Muslim response to the nasty Perfect Man Bill Boards

The despicable “Perfect Man” bill boards are appearing everywhere now, and like all humans, Muslims will respond differently to it. They are not a monolithic group and are as diverse as God’s creation. However, they have a choice to aggravate the conflict further or follow Jesus Christ and Prophet Muhammad’s formula of conflict mitigation and goodwill nurturence.  After all that is what the higher goal of Islam, Christianity or any faith is – restoring justice, goodwill, harmony and peace on earth.

What did Jesus do when he was persecuted and placed on the cross? He said, “Forgive them Lord, for they know not.”  What did Muhammad (pbuh) do when the miscreants pelted stones on him during his visit to Taif?  He was bleeding and was hurt, but not only forgave, but prayed for them, for they knew not. 

Most Muslims will follow the guidance and pray for the well being of screwed up men and women.  A few will struggle in forgiving them, and a handful of them will hold grudges and animosity towards the men and women who have placed those nasty bill boards?  Those handful of Muslims who are angry are as bad as the handful of Christians who violated the message of love that Jesus preached, unless they are not Christians.  

You cannot go wrong following the Guidance from Jesus and Muhammad.

Jesus asked people to “follow him”  and Muhammad asked people to follow a coherent system called Islam. A majority of people in all faiths believe in the beauty of their faith; however a few in each group don’t get that right and abuse it to their advantage in making enemies out of those who differ.

Prophet Muhammad taught that "To overcome evil with good is good, and to resist evil by evil is evil." It is also strongly enjoined in the Qur’an in the verse 41:34, “Good and evil deeds are not equal. Repel evil with what is better; then you will see that one who was once your enemy has become your dearest friend.”  This is a guarantee from God and a challenge to Muslims.

If Muslims claim to be followers of the man who was called “mercy to mankind” shouldn’t they think, act and talk like him? Similarly, shouldn’t the followers of Jesus really follow him?

Dr. Zia Sheikh, Imam of the largest Mosque in Texas, and author of Silencing the Critics writes,   "No amount of cherry picked sources quoting weak accounts can taint the facts that Prophet Muhammad was the most influential person in history, affecting positively not only his immediate surroundings, but continents thousands of miles from his ancestral Homeland. History bears witness that he changed society after society in a positive way, so much so that he is loved by people today even more than those people loves their own children."

It is a game to a handful of miscreants to irritate Muslims for no good reason, and I am sure many will be easily angered, forgetting how they should behave.  Muslims are to be a mercy to mankind, and no one should fear a Muslim.  Everyone should feel safe around a Muslim and Muslims are to be a just, kind and a merciful people. If Muslims play their part and act like a Muslim that Prophet Muhammad taught, no one will be messing with them nor will they get irritates, instead they will pray for them.

Freedom of Speech

There is one value that Americans value the most: Freedom of speech.  It is an alien idea in most parts of the world, you have to be an American (born or naturalized) to understand this phenomenon.  This is what defines us – we are fiercely free and freedom fanatics, after all we live in the land of the free and the brave.   We all need to work on integrating our values on freedom, and then all of us will be on the same page.

Muslim Americans have a built-in advantage in becoming the defenders of free speech.  The Quran insists in chapter 2, verse 256, “Let there be no compulsion in faith” and Prophet Muhammad had once said, “You cannot compel anyone to believe anything against his or her will.”

Finally, as a Muslim, I do not condemn the nasty bill boards, but I forgive them, for they know not and I urge Muslims to pray for them in the steps of Jesus and Muhammad (pbut). Let’s be the blessed peacemakers.

Once we understand freedom, a core American value, respect and live it, some of the conflicts will go away.  You might enjoy this humorous satirical short video about liberty.

Dr. Mike Ghouse has dedicated his life to the mission of building a cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day.  He is a pluralist, thinker, writer, activist, speaker (Pluralism, Interfaith, Islam, Politics and foreign policy) Interfaith wedding officiant and a news maker. More about him in 65 links at www.MikeGhouse.net 

Are Muslims a part of the American story?

   
Click here for Full Story http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/are-muslims-a-part-of-the-american-story_us_58818eb3e4b0d96b98c1da86

Jesus, Martin Luther King and Protesters are feathers of the same bird, and I salute them.

Mike Ghouse

Some of you may detest protesters and use an authoritarian language to describe them, and you should be ashamed of your attitude. Without protesters we would have ruthless dictators, monarchs and bullies ruining the nations, societies, communities and the families. The rights you have taken for granted today came to you because of the protesters at one time who were hated and persecuted, but they stood like a rock like MLK.

My friend and I chanced at the MLK memorial last week on the anniversary week when he was silenced. We have to honor him for releasing America from the guilt of oppression that would have haunted us Americans, the way we treated fellow Americans who were black, poor and weak was shameful. I walked through the complex and captured his quotes inscribed on the marble walls. Said a silent prayer thanking him for what America is today.

None of the immigrants would have come to America had it not been for MLK and civil rights act. I would not have come to America, if I had to sit in the back of the bus or get humiliated to drink water from a different fountain or not allowed to eat in a restaurant. We the immigrants, all of us from all over the globe thank MLK for that.

Now take a look at the history.

Was George Washington a conformist? Wasn’t he a protester? Did the British leave because he said so? Did they all write the constitution without protests from one or the other? Wasn’t Zoroaster, Confucius, Moses, Krishna, Buddha, Muhammad, Nanak, Bab and many more great individuals, the protesters? For God’s sake they changed the societies through their protests, none of them were conformists.

Please don’t look down at the protesters at Trump, Clinton, Sanders or any rallies. They have the balls to stand up for us the chickens, instead of looking down at them; we should admire them for holding the fort of freedom and democracy. Almost all the laws and amendments we have in place is because of the protesters. When I see the protesters around the Capitol Hill, which is daily, I will stop and appreciate them for doing it, even though I disagree with their cause.

Next time, any one puts down the protesters anywhere, let them know that they should be grateful to the protesters like our founding fathers who have given them the freedom to speak up.

Dr. Mike Ghouse is a community consultant, social scientist, thinker, writer, news maker, Interfaith Wedding officiant, and a speaker on Pluralism, Interfaith, Islam, politics, terrorism, human rights, India, Israel-Palestine, motivation, and foreign policy. He is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. Visit him (63 links) at www.MikeGhouse.net and www.TheGhousediary.com for his exclusive writings.

What is Islam?

Islam is a beautiful system, like all other faiths devised to restore sanity and common sense in a given society through simple basics like building trust, being truthful, be a security to fellow beings, stand up for justice, practice non-judgementalism,  jettison arrogance and adopt humility, and kindness. 

These are the seven principles of building cohesive societies

where no human has to live in apprehension or fear of the other,  indeed that is the foundation of Islam and a few Muslim have forgotten it. We have to restore it now for building a cohesive world, where people live their lives and let others live theirs. 

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) laid that foundation, and those seven principles made him an Amin, an individual who lives his life per those principles.  Unfortunately, a few have made Islam to be a political system, which it is not. Indeed, sadly all religions have become political systems of you or me, rather than spiritual system of we are in this together.

Preparing a talk on the subject.

Mike Ghouse
www.MuslimSpeaker.com
www.InterfaithSpeaker.com

 

Moderate Muslim Speaker

email to: SpeakerMikeGhouse@gmail.com or text to (214) 325-1916

Pope Francis is my Imam, that is my spiritual Master

Pope Francis is my Imam | TheGhouseDiary.com

Pope Francis is also an Imam (religious guide) of this Muslim.  He is a true servant of God and a true follower of Jesus, and equally represents the ideals Prophet Muhammad stood for; Justice, equality and Kindness to fellow beings.

I have been looking for an individual who has genuinely understood the essence of religion and not hung up with rituals, though rituals are a part of everything we do. Mahatma Gandhi and Mother Teresa are the other two beings around my life time, although I was born four years after Gandhi's death, he has appeared twice in my dreams and has said that I have work to do. That keeps me motivated.

This man is one of the most inclusive humans God has created in this century; he respects God by respecting and including every human in his embrace. He has demonstrated respecting the otherness of others and accepting God given uniqueness to each one of his creation.

I have connected with him spiritually since March 2013, the day he was appointed to be the Pope. The more I read about him, the more I bond with him, and amazingly, what I had believe and articulated about him, he has done it all and more. It includes repairing the  Muslim-Christian, Jewish-Christian, and Hindu-Abrahimic relations, respecting those who do not believe in God, Gays and Lesbians, ordination of women into clergy... no human has to be treated anything less, all are equal in the eyes of God, and his eyes.  

In the picture below, I am in tune with Rivkah, though she is an Orthodox Jew and I am a Moderate Muslim, we have the same attitude. We are all humans and are on par with each other.  I love this man Pope Francis for his humility, a symbol of true religious person. When Rivkah could not bow towards him for her own reasons, he turned around and bowed instead, to let Rivkah, me and the world to learn that the human being is more important than the religious symbols or the protocol of the Pope. Thank you for doing this Pope Francis.  

He is a symbol of humility, what a great man he is and that is why I accept him as my religious leader.   Showing respect does not have to be communicated through bowing, it is expressed by merely admiring the man as Rikvah did without bowing. I am sure some of you may feel the same while others may opt for the other expressions. All paths are valid.
 

His teachings are Christian, because he is, but in reality he teaches the essence of religion that is embedded in "all" religions.  I hear him out as if a great Muslim Imam is speaking to me in a different wrapper.  He embodies what a true Muslim, may be a Jew or a Hindu, Sikh, or a Baha’i ought to be.

I will listen to him and will follow him. Yet, he is a Christian and I am a Muslim. The essence of all religions is to make you a human who has no barrier between him and the other human. I am willing to say, if the religion does not remove hate, prejudice, ill-will and walls between you and the other, then you really did not get your own religion. You may go back to your religion until you find yourselves to be boundless.

Genuine spirituality is feeling like a cog in the wheel of the universe and an element in the millions of other elements.  I am merely a strand in the World Wide Web, as Chief Seattle would have said it.

Pope Francis will be here in the US in two weeks, I have seriously debated about seeing him in person, as it is my sincere heartfelt desire to meet him and feel blessed with his holy presence. I have never felt like this with any one in my life.  The other side of me resists seeing him, why does it have to be symbolic?

I feel buoyed to write about him, and have written over 20 articles, some of them are at: http://mikeghouse.net/PopeFrancis.asp

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

Muharram, Yom-e-Ashura and Indias communal relationships

Mike Ghouse at Saddahaq

India’s pluralistic ethos are to be admired, even though Muslims, particularly Shia Muslims are a tiny minority, Yom-e- Ashura is a public holiday in India and it is a public event. The world can learn from us, that we the people of India value every belief system and tradition, and honor every which way one worships the creator.

We do have our own problems with the community relationships, but we are committed to working them through, and my focus of this essay is to rebuild positive communal relationships to function cohesively.

As a process, I will be writing regularly at SaddaHaq on Pluralism, a cherished value of India’s heritage and building a cohesive India.

Muharram signifies the battle between good and evil fought 1334 years ago that we face collectively now
Imam Hussein (ra) stood up against the wicked king Yazid, and refused to endorse him as the spiritual leader, also known as “Caliph” of the growing Muslim community.

Imam Hussein was martyred in the Battle of Karbala in 680 AD by Yazid’s men along with most of his family and companions. The annual memorial for him, his family, children and his associates is called Yom-e-Ashura that is commemoration on the tenth day of the month of Muharram and is a day of mourning for Muslims.
Imam Hussein (ra) is the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), and son of Hazrat Ali and Fatima (ra). Hazrat Ali is Prophet’s cousin and Hazrat Fatima is Prophet’s daughter.

On this day, Indians will witness processions, along with floats made of paper, and hand symbols made of brass called “Punjay”. Muslims will be passionately reciting the names of Hussein, Hassan and Hazrat Ali. They will also be inflicting injuries upon themselves to understand the sacrifice of Hussein.
Here are some of the statements from our National leaders:

Mahatma Gandhi, “My admiration for the noble sacrifice of Imam Hussein (a.s) as a martyr abounds, because he accepted death and the torture of thrust for himself, for his sons, and for his whole family, but did not submit to unjust authorities.” “I learnt from Hussain how to achieve victory while being oppressed.”

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, “There is a universal appeal in his martyrdom. Hazrat Imam Hussein (a.s) sacrificed his all, but he refused to submit to a tyrannical government. He never gave any weight to the fact that his material force was far less in comparison with that of an enemy; the power of faith to his greatest force, which regards all material force as nothing. This sacrifice is a beacon light of guidance for every community and every nation “and, "Imam Hussain's sacrifice is for all groups and communities, an example of the path of righteousness."
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Rabindra Nath Tagore, “"In order to keep alive justice and truth, instead of an army or weapons, success can be achieved by sacrificing lives, exactly what Imam Hussain did.

"Dr. Rajendra Prasad, "The sacrifice of Imam Hussain is not limited to one country, or nation, but it is the hereditary state of the brotherhood of all mankind.

"Sarojini Naidu, "I congratulate Muslims that from among them, Hussain, a great human being was born who is revered and honored totally by all communities."

I am sure our New Leader Narendra Modi will share his own understanding of the Muharram.
Mr. Narendra Modi is one of the most powerful prime Ministers of India, and I have come to admire his inclusive language, indeed, the more inclusive his language and actions are, the more people will follow and respect him, with the right language, he can change India for good. On the membership kick off drive for his party, he made a profound statement, “A poor and illiterate person living in a slum should think, ‘Yes, there is a flower for me in this bouquet’ - pointing to the large flower bouquet. Indeed, every Indian should feel included no matter who it is.

Collectively as Indians, we are Adivasis, Atheists, Bahá’ís, Bos, Buddhists,Christians, Dalits, Hindus, Jains, Jewish, Muslim, Sikhs, Tribals, Zoroastriansand every possible grouping and no one should feel alienated. I pray the Prime Minister to develop that language followed by action.

I hope Indians from every group will drop their divisive attitudes and focus on thinking of one India, indivisible India and for all. His dream of sab ka saath and sab ka vikas can be achieved in his first term.

sab ka saath and sab ka vikas

    I hope the following statement resonates with the Prime Minister and perhaps, he can address the nation regularly with these words, “You are an Indian and that is all it matters to me, as your Prime Minster, I am here to make sure, you have equal access to justice, employment, schooling, loans, housing, transportation, health care, food, places of worship and retirement.”

Once upon a time, we had a beautiful parampara of celebrating and commemorating each other’s festivities and mourning’s. It certainly is a way to know each other, and together we celebrated Diwali, Ramnvami, Janmashtami, Ramadan, Muharram, Christmas and Paryushan. My neighbor’s joy was my Joy and my friends’ sorrow was mine as well.

We can blame the partition all we can, but we all have to live, live without apprehensions and fear of the other, so we can all achieve Vikas together and for all of us. It is a part of the idea of Vasudhaiva Kutumbukum – meaning the entire world is one family.

I wish the Moderate Hindus call on the extremists Hindus to focus on the beautiful values of Hinduism.
Moderate Muslims on the other hand call on the extremist Muslims to focus on the same beautiful values described in Quran but differently that we all were made into different tribes, communities and groups from the same couple.

It was God’s choice for us to be different and the best citizens among us, or the best Indians among us would be those who will take the time to learn about each other, the knowledge leads to understanding and understanding to appreciation and acceptance of the differences and respect for the otherness of others. That is our pluralistic ethos and heritage.

There is a myth out there that only Shia Muslims commemorate the Martyrdom. That is not entirely true, most Muslims do, the differential is in the rituals

The Shia Muslims of course express their grief in a variety of ways, including holding daily gatherings called Majlis and narrating the events that led to Martyrdom - Shahadat.

I am a tough guy, but when you hear what happened to Abbas and the baby Asghar, and you’ll cry, it is a moving story of humanity, and I have cried every time.

They also carry floats and hand symbols made of brass as a part of the commemoration.

On the night of Ashura, the pain threshold rises for the believers, and the participants passionately bear the self inflicted hurt and pain with chains and ropes, which is insignificant compared to what Imam Hussein had endured

It is feeling the pain and developing empathy and respect for the Imam, one of the Islamic heroes for leaving a legacy of righteousness.

    The Sunni Muslims on the other hand observe a day of fasting on Ashura, and pray for the martyrs, some participate in the Shia proceedings.

    The Ahmadiyya Muslims offer special Darood (ode to prophet and his progeny) and Duwa (supplications) throughout the month of Muharram.

This Martyrdom, “Shahadat” as we call it is commemorated by almost all Muslim denominations including Shia, Sunni, Ahmadiyya, Sufi and others.

Please note that the Salafi/Wahhabi and Deobandi traditions do not subscribe to celebrating Prophet’s birthday, or commemorating the Shahadat of Imam Hussein. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, as it is a part of the culture and not religion. Shia Muslims believe that Islamic faith was fully wrapped up at Ghadir Khumm believing that Prophet assigned Hazrat Ali to be his successor to carry the faith forward.

However the Sunnis believe that the faith was indeed completed, but no passing the mantle of faith was mentioned by the Prophet. We have to learn to respect the otherness of others and live with our differences, rather than force conformities. No one can compel the others to believe what one believes.

Last year, I wrote about the Centrality of Imam Hussein at Huffington post

THE COMMUNAL STRUGGLE

The Battle is not between Hindus and Muslims, it is between Good and the bad, good is represented by minding your own faith as Quran advocates or as Bhagvad Gita suggests it’s your own Karma that will determine your outcomes; there is no compulsion in faith, whereas, the evil is represented by hurting others for differences in belief.

The good is represented by a belief that God is greater than all of us, and we worship him in a variety of ways from bowing, and kneeling to prostrating, whereas the bad in us is represented by evil arrogance that my way is right and yours is wrong.

The good in us believes that God makes all decisions, even a blade of Grass does not move without God’s permission, says the Bhagvad Gita. while Muslims are told that God alone knows what is in one’s heart and we cannot judge the other, it is only God who can judge what is in our hearts.

Both traditions believe in a life after, but differently, one believes that if our bad deeds outweigh the good, we will be reincarnated with lesser value in the next life, while the other believes that we will be punished for our bad deeds in the life hereafter.

The bottom line is behave! Choose to be born again as a good human or earn the rewards from God in your eternal life.

The problems we see in the Middle East were exacerbated by Bush invasion of Iraq, otherwise Middle East was a stable region, giving jobs to the people from all over the world including Indians.

Before Russia invaded Afghanistan, it was stable country with good relations with her neighbors, we the Americans propped up Talibans as check mates, we left when Soviets were chased away, but Talibans had nothing to do and they resorted to wrong doing, and we have a mess today.

Middle East was stable prior to Bush invasion except the conflict between Israel and Palestine, now we have genocides going on in Syria, the evil ISIS is growing, and the Shia Sunni conflict is raging. We cannot blame others, we have to figure out a way out to live in peace again.

The battle is between evil and good and someone has to take a stand to stop this hatred for each other.
God says the best ones among us are those who care for fellow beings, and who take time to learn about each other.

If we can learn to respect the otherness of others, and accept the God given uniqueness of each one of us, (Quran 49:13) then conflicts fade and solutions emerge.

Please don’t forget, God does not talk about Muslims exclusively, he talks about entire humanity from the very first verse of Quran to the very last chapter

Neither Bhagvad Gita is assigned to Hindus exclusively the message is for all humanity in both the holy books. Take time to learn and rebuild the nation through removing conflicts between any groups of people.
Dr. Anwar adds, “The real significance of Karbala is that one has to stand up for something in this life for which one is willing to sacrifice all material possessions.”|

Let this Muharram pave the way for peace and justice for one and all. Let Imam Hussein’s sacrifice stir us up to stand for justice for all humanity.

I pray that the Shahadat of Imam Hussain become the catalyst for us to remove our differences and come together for peace, security and prosperity of Muslims and every human being. Amen!

Published at: https://www.saddahaq.com/humaninterest/Muharram/muharram-yomeashura-and-indias-communal-relationships#

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Mike Ghouse is a public speaker, thinker, writer and a commentator on Pluralism at work place, politics, religion, society, gender, race, culture, ethnicity, food and foreign policy. He is commentator on Fox News and syndicated Talk Radio shows and a writer at major news papers including Dallas Morning News and Huffington Post.  All about him is listed in several links at www.MikeGhouse.netand his writings are at www.TheGhousediary.com and 10 other blogs. He is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. 

Khushali Mubarak - A celebration of 57 years of Imamat (religious leadership) of His Highness, the Aga Khan.

Khushali Mubarak | Historic Iftar facilitated by Mayor Rawlings & Rupanis
URL- http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2014/07/khushali-mubarak-celebration-of-57.html

HH Aga Khan is ceremoniously addressed as, “Mawlana Hazar Imam Shah Karim al Hussaini, His Highness Prince Aga Khan” by the Ismaili Muslims around the world.  The Imamat was passed on to him by his Grandfather Sir Sultan Mohamed Shah Aga Khan III on July 11, 1957.  HH Aga Khan is the 49th Imam of the religious office of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslim Community, also known as Ismaili Muslims.   Per the Ismaili Muslim tradition, HH Aga Khan, is a direct lineal descendent of Prophet (pbuh) through Hazrat Ali (RA) and Hazrat Fatima (RA).

As a Muslim Pluralist myself, I have come to admire HH Aga Khan for reviving  a few of the core values of Islam; Pluralism,  and the 2^nd most important value called - Huqooqul Ibad -  the obligatory duties to fellow beings.

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and Hazrat Ali (ra) had continuously advocated living in moderation; it’s a mid path between the worldly and spiritual needs. The Aga Khan has fine tuned that balance between material and spiritual life.

He performs his religious duties by interpreting Qur'an to his 15 million plus followers spread out across the world, fulfilling his role as the spiritual leader of the Ismaili Muslim community.

In his speech to the Parliament of Canada on February 27, 2014, he explains the Shia-Sunni and Ismaili tradition, “The Ismaili Imamat is a supra-national entity, representing the succession of Imams since the time of the Prophet. But let me clarify something more about the history of that role, in both the Sunni and Shia interpretations of the Muslim faith. The Sunni position is that the Prophet nominated no successor, and that spiritual-moral authority belongs to those who are learned in matters of religious law. As a result, there are many Sunni imams in a given time and place. But others believed that the Prophet had designated his cousin and son-in-law, Ali, as his successor. From that early division, a host of further distinctions grew up — but the question of rightful leadership remains central. In time, the Shia were also sub-divided over this question, so that today the Ismailis are the only Shia community who, throughout history, have been led by a living, hereditary Imam in direct descent from the Prophet. “
 
On the other hand he is guiding the community to prosperity and living a responsible life in the societies they live.

He founded the Aga Khan Development Network that is committed to serving the humanity without regard to faith, origin or gender. I believe AKDN is one of the largest Non Governmental bodies serving humanity to learn to stand on their own feet.

Every child, teen and an adult has someone he or she looks up to, and wants to-be-like that person and eventually becomes one.  Good role models are a key to the success of a civil society, and indeed, HH Aga Khan is a great role model for Muslims to look up to.

In gratitude for his continued guidance, the Ismaili Muslims celebrate this week honoring him and reaffirming his leadership with a renewed commitment to serving the humanity.

Pluralism

Islam is about restoring and sustaining the harmony within an individual and with what surrounds him; life and environment. From the very first sentence of the first chapter, and the last chapter and throughout Qur'an, God is “Sustainer of all the worlds” (1:2) and “Cherisher of Mankind” (114:1) – The message is universal and inclusive of humanity and not a particular group of people.

At present, he is one of the few Muslims in the world who has truly understood the pluralistic message of Quran.  He firmly believes in pluralism and has opened an institution to propagate those ideals. Please visit the Global Center for Pluralism in Canada.  At the Foundation for Pluralism, we have crystallized the definition of pluralism as “Respecting the otherness of others” based on many verses from Qur'an, but particularly verse 109:6 translation by Yusuf Ali, “To you be your Way, and to me mine.”

Aga Khan delivered the following statement at the Inauguration Ceremony of Aga Khan University in Karachi on November 11, 1985, "The divine intellect Aql-i Kull, both transcends and informs the human intellect. It is this intellect which enables man to strive towards two aims dedicated by the Faith: that he should reflect upon the environment Allah has given and that he should know himself. It is the light of intellect which distinguishes the complete human being from the human animal and developing that intellect requires free enquiry. The man of Faith who fails to pursue intellectual search is likely to have only a limited comprehension of Allah’s creation. Indeed, it is man’s intellect that enables him to expand his vision of that creation.”

Caring for Neighbors

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) had said the best among you is the one who sees to it that his neighbor is fed and cared for. Imam Hazrat Ali (ra), the 4th rightly guided Caliph after Prophet Muhammad in providing the leadership to the Muslim community says, "The best man is he who is most serviceable to fellow humans." There are over 18 verses in Qur'an where God consistently talks about taking care of fellow humans. Indeed the Prophet (pbuh) expressed it in so many different ways to high light the duty to fellow beings. He he said, that an irreligious guy who takes care of his neighbor earns God's grace over a guy who is relentlessly praying.  

Ismaili Muslims participate and contribute in building relationships

Indeed, the beneficence of Aga Khan’s Pluralism discourse can be witnessed everywhere in the world including in Dallas, Texas. 

Arman Rupani and his father Mr. Amir Ali Rupani, a respected philanthropist of Dallas, set in motion a historic event;  Iftar Dinner with  Hon. Mayor Mike Rawlings of City of Dallas. This is the first public Iftar event in Dallas area hosted by the City for its Muslim residents. 

Mayor Rawlings, Arman Rupani, Amir Rupani, Dy Mayor Pro Tem Alonzo
Click to see larger version of the picture | Photo courtesy - http://www.surajart.com/

The Mayor delivered an amazing key note address; he was all for building relations with each community in the City. He said, there are about 120,000 Muslims in the area and around 40,000 of them reside in the City of Dallas. He was excited to initiate this tradition and expects it to continue every year.  By the way, his praise for Arman was touching, and the words he had for Amir Rupani for raising a public service son made every one pause and praise this father son duo.  

Thanks to Arman Rupani, Amir Ali Rupani and Akram Syed for co-hosting the event, and building relationships between the Mayor’s office and the Muslims of Dallas.

The honored guests included; Mayor Mike Rawlings of Dallas, Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Monica R. Alonzo of Dallas, former Mayor Dr. Arjumad Hashmi of Paris, Texas, Council Member Dr. Shahid Shafi of South Lake and most of the Imams of Shia and Sunni traditions,  and some of the most active Muslims of Dallas Fort Worth.

Purpose of Religion

The purpose of every religion and the work of every prophet, messenger or peacemaker was to build cohesive societies, where no human had to live in apprehension or fear of the other. Indeed the ultimate goal of Islam as I understand is to bring harmony and peace to the societies achieved by knowing each other and building relationships.

Indeed God has created us into different tribes, communities and nations (Quran 49:13). It was indeed his choice to create each one of us to be unique with our own thumbprint, eye print, DNA, color and taste buds. Yet, the whole creation was put together in perfect balance and harmony (Q55:7); Planets and plants were programmed to operate with precision (Q55:5) year after year, and humans were given the free will with a responsibility to maintain that balance for their own good or perish like the earlier species through climate changes or conflicts.

God knew such diversity is bound to create conflict and mess up the delicate balance, so he encourages us in the same verse 49:13, that the best among you are the ones who know each other. Indeed, knowledge leads to understanding and understanding to acceptance and appreciation of the God given uniqueness of each one of us, and with that conflicts fade and solutions emerge.

One shining example that stands out is His Highness Aga Khan, who has struck a perfect balance between the life here, and life hereafter.We wish a very happy Imamat day and Khushali to the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims and blessing of long life to the Hazar Imam HH Karim Aga Khan. Amen!

This writer was a former commissioner at City of Carrollton.

Ramadan Related Articles:

American Muslim Agenda-I at Huffington Post:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/american-muslim-agenda-a-_b_5528706.html 

American Muslim Agenda-II at World Muslim Congress: http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2014/07/july-4th-celebrations-muslims-and.html

Ramadan’s Pluralism Message at Ramadan Exclusive: http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2014/06/ramadans-pluralism-message-intrafaith.html

Ramadan’s spiritual Discipline at faith Street: http://www.faithstreet.com/onfaith/2009/08/21/ramadans-spiritual-discipline/8124

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Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism,Peace, Islam, Israel, India, interfaith, cohesive work place. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com and www.MikeGhouse.net 

Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) Intrafaith-Interfaith Naatia Mushaera – Poetry Session in Richardson on Friday, February 21, 2014.

URL- http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2014/02/prophet-muhammads-pbuh-intrafaith.html

February 8, 2014 - Dallas, Texas: The World Muslim Congress, a think tank of Muslims in Dallas announces a poetry session honoring Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), known as Naatia Mushaera.

"This is a purposeful event with three clear goals; to share Prophet’s work with fellow Americans, to focus on how Muslims can adopt his teachings to benefit the society at large, and to bring Muslims of different denominations together for the common purpose– celebrate Prophet Muhammad’s birthday”- said Mike Ghouse, president of the organization.
 
The program is set to start at 8:00 PM and end at mid night on Friday, February 21, 2014 at Richardson Civic Center in Richardson, Texas. (Link).

The evening is divided into two sessions. The first segment will highlight the Intrafaith and interfaith aspects of the program. Muslims of different denominations including Ahmadiyya, Bohra, Ismaili, Shia, Sunni, WD Muhammad others will share a Naat (poetry singing) each from their community. Then our friends from other faiths will also share their Poetry about the Prophet.

Women and Men will be reciting the Naats together for the first time.

The second segment after the tea break is assigned to our poets and they will recite the purposeful poetry to reflect on Prophet’s work and how we can make that meaningful in our day to day life.  

“Throughout the program, we will be highlighting the inclusive teachings of the Prophet’s wisdom.  The values embedded in the Madinah constitution will be shared, where the prophet signed a declaration with Jews, Christians, Pagans and others. Each member of community was guaranteed the freedom to practice his or her faith freely. Furthermore, In his last sermon, the Prophet declared that all men are created equal, and respecting each human is the right thing to do. Like the people of all faiths, Muslims need to go back to the inclusive values taught by the prophet.” added Mike Ghouse.

Refreshments, tea, and snacks will be served in addition to the special treat – the king of desserts; Laddu.

Shazia Khan will be the master of the ceremonies, and the event will be chaired by a mystery guest of honor, and special guest OS Modgil with host Mike Ghouse. You are invited to, the event, it is free but an RSVP is required at the facebook events “Naatia Mushaera” on February 21, 2014 or email to: rsvpforsure@gmail.com
 

Coming up next

World Muslim Congress To be a Muslim is to be a peacemaker committed to mitigating conflicts and nurturing goodwill, and to build cohesive societies where all of God's creation can live in harmony with each other.

Naatia Mushaera on Friday, February 21, 2014 in Richardson

NAATIA MUSHAERA – REQUEST TO POETS

Friday 8-12 PM on 2/21/14 at Richardson Civic Center

Naats** will be recited (poetry) to highlight Prophet Muhammad's work of building cohesive societies where people of different faiths and races lived their own lives. The program will start on time and end on time. If you are going to be late, please do not RSVP, let others enjoy. Seating is limited to 150.

The event is for people of all faiths. Prophet Muhammad's message like all the great prophets of the world is for the whole humanity and not just Muslims.

Muslims of all hues are requested to participate in the event and each community representative (s) to recite a Naat. Seating is limited to 150, so we request a firm RSVP.

At this time, the program will be in Urdu/Hindi language, we hope to make it in English in the coming years.

Throughout the program, we will be highlighting the inclusive teachings of the Prophet. Wisdom from the Madinah constitution will be shared, where the prophet signed a declaration with Jews, Christians and others, each one with freedom to practice his or her faith freely. In his last sermon, he declared that all men are created equal, and respecting each human is the right thing to do. Like the people of all faiths, we need revival to go back to the inclusive values taught by the prophet.

We are requesting our poets to make their poetry purposeful and meaningful and reflect those inclusive values in their poetry.

** Naat is poetry in praise of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in the likes of Christmas Carols, Shabad in Sikhism or Chalisa in Hindu tradition.

Refreshments include tea, paani, chaat and Laddu!

Master of Ceremonies: Shazia Khan
Host: Mike Ghouse 

Richardson Civic Center

Friday, February 21, 2014 |  8-12 PM
REFERENCES:

1. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/how-i-connect-with-prophet-muhammad_b_2547782.html

 

2. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/festivals-of-the-world-mi_b_4579452.html

   
 Mike Ghouse
(214) 325-1916

Applauding Bohra Muslim Community

SPIRITUAL LEADER OF BOHRA MUSLIM COMMUNITY NO MORE
URL http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2014/01/appluading-bohra-muslim-community.html


I went to express my condolences to the Bohra Muslim Community for the loss of their spiritual leader. I had called in a group of Muslims from each denomination to join us; unfortunately the last minute call did not produce results. On this occasion, I must applaud the community for many things, but certainly the Amin aspect.

In the picture are Tayyab Kundawala, a prominent Indian community leader who walked toe to toe with me during the 9/11 crisis, he was the President of India Association at that time. He is currently involved with the Mahatma Gandhi statue placement in Dallas. The other person in picture is the imam (Aamil Saheb) in charge as the resident Aamil Saheb is in Mumbai to join in the funeral services of the Syedna Burhanuddin.

Bohra Muslims are one of the eight most known denominations of Islam; Sunni, Shia, Wahhabi, Ahmadiyya, Ismailia, WD Muhammad, Alawite and Bohra. Each group is headed by a spiritual leader except Sunni and Wahhabi (part of Sunni) denominations.

Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin was the spiritual leader of the Bohra Muslim community, and he passed away yesterday passing the responsibility to his son, a hereditary system of spiritual leadership.

THE AMIN


The Bohra Muslim community has done relatively well when it comes to being the Amins of the Society. It was the first model of Prophet Muhammad. Amin is being just, truthful and trust worthy.

Did Muslims call him the Amin? No, there were no Muslims at that time; it was the Pagans, Jews, Christians and others who called him Amin. We have to earn the trust among the people we live with, no matter who they are. Indeed that is the first and foundational Sunnah (practice) to build peaceful societies.

God informs in Quran (49:13) that he created humanity from a single couple into multitudes of tribes, communities, nations, and conflicts were bound to happen with the given differences. Then he advises, the conflicts persist because we don't know each other. He asserts that the best one among you is the one who takes the time to know the neighbor. When you know each other conflicts fade and solutions emerge.

A the foundation for pluralism have been conducting the Unity Day for the last ten years, and as a part of the program we start the program with American national Anthem, and we always wanted a Hijabi Muslim Girl to sing the Anthem - guess where she came from twice in ten years? The Bohra Muslim Community!  Thanks to the education and teaching imparted in their system to have produced someone to participate.

I can appreciate this much more after finding out that the Orlando Muslims could not produce a Muslims girl to sing the National Anthem at our Unity Day program in Mulberry. 

All I can say is keep this Amin component alive and active. This is how we build better societies, to be a part of it, rather than live within.


Dawoodi Bohra  spiritual leader Dr Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin passed away.
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PRESS RELEASE
 

January 17, 2014. Dallas, Texas.  The World Muslim Congress shares the announcement of the sad demise of the Spiritual leader of the Dawoodi Bohra Muslim  community Dr Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin Saheb in Mumbai, India on the Morning of Friday the 17^th of January 2014 after cardiac arrest.  He was 102. Per the tradition, his eldest son Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin succeeds leading the community. 

Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un (إِنَّا لِلّهِ وَإِنَّـا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعونَ)  "Surely we belong to Allah and to Him shall we return". The phrase is recited by Muslims when a person passes away.

At World Muslim Congress, we extend our condolences to the family, friends and the Dawoodi Bohra community in particular and Muslim Ummah in General.  Syedna provided progressive leadership to the community and he was here in Irving, Texas to for the Grand opening of their Masjid. Indeed, the community members are trained to be participants and contributors in each community they live. I was particularly proud of them for participating at the Unity Day events, and always have one of their girls ready to sing the national Anthem in full Hijab. They always participated in India based events and a lot of interfaith meetings. I hope and pray their contribution will continue to accelerate.

We thank Times of India for the full report and thank Taiyab Kundawala for sharing this sad news.

url- http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2014/01/dawoodi-bohra-spiritual-leader-dawoodi.html


Mike Ghouse
World Muslim Congress
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MUMBAI: The spiritual leader of Dawoodi Bohra community Dr Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin passed away today after a cardiac arrest here. He was 102.

His 70-year old son Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin has succeeded him, it was announced here.

Syedna Burhanuddin died this morning at his residence in South Mumbai, a spokesperson for the community said.

"The 52nd Dai al-Mutlaq of the worldwide Dawoodi Bohra community, His Holiness Dr Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin expired today at the age of 102 at his Mumbai residence at Saifee Mahal," he said.

"Born in Surat, he was the leader of the Dawoodi Bohra community after succeeding his father Syedna Taher Saifuddin in 1965. Under his leadership, the community has achieved remarkable social, economic and educational success across the world.

"Known as ambassador of peace and goodwill, he was highly respected by world leaders and governments for his endeavours in promoting international brotherhood and harmony," the spokesperson said.

He was honoured with highest civilian titles like the Star of Jordan and Order of the Nile by the respective governments of Jordan and Egypt. Syedna was conferred Honourary Doctorates for his efforts in social and educational development by renowned institutes like Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Aligarh Muslim University and University of Karachi.

In Mumbai, the one of its kind Raudat Tahera mausoleum which has the entire Quran inscribed in letters of gold and bejewelled with precious stones; the world class Saifee Hospital; and the on-going ambitious Saifee Burhani Upliftment project of the redevelopment of Bhendi Bazaar are some of the major initiatives of Syedna in the city.

In 2011, Syedna had proclaimed Nass (investiture) upon his second son Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin in London. The 70-year-old successor is the rector of the community's 200-year-old institution Jamea-tus-Saifiah, which has campuses in Surat, Karachi, Mumbai and Nairobi.

"He was closely associated with the late Syedna and has received much of his spiritual guidance under the tutelage of his revered father.

Highly respected among the community members, Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin travelled widely with his father and met heads of states and other distinguished personalities across the world, he said.

Among the many projects that Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin has worked under Syedna's directions in the restoration of famous Fatemi Masjids in Egypt and other edifices in the Arab world, he said.

Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin will lead the Namaz-e-Janaza of the late Syedna at Saifee Masjid at Bhendi Bazaar. The late Syedna will be laid to rest at Raudat Tahera mausoleum in Mumbai.

Thousands of Dawoodi Bohras from all over India and from around 40 nations are converging to Mumbai to pay their last respects and homage to their beloved leader Syedna Moahmmed Burhanuddin, he said.

Dawoodi Bohra is a sect of the Shia Muslims spread all over the world.

One of the key principles of the sect is "patriotism as part of the faith." It encourages followers to make a positive contribution to the country they live in.

The word Bohra means trader and traditionally, most members of the sect have been entrepreneurs.

Last year, thousands of Dawoodi Bohras from across the world flocked to the city to celebrate Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin's 102nd birthday.

Times of India - http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Dawoodi-Bohra-community-spiritual-leader-Syedna-passes-away/articleshow/28959032.cms
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Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, peace, Islam, Israel, India, interfaith, and cohesion at work place. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. He believes in Standing up for others and a book with the same title is coming up. Mike has a strong presence on national and local TV, Radio and Print Media. He is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News; fortnightly at Huffington post; and several other periodicals across the world. His personal site www.MikeGhouse.net indexes all his work through many links.

72 Sects and Core Values of Islam

Islam is indeed a Deen of fitra, of human nature.  When Prophet said, eventually my Ummah will splinter into 72 groups – it was a metaphoric number to mean many. This reflects the human nature, which is to differ from each other. God has intentionally created us to be unique – with our own thumb print, eye print, DNA, taste bud … and religion bud.

He said one tribe among you will be perfect, what does it mean? It does not mean 71 tribes will go to hell.

Take the class room analogy - when the teacher asks students to do well in the tests, obviously everyone can score 100 in factual sciences, but when social sciences are in the mix, only one or two will score 100. It does not mean the other 71 will fail, it simply means one was perfect, and all others scoring from 99 down to 70 will pass, a few will make D and few will have difficult times.

Remember the most dominant characteristics of God, the creator is Mercy.  Indeed, it is one of the five core values of Islam; Justice, equality, truthfulness and humility being the other.

There is something wrong with the idea of only one is going to Janna and others don’t. That is not human nature and that is not fitra. Most everyone will make it with an exception of a few... who still got the time to seek forgiveness.

Allah will not forgive Shirk! That is baloney!

Allah will forgive shirk if one seeks forgiveness. 

What is Shirk?

The simplest way to understand Shirk is to understand Tauheed. Tauheed is clarity about responsibility and accountability of your actions to one God, and one conscience, indeed God is closer to us than our jugular veins.   Shirk on the other hand is confusion about responsibility to accountability to who?

God is not a thing or a being to be counted as numerical one, number # 1, it is an idea – it is the Noor and it is the existence of unseen energy that permeates all of the creation.

I hope Dr. Nauman Anwar can share his scientific views on that.  If we cannot think, we don’t need to live as humans and become farishta’s and Jins and do what they are programmed to do. We are human and we are given the freedom to think, and we must.
  

 

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Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, peace, Islam, Israel, India, interfaith, and cohesion at work place. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. He believes in Standing up for others and has done that throughout his life as an activist. Mike has a presence on national and local TV, Radio and Print Media. He is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News; fortnightly at Huffington post; and several other periodicals across the world. His personal site www.MikeGhouse.net indexes all his work through many links.
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