Is it worth talking with right wingers and radicals?

Each one of us thinks differently.  We have a choice to ‘stay away from each other’ and let the ill-will, suspicion and doubts simmer to become unmanageable.  I hope if you take the time to ‘study’ the three videos and the notes below, you will change your mind about using the phrases like “right wing” “Red necks” and other epithets.  These are bad choice of words to describe fellow humans who react differently to situations.

Last week, I posted the following video from a Fox News debate with Sean Hannity and Brigitte Gabrielle on face book in two different places, and got shot down by my friends saying it is a waste of time to deal with the hard wired, without realizing they were as prejudiced as the ones they were accusing of.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHgZbPPrE9w

In the above video, if you had the time to ‘listen’ (not hear but listen) to what Brigitte Gabrielle said, without any doubt she sounds hateful and gives her own convoluted reasons. If Muslims (her perceptions) did not do certain things this would not happen.  I hope you see a room for a dialogue there….   Next time you tend to discount someone, please make an effort to listen to them. What sounds like a condemnation may be an actual invitation to clarify concerns?  Will she change her mind? Of course she will as long as it is not to your advantage but for common goodness. She is human and will take a lot of “seeing the facts” for her, and it is worth the effort.

She had invited me to speak at her San Antonio chapter of ACT, there again, there were several who came up and said they did not know Islam teaches peace and non-violence. It was one against all others, I did not see it that way, I saw that they wanted to hear another point of view, and thank God I was one of the two Muslims who went to speak, others Muslims had rejected.

We should not expect people to change just because we speak, but am glad at least they wanted to hear.  Quran often reminds us to honor free will as the overriding value of God’s creation.

Prophet Muhammad during a meditative mood thought it aloud. Lord, I am frustrated, the message of oneness is not received by enough people, what should I to do?  God responds, “Muhammad, don’t give up teaching the values of oneness of God and accountability of one’s actions, do your duty, let me be the one to give them guidance to receive.”  Please note these were not the exact words from Quran or the prophet, but it is the meaning found in many verses including these two; 10:99 and 28:56 referred to in Muhammad Asad’s translation.

It is difficult for a few Muslims or people in any group to understand that we have to talk with the ones who are opposed to us, malign us and tear us apart.   Mother Teresa has the perfect advice for those few, “If you want to make peace with your enemies, go talk with them.”  Talking and gossiping among friends won’t change a thing, but talking with the ones who want to tear you down, does creates a chance.   I have seen the results time and again.

It is not a waste of time, people are getting the message.

As I was walking out of the terminal in the Los Angeles Airport, someone tapped on my shoulder, I looked back – the guy said he was a surgeon in Los Angeles and my fan, and I was plain flabbergasted. He said, he and his friends have discussed about my presence on Hannity, and said, “You break their narrative.”  Before you came on the scene, we took what was given to us as the gospel truth, but when you started to butt in and challenge Hannity; we realized that there is another point of view.  Even though you don’t get to say all your points, the fact that you challenge him has made us look for more.  We must give him the credit for giving your website address and we read your full points.  He moved on by saying, keep up the good work.

This happens frequently in the planes, airports and this week at CPAC. I really wish the progressive attend the conservative meetings and Vice-Versa to have hopes that we can talk with each other.

I continue to believe that we need to listen to people without prejudice; the so called right wing people express their thoughts in a way that frightens many.

You will not believe the following video, what you see is that conservatives are screaming out loud for reassurance,  that we are all in this together and together against extremism.  When we have one voice, see what they do. Here is Stuart Varney about our work.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGSti7f9F-A

It is a grave mistake to write off others as bad people, at the end we all lose. Listen to the videos again, there is so much to learn, they tell us what it takes, and that is a good beginning. I would rather spend time with them, even if I don’t get anywhere with them.  Remember it is not a business to have measurable returns for your time; it is a service with nothing to be expected but serve.

My late wife used to command me frequently, “Why waste your time for the community, no one would appreciate it, put in the same hours in your consulting business and bring more money, at least I will appreciate it and we can take more vacations.”

My passion for Pluralism (religious, political, cultural, civic and societal) runs deep, and has led me to devote the rest of my life to this purpose.  As you may know, with my qualifications I can make substantial money, as so many do and wither away, but I want to live a purposeful life by bringing a sense of security to every American, where all of us drop our guards and live a tension-free life. If we follow our calling; there is peace and joy in it.

No one will point a single finger at me, if I did nothing.

Dealing with Brigitte Gabrielle, Pamela Geller and their likes does make sense.  There are those like the guy in the Airport, and there are those who call me names. I even get death threats.  I receive a lot of emails and by the way 16 Million people have visited my Google profile and 20 Million have visited my website. Someone is listening some place, what God said to Muhammad was also said by Krishna to Arjuna, do your duty and let God decide to give the fruit.  I am at peace.

Jesus’s wisdom is powerful – don’t condemn the sinners, you have zero chance of redeeming them. If you condemn the sin, in this case what their talk does to create apprehension, you have at least 0.01 % chance of redeeming them. I would invest my time in redemption than condemnation.

Here is another video about Hannity – I strongly believe dialogue is critical to bring a change. We can have meetings all day long, but talking with friends creates fewer chances for change than talking with those who are opposed.

Take a look https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gd-mgSFziII

I wrote this piece because I was attacked by a few major Muslim organizations for going on Hannity, they did not see what can be done by positive engagement. God willing, I am seeking a few friends to fund the Center for Pluralism, and I hope to train enough people to start the dialogues and bring about the change we need to.

I urge you not to run from the ones who appear to eat you alive, talk to them, and if you want to get somewhere with them, have patience.

God bless us all, we are one nation, if we can learnt to respect the otherness of others and accept the God given uniqueness of each one of us, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge.

Center for Pluralism is committed to building a cohesive America.

Do Muslims have their priorities lined up?

Do Muslims have their priorities lined up?  

This weekly bulletin comes to you from the Center for Pluralism, an organization committed to building a cohesive America, where no American needs to feel alienated or afraid of the other.

We offer pluralistic solutions on issues of the day.

Please visit http://centerforpluralism.com

Build relationships before you build a Mosque.  

I met with Tom Wheeler, acting Asst Attorney General (Trump Appointee) for the Civil Rights division of Department of Justice. He assures me that the rule of law will prevail and not the whims of the individuals.  I am scheduling a meeting with him at the Muslim Community Center in Silver Spring to address the Muslim concerns.

Permits to build Mosques are continually being denied across America and the DOJ is standing with Muslims’s right to build mosque in every case. The question to Muslims is how long should laws of the land carry them? We need to build relationships before we build a mosque. We are too eager to show off our mosque or end up adding to lasting resentments in the community. Is this what Muslims want? If not, let’s do the right things that are sustainable.

1. Islamic Center of Basking Ridge v. Township of Bernard has 47 hearings that failed
2. County of Culpepper in VA – Mosque denied on the pretext of sewage easement
3. Bensalem Township, PA – rezoning request was denied
4. City of Sterling Heights, MI – Anti-Muslim animus
5. Bayonne, NJ – permit denied
6. It is a daily affair…

Thanks to many of the established mosques around the nation, they have built good relationships with their neighbors, that is indeed the Islamic thing to do.

How do we change perceptions about Muslims?  

There is no doubt that a few “Islamophobes” are out to get Muslims; they are well paid to do so. But in the same vein, Muslims would not be well served to believe that “all of them” are of the same ilk.  These Islamophobes are simply afraid of what the “Islamists” are doing in the name of Islam and worried sick about its ramifications for America. Rationally they know it is not in America, but still the phobia persists.

We have an obligation to listen to our fellow citizens and a moral duty to allay their fears.

Pulitzer Prize winner Judith Miller speaks out on Fox News, “It is the fear that so many Muslims who are moderates, the fear they have of speaking out and the reaction of their own community. Until we win that battle inside, the Jihadists will take center stage.  We are going to go on creating the impression that the Islamists Jihadists are the majority and they are not.”  Brigitte Gabrielle of Act for America adds, “Where are the funders of people like Mike – is there not a mega millionaire in the Islamic world who can say, you know what I believe in your moderate message and can give Mike $5 Million dollars to build the grass root organization?”  Here is a video: https://www.facebook.com/MikeGhouse/videos/1438210749532124/.

The right leaning Muslims curse Gabrielle, Spencer and Geller out, while the left discounts them, leaving the moderates to deal with the issue. What I hear them say is simply this: Where are the mainstream Muslims to speak out about what they practice? The mainstream Muslims have reached the point of zero tolerance towards extremism and have the desire to assertively seek to push the literalists to see the essence of Islam.

The most sustainable way to counter Islamophobia and violent extremism is through education. Our programs are designed to bring Americans together; the more we see each other in social, cultural, civic, religious, political and other settings, the less divisiveness there will be, resulting in fewer misunderstandings and misperceptions between us.

The Center for Pluralism, also known as the America Together Foundation has embarked on a mission to train speakers to deliver the message of Islam, as practiced by American Muslims –which is distinct from Islam practiced elsewhere in the world.

Check out the full article: Who speaks for American Muslims –http://centerforpluralism.com/who-speaks-for-american-muslims/

Does Muslim Presence makes a difference

There is no doubt Muslims are a maligned lot as some of them have been on the perpetrator’s side at least in the last few decades. As a society, we need to keep our focus on the individuals and cults instead of groups; we should not buy into stereotyping of any kind. If we buy one, we might as well buy justifying crimes against each one of us.

I attended the Genocide Coalition at Capitol Hill yesterday sponsored by IDC in defense of Christians.  It was about the Genocide of Christians, Yazidi and Shia Muslims. It was very difficult to understand how minorities are being harassed in every nation. Over a dozen Speakers spoke. Nadia Murad, the Yazidi woman spoke, she was raped multiple times by terrorists in the name of Islam, it was not easy, but she was graceful and did not show any bitterness and instead was seeking solutions to end the genocides of not only her people but others too.

I was tensed up for a few moments and quickly recovered. Who will speak for Muslims that condemn these cults? How do we communicate, why did I not seek to speak?  Then the big relief came when I saw Zainab Al-Suwaij’s name on the list and she spoke, Muslims need to be a part of the society in good times and sad times.

Since there was no room for others to speak or comment, I was hesitant, but doing the right thing is the right thing to do. I asked Prof Robert Destro to speak for a minute and he granted the request, and I respectfully kept it to the minute. I said, “I just want to share that the American Muslims have dedicated a Friday Sermon and prayed for Yazidis, Christians and Shia and Muslims are constantly standing up for human rights of others”. Here are the two articles in Huffington post.

Destro concluded something to this effect, “More Muslims are victimized and slaughtered by ISIS than the others, and we are all in this together against the ISIS.” The event was orderly and no one took more than the allotted time.

Full article and pictures at: http://worldmuslimcongress.org/the-isis-genocide-of-yazidi-christians-and-shia/

What is the Muslim Priority?

All the wealth we have and continue to devour is meaningless if that is not going to give a sense of security to us, our kids and grand kids. If we don’t act now, we may not even sleep in our graves in peace.  Money does not buy security we need to quit being materialistic. It is time for Muslims to put a hold on building a mosque, and focus on doing things that bring long term security through building relationships. Once you are secure and others are equally secure, then do whatever you want, everyone will join you.

Get ready to participate in Civic (Memorial Day and July 4th) Religious (Wisdom of Masters, Understanding Religions), Cultural (Thanksgiving), Social and political (Conservative and progressive meetings) programs. The more we know each other the fewer problems we will have with others. Take a look at the list of things we are doing at the Center for Pluralism.

Unless we are a part of the society, we will always remain on the sidelines.  You have to feel in your guts, this is my land.  Take a look at our events and participate, volunteer and sponsor them.

Please visit: http://centerforpluralism.com/program/

Radio Pluralism in Washington DC
Information at:  http://centerforpluralism.com/radio-pluralism-in-washington-dc/

PLEASE DONATE GENEROUSLY

Meanwhile, please make a generous donation – without your donation we cannot do the work we are doing.  As we receive the funds, you will be acknowledged and list of donors over $100 will be published at the Center for Pluralism on July 1, 2017.  https://www.paypal.me/AmericansTogether

The Center for Pluralism is about building a cohesive America, where no American has to live in anxiety, discomfort or fear of another American.  By learning to respect the “otherness” of others and accepting the God-given uniqueness of each one of us, we pave the way to mitigate conflicts and nurture goodwill. Then we all can live our lives and not worry about other’s religion, race, sexual orientation or ethnicity. We are all Americans.

Mike Ghouse, President
Center for Pluralism | Research and Activism
(214) 325-1916 | Washington DC | Mike@Centerforpluralism.com

Is Brigitte Gabrielle wrong?

Most people don't like her rants and hatred she spews about Muslims, Islam, Quran and the Prophet, however, she does make a point, and what is that point?

She speaks the language of ISIS and the Radicals among Muslims, both of them have hung on to the wrong sources of information. It is a shame that Muslims have not looked into the sources of Islamophobia; one is obviously hereditary with a handful of Christians and Jews,  and the other we need to focus on is unquestioned, bamboozled and shameful Muslim (not Islamic or Quranic) literature against Jews and Christians.

It is my responsibility to at least make the world aware of it, and at least make Brigitte aware of it. If someone funds, I can communicate to the sinners of ISIS, Al-Qaeda and their likes,  and hope through a short documentary we can decimate their venomous ideology from spreading and blocking future recruitments, and possible redemption of a majority of them from that hateful rotten mess they are in.

Full article will be submitted to newspaper for publication, and once published, the link will be provided here.

Reference and video:
Brigitte Gabriel, founder of the American Congress For Truth and ACT! for America, said those terrorist groups were following Islam the way it was intended. “ISIS is Islamic in its purist form,” she said. It’s called the Islamic State. It operates following exactly the commandments of Muhammad. ISIS is not doing anything that Muhammad himself did not do. Whether it is beheading, cutting off ears, cutting off tongues, killing traitors. Muhammad himself was a military leader. In the Islamic world he is considered Al-Insan al-Kamil, the perfect man. ISIS is following the Koran to the letter. "

Read more: http://www.bizpacreview.com/2015/12/30/brigitte-gabriel-isis-not-doing-anything-that-mohammed-himself-did-not-do-289239?hvid=3zEhJJ#ixzz3wDaZMtZY
Mike Ghouse, 
(214) 325-1916

Washington, DC 

Dr. Mike Ghouse is a community consultant, social scientist, thinker, writer, newsmaker and a professional speaker on Pluralism, Interfaith, Islam,  politics, human rights, and foreign policy.  Mike is committed to building cohesive societies and 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

 

Summit of Muslim Leaders in Silver Springs

Silver Spring, MD, December 16, 2015 – When there is despair, there is always that hope, thank God, the good people reached out to the apprehensive one’s to assure them that they are with them, and will stand by them.

 That is precisely what the Montgomery County Executives did, they called the Muslim leaders and Imams of the county to listen to their concerns and assure their support. It was organized by Imam Faizul Khan of Islamic Society of the Washington Area in Silver Springs, MD.  You can feel the genuineness of each one of the council members, police chief, school board members and other public servants and the county executive. That sentiment was   reciprocated with sincere expression of gratitude by the Muslims present there.

Each one of the officials spoke from their heart, they care about fellow citizens and this gathering was to advance that sense of community, and imbue the sense of belonging to each other, and they were very successful. God bless them.

There are several ways of mitigating the conflicts and nurturing goodwill. I am pleased to share mine.

First a quote from a friend, "Each and every step towards a unifying goal is the key. And a meaningful engagement between polarized mindsets is the only way to begin bridging the gaps and wide divides that separate us from peace and unified action for humanitarian and environmental health and well being."

Last night I was watching the Presidential debate at the press club, and behind me was a group watching.  When Lindsey Graham spoke eloquently about blaming the individuals and not the faith, which is my mantra, I clapped, and they booed.  One of the ladies and her husband beckoned me to join them, and told me they were conservatives and asked about me, I said I am a moderate.  I introduced myself and gave them my card that read, American Muslim Institution. They asked me about Sharia and I gave them a short talk on the topic.

What followed after that was an interesting but a familiar conversation, Deja vu!   It appears that most of the conservatives have memorized certain things about Muslims, and they reel it off.  I don’t get offended, instead I listen to them patiently and share my perspective.  I am sure you have had that experience, with patience, people will learn to respect you, and gradually see your point of view as a courtesy. Melody is a conservative Radio talk show host; and she wants to get me on her show in North Carolina.  I hope a few more will see another point of view, shame on us, we have let them carry the age old narrative forward, we need to do our part in sharing our narrative.  There is no joy greater than living without conflicts with fellow beings.

Amidst the concerns, issues and the gloom, there is hope.  We have to move from estrangement to engagement and things will change. Stuart Varney at Fox News promised not to use the phrase Muslim Terrorist three weeks ago on his show with me, and Sean Hannity is at least softer and clearer about what he is against, and that is the result of positive engagement.  Last night Lindsey Graham spoke up, and there are way too many good people than the fringe element. Look at these people from the County and School board, they gave hope, and they represent American values of acceptance, they are our models and heroes.

 I am short on time with so much going, so I will yield to the lady sitting next to me, who writes for Muslim Matters, when she files the report, I will share that with all.

This is precisely what God wants – for his creation to sit together and demystify the myths about each other and restore the equilibrium.  Quran (49:13) says the best ones among you are those who learn about each other; indeed, when we learn about each other, conflicts fade and solutions emerge.

Thanks to Sayed Naved for printing and distributing the flier of our “Season of Peace” event and thanks to Rev. Casey Kaseman for announcing it. I had the opportunity to announce it as well during my turn.  Thanks to Amjad Humayun for inviting me to the event.

My job became much easier, we have tentatively found Indonesian, Arab, and Subcontinent groups to sing Nasheeds (poetry appreciating Prophet Muhammad (pbub), and if the African American group can confirm, that would be a significant progress.  Rev. Casey Kaseman and Samia Haque will find a Mormon and a Catholic group to sing Christmas Carols, we need two more, I can find one from the Unification Church or the Unitarian Church and the search will be for an Evangelical group.  We also found Hijabi girls to sing National Anthem (This is a different report).

Please join us for the event, this is a God-given opportunity this year to further strengthen our bonds on the auspicious occasion of the birth celebrations of Jesus Christ and Prophet Muhammad on 25th and 24th of December respectively. God loves each one of us and showers his blessings each time we make an effort to restore the harmony and cohesiveness of his creation; life and environment.These are the signs of good tidings; offering a new hope and a new beginning for the mankind. Together Christians and Muslims make up nearly half of the world population and it is our duty to do our share of work in restoring harmony and peace on earth for each one of the Seven billion of us. We are all in this together.

Kindly share this link to register for the event: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/merry-christmas-milad-mubarak-tickets-20040393356

Thank you, 

Mike Ghouse
(214) 325-1916
Executive Director
www.AmericanMuslimInstitution.org 
A proactive voice for American Muslims
110 Maryland Av, NE, Suite 508
Washington, DC 20002-5606 

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-PalestineTerrorism and foreign policy. Over 3000 Articles have been published on the subjects. He is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. More about him in 63 links at www.MikeGhouse.net and bulk of his writings are at TheGhousediary.com   

Hanukkah - Jews on the 5th Night of Chanukah stood up for Justice across White House

Chanukah | www.TheGhouseDiary.com

Washington, D.C., Wednesday, December 09, 2015 – The Jewish Voice for peace organized a Chanukah candle light for justice across the White House tonight at 5:30 PM.  They called it Network against Islamophobia for a national Chanukah action.  They will hold this event again on Sunday at 4:00 PM at the same place.

In their letter out to the public, they wrote, “While president Obama is in the White House celebrating with Israeli President Rivlin on Wednesday, we will be outside showing that American Jews stand for full equality and freedom for all people living under Israeli rule. We hope that the President will ask Rivlin what he is doing to make that a reality for ALL Palestinians.”

The letter continued, “We will be holding nine signs, which, together, are in the shape of Chanukah menorah. Each sign contains injustice that we recommit ourselves to challenging.” I remember the following signs, welcoming Syrian Refugees, black lives matter, anti-Muslim profiling, Jews against Islamophobia among other signs.  

The media was present, and Melanie from the Boston University News wire asked me on the tape who I was, and my purpose in being here.

“I am Mike Ghouse with American Muslim Institution, an organization committed to building a cohesive America where every American respects the otherness of others, and accepts the God-given uniqueness of each one of us.  God has created everything in balance and it is our duty to preserve that balance.”

In response to a question, “what the presidential candidates are saying about Muslims,” I responded, “The role of the President is to keep America safe from outside forces and internal conflicts, and to help Americans achieve in their pursuit of life, liberty and happiness.

Mr. Trump has trampled on the very fundamental values of our immortal declaration,   “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.”

She asked how difficult it was to cope with what Dr. Carson and Mr. Trump have said. Indeed, they are making life difficult for themselves, God forbid, if they are elected, they will have to manage a population that is afraid of each other.  They are also dumb, if you recall the Gore v Bush, the difference was approximately 500,000 votes resulting in 5 electoral votes. If they are any smart, they will court nearly 5 -6 million votes from Jews, Hispanics, Muslims and others and easily increase the chances of winning. They need to know that bigotry does not pay.

We have to trust in the goodness of Americans, we have come a long way in being just and fair.  Over the last thirty years; Americans have never nominated an extremist as a presidential candidate who was hell bent on pitting one American against the other,  and who has messed with the character of our nation. Never!

It was a joy to sing the Dreidel,  Dreidel, Dreidel and a Christmas Carol. 

YouTube link: https://youtu.be/sWGwe4Vgnss

The damage they are doing to the social fabric of the nation is unforgivable. 
What JVC is doing tonight is demonstrating against bigotry in an effort to restore sanity in politics and justice to the average American, hence, I am here to support them.  If we don’t stand up for what is right, who will? We have no right to complain if we let negative forces persist without resistance. 

In response to how would you change the situation, I said,  we have problems because we don’t know much about each other, and whatever little we know  is myths about others. Instead of clarifying those myths, we pile up more myths and create deeper and wider chasm each passing day. The problems are ours, collectively ours, and we have to solve them by sitting down across each other, build friendships and learn about each other. When we find out our aspirations are similar – a life with a decent pay, nice place to live, good marriage, wonderful kids and a healthy and peaceful retirement – the conflicts fade and solutions emerge. 
The idea is for us connect with each other, understand each other, and when we do that, conflicts fade and solutions emerge.

It was good to see Medea Benjamin,  some of you may not like people who protest, but remember, they are the most patriotic individuals of the nation, they don’t want America’s moral standing go down the tube by letting bad things happen. They should be our heroes.

Thanks to JVC for standing up for America and for Justice around the world.

My shortest message of Hanukkah was, no matter how limited your resources are (like the oil in the lamp was enough for one day, but the oil miraculously lasted for eight days) have hope and do the right thing, the goodness of God will be with you.

A good article to read, it is has a particular significance to Muslims at this time.  Why Chanukah matters.
http://www.jewishjournal.com/cover_story/article/why_chanukah_matters
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 Terrorism and foreign policy. Over 3000 Articles have been published on the subjects. He is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. More about him in 63 links at www.MikeGhouse.net and bulk of his writings are at TheGhousediary.com  

CNN: A Muslim lobby as a counterattack to Fear Inc.

Note: This is one of my 30 Blogs, this particular blog contains only my writings or writings about me. Engy Fouda has quoted me in this write up.

--
A Muslim lobby as a counterattack to Fear Inc.

CNN: http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-1281975

Recommended to visit CNN site, for colorful graphics on the subject matter.

By Engy Fouda (@engyfoda)

According to a recent report and investigation by the Center for American Progress (CAP), Fear Inc. is a $57 million fund network acting with the goal of spreading Islamophobia and hatred against Muslim minorities. It makes money out of what CAP describes as a “hate” business. A number of American Muslim organizations formed a coalition to launch what they described as a Muslim lobby to counter the increasing influence of Islamophobia.

The network funds misinformation from the so-called experts, who exploit a larger network of politicians, media outlets and organizations. “The name Fear Inc. is an analogy [to suggest] that a relative small group of people are pushing [towards] these ideas. They are similar to a corporation because they are making large amounts of money [by] spreading hateful messages,” said Ken Gude, senior fellow with the national security team at CAP and a member of the crew who developed Fear Inc. reports.

A coalition of leading national and local American Muslim organizations coalesced to form a Muslim lobby, also known as The US Council of Muslim Organizations (USCMO). USCMO hosted the first National Muslim Advocacy Day in Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. on April 13, 2015. However, still at its inception, the Muslim lobby faces significant challenges in reaching media and influencing legislation.

Media

One of the main goals of the Muslim lobby is to pushback against the daily stereotyping of Muslims in the media. Moustafa Elhusseiny, broadcaster in Al Jazeera network, expressed his frustration with prevalent stereotypes of Muslims and Arabs saying: “Americans who do not have Muslims in their social circles, carry the stereotype of the Muslim as a terrorist and an Arab as a potential threat. Some people cringe when they hear my name!”

The Fear Inc. and Islamophobia can be demonstrated by the polls resuts -shown in the pictures above- that were conducted in September 29, 2015 by the Public Policy Polling in North Carolina.

Gude added that the current Muslim lobby is doing well, but it is not enough. There is a need of more organizations to spread out. Anyone who is counterattacking Islamophobia should focus on having more communication with the media and the reporters covering the presidential campaigns. For example, on Trump’s campaign, the media focused most on “Obama is Muslim” as a smear. It is a smear but the response should not have been directed to that only. The response should have been to push back on the whole notion.  The media should get educated on how to talk about such issues.

As a reaction to Ben Carson’s Islamophobic attacks during his presidential campaign, Mike Ghouse co-founded the American Muslim Institution. “Bigoted people might not change their minds but when we talk in media on a daily basis, stand out and respond. This push back will make them hesitate to say any false statement again. After two or three years, they will not do it”, said Ghouse.

Education and Social diffusion

The Muslim lobby is faced with several challenges on both the Muslim and non-Muslim fronts. On the one hand, very few American Muslims know about the new coalition. “The Muslim community in the Unites States is self-enclosed. Even the organizations and Sheiks do not show up in the advocacy and human rights events. They neither interact with the American society nor support any persecuted minority groups from Latinos, and Blacks,” Elhusseiny said.

On the other hand, the wider public still harbors significant prejudices against Islam and Muslims. In 2014, the Pew Research Center conducted a survey about positive thinking towards Muslims; Republicans ratings were 33%, and Democrats ratings were 47%.

The FBI crime rate reported on their website stated that Anti-Muslim cases have slightly increased from 2012 to 2014. The Southern Poverty Law Center stated that Islamophobia in the United States goes into overdrive following France attacks. In 2015,  crimes such as Chapel Hill shooting, the discrimination incidents such as Ahmed Mohamed’s arrest in Dallas, and the latest anti-Muslim statements made by the Republican presidential candidates.

“It is highly required to found a new educational organization to train new cadres to represent Muslims. The education can be done through conferences and workshops,” Hesham El-Meligy, 2013 NYC comptroller candidate, co-founder of Muslims for Liberty (M4L), added.

El-Meligy added that M4L is making conferences to correct people’s misinformation about Islam through the American Constitution. The audience is from the Tea Party. M4L is arranging a conference to counter Carson’s false claims with three of his campaign managers.

El-Meligy and Elhusseiny both emphasized that Muslims should be keener to vote. Muslims’ population should show up in: the voting base, the city council and the senate candidates.

Legislation

Gude declared that, from the legislative perspective, most of the Muslim organizations are playing defense. None tried to issue a law specific to Muslims, as this is not the target. It should be for all religions not only Muslims. The organizations are mainly concerned to stop the NYPD surveillance programs and the anti-Sharia bill.

Mapping the anti-Sharia bill shown in the pictures above.

USCMO announced on their website that the domestic priorities of the American Muslim community, includes: “Calling on Congress to urge the U.S. Department of Justice to amend its racial profiling guidance for federal law enforcement by removing any existing loopholes that continue to permit profiling in the name of national security, domestic surveillance and policing the border. Many of these programs have disproportionately targeted Latinos, Muslims and other minorities, and raise serious due process concerns.”

Gude declared that stigmatization and training of law enforcement to profile Muslims and monitor every mosque as a counter-terrorism strategy had negative consequences and lead to many false alarms. Moreover, he said that there should be no aligning based on practicing any religion, the society should stand out against Anti-Muslim, Anti-Jew, Anti-Christian, and Anti-Atheist.

Nevertheless, Ghouse added, “Muslims are safe in the United States, it is better than any other country in the world. It is a good country, it supports free speech and I am blessed to be here.”

Gude concluded that here is no big Fear Inc. report yet, but they intend to monitor and comment on the direction of the media, shed some light on respectful Muslims to recognize them and push back Islamophobia during the presidential campaign. Probably they will produce shorter videos to combat the negative Muslims’ stereotyping.

Acknowledgement: Thanks to Yomna Ali and Michael Fitzgerald for their editing.