Holocaust, Native American Genocides and the Muslim Guy

Holocaust and the Muslim Guy

Frequently, I am introduced in the following manner, "He is the first Muslim guy to commemorate Holocaust, and perhaps the first non-Jewish person to commemorate the Holocaust as well."  Of all the people on the earth, my mother would be pleased to know that I am doing what it takes to be a "good Muslim," to respect, honor and protect the sanctity of life.
 

As a Muslim committed to building cohesive societies, it was an honor to step up to the plate. Quran 3:133, "And vie with one another to attain to your Sustainer's forgiveness and to a paradise as vast as the heavens and the earth, which has been readied for the God-conscious." I am not driven by paradise, nor do I seek rewards. But it does mean building a cohesive world where no one has to live in apprehension or fear of the other. God-conscious simply means being caring and sensitive to all of God's creation; life and matter.

Of all the people on the earth, my mother would be pleased to know I am doing what it takes to be a "good Muslim," to respect, honor and protect the sanctity of life. 

I have always believed, and I read the assessments of some of the best brains that if we can resolve the Jewish-Palestinian conflict, i.e., security to Jews and justice to the Palestinians, most of the world issues will collapse and a period of peace on earth will begin. 

Commemorating Holocaust and Genocides for seven years is a fulfillment of a lifelong desire. 

Continued at Huffington post - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/holocaust-and-the-muslim-_b_4629509.html#es_share_ended

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Texas Faith : Why are religious hostilities on the rise across the world?

As hostilities rise across much of the world, we need to examine if it is the religion itself or the human insecurity that drives us to be at each others' throats in the avatar of religion, and what can be done about it.

Texas Faith : Why are religious hostilities on the rise across the world?
By Wayne Slater
wslater@dallasnews.com
3:20 pm on January 21, 2014 | Permalink

A new poll finds that religious hostilities have increased in almost every major region of the world. Perhaps not surprisingly, the sharpest increase was in the Middle East and North Africa, most likely an after effect of the 2010-11 political uprisings known as the Arab Spring. But the Pew Research Center study also found a significant increase in religious hostilities in China and the Asia-Pacific region.

Some numbers in the new report: a third (33%) of the 198 countries and territories included in the study had high religious hostilities in 2012, up from 29% in 2011 and 20% as of mid-2007. Here’s the link: http://www.pewforum.org/2014/01/14/religious-hostilities-reach-six-year-high/

The study looked at efforts by governments to ban particular faiths, prohibit conversations and give preferential treatment to some religious groups at the expense of others. Those haven’t changed significantly. But acts of overt hostility toward religion – religion-related armed conflict or terrorism, mob or sectarian violence, harassment over attire for religious reasons or other religion related intimidation or abuse — have increased.

Incidents of abuse targeting religious minorities seen as offensive or threatening to the majority faith are up. In Libya, for instance, two worshippers were killed in an attack on a Coptic Orthodox church. Harassment of women over religious dress occurred in nearly a third of countries in 2012 (32%), compared to less than one-in-ten (7%) as of mid-2007. And mob violence related to religion occurred in a quarter of countries in 2012 (25%) – double the number from five years earlier.

So what’s happening here? Is this just a cycle, a phase? Or is it something else? The power of religious faith to divide as well as to unite has a long history. But clearly in the last few years, people are increasingly using religion for negative and destructive ends in many places.

Why are religious hostilities on the rise across much of the world? What, if anything, can be done about it? Our Texas Faith panel weighs in:

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

As hostilities rise across much of the world, we need to examine if it is the religion itself or the human insecurity that drives us to be at each other’s throats in the avatar of religion, and what can be done about it.

The case against religion is weak, as no religion teaches hatred or encourages hostilities. On the contrary, without the abuse factor religion is a positive experience. Indeed, religions are committed to building cohesive societies where no has to live in discomfort or fear of the other. The bottom line of all religions is based on the Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you would wish to have done unto you; and reject for others what you would reject for yourselves.”

The religious hostilities on the other hand could be less religious in nature than controlling others to buy a fake sense of security.  However, the conflicts are deeply engraved onto our psyche, and untreated they may occasionally erupt in violent and hostile expressions like crusades, inquisitions, 9/11, bombings by individuals and nations, Genocides and Massacres.

The Catholic-Protestant conflict lasted for a long time, now the Shia-Sunni conflict is tearing each other up in Iraq and Syria. A few deeply rooted conflicts among the Muslim-Christian, Christian-Jewish, and Jewish-Muslim, Hindu Muslim or any other combinations need to be addressed. I am working on a proposal to send to Pope Francis to take this further.

The goal ought to be respecting the otherness of others and accepting the God given uniqueness of each one of us, anything short of that will leave unattended-sparks ready to flare up at short notice with the whiff of oxygen.

The Muslim Christian conflict has origins in how each sees Jesus and the Jewish Christian conflict stems from Jesus’ crucifixion. The religious conversions have done a lot of damage between Christian, Hindu, Muslim and Native traditions.
What we need is to have a heart to heart dialogue with each community with a goal to acknowledge the differences and figure out how to live with each other with least conflicts. After all we are inextricably connected to each other in our day to day life.

I am pleased to invite you to attend one such reconciliatory attempt at our 7th annual Holocaust and Genocides event on Sunday, January 26 at 3:00 PM – Unity of Dallas, 6525 Forest Lane, Dallas, TX 75230. Details at www.HolocaustandGenocides.com

To read the opinion of other panelists: http://dallasmorningviewsblog.dallasnews.com/2014/01/texas-faith-why-are-religious-hostilities-on-the-rise-across-the-world.html/#more-33370

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

Martin Luther King Jr., birthday today

TODAY IS MARTIN LUTHER KING JR'S., BIRTHDAY.

We the naturalized and born Americans are deeply indebted to Martin Luther Kings Jr., for it is his struggle to free Americans from the burden of ill-treatment of fellow man, that brought the civil rights act, which is the driving reason for the immigration of all of us, yes, none of the Indians, Pakistanis, Vietnamese, Africans, Bangladeshis, Arabs, Chinese would have made it, had it not been for the Civil rights act. In behalf of all immigrants, I say, a big thank you to MLK.

Mike Ghouse,
www.MikeGhouse.net

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Martin-Luther-King-Jr-Newly-Discovered-Audio-Recording-Speech-Park-Sheraton-Hotel-Manhattan-241148351.html

Applauding Bohra Muslim Community

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


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

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

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

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

THE AMIN


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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Narendra Modi and dehumanizing women

Modi and dehumanizing women

First of all, I condemn the wife Jokes in India, which are usually derogatory towards women.  That is the kind of humor we don’t need to burden our next generation with. You can call me whatever you want, but in the public spaces, where I am, I will stop you from saying those jokes.

Here is a debate about Narendra Modi, the Prime ministerial candidate making a statement,   "50 Crore ki girl friend Dekhi hai” - have you seen a $5Million dollar girl friend? Referring to Shashi Tharoor’s wife Sunananda Pushkar, Shashi’s response was apt, “She is priceless! “Instead of saying, what does this man know about women?  It’s like asking someone to describe the smell of the roses, whose nostril is desensitized.

Somewhere in the discussion, someone suggests, “All it takes for Modi is to apologize for the statement or clarify what he meant by it” and it will be over. Some else jumped and said, “apologize, he never will”.

That took me back to think if there is a pattern. When the lower court in Ahmadabad rejected the Petition of Zakia Jafri, against Modi’s involvement in the Gujarat Massacre, someone had suggested, “If Modi has any respect for human dignity, as a head of the state, he would go and console that Octogenarian Zakia Jafri, that he will make sure, justice will be served to her, even if it were against him?”  Someonelese jumped and said, “ Modi may dum nahin” – Modi does not have the guts to do such a bold thing.

I was looking at the 7 points I had advocated for Modi to consider – to be humble, to do the praischit and move forward. I was told that he will not do that.

What will he do then? How will he handle mistakes if he were the Prime Minister?

Most of you may watch the Indian soaps; the story is repeated daily, “The husband screams at wife, what have I not given you – wealth, car, house, servant, designer clothes, dining in the finest restaurants….what do you want”.  Rarely do they show the response, a woman wants nothing more than respect and dignity. 

The development is a wholesome plank, not economic development at the cost of respect and dignity to the millions of Gujaratis out there.

If you have not watched the following video by NDTV, it is worth watching. There is another revelation; the “right wing people” will never see another point of view. In the video, Mr. Modi is represented by Mr. Rao, who simply cannot see the facts.

Between 3:00 to 27:00 Minutes on the tape

http://www.ndtv.com/video/player/left-right-centre/modi-vs-tharoor-a-new-campaign-low/252880?relatedviaplayer

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

There is an assumption among the people, particularly the majority of the people that they "alone" are the flag bearers of the nation.

Fixing Sharing Laws

Rather than rejecting Sharia out-right, we need to fix it. Sharia serves as a system of justice to the given populations in Muslim majority nations; without it a large swatch of population would become rudderless. Our own constitution has been amended several times, and that is what is needed to be done with Sharia.

The right-wing Muslims will scream at me for questioning the divinity of Sharia, and the right-wing Christians, Jews, Hindus, and others will be calling me names, as this essay does not condemn Sharia. They simply cannot see another point of view.  

Sharia was a human effort to dispense justice to fellow beings in accordance with Quran and the Prophet’s examples; however, men are fallible beings and have failed to deliver justice. They have got it all wrong when it comes to women, apostates, blasphemers and the victims of rape. Sharia as practiced in a few of the Muslim nations does not reflect God's wisdom or the practice of the prophet. It needs to be fixed badly.

 
Continued: http://www.opednews.com/articles/Fixing-Sharia-Laws-by-Mike-Ghouse-Apostasy_Blasphemy_DNA-Rape-Kit_Divorce-140115-276.html

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

Incredible Muslim contribution - 1001 Inventions.

Please take a look at this site listed below, you will be lost, there is so much to see on this site!  There are so many powerful videos, all made with grand themes and unbelievable production quality.  After a while in frustration you bang you fist, where did we go wrong from that point?

It is precisely the time when Muslims were made to shut up, and compelled not to ask questions; it is the time when Muslims were turned into takfiri robots conditioned to ignore “ Malik-i-Yomiddin” and pre-empt God in judging others to be less than Muslims or no Muslims at all.  Its time when we forgot the bottom line of God’s commandment – Mind your own damned business!

What do we need to do? First, open up our minds, no one is inferior or superior to us, except by our good acts that benefit mankind. Second we judge no one for their “faith” that is between the individual and God. Finally, learn to respect the otherness of others, that is how God has created each one of us by design, no one will bear other’s burdens, and you are responsible for you own deeds and not others. God assures his grace to everyone who takes care of his creation; life and matter.

The social atmosphere is conducive to do a lot of good to fellow beings, remember that is the highest of all the goods one can do. Just speak up, when you see something wrong, and if you do, you will be freed that you have done your job and that is the least you can do.

God has given us the life to cherish and enjoy it to the fullest both here and here after, we cannot be unjust and sacrifice one for the other.  Enjoy the God Given life, be free, Islam makes you free.

Site to visit - http://www.1001inventions.com/

Well, we have an organization in Dallas called Institute of Medieval Sciences that promotes the Muslim contribution to society, science and mathematics from that era. Their site is http://impms.net/. Thanks the Ambassador Ahsani, Dr. Basheer Ahmed and Mr. Edward Thomas the founding chairs of the organization, and if you have an interest join them and support their effort.

1001 Inventions: The Enduring Legacy of Muslim Civilization - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hB0UUiS6ZNU
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Mike Ghouse
www.WorldMuslimCongress.com