A personal note about my work in Washington

What am I doing in Washington

I am requesting your generous feedback.  Here is an effort to write the shortest possible note, and yet say most of it, please let me know if I did it.

Pursuing our dreams and realizing them in our life time is the biggest achievement in one’s life. The dream comes in two parts and most of us have achieved the first part; i.e., taking care of ourselves and our families to the best of our abilities.   America has been a great catalyst in achieving our dreams, thank you America!

The second part is what most of us are hunkering for, and at times it is not clear where we should place our priorities or what legacy we want to leave behind us. Bill Gates had the best advice – do it while you are alive and relish the good, instead of letting it happen on its own when we are gone abruptly.  We all struggle to make our life purposeful and that is good. You can join us in that direction.

My friend Ambassador Islam Siddiqui and I were walking from our office to the congressional building for a meeting. On our left were Supreme Court and the Library of Congress, and on the right was the Capitol Hill.  We were talking about the founding fathers and their vision that has carried this nation this far, what a vision they had, and how utterly unselfish were they!  We are all the beneficiaries of the systems and structures they left behind.  You and I wouldn’t be here had it not been for their immortal declaration of independence that all men are created equal.

That vision has been raining on me like blessings from Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).  His wisdom could not be clearer; he said a good deed is something you do for others. God repeatedly asserts (Quran) that if you take care of his creation; i.e., your fellow beings, your rewards are with him.  Thanks to the prophet for elaborating on it, he explained, a good deed is like planting a tree knowing full well that the beneficiaries of the shade and fruit from the ( future) tree are not us.

Our own internal reward is the “worthy feeling” we will earn by making the world a better place for everyone. A sense of security and a sense of feeling home are the greatest values we can give to fellow humans, that is one of the most primal needs of humanity.  

On my part, as you may have witnessed over the last 20 years, I have dedicated myself to that purpose, and leave the results to the will of Allah. Now, several Muslims under the leadership of Ambassador Islam Siddiqui have come together to bring about a positive clearly defined and measurable changes.

I am tasked with the responsibility to change the perceptions about Muslims, right now a majority of Americans do not see Muslims favorably, and we hope to gradually turn that around.  We are determined to change perceptions about Muslims. In a few years Muslims will not be an open season to politicians to heap insults, those who resort to it will meet the same fate as they would if they hurl it on Jewish and African Americans. Our goal is simply to be treated equally in all aspect of life. Period.

Our goal is to build a cohesive America where none of us have to live with apprehension, tension, suspicion or fear of the other. It is the land of the free and the brave. We hope to earn our dignified social, political and religious space in the U.S and cherish it with fellow Americans.

A press release follows with the announcement of the organization and an invitation will be sent to you for the launch of the organization. 

 If you visit www.AmericanMuslimInstitution.com  and register your email address on the top right box, you will automatically get all the updates and invitation.  

If this makes sense to you, please join us in advancing the work.

My writings will continue at Huffington Post, Dallas Morning News and other Newspapers and will continue as a commentator on Fox and other TV networks - all of them will be at www.TheGhousediary.com.

Thank you.

Mike Ghouse
Executive Director,
American Muslim Institution
Washington, DC

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American Muslims launch an organization in Washington DC

Washington D.C., August 5, 2015 - "American Muslims of the Washington, DC area are pleased to announce the formation of a nonprofit organization to provide reliable information and advice to public and policy makers on Islam and Muslims. We need constructive solutions to current and emerging problems emanating from wrong perceptions and misinformation about Islam and Muslims in America." said Dr. Islam Siddiqui, President of the newly formed American Muslim Institution.

Our Mission is to work for a world of co-existence through inclusiveness and participation. As a member of diverse family of faiths, our efforts will be directed towards justice and equality to attain peace for Americans with a firm grounding in commonly held values.

We are committed to be a proactive voice for American Muslims and promote a positive image of Muslims through dialogue and understanding.

  

The sponsors of the organization are deeply committed to the peace, security and prosperity of the United States of America. The organization in its nascent stages has just begun the process of gathering some of the brightest minds from academia, public intellectuals, activists and futurists to find pluralistic and positive solutions to the problems facing the country and wrongly attributed to Islam. Indeed, this organization will be a reliable source of information and advice in dealing with the issues facing the homeland. 

"We will continue to make concerted efforts to increase our participation in the civil society and earn our trusted social, political and religious space in the U.S."Mike Ghouse, the Executive Director of American Muslim Institution added.

Ambassador Islam Siddiqui is a former U.S. Under Secretary of Agriculture and Chief Agricultural Negotiator, and was the highest ranking American Muslim in the United States Government under the Clinton and Obama Administrations.

Mike Ghouse is a public speaker, thinker, writer and a TV-Radio commentator on Pluralism, Islam, and Politics and is a human rights activist committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day.

Both Dr. Siddiqui and Mr. Ghouse can be reached at the above mentioned numbers to discuss the vision and mission of the American Muslim Institution.

Details of the official launch will be announced in the next few weeks. 

Contacts:

• Islam Siddiqui (202) 725-7409 | Islam@AmericanMuslimInstitution.org
• Mike Ghouse (214) 325-1916 | Mike@AmericanMuslimInstitution.org