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Saturday, October 31, 2015

India: Prime Minister Modi letting India down

If Prime Minister Modi does not speak up on the issue and stop the extremists of his party members to run over him, he will make India, a Langda India; that is a limping India.

A solid India stands on two firm legs; 1) Prosperity and 2) Social Cohesion.

Prosperity is creating jobs, raising income levels, pulling the ones in ditches onto a level playing field to build a larger Middle class and create an expanded consumer base, whose consumption will create jobs and the economy will multiply and the standards of living will go up. The more people do well, the better the nation does.  Modi is talking big about it and we can give him two years to produce results.

Social Cohesion on the other hand is like human body cohesion - heart, brain, kidneys, liver, vision, nose, tongue, touch, hearing, and the flow of blood, breathing and all parts of the body need to function cohesively to be normal. One failure can cause the whole thing to fail or make the body ineffective. If you think the discharge part of the body is less important, wait till it stops, it will cause the whole or part of the body to malfunction.  Like wise, all people have to function well, and it is in the interest of the body that it makes up the deficiencies, so we as humans, as Indians have to meet those deficiencies in fellow Indians.

Those of you who are blinded by the love for Mr. Modi, I appeal to you to look for greater love for the nation. Modis will come and go, but the Nation will continue. I am challenging your patriotism, none of us want India to go down, so let our loyalty be to India and not Modi, until he proves that he can keep these two functions in shape, I will hold my praise for him, will you?

I don't want my India to be a Langda India, neither do you? If we all wake up and criticize Mr. Modi, guess what will happen? He will be compelled to do the right thing. Don't you want that? 

Arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached
. Swami Vivekananda must have meant this for us in 2015 and 2016.

NOTE: Those of you who have an interest in Indian affairs, please visit my blog for articles and my notes on India 

http://MikeGhouseforIndia.Blogspot.com

Dr. Mike Ghouse is a community consultant, social scientist, thinker, writer and a speaker on PluralismInterfaithIslampolitics, human rights, foreign policy and building cohesive societies. Mike offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. More about him in 63 links at www.MikeGhouse.net and his writings are at TheGhousediary.com  

Saturday, October 24, 2015

Beyond Tolerance, a call to Religious freedom and hopeful action.


Beyond Tolerance, a call to Religious freedom and hopeful action.

Washington, DC - October 22, 2015 -- 
 Evangelical Ministers, Imams and community leaders gathered up in Washington, DC to figure out how to co-exist. 

It was a powerful event loaded with unpleasant statistics but paved the way for taking the next step; action.  We the Muslims need to seriously focus on positive engagement.  Over 100 people attended the event – and per the independent research, the Evangelical pastors have a much lower opinion of Islam and Muslims than the general American public. A heart to heart conversation took place followed by a pledge to improve the situation. 

The survey provided the tools and gave us a starting point; engagement. I have taken pictures of the slides, but will get their power point and put together an action plan for consideration.    

The event was headed by Pastor Bob Roberts of Texas ( a great friend) and Imam Maged of Adams Center, it was held at the First Baptist Church in Glenarden outside the beltway on North East side of Washington, DC. 

I have absorbed these facts with a determination to improve the perceptions about us. 

The next day, on Friday, the group met at the National Cathedral, several friends of Muslims and Evangelicals along with people from the Department of State and other groups joined in. It was a pledge to work on freedom of religion followed by a press conference. Ambassadors Saperstein, Rasool, Rashad Ahmed, Arsalan Suleman, Prince Faisal Turki, Rick Love, Bob Roberts, Imam Zia Sheikh and several others attended the event.

The Evangelicals emphasized on an honest dialogue, indeed, our faith tells us to tell the truth even if it goes against us and we can build on one of the most important characteristics.

The following note was sent to Bob Roberts and Rick Love.


Dear Rick and Bob,



Congratulations! it was indeed a successful event, you have done your part, and now it is our duty to take the word with concrete actions to four corners of the world.

Bob, is one of my favorite evangelical pastors; he was recognized with the Pluralist Award in 2009 from  America Together Foundation. Bob truly represents the teachings of Jesus, just as Pope Francis does.


Rick's work is well known and it was a joy to connect with him. He and I were in Louisville about the incident there… they are good folks there. .


On September 16, 2015, a few miscreants painted hate symbols on the River Road mosque in Louisville. When the local community at large found out about this, nearly 1000 people from main stream and disparate ethnic communities came to the mosque to show their solidarity with Muslims, and they joined in the community cleanup and re-painting the mosque.  This act of support was not just out of a sense of justice, compassion or help for the underdog, but clearly out of enduring friendship, which is the most reliable relationship, not bound by time or situation.  We congratulate Dr. Babar Cheema and the Louisville Muslim leadership, which has nurtured a relationship of friendship and trust with the local community over many years.

Let's fight the bias within us against the Evangelicals. 

First thing first, we (Muslims) need to work on our own bias towards Evangelical pastors, our language ought to reflect that. On November 30, 2009,  a piece was written urging people not to be biased against Baptist/ Evangelicans. It was the sixth or seventh piece urging people not to stereotype people. Three more notes about Bob are included after this note.

Pastor Robert Jeffress (2009 - Dallas, TX) attacks Mormons, Muslims, Catholics, Jews, Buddhists and Hindus, he calls them all cults. Please note that I am not highlighting his affiliation with the Dallas Baptist Church, there is no way, the Church approves hate or ill-will towards other humans, it goes against the very teachings of Jesus Christ.

As a society we have faltered in blaming the group or the religion for the acts of individuals. The words of Pastor Jeffress generates fear, anxieties hate and ill-will, it is him and not the reflection of his Church, even if the congregation sheepishly claps and gives a standing ovation when the pastor calls out, “Islam is an evil evil religion and Quran is a book written by a false prophet” with full passion.

Please remove any bias you may have against Baptist Church because you’ll find bigotry in every denomination and every religion and no one can cast the first stone. In a short span of 7 years, in my own town Dallas, just one Baptist Pastor’s ignorance is overwhelmed by many Baptist pastors, just to name a few who reflect the inclusive teachings of Jesus with substantial backing are Late Pastor Roy Harrell of Thanksgiving Square, who led the Christian Coalition prayers representing several denominations at the Unity day USA program in 1985.

Pastor George Mason of the Wilshire Baptist Church who was the first one to agree to be on the panel demystifying the myths about Quran in the Quran conference and Pastor Bob Roberts who has led many expeditions in exploring common grounds among faiths, including a joint commemoration of 9/11 by Muslims and Baptist. By the way, both the gentlemen were recipients of the “Pluralist Award” in 2009 for their work in living with no bias towards others.

This event changed perceptions about Muslims in a major way. The full piece is at:
http://quraanconference.blogspot.com/2012/12/pastor-robert-jeffress-ignites-quraan.html



Dedicated to Bob Roberts  

Bob Roberts language is Quranic, when he talks, his language reflects the essence of Sura Kafiurn, one of the best chapters on conducting civil dialogue. The following understanding of Sura Kafirun was written on July 5, 2008, almost five years ago and now, 
on this day February 09, 2013, it is being dedicated to Pastor Bob Roberts for his bold take on respecting the otherness of others,  URL- The link http://quraan-today.blogspot.com/2008/07/sura-kafirun-un-believers.html 

Another one for Bob Roberts

……..
Quran is one of the most misunderstood books on the earth, even by Muslims.  He sees it as a pluralistic document to build cohesive societies, where God is not the exclusive property of anyone but a universal energy that belongs to all, loves us all, and cares for our well being.  Dr. Ghouse is producing a short book addressing the myths and facts about Quran, and this book will be dedicated to Pastor Bob Roberts of Texas, the big name among Evangelical Pastors and Imam Zia Shaikh from Irving, Texas have understood the full meaning of pluralism, i.e., respecting the otherness of others.
Standing up for Christians

Here is a chapter from my upcoming book, "Standing up for others" - the link to Standing up for Christians is included here. 
http://standingupforothers.blogspot.com/2012/01/standing-with-christians.html 


Clicking on the pictures will give a larger image
Presenting independent research survey
Muslims and Evangelicals sharing their perceptions\
At National Cathedral
Formal signing of the pledge to religious freedom
Imam Maged and Rick Love begin signing the pledge
Ambassador for religious freedom, Rabbi David Saperstein
Rick Love, Mike Ghouse, Imam Zia Sheikh
Girl Scouts doing the flag ceremony and the pledge

I am so proud of humanity and the goodness that resides in every heart, the Shoulder to Shoulder Campaign is blessing to American Muslims, thanks to ISNA for being a partner with them, and we at American Muslim Institution are friends with Shoulder to Shoulder Campaign.   

Here is a great speech by Catherine Osrborn, the director of the Campaign. 

"My name is Catherine Orsborn, and I direct the Shoulder to Shoulder Campaign.

Shoulder to Shoulder was formed in 2010, when nearly 30 religious denominations and organizations came together to take a stand against the anti-Muslim bigotry that was infecting our public rhetoric here in the US.  We worked in partnership with the National Cathedral and a number of other groups and individuals to bring together this diverse collection of religious leaders today, to recommit ourselves to one another and to call on our public officials to stand up against bigotry and discrimination based on religious identity. 

We have considered together today the critical intersections of religious freedom globally- and to say that as Americans, we have a duty in our own context, in our own realm of influence, to protect and uphold the freedom and flourishing of religious communities, and particularly of religious minority communities, here at home.  It’s been a difficult year for many minority communities in the US. Hate rhetoric and prejudice has societal consequences, sometimes violent consequences. 

Our commitment to a pluralistic religious freedom here in the US requires tending.  A number of faith leaders and communities have come together to say that we reject the demonization of the other and we stand together in our quest to build our multi-religious society in a way that goes beyond tolerance. 

But we can’t do this alone- we need our public officials to stand up as well, showing us that they, too, value religious freedom for all.  We need public officials across this nation to refrain from bigoted rhetoric, singling out and denigrating any religious community that calls this country home.  Those participating in this initiative hold different views on many aspects of belief and politics, but the best version of America can recognize, respect, and value difference as part of what makes us the nation that we are.  

It’s an American problem when certain communities are made to feel as if they don’t have a full seat at the American table.  When one religious community is attacked, it’s on all of us to stand against it, not only because we value freedom and inclusion for our own communities, but because we are neighbors and fellow citizens who must care for one another and work together in order to make our communities and our world a better place.

Thank you for being here today, and to all who put time and energy into this initiative- I find much hope in the commitment reflected here today. "

-----------------------------
What does it take to change the perceptions about Muslims? We have had success in most things we have done. I will have a solid program put together for our organization American Muslim Institution,  and upon approval, we would take the step forward.


If we can learn to respect the otherness of others and accept the God given uniqueness of each one of us, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge.

# # #
Dr. Mike Ghouse is social scientist, thinker, writer and a speaker on Pluralism, Interfaith, Islam, politics, human rights, foreign policy and building cohesive societies. He offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day and more about him is in 63 links at www.MikeGhouse.net and his writings are at TheGhousediary.com

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

A Successful Parliament of World's Religions in Salt Lake City, Congratulations to the Chair, Trustees, Board Members, volunteers, presenters and the attendees.

A Successful Parliament of World's Religions Event | TheGhousediary.com http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2015/10/a-successful-parliament-of-worlds.html

Congratulations to the Chairman, Trustees, Board members, staff, presenters and the volunteers of the Parliament of World's Religion for organizing one of the most successful interfaith conferences ever, it is a pinnacle of interfaith movement.


The event was held in Salt Lake City, in the state of Utah from October 15 thru October 19, 2015. Each day started with Meditation or prayers (of all faiths) at 7 AM and ended at about 11:30 PM each night. Every minute was packed in the five days of learning and sharing.

Euphoric is the best word to describe the feeling one had during this conference. Where else can you learn so much about a religion, particularly other's religion? Indeed, it was a myth busting event. 



Nearly 10,000 people representing over 200 faith traditions attended the event.  Our special thanks to the Sikh Community for the Langar (serving Lunch) to the attendees for five days in a row.  I met and talked with the people who drove the 18 wheeler from California loaded with food supplies and a big team of people descended in the town and prepared the food along with the volunteers of the Salt Lake Gurdwara ( Sikh Temple). It 
will be one of the 12 reports I would be writing about the Parliament with pictures and videos.

What a joy it was to see the God given human balance restored at the event. Over 50% of the participants were women, and nearly 30% of attendees were youth and 60% of the MC's were women again. 
Finally, the right thing has happened! Now, the humanity can hope for a better world with women's merciful and kind hearts overlooking the affairs of religion.

We must congratulate the leadership of Salt Lake City for hosting the event, and most certainly the Mormon Tabernacle for laying the foundation for pluralistic societies - 125 plus children participated together from different faiths and races to share one dream; we are the one.

The 5,200 plus members who attended the packed Tabernacle went home knowing that happiness is in being one, and being with every one without bias. Many faith traditions were represented through a prayer, music and or a song, what a beautiful thing it was to witness! Praise the lord every which way you can! Hallelujah!

Personally, it was a realization of my own dream, Indeed, we have been doing the same for the last 17 years on a smaller scale in Dallas at the Annual Thanksgiving 
Celebrations and Awards Night and at the Unity Day USA event.

Imagine the kind of beautiful harmonious future those kids will have - knowing and respecting each other, and growing up together and becoming politicians or professionals. Together, they would have learned to work, eat, play, travel and marry each other with least conflicts.

This event gave a lot of hope to the people who are concerned about the ongoing political, religious and social conflicts, every one, I believe walked out with the hope, knowing full well that the ones (10,000 of them) who attended will carry the good word to all corners of the world.   

Thanks to the organizers for placing their hearts, minds and souls into it. They have done their share of work, and now as attendees, friends of the Parliament and goodness spreaders,  we have to do our share of the work. We have to multiply the work of understanding each other, mitigating conflicts and nurturing goodwill to create a cohesive world where no human has to feel alienated or apprehensive of the other. 


God willing, I will do my share of work in letting the world know that the great accomplishments of the Parliament of World's Religions for all of us; the entire world.

As a Muslim and a Pluralist, I believe,  if we can learn to respect the otherness of others and accept the God-given uniqueness of each one of the 7 billion of us, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge. 



About 12 pieces on the subject will be written in the next two months. They will be published in different News papers and most certainly at www.TheGhouseDiary.com and www.Foundationforpluralism.com.  

So what is that we need to do?

First thing first, nearly 2000 of us committed to Chairman Imam Mujahid to become members, if we believe in it, we have to support it. All you have to do is go to: http://www.parliamentofreligions.org/ and become one.

Second thing is to reiterate your own commitment to do good, including but not limited to speaking up against injustice, and to appropriately interrupt spreading of misunderstandings about any one.

Third, gather up the courage to say, “My faith is beautiful to me as yours is beautiful to you, and I will not claim that my faith is superior to any, because it amounts to arrogance, which goes against the very teachings of my (everyone's) faith to be humble. Arrogance destroys relationships and humility builds bridges and harmony among people." Peace and harmony is the ultimate goal of all religions. 

Are you with me? 

Wherever you go, be the peace maker.  Ask yourselves, are my words mitigating the conflicts and nurturing goodwill? 

By the way, the action of "mitigating conflicts and nurturing goodwill" can be found in all religious traditions, and most certainly we attribute the actions of prophet Muhammad (pbuh) to be embedded with conflict mitigation and goodwill nurturence. 

Remember, my peace and security hinges on the peace and security of others around me, if they are not secure, I won't be either. It is in my interest to work for peace within me, my family, friends and the world around me.  

The future of societies rests on our attitudes of pluralism, i.e., “respecting the otherness of others and accepting the God-given uniqueness of each one of us.” If we can learn to do that, conflicts will fade and solutions will emerge. 

Thank you,

Mike Ghouse,
(214) 325-1916

Dr. Mike Ghouse is a community consultant, social scientist, thinker, writer and a speaker on PluralismInterfaithIslam,politicshuman rights, foreign policy and building cohesive societies. He offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day and more about him is in 63 links at www.MikeGhouse.net and his writings are at TheGhousediary.com 

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Hillary Clinton V Bernie Sanders tonight

Hillary Clinton V Bernie Sanders tonight
Why America is a strong nation? One of the reasons is its openness. Though most Americans who are born and raised here take our system for granted, the immigrant Americans, no matter where they are from, do appreciate this openness. There is nothing like this.

I will be watching these debates from National press club and tweeting regularly.

These debates bring out the best and worst out of these candidates, particularly if they are a few of them like Hillary and Bernie among Democrats. The Republicans did not make a wise decision in putting 10 candidates on the stage – not enough time to see the good, bad and ugly of the candidates to show up. They could have set a higher bench mark and kept fewer candidates to ask tough questions. 

Let’s watch these debates
CNN has put together some good stuff. 

Dr. Mike Ghouse is a community consultant, social scientist, thinker, writer and a speaker on IslamPluralismInterfaithpolitics, human rights, foreign policy and building cohesive societies. Mike offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. More about him in 63 links at www.MikeGhouse.net and his writings are at TheGhousediary.com  

Monday, October 12, 2015

The Voice of Moderate Islam in America - Mike Ghouse

 
Since 9/11, Americans across the political spectrum have been asking, “Who are the authentic moderates of Islam, and where are they?” And, “Who speaks for American Muslims?” Talk show hosts, journalists, lawmakers, interfaith authorities and thought leaders have asked: Where are moderate Muslims to join the debate on social, civic, religious and political issues, including racism and violent extremism?

Their spokesman is Dr. Mike Mohamed Ghouse, who recently has moved to Washington, D.C.

Dr. Ghouse is a proud, unapologetic Moderate Muslim and a passionate advocate of Pluralism in religion, society, politics, race, dining, clothing, dancing, sports and every aspect of life. He is a public speaker, thinker, writer and a commentator who is considered an authority on Pluralism and Interfaith relations in America, and he offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day.

Who is a Moderate Muslim? Some one who lives his life and let others live theirs, and some one who minds his own business. He or she will not look down upon other people's faiths, traditions and practices, but considers them to be as unique as his or her own, but never inferior.  In every group; religious, social, national, political or racial, there is always the right and extreme right who is intolerant and wants to impose his or her ideals on others. The left and extreme left on the other hand has no boundaries. Moderates are usually 90% of any group, but they do not engage in anything and mind their own business and take up when things  when they really get out of hand. The new breed of Moderates like Dr. Ghouse are full of passion to save the nation and the communities for the common good of all Americans. 

What is Pluralism? It is simply, he says, “respecting the otherness of others, and accepting the God-given uniqueness of each one of the 7 billion of us. When we do that, conflicts fade and solutions emerge.”

He is respected by his peers as a patriotic American and firmly stands for the American values such as the freedoms established by the First Amendment. In fact, Dr. Ghouse considers the U.S. Constitution a sacred document that respects and honors every human being.  He exalts America’s immortal Declaration of Independence.  While living in Dallas for more than three decades, he became a fixture at Veteran’s-Day ceremonies and July 4th parades.  He has spoken at innumerable luncheons for homeless veterans and visits with veterans at VA hospitals.  Dr. Ghouse drives around the Veterans’ cemeteries on Memorial Day and offers prayers for all those who have defended our freedom.  He will fight and defend the freedom of America any time and all the times.

Dr. Ghouse also served as a Commissioner at City of Carrollton, Texas for two terms.

He has contributed significantly to the richness of America, and his gift to America would be the gift of Pluralism, an old attitude emerging as a new discipline that he intends to teach and promote through workshops. Dr. Ghouse hopes to train America’s candidates for higher office regarding what the founding fathers meant when they declared that “all humans are equal.” 

Dr. Ghouse believes in building a cohesive America, where no American has to live in apprehension or fear of the other and which will be achieved through personal interaction.   To that end, he has organized 17 Thanksgiving celebrations; 12 Unity Days USA; and 10 ceremonies to honor victims of Holocaust and Genocides.

Dedicated Both to Islam and to ‘the Other

Dr. Ghouse defines “moderate Muslim” as someone who respects the otherness of others and accepts the God-given uniqueness of each person in God’s creation.  He has published more than 1000 articles on diverse aspects of Islam and maintains a blog on QuranSharia, Blasphemy, Apostasy, Hijab, Reforms, Ramadan, Women’s issues and community relations.  He is driven by the pluralistic wisdom in Quran, and his mission is authenticated by many a verse from Quran, including 49:13, which generally means because each one of us is created to be an unique individual, we are bound to have conflicts between family members, nations, religions and communities, and it is because we don’t know each other and when we start to genuinely learn about the other, myths disappear into thin air and peace dawns on us.”  There is a full video of his talk on 
Pluralism in Islam.  


Print Media: Dr. Ghouse has published more than 3000 articles on a variety of topics, of these, there more than 1000 on Pluralism, including 225 pieces on Pluralism in the “Texas Faith” column in the Dallas Morning News and 130 articles at Huffington Post.  He also has published articles on politics, foreign policy, movies, sports, culture and motivation.

TV and Radio: Dr. Ghouse has appeared in more than 150 TV shows, including 102 with Sean Hannity alone. He has served as subject expert hundreds of times on nationally syndicated radio. Many listeners have heard his informed opinions at the time of the Quran Burning issue in Mulberry, Florida, and the period of Quran Bashing in Dallas Texas.  He notably defended the 9/11 Mosque in Lower Manhattan, and he has blogged on the Peter King investigations and other issues. He is in the forefront of dealing with issues and offering pluralistic solutions.

On the day of 9/11, he was on Radio all day, taking calls from Mayors, religious and community leaders across the City to bring coherence to the chaos created on that day, and ever since, he has dedicated that day every year to serve and unite Americans for a strong America.

Politics:  A political independent, Dr. Ghouse says that he votes for the candidates who put America first, whether he or she is a Republican or Democrat. He refuses to compromise his loyalty to America with loyalty to a political party.  He maintains a blog on Politics and has written more than 300 columns on politics in America.  He has written about Presidents Bush and Obama, and presidential candidates Clinton, McCain, Romney, Gingrich, Cain, Perry, Christie, Bush, Trump and Carson.

Foreign policy:  Dr. Ghouse has always taken a moderate approach toward foreign policy issues and offered pluralistic solutions on issues of the day, including but not limited to Israel, Palestine, Iran, Afghanistan, India, Egypt, Malaysia, Indonesia and other nations. 

Human rights:  Dr Ghouse has stood up for the rights of every human regardless of his or her affiliation and has been writing a forthcoming book titled, Standing Up for Others, Standing up for the rights of all; from Atheists to Zoroastrians and every one in between including Native Americans, and the LGBT community.   This book will be dedicated to Sean Hannity, Rev. Sun Myung Moon, and Harbans Lal (his first boss) with a special note.

Quran:  It is one of the most misunderstood books on the earth, even by Muslims.  He sees it as a pluralistic document to build cohesive societies, where God is not an exclusive property of anyone but a universal energy that belongs to all, loves us all, and cares for our well being.  Dr. Ghouse is producing a short book addressing the myths and facts about Quran, and this book will be dedicated to Pastor Bob Roberts of Texas, the big name among Evangelical Pastors and Imam Zia Shaikh from Irving, Texas, both of them have understood the full meaning of pluralism, i.e., respecting the otherness of others.

Film:  Sacred is a full feature film, and it is about changing perceptions about Muslims and Muslims adopting the non-violent principles enshrined in the teachings of Jesus Christ, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and Mahatma Gandhi.

Documentary: Dr. Ghouse’s documentary film in progress is premised on America’s promise that all humans are created equal. He believes that we have seen a tremendous progress since independence, but we have a lot more to do.  A rough draft of the film is in a video clip at  
www.AmericaTogetherFoundation.com

Pope Francis:  He is a blessing to mankind, and is one of the greatest human beings of this century.  Dr. Ghouse has written more than 25 articles on Pope Francis with lots of love and admiration for the man.


Dallas Morning News "Over and over you hear it said: If Muslims oppose terrorism, why don't they stand up and say it? If that has been you, Mike Ghouse ought to be your hero."

Phyllis Curott:  Vice Chair, Parliament of Worlds Religions," Mike Ghouse has the courage of his convictions - he carries a spark of inspiration that can only be called Divine. It illuminates the world around him, enabling him to see clearly the beauty and grace that resides in every sacred path and in each person who walks that path.” 

Religion News Service
: " (RNS) A Florida pastor plans to burn a pile of Qurans on the 9/11 anniversary, and interfaith activist Mike Ghouse says, “It is not what (the pastor) will do, it is what we do as Americans and American Muslims that matters.”

Phillip M Ramsaroop: "
I first met Dr. Ghouse in the mid-nineties as Past President and a member of the Board of the Dallas Fort Worth Hindu Temple and as a member of the Chapel Committee of Thanksgiving Square in Dallas, Texas.   I was pleasantly surprised, though a Muslim, he participated and volunteered his time and resources on the Hindu Temple’s projects and activities.  I later discovered that he did the same for other religious and cultural communities"

Mulberry Ledger : "The book burner (Terry Jones) came to Mulberry in hate and the Muslims (Mike Ghouse) came to Mulberry in peace to counter the hate. The Muslims summed it up best when they prayed for the fallen heroes who died on 9/11.”
 
Saudi Gazette: "Thank you for your commitment towards a peaceful solution, Mike. It is the media who should thank you for your commendable cause."

Bill Matthews "Mike Ghouse’ exemplary work for pluralism exudes acceptance to bridge beyond imagined differences to express the exemplary conviction that humanity lives and thrives on working together towards common goals, to overcome fear, suspicion and prejudice."



Links to the writings of Dr. Mike Mohamed Ghouse