Interfaith Dialogue on the Bus

http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2011/04/interfaith-dialogue-on-bus.html
Wednesday, April 06, 2011 – 2:00 PM – 7:00 PM

A group of 10 Muslim Imams and Scholars are visiting Dallas and I was with them on the bus touring today in Fort Worth.  Here is a brief update:

I was with them from 2:00 PM through 1:00 AM and it was exciting to see the trends in pluralism and their (human) desire to co-exists,  and it was a delight to learn about their efforts in working that up.

If were to summarize it in a few words; I wish the media focuses on the obessision and commonality of the right wingers, be it in America or Chad, Afghanistan or Dutch, Brazil or Taiwan... they are bent on dominating and oddly they accuse the other of the same which they are guilty of.  The rise and fall of right wingers is a subject I would like the media to cover.

The 10 Imams/Scholars and people in influential position have the same issues as we do in America, the moderates are being pushed around and shamelessly they keep cushioning the abuse giving the false myth a currency,  that the right is right or the might is right. Those men and women were actually using the word Pluralism quite extensively. I am reluctant to call it a conflict between the moderate majority and the tiny weeny right wing minority, because if the majority does not have balls to stand up to do the right wingers then it is not a conflict. And ofcourse unlike the "me and me" right wingers the "we and us" moderates are not assertive enough to do the good things.

The public on the other hands funds, donates the ones who create division and pitch one against the others, like the Fox news, the right wing republicans and a host of them. When will be see the truth that our monies are doing harm to the cohesive fabric of the society?
Here was my plan and  I will update the full report later at  http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/ and http://www.worldmuslimcongress.org/ and http://www.foundationforpluralism.com/ 

PROFESSIONAL OBJECTIVES

·      To review the moral and philosophical basis of religious life in the U.S.

·      The historic origins of religious freedom in the U.S

·      To examine the interplay between religion and U.S. politics; and

·      To explore religious education in the U.S.

We will not be able to cover all the topics on the bus; however, I can give a quick review of the following in the given time and would like you to choose the topics from the list below.  Any question about America, Pluralism and Islam are welcome.

PROGRAM OUTLINES

1. Welcome
2. Interfaith/ Pluralism Greetings
3. Origins of Interfaith

4. The issues in America and what are we doing about it.

1. Quraan Conference  
2. Quraan burning
3. The Ground Zero Mosque
4. Sharia Laws
5. Pluralism and Prophet Muhammad the Peace Maker
6. Cartoons/ humility
7. Origins of Islamophobia are political and 2 Wrong translations of Quraan
8. What are Muslims doing about building cohesive Societies

                     i.      Unity Day

                     ii.      Reflections on Holocaust & Genocides

                    iii.      Thanksgiving Celebrations

                    iv.      GLBT

                    v.      Anti-Semitism

                   vi.      Islamophobia

                   vii.      Women’s rights

5. Great things about United States
1. First Amendment -
2. Minority Rights
3. Hope for every human/ A sense of security
4. You can be who you want to be.
5. Free Speech

6. The issues we see in the Middle East

1. Minority Rights
2. Radical Sermons
3. Not hear good things you are doing.
4. The role of OIC – Rashad Hussain
5. Apostasy
6. Blasphemy
7. Women’s rights
8. Pluralism

TOPICS

Overview

1.      Prophet Muhammad the peace Maker

2.      Quraan Conference

3.      Quraan burning

4.      Ground Zero Mosque

5.      Sharia Laws

6.      Cartoons/ humility

7.      Minority Rights

8.      Islamophobia and origins

Mike's bio:  http://www.mikeghouse.net/MikeGhouse_MuslimSpeaker_Dallas_Texas_USA.asp

Mike Ghouse is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions to media and the public on issues of the day and is available to speak at your place of worship, work, seminars and conferences. He is a speaker thinker and a writer on the topics of pluralism, cohesive societies, Islam, interfaith, India and peace.

The Foundation for Pluralism champions the idea of co-existence by respecting and accepting the otherness of other and World Muslim Congress is committed to nurturing the pluralistic ideals embedded in Islam. His work is reflected in 4 website's and 27 Blogs at http://www.mikeghouse.net/

References can be found in the following sites:

ISLAM

To be a Muslim is to be a peacemaker, one who seeks to mitigate conflicts and nurtures goodwill for peaceful co-existence.

Mission
http://www.foundationforpluralism.com/WorldMuslimCongress/Articles/Mission-Statement.asp

World Muslim Congress

This site chronicles events that affect co-existence and offers solutions to build cohesive societies. http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/ 

Quraan Today -

Offers information that nurtures the values of pluralism in Quraan. http://quraan-today.blogspot.com/  

Quraan Conference

The holy book is about living in harmony with free will, there are mis-translations and mis-interpretations that are addressed, and it will done by non-Muslim clergy from all faiths.  http://www.quraanconference.com/   

Muslim Women

Without any reserve men and women have equal rights in Quraan and Islam, even a few Muslims have misunderstood the value Islam places on justness and fairness.

http://muslimwomenandmen.blogspot.com/  

Ramadan Exclusive

What is Ramadan? Visiting different Mosques and cherishing different practices of all denominations of Muslims.   http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/  

Sharia Laws

Defined in lay persons language and easy to understand the personal path of living a righteous life and the public Sharia that governs relationships between individuals and the society like the civil laws.  http://sharialaws.blogspot.com/  

Blasphemy Laws

Quraan prohibits judgment, prejudice is discouraged and there is no punishment for the ones who maligns God or his prophet. It is a political tool of oppression by right wingers among Muslims. http://blasphemylaws.blogspot.com/  

Muslim Press Releases http://muslimpressrelease.blogspot.com/  

Dallas Muslim Center http://dallasMuslimCenter.blogspot.com  

Ground Zero Mosque

The full story of the mosque with 60 plus articles and videos exploring the politics of it.  http://groundzeromosque.blogspot.com/   

Peter King Hearings

We welcomed it, let's put all the things on the table and once for all clear it up.  http://www.peterkinghearings.blogspot.com/

PLURALISM

Our mission is to encourage individuals to develop an open mind and an open heart toward their fellow beings.

Wisdom of Religion  Master site on Pluralism, it is all about co-existence. No religion is above the other.   http://wisdomofReligion.blogspot.com
 

Holocaust and Genocides   http://holocaustandgenocides.blogspot.com/

Unityday USA   http://911unitydayusa.blogspot.com/

Thanksgiving   http://thanksgivingcelebrations.blogspot.com/

Hate Sermons  http://hatesermons.blogspot.com/

Terrorism counter   http://terrorismcounter.blogspot.com/

Pluralism Questions  http://pluralismquestions.blogspot.com/

Dallas Interfaith Center   http://dallasinterfaithcenter.blogspot.com/

Ground Zero Mosque  http://groundzeromosque.blogspot.com/

Peter King Hearings   http://www.peterkinghearings.blogspot.com/
 

Quraan Conference  http://www.quraanconference.com/

MIKE GHOUSE
PROFILE
A conflict mitigater &  a goodwill nurturer* Mike Ghouse is a speaker on Pluralism and Islam offering pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. His work is reflected at three websites & twenty two Blogs listed at http://www.MikeGhouse.net/

Websites
www.WorldMuslimCongress.com

www.Foundationforpluralism.com

www.AmericaTogetherFoundation.com
www.IslamtogetherFoundation.com

Ghouse Tweets
250 Word Statements on issues of the day
 http://Ghousetweets.blogspot.com
 

Ghouse Diary
Everything that I write goes here first, like a first draft
http://theghousediary.blogspot.com

Ghouse in Media  http://mikeghouse.net/MediaPresence.asp

 Dallas Mega Rally | What is Pluralism
Mike Ghouse Videos

Standing up for others
Why should you stand up for others, almost every one. I have done to back up what I preach. http://www.mikeghouse.net/Standing.up.for.others.asp

 

CIVIC SITES
Americans together www.AmericaTogetherFoundation.com
 

Israel Palestine dialogue

http://israel-palestine-dialogue.blogspot.com/
 

Media Screw upshttp://mediamuddles.blogspot.com/
 

Mike Ghouse for America

 http://mikeghouseforamerica.blogspot.com/


My additional profile as a Muslim speaker :
http://www.mikeghouse.net/MikeGhouse_MuslimSpeaker_Dallas_Texas_USA.asp

Swami Vivekananda gave a new meaning to the Hindu philosophy of tolerance.

http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2011/03/swami-vivekananda-gave-new-meaning-to.html

As I was reading the article about Swami Vivekananda, several paragraphs struck me and I am inspired to write the following article.

When Swamiji talks about, “The Christian is not to become a Hindu or a Buddhist,” He was talking about religion is a pathway to spirituality. I had just responded to Mr. Yogi Sikand on an article about Dawah work in Islam by Maulana Wahiduddin, and Missionary work in Christianity.   

In my note, I was hoping to read what the Dawah (an invitation to convert) was for? Is it to make one a Muslim or to guide the person to become the righteous one?  Same question goes to Christianity, Sikh, Baha’i, Hindu and other traditions.

When Jesus said, “follow me”, Krishna said, “Surrender to me” and Allah says, “submit to my will”, the call was to follow God’s law of nature; to live cohesively and in harmony. It is about bringing a balance and equilibrium to everything we do. Balance is sustainable and extremity is not.

Personally I value every religion, and do not consider the need for any one to change his or her faith unless he or she finds solace in a different faith other than the one s/he is accustomed to. Every faith does what it is suppose to do to the believer; bring peace of mind.  No one should compel one to convert or prevent one from converting, let one choose what one believes to bring tranquility to him and harmony with others.   Let it be an individual’s choice.  What difference does it make to you if I eat different food, wear different clothes and speak a different language?

Swamiji touches on diversity, indeed, because we are diverse we have survived if we were all one, we could have been wiped out with one single disease. Each one of us is endowed with a different thumb print, DNA, eye print etc, so let’s have a different faith as well. To repeat his words, “The Christian is not to become a Hindu or a Buddhist,”

Conversion assumes a deficiency in the other faith and that is sheer arrogance. However, I would guide one to be a better Hindu, Jew, Christian, Muslim and ultimately a better human, which is the essence of every religion.  Mahatma Gandhi had emphasized the same thought and Prophet Muhammad’s first model of education was to be truthful, trustworthy and caring and he was called Amin by the people around him.  Jesus embraced every one without flinching, and accepted the otherness of other, in fact he said let’s condemn the sin but not sinner, that was the ultimate in inclusion or I call it Pluralism.

The other thought that really touched me was, “Swamiji was in favour of harmony among religious beliefs and against one religion for all.” 

Indeed the Foundation for Pluralism is about that, and the Parliament of Worlds Religion has set the lofty but simple goals such as: harmony rather than unity, convergence of purpose rather than consensus of belief and facilitation rather than structuring.

Those of us who feel insecure about the interfaith movement and fear losing our identity or diluting it, please be assured that the goal of the Parliament is NOT to UNITE religions, but to facilitate a platform to learn about the others first hand and work together for the common good of mankind. 90% of religion is about doing common good; only 10% of it is rituals that give it its own uniqueness.

There is no proselytization element in any of the events the Parliament facilitates. You may love the theme in Melbourne, “hearing each other and healing the earth”. Indeed, that is the need of the day; hearing each other first hand.

The City of Chicago has honored the Swami by naming a street after him, and now get ready to honor the Swami again in 2014 at the Parliament of World’s religions in Brussels. Save the monies and get ready. Insha Allah, God willing, see you there with a topic on Swami Vivekananda.
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Mike Ghouse, President of America Together foundation is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day, and is available to speak at your place of worship, work or in seminars and conferences.

Through the Foundation for Pluralism, Mike champions the idea of co-existence through respecting and accepting the otherness of other, and is committed to nurturing the pluralistic ideals embedded in Islam through the World Muslim Congress.  He is a speaker thinker and a writer on the topics of pluralism, cohesive societies, Islam, interfaith, India and Peace. His work is reflected in 4 website's and 27 Blogs at http://www.mikeghouse.net/

# # #  

Reference: http://www.thehindu.com/arts/history-and-culture/article1587374.ece

Muslims condemn Murdering Ahmadiyya Muslims in Indonesia

No Scripture supports any killing; Certainly Quraan does not support it.

The only condonable killing is in self-defense, even then the scripture commands you to back off, if you see the signs that the offender is backing off, the best among you is the one who forgives and the forgiver is one of the dearest beings to God.

These Muslim-labeled men are hiding behind religion for their evil acts and shame on us, as a society for according them that false label and allowing them carry on those acts as if Islam sanctions it.

As a society, we should condemn every aggression and murder regardless of the label the killers use; religion, security, politics, democracy, capitalism, collateral damage, communism, progress, Quraan, Gita, Bible or the Torah.  There simply is no justification for any murder.

There is belligerency among a few Muslims; they are so arrogant that they knock God out his seat and take over judging other people's faith, shame on us we are letting them take over God’s role, he alone is the master of the day of judgment.  You cannot judge other peoples faith, it is between them and their creator. Only God knows what is in one’s heart and there are numerous examples and stories in Quraan about it.

The silent majority of Muslims do not approve this, but at least a few of them need to speak up. This is not acceptable and we express this disgust by signing the name below.

As a Muslim I will urge Muslims to condemn any evil act. We cannot allow religious stamp on the evil things men do. It is up to Hindus, Jews, Christians and others to do their work in the name of their faith if their faith is used to justify crimes.  

We must resist temptations to point fingers at others; it amounts to justification of our own wrong doing. Each one of us is answerable to the creator for our silence, just like each one of us will receive a traffic ticket for speeding, others get away on the same road, but there is nothing we can do about it. We were wrong and it is our own responsibility to fix ourselves. If we do that, then our voice will carry value.

You and I have the power to express, we can boldly say that using religion to kill any one is wrong, that is the least we can do. 

I hope and pray that the community of nations and societies treat this as capital crime and every one involved in killing must be punished.

I request that this note or a different note be circulated among the “silent people” to let them sign, a first step in being righteous.

Are you gutsy enough to sign up? If you are, write your name and the name of your town down in the comments section. Or create your own appeal and do it, but please do it.

Please join Mike Ghouse to nurture the pluralistic ideals embedded in Islam. Islam is about justice and fairness and balance in a society, that is all God wants in Quraan (49:13); for us to get along. http://www.worldmuslimcongress.net/

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In a message dated 2/9/2011 9:12:28 A.M. Central Standard Time, xxxxxxx@aol.com writes: I have just viewed the clip of the murder of Ahmadiyyas in Indonesia.  I have a question.  The Quran says:  109:1-6 -to you your belief, to me mine.   So why are the Ahmadiyyas being murdered?  What scripture supports this terrible travesty of justice? 
Blessings, Marylou