a serious issue, we need to come together to find solutions. Lets’ begin with ourselves – take a few minutes to assess your own feelings after you read the following piece and then seriously evaluate if those feelings add to the well being of the world or aggravate it further. The choice is always yours, about how you feel – hateful, resentful, avengeful, merciful, solutionsful or full of compassion and desire to change ourselves first before we think about changing others. If we are crappy, how can we expect others to be not?

Mike Ghouse is committed to building cohesive societies where no one is apprehensive of fearful of the other.  

Teaching Intolerance continued at http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2012/05/teaching-intolerance-in-saudi-arabia.html 

Safeer-e-Pakistan Awards Night

http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2012/05/safeer-e-pakistan-awards-night.html

15 Dallasites were recognized for their contributions to the society in a gala event organized by Safeer-e-Pakistan, a popular community program that airs on Geo Television Network.  The 8th Annual Dinner event was held at DFW Marriott Hotel by the Airport on Saturday, May 19, 2012.

Congratulations to the following  recipients;

Aslam Khan, Dr. Akhtar Shah, Amina Ismail, Asad Rehman, Dr. Amir Suleman, Mike Ghouse, Barkat Basaria, PSNT, Haleema Rahim, Dr. Basheer Ahmed, Mansoor Shah, Anwer Azam, Sakhia, Dr. Huma Shah, and Dr. Mohammad Nawaz.


Video clip - http://vimeo.com/42668014

It is a fulfillment of the vision of its founder Waqar Ali Khan, “to provide a platform for the Pakistani American community to voice their concerns on issues of importance to them” and since 1997 the program has been introducing role models in different spheres of American life. In the 20 minutes video presented at the program, it highlighted its work over the years, and it is quite impressive.

As a Dallasite, Indian American, and a pluralist*,  I welcome the spirit of the program. The recipients were Pakistani-Americans as well as one Indian American; the writer of this note. 

This is a good step forward by the Pakistani community on a national level to reach out to Pakistanis from around the nation.  

We welcome Safeer e Pakistan to Dallas, indeed we are a model Desi community in America. We have been blessed with multi-cultural and multi-nationalistic efforts in bringing people together. We have been doing this for a long time, starting with Desi Thanksgiving Celebrations, Asian News Magazine, Asian News Radio, Asian Chamber of Commerce, FunAsia Radio, Asian American Star, Radio Hot Pepper, Radio Azad, B Magazine and several others.

Despite being Americanized, we still have a few loud mouth Indian and Pakistani immigrants who do, and say things to hurt the delicate relations,  but gleefully do back flips to befriend Taiwanese, Mexicans, Russians, Japanese, Egyptians, Somalis or Brazilians, but resist befriending our own neighbors. They are deprived, and do not have anything good to say about the others, I pray for their enrichment. 

We are not alone in this short-sightedness; the Chinese-Taiwanese, Iranians-Saudi, North-South Korea, Israeli-Palestinians and others join us in our deficiencies, it is indeed human, but it is also human to build cohesive societies where no one has to live in fear of the other. If we are incapable of cleansing ourselves with prejudices against each other, then we should not expect the people back home to do it either. The spirit has to be global. It is in this spirit, I appreciate the work of Safeer-e-Paksitan program and the awards night.

As a Pluralist*, it is a joy for me to witness races, nationalities, religions and ethnicities fall the barriers between peoples and embrace each other.

In the interfaith weddings that I officiate, the latest ones being a Muslim-Jain and a Hindu-Christian weddings, I share this, “What the bride and groom have chosen to do, must be admired by one and all. In this divisive world, where people have difficulty in agreeing or getting along – they are setting a new standard. That is learning to respect the otherness of other and accepting the God given uniqueness of each other. They have additional differences; they both grew up in different religious traditions.”

The following was my short prepared acceptance speech in the given 2 minutes, but was shorted to 30 seconds due to time constraints.

Thanks to Geo TV, Waqar Ali Khan, Fatima Khan, Anjum Anwar, Naheed Raheel and Safeer-e-Pakistan team. I want to thank them for adding the interfaith category in the recognition. 

Pluralism and interfaith is our future, by the end of 2020, there will not be a major city in the America, and perhaps in the world, where you will not find people of different faiths working, eating, and doing social things together. We need to prepare ourselves for those situations to prevent possible conflicts and lay a good foundation for nurturing goodwill. Exclusive communities will become a thing of the past. 

Guess who pioneered the interfaith?

Indeed, it was Prophet Muhammad, the peace maker. He was perhaps the first spiritual master who was blessed to have lived amidst three to four different religious traditions. He lived his preaching, just as Moses, Krishna, Buddha, Jesus, Nanak, and all the great teachers did. He had regular meetings at his Mosque with Jews, Christians and others to discuss and learn and share about each other’s religions.

He was following the words of Qur’an 49:13 (paraphrase) - the best among you is the one who makes an effort to know each other. There is a presumption that we don’t know each other, and most certainly we don’t. By knowing and learning and accepting each others as we are, we can create better societies – the product was the Madinah declaration initiated by the Prophet, where all people had their own religion to follow and practice without interference, it is almost a predecessor to the U.S. Constitution guaranteeing freedom of religion. 

Of course, there will always be a tiny fraction of a percent of Muslims, Jews, Christians, Hindus and other who do not follow their own religion resulting in conflicts and false propaganda, but a majority of the people get the goodness of their religion.

Example after example, we can trace the essence of his work – conflict mitigation and goodwill nurturance, and respecting the otherness of others.

The recognition of interfaith work is owed to Prophet Muhammad and I thank you (Safeer-e-Pakistan) for honoring the work of the Prophet.

. . . . .

Please visit their site as well. http://www.safeerepakistan.com


*** Pluralism is an attitude of respecting the otherness of others and accepting the God given uniqueness of each one of us.

MikeGhouse is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. He is a professional speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, civic affairs, Islam, India, Israel, peace and justice. Mike is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News and regularly at Huffington post, and several other periodicals across the world. The blog www.TheGhousediary.com is updated daily.