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   

Rohini Salian we salute you, you are India’s new hero for justice.

ROHINI SALIAN, INDIA'S NEW HERO | www.TheGhousediary.com
http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2015/07/rohini-salian-we-salute-you-you-are.html

 A great country ensures her population enjoys a sense of security, where each person feels safe. Every now and then a few short-sighted men take short cuts to justice cutting themselves short, besides others in the process.  When things go astray, out of control, Lord Krishna had predicted, and to me it sounds like the law of nature, that someone from among us will appear and restore Dharma. These are men and women who see a big picture and not a selfish "me, me and me only.”  Here comes Rohini Salian, the woman we need to salute.

Courtesy Indian News - India's New Hero; Rohini Salian, standing up for Justice

Nothing in the universe is sustainable if it loses its balance, be it physical, metaphysical, social or spiritual. Balance is the other word for Justice, and becomes the solid foundation for any society to exist in harmony.

A healthy society can be defined by how well it functions together, where no member of the society has to live in apprehension, discomfort, or fear of the other.

India is no exception; it has gone thru much turmoil and imbalance in its history and deserves a nationwide reconciliation virus to eat out the bad breath and clean us all out.

In virtually all cases around the world, as in India, a few loud mouths from among the majority usurp the authority of the majority and speak as if the whole nation is speaking. The Majority cannot be senseless and devoid of justice, it is just that they do not have the courage to speak out against the bullies from among them.

Here comes one such hero in India; Rohini Salian, a public prosecutor in the Malegaon case, who has impacted the history of justice in India.

Here are the excerpts from the Editorial at Indian Express dated June 26, 2015;

"The Malegaon blast case of 2008 marked a sobering and cautionary moment, even a turning point, in terror investigations in the country. Till then, such cases invariably featured young Muslim men as accused, and even though convictions were rare and the wheels of the criminal justice system turned slowly and in tortuous ways, they confirmed the pattern - and also the stereotype - of terror being a crime perpetrated by those belonging to one religion. But the Malegaon probe - by Maharashtra's Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), led by Hemant Karkare, who was killed during 26/11 - pointed in a different direction. As first reported by this paper in October 2010, it led to alleged Hindu extremists based in Indore. A new phenomenon - some named it "Hindu terror" - seemed to be calling for serious attention and investigation. In asking for a resetting of the viewfinder, the Malegaon case also sent an important signal to the minority community and to all those with a stake in the rule of law in a diverse country. It was this: terror investigations would not be pre-determined by congealed prejudices; they would go where the evidence led them. "

What a relief! As Indians of all hues, we welcome the above editorial and the work of Rohini Salian; now take a look at the dirty politics rearing its ugly head again to destroy Justice and dharma in India.

Rohini Salian reveals this to the Indian Express in an interview that ever since "the new government came to power", she has been under pressure from the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which took over from the ATS, to go "soft" in the case, some disquieting questions have been resurrected.

I urge Mr. Modi to assertively say, "Justice is the corner stone of our Raj dharma" with the ultimate goal of all Indians to live cohesively without fear of one or the other. “I am not going to tolerate any such ugly influences in my government, Justice must prevail." Modi can do one more thing right; invite the media to investigate all such influences that leads us into adharma.

The Ball is in Modi's court now - does he want to remain quite or speak up with the God given tongue? Let it not be too late. 

No matter how ugly the truth is truth shall set us all free. We have to learn and to acknowledge and reflect upon the terrible things we have inflicted upon each other and have to commit to ourselves to resist the temptations to be prejudiced and stereotype others. We cannot demand peace unless we are peaceful ourselves.

There is a shameless cruelty in us, either we shy away from facing or refuse to acknowledge the sufferings of others, worrying that it will devalue our own or somehow it amounts to infidelity to our own cause. We cannot justify falsities, and arrogantly believing that the others are always trouble makers. This mind set has got to go.

Let me quote the wisdom of a Native American Chief, "All things are connected. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons of the earth. Man did not weave the web of life; he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the webs, he does it to himself."

Hate is one of the many sources of disrupting peaceful functioning of a society and it is our duty, both individually and collectively, to track down the source of such hate and mitigate it. Indeed, each one of us needs to do our share of work. This hate takes many avatars including anti-Semitism, anti-Minorityism, anti-polytheism, Islamophobia, anti-Idol Worshiping, anti-Atheism, racism, misogyny, homophobia, Islamophobia, anti-others, and other ailments of the society. Untreated, they will erupt in violent and hostile expressions like crusades, inquisitions, 9/11, terrorism by individuals, communal riots, Holocaust, genocides, and massacres.

When you lose the balance, it keeps losing it to the point of destruction of everyone, both the oppressors and the oppressed.

Our safety hinges on the safety of others around us, and it behooves us to work for the safety and security of others in India. I am proud of India and the conscience of her majority, if it were not for their sense of righteousness, India would have been in a worse shape and I am proud of our Media, fulfilling their role in ensuring that the Dharma prevails at the end. I applaud the Indian Media.

Satyameva Jayate.

Mike is a speaker, thinker, writer, pluralist, TV-Radio commentator and a human rights activist committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. His info in 63 links at MikeGhouse.net and writings at TheGhouseDiary.com 

Does Islam need a Reform or we just need new interpreters?

Published at www.WorldMuslimCongress.com

International Conference   
"Intellectual Crises of the Muslim Ummah: Rethinking Traditional Solutions"
Aligarh Muslim University, April 6-7, 2015
PAPER PRESENTATION
by Mike Ghouse

Does Islam need a Reform or we just need new interpreters?

Reform is one of the most detested words among Muslims. On the one hand the academics see the corrupted versions of Islamic interpretations and rightfully want to fix it, whereas, the firebrand religious leaders take it as an attack on their tradition and willing to shed the blood to defend it. 

Click on the image for larger image

And how do we bring the change? The key is communicating the intent (niyya) and a need to understand the issue without pulling the rug from underneath their feet. 

Justice is one word in Islam that wraps balance, harmony, fairness, mercy and equity together for the society to function cohesively, where no one has live in fear of the other but God. Without it, things will degenerate into a dysfunctional society.

In the last decade the pristine Islam we knew has been mangled up, and it is our duty to restore it. 

Sharia is central to all this, which was designed to offer complete guidance to personal and public behavior of a Muslim, and justice to humanity. However, due to human management Justice was not served. 

We have identified a few problems in “applications” of the Sharia laws that undermine the principles of justice in dealing with apostasy, blasphemy, rape, divorce, dhimmi, separation, marriage, child custody, and inheritance, interfaith and other issues.

We need to fix the laws  without it a large swatch of population becomes rudderless. In the Indian context, we may want to go with UCC as it’s’ intent is Justice and is enforceable.

Mike Ghouse, World Muslim Congress, Dallas | Washington (214) 325-1916 |SpeakerMikeGhouse@gmail.com
...............................................................................................................................
Mike Ghouse is a public speaker, thinker, writer and a commentator onPluralism, Islam, India, Israel-Palestine, Politics and other issues of the day. He is a human rights activist, and his book standing up for others will be out soon | He is producing a full feature film ” Sacred” to be released on 9/11 and a documentary “Americans together” for a July 4 release.  He is a frequent guest commentator on Fox News and syndicated Talk Radio shows and a writer at major news papers including Dallas Morning News and Huffington Post. All about him is listed in 63 links at www.MikeGhouse.net and his writings are at www.TheGhousediary.com – Mike is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day.

Is United Islam Possible? International Conference at Aligarh Muslim University, India

Published at: www.WorldMuslimCongress.com

International Conference   
"Intellectual Crises of the Muslim Ummah: Rethinking Traditional Solutions"
Aligarh Muslim University, April 6-7, 2015

ABSTRACT OF PRESENTATION
by Mike Ghouse

II. Is United Islam Possible?

United Islam is not a reality, nor do Muslims have an appetite for it.  Given the unwillingness to acknowledge the otherness of others, a deep chasm has developed and pushed the denominational plates too far apart. However, we should pursue alternatives and strengthen ad hoc federations as a part of existential needs. One Islam is a pipe dream.

Human division is purely based on the God given uniqueness to each one of us. Quran advises in 49:13, “you have been created into many tribes, communities and nations from a single couple” and in another place it tells us that “had God willed, he would have created all of us alike.”

So, what is the alternative to a united Muslim community?  God knows that our uniqueness generates conflict, and as we continue to seek security for our space, fight for sustenance and defend our nurturance, he offers the solution; the best ones amongst you are those who know each other. Accepting diversity is very Islamic and that is the guidance found in Quran.

Prophet Muhammad understood that Islam is a reflection of human nature, and said that his followers will divide themselves up into 72/73 tribes – an elusive number to indicate many. Indeed that is story of all religions.

Everything God has said in Quran is demonstrated by the actions of the prophet. When we become Amins and respect the otherness of others and accept the God given uniqueness to each one of us then conflicts fade and solutions emerge.



Mike Ghouse, World Muslim Congress, Dallas | Washington (214) 325-1916 |SpeakerMikeGhouse@gmail.com
...............................................................................................................................
Mike Ghouse is a public speaker, thinker, writer and a commentator onPluralism, Islam, India, Israel-Palestine, Politics and other issues of the day. He is a human rights activist, and his book standing up for others will be out soon | He is producing a full feature film ” Sacred” to be released on 9/11 and a documentary “Americans together” for a July 4 release.  He is a frequent guest commentator on Fox News and syndicated Talk Radio shows and a writer at major news papers including Dallas Morning News and Huffington Post. All about him is listed in 63 links at www.MikeGhouse.net and his writings are at www.TheGhousediary.com – Mike is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day.

Can Muslims lead a conglomeration of faith communities? International Conference at Aligarh Muslim University

Published at www.WorldMuslimCongress.com

International Conference   
"Intellectual Crises of the Muslim Ummah: Rethinking Traditional Solutions"
Aligarh Muslim University, April 6-7, 2015

ABSTRACT OF PRESENTAION
by Mike Ghouse

Can Muslims lead a conglomeration of faith communities?  Implications of Kalmae siwa

Muslims can lead a willing conglomeration of faith communities if they start believing in being Mukhlooqul Aalameen, representing the interests of all humanity.  It is an extension of their belief in God as Rabbul Aalameen and prophet as Rahmatul Aalameen.

Was Islam ever meant to be a religion for Muslims? Indeed the message of Islam was for those who submitted to the idea of oneness of humanity, universe and its creator, and further believed in accountability of their actions in preserving the harmony of the universe.

God has set himself up as a God of universe - the very first verse in the first and last chapters of Quran declares “Rabbul Aalameen” and “God of humanity” and throughout the Quran the theme is the same.

Quran is not for Muslims, and by making it exclusively ours, we are reducing God to be our property and denying him to others and thus creating a Muslim specific God, as if others have their own.

Implications of 3:64and 3:85God is advising to be truthful, state your belief and acknowledge the otherness of other's belief (109.6) , but come to common terms and figure out how to work together. The best ones among you are the ones who learn about each other. Knowledge leads to understanding and understanding to acceptance and appreciation of another point of view. 

We have an obligation to lead the world in creating cohesive societies where no one has to live in apprehension or fear of the other.

Mike Ghouse, World Muslim Congress, Dallas | Washington (214) 325-1916 |SpeakerMikeGhouse@gmail.com
...............................................................................................................................
Mike Ghouse is a public speaker, thinker, writer and a commentator on Pluralism,Islam, India, Israel-Palestine, Politics and other issues of the day. He is a human rights activist, and his book standing up for others will be out soon | He is producing a full feature film ” Sacred” to be released on 9/11 and a documentary “Americans together” for a July 4 release.  He is a frequent guest commentator on Fox News and syndicated Talk Radio shows and a writer at major news papers including Dallas Morning News and Huffington Post. All about him is listed in 63 links at www.MikeGhouse.net and his writings are at www.TheGhousediary.com – Mike is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day.

Ramadan's Pluralism Message

Ramadan’s Pluralism Message | Intrafaith and Interfaith goal

By the end of 2020, there will not be a major city in America, and perhaps in the world, where you will not find people of different faiths, cultures, ethnicities, races, nationalities and social backgrounds working, eating, praying, playing, marrying, and doing things together.  This is bound to create conflicts, and thus we need to prepare ourselves to deal with such eventualities.

The guidance can be found in every religious tradition; all of them were committed to creating cohesive societies where no one had to live in apprehension or fear of the other.  

I am pleased to reiterate the Islamic tradition in this essay.  

Quran 49:13 says that God has created us into different tribes, communities and nations. It was indeed his choice to create each one of us to be unique with our own thumbprint, eye print, DNA, color and taste buds. Yet, the whole creation was put together in perfect balance and harmony (55:7); Planets and plants were programmed to operate with precision (Q55:5) year after year, and humans were given a free will with the responsibility to maintain that balance for their own good or perish like the earlier species through climate changes or conflicts.

 

That brings us to Pluralism which is defined as, “respecting the otherness of the others and accepting the (God-given) uniqueness of each one of us.”  You are who you are, and I am who I am. Q109:6 (Y. Ali), “To you be your Way, and to me mine.”  Your faith is dear to you as mine is to me,  together, we have to live and work on maintaining that harmony for our good and for the creator’s joy. God’s religion is peace.

God knew such diversity is bound to create conflict and mess up the delicate balance, so he encourages us in the same verse 49:13, that the best among you are the ones who know each other. Indeed, knowledge leads to understanding and understanding to acceptance and appreciation of the God given uniqueness of each one of us, and with that conflicts fade and solutions emerge.

Pluralism is not a regulatory system like Secularism, or theocratic governance, but  your choice to have good manners, and  a good attitude towards fellow being as guided by Quran, the Prophet and common sense.

My focus of this essay is application of God’s recommendation “to know each other” within the fold of Islam and with members of diverse family of faiths.

Within the fold of Islam

A majority of us are saddened with the day to day events in the Muslim world, calling each other infidels and killing the other in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Pakistan and elsewhere.  Quran says killing one person is like killing the whole humanity.  You are not to kill a single soul unless it is in self defense. We talk about unity, and spew so much hate for the other in the same breath; it needs to go as God wants peace.

I am appealing to those Muslims who have the integrity to match their words with their actions, and pray for the integrity of others who lack it.

During this Ramadan, please make an effort to do your Iftaar (breaking fast) in every mosque, particularly in the Shia, Sunni, Ahmadiyya and WD Muhammad or at least seek God’s guidance to remove hate and bias from our hearts for each other.  Invite each other, not to discuss differences but to know each other to learn to respect the otherness of others, and accept each other, so that conflicts fade and solutions emerge.

 Take some fruits and dates if you have a few dollars or just go there and let the Imam or the volunteers know that you are from a different tradition and making a sincere effort to be part of the larger community in every which way you can. 

Over the last four years, I have been to every mosque of every denomination in the United States, except the Nation of Islam, and the Progressive Muslims. Insha Allah, I intend to make the trip to Washington DC or New York.  I have chronicled the uniqueness of each tradition with full respect at RamadanDaily.com.

When you visit your friend’s house, you don’t criticize how they have arranged their furniture; in fact you may reluctantly praise it, but never put it down.  You don’t dare criticize how their kids keep their rooms, eat, wear or talk.  For God’s sake go to other Mosques with the same attitude, the attitude of pluralism. 

This year, we have 4 Fridays in Ramadan; make an effort to attend at least four major denominations on each Friday.

Dealing with fellow members of diverse family of faiths;

 
Prophet Muhammad was called Amin, the trustworthy, truthful, just and around whom people felt secure. We need to be Amins of the society.  We need to have comfortable working relationships with everyone from Atheists to Baha’i, Buddhist, Christians, Hindus, Jains, Jewish, Native Americans, Pagans, Sikh, Wiccan, Zoroastrians and every one in between including fellow Muslims of different denominations. We should not be dumbfounded when it comes to the right knowledge about others, preferably as they express it and not what is dished out to us about them. We ought to take pride in knowing all of God’s creation expressed in different faiths and traditions.    

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) life is a bold example to live civility, openness and with confidence.  He had offered a space in his Mosque for the visiting Christians of Najran to pray after the interfaith dialogue.  Had they prayed, they would have called on Jesus as son of God and Prophet would not have objected it. The greater value he taught was to respect the otherness of others. Remember he also had his signature revised in Hudaybiyyah treaty – From Muhammad (pbuh) Rasool Allah to Muhammad (pbuh) bin Abdullah.  It was to respect the otherness of others.  Let’s follow him and build friendships with people of faiths or no faiths, and become Amins of the Society.

Together as Muslims, let’s make the world a safe and secure place for every one of God’s 7 billion to live cohesively.  Let’s not blame others, but do our share of good in our own Masjids, neighborhoods, communities and towns on a smaller level.  This is our home.

Please study: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/american-muslim-agenda-a-_b_5528706.html 

Additional Reading:

Politics of Ramadan - http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/guestvoices/2010/08/the_essence_of_ramadan_is_to_become_humble.html

Spirit of Ramadan
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/spirit-of-ramadan_b_939961.html

Ramadan Traditions
http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2010/09/traditions-of-ramadan.html

Sahri at Masjid Al-Aqsa
https://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeghouse/sets/72157624809154378/

American Muslim Agenda
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/american-muslim-agenda-a-_b_5528706.html

Ramadan Cohesion -
http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2011/07/ramadan-cohesion-2011.html

Mike Ghouse is a speaker, author and thinker, and heads the World Muslim Congress, a think tank committed to nurturing the pluralistic values of Islam, as well as the Foundation for Pluralism, educating about Pluralism.  | More about Ramadan at  www.RamadanExclusive.com

Muslim Speaker Mike Ghouse, Muhammad (pbuh) the peace maker

 

 

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

 

Muslim speaker Mike Ghouse- Islam is Pluralism

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