Saudi Arabian Monarchy violates two principles by executing Sheikh Nimr, a Shia leader

Sheikh Nimr | www.WorldMuslimCongress.com 

Tuesday, January 5, 2016, Dallas, Texas. -- The Monarchs of Saudi Arabia have executed Sheikh Nimr, a Shia Muslim religious leader for his expression of dissent. 

There are two issues here: violation of free speech and wrecking the delicate relationships between Shia and Sunni at this time.  This is not acceptable, we demand an apology as well as reparations to fix the relationships. 

As Americans counting on stable relationship with the people of different nations, we have to consider long term sustainability of the form of governance and if it serves justice to all her citizens, anything short is a powder keg waiting to explode. We have to advise the Monarchs to ease themselves into a monarchy in the likes of United Kingdom or risk in the likes of Shah, Saddam, Qaddafi, Mubarak and others.

On January 02, Saudi Arabia executed a prominent Shiia cleric named Nimr al-Nimr, who led anti-government protests in 2011, along with 46 others (mostly Sunnis) labeled as “terrorists” within the kingdom. The move appears to be designed to stoke Sunni-Shiia tensions and shows that Sunni Saudi Arabia is taking a more provocative stance toward Shiia Iran than it has in the past.

Daily Muslims reports, "Al-Nimr was a fervent dissident against the Sunni Muslim Saudi royal family who called for their deposal during the Arab spring uprisings in 2011. Al-Nimr was a central figure in Arab Spring-inspired protests by Saudi Arabia's Shiite minority until his arrest in 2012. He was convicted of terrorism charges but he denied advocating violence. Meanwhile, al-Nimr's family prepared for three days of mourning at a mosque in al-Awamiya in the kingdom's al-Qatif region in predominantly Shiite eastern Saudi Arabia. Saudi officials informed his family that the cleric had been buried in an undisclosed cemetery, a development that could lead to further protests.

Al-Nimr's execution spurred sectarian protests and violence in the Middle East. Now, it has sparked a serious diplomatic rift. The two countries have long been at odds, but Saudi Arabia's execution of Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr kicked off a new round of sparring between them that analysts say could mark a dangerous shift in an already volatile region."

A full press release will be out by Friday.

Dr. Mike Ghouse is a community consultant, social scientist, thinker, writer, news maker, and a speaker on Pluralism, Interfaith, Islam, politics, human rights, India, Israel-Palestine and foreign policy. He is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. More about him in 63 links at www.MikeGhouse.net and bulk of his writings are at TheGhousediary.com  

Qawwali Lessons (Washington DC) - the beautiful language of inclusion.

Qawwali in Washington | TheGhouseDiary.com 

Saturday, October 3, 2015 - Washington, D.C. – The Qawwali* program at Turkish Community Center Auditorium in Lanham, MD was out of the world. Here are some of the notes I have made, and hope it resonates with you.   

First thing first, I am pleased to share the emotional side of the equation. Being a pluralist and a human aspirations observer, whenever and wherever people include each other in their normal conversation it brings happiness to both the includer and the included.

When they sang, “Bhar do Jholi meri ya Muhammad… and came to the line, “O Muhammad ka pyara Nawasa”… every one rejoiced it, but particularly men and women from the Shia tradition, by going to the stage and honoring the Qawwal (singers) in the traditional way by doing money aarti (honor) and placing it on their harmonium, lap or even their head, a beautiful tradition of telling, we like you.

I was in a different world, the world of harmony and inclusion, my eyes soaked and I felt tender with joy. I was happy!  I was happy to see the Shia community feel included.

Of course most of the Qawwali lines have the name Ali included in it as a reverence to Hazrat Ali (RA), but when the lines include the “Nawasa” that is grandson of the Prophet, it has special significance to all, but particularly the Shia tradition.  Video at Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/MikeGhouse/videos/10156190763450249/

You know what I wished? I am sure you are wishing the same; i.e., to have our language routinely include each other’s revered figures with utmost respect. Karbala or Kurukshetra, our language should be inclusive, it builds a society of harmony.

We may consider sprinkling some of the inclusive poetry amidst all other poetry recitation or singing. Mahatma Gandhi’s favorite Bhajan “Allah Tero Naam, Eshwar tero Naam” or many a Sahir Ludhianavi or Shakeel Badayuni numbers like “Yoshadha Ki Humjins, a hawwa Ki beti” need more circulation.  I have been asking every visiting poet to recite or write at least one inclusive poem in the evening.  God willing, I will continue to write a poem an event to reflect that inclusiveness.

When President of the United States says Happy Diwali, Eid or Baisakhi, we gloat and share it with everyone we know. If a congressman or a woman says Satsri Akaal, Jai Jinendra, Yali Madad, Namaste or Salaam, we gloat.  The idea is inclusion, to be treated respectfully and to be acknowledged. 

Reverse this to India and Pakistan, and see how deprived the minorities of each nation are. The Prime Ministers of both India and Pakistan do not have the courtesy to greet their minorities on their happy occasion. May God give them guidance to believe at least in their own respective religions, both are inclusive and consider the world as one family.

Minorities (religious, ethnic, social, cultural, linguistic and other uniqueness) make sincere efforts, and at times go out of their way to be a part of the larger society, they want to be included and do everything to achieve it. The smart leaders acknowledge it, and let the public focus on being constructive rather than get stuck in denials.

I hope most of us Desi Americans have learned and enriched ourselves with the rich American Culture where all humanity is respected institutionally. 

We have a choice to be inclusive and let our “Zindagi Shama’ ki soorat ho khudaya meri” and “ her jaga mere chamak ney say ujala hojaye” rather than rot with exclusion.

The consistent rhythmic beat of the Tabla, and the special voices, the inflections in singing is entirely different and gets you become a part of it.

The second item of beauty of this program was the Qawwals themselves, the Qawwals and their humnawa were a great combination, the acoustic of the auditorium ne to chaar chand lagagiye unki gayeki mein.  They were Christians, and my friend sitting next to me was a Hindu enjoying the Qawwalis. He was singing along Bhardo Jholi meri ya Muhammad. This is a (or was it?) a common tradition in India. The Qawwals can be Muslims, Hindus or Sikhs and they can sing devotional songs of any religion. I hope more of this happens now.

In the short few minutes we had between the program and break I had wonderful conversations with Fazal Khan, Razi Raziuddin and Zafar Iqbal.  They have rich stories of uthna, baithna, khana peena with their Hindu friends. I request each one of you to  start writing those stories… let our youth understand the beauty of enjoying life and hope people in India, Pakistan and elsewhere can rework inclusion in their lives.  


I hope and pray, some day we all can see the message of Jesus, Krishna, Muhammad, Guru Nanak as our own message, when we do that each one of our faiths will reach the higher level of spirituality. Amen!

·      Qawwali is a special format of singing, usually in praise of revered figures for their good work.

Pictures: Link

Please note: 

Are you concerned about Muslim bashing in America? Find out what the newly formed American Muslim Institution (AMI) is doing about it on Sunday, October 11, 2015 - details at www.AmericanMuslimInstitution.org 

Thank you

Mike Ghouse, Consultant
(214) 325-1916 text/talk

Dr. Mike Ghouse is a social scientist, thinker, writer and a speaker on Islam, Pluralism, Interfaith, politics, foreign policy and building cohesive societies. Mike offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. More about him in 63 links at www.MikeGhouse.net and his writings are at TheGhousediary.com  

British Muslims on a Pluralism tour of America

When a group of people from overseas visits the United States to understand religious landscape of America, I am blessed to receive them and conduct half a day workshop to familiarize them, and address their concerns and issues.

I see three groups of people in a given year and generally they are Muslims from Albania to Zaire and every one in between. I have met with the Muftis of China and Russia to religious ministers from Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Egypt, Chad.... and the like.  

Today, I met the British Muslim youth and for the first time in a decade, the conversation was without translators! It was funny, in the beginning I was speaking with a slow Rick Perry speed as though a translator was going to translate, then I realized my conditioning! It was funny, they probably thought I had speech impediment. 

Shan Bhagat and Rizwan Ali - Thank you for the facility.

My expertise is studies in religious, social, political and cultural pluralism and have been researching, watching and shaping the trends and writing and speaking for the last 22 years.  There are over 800 articles written up on Pluralism - 200 of them are published in Dallas Morning News, and over 100 at Huffington post and other places. There are another 1700 articles, and about 900 are on Islam, the rest are motivational, inspirational, sports, movies, festivals, India, Pakistan, Israel, Palestine and human rights including standing up for others, add to this 520 hours of Radio talk on "Understanding Religion, each beautiful religion" and 26 workshops to learn the wisdom of every tradition including Atheism.
 

Our conversation ranged from dealing with social and political issues during peace times as well as conflicting times starting with the film clip about building a cohesive America. Dealing with the right wing Americans, and civic engagement to bring positive outcomes.

It was a joy to have the conversation with this group, they were thoughtful, critical and above all inclusive! Most of them were open to the idea of reaching out to people of other faiths to build cohesive societies, it was an extended topic. They said, I was speaking to the choir and I liked that very much and gives me hopes that we are doing things to make our lives better.

The British Muslims have similar issues as we do; dealing with right wingers.  The non-sense falsities spread by Gov. Bobby Jindal and Fox News this week about "no go zones" for non-Muslims in UK, France and Europe is a myth.

When I was talking about Prophet Muhammad's examples of being Amin, and the post-story thoughts about Najran Christians and Hudaibiyah treaty - I thought there might be some resistance, but it was a joy, and they clarified it that it was not a radical thought.

I loved this group for being so interactive and open to newer expressions in Islam. I hope to be available to them in the future. They can turn British society around to be more inclusive through their initiatives we discussed today.

When I get the time, I will write the details of this productive constructive conversation.

We have to accept that every society is composed of right wing, left wing, intolerant, ultra liberal and moderates. We have to chart a course with the give situation.

Here is the outline:

PROPHET MUHAMMAD & COHESIVE SOCIETIES

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was the ultimate peace maker, indeed he was called Rahmatul Aalameen, that is mercy to the whole humanity. He believed in building a cohesive society, where no human had to live in apprehension, discomfort or fear of the other.

Towards this goal, the first Sunnah or the tradition he established was the Amin Model, a peace building citizen.  Indeed, to be a Muslim is to be a peacemaker who mitigates conflicts and nurtures goodwill.
 

INITIATIVES DURING PEACE TIMES
  

1. Unity Day USA—www.UnityDayUSA.com

2. Thanksgiving Celebrations—www.ThanksgivingCelebrations.org

3. Holocaust and Genocides—www.HolocuastandGenocides.com

4. The Amin Model—
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/american-muslim-agenda-a-_b_5528706.html

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

5. The power of Engagement  - Fox News
http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2014/06/youre-dangerous-sparks-fly-between.html

6. Standing up for others, if you don’t stand up for others, why should any one stand up for you?  Www.Standingupforothers.com

7. Intra-faith Conference—Shia, Sunni, Ahmadiyya and others
http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2013/02/muslims-talk-with-muslims-at-boniuk.html

8. Shia Studies in Iran - my application http://www.worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2014/11/my-application-for-short-term-course-on.html

9. Ramadan Intra faith and Interfaith Iftaars
http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/

10. Sharia Conference— www.ShariaLaws.com

11. Quran Conference - www.QuraanConference.com 

11. Interfaith Dialogue events.

12. Youth participation

   

IDEAL RESPONSES TO CONFLICTS

1. Quran Burning Pastor Terry Jones
http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2014/04/reestablishing-right-muslim-attitudes.html

2. Quran Cursing Pastor Robert Jeffress—www.QuraanConference.com

3. Investigating Muslims:  Congressman Peter King
http://peterkinghearings.blogspot.com/

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

5. ISIS Response Go ahead and Destroy ISIS http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/president-obama-go-ahead-_b_5765264.html#es_share_ended

6. Charlie Hebdo http://thearabdailynews.com/2015/01/11/muslim-solutions-terrorism-paris/

7. Criticism of Prophet, Quran and Islam - http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2012/11/criticism-of-islam-prophet-muhammad.html

7. Free Speech http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2015/01/texas-faith-taking-offense-in-name-of.html

8. Conflicts and issue for discussion

…………………………………………………………….

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.net and 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.

Aamir Liaqat is a Gustakh-e-Rasool chargeable for Blasphemy

Aamir Liaqat is a Gustakh-e-Rasool and he should run like Junaid Jamshed

I consider Aamir Liaqat Show as anti-Pakistani as well as anti-Muslim.

This man must be nailed for blasphemy, he is a gustaakh-e-rasool and by association GEO TV is gustaakh-e-Rasool and the other three Mualana's as well. 

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is a mercy to mankind. Geo TV, Liaqat and those irresponsible men are a Zulmat to fellow Pakistanis. Its an act of treason to bring afra-tafri to the nation. This is clear Gustakhi of Rahmatul Aalameen, peace be upon him. In ka bhi hashar Junaid Jamshed wala jaisay hona chahiye. 

After making an example of these men, Blasphemy law needs to be repealed. It goes against the character of the Prophet. 

The show may produce income, but lanat ho aisi kamayee per jo Pakistani ko le doobega. I do hope the Geo executives realize how dangerous these shows are? How long will you fool the Pakistani people by pitting one against the other. No one gets fed or clothed with this non-sense. Shame on this man Liaqat and the team who are hell bent on destroying Pakistan from within. 

The world condemns Fox news for being anti-minority, but even they follow certain limits, how is Geo any better? Keep doing this, you will sink yourselves. Public get sick of these men. 

Reference to Open Letter to Geo by Kashif Chaudhry
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/opinion/29-Dec-2014/an-open-letter-to-geo-tv

Countering Geo TV’s hateful show

World Muslim Congress

These loonies are spreading hatred for fellow Pakistanis. Aaj Ahmadi, kal Shia, purson bina-daadi aur bina burqay walay sunni, and turson jo bhi un ki tarah namaz nahin padta.

Islam is not based on hating the other, but based on being a rahmat to others and being an Amin of the society. 

News quote, "Pakistani's largest TV network GeoTV has once again incited hatred against Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in its morning show "Subh e Pakistan" which aired on 22nd Dec 2014 and was hosted by Aamir Liaquat who hosted a similar program in 2008 which resulted in the murder of 3 Ahmadis in Pakistan."

Unless an alternative is offered to the public, they will continue to believe what is dished out to them to the detriment of Islam and Pakistan.    

We need to produce counter videos – depicting the Rahmat of the Prophet and beneficence of the creator God for the whole humanity. 

 Video: https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=760044760738379&set=vb.130730020336526&type=2&theater

We need volunteer actors to look like these men including Liaqat with similar set up as if produced by Geo.  Let the public decide what message is right – divisive or one based on Prophet’s Rahmat. In the titles we will disclose the purpose – it is to highlight the values of Islam  

1. Rahmat

2. Justice

3. Forgiveness

4. Equality – Humility

5. Individual Responsibility

6. Caring for fellow beings

7. Respecting the otherness of others.

Hope Geo, Hum or the other guys will produce counter programs to let the public decide what is good for them. 

Mike Mohamed Ghouse
World Muslim Congress

Countering Geo TV’s hateful show

World Muslim Congress

These loonies are spreading hatred for fellow Pakistanis. Aaj Ahmadi, kal Shia, purson bina-daadi aur bina burqay walay sunni, and turson jo bhi un ki tarah namaz nahin padta.

Islam is not based on hating the other, but based on being a rahmat to others and being an Amin of the society. 

News quote, "Pakistani's largest TV network GeoTV has once again incited hatred against Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in its morning show "Subh e Pakistan" which aired on 22nd Dec 2014 and was hosted by Aamir Liaquat who hosted a similar program in 2008 which resulted in the murder of 3 Ahmadis in Pakistan."

Unless an alternative is offered to the public, they will continue to believe what is dished out to them to the detriment of Islam and Pakistan.    

We need to produce counter videos – depicting the Rahmat of the Prophet and beneficence of the creator God for the whole humanity. 

 Video: https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=760044760738379&set=vb.130730020336526&type=2&theater

We need volunteer actors to look like these men including Liaqat with similar set up as if produced by Geo.  Let the public decide what message is right – divisive or one based on Prophet’s Rahmat. In the titles we will disclose the purpose – it is to highlight the values of Islam  

1. Rahmat

2. Justice

3. Forgiveness

4. Equality – Humility

5. Individual Responsibility

6. Caring for fellow beings

7. Respecting the otherness of others.

Hope Geo, Hum or the other guys will produce counter programs to let the public decide what is good for them. 

Mike Ghouse

www.WorldMuslimCongress.com  

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. 

Nawaz Shariff should respectfully resign for the sake of orderly democratic Pakistan

Nawaz Shariff should respectfully resign for the sake of orderly democratic Pakistan.

By Mike Ghouse
The Ghouse Diary.com

Shariff was elected by the people and the same people are asking him to step down - and that is indeed a genuine democratic thing to do. He should remember that peaceful demonstrations earn respectable name for Pakistan in the world, and if he honors the peaceful people, he will have a place in history.

Pakistan turmoil, courtesy Rueters

On the other hand if Nawaz Shariff goes berserk, he will cause Pakistan to go violent and endanger his own existence. What does he think of himself, a Netanyahu or Al-Baghdadi that he can silence the people by brutal force?

If he were any smart, he would go on the national TV and appreciate the people and welcome them for peacefully exercising their democratic right to protest, and do what the people ask; to recount the ballot or resign. Is that a problem?   More than likely, the demonstrations would have been called off and he would have remained respectable and would have won another landslide victory, but the he did not have the brains to do that. 

Every peace loving person should be outraged at this dude for deploying 10,000 Special Forces to disperse the peaceful non-violent crowds seeking political solutions. On the top of it, he ordered firing at nearly 200 injured women, which reminds me of Jalianwala Bagh incident where British forces did the same thing and women jumped into the wells and died. I am proud of these women who stood and took the bullets. But, this is outrageous and unacceptable, he ain’t no Baghdadi. 

When the bad guys were killing fellow Pakistanis be it Shia, Christians, Ahmadies and others, Shariff let it happen, and now when his days are numbered, he deploys 10,000 forces to squelch the peaceful demonstrators. It does not work that way.

What kind of non-sense is he talking about when he says he wants to protect democracy? If he steps down respectfully, he will have a chance to continue in some form of governance, if not, he knows her kuttay ke din hotay hain, he has seen every dog had his day, and he will be one too if he goes against the will of the people.

Its time for Obama to ask Shariff to step down, it is in our (American) interest and the interests of the people of Pakistan to have stability in the region, we cannot have more than one Afghanistan.  I hope Obama will not wait until it becomes messy to ask Shariff to step down; as he did the right thing with Mubarak in asking him to step down by siding with the people of Egypt. Obama made the same mistake with that Idiot Maliki in Iraq, had Maliki formed an inclusive government, we would not have seen this mess. Of course, all these problems stem from Bush's criminal adventure in Iraq. Obama is a good guy, but he needs to be a bully to deal with the bullies.

It’s time for Obama to be on the side of the Pakistani people and not with the guys who are desperate to remain in power. Be smart and be with the people and not with the transients.  All Obama has to do is ask Nawaz Shariff to announce recounting, or announce a date for re-election. It will restore calmness. The people of Pakistan deserve that.

Nazia Khan, Aqeel Qureshi and a few others are out there witnessing the mayhem first hand, and I hope to incorporate their quotes in the piece, I am writing on our goofy foreign policy about nurturing democracies.

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. All about him is listed in several links at www.MikeGhouse.net and 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.

Yom-e-Ashura - commemoration of Imam Hussain's martyrdom.

URL - http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2013/11/today-is-yom-e-ashura-commemoration-of.html

Note: This is unusual, most of this note is from different sources, my own writing is included in the links.

Today is Yom-e-Ashura, the 10^th day of Muharram and marks the martyrdom of Husain Ibn Ali and awakening of the ideals of Islam; justice, mercy, humility, equality and truthfulness.   I urge fellow Muslims of all hues including Sunni and Ahmadiyya to join in the commemoration at the Shia, Bohra and Ismaili places of worship, or at least let them know that you stand with them.

This event, the 10th Muharram is commemorated with two themes; commemorating Imam Hussain's martyrdom and following the Jewish tradition.

It is commemorated by Shi'a Muslims as a day of mourning for the martyrdom of Husain  ibn Ali, the grandson of Muhammad (pbuh) at the Battle of Karbala on 10 Muharram in the year 61 AH - October 10, 680 CE). In some Shi'a regions of Muslim countries such as Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Lebanon, Bahrain, and Pakistan, the Commemoration of Husain ibn Ali has become a national holiday and most ethnic and religious communities participate in it.[citation needed] Even in predominantly Hindu majority but secular country like India, Ashura (10th day in the month of Muharram) is a public holiday” – Wiki.

It is also commemorated by Sunni Muslims (who also refer to it as The Day of Atonement) as the day on which the Israelites were freed from Pharoah of Egypt. According to Sunni Muslim tradition, Ibn Abbas narrates that Muhammad (pbuh) came to Medina and saw the Jews fasting on the tenth day of Muharram. He asked, “What is this?” They said, “This is a good day, this is the day when Yah saved the Children of Israel from their enemy and Musa (Moses) fasted on this day.” So he fasted on this day and told the people to fast. Many Sunnis also recognize the importance of the events at Karbala and the martyrdom of Imam Hussein in regards to Ashura.

Insha Allah,  either I will visit the Momin Center or stay home and pray depending on my health.

Will Shiite and Sunni Islam Ever Reconcile?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/will-shiite-and-sunni-islam-ever-reconcile_b_2898461.html

The Centrality of Imam Husain to Islam.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/muharram-2011-centrality-imam-hussain_b_1117929.html

Intra-faith dialogue

There is another bold frontier to be crossed - that is to get rid of our prejudices against fellow Muslims and let each one be who they want to be; Muslims as they believe. Thanks to Allah for blessing me to treat all Muslims equally with no prejudices - be it Ahmadiyya, Sunni, Shia, Ismaili, Bohra, WD Muhammad and other groups. Alhamdu Lillah we have conducted the first such conference at the Boniuk Center at Rice University, and two more are planned in 2014.

Islam needed a home after 1400 years of stagnation and choking done by the monarchs, mullahs, kings and dictators; finally it is free and at home, here in America.

If any one of you wishes to sponsor the event, we can hold one in Dallas, and Insha Allah it will be not be superficial talks, but serious talks that will make a difference.  I will be happy to moderate with the express purpose of finding solutions and not just talking.

Thank youmike
World Muslim Congress
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To be a Muslim is to be a peacemaker, one who mitigates conflicts and nurtures goodwill for peaceful co-existence of humanity. God wants us to live in peace and harmony with his creation; life and matter. Mike Ghouse is a Muslim speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, Islam, interfaith and other topics. He is committed to nurturing pluralistic values embedded in Islam and building cohesive Socieities and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day, all his writings are at www.TheGhouseDiary.com