Friday, June 26, 2015

Supreme Court extends same-sex marriage nationwide

Every human has a God given right to eat, drink, wear and believe whatever he or she wants, and marry whoever he or she wants. Some among us may not agree with the idea of same sex marriage, but that is the ultimate freedom. Freedom guaranteed to one is freedom guaranteed to all.

When God gave the options to Adam and Eve and explained the consequences of eating the forbidden fruit, and yet they chose to eat it, God did not stop them or slapped them for the wrong doing (at that time), instead God lived up to his word. That is when the freedom took seed and it is God given.

Freedom is a God given gift that we should cherish! God could have stopped Lucifer from tempting Adam and Eve, he could have stopped Adam from consuming the forbidden fruit, and he could have prevented Jesus from the crucifix, Moses did not have to speak up against Pharaoh, Muhammad (pbuh) did not have to endure persecution. God Almighty could have stopped everyone in the tract, but he did not, he gave us the freedom to choose how we deal with conflicts and restore harmony.

If Hilary gets elected as President, America would have achieved the ideals laid out by the founding fathers - that we are all created equal. Indeed, each one of us should have the equal opportunities and equal access to everything.

Congratulations to the GLBT community, now they can live freely without apprehension. I hope the Evangelical Imams don't issue any Fatwas against this or blame this SC decision for the water crisis in California.

Once again, we appreciate President Obama to open the first official door.

Dr. Omid Safi reflects on Same-sex Marriage :
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Let me pause, though, and say a word about what I have witnessed in the last few days about the Muslim public discourse regarding same-sex marriage and the Supreme Court ruling. I have been impressed by what I see as increased nuance in our public discourse from many people, including many who are personally and religiously opposed to homosexuality but recognize the importance of the state not imposing exclusionary practices on citizens.

However, there is one item that I am concerned about, and I would add, disappointed in regarding a number of these public statements. I have seen quite a few Muslim leaders articulate something along the lines of "From the perspective of mainstream, normative Islamic law, any type of sexual union outside of marriage is unethical and immoral."

If that is what we are going to state publicly, then let us be honest and transparent and state that this normative Islamic law also included--and includes--the possibility of concubines and polygamy.

Both are sanctioned in the Qur'an, and in Islamic law. Neither is likely to be viewed with great favor in the public discourse, which is why I suspect Muslims leave them off of our discussion.

Naturally, I have no interest in advocating for concubinage or polygamy: in the case of the first a hierarchical institution and in the case of second one that is open to many kinds of abuse (though I recognize there are times that it may work for some, and God knows better than I do.).

But yes, if our appeal is going to be to existing, historical "mainstream, normative law", then we have to be willing to publicly defend and stand by concubinage and polygamy. To leave them off and pretend that "traditional" sanctioned models of Islamic marriage only include that between one man and one woman united in marriage is at best intellectually weak and at worst dishonest. The same thing goes, of course for others who present a "Biblical" model of marriage.

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Thank you,
Mike Ghouse
AmericansTogether.org
(214) 325-1916

Mike is a speaker, thinker, writer, pluralist, TV-Radio commentator and a human rights activist committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. His info in 63 links atMikeGhouse.net and writings at TheGhouseDiary.com

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Supreme Court extends same-sex marriage nationwide

http://cjonline.com/news/2015-06-26/latest-supreme-court-extends-same-sex-marriage-nationwide

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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

Friday, June 26, 2015