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Showing posts with label American Muslim. Show all posts
Showing posts with label American Muslim. Show all posts

Friday, November 27, 2015

American Muslims are proud of taking the right steps towards integration

American Muslims are proud of taking the right steps towards integration. www.AmericanMuslimInstitution.org  

On Friday, November 20, 2015, the American Muslims took a bold step in their journey towards being-one with fellow Americans.  


The American Muslim Institution (AMI) led the demonstrations against Terrorism and Daesh on the steps of Lincoln Memorial;  this historic location was chosen to mirror the efforts of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who brought a positive change to the American civil society with his immortal, “I have a dream speech" on the very same steps.
It was indeed a symbolic event for American Muslims, and the foundation for a positive change was laid.The next event was held within hours across the White House by ADAMS Center and another one by APPNA at Dupont Circle the very next day. Now, it is gathering momentum.  

The apprehensions and the conflicts Muslims feel is a result of actions and reactions feeding each other. The Media is blamed for amplifying the negative portrayal of Muslims, while our own attitudes have also contributed towards to the feeding frenzy. It is time to change the equation.  

Mother Teresa had said if you want to make peace with your enemies, go talk with them. Praise the Lord, we have begun the process.  Media is not our enemy; they are merely reflecting the fears of a few, some of them have not taken the time to differentiate between religion and its followers, and have mistaken us with the Daesh, Talibans, Al-Qaeda and their ilk. It is our duty to correct these gross errors on a continual basis. God willing, we hope to conduct seminars and workshops with the media to rectify some of the false perceptions about us. Good and healthy communications can always pave the way for better understanding.

We hear, "the proof is in the pudding", indeed it is. In the following links (four videos), listen to the tone of Sean Hannity, Stuart Varney, and Richard Ray of Fox News. They have responded to positive engagement. There is a new emerging language of understanding and support. What has not worked is disengagement; I would rather engage and fail than cause us to dig in our heels.
This week’s output;    
  1. A small step for Muslims, but a giant leap for America - Link
  1. Thanksgiving (Interfaith), an  unforgettable story of Appaiah - Link
  1. Stuart Varney on Fox -Lincoln Memorial – Link
  1. Richard Ray on Fox Dallas -Pastor Jeffress – Link
  1. Sean Hannity on Fox about Syrian Refugees – Link
  1. Stuart Varney of Fox complains  - Link
  1. American Muslims Demonstrate against ISIS - Link
  1. War on Terror is the dumbest idea ever floated - Link
  1. Islamic way of dealing Terrorism – Link
  1. American Muslims Condemn ISIS - Link
  1. Rabbi Jonathan Sachs Hugs Mike on the stage. Link
  1. Moderate Muslims Speak out? Link
  1. What has Sean Hannity done for us? Link (last 9 of the 15 minutes)

The American Muslim Institution is formed with three specific goals - work with the media, mitigate Islamophobia and speed up the process of integration. We hope to get to the point where fellow Americans will see Muslims as their neighbors and fellow citizens, committed to fight against violent extremism and to protect the homeland. No more them against us, it will be all of us working together for a prosperous, secure and cohesive America. . 

Since August 4th, we have been written up in nearly 300 media outlets, this event at Lincoln Memorial has produced nearly 60 Media reports-videos and write ups.  You can Google "American Muslim Institution." Insha Allah, we will upload all of them including our own video and pictures on this site www.AmericanMuslimInstitution.org  within a few weeks.


An integrated society functions effectively when we are all on the same page with our uniqueness.  When we demonstrated against Terrorism and Daesh on the steps of Lincoln Memorial, it resonated with fellow Americans; both of us were against the monsters.  When we celebrate 4th of July in the biggest possible way, it will resonate with fellow Americans; both of us become fellow patriots.  When armed protesters head towards Mosques with a confused intent, we can greet them with kindness and caring hospitality, hoist American flags on our mosques grounds, serve grilled hot dogs and water, the hostility will dissipate and they will view us as fellow Americans instead of perceived hostility. We must connect with them instead alienating them. 

Of course, I suggest our Friday Sermons to teach us in dealing with conflicts in the most simple way.

Islamophobia? Right now 63% of Americans don't see Muslims favorably; we can bring this number down to 32% in 3 years. If you are willing to do certain basic things. I will be happy to give a talk and present practical action plan to your group,  listing seven little and seven big things we can do to shape our future with fellow Americans. We cannot postpone this and live in misery for another decade.  

Mike Ghouse,Executive DirectorAmerican Muslim InstitutionA proactive voice for American MuslimsWashington, DC(214) 325-1916 

Dr. Mike Ghouse is a community consultant, social scientist, thinker, writer, news maker and a speaker on Pluralism, Interfaith, Islam,politics, human rights, India, Israel-Palestine,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.
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Monday, October 12, 2015

The Voice of Moderate Islam in America - Mike Ghouse

The Voice of Moderate Islam in America - Mike Ghouse: http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2015/10/the-voice-of-moderate-islam-in-america.html
 
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 Quran, Sharia, 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

  
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Wednesday, July 2, 2014

July 4th Celebrations, Muslims and Ramadan. American Muslim Agenda, a new beginning for Muslim Americans

Let this 4th day of July 2014 be a historic beginning for Muslim Americans.
http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2014-07-02-July4th.AmericaTogetherFoundation.com3.jpgMany of you may not know this, but upon Declaration of our Independence on July 4, 1776, two of the first three heads of states who recognized the sovereignty of the United States were Muslim.

Despite a few, who have painted Muslims in a negative light for their own gains; Muslims have always been well wishers of America and will continue to do that. The Journey began with the birth of our nation, and I am pleased to make a recommendation to my fellow Muslims to take this relationship further deeper.
What will I do on July 4th? 2nd of 3 articles on American Muslim Agenda
( to be published at  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/ )

Continued:

Let this 4th day of July 2014 be a historic beginning for Muslim Americans
It is time for Muslims to set their agenda, and develop short and long term plans. We have to debate, discuss and work on developing a final agenda that is good for the Muslims and good for fellow Americans. Here is a 3 part series of initiating such agenda. 
In the first part of the series at Huffington Post, we shared;
1. What does it take to be the Amins “trust keepers” of our society?
2. Why should we stand up for the rights of others? 
3. No American should live in apprehension or fear of the other.
It is at - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/american-muslim-agenda-a-_b_5528706.html 
Now, we will address the need for engagement with the society, July 4th, and the others celebrations and commemorations.
July 4th and Muslims
Many of you may not know this, but upon Declaration of our Independence on July 4, 1776, two of the first three heads of states who recognized the sovereignty of the United States were Muslim. 
Morocco was the first state and signed the Moroccan-American Treaty of Friendship; first of its kind. Friesland, one of the seven United Provinces of the Dutch Republic was the next, and Tippu Sultan, the King of Mysore State (India) was the third. According to Dr. Range Gowda, Tippu Sultan’s historiographer, the congratulatory letter to America is preserved in a French Library.
Despite a few, who have painted Muslims in a negative light for their own gains; Muslims have always been well wishers of America and will continue to do that. The Journey began with the birth of our nation, and I am pleased to make a recommendation to my fellow Muslims to take this relationship further deeper.
Muslim Americans reaching out to every American.
Let’s take a conservative number of 3, 150,000 Muslims in America, even though a 6-7 millions figure is thrown without any substantiation. This number is roughly 1% of the American Population – one out of 100 Americans is a Muslim.
If each Muslim sends 100 invitations to fellow Americans to join him or her for a grilled Hot Dog, Hamburger or Barbeque at the backyard, public park or a Mosque parking lot with appropriate permissions, about five to seven neighbors may show up, and it may not cost more than $25.00 to serve them. If this is done consistently, in about 10 years, most of Americans would know each other as fellow celebrators of the festivity together. This is not the responsibility of Muslims alone; all of us have to learn about each other to be good neighbors.
Do you know what Quran says about it? In 49:13 God says, he has created mankind into many tribes, communities, nations and people, and he fully understands that conflicts are bound to happen with such diversity, and then he says, the best ones among you are the ones who get to know each other. Indeed, knowledge leads to understanding, and understanding to acceptance and appreciation of the other and when that happens, conflicts fade and solutions emerge. This is how we create safe societies for our children.
Caution: No matter how tempting it is to flaunt your religiosity, religion is your personal belief. Please do not discuss religion and politics with your guests. it will ruin the relationship – get to know your neighbors as folks with common interests. No matter how smart you are, the moment you suggest your religion is superior in any form shape or innuendos; you will be causing conflict off the bat, and that is not friendship. You don’t tell your friend that your wife is more beautiful than his or your husband is more handsome than her husband.
Be a caring neighbor and be there for them in their celebrations, birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, funerals and other commemorations, after all they are your neighbors. 
This is the month of Ramadan, and celebration of July 4th should be a joy while fasting, indeed your personal faith becomes stronger when you let your will power gain control over temptations, fasting is not about being hungry, it is about the sacrifice you make for the sake of God and the common Good. More about it at www.RamadanExclusive.com
This Ramadan, you do not have the time to send the invitations, but have the time knock on ten doors on your street and invite people to hot dogs at your place. Do the invitations next year.
Happy July 4th – if you are driving, carry a lot of water bottles and stop and share some with the stranded ones on the road. What Muslims need most is a lot of Goodwill.
What does engagement mean to Muslims?
It simply means you are invited to your neighbor’s birthday party, Mayor’s inauguration, a political rally of the party you belong to, an interfaith prayer, neighborhood watch meeting, a town hall meeting, celebration of Independence Day, veterans’ day parade, Christmas party, Passover gathering, Diwali, Chinese New year, (Iftar parties) and other community based activities.
If you are not invited, it is not because you are a Hindu, Muslim, Chinese, African American, Arab, Latino, or the other, but precisely because no one knows about you. You have never been a part of any group, other than your own.
Over the years, I have watched with admiration the efforts made by the City and community service organizations to reach out and include all minorities, but sadly, a handful of us respond to it, it’s not only Muslims, the story is same with all minorities.
A few will make an effort and serve on a committee, but drop out quickly because they did not see the fruit on the very same day they planted the seed. Everything takes time, nurturing and development of relationships. The sense of belonging it generates is priceless. You feel confident of your being and your place in the society.
Each one of us rises from the basic level of taking care of the needs of our families to self-fulfillment. We want to give it back to the community and we want to volunteer. Indeed we can contribute towards the overall betterment of the community we live in by engaging with the people.
The power of engagement.
On the individual level, I have been able to diffuse many possible conflicts simply by engaging with people. One such example happened in 2007, there was a rumor that Muslims in France have pushed the Government to ban Holocaust Studies, this rumor was designed to humiliate Muslims. Thanks to Maria Arita at Fox News, she called me up to find out my take. What did I do? I asked her to give me three hours and called my friend late Elliot Dlin, director of Dallas Holocaust Museum, he verified that to be untrue and thanks to Maria, the rumor stopped right there.
On a national level, engaging with Sean Hannity at Fox News has produced significant results for the common good of America, and Muslims. If someone knows you, and you have earned his or her respect over a period of time, going through the full cycle of humiliation, acceptance and appreciation, then he accommodates you.
Thanks to Sean Hannity, he has clarified his position time and again with me that he is not against Muslims or Islam, but against the radical elements. That he will consciously use the term ‘Radicals among Muslim’ instead of ‘Radical Muslims’ was a significant rational improvement and I am glad to be an instrument in that development. I was advised against engaging with Hannity and have been screamed at and ridiculed as well, it would have been easy for me to run from the double edged sword, but I chose to stick with it, as I believe in engagement has its own miracles of mitigating conflicts and nurturing goodwill. Mahatma Gandhi had suggested if you want to see good beneficial changes in the society, be a part of it. More about Hannity at: http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2014/06/youre-dangerous-sparks-fly-between.html
On the flip side of the engagement, Huffington Post stands out as a great example of active engagement. No other newspaper had bothered to deal with the minorities, as the coverage was not profitable for them. Huffpost paved the way; they believed that engagement with different Americans was necessary in moving the nation forward. What is good for America eventually became good for them. Today, I am glad to be a part of Huffington Post’s guest writers, and I am glad it is a profitable business.
Engagement works both ways.
http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2014-07-02-AmericanMuslimAgendaCopy.jpgThere are innumerable situations where getting engaged with the “other” causes the “other” to join and become “together’, and together as Americans we can achieve a lot, one among them is freedom from tensions about each other.

In the next installment, we will be talking about Engagement, Pluralism, Volunteerism and participation. 
--
Mike Ghouse is a Muslim speaker, thinker and a writer, and presides over the World Muslim congress, a think tank, and a forum with the express goals of nurturing pluralistic values embedded in Islam to build cohesive societies.
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