Narendra Modi, Muslims and India

NARENDRA MODI - MUSLIMS - INDIA AND MOVING FORWARD

My article is not easy on Modi or Muslim leadership, but offers a solution where everyone can move forward in life, particularly the ones who lost their loved ones, homes and livelihood. My focus is the Victims and their well being.

I am asking a few to obtain a statement from Mr. Modi to be included in the article, and ask you, any one of you, if you can offer a viable solutions - not accusations or blame, but solution to be included as your statement. It's open to all Indians.

If you can get it all for me before 10/27/30. I will use my discretion to use your statement, if I cannot, it will be still a part of the statement in the article that will be posted here at www.TheGhousediary.com and http://MikeGhouseforIndia.blogpost.com

You can leave your comments here or write to me - SpeakerMikeGhouse@gmail.com 

Thank you.

Mike Ghouse
www.MikeGhouse.net

Who Owns Allah, the God? The Malaysian Muslim Fitna

That is precisely what a handful of Malay Muslims want do to - they call their God, Allah, and they don't want Christians and Sikhs to call him by the same name, as if there are different Gods. Should Christians ban Muslims from using the word Allah because Jesus, and in turn Christians used it before Muslims did?

Should Christians, Sikhs and others rejoice this oppressive decision? The answer is an emphatic no. The responsibility for peace and harmony in a given society falls squarely on the majority. In this instance, as a part of the larger Ummah, we, the Muslims around the world have a responsibility to protect the rights of minorities in Malaysia or elsewhere. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, when you see oppression, the least you can do is to speak up. Thank God, we are following his guidance.

The Word Allah did not spring up with Islam, nor have Muslims created it. The word Allah has been around, just like the Creator God has been around forever. Quran, 112: 2-3, "God the Eternal, the Uncaused Cause of All Being, He begets not, and neither is He begotten."

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) made it clear that he did not bring a new religion to the world; Islam was continuation and completion of religions that came before.

If you like the idea, please click like at the link, and please feel free to share on facebook, twitter, tumbler, friends or your groups. Thank you.

Continued at Huffington Post - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/who-owns-allah-the-god-th_b_4143551.html 

The article has been published in many newspapers around the world including quotes from the above.

• http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/opinion/khoo-ying-hooi/article/malaysias-religion-unsolved-bunch-of-jigsaw-puzzle-pieces
•  http://www.irfi.org/articles2/articles_3601_3650/the%20word%20allah,%20who%20owns%20ithtml.htm 
• http://www.mecn.org/2013/10/who-owns-allah-the-god-the-malaysian-muslim-fitna-huffington-post/
• http://ridwanlaher.blogspot.com/2007/12/allah-only-for-muslims-in-malaysia.html

 Mike Ghouse is a Muslim speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, Islam and interfaith issues. He is committed to nurturing pluralistic values embedded in Islam and building cohesive Societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day, all his writings are at www.TheGhouseDiary.com

As a torch bearer of the Democratic Party, the president has a lot to appreciate in Ted Cruz, who with his singular jihadist act assured a gain for the Democrats to have a stronger say in the next Congress. That will preserve and protect his legacy: The Affordable Care Act, job growth in his second term and the continuance of a Democrat in the White House. Mike Ghouse

TEXAS FAITH: What can Obama and Cruz learn from each other?

By Bill McKenzie / Editorial Columnist
wmckenzie@dallasnews.com
5:37 pm on October 22, 2013 | Permalink

You’ve read the coverage in the paper or online, followed the play-by-play on television news and probably even heard chatter around the water cooler about the government shutdown. So, I don’t need to replay the details for you about the last few weeks in Washington.

But, for this week’s discussion, I would like you to draw upon your training and/or beliefs to offer some advice to the two most identifiable people in the latest budget drama: President Obama and Texas’ own senator, Ted Cruz.

For them, and the country, to move ahead, some kind of breakthrough in human relations needs to occur. For that to happen, they need to understand each other better.

Of course, many major religions emphasize understanding “the other,” even welcoming the stranger. So, here is my question for this week:

What one strength of Ted Cruz’s would you suggest President Obama appreciate? And what one strength of President Obama’s would you suggest Sen. Cruz appreciate?

Read on for some surprising answers.



 MIKE GHOUSE, President, Foundation for Pluralism and speaker on interfaith matters, Dallas

All the good and bad things in the world, like war and peace, invention and destruction, progression and regression, were caused by one individual. Indeed, one man can really make the difference in shaping the world.

We have two individual politicians at odds with each other. Both have made a difference in their own way and will continue to be discussed through midnight, November 4, 2014.

President Obama should appreciate the Jihadist mindset of Sen. Ted Cruz. The man would not listen to the polls, public or peer opinions, but just believed in himself and passionately worked on his belief, however wrong that belief was. He is a bulldozer; and nothing matters to him when he rolls on the terrain. Mahatma Gandhi and Hitler had a similar passionate mind set. One believed that truth will ultimately triumph and non-violence will trump oppression. The other believed in the dominance of a superior race.

As a torch bearer of the Democratic Party, the president has a lot to appreciate in Ted Cruz, who with his singular jihadist act assured a gain for the Democrats to have a stronger say in the next Congress. That will preserve and protect his legacy: The Affordable Care Act, job growth in his second term and the continuance of a Democrat in the White House.

As a motivational speaker, Cruz is my subject. He was successful in bringing the mighty United States government to a grinding halt. If this passion were applied towards peace and prosperity, the world would be a better place.

Now turning the table, Sen. Ted Cruz can really appreciate President Obama’s patience and his passionate belief that the Affordable Care Act is good for America. He can also appreciate the president’s will to make it his legacy is stronger and has greater support than the senator’s own whim to undo it.


Sen. Cruz can also appreciate the president for not accusing him of being disrespectful to the law of the land. ObamaCare is the law of the land, and not upholding the law amounts to contempt of the Constitution and the procedure it requires to become the law.

I am sure he realizes that we have the best government in the world because we are a nation of law. The process it takes to change must be adhered to be a genuine constitutional conservative. 

To read the other panelists take, please visit Dallas Morning News at: http://dallasmorningviewsblog.dallasnews.com/2013/10/texas-faith-what-can-obama-and-cruz-learn-from-each-other.html/

Mike Ghouse
(214) 325-1916 text/talk
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Ghouse
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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.

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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The Star of David - Magen David in the Foundation for Pluralism Logo

The Story of Pluralism LogoURL -http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-star-of-david-magen-david-in.html

If you look at the logo of the Foundation for Pluralism, you will see the star of David a.k.a Magen David on the top. What do you make of it? 


Guess what happened? I shared the draft with a few friends - My Hindu friends said, the Hindu symbol should be on the top, as it is the oldest religion and my Zoroastrians friends claimed the same, then my Muslim friends were not happy that Islamic symbol is not on the top. At least my Jewish friends were way too happy to write about in the Texas Jewish post. Harriett Gross wrote that, and it is not there anymore.
I told them all, that it was a random placement and I will not change it, if I do that, then I would be giving a deliberate priority to one over the other, and I wouldn't do that. It amounted to sheer bias, a few still gripe about it, but it is history now. To me all faiths are beautiful, none is superior or deficient. As they say, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, I say, faith is in the heart of the believer. "I don't see any conflict worshipping God in different ways," he said. "I'm comfortable in a church or a temple or a mosque."

In 2002, some one in Belgium responded to my call on the social media (pre-facebook years) to create a logo and I gave him a sketch of what I wanted.  He drew the logo and it was a delight for me, it reflected precisely what I had on my mind to be representative of all faiths. Of course, there are 250 religious traditions in the world and I was able to add at least 30 religious symbols in the running band on the website - www.FoundationForPluralism.com

History of the Symbol:
Courtesy Judaism Wiki

The Star of David or Magen David (Hebrew ; literally, "David's Shield") is a six pointed shape, formed by two equilateral triangles; one flipped on top of the other symmetrically. According to tradition, the symbol covered King David's battle shield and appeared on King Solomon's ring ("the Seal of Solomon").

The symbol has been used extensively in Judaism, Christianity and Islam during the first millenium CE. During some periods, it was associated with Christianity or Islam more than with Judaism.

Today it is the primary symbol of Judaism and is recognized by all Gentiles as a Jewish symbol. This shift occurred in the beginning of the 20th century, when it was extensively used in antisemitic propaganda. To this day, despite its overall positive associations, the symbol is heavily associated in people's minds with the street writings during the Nazi regime. Central to the symbol's spread among Jewish circles was its adoption by Zionist organizations, in sort of defiance against the scorn expressed by antisemitic organizations. Until that time, the Menorah was still the accepted symbol of the Jewish people, and some Ultra-Orthodox sects (such as Neturei Karta) hold that this tradition should be maintained, while rejecting the Star of David.

It has more of a cultural symbolism than a religious one. It is used on the Israeli flag and the shape is often used in jewelry, such as a pendant on a necklace, and worn by Jews similarly to the wearing of a cross by Christians. However, the symbol does not have the religious significance for Jews that the cross has for Christians (representing the martyrdom of Jesus a central event of the faith). From a religious point of view, the Star of David does not represent a specific holiday, ritual, event or have a specific religious meaning. Culturally however, it is a frequently used symbol - often used on interfaith sets of symbols, websites and other places where a "logo" or simple symbol is desired to represent the Jews or Judaism. So, while it may be emotionally meaningful to many, there are no religious rites requiring it or specifying how the star may or should not be used.

Dallas Morning News: http://www.foundationforpluralism.com/Articles/Religious-tolerance-in-action-DallasNews-December2004.asp


Thank youmike
Mike Ghouse, President
Foundation for Pluralism
Studies in Religious Pluralism and Pluralistic societies
2665 Villa Creek Dr, suite 206, Dallas, TX 75234
Workshops | Radio Shows | Seminars | Lectures

If we can learn to respect the otherness of others, and accept the God-given uniqueness of each one of us, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge. Pluralism is respecting the otherness of others. www.FoundationforPluralism.com

Obamacare Is Good for America, Time for Republicans to Realize It

Huffington Post - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/obama-care-is-good-for-am_b_4082498.html

I am a moderate Republican, and am here to tell you, that neither I, nor the Republicans or the Americans gave permission to Ted Cruz to turn the nation upside down, we cannot break the rules and do what we please. You and I are safe today, and our government remains a model of stability to the world because we are a nation of laws. We have systems to follow, a due process to hang on to, and rules to obey.

This act cannot be approved by conservative Republicans either, who prefer stability over chaos, and are disciplined enough to follow a system. That is how democracies work.



Ted Cruz sounds like a class room bully who frightens the kids and gets away with it. He is indeed excess baggage of the Republican Party that can be done with. Can the Senate or the president fire him? The answer is obviously no, because we have a due process to do everything, and it is embarrassing that the Republicans got bullied by him, and even the conservatives threw the system of due process out the door. It is not good for the country, it brings chaos.

Shame on me and fellow Texas Republicans for voting him in, but 2018 is not too far, we will do the right thing, but do it respectfully obeying the law of the land.

The prime responsibility of Government is to protect her citizens from external and internal enemies -- the external being other nations attacking us, and we need not worry, we have got the best defense forces in the world. However, we are not defending millions of Americans with our #1 internal enemy; disease, which is crippling productivity of Americans from contributing to the greatness of America.

My fellow Republican need to understand that a healthy America makes us a productive Americans, the health care is an investment in human capital, and not a charity or subsidy. A corporation would rather have productive employees than the ones who get sick frequently and lower its productivity. It behooves for us to invest in the health care, even it were totally paid for by our taxes. Healthy Americans makes a healthy America.

The Affordable Care Act is not a political issue. It is neither Republican nor Democratic, it is an American issue, and it has two dimensions; legal and human.

It is illegal to drive on the wrong side of the road, it is illegal to go 40 MPH in a school zone during the school hours and it is illegal to rob the bank at gun point. It is illegal to bust onto Capitol Hill and stop their proceedings; it is illegal to stop the congressman from doing his duty if we don't like him or her. It is illegal to mess with the established systems.

The Affordable Care Act was passed by the Congress, the Senate and signed by the president and ratified by the Supreme Court. It is a shame that few of the Republicans to claim that no Republican voted for it, that is gross disrespect to our system. We honor all the legislations passed by the elected representatives. This is a dishonorable act on the part of the few and illegal. Shouldn't there be consequences for breaking the law? Shouldn't I be arrested if I block Ted Cruz from entering his office and doing his job just because I don't like him?

The human side of the equation is inhuman, that these nuts continue to be rewarded with a paycheck, and deny the same to 2 million federal workers. I was listening to NPR, some congresswoman said, she has got to have her paycheck because her son goes to college, what about the 2 million Americans, and don't they have kids? Why should you be bloody special?

Then my own story -- I could not afford the expensive health insurance, and was hit by a massive heart attack on July 9 this year and will be indebted for life to pay those bills. Then they say I needed a Quad-pass surgery and I was tense, and did not want to get into debt, no one would sell me the insurance. Thank God for the affordable health care, my wife found me the company to insure me with the pre-existing conditions. I am paying $380/month compared to $800 quotes I had received before. There are millions of Americans out there who can't even afford that. 

What Republicans need is an education in business besides basic biology and mathematics. We need to understand that the economy expands with volume and brings prosperity to everyone. If we make insurance affordable, the enrollment volume will pay for it, there is more money in the piggy bank to even out with the consumption. Then of course, a healthy America is good for the economy, good for business and good for the American spirit.

Video on Youtube

I urge my fellow Republicans and Americans to call on the Congress and demand to reopen the government. I have sent faxes and published the same. Please remember evil exists not because of men like Ted Cruz, but because of men and women like you and I, who do nothing. What are we afraid of doing the right thing? Please pick up the phone and make the call to your representative. You can find his or her number at here.
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

Eid al Adha – What should you sacrifice? A proposal for Muslims

HUFFINGTON POST - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/eid-aladha-what-should-yo_b_4099426.html

  There is a message for Honoring Police, Firemen and soldiers in the articl

Mike Ghouse is a Muslim speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, Islam, interfaith and a few 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. www.WorldMuslimCongress.com 

Great Imam of Dallas, Dr. Yusuf Zia Kavakci retires

URL - http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2013/10/great-imam-of-dallas-dr-yusuf-zia.html

The response has been positive and invite you to post your notes in the comment section. Thank you.

Dallas, Texas - October 16, 2013

At this moment, Dr. Imam Yusuf Zia Kavakci is flying over the Atlantic to his ancestral home in Turkey as a part of the early retirement. 

He is a simple man and did not cherish dinners and all the hoopla of going away parties. So he quitely moved out a few months earlier than the parties got to him.

I have known him for over 20 years, and have had many enlightening moments with him. He is one of the many great people I have come to know and admire.

Dr. Kavakci is listed in the roster of 500 most influential Muslims in the World.

He and I have had several conversations, and invariably he would perk up whenever I visited him, and would say, "Brother Ghouse, you are one of the few individuals I can openly talk about interfaith - you are non-judgmental". 

Much of my experience with him is about Interfaith relations and the issues that are critical to living amidst people of different faiths or no faiths, gay and lesbians and integrated societies.

Between 1996 and 2001, he was a frequent guest on my radio show on AM 1150 on the Muslim segment of the interfaith dialogue. He was a part of many a events like the Annual Thanksgiving Celebrations, and the Annual Unity Day USA.

It was a great honor for me to be a co-speaker with him at SMU on human rights in Islam, and again at the WD Muhammad Conference in Dallas. The SMU event was a joy, as he wanted me to answer the questions from the students first, and then would beef it up with verses from Quran on my take, it was flattering to me - that he appreciated and supported my take.

Dealing with Muslims across the globe,  I must say, that he is perhaps one of the few Muslims who responds to his emails. Most Muslim leaders don't do that. He read most of my writings and when he agreed, he said so.

He spoke at the celebratory event for Najma, my late wife, celebrating her spirit of volunteerism that I had organized.  He also performed our Nikah (wedding ceremony) in 1996. Thanks to Dr. Asif Syed for announcing our engagement at his ranch amidst several friends, that prompted Imam Yusuf Kavakci, Najma and I to take a stroll to resolve a few issues,  one among them was my request for my friends Kundan Sharma and DD Maini to be my witnesses, but the tradition required 3 Muslim witnesses, so he suggested 5 witnesses instead of traditional three to include my two friends. In the coming days, I will be sharing a few more good stories about him, and some of them are in the links given below.

In 2005, the Richardson Mosque was accused of links to the Brotherhood, PLO and Hamas. Then they came after Dr. Kavakci, he was the cleanest guy you can find on the earth, and thank God nothing stuck to him. It was during that time, that Hilali Khan's ugly translations of Quran were also removed from the Mosque. About 15 of us formed a Muslim Rapid Response Team and responded to the local television and Dallas Morning News regularly, and thank God things did calm down after about July that year. He was cool.

Every group has their own Ted Cruz's amidst them, so do Muslims. A few did not spare him either, and I have debated all day about writing this, then decided to go ahead and pen it. If I did not, I would be acting irresponsibly.

The next Imam has got to be a strong one like Dr. Kavakci, who cares less about appeasing the managers, than what is right. We cannot afford to have puppet Imams who will dance to the tune of the men who hire them, of course that happens in all faith traditions. The pay check is a humiliating thing! 

On the other hand, do we need an Imam? Anyone can lead the prayers, let the community take the turns. Let the Friday Sermons be delivered by common people with issues that affect us all on a daily basis. I ran into one my friends daughters today, who is going through a separation, she and her father had given me the updates, but today, she was down and was talking  with utter humility - the guy was beating her, she is pregnant!  This is the kind of issues we need to address in our Sermons and the Nikah ceremonies. Dr. Basheer Ahmed and Dr. Hind Jarrah meet the people first hand and they know the problems, and they need to give the Friday Sermons. We have interfaith issues, election issues, going to mixed party issues, we have enough people in the community to address them.

I have heard a few sermons with utmost patience, one of them had said that Muslims don't get aids because we don't have gays among us. Where did we import this guy from?  I watched the kids giving smirking smiles to each other and decided to get on their I-phones than listen to this man.  It was embarrassing, all sermons should be reviewed prior to delivery,  the mistakes are made by those who keep repeating the same mistakes. We need to count on the feed back to improve on things, it is a major responsibility. No one's sermons should be delievered without a critical review. 

The Outrage

What outraged me most was when a few Muslims took upon themselves to malign him; these are the right wing tea party kind of Muslims. These idiots *** had pulled most of his pictures from interfaith meetings, where he was sitting by individual spiritual leaders from different faiths. Some day, I will go into details, but for now, they questioned him - why should Muslims pray behind an Imam who is friendly with the Kafirs, that's how low they got.

*** Now the idiot part - these men were no different than those who accused Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) of many things. Thank God no photographs were available of Prophet Muhammad sitting shoulder to shoulder with Christian Ministers, if not they would have accused him of sitting with the Kafirs. He married a Jewish woman and a christian woman without converting them, what else do we need in interfaith?

Let it be clear, that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was the first individual to initiate and conduct interfaith dialogue. Neither Zarathustra, nor Moses, Krishna, Jesus or others had people of multiple faiths around them to have an interfaith talk. Prophet Muhammad was the first one; he set some of the most profound examples of respecting the otherness of other faiths and carrying the interfaith dialogue respectfully. Mind you, he taught us to gave full value to the other without having to agree! 

As Muslims, we need to guard ourselves from a few Ted Cruz's among us who will do all, and every mischief to hurt Imam Kavakci and other Imams who follow the Prophet's example of interfaith dialogue.

Dr. Kavakci was a man of peace, he wanted to leave in peace and thank God, he left in peace.  God bless him a peaceful retirement life in his home town. It's good to be home!

I have written several pieces about him, here are a few:
 

1. Honoring Imam Dr. Yusuf Kia Kavakci http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2010/04/honoring-imam-dr-yusuf-zia-kavakci.html
2. There is only one Islam - http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2010/04/there-is-only-one-islam.html
3. Dallas Morning News: Beyond King, who has had major Impact in Dallas community - http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2012/01/texas-faith-beyond-king-who-has-has-had.html
4. Dallas Interfaith Imams - http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2012/07/great-imams-of-dallas-fort-worth.html
5. Ramadan day 2 Richardson Mosque - http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2012/07/ramadan-day-2-richardson-mosque.html
6. Day 1 of Ramadan, August 2011 - http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2011/08/day-1-of-ramadan-2011.html
7. Happy July 4th, my speech at Ahmadiyya Muslim Conference http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2011/07/happy-july-fourth-my-speech-at.html

More items to write:

Incident at first Unity Day USA

Suffa

Disappointments

Quran conference

Apostasy

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   

# # #

The following is from the website of the Mosque:
Imam Dr. Yusuf Ziya Kavakci
http://iant.com/index.php/iant/our-imam

Alhamdulillah we are blessed to have Dr. Yusuf Ziya Kavakci as our Imam at IANT. Below is a short biography, plain text copies of some of his publications & works-in-progress, and a brief background of Dr. Kavakci’s teacher.

Background

Dr. Yusuf Ziya Kavakci was born in 1938 in Hendek, Sakarya, Turkey. At an early age (8-9 years) he memorized the Holy Qur'an in an entirety (earning the title of Hafidh al-Qur'an), graduated from Hasircilar Qur'anic School (Adapazari) with training in Tajweed, Qira’ah, Arabic (Sarf and Nahw), Tafsir, Hadih, Fiqh, and apllied Islamic Sciences. He passed the national exams for Waiz (Preacher and lecturer in Islamic Sciences) and Mufti (ordained and authorized to give Fatwa and religious verdicts in Islam field) and qualified for those jobs. He worked as Muadhdhin (Professional caller to prayer, Hirka-i Sharif Mosque), Imam (Kara Ahmed Pasha Mosque in Topkapi), and Waiz in the governorships Fatih and Beyoglu in Istanbul.

Dr. Kavakci received his Bachelor's degrees in Law from The College of Law of Istanbul University and also in Islamic Studies from the Institute of Higher Islamic Studies, got his Ph.D. in Islamic History and Culture from Faculty of Arts, Istanbul University. After working as an Asst. Professor and as Associate Professor in the Institute of Islamic Research, Istanbul University, he helped to establish the first college of Islamic Studies in modern Turkey. The College of Islamic Studies is now a part of Ataturk University, Erzurum where Dr. Kavakci worked as senior faculty. He chaired the Tafsir, Hadith, Fiqh and other departments and got full professorship in Islamic Law and worked as Dean of the College. His professorship in Islamic Law was the first such position in Turkey after the fall of the Ottoman Empire. He was educated in the traditional Ottoman way of Islamic Studies as well as in modern methods of teaching in today's universities.

He is a board certified attorney in Turkey and practiced Law in Libya, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and attended numerous international conferences on Islam. He was involved in the activities of the Islamic Conference and was in charge of the Muslim Minority students sponsored by Islamic Development Bank in Turkey.

Dr. Kavakci currently resides in Richardson, Texas. He is the resident Islamic Scholar and Spiritual Leader of the Muslim community affiliated with the Islamic Association of North Texas.

To reach Dr. Kavakci, please email yzk@iant.com.

Works

In addition to numerous books published in Turkish, he has published the following books in English:

• Islam (Briefly), 1991, Istanbul, Turkey
• Travelogue of my journey to the Cape of Good Hope by Omer Lutfi Efendi (translation from Ottoman Turkish), 1991, Cape Town, South Africa
• Islamic Law of Inheritance, 1994, Dallas, Texas
• Methodology of Islamic Research

His works in progress which have yet to be published include:

• Al-Furuq by Al-Karabisi (Textual Criticism in Arabic)
• Fiqh, Islamic Law, and Usul Al-Fiqh
• America I Saw and My Impressions
• Bibliography of Islamic Law
• Multaqa' Al-Abhur by Ibrahim al-Halabi (translation from Arabic)
• Islamic Issues of Muslims in America (an analytical study and suggestions for solutions)

America's hero Obama, and the Villian Ted Cruz

URL - http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2013/10/americas-hero-obama-and-villian-ted-cruz.html

The Good news as of this morning, Thursday, October 17, 2013, the US Government is back in business.  Thank God for my fellow Republicans – the ranking ones like John McCain, Mitch McConnel and a whole lot of them for taking the action. Its a victory to Obama and victory to a majority of Americans for what he represents; Americans!  I have told Republicans to speak up against the extremists among us, I am glad they finally did.

 
Ted Cruz is the villain of our nation, and the villain of the ordinary Americans. He persisted because good Republicans did nothing about his evil designs. Finally an unprecedented thing happened - 88 out of 100 Senators have passed the bill, still 12 of them did not approve, and that is OK, that is how democracies function, at least some opposition is needed. As long as the majority is sensible and cares about America, we can move forward.

Ted screwed the Republican Party,  “his act cannot be approved by conservative Republicans either, who prefer stability over chaos, and are disciplined enough to follow a system. That is how democracies work.”  John McCain has rightly called them Wacko birds.

The stupidity in my party is that a majority of them are goats, sheep, and conformists. No one has the balls to stand up against a handful of bullies – now we have learned the lesson. But it’s going to cost the house in 2014. I am afraid my favorite congressman Pete Sessions will be gone, is there any moderate Republican out there to take his place? 

Huffington Post - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/obama-care-is-good-for-am_b_4082498.html

Action for Republicans by Republicans - http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2013/10/action-for-republicans-by-republicans.html

http://republicanmoderates.blogspot.com/2013/10/government-shut-down-ted-cruz-and.html

These two are good for now.

Mike Ghouse is a speaker on Pluralism and offers pluralistic solution on issues of the day.  He is a moderate Republican committed to speak up against the tyranny of the extremists among the Republicans.

Thanks to JFK, his immortal words will become the crutch to great men and women of our future, a corollary of which will become a standard for them, “I am not the Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Atheist or Wicca candidate for president. I am the Democratic or Republican Party’s candidate for president, who happens also to belong to the respective faith. I do not speak for my church on public matters, and the church does not speak for me.”
 - Mike Ghouse

TEXAS FAITH: Did JFK have a greater impact on religion than any modern president?

By Bill McKenzie / Editorial Columnist
wmckenzie@dallasnews.com
4:28 pm on October 15, 2013 | Permalink

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John F. Kennedy speaking as a candidate to Houston ministers in 1960

The nation and certainly the city of Dallas are coming upon the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s assassination. There are many parts of his presidency and death that our paper and others are starting to examine, from the legacy of his foreign policy to his imprint on civil rights to his use of television to communicate.

One area that hasn’t gotten much coverage is John F. Kennedy’s impact on religion in America. Often, we read about how Jimmy Carter and then Ronald Reagan awakened evangelicals and changed the face of religion in America, particularly in politics.

But did JFK have a greater effect than perhaps any modern president on religion in America?

Read on for some insightful answers.
MIKE GHOUSE, President, Foundation for Pluralism, Dallas and speaker on interfaith matters

JFK had the most profound effect on religion in America than any other modern president. Indeed, he led the inclusionary trend in America.

A Catholic could have never dreamt of becoming president of the United States. Yet, there he was, the first one to break loose the unwritten Protestant monopoly on the White House with his sheer personal charisma and ability to communicate the right message. He paved the way for any American who aspired to lead the nation regardless of race or religion.

JFK had to be twice as good to win the hearts of Americans, just as African-Americans and other minorities have to be twice as good to be on par. He precisely communicated his adherence to his faith and the loyalty to the ideals of our Constitution without compromising. Perhaps, for the first time in our history, we became acutely aware of the separation of church and state, and understood what it meant.

On September 12, 1960, JKF delivered this powerful message:

“I believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute, where no Catholic prelate would tell the president (should he be Catholic) how to act, and no Protestant minister would tell his parishioners for whom to vote;” and he continued, “I believe in a president whose religious views are his own private affair, neither imposed by him upon the nation, or imposed by the nation upon him as a condition to holding that office.”

America will continue to grow to reflect our deeply held values that all men are created equal. Thanks to JFK, his immortal words will become the crutch to great men and women of our future, a corollary of which will become a standard for them, “I am not the Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Atheist or Wicca candidate for president. I am the Democratic or Republican Party’s candidate for president, who happens also to belong to the respective faith. I do not speak for my church on public matters, and the church does not speak for me.”

His impact on the civil rights movement is lasting. On June 11, 1963 Kennedy defined the crisis as a moral one, as well as a constitutional and legal one. He announced that major civil rights legislation would be submitted to the Congress to guarantee equal access to public facilities, to end segregation in education, and to provide federal protection of the right to vote.

Most importantly, in behalf of all immigrants, I want to express my gratitude to JFK and MLK. Thank you, we are here today contributing to the richness of America, because of the Civil Rights Act and you two.

To read the other panelists take, please go to Dallas Morning News at: http://dallasmorningviewsblog.dallasnews.com/2013/10/texas-faith-did-jfk-have-a-greater-impact-on-religion-than-any-modern-president.html/#more-30501
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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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