The Ghouse Diary: Quran Burning Day and Unity Day USA

Saturday, August 24, 2013

Quran Burning Day and Unity Day USA

Purpose:

It is a purposeful event to bring Americans of different faiths, races, ethnicities and other uniqueness together to rededicate ourselves to our pledge; One nation under God with liberty and Justice for all. We will pray for peace, prosperity and security of our nation.

The 10th Annual event is moved to Mulberry, Florida - for a singular purpose - to mitigate possible apprehensions generated by the planned burning of 2998 copies of Quran on September 11, 2013. We hope it restores our faith in the cohesiveness of America, and we the people will go on about our business of living our daily lives.

Date 9/11/2013 in Mulberry - place and time will be announced soon.

We honor the free speech guaranteed in our constitution, and have no intentions to criticize, condemn or oppose Pastor Terry Jones freedom of expression. Instead, we will be donating blood and praying for goodness to prevail.

We hope, our mercy based message will remind those few Muslims elsewhere in the world that violence is not the way. We believe it may bring a change in the attitudes of followers of Pastor Jones, and in the behavior of those Muslims who reacted violently the last time Pastor sought notoriety. The full press release: http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2013/08/planned-muslim-response-to-quran_18.html

We will gather;

to be together as Americans
to express our gratitude to our men and women in uniform
to honor individuals who have contributed to the well being of Mulberry, Florida
to emphasize and appreciate diversity represented by America.
to cherish the otherness of others.
to commit to be good neighbors
to rededicate our pledge to the peace, prosperity and security of America

Please join us with your family and friends to be together as Americans. Your presence is a valuable expression of unity. Along with our elected officials, civic, religious and business leaders, you help fulfill our common values and aspirations. Your presence fortifies our commitment to a pluralistic America.

As Americans, and as American of all hues, we uphold, protect, defend and celebrate the values enshrined in our constitution. All our faiths reinforce the creed of "One Nation under God, with liberty and justice for all”.

On this Unity Day USA, we, the people of the United States of America of every faith, race and ethnicity, will gather to express our commitment to co-existence, safety, prosperity and the well being of our nation.

PROGRAM OUTLINE

10th Annual Unity Day USA
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Mulberry, Florida
TIME: TBD
Flag Ceremony

National Anthem
(Preferably joined in by members of at least 7 faith traditions, if not all)

Pledge of Allegiance
To be led by the Hon. Mayor of Mulberry

Purpose of Unity DayThank Yous and Acknowledgements

GreetingsGreetings from several religious traditions a few Video Samples; City of Carrollton-II - City of Carrollton – Chicago Bible College

Civic LeadersMayors, Police and Fire chiefs, and Civic Leaders to share 3 minutes each – about their responsibility in treating each citizen with respect and dignity

Honoring the activists
Those who have stood up for others

Spiritual Leaders
Spiritual Leaders to share their wisdom – 3 minutes each. In Dallas we bring 15 traditions, here we can do as many as we can gather – between Atheist (all Americans need to be represented), Baha’i, Buddhist, Christian (as many denominations as we can), Earth Based, Hindu, Jain, Jewish, Muslim, Native Americans, Pagan, Sikh, Shinto, Wicca and Zoroastrians.

Peace Pledge

I will I will speak up when there is injustice.
I will speak up when truth is not spoken.
I will make my words and my actions mitigate conflicts.
I will do my share in nurturing goodwill for the benefit of all.
I will do my share of peace work, without looking for others
I will do respect the God given uniqueness of each individual.
I will do my best to live and let others live their way.
I will do my best to nurture goodwill in everything I do.

Special Muslim prayer ( 3-4 Minutes)

Pray for the well being of all Americans, and pray for Reverend Terry Jones, and seek forgiveness for all of us, and that God guide to Guide Reverend Terry Jones to become a be blessed peace maker. Pray for the goodwill of the people of Polk county and Mulberry City, and pray for a cohesive America, where no American needs to live in apprehension, discomfort or fear or fellow Americans.

Conclusion – Thank you.
Depending on the time and place – we can arrange soft drinks, cookies and munchies.

Donate at http://americatogetherfoundation.com/donate/

A video message to Muslims and Pastor Terry Jones

A VIDEO MESSAGE TO MUSLIMS AND PASTOR JONES
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsQq-tbJ89k&feature=youtu.be

All of this is at www.WorldMuslimCongress.com

1. PLANNED MUSLIM RESPONSE TO PASTOR JONES QUR'AN BURNING URL- http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2013/08/planned-muslim-response-to-quran_18.html

4. A PROPER RESPONSE TO INFLAMMATORY ACT - SAUDI GAZETTE
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20130821177617

5. FOR MUSLIMS IN AMERICA, A NOVEL PROTEST - TIMES OF INDIA
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/From-Muslims-in-America-a-novel-protest-against-quran-burning/articleshow/21982162.cms

6. TAMPA BAY FOX NEWShttp://www.myfoxtampabay.com/story/23233567/2013/08/22/pastor-wants-to-burn-3000-korans-in-mulberry

9. MUSLIMS PROTESTS - MULBERRY LEDGER
http://www.theledger.com/article/20130820/news/130829938

All the original pieces related to the Quran burning even are at www.WorldMuslimCongress.com

How unity day as conceived
http://911unitydayusa.blogspot.com/2011_12_01_archive.html

Unity day 2009

Unityday 2006

Thank you.
Mike Ghouse
(214) 325-1916 text/talk
www.AmericaTogetherFoundation.com

www.FoundationforPluralism.com
www.UnitydayUSA.com

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INTRODUCTION

Mike Ghouse is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions to media and to the public on important and complex issues of the day and is available to speak in a variety of settings such as schools, seminars, conferences, and places of worship, or the work place.

Mike is a frequent guest on Fox News, (The Hannity Show), and has been interviewed on nationally syndicated Radio shows along with Dallas TV, Print and Radio networks and occasional interviews on NPR. He is a member of the Texas Faith panel of Dallas Morning News and writes on issues facing the nation every week. He has spoken at international forums including the Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions, in Melbourne, Australia, Middle East Peace Initiative, in Jerusalem, the International Leadership conference, in Hawaii, and in Washington

The Foundation for Pluralism champions the idea of co-existence by respecting and accepting the otherness of those different from ourselves. The World Muslim Congress is committed to nurturing the pluralistic ideals embedded in Islam. Heavily involved in both, Mike Ghouse is committed to building cohesive societies and has produced outstanding public events to bring Americans together of different religions, ethnicities and races on common grounds of building a safe and secure America.

He is a speaker, thinker, collaborator and a writer on the subjects of Pluralism, the interfaith movement, cohesive societies, Islam, India, hope and world peace. Over 1000 articles of Mike’s have been published worldwide and two books are poised to be released this summer. His work is reflected in 4 websites and 27 Blogs indexed at http://www.mikeghouse.net/
C
oncerned by the divisiveness, he saw the need to bring Americans together and founded America Together Foundation committed to building a cohesive America, indeed it is in response to ACT America which is bent on pitching one American against the other. We will be holding series of educational programs, conferences and workshops to address the issues that divide us such as Civil Right, GLBT, Quraan, Abortion, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, Racial Profiling and Stereotyping.

The Annual Unity Day USA is in its 7th year now, it is a purposeful event to bring Americans together, on this Unity Day, we the people of the United States of America of every faith, race, ethnicity, culture and background will gather to express our commitment to co-existence, unity, prosperity and wellbeing of our nation.

Thanksgiving Celebration is in its 15th year showcasing cultural diversity.

The 5th Annual Reflections on Holocaust and Genocides is to learn and to acknowledge and reflect upon the terrible things we have inflicted upon each other and commit to avert such tragedies. Through this event non-Jewish people have consciously learned about Holocaust for the first time, it was also for the first time that people of 14 faiths came together to join in to commemorate the Holocaust that commemorated within the Jewish Community for years. They are not alone anymore in their anguish, we are all in it together with them, and it is a Muslim initiative to effect a positive change.

The programs, seminars and workshops conducted by the Foundation for Pluralism have become a part of the America Together Foundation. While the Foundation for Pluralism continues championing the idea of co-existence through respecting and accepting the otherness of other, the commitment to nurturing the pluralistic ideals embedded in Islam through the World Muslim Congress continues.

Mike is a speaker, thinker, collaborator and a writer on the subjects of Pluralism, the Interfaith Movement, Cohesive Societies, Islam, India, Hope and World Peace. Over 1000 of his articles have been published worldwide and two books are poised to be released this summer. His work is reflected in 4 websites and 27 Blogs indexed at http://www.mikeghouse.net

To engage Mike in a dialogue, conference or a talk, write to Ghousespeaks@gmail.com and email dedicated for this purpose or you can call him on a short notice at 214.325.1916