Conservatives talk show hosts are fun to work with.

Washington, DC Press Club, December 15, 2015 

While I was watching the Presidential debate at the National Press Club, there was another group watching right behind me.  When Lindsey Graham spoke eloquently about blaming the individuals and not the faith, which is my mantra, I clapped, and they booed.  One of the ladies and her husband beckoned me to join them, and told me they were conservatives and asked about me, "I am a moderate" I said. 

Melody and Dave Clarke, and Mike Ghouse

Of course we exchanged a few thoughts on what is being a moderate – it is someone who does not see the conservative and liberals as his or her adversaries, it is someone who had no problem with a different point of view, it is someone who understands different perspectives without agreeing to them. I introduced myself and gave them my card that read, Mike Ghouse, Executive Director, American Muslim Institution. 

What followed after that was an interesting but a familiar conversation, Déjà vu!   It appears that most of the conservatives have memorized certain things about Muslims, and reel it off.  I don’t get offended; instead I listen to them patiently and share my perspective. They asked me about Sharia and I gave them a short talk on the topic and referred them to my website www.ShariaLaws.com and asked them to read at least two articles listed on the left panel; Genesis of Sharia and Fixing Sharia.

 If we bear any responsibility towards the well being of fellow Americans, we must talk with the idea of communicating our points of view, and to understand and not to put down the other, even if the other does that. That is precisely what Jesus meant when he said to turn the other check, meaning don’t aggravate the conflict, mitigate it, and that is precisely the approach of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), both of them are my mentors in human development.

Melody Clarke is a conservative Radio talk show host; and her husband Dave and we had a good time learning our differences on political issues.  She has offered me to join on her on her show in North Carolina, and I have been on many conservative shows across the nation.  I hope a few more will see another point of view, shame on us, as Muslims, we have not offered an alternate narrative about Muslims, and instead we defend and blame them and cause them to dig in their heels. On the other hand our conservative friends have not made an effort to see if there is another point of view.  

 I am sure you have had that experience, with patience; people will learn to respect you, and gradually see your point of view as a courtesy. Instead of falling into the trap and getting agitated, if you take the approach of listening with patience, it opens them with common decency to listen to you; a dialogue begins at that time.

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.  It is not 2+2 = 4, but we have to go through emotional process to achieve that for a better world around us. 

There is no joy greater than living without conflicts with fellow beings. By the way, do join us for this God given opportunity to build stronger bonds with fellow Americans on the steps of Lincoln Memorial for joint celebrations of Christmas and Milad (Prophet Muhammad's birth day) with Christmas Carols and Nasheeds.

Register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/merry-christmas-milad-mubarak-tickets-20040393356

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 Terrorism and foreign policy. Over 3000 Articles have been published on the subjects. 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  

Mike Ghouse on Bryan Blue's Radio Show about Trump's Muslim Ban

TRUMPS’ MUSLIM BAN

Trump's proposed ban on Muslims, Keeping America safe from radical Muslims, Is Islam a violent religion? 

I will be on Bryan Blue’s Syndicated Radio Show on Friday 10 PM and will be repeated on Monday at 7 AM. I have been on several Radio stations and Tv Stations on Trump's bigotry.

Hosted by:  Bryan Blue and Jamie Kinser-Knight
Guests: Danny Coulson FBI and Mike Ghouse with AMI (American Muslim Institution)

KFTW Fort Worth, TX 97.5 Mondays @ 7am & Fridays @ 10pm

KNNK Amarillo, TX 100.5FM Sundays @ 12pm Noon

KDAV Lubbock, TX 1590 AM Saturdays @ 12pm Noon

KVOP Plainview, TX 1090 AM Saturdays @ 12pm Noon

WUKB Lexington, KY 103.5FM and 1480AM Saturdays & Sundays @ 3PM

KOTO Telluride, CO 91.7FM Varies

WDNG Anniston, AL 1450AM Saturdays @ 10am

---------------------- Here are some of my talking points; ... so they are not constructed as an essay.

Let’s keep America great forever!

It is disappointing to hear the uncouth rhetoric from the presidential candidate, Donald Trump.

The role of the President is to keep America safe from outside forces and internal conflicts, and to help Americans achieve in their pursuit of life, liberty and happiness.

Mr. Trump has trampled on the very fundamental values of our immortal declaration,   “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.“

The very first amendment guarantees its citizens the freedom of religion and states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof” there is absolutely no religious test to be given to anyone, but Mr. Trump wants to give religious tests to those who want to enter the United States, is he going against what America stands for?

Is Mr. Trump a traitor for violating our constitution? 

No, he is not; the beauty of our land is, we allow freedom of speech to everyone, and that is the inalienable right of Americans.  If that freedom allows one to yell fire in a theater and cause mishaps and deaths, the utterer is responsible for such losses.

There is an old saying “evil exists in the world, because good people do nothing about it.” Indeed, it is shocking to see the support Trump is receiving from the cesspool of a small percent of Republicans. The same goes to the other bigot Carson, who is what he is today because of the equal rights and civil rights act and he wants to violate them as well.

Mr. Trump is an ungrateful man; he forgets that many of men and women who have served him or his management and staff are Muslims among Indians, who are Doctors, Engineers, Architects and Managers in managing and sustaining his empire.  Mr. Trump forgets that the cell phone he uses was the invention of the son of a Muslim immigrant, the extensive business he has set up in Dubai is with Muslims, the ones he does not want to enter America. 

The brunt of his rhetoric and subsequent actions will be borne by average middle class Americans, not him, absolutely not him or his ilk but the Americans. What if Russians see this opportunity and offer all the Muslim nations to supply arms, grains, and technology? Nearly fourth of our employment in the US is based on dealings with the Muslim majority nations. God forbid if Trump were to be the president, Americans are screwed.


I have full faith in American constitution, and trust the majority of my fellow Americans to have the moral integrity to do what is right, and that is to speak out against disruptive, divisive rhetoric.  I am proud of America, my fellow Americans who are Republicans, are finally coming to the point to say, we had enough of this bull and start condemning evil. I appreciate the leadership of Senator Lindsey Graham, not only did he tell Trump to “go to hell,” he also articulated the need to be morally right and not worry about the consequences in politics.

Just look at our record, we have never nominated an extremist as a presidential candidate who was hell bent on pitting one Americans against the other and messing with the character of our nation. Never!

Trump will be dumped or the Republicans stand to lose.  Look at the election mathematics – Obama won over Romney 51-49% of the votes. In November 2000, Bush received 50, 456, 002 votes against Gore’s 50,999, 897 Votes but won the election by 5 electoral votes 271 V 266. 

In a 2012 people survey by Pew research, 35% of registered voters identify with Democratic Party, 28% with Republicans and 33% as independents.  The current number may be different, but the point is the importance of independent voters, who can tilt the results either way.  Almost the entire conservative and supremacist vote goes to the Republicans, that leave the tilting votes in the hands of immigrants who are Hispanic, Muslims, and others, add to that Jewish vote for Democrats.

As an American Muslim, who revere’s America’s constitution on par with all the holy books including Quran, which places the greatest value on human rights, dignity, individualism, and accountability of individual’s actions towards building a cohesive society, I cherish the checks and balances built in our constitution. 

I believe we need to seriously consider placing our loyalty to America over loyalty to the party. We need to develop a system where we can shape the majority in the Senate and Congress to each party and not the same party, and work on giving them simple majority. It will allow serious debates on the issues and prevent slam dunking the bills.  Indeed, most of the bad things that have happened in America can be attributed to big majorities for the same party in both the houses. It has to be on our minds.

“Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” and we have to exercise that consent now.

I am confident; Americans at large will dump this man.

Let’s keep America great forever!

# # #

Role of Muslims in America.

It is the responsibility of all Americans to help law enforcement officials in maintaining law and order and to assure the safety of every citizen. It is the duty of all of us to fight against radicalization through education and community engagement and work on promoting peace and harmony.

Muslims have consistently stood up against extremism and radicalism.

Some of the steps we have taken to counter terrorism:

1.  A small step for Muslims, but a giant leap for America. http://americanmusliminstitution.blogspot.com/2015/11/a-small-step-for-muslims-but-giant-leap.html

2.  Evil exists because good people do nothing about it, as Good Muslims we are condemning the ISIS and Terrorist. This is the first time; Muslims have demonstrated against Terrorism 20 seconds video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3I-cjFMth-E

3.  This item has captured the essence of demonstrations on the steps of Lincoln Memorial http://www.viewsnews.net/2015/11/21/american-muslims-condemn-isis-terrorism/

4.  This press release is about the San Bernardino Mass shooting
http://americanmusliminstitution.blogspot.com/2015/12/loss-of-life-in-san-bernardino-is.html

5. Meeting with Ben Carson http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2015/10/meeting-dr-ben-carson-mike-ghouse.html

 As American Muslims we have a greater responsibility in countering radicalization and violent extremism.   

We are countering one of the most difficult times in the last thirty plus years.  The San Bernardino mass shooting coupled with presidential candidate Donald Trump’s rhetoric has ratcheted the apprehensions, and there are some who are adding fuel to the fire.

Muslims across the nations are going through serious soul searching and meeting every place and in every city.  The situation is severe.

We have a responsibility to bring comfort to the frightened ones, and seriously participate in shaping a secure and safe America for every American. 

We have bad apples, but they are proportionate to our population.  We need to take concrete steps to bring positive changes but not excessive reactions.  

There is a lot more…. But hope this will address the items you had mentioned.

About me:

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 Terrorism and foreign policy. Over 3000 Articles have been published on the subjects. 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

Defending Islam - http://www.dallasnews.com/news/columnists/steve-blow/20100919-In-defense-of-Islam-pursuing-9397.ece

Muslim Speaker - http://mikeghouse.net/MuslimSpeaker.MikeGhouse.asp

Pluralism Speaker - http://www.mikeghouse.net/InterfaithSpeaker_MikeGhouse.asp

Voice of a Moderate Muslim http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2015/10/the-voice-of-moderate-islam-in-america.html  (Many links are in this piece)

My 9/11 Story - http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2014/09/911-my-personal-journey-from-2001.html

Google Profile – Nearly 12 Million views https://plus.google.com/108969690090944956820/about

My name is Mike Ghouse: http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2010/01/my-name-is-mike-ghouse.html


  

Summit of Muslim Leaders in Silver Springs

Silver Spring, MD, December 16, 2015 – When there is despair, there is always that hope, thank God, the good people reached out to the apprehensive one’s to assure them that they are with them, and will stand by them.

 That is precisely what the Montgomery County Executives did, they called the Muslim leaders and Imams of the county to listen to their concerns and assure their support. It was organized by Imam Faizul Khan of Islamic Society of the Washington Area in Silver Springs, MD.  You can feel the genuineness of each one of the council members, police chief, school board members and other public servants and the county executive. That sentiment was   reciprocated with sincere expression of gratitude by the Muslims present there.

Each one of the officials spoke from their heart, they care about fellow citizens and this gathering was to advance that sense of community, and imbue the sense of belonging to each other, and they were very successful. God bless them.

There are several ways of mitigating the conflicts and nurturing goodwill. I am pleased to share mine.

First a quote from a friend, "Each and every step towards a unifying goal is the key. And a meaningful engagement between polarized mindsets is the only way to begin bridging the gaps and wide divides that separate us from peace and unified action for humanitarian and environmental health and well being."

Last night I was watching the Presidential debate at the press club, and behind me was a group watching.  When Lindsey Graham spoke eloquently about blaming the individuals and not the faith, which is my mantra, I clapped, and they booed.  One of the ladies and her husband beckoned me to join them, and told me they were conservatives and asked about me, I said I am a moderate.  I introduced myself and gave them my card that read, American Muslim Institution. They asked me about Sharia and I gave them a short talk on the topic.

What followed after that was an interesting but a familiar conversation, Deja vu!   It appears that most of the conservatives have memorized certain things about Muslims, and they reel it off.  I don’t get offended, instead I listen to them patiently and share my perspective.  I am sure you have had that experience, with patience, people will learn to respect you, and gradually see your point of view as a courtesy. Melody is a conservative Radio talk show host; and she wants to get me on her show in North Carolina.  I hope a few more will see another point of view, shame on us, we have let them carry the age old narrative forward, we need to do our part in sharing our narrative.  There is no joy greater than living without conflicts with fellow beings.

Amidst the concerns, issues and the gloom, there is hope.  We have to move from estrangement to engagement and things will change. Stuart Varney at Fox News promised not to use the phrase Muslim Terrorist three weeks ago on his show with me, and Sean Hannity is at least softer and clearer about what he is against, and that is the result of positive engagement.  Last night Lindsey Graham spoke up, and there are way too many good people than the fringe element. Look at these people from the County and School board, they gave hope, and they represent American values of acceptance, they are our models and heroes.

 I am short on time with so much going, so I will yield to the lady sitting next to me, who writes for Muslim Matters, when she files the report, I will share that with all.

This is precisely what God wants – for his creation to sit together and demystify the myths about each other and restore the equilibrium.  Quran (49:13) says the best ones among you are those who learn about each other; indeed, when we learn about each other, conflicts fade and solutions emerge.

Thanks to Sayed Naved for printing and distributing the flier of our “Season of Peace” event and thanks to Rev. Casey Kaseman for announcing it. I had the opportunity to announce it as well during my turn.  Thanks to Amjad Humayun for inviting me to the event.

My job became much easier, we have tentatively found Indonesian, Arab, and Subcontinent groups to sing Nasheeds (poetry appreciating Prophet Muhammad (pbub), and if the African American group can confirm, that would be a significant progress.  Rev. Casey Kaseman and Samia Haque will find a Mormon and a Catholic group to sing Christmas Carols, we need two more, I can find one from the Unification Church or the Unitarian Church and the search will be for an Evangelical group.  We also found Hijabi girls to sing National Anthem (This is a different report).

Please join us for the event, this is a God-given opportunity this year to further strengthen our bonds on the auspicious occasion of the birth celebrations of Jesus Christ and Prophet Muhammad on 25th and 24th of December respectively. God loves each one of us and showers his blessings each time we make an effort to restore the harmony and cohesiveness of his creation; life and environment.These are the signs of good tidings; offering a new hope and a new beginning for the mankind. Together Christians and Muslims make up nearly half of the world population and it is our duty to do our share of work in restoring harmony and peace on earth for each one of the Seven billion of us. We are all in this together.

Kindly share this link to register for the event: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/merry-christmas-milad-mubarak-tickets-20040393356

Thank you, 

Mike Ghouse
(214) 325-1916
Executive Director
www.AmericanMuslimInstitution.org 
A proactive voice for American Muslims
110 Maryland Av, NE, Suite 508
Washington, DC 20002-5606 

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-PalestineTerrorism and foreign policy. Over 3000 Articles have been published on the subjects. 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   

Proposal: Season of peace, birth celebration of Jesus and Muhammad (pbuh)

Season of Peace | Merry Christmas | Milad Mubarak
www.AmericanMuslimInstitution.org

Here is a God-given opportunity for this year to further strengthen our bonds on the auspicious occasion of the birthday of Jesus Christ and Prophet Muhammad on 25th and 24th of December respectively.

Please confirm, and if your friends are joining, have them confirm athttps://www.eventbrite.com/e/merry-christmas-milad-mubarak-tickets-20040393356

God loves each one of us and showers his blessings each time we make an effort to restore the harmony and cohesiveness of his creation; life and environment.

---

Event: Season of peace, Merry Christmas | Milad Mubarak

What: It is a symbolic interfaith event with Christmas Carols and Milaad Nasheeds and a short message from each one of the faith leaders from Bahai to Zoroastrians and every one in between. Its's an inclusive event to build a safe, secure and cohesive America.

The more we know about each other, the less conflicts we will have.

Date: Saturday, December 26, 2015 between at 1:00 PM (till 3).

Place: Lincoln Memorial, on the same steps where a major historical event added to the cohesiveness of America through the leadership of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. 

---

No matter how tough the times are, there is a symbolic coincidence happening on the earth; the birth of Prophet Muhammad falls on Christmas Eve.

These are the signs of good tidings; offering a new hope and a new beginning for the mankind. Together Christians and Muslims make up nearly half of the world population and it is our duty to do our share of work in restoring harmony and peace on earth for each one of the Seven billion of us. We are all in this together.

May God help us all work together for peace.

Thank you,

Mike Ghouse
(214) 325-1916
Executive Director
www.AmericanMuslimInstitution.org 
A proactive voice for American Muslims
110 Maryland Av, NE, Suite 508
Washington, DC 20002-5606

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 atTheGhousediary.com   

Happy birthday to HH Aga Khan - Khushali Mubarak

KHUSHALI MUBARAK | www.TheGhouseDiary.com

Karim Aga Khan was born on December 13, 1936, At the age of 20, he succeeded his grandfather, Sir Sultan Muhammad Shah Aga Khan and became the 49th hereditary Imam of the community.  He is the final interpreter of Qur'an and provides authoritative guidance on matters of faith to the Ismaili Muslims. 

Khushali is a week long birthday celebration of HH Aga Khan. The entire Ismaili Muslim community meets in the Jamaat Khana (community center) for the whole week, extolling his work and his service to their community and humanity. 

He is one of the rare gems of Islamic scholarship and a Harvard Graduate. He has understood the essence of Islam and articulates it very well. Islam to him is serving and caring for people around you, regardless of their affiliation. A vision put forth by the Prophet, when he said a good deed is like planting a seed, knowing full well, that you may not be the beneficiary of the fruit and shade of the eventual tree in years to come, the prophet said, that is a good deed, it is leaving a good legacy for the next generation, as we have bequeathed from the previous one.

One of the unique qualities of Aga Khan is his ability to seamlessly blend the spiritual and the material worlds. Prophet Muhammad and Hazrat Ali, both preached moderation, and creating a balance between ascetic living and living for material comforts. 

May he live a long life and serve his community, the Muslim community and every one of the 7 billion of humans.

Article at: http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2012/12/khushali-mubarak-to-hh-aga-khan-and.htmlDr. 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 Terrorism and foreign policy. Over 3000 Articles have been published on the subjects. 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  

FBI's Run, Hide and OR Fight training program at Adams Center

Sterling, VA, Friday, December 11, 2015 -- America continues to be the greatest nation on the earth, safety of her citizens is institutionalized and is taken seriously. It was a saddening as well as joyous to sit in the class of teachers listening to the orientation from FBI Agent Peter, along with Craig and Sara.

I am saddened because of the preparation we have to go through to be safe, particularly safety of our children. I was joyous that our system of governance has ingrained safety in our hearts and minds and has built an enduring system to take care of our citizens. 

Despite what a few politicians on the fringe say, the majority of America cares for their fellow citizens.

I wanted to make two comments during the orientation, but chose not to, as the class was not meant for me, it was for women teachers,   and I was the only guy in the class of some 40 women, besides two guy instructors and the Safety officer of the Mosque.

It was a joy to see the positive interaction between the agents and the class room, as teachers they were ready to learn what it takes to protect the children in their class rooms.

The program is called Run, Hide and or Fight.

Per the FBI studies, there were a total of 160 shootings between 2000 and 2013 of which 15% of shootings were at K thru 12, and 10% at colleges.  All but two were lone gun men, and the whole nightmare lasted for 5 minutes and 50% of time the shooter was neutralized.

It was an excellent program and needs to be replicated across the nation.  I just heard the Louisville Mosques are doing this, and will check in other Cities, or please update me.

First of all, a majority of them seemed immigrant Americans while there were born Americans as well. We come from nations, where it is a no-no to even talk with the police and intelligence community, only those who have a problem are in touch with them, that is not the case here. The Law enforcement agencies are community friendly, they are here to protect and safeguard the interests of fellow citizens.  This message needs to be given repeatedly, as a few among us still do not trust the police and law enforcement people. This has to change. 

Secondly, I am writing this note as a Muslim and staff of the American Muslim Institution to share it with others. If you can share about the availability of the program, it would be appreciated.

What can be improved?

At 3:35 PM, while the training was on, someone walked in and announced to the agent to give a break for 5 minutes for prayers.  I am sure the intellectual Imams like Imam Magid will talk about this. If you have a program that involves non-Muslims, plan it around the prayers or do the prayer earlier or later as Islam allows necessary accommodation.  I was with a professor two days ago, he was telling me a story from Chicago, where they were working with a very tight time, and the Muslims just walked out of the meeting to pray. I have written a full story about it happening during the Unity Day in 2005 and how it was misunderstood until; it was clarified and put it to rest. This is an issue we need to address.

Thank you,

Mike Ghouse
(214) 325-1916

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   

Mike Ghouse at Fox News Studios at North Capitol Hill

Fox News Studios by Capitol Hill - Positive engagement is good!

Washington, DC, Thursday, December 10, 2015 - Dr. Zuhdi Jasser, Asra Nomani and Mike Ghouse were on Hannity show on Fox News about the seize of mosque in Paris. 

While waiting in the green Room, Senator Rand Paul, conservative Commentator Charles Krauthammer and Mike Ghouse had a conversation. Rand Paul encouraged Mike to produce a short video clip where American Muslim youth of different races and ethnicities are condemning extremism and radicalism; he said he will promote the video while Charles Krauthammer will endorse it.

It is good to have positive engagement with people who are opposed to you... and when we interact, positive things happen. Everyone wants to achieve goodness, translated into safety of every citizen.

I posted this note on the face book; my friend Nancy Lyn Cotter expressed it in much better.  "Thank you for your consistent voice and work. Each and every step towards a unifying goal is the key. And as you said, meaningful engagement between polarized mindsets is the only way to begin bridging the gaps and wide divides that separate us from peace and unified action for humanitarian and environmental health and well being."

Asra Nomani and I were reviewing the document issued by the Muslim reform movement, and I hope to read and comment on the piece, hopefully next week.  

Thank you,

Mike Ghouse
(214) 325-1916


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   

Lantos Human Rights Awards Ceremony

Lantos Human Rights Awards Ceremony | www.TheGhouseDiary.com

Washington, D.C., Thursday, December 10, 2015 – The Tom Lantos Humans rights prize goes to; Rebiya Kadeer, an Uyghur Muslim fighting for the rights of Uyghur Muslims against the oppressive regime of China, Irshad Manji’s  mission is to help inspire individuals to exhibit the moral courage required to do the right thing in the face of fear, and Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a former Muslim from Somalia waging her battle against violence towards women. 

The ceremony was held at the congressional Cannon Caucus Room, Cannon House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 

We appreciate the Lantos Foundation for honoring these distinct women, even though some of us may not agree with some of their stances, we have to acknowledge their bold contributions to the society - stand up and speak up and make the way for a better society of equality and human rights. 

Katrina Lantos 

Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Irshad Manji

Rabiya Kadeer

 The organization was founded by the Congressman Late Tom Lantos, co-founder of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus and Chairman of the House committee on Foreign affairs. He will be remembered for his deep commitment to human rights. During his life, tom helped and inspired individuals around the world. Many more will feel the impact of his work for years to come.

Every religious community has ultra conservatives to ultra liberals and a whole range of moderates in between, and the conservative in Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism or any faith stand opposed to accepting any thing they consider liberal. 

Don’t know much about Rebiya Kadeer, but Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Irshad Manji were not treated with dignity by the uncouth men, just because they differed and had a unique life experience to share. It has happened with many others, instead of engaging, listening and searching for answers in creating effectively functioning societies by working with them, the conservatives among Muslims lost a treasure of knowledge and skills these reformers had to offer. It is still not late to engage with them. 

I spoke briefly with both Manji and Ali, and hope to invite them to a symposium to hear them out. They have advocated Human rights in Islam which must be admired. 

Its reflection time, we have to come together and solve the problems instead of rejecting each other. Problems are too big for us to be petty.

In the conclusion, Katrina Lantos Swett made a profound statement, "Well-behaved women seldom make history. Heretic, Rabble-rouser and Criminal are the words used and abused to describe many remarkable figures throughout history." 

She continued, “Each of the 2015 Lantos Human Rights Prize Laureates has a brutally beautiful story, one that has caused her pain and struggle, and, figuratively and literally, put a target on her back. These three women of Muslim heritage have overcome crushing cultural obstacles to achieve greatness in their own distinct ways, and deserve much more than our recognition - they deserve awe."

Even though the huge majority of Muslims follow and honor human rights, particularly treating women with dignity and honor, a streak is out there among us, indeed, among all communities that is utterly disgusting and misogynistic. It is a shame if we do not stop the abuse and mistreatment of women in our societies.

What does it take?  It takes courage on the part of moderate majority to speak out passionately against abuses of human rights within the Muslim community. We have a treasure of wisdom given to us in the Quran, and by the Prophet to create cohesive societies sans-oppression, and sans apprehension. These values have been grossly violated by Muslims, and equally misrepresented by those who have a gain to be had. Thus far, they have set the narrative; it is time for us to fix the problem as well as the narrative.

Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him summarized about women - he named three women as the model women to follow; Mother Mary, Aasia (who raised Moses) and Fatima (his daughter). What do they represent? To borrow Katrina Lantos thoughts, they were unconventional, non-conformists, and active women who withstood the tides against them.

Today's event inspired me to push myself to get my book about human rights published.

# # #

Dr. Mike Ghouse is a community consultant, social scientist, thinker, writer, newsmaker and a professional speaker on Pluralism, Interfaith, Islam,  politics, human rights, and foreign policy.  Mike 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 his writings are at TheGhousediary.com