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Showing posts with label Ramdanexclusive.blogspot.com. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ramdanexclusive.blogspot.com. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Ramadan day 4 Madinah Masjid

DAY 4 - Madinah Masjid, Carrollton

Monday, July 23, 2012 | Ramadan 4, 1433
Madinah Masjid, 2180 Old Denton Road, Carrollton, TX 75006
Ramadan Realization

I was completely exhausted today, the fasting really got to me. I was hungry from Noon down. The only thing that came to my mind was hungry children and people around the world in Congo, Haiti, Somalia and Burma. The tragedy of Rohingi people in Burma shatters me… it is the identical humility that the Vietnamese suffered, and Darfurians and Palestinians are enduring.

click to enlarge image
A sense of responsibility grips me and the only possible thing I can do is pray for them, and through fasting, in my own way, I express solidarity with them, and empathize with them. Taqwa or spirituality in simple terms is being in tune with the creation, created and the creator. We feel helpless, yet we feel part of the whole universe.

My biggest reference point is always Holocaust, the world did nothing while people were sent to gas chambers, and mercilessly shot into the ditches… the looks in their eyes was so overwhelming, friends turned their faces away from them; a sheer betrayal of humanity. That is one of the most dominating scenes in my life, when I hear the word helplessness, that is the scene for me and that means more of the Ramadan Realization for me, a month of connecting with humanity, a month of feeling empathy for others and a month of goodwill generation.

I was debating about breaking the fast in my office. But, decided to head out to Madinah Masjid. It is perhaps the only Mosque in the area with arrangement for Iftaar dinner every evening.

Click to enlarge image - 14 other pics
My friend Javed Haider has been in-charge of Ramadan Iftaar along with Amin, Naushad and a few others for several years. I go to Madinah Masjid, at least twice during each Ramadan. The hospitality here is exemplary, a smaller but a friendly group of people.

Madina Masjid is a fully ethnic mosque, meaning the congregants are homogenous and predominantly Urdu Speaking. Most of them are from India and Pakistan. Other than the ritual prayers, all other talk is in Urdu.

Those who come fresh from India or Pakistan may feel home at this Mosque, it is a continuation of every practice that is done back home.

Click to enlarge image
For instance, before breaking the fast, in most mosques the Adhan (prayer call) signifies the moment to break the fast, in Madinah Masjid, Imam Seraj Misbahi sits down with the group and recites the words slowly prior to breaking the fast, so others can repeat after him.

After the formal obligatory congregational prayers, most mosques conclude the prayers at the last act of the ritual - that is sending peace and blessings to the right and to the left with the head turning in both directions. In Madinah Masjid, the Imam goes for the duwa (supplication) after the end of the prayes, a common practice in the Subcontinent.

The Imam also keeps the recitations short; the prayers are supposed to be short during Ramadan. Imam Zia Shaikh of Irving and Imam Muhammad Shakoor of Dallas are sensitive to this need. However, when a guest imam leads the prayers in some Mosques, the Imams love their own voices so much that they take it for ever, and it is quite taxing during Ramadan. I wish everyone tells some of these Imams to keep it short and take all the time they want in the Taraweeh Prayers; that is the special nightly prayers during Ramadan, where one chapter of Quraan is completed each night in 29 to 30 days.

Click to enlarge - 14 pics in all
The food was great with Salad, lentil, rice, and grilled chicken. The dessert was kheer (rice pudding) with sliced almonds and possibly broken cashew. Loved it!

Ah, our friend Marylou at the world Muslim congress forum, thought it was humorous that I had to wipe my fingers inside of my pant pockets as there was no napkin available yesterday or the other two days. Here at Madinah Masjid, thank God they had a good supply of them and I wiped my fingers with the napkin after breaking the fast.

I urge fellow Muslims to become a part of the whole and visit different Mosques for Iftaar with an open mind and respectful of other traditions. It takes you out of the narrow cubby and puts you out in a larger world. That is what Ramadan is supposed to make you, give you arms to embrace the whole humanity.

Please mark your calendar for the Unity Day USA, a positive event that brings all Americans Together to rededicate our pledge for a peaceful, prosperous and secure America. We are a part of America and we need to feel and live it. If you liked some of the article, you will like the description of Unity Day USA at www.UnityDayUSA.com

A few other Articles to read if you have the time:


Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on the topics of Pluralism, Coexistence, politics, interfaith, Islam and cohesive societies. He is committed to building a cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day.
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Sunday, July 22, 2012

Ramadan day 3 Plano Masjid


DAY 3 - PLANO MOSQUE, SUNDDAY, JULY 22, 2012
Plano Masjid, 6401 Independence Parkway, Plano, TX

click on pic to see larger picture - 12 other pictures in the Flickr link above
Experiencing Ramadan.

It’s the 3rd day of Ramadan, and Plano Masjid was my destination. Most of the people involved in building of the mosque were part of the Richardson Mosque eons ago, as Plano grew and filled every piece of land that there was with homes, so did the growth of Muslim population. Now there is another Mosque on the east side of the town called EPIC, East Plano Islamic Center.

Plano is one of the most progressive cities in the area and took off in mid-to-late eighties. It is also one of the top ten safest cities for single women, no; it was # 1 at one time, Mayor Pat Evans took joy in correcting me. Former Mayors Jeran Akers and Pat Evans were part of many a events including Unity Day USA. Indeed, we got 4 Cricket play grounds when Jeran Akers was the Mayor and I was President at North Texas Cricket Association then. Pat Evans has been a part of the Unity Day since 2005. I have met the new Mayor but yet to develop relationship.

Imam Yaseen Shaikh posted great messages on the face book;

Imam Yaseen Shaikh, more pictures in the link

“Reminder: Community Iftaar at Masjid does not mean we sit with our family and friends of same ethnic background to breakfast. It means we breach the barriers we have created and create a bond of brotherhood and sisterhood by building friendships and relationships with brothers and sisters beyond our ethnic background during these If tar’s. Please try to sit with somebody you don't know, break bread together, build friendship, bond, and then invite them and their family over for Eid. Many Muslim's feel isolated on Eid because they are not Desi or Arab. Let's change this.”

Indeed that has been our effort as well, to visit every mosque of every denomination, to know each other and familiarize with the uniquenesses of each other. Quite a lot has been written in the last two years on this Blog. Except the actual prayers, the ritual prayers, most other practices differ from community to community.

Plano Masjid Probably is closer to Richardson Mosque in its practices, I am using the word probably because I have not been a part of this mosque, but I do know many of my friends who are a part of this mosque to make that assumption.

I was pleasantly surprised to see a large number of young people during the time of Iftaar, but at the prayer, there were two rows of adults. I was wondering where they came from. They were not at the Iftaar and of course, I did not check if there were two different venues for Iftaar. Normally all people sit together and break the fast.


In the kitchen where they were making plates with dates and fruits, it was good to see an adult asking the teens to wear the gloves to handle the food. Indeed, yesterday at Richardson Mosque, each one in the food supply and service was wearing gloves.


Neither yesterday, nor today, there were napkins to wipe the fingers. I have found this to be a common practice among most of the homes as well, napkins is the last thing on their mind, collectively as well as individually. I wiped it on my sleeve, no, I am just kidding. I wiped inside of my pant pockets.

Mike Ghouse is committed to doing his individual share of building cohesive societies and invites you to the 8th Annual Unity Day USA on Tuesday, September 11, 2012. Details at www.UnitydayUSA.com, it’s an event that builds bridges and uplifts every American.
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Ramadan day 2 Richardson Mosque

Experiencing Ramadan


Please note that the Ramadan diary is written for our Muslim and non-Muslims friends alike, hence the language is un-typical. We will do our best to weave through references that our Christian, Hindu, Jewish and other friends can relate with. By the way, we have been talking (Radio) and writing about the essence of major festivities of all religions so we can understand each other. It is a call from God to learn about each other and know each other, when we do that, myths about others disappear, we open up to friendships without reserve or fear.

SATURDAY, JULY 21, 2012
Dallas Central Mosque, 840 Abrams Road,
Richardson, TX 75081
Website: www.Iant.com



Tonight is the 2nd day of Ramadan, and I went to the Richardson Mosque, my home Mosque (below) and the standard bearer for North Texas Mosques. A majority of the Mosques (Sunni tradition) more or less follow the traditions followed here. This is the first “major” Mosque in North Texas and almost every Muslim who has been in Dallas prior to turn of the century has been a part of this Mosque. Of course we have over 35 Mosques and several Musallas (Mini-Mosques) in North Texas; we have enough people to have one for every denomination.

The euphoria of Ramadan lends to the fellowship (Ramadan day 1) that we all desire and look forward to. It generates the same good feeling of kindness and piety that Christians feel during Christmas and Hindus during Navaratri, Jews during Rosh Hashanah and others during their festivals.

The best way to enjoy Ramadan is to go early to the Mosque, and I went way too early which lend me to talk with key people and of course, take pictures of the sanctuary for my friends. For my Muslim friends, I highlight the uniqueness of each denomination, much of which is cultural.

Click to enlarge 25 pics in the link
My first visit was with our Imam, Dr. Yusuf Zia Kavakci (more about him in the links below) who and I have worked together on different occasions for almost 20 years from the Asian News days; he has been on my Radio show several times in the Mid-Nineties. Our conversation is usually about intra-faith and interfaith issues. In some of the most critical moments of my public life, he and Imam Zia Shaikh of Irving have been great guides. There was a situation in 1996 and again in 2005 at the Unity Day where we handled it fairly well. From time to time, he has appreciated my approach that is free from the back-home-baggage.

Richardson Mosque has been a home Mosque to me, although I do not go there frequently, it feels home. For those living outside the United States, you may find this as a news item that almost every Muslim (both male and female) drives to the mosque; there are no separate residential areas where people of any religion live exclusively. Even though there is a trend for developing smaller neighborhoods around the Mosques, it will not become the life style. In the long haul integration (not assimilation) is essential for the overall good of individual communities and nation as a whole.

Click to enlarge 25 pics in the link
As I was walking out of Imam Kavakci’s office, I ran into my friend Brother Muhammad Suleman, he was the past president of the Islamic Center and president during the 9/11 crisis, he was also featured in High Profile in Dallas Morning News, a great honor for our community. He and I have worked on many projects together including two years on my Radio show, wisdom of religion (all the religions), where he and I spent two years on Radio talking about Islam on every Friday morning for an hour. Please say your get well prayers for Mrs. Suleman who is in hospital today.

900, yes, Nine Hundred people were in the community hall waiting for the Adhan (prayer call) to signify the time to break the fast. In Jerusalem, they fire a gun into air to signify end of Suhoor (pre dawn meal) as well as Iftaar. I was held at the check point for Masjid Al-Aqsa by an Israeli guard, that is another story. In smaller mosques, people gather around as a groups and there will a personal announcement (refer to day 1) to break the fast.

Take a look at the plates on the tables, a piece of Banana, three dates, a piece of water melon, a glass of milk and water. The plates were all set up for people to pick one and take their seat at the tables. Once again, that is 5 billion dates consumption across the world, today! Why dates? That is another story, I have written two years ago, but will re-incorporate when I see dates are flooded in some mosque this month. Each Mosque has evolved into its own practice.

After breaking the fast, the next call you hear is Aqama, fairly similar to the Adhan right before the congregational prayers. Anyone can lead the prayer, even though Dr. Yusuf Zia Kavakci is the imam (pastor, pundit, rabbi, shaman, clergy, minister), he designates one of his students from his academy to lead the prayers, and he has 60 Huffaz (plural for Hafiz, the one who memorizes the whole Quraan) in Dallas, and one of them is the world renowned one: Rashad Hussain the US Ambassador to OIC.

Click to enlarge 25 pics in the link
We were back to the community hall for dinner, a large open building that accommodates nearly 1000 seated in theater style. The hall is used for basket ball and other community activities including interfaith dinners. Nearly five years ago, my late wife Najma’s funeral prayers were held here, the Fire Marshall did not allow more than 2200 people, the capacity for the standing room, that’s how Muslim funeral prayers are conducted; in standing posture. She left in peace and thanks to our friends from every faith for participating in the prayers.
Click to enlarge 25 pics in the link
Serving dinner for 900 people is not easy! Mr. Waqar Qazi runs the Silver Spoon restaurant and has become quite adept in handling catering to large gatherings. There are a few pictures of the kitchen where the volunteers formed an assembly line that beats Henry Ford’s assembly line; they placed the food on the plate consisting of Salad, Rice, lentil-veggies, and Chicken curry in healthy portions. About 6 plates were placed on a tray and put on the counter... the volunteers grabbed the tray and walked to each table, and delivered the food…. All in 20 minutes! Yes 20 Minutes! That is amazing accuracy!

Click to enlarge 25 pics in the link
There was a senior citizen, who did not want to be pictured or named, but the people in Richardson know him, he is probably in his seventies, but has the energy of a young man and was managing the food serving and delivery very effectively. He was literally running all over the place to ensure everything ran smoothly. Thanks to this unknown soldier.
The other lead volunteer (forgive me if there was another one) was Amir Omar, the Richardson City Councilman (pictured with a tray in his hand, clean shaven head). He is one of the four or five who made the trips from the counter to the tables delivering all that food in 20 minutes.

Click to enlarge pic -25 pics in link
Today, he is one of the most popular council men in North Texas, because he is there with every community volunteering his time generously. He is an example of how to be a fully participating and contributing member of the society. He is a true representative of Richardsonians. He is on facebook as well, tag him and show you support.

Yunus Anthony, announced a gathering of new converts, and I regret not making it to that corner, but did talk to him, who was also at the Carrollton Mosque yesterday. I hope he and his group will serve as volunteers for the Unity Day event on Tuesday, September 11, 2012. God willing, I will be visiting Churches, Temples, Synagogues and other places of worship to find volunteer to represent every race, ethnicity and faith to be present at the Unity Day. www.UnitydayUSA.com

By the way years ago, Richardson Mosque started a Medical clinic to serve the people who do not have insurance, it is for everyone, and people from all faiths and traditions visit this clinic for care. I am proud of this clinic, where Muslims are contributing to the well being of the overall society. Of course, there are other initiatives and other clinics, and that will be expressed in a different context.

Indeed, Richardson Mosque is an example of being a part of the society, serving the society. I believe that is the purpose of a Mosque, a community center. More about the Mosque at www.Iant.com

Coming up; the Islamic village http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7bjh56GU-0&feature=player_embedded#!

Here are a few pieces I have written about Dr. Kavakci and others issues, I need to put together the work we did through MRRT, the Muslim Rapid Response Team in 2003 in responding to baseless allegations that the local media levied on the Imam and this Mosque. Thanks to Dallas Morning News for publishing it.

v Honoring Imam Dr. Yusuf Zia Kavakci today
http://wisdomofreligion.blogspot.com/2010/04/honoring-imam-dr-yusuf-zia-kavakci.html

v There is only one Islamhttp://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2010/04/there-is-only-one-islam.html

v Are Muslims a part of the American society? http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2011/10/are-muslims-part-of-american-story.html

v A call from God to know each other
http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2012/01/mission-of-world-muslim-congress.html

v Dallas Interfaith Imamshttp://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2012/07/dallas-interfaith-imams-and-ramadan.html

v Ramadan day 1, 2011http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2011/08/day-1-of-ramadan-2011.html

v A challenge to Muslims, are we fit to be Americanshttp://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2011/03/my-challenge-to-muslims-are-we-fit-to.html

v Sharia Issueshttp://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2011/07/sharia-issues-in-2012-and-solutions.html

v Facebook - You are welcome to visit my my facebook page: www.facebook.com/SpeakerMikeGhouse the others has reached the maximum of 5000 friends - -



Mike Ghouse is committed to doing his individual share of building cohesive societies and invites you to the 8th Annual Unity Day USA on Tuesday, September 11, 2012. Details at www.UnitydayUSA.com, it’s an event that builds bridges and uplifts every American. Watch the trailer of the upcoming film - Americans Together, building a cohesive America at www.AmericaTogetherFoundation.com

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Saturday, July 21, 2012

Ramadan day 1 Carrollton Mosque


DAY 1 - CARROLLTON MOSQUE, FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2012 
URL: http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2012/07/ramadan-day-1-carrollton-mosque.html

Experiencing Ramadan

This is an effort to document and record the Iftaar experience with every Muslim denomination, it is a journal of how each tradition within Islam, and a sub sect within each practices Ramadan. The biggest idea that jumps out is seeing the differences and understanding that they are cultural and not religious.

Much is written in this blog, but the focus will be today’s experience. Over the years, I have been visiting different Mosques for Friday prayers, and today, it was the Frisco Mosque (picture below), a temporary Mosque in down town Frisco, as the construction for the new Mosque is about to start.

First Iftaar of Ramadan at Carrollton Mosque
Carrollton Islamic Center, 1901 Kelly Blvd, Carrollton, TX 75006

Nearly 150 people attended the Iftaar, possibly because of the invitation to witness the ground breaking ceremony to expand the Mosque.  www.carrolltonmasjid.org 

Click the picture to enlarge 
There is one thing that I have been missing in the mosques; fellowship.

However, it was a beautiful experience tonight at the Carrollton Mosque.  The weather was remarkably pleasant and the fellowship was perfect. Usually people dash in and out, but this evening all of us had an opportunity to sit down and socialize and wait for the sunset. 

The Christian Church has a formal structure to encourage fellowship. Almost every Church I speak at, has a follow up gathering in the fellowship hall for visiting with each other. I had always longed for that environment in a Mosque, it is not common, nor is it conducive for Muslims now, as they  have to go back to work after the Friday congregational prayers. However, the original Mosques were  community centers for people to come together. My references is strictly the United States, and India, where I am from. I have no idea how they do in Muslim majority nations where Friday is a holiday for them. I hope someone shares that.

I really enjoyed the Iftaar, everyone got to sit down and chat up with each other, and one Sheikh was asked to give a short talk, he was good, and did give a short talk in the few minutes left to do the Iftaar.  Apparently he is from Morocco. 

So when the sun’s last ray disappeared, the Amir  (by the way his name is Aamir, but pronounced differently) announced that it was time to break the fast. Traditionally it starts with a bite  of the Dates * and  in some traditions it is the water.   Can you imagine the consumption of  nearly 5 billion dates tonight across the world to break the fast? 

Each mosque has a little different tradition, for instance, in Madinah Masjid (Carrollton)  the Imam recites the Iftaar prayer, and the group repeats after him before they break the fast, however, it is little different in Shia tradition, and Ahmadiyya tradition is identical with the Sunni tradition. Insha Allah, I will document the differences to understand and respect them as cultural practices rather than religious ones. 

19 Pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeghouse/sets/72157630675003498/show/

Iftaar was followed by the Maghrib (dusk) prayers, there is very little difference in traditions, but there is some. Thank God, arrogance has no place in my heart to say which one is standard, it is what is in one's heart that matters. 

The next thing was the ground breaking ceremony, each one in the leadership got a shovel and a hard hat, and started filling the hole with the dugged out dirt. It should have been the other way around.  They even got a silver shovel for the Amir - the leader: Dr. Amir Shakil.  Glad to see the women taking their turn and even the kids got to throw up some dirt with excitement.

Dinner was healthy and good, the Arabic puffed up bread was fantastic, one of my favorites.  I just wanted to say to my wife that I ate only half the bread watching my cholesterol.  The beans were excellent! Good choice of food!

It was a pleasure to meet some of the friends after a long time.  I remembered 20+ names but there were several more I could not.  I just cannot get the names out, so I will not list any. I don’t want to hurt the feelings of those few whose name is blocked in my mind.  About ten years ago, I could call on every name in most gatherings, I just cannot do it it now, the mind blanks out.  Dear God, help me out the names! 
It was a beautiful Iftaar and the evening.

Mosque in Frisco, one of the fastest growing cities in America.
Something to think about

Two years ago, I was intrigued by a tafseer/ exegesis that I read in this Mosque, the book was printed in Madinah, about what idolatry meant. It was a beautiful writing and I wanted to read that again and perhaps copy (iphone pic), but have not found the book again. It had the broadest meaning and would have been perfect to talk about in the interfaith gatherings. Indeed, I had a similar conversation with Michael Wolfe prior to release of his film "The message". I will have to go back and check again where this wonderful book is.

I was early, so I read Sura Baqra- the second chapter in Urdu, the translation was done by Dr. Tahir-ul Qadiri. The flow was much better than some of the other translations.  I did not get to read the whole chapter, but a few verses made me stop and think .

2:212, (Qadiri translation) starts with, "life for the Kafirs was set up for the worldly pleasures."  The word Kafir was used as though there is a community of people out there, who are called Kafirs. Kafir is a generic word for those who hide the truth, deny the truth or pretend the truth to be different, and it is an individual attribute rather than a group label. I will have to study and read Asad’s translation. Although it has the simplest meaning, it has acquired a derogatory status to ridicule other people.

2:222 (Qadiri Translation) - talks about avoiding intimacy with wife until she is pure or clean again. I have severe difficulty with that translation. It gives the impression that a woman is unclean or impure. Instead, if the translation had said, “avoid intimacy with wife until she is through with the menstruation,” it would have meant a natural process. Dr. Qadiris’s translation falls in the same pit as the other ones before.    I will have to check Dr. Laila Bakhtiar’s or Edip Yuskel's translation on that.  


Even the translation of 2:223 does not meet the civility prophet Muhammad taught. Please remember, Quraan is divine and God's word, and it is always about justice, fairness and for goodness of the humanity. The issues we are having are with translations, even the Arabic writers have mis-intepreted it. The burden of finding the truth falls squarely on us, after all, no one but us is responsible for our actions on the Day of Judgment. 

An individual asked me if will be back tomorrow,  and I said probably two weeks from now. As a reason, I explained to him that I visit a mosque a day of different denominations during Ramadan. He jumped the gun and asked if I went to the Shia Mosque, which is an yes. He was too eager to say they were wrong. He told me that the Prophet in his last sermon was clear; he was leaving his Sunna and the book to the people, but they add his family to it. I said, that is correct, those are the two different versions, he said, but they are wrong - I said, they are wrong to you, but not to them.  He was silently staring at me to understand that, which I appreciated.

I continued, "they think the Sunnis are wrong." He held back, and I am glad he did. The best thing is to accept the different interpretations, but not agree as a matter of principle. He countered it is the same Hadith, how can they say otherwise. It took me a while to keep his innocence intact, yet make the point.  I said I have no problem with what they believe; I don’t believe what they believe, and they don’t believe what I believe… I am not superior to them, nor they are superior to me. I am right in my way, as they are right in their ways....I asked him if he can guess where my analogy comes from? He guessed it right and I hope you do too. 

Mike Ghouse is committed to doing his individual share of building cohesive societies  and invites you to the 8th Annual Unity Day USA on Tuesday, September 11, 2012. Details at www.UnitydayUSA.com, its an event that builds bridges and uplifts every American.
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