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Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Pastor Robert Jeffress , Quraan Conference and birth of America Together Foundation

Edited on Wednesday, November 30, 2011, written up November 30, 2010

Pastor Robert Jeffress attacks Mormons, Muslims, Catholics, Jews, Buddhists and Hindus consistently, he calls them all cults. Please note that I am not highlighting his affiliation with the Dallas Baptist Church, there is no way, the Church approves hate or ill-will towards other humans, it goes against the very teachings of Jesus Christ.

 As a society we have faltered in blaming the group or the religion for the acts of individuals. The words of Pastor Jeffress generates fear, anxieties hate and ill-will, it is him and not the reflection of his Church, even if the congregation sheepishly claps and gives a standing ovation when the pastor calls out, “Islam is an evil evil religion and Quraan is a book written by a false prophet” with full passion.


Please remove any bias you may have against Baptist Church because you’ll  find bigotry in every denomination and every religion and no one can cast the first stone.  In a short span of 7 years, in my own town Dallas, just one Baptist Pastor’s ignorance is overwhelmed by many Baptist pastors, just to name a few who reflect  the inclusive  teachings of Jesus with substantial backing are Late Pastor Roy Harrell of Thanksgiving Square, who led the Christian Coalition prayers representing several denominations at the Unity day USA program in 1985; Pastor George Mason of the Wilshire Baptist Church who was the first one to agree to be on the panel of demystifying the myths about Quraan in the Quraan conference and Pastor Bob Roberts who has led many expeditions in exploring common grounds among faiths, including a joint commemoration of 9/11 by Muslims and Baptist. By the way, both the gentlemen were recipients of the “Pluralist Award” in 2009 for their work in living with no bias towards others.
 
The chronological sequence of the events from the day Pastor Robert Jeffress called Islam and evil evil religion to the Quraan Conference. Much of the documentation is on the Television, Dallas Morning News and at www.QuraanConference.com

 This is how it began:

 
What made me visit the church was his comment a week earlier,  “Quraan is an evil book written by a false prophet" and shamelessly, his congregation clapped and gave a standing ovation for a hateful speech in the name of Christ.   

 
The intent of this piece is to understand Pastor Jeffress, unless more research is un-earthed, he seems to be a charlatan duping his congregation with falsities in the name of Christ.

 
One listen to his sermon can unravel so much about this man.

First, I must give credit to the man Mr. Jonathan Halsey of the Unificationists Church, who saw that it was an un-Christian thing  to preach hate in a Church and he gathered Mr. Marzuk Jami and myself to attend the Church with him on Sunday, September 12, 2010. The day was a busy one for me as I had a major program Unity Day that evening.  Alexis Yancey wrote a timely press release to the media.
The four of us including Paul ….. walked into the Dallas Baptist Church in down town  on Sunday, September 12, 2010.  During the sermon, I observe, he  wanted 400 of his congregation members to sign up on Pastors committee; he would not proceed with the sermon unless he had the count. Their goal was to bring at least one potential convert to the church through the fall, spring and summer seasons.  
He is an incredible mathematical genius – 2400 new converts at $ 1000 per head would give Pastor Jeffress  in excess of $2million in revenues of which some will go to the expansion of the Church and the rest as a possible reward to him for his work. 
During his sermon he shared the story of one of the convert founders who had donated over a million dollars and continues to dole out the monies.   The Pastor was seeing the rainfall of green bucks. 
Someone piped in his ears that a few Muslims are in his congregation and he duly asked us to stand up and had us acknowledged by the congregation. It indeed was a nice gesture.
In his sermon he told that he would walk and put the fire out on a Jewish home, but on the 3rd day he said on My Fox News that he would reference the story of putting the fire out on a Muslim home.   Both the videos should be available on FSB site and of course Fox news.
In the same sermon he praised the lord and extolled Jesus Christ, which Muslims do it with their heart. Indeed, Jesus is my mentor. The he adds,  “No other religion teaches purpose of life, except Christianity”. Later on in the lobby I had a conversation with him – that Baha’i, Hindu,  Islam and others teach the purpose of life – to serve God and his creation.  I asked him if he had studied other religions to have made that claim.  He simply ignored the question.
What made me visit the church was his comment a week earlier, “Quraan is an evil book written by a false prophet" and shamelessly, his congregation clapped and gave a standing ovation for a hateful speech in the name of Christ.   I implored him to tell the truth or at least find the truth and share it with his congregation; he refused even to find the truth for this congregation.  In that speech, he was berating Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism and Judaism. I am really surprised how the Jewish community let him get away with it, he may be the only one or they may look to him as a looney barking aimlessly.  I am glad the African Americans and Jewish Americans will nail any one for one wrong word against them; Muslims need to learn from them and not take the crap from these men ( and of course a few women too).

 
What followed later were exchanges on NBC 5 and FOX 11 and write ups in Dallas Morning News. All of which is chronicled in the Bibliography below.

Pastor Dr. Robert Jeffress chickened out to my challenge to host the Quraan debate on his own turf. I offered him copies of the Quraan translation by Muhammad Asad, giving him the benefit of doubt that he may have read the two false translations out of 25 some translations. Steve Blow of Dallas Morning News framed my interview very well, “In the Middle Ages, European leaders commissioned a hostile Quran translation to foster warfare against Muslim invaders. Later, Muslim leaders produced another translation to inflame Muslims against Christians and Jews.” I asked the Pastor to invite all the Islamophobes and do a conference and put the falsities behind and look for better relations.

 
He had the biggest challenge of his life and he chickened out on that tood.  “Pastor, I will present the right Quraan translation to you, you gather all the Islamophobes and let’s have a talk.  If you find three evil things in the Quraan, I will abandon my religion Islam and join your Church, the Baptist Church.”  We need to do a conference and put the falsities behind.

 
We did the most amazing conference on Quraan addressing difficult verses by Non-Muslims clergy bringing a graceful closure to Pastor Jeffress rants.

Myths are manufactured about others without any substantiation; it is an old business of maligning others to have a momentary gain. Quraan is challenged by Pastor Robert Jeffress, Pat Robertson, Terry Jones and others who have not made any effort to find the truth, let alone understand the book.
Ever since we declared our independence in 1776, we have been tested time and again by various political, economic and religious forces to divide us, however, at the end we have come out strong as one nation. The Civil War, the Great Depression, the World War, Pearl Harbor, Women’s rights, Abortion, the Vietnam War, Civil Rights, Budget Deficits, Unemployment, 9/11, the Iraq and Afghanistan War have all been difficult, but we will make it through and sanity will prevail. 

The Quraan conference, Understanding GLBT, Quraan, Anti-Semitism, race, gender and other issues are American issues and not Jewish, Muslim or African American issues. We understand that a few are committed to pitting one American against the other for their own gains.
As Americans Together, we will find solutions to the issues we face and we are indeed committed.
Links in the article:


3.      Graceful Closure to Robert Jeffress rants
http://quraanconference.blogspot.com/2010/09/graceful-closure-to-dr-jeffress.html


Mike Ghouse is committed to building a cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day to the media and the public. He is a speaker thinker and a writer on the topics of pluralism, cohesive societies, Politics, Islam, interfaith, India and Peace. Over a thousand articles have been published on the topics and two of his books are poised to be released on Pluralism and Islam. Mike's work is reflected in 4 website's and 27 Blogs indexed at http://www.mikeghouse.net/ and you can find all of his current articles at www.TheGhousediary.com

VIDEOS AND PRINT LINKS


Dr. Jeffress Tells The Truth About Islam – At the end of the video, his congregation claps for the hateful remarks by Jeffress.

Uploaded by firstbaptistdallas on Aug 23, 2010





By Patrick Williams Thursday, Sep 2 2010



Unedited: Dr. Robert Jeffress statements on Islam (same as above)

Posted on August 29, 2010 at 10:26 PM



Dr. Jeffress Responds to Dallas News Columnist
He claims to speak the truth...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4dHHbO7Slw&feature=player_embedded#!



Dallas Pastor Defends Claim That Islam 'Promotes Pedophilia' (VIDEO)
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/09/dallas_pastor_islam_promotes_pedophilia_video.php








An Open Letter to Rev. Robert Jeffress, FBC Dallas



Sunday Morning on Fox
http://www.myfoxdfw.com/dpp/news/christians-and-muslims-meet
Published: Sunday, 12 Sep 2010, 10:55 PM CDT


Monday Morning on Fox
http://www.myfoxdfw.com/dpp/news/091310-pastor,-muslims-meet-to-discuss-quran

Posted by Richard Ray: Monday, 13 Sep 2010, 4:52 PM CDT



Muslims, Jews and Hindus are going to hell
http://www.myfoxdfw.com/dpp/news/091310-pastor%2C-muslims-meet-to-discuss-quran

Published: 19 September 2010 02:28 AM


Mike Ghouse Challenges Quraan Translation with Pastor Robert Jeffress - 1 of 2 -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMN8Zy1kc64
Uploaded by Pluralism center on Sep 17, 2010



Mike Ghouse Challenges Quraan Translation with Pastor Robert Jeffress - 2 of 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZOFLQSAOhA&feature=related

Uploaded by Pluralism center on Sep 17, 2010


Mike Ghouse challenges Robert Jeffress 




Islam is a false religion by a false prophet, unraveling the difficulties - Americans Together http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_slI-CwnW7g&feature=related

Uploaded by Pluralism center on Nov 3, 2010



Americans have been challenged time and again - Americans Together - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcW84KjXsqo

Uploaded by Pluralism center on Nov 3, 2010



Americans need not live in fear of others - Americans together

Uploaded by Pluralismcenter on Nov 3, 2010



We have to build, rebuild and continuously build the social cohesiveness of our nation. Details at:
http://dallasquraanconference.blogspot.com/




Perry's Values Voters Endorser: Islam is an "Evil, Evil Religion"
http://motherjones.com/mojo/2011/10/perry-values-voters-endorser-robert-jeffress-islam-evil

—By Tim Murphy Fri Oct. 7, 2011 6:29 PM PDT




Submitted by Brian Tashman on October 8, 2011 - 1:15pm



Jeffress on Mormons


By () on October 8, 2011



Jeffress: Mormonism from Pit of Hell


Uploaded by RWWBlog on Oct 8, 2011






Jeffress Calls Mormonism A Cult – Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism are all false religions


Read more on myFOXdfw.com: http://www.myfoxdfw.com/dpp/news/jefress-stands-by-calling-mormonism-a-cult#ixzz1aM0DqHyH












Richard Ray of Fox4 News interviewed me about Pastor Jeffress and the Quraan at 11:00 AM this morning, however due to time constraints, or other reasons they have edited out the critical points about killing the infidel and Quraan Translations. I will recreate that interview and post it on the web in a few days, right here.

The challenge is simple; I will present the right translations of the Qur'aan to Rev. Robert Jeffress in his congregation and challenge him to find 3 evil things about Quraan, if he does, I will go work for his ministry, if he does not, I ask of him to retract the thoughtless cavalier statements he made about Islam and Quraan, and take up the challenge of becoming a peace maker.

Thanks to the Islam bashers for telling me what is it that bothers them, they have time and again given me a list of about 60 verses, and I have made serious effort to address them most directly at: http://quraan-today.blogspot.com/ I have dealt with some of the Islamophobes who have made their business by maligning others including Islam, in this case. Look at their websites; they shamelessly ask for money, people should seriously debate if their money is going to bring peace or chaos.

Whether it is Pastor Jones, Jeffress, Phelps or Robertson, the media has failed to nail down the exact words or phrases that cause them to make such divisive declarations, and the unfinished business is frustrating the public.

America needs peacemakers who can boldly clarify the un-truths and myths about each other for the sake of peace. We owe peace and security to each one of the 301 Million Americans, our efforts ought to be directed so everyone us can live without fear, without harassment and without prejudices. My question to Pastors Jeffress, Jones, Phelps, Robertsons and their likes is this; Didn't Jesus pray and worked to create the kingdom of heaven on the earth, so all of us can live freely?

Some 2000 years ago, Jesus delivered the sermon "Blessed are the peace makers" on Mt. Beatitude, I was there and felt the power of that statement. I walked where Jesus walked on via Dela Rosa; I was baptized in the river Jordan where Jesus was baptized. Symbolically, I accepted Jesus’ message to become a peace maker by drenching myself in the holy water.

The role of people of religions is to mitigate conflicts and nurture goodwill. I ask Rev. Robert Jeffress, Rev. Pat Robertson, Rev. Fred Phelps and Rev. Terry Jones to walk the journey of peace with me.

Pastor, Muslims Meet to Discuss Quran
Published : Monday, 13 Sep 2010, 4:52 PM CDT

Richard Ray
FOX 4 News
Adapted for Web by Tracy DeLatte, myFOXdfw.com

DALLAS - First Baptist Church of Dallas Pastor Robert Jeffress said he has no regrets about calling Islam an evil religion. But on Sunday he gave a warm welcome to a group of Muslims visiting his church.

It was an unusual meeting of the minds. A pair of Muslim leaders showed up unexpectedly wanting to talk to the pastor, not sure what kind of reception they’d get.

“We have some very special guests here this morning. Leaders, members of the Islamic faith in Dallas and I want you to join me in giving them the warmest First Baptist welcome you can,” Jeffress said to his congregation.

Muslim Mike Ghouse was part of that small delegation and afterward met with Jeffress to discuss the Quran.

“He asked us to stand up and there was a good welcome. It was beautiful. I really liked that,” Ghouse.

He is convinced that Jeffress and most Americans have only read mistranslations of the Quran, where ugly language about Christians and Jews has been incorrectly inserted.

“What he said about the Quran and Islam I agree with him. He has read the wrong translation. To find the truth, to be peacemakers, we have to find the truth for the sake of a secure America. His statements are divisive and offense,” Ghouse said.

A study last month by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life found that over the past five years the percentage of Americans with a positive view of Islam has dropped dramatically from 41 to 30 percent.

Jeffress said he enjoyed his meeting with Ghouse and the others, but still believes he has read an accurate translation. He expresses no regret for what he’s said about the religion.

“I have to regrets at all. I think some of my statements have been mischaracterized simply because the whole statement wasn’t given. I don’t believe most Muslims are terrorists. I don’t think most Muslims oppress women. But there is something within the religion of Islam itself that I believe incites violence,” he said.

Jeffress said he thinks he can disagree in a loving and kind way.

“I think we need to quit walking on egg shells. I think we do need to tell the truth. We tell it in love. But we still tell the truth,” he said.

Ghouse and the others involved in the meeting said they’d like to meet with Jeffress again in the future to have a deeper discussion.
# # #

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Female Genital Mutilation among Bohra Muslims

Female Genital Mutilation among Bohra community of India and Pakistan.

I applaud the courage of Mr. Danish Ahmed for reporting this issue head on in his magazine Indian Muslim Observer. There is a lot that goes on in our societies, Muslim, Hindu, Christian, and Sikh or otherwise, in this instance a large number of Bohra Muslim Women are being genitally mutilated in secrecy, as it is an illegal practice within several cultures.

Even if one woman, Muslim or otherwise is deprived of her God given pleasures of life, it must be stopped. Standing up against oppression is one big aspect of being a Muslim.
Injustice to anyone and particularly women will eat away the morality of the society from within. Oppression cannot go on for long. Every religion has been a medium to restore righteousness in the society, the guidance is universal including Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) who said, the least thing you can do against injustice is to speak up. Speaking up is the right thing to do.

Tasleem deserves the applauding, even though she has endured pain and suffering, she has decided to put an end to this. We need to join her efforts in putting an end to this misery. Certainly, a few men will ridicule it, but she will have her rewards from Allah and the Prophet for the doing the right thing, bringing justice to generations of women. May God bless her.

Warning: The pictures too graphic, especially the one with raw blade. Most of the pictures are from Africa to illustrate the point and perhaps due to the limited availability of such practices.

This is a horrendous practice that all of us must stop. I can hear a few Muslims, just a handful of Muslims in each Muslim gathering asking this to the Danish Ahmed.

1.
Why did he not talk with the community first?
2.
Why did he have to feed the right wingers with more to belittle Muslims?
3. Is there an empirical data to claim 90% of Bohra community practices this?

It is quite possible that His Highness Syedna Burhanuddin, the spiritual leader of the Dawoodi Bohra Muslims may not be aware of this practice happening right under his nose, just as CIA did not see Mubarak's exit or the seedlings for the protests in the Middle East, ISI and Pakistani Military did not know Osama Bin Laden was hiding right in their own backyard and Mossad has been wrong about Iran and other pronouncements.

Obviously the issue is simmering for a long time, but no one may have dared the establishment, and even possible that the protests were put down. As Muslims we need to give full support to this movement that is what makes us Muslims; to speak up and do everything possible to bring justice to every human in the society.

If we don’t fulfill our responsibility, the suffering will go on further, but it will affect us all of us. This is not a Bohra issue, nor the Muslim issue; it is the human rights issue. It’s not them, it is us, we are all in this together to create a better society for each one of us and it reflects and affects us all.

I do hope the Syedna will make a quick call to end this practice, if he has not already done. Please do the least thing you can do – sign the petition: http://www.change.org/petitions/hh-dr-syedna-ban-female-circumcision-ladkiyon-par-khatna

Here is a link to the full article: http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2011/11/female-genital-mutilation-among-bohra.html 


By the way, the male circumcision among Jews and Muslims is not the same, it has a history of over 3000 years and it is not done secretly to be evil and further more it is professionally done to ensure the safety of the circumcised.  The following article was cited in cancelling the bill to ban circumcision in San Francisco and Santa Monica.  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/circumcision-satire_b_872270.html

Mike Ghouse
Muslims together committed to cohesive and just societies
www.IslamTogetherFoundation.com

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Sean Hannity Radio Show 11.23.11

SEAN HANNITY RADIO SHOW
Sean with David Horowitz and Mike Ghouse

Recorded at 12:45 EST | will be relayed at 4:30Check for your local station at http://www.hannity.com/stations

Rush Notes: I hope to add the audio here

I remain opposed to going to war with Iran, Israel has a right to defend its own border, but it is not wise to go on a pre-emptive war. We never had out intelligence right from the Iran hostage crises to Mubarak stepping down, what makes them think it is right now?
War will destroy our economy more than it will destroy them… Wars are destructive. Horowitz is bent on war; he obviously gets thrills with wars and an opportunity to make money without realizing the evils of the war.

Sean had asked me to repeat the words after him that he was right… I asked him if it was the pledge of Allegiance… I did with the exception that he was right once, but not again.

The Egyptians will not let Army or the Brotherhood destroy their dreams of freedom and democracy. Horowitz believes we should support the military as they are the ones who are going to check the Brotherhood from taking over... he is wrong, the people got rid of Mubarak, and now that Military is showing its arm, they are out on the street again.

Ahmedinejad is a maniac to keep challenging the world, so was Saddam Hussein who challenged that he will fight us out, but we took that country in a few hours, they had no powers. Iran is in the same boat. We should not punish the people of Iran for this one Maniac – they will get rid of him for his destructive talks.
………….. .

For Christ’s sake we are a democracy, not a dictatorship. People have the right to protest and that is part of our freedom. I am horrified with Horowitz’s words about expelling the students.

If he and I do not have job, we will be on streets protesting as well against the flawed system. Let people protest… and express their frustration… Horowitz thinks it is the hatred for the country – NO sir; it is the love of the country to protest and set it right. Had we protested before all those useless wars we would have saved our country. Occupy movements is an expression of frustrations over failures of the system… your ideas to expel them are not constructive – rather destructive… when the frustrations reaches peak, there will be more problems… let’s find solutions.

It is a shame that when people are losing jobs, the CEO is walking away with Millions – they earned it, but if the whole system collapses, they lose it too…

Sean and I disagree but we have learned to value each others opinion. That is democracy and pluralism – to respect the otherness of other.

More about me on Hannity show - http://www.hannity.com/guest/ghouse-mike/10804

There were 136 Entries in Google a day after the show, one was repeated several times;

What's Next For Egypt?
Mike Ghouse, CEO of America Together Foundation and David Horowitz stopped by to share their thoughts on the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. “Things in Egypt are coming down to the Muslim Brotherhood or worse,” began Hannity. “There are several radical Islamic groups in Egypt,” corrected Horowitz, “They’re the ones with the political power and those with Democratic elements don’t have the resources to compete.” Ghouse, slightly disagreeing, argued, “This is the first time in the history where colonialism is ending and ultimately the will of the people will lead to stability in the region.” “There is only one way to get rid of the insecurity in the area,” fought Hannity, “There’s one country that needs to be stopped and that country is Iran.” There is a brewing battle going on with Iran and while Washington continues to jeopardize our defenses with over spending and poor fiscal d iscipline, only our votes in 2012 can help to alleviate the tension and strengthen our position in the world.




Mike Ghouse is committed to building a cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. His work is at www.MikeGhouse.net

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

The essence of thanksgiving

The bigger part of thanksgiving is sharing and caring. It is a day to express friendship and kindness to those who are struggling with the difficulties of life. It ought to bring out the best in us for others.
Why should we do that?
The Native Americans believe that the world is one large family, inter-connected and inter-dependent web of life, where each one of us is a strand, what affects one, affects the other. It behooves us to care for each other for the web to remain intact. Indeed, Hinduism titles this beautifully, “Vasudaiva Kutumbukum” – the whole world is one family.

Jesus said; do unto others as you would want others to do for you, he reached out to the ones who were abandoned by the society; he embraced the whole humanity with his heart and soul. The Jewish tradition highlights Ve’ahavta la’ger; you must love the stranger for that guaranteed happiness. Prophet Muhammad said the least you can give to others is hope and a smile. The Sikh faith is indeed founded on the principle of caring for the humanity; the Jains and Baha'is believe our joy comes from taking care of others as the Wiccan believe we have to take care of what we see; mother earth and everything she nurtures. The Atheist morality is based on the logic of co-existence and they believe in thanking the unknown energy or the system that keeps us all going.

Life is a self-balancing act

Those who achieve balance in life are the happiest people.  Our happiness is directly dependent on fulfillment of our desires; lesser fulfillment yields greater discontentment. So, the enlightened Buddha says, fewer desires bring less sorrow!

It's just not you, ask Bill Gates, whom God has blessed, he would say not enough! Ask the Homeless; the answer is still the same, not enough. Who has enough then?

Walk the Middle path, said Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), just have enough desires that you can fulfill them, happiness stays with you. My mother used to say “don't stretch your feet beyond your sheet”, meaning stay within your means. Every faith and every family is enriched with such an advice.

For every good we receive, we have to offer our gratitude to the giver, absence of a simple thank you creates an imbalance in the relationship and the spiritual energy. A simple thank you will tie the loose ends and restores the balance.

For every hurt we hurl on others, an equal amount of energy is depleted from us, and until we say sorry and repent genuinely, the energy balance remains low and the transaction remains incomplete.

For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction; and as a spiritualist I believe that for every wrong we do, an equal amount of energy is drained down from us and for every good we do, energy is recouped.

Life is a continual act of balancing between pain and pleasure, and to lead a normal life we have to maintain that equilibrium. We are constantly receiving and giving energy, intake and output must be equal to have a healthy mindset, or else we are thrown off balance.

Thanksgiving is a day to pull ourselves together and tie the loose ends of life. Through the year we receive a lot of good from others in the form of words and actions, and many a times the transaction remains incomplete.  A mere thank you brings genuine relief and balance to the spirit.

The story of incredible gratitude

Let me share a story from my teen years. It was a Sunday ritual for me to sit and take care of the poor. A line of the needy people would pass in front of my house and being the oldest in the family, my Dad had assigned me the task of doling out the cash and food items to the individuals as they pass our door. I have seen lepers, people who cannot see, hear or talk, and certainly people with missing body parts.

I was fascinated by one such person, he did not have arms and limbs from the base of the body, and he was just the torso and the head. He wrapped his body with a Rubber tube (those days car tires were inlaid with an air tight rubber tube to hold the air) of a car tire, and would slide inch by inch on his back from door to door... his shoulder and rear part would move in tandem similar to a snake. He always made me think about life and hope. I was about 14 years old then and was hesitant to speak with him.

One day, I asked him what made him want to live. He did not have relatives, could not do anything, could
not have a family, could not have a place to live, and could not wear clothes....what made him want to live?

He took a deep breath and looked at me and said, “Son, I look forward to every morning to see the blue sky or see the rain and smell the earth, I smell and taste the good food people give me, I am thankful to God for giving me these eyes to see the beauty of his creation.. He was quite poetic.

Appaiah turned around and asked me instead “Isn’t there so much to thank the lord?” I was rendered speechless. Here is a man with nothing to hope for, yet he is not complaining, that is gratitude. Just that morning, I heard my Dad’s favorite verse from Qur’aan- 55:16 “Then which of the favors of your Lord will ye deny? To this day, if I am down, I to go to the scriptures, I have found solace in opening Bhagvad Gita, Bible, Dale Carnegie’s book, the book of Mormon or Kitáb-i-Aqdas or simply read Sura Rahman, chapter 55 in Qur’aan, to uplift my spirits. We have to be grateful for whatever we have and express it to the unknown giver, a true thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving

Please carry a small piece of paper with you anywhere you go, and whenever you find a quiet moment, make a list of all the people you want to thank, you will find a sense of relief in it. Even if you don’t call everyone on the list, you have already said your thanks by thinking about the individual. The tension of the action (good done to you) is released with your re-action of thinking about them or writing their name down and possibly calling them.

Ponder over all the good things people have done to you, the good words they have said to you. Even if you don’t like some of them now, separate the good they have done and say thanks for it. Reign in on your ego and see the victory you feel within you.

I thank every soul for contributing to my positive energy.  

When you step out of your home today and run into someone who is down, be kind to him or her. Prophet Muhammad was once asked if you don’t have anything to give in charity, what can you give? He said a genuine smile is the most beautiful thing you can give.  See the difference you make in their life, and your own. That is the least amount of charity you can do

I further express my gratitude to our men and women who are doing their duty to protect our freedom.  

Happy Thanksgiving
God Bless America

Mike Ghouse is committed to building a cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. His work is indexed at www.MikeGhouse.net

-------- copied 3/20/12
Shamim Sadiq wrote on her fb
Be inspired, and inspire others. 

Peng Shuilin had half of his body amputated after being run over by a truck. Surgeons sewed up his torso.
Peng Shuilin, 37, spent nearly two years in hospital in Shenzhen, southern China, undergoing a series of operations to re-route nearly 
every major organ or system inside his body.

Peng kept exercising his arms, building up strength, washing his face and 
brushing his teeth.

He survived against all odds.

Now Peng Shulin has astounded doctors by learning to walk again after a decade.
But he never gave up! His recovery has amazed surgeons after almost two years undergoing a series of operations. The vice-president of the hospital where this 37-year old Chinese man has been treated said: “He is amazing and the only person in the world to survive having so much of his body amputated.” He’s doing well now and has opened his own bargain supermarket - called the Half Man-Half Price Store. That’s incredible.

We should not Give up Whatever the situations are. If he can everybody can!

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=318807941512481&set=a.279616505431625.65613.279389268787682&type=1&theater picture saved in images

Story in the comments