Condemning the silence of Muslim Majority in Pakistan

Condemning the silence of Muslim Majority in Pakistan

.......... On the other hand, if you ever feel that the “other minority” community deserves to be persecuted, or “they asked for it” then you have a problem! You need help, please ask God to drain the solid waste from your system, it is dangerous for you, and you are your own enemy with that load of crap in you. Continued: http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2013/01/condemning-silence-of-muslims-in.html

The majoritarian attitudes are the root cause of much of the evil in the world; Pakistan is no exception, indeed, the problem is exemplified with the silence by the government of Pakistan, I cannot believe a Government cannot reign in on extremists and bring law and order to the nation.

First they came for Ahmadiyya,
I remained silent because I am not an Ahmadi;

then they came after Hindu women,
it did not matter to me, I am neither a Hindu nor a woman;

They did not spare the Christians,
they lied and framed the blasphemy charges,

they turned towards the Shia,
singling out and murdering them in the public;

the evil men are coming after me, a mini-Sunni*
where the hell are my fellow Muslims?

The only way things will change is if all of us, each one of us, speaks up against injustice and killing of fellow beings, no matter who it is.


The least you can do is condemn all such acts in your daily conversations, nothing more.  Where ever you get a chance express yourselves, there is an energy that builds from there….

On the other hand, if you feel that the “other” community deserves to be persecuted, or “they asked for it” then you have a problem! You need help, please ask God to drain the sewer from your heart, it is dangerous for you, and you are your own enemy with that load of crap in you.


As a Sunni Muslim, I am embarrassed at these evil men, not only for harming fellow beings but also for maligning a religion that we consider to be a Rahmat (mercy) to mankind, these men are making liars out of us. I condemn the silence of the Majority in Pakistan.  I hope every one of you feels the energy to condemn this in your daily conversations and pray for peace and sanity, in the tradition of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).  Thank you.

Muslims Together dreaming of building a cohesive world.

Mike Ghouse
www.WorldMuslimCongress.com

* Mini-Sunni to denote the factions within Sunni who declare each other in less than kind words. Shame on all of them!

Ghouse on Sean Hannity - what is democracy

 
Mike Ghouse and George Birnbaum, former Chief of Staff to Bibi Netanyahu, joined Sean to discuss the situations in Libya. “Mike, you’ve said that we just need to give more time to the Muslim brotherhood and other radical islamist groups,” began Hannity, “Why do we want to give them more time.” “The bully in us wants to bomb everyone,” offered Ghouse, “But we have to look at the outcome of that and that is that it would create more violence.” “What bothered me is that we’re calling all these movements, Democracy movements,” offered Birnbaum, “The American Revolution wasn’t a Democracy movement, it was a freedom movement and what we’re seeing now isn’t a Democracy movement, it’s just a power grab.” As the race for the White House continues on toward November, it’s going to be critically important to follow these foreign policy stories because they’ll dictate t he future of America and her allies for decades to come.

http://www.hannity.com/show/2012/09/13

Mike Ghouse is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. He is a professional speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, civic affairs, Islam, India, Israel, peace and justice. Mike is a frequent guest onSean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News and regularly atHuffington post, and several other periodicals across the world. The blogwww.TheGhousediary.com is updated daily.

Texas Faith – Evangelicals ganging up on Romney?

Texas Faith – Evangelicals coalescing behind a candidate?
http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/texas-faith/

If you were invited to join other religious leaders in coalescing behind a candidate, would you attend? If your answer is yes, please explain why.

Twelve Texas Faith panelists respond to the question in Dallas Morning News, here is my response:
 

MIKE GHOUSE, President, Foundation for Pluralism, Dallas

Yes, I would attend.

If they are considering endorsing a candidate for the presidency of the United States and possibly inviting me, it becomes my responsibility to attend and be a part of the decision making in agreeing with them or asserting a nay, regardless of the outcome.

To disengage ourselves from people we don’t agree with is to give them a tacit approval to go ahead with their plans; by refusing to attend we are giving them a reason to dig in their heels.

Can the Pastor of a Church publicly endorse a candidate without influencing or dividing his or her congregation? Is that a fine line that blurs the separation of Church and state?

The wise men have said it all along, bad things happen in the society not (exclusively) because of bad people, but because good people do nothing about it. I do not want to abdicate my responsibility of speaking up.

No American needs to beg for approval if he or she is qualified, I may or may not vote for Romney but I will stand up for his right to contest and the right to serve our nation. The qualifications and abilities of the candidate should matter to us and not his faith.

The evangelicals rightfully condemn the persecution of Christians in Egypt, Indonesia, Pakistan, Israel, China, India, Sudan and elsewhere, and as Americans we have rightfully condemned all of that plus the persecution of Baha’is, Zoroastrians, Jews, Hindus, Wicca, Sikhs, Buddhists, Pagans, Ahmadiyya, Shia and other Muslims in other parts of the world.

Should we not be ashamed of our duplicity towards Mormons, Muslims and Gay communities in America? What message are we sending to the bigoted nations out there? Do more of what they do? Are we worth emulating?

To push Romney aside for his faith is Anti-American, bigoted and unpatriotic, at least that seems to be the intention of the six individuals gathering up.

We need to be a part of the society and not let a whimsical few run our nation. Indeed, I will attend and speak up for a cohesive America where no American has to live in discomfort, apprehension or fear of the other. Wasn’t that what Jesus wanted? Isn’t that what Americans want?

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Mike Ghouse is committed to building a cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. A writer, thinker and a speaker and is available to speak on pluralism, politics, Islam, peace, cohesive societies and a variety of topics. Check out 4 websites and 27 Blogs indexed at www.MikeGhouse.net. Current articles at www.TheGhousediary.com  

Mahatma Gandhi and You on his birthday

Ask yourselves every day – do my words and actions bring solutions?  If they do, then you deserve to be congratulated, if they don’t, would you like to make a sincere effort? 
There is an immeasurable joy in doing good to fellow beings with no gains to be had. Try it; you will start enjoying the life.

Mahatma Gandhi could have led the life of luxury, he was a lawyer educated in England and worked for a big firm and had all the resources available to him, yet he chose to lead a simple life.  He realized early on that none of the wealth goes with you; it is simply your duty to do good. Think about it, indeed, it is the good we do that brings relief, salvation, mukti, moksha, nijaat and nirvana to our own self.

In Hinduism, there is a great aspiration for one – to become Brahma, simply meaning to become a part of the whole and not have barriers between you and the other. It is a formula for building cohesive conflict-less society.  A similar call is made by all religious teachings including Islam and Christianity.

Pictures - http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeghouse/sets/72157627813362862/show/

The first step in embracing the humanity was to strip one’s ego and become a simple human where the masses can relate with you.  He chose the simplest form of clothing and earned the friendship of the Indians at large.  Didn’t all the spiritual masters live a simple life?

It is this aspect of “relating” with people and his compelling ideas that became a source of inspiration to Martin Luther King, Jr., Nelson Mandela and several other great souls who successfully brought a change through the strength to peace to the world at large.

Mahatma Gandhi is one of the five humans on the planet who has impacted my life profoundly. He was a messenger of peace; his language nourished reconciliation, and his actions encouraged co-existence. Whether it is the conflict between Hindus or Muslims or with the British Raj, his words mitigated conflicts and directed one's thoughts and actions towards solutions. Throughout the year, I reflect on his work and most certainly on his birthday and on his death anniversary, I write a note about him as my tribute to the great soul, the Mahatma.  

He was one of the most powerful leaders we have had in the last two centuries. He did not want anything for himself, nor did he want to control anything or lead any one. All he wanted to do was create a society of mutual respect and co-existence. Everyone always wonders how did he get to make people listen to his message of non-violence? The answer is simple; People knew, he gained nothing from what he does, but instead they gained from his effort. Indeed, those who are un-selfish have invincible moral strength.

Nothing frightens them or cows them down. You will find the same commitment and moral strength in Moses, Jesus, Krishna, Rama, Buddha, Zoroaster, Mahavira, Confucius, Nanak, Baha'u'llah, Mother Teresa and so many other great souls. Muhammad is my other mentor who had all the power on the earth during his life time but lived a simple life, and told his own daughter that she ain't going to get a free pass to God, she has to earn it by doing good deeds, i.e., doing things for other's good. Every one of the above teacher's strength lie in one simple thing: Their sense of justice was strong as a mountain and they were absolutely un-selfish.

Mahatma Gandhi's non-Violence movement is a model that will last for centuries to come. Every great teacher listed above has taught the same message over and over again. The idea is that there is a balance of energy in every human, doing bad things deflates that energy and doing good things recoups it. You may have experienced the elated feeling of having a great day, when you helped someone in dire need.

Non-Violence is a belief that the tyrant is blessed with the same energy, but is not aware of it and we have to help him realize it after enduring the suffering. Fighting out may bear the result for short run, but in the long run, the fighting and the avenging continues. Whereas the non-violence method of achieving the objective is sustainable, justice ultimately brings lasting peace, and non-violence sustains it, violence disturbs the balance.

I have a special connection with the Mahatma, and am making this disclosure for the 3^rd time in public. I have met the Mahatma twice in my dreams; first time was way back in 1971 when the Mahatma, the Vice Chancellor of Bangalore University Dr. Narsimaiah and I were talking over a meal and he gave a pat on my back and told me that I have a lot of work to do. Then again in 2005, I saw him smiling at me encouraging me to continue with the work of Pluralism.

My message on this day is watch what you say; does it aggravate the ongoing dialogue and cause the opposing parties dig in? Or does it propel people to work towards solutions. You can apply this formula at your work, home or any situation and see the difference. Be a winner, by making the others a winner too.

Mahatma Gandhi probably would have endorsed my view that, if we can learn to accept and respect the God given uniqueness to each one of seven billion of us, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge. That is the mission of the foundation for pluralism.

Today, October 2nd is Mahatma's birthday, may this day make our leaders think, and believe that there is a greater joy in creating peace.  Ask yourselves every day – do my words and action bring solutions? There is an immeasurable joy in doing good, good for others with nothing to gain. Try it; you will start enjoying the life.

If you have a few spare minutes, watch this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pzkSOulo0Q&feature=player_embedded#! 

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

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Please join me on the facebook by clicking www.facebook.com/speakermikeghouse and clicking " L I K E" next to words “Speaker Mike Ghouse” and we become friends. My facebook page has reached the limit of 5000 friends, and my 2^nd page has gone over 1000. My friends suggested me to open this new page with no limits.  www.facebook.com/speakermikeghouse

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Below is the text pulled from different sources

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi who was born on October 2, 1869, died as the Mahatma on January 30, 1948. The man who came to be regarded as the symbol of independent India was greatly revered by his own countrymen. Indians came to call him Mahatma or "the Great Soul." A large number of famous Gandhi quotes contain so much wisdom that they have gained immortality. These famous Gandhi quotes reveal the wisdom of this great man.

Gandhi, the pioneer of non-violence, believed in simplicity. His simple attire became a subject of great contemplation and ridicule in western nations. His compelling ideas braved death and continued to be a source of inspiration and emulation for great leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr., Cesar Chavez, and Nelson Mandela. Here are some famous words from Gandhi.

·         The power of tyrant depends on the willingness of people to obey; if people refuse to obey at whatever cost, the tyrant’s power is ended.

·         Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.

·         Whenever you are confronted with an opponent, conquer him with love.

·         A 'No' uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a 'Yes' merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble.

·         A coward is incapable of exhibiting love; it is the prerogative of the brave.

·         A religion that takes no account of practical affairs and does not help to solve them is no religion.

·         Adaptability is not imitation. It means power of resistance and assimilation.

·         Anger and intolerance are the twin enemies of correct understanding.

·         You can chain me, you can torture me, you can even destroy this body, but you will never imprison my mind.

·         Culture of the mind must be subservient to the heart.

·         It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our hearts, than to put on the cloak of nonviolence to cover impotence.

·         Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.

·         The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.

·         An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.

·         Hate the sin, love the sinner.

·         I want freedom for the full expression of my personality.

·         Victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat, for it is momentary.

·         Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.

·         Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.

·         Permanent good can never be the outcome of untruth and violence.

·         The name "Gandhi" is synonymous with peace and non-violence. His epic struggle to bring together the people of India in their search for sovereignty is unparalleled.

British Actress Inspired by Prophet Muhammad’s Life

Thanks to Hasni Essa for sharing this article with a great introduction, I read it and I really liked it. I can relate with Myriam Francois-Cerrah. The following note is written with the intention of a long term sustainable cohesive societies and I hope some of my Muslim and Christian friends get it and I know most of them do.

 

My story is similar in the sense I came to Islam for similar reasons that she did. As a Pluralist who respects all of God's creation and honors every which way one adores the creator, I found Quraan (Beware, there are two bad translations that the right wingers go by, rather than 23 good ones – details at www.Quraantoday.com ) to be a book of guidance in living with justice and fairness to every human being, where no one is afraid of the other, it was about creating peaceful societies and that is really what Islam is all about. Myriam has summed it up very well in her story and I am deeply inspired by Prophet Muhammad’s guidance and I urge individuals to find it on their own.

Religions indeed came into being to fix the dysfunctional societies, a majority of the people gets it and a few don't. Those who don't get it wear the same religious label but act entirely opposite of what their religion guides them. Neither Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Jews nor others act their religion out, they act their greed out. 

Rarely do I read conversion stories as I do not see the need for it, each religion is beautiful and serves the purpose of bringing tranquility and balance to the individual. The missionizing operations in Islam and Christianity are more interested in religionizing and branding the individuals rather than bringing tranquility and peace to them. Quraan was clear when it said, whether you are a Jew, Christian or other, you need not worry about God's grace, he will shower you with this blessings if you are good to his creation; people and the environment. Indeed, Prophet Muhammad fortified it by saying that if you marry a Jewish or a Christian woman, you don't need to convert. Those are powerful statements from a Pluralism point of view. Prophet Muhammad and Jesus (and all the messengers) offered models of living that will serve the individuals and the humanity, their models were so good that people would want to emulate them and that was the right approach, it was about free will.

However, if one is not satisfied with the given set of beliefs be it Muslim, Christian, Jew, Hindu or the other, she or he must explore and find what works and go for it. It is a shame that a few states in my India place restrictions on one's choices. No one should dictate what one eats, drinks, breathes, wears or believes.  

I get a lot of calls from people asking me about Islam, and I always tell them to take time to learn their own beautiful faith and not jump, despite that about nine have converted in the last year. At least 3 are Mormon girls and one an Atheist, Hindu and others.  I want to share an interesting sentence I heard a few weeks ago in my sermon on Pluralism – he asked if there is a way for him to follow Islam without being associated with Muslims? Most likely the few Muslims he met may have invited him to become a Muslim brand based on belief rather than what the belief will do to him; bring tranquility and peace.  Miryam has alluded to it, “I did not immediately identify with the Muslim community. I found many things odd and many attitudes perplexing. The attention given to the outward over the inward continues to trouble me deeply.” Indeed, a few visible Muslims have subdued the significance of the inward attainment and reduced the religion to external manifestations.

Let religion be a solution to your peaceful existence and not a brand.

 

Mike Ghouse is committed to building cohesive societies and is available to speak on the topic of Pluralism, Islam, India and Just societies. Details at www.MikeGhouse.net

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British Actress Inspired by Prophet's (peace be upon him) Life
Myriam Francois-Cerrah Embraces Islam

http://www.onislam.net/english/reading-islam/my-journey-to-islam/contemporary-stories/452274-british-actress-inspired-by-prophets-life.html

KRLD RADIO – MIKE GHOUSE ON RICK PERRY’S SINCERITY

Scott Braddock of CBS news interviewed me on the air this morning about Governor Perry’s initiative about prayers.
Mr. Perry has called in 50 governors to his prayer fest; it amounts to inviting every one of the 301 million Americans. He is not sincere, he is appeasing his voter base, the evangelicals and no one but Evangelicals will be allowed to pray, may be a few token Methodist, Presbyterians and others.  

If Perry is sincere, he would call this “exclusive evangelical enclave” and just do it. No one will object to it.  There is no need to pose it as national prayer day or invite the 50 governors. Who is he duping? Do we need a guy like this to run our country? 

If he is sincere about America, I expect him to meet with every individual or groups regardless of their affiliations; Klansmen, Wicca, Hindu, Muslims, Atheists, GLBT, Native Americans, Evangelicals or Mormons. He needs to meet with them and listen to them. If they ask him to visit their community center or place of worship, he should do so without being labeled. He represents every American without having to agree with their interests. He should communicate his stand clearly. 

On the top of this he is mixing politics with religion. America stands out in the world for keeping the Church and State separate and that is the reason we have had such a great governance of the people for the people. Let religion remain in people’s hearts and state run the civic affairs.  We cannot let America fall to the bottom with such mixing.  

If you are a Baptist, Catholic, Mormon or a Methodist out there speaking up for your rights, it is precisely because of the separation of church and state that you have a voice.  If our founding fathers had not done that, you would have had no say. Let’s not mess with what is sacred to our land; separation of Church and State. And I am glad an organization is suing Perry to prevent ruining our nation. Even if you are an evangelical it is in your long time interest to do the right thing.  The world is a better place today because of our model of governance, there is a lot more we need to do, rather than regress.  

Stand opposed to ruining America; let the Church and State remain separate. 

1.   Perry has to prove he is sincere
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/perry-has-to-prove-his-si_b_874392.html

2.   TEXAS FAITH: Are Perry and Obama responsible for the religious company they keep?
http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2011/07/texas-faith-are-perry-and-obama.html

3.   Rick Perry for President? http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2011/07/rick-perry-for-president.html

4.   Bigotry of the right wingers
http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2011/06/bigotry-of-newt-gingrich-herman-cain.html

5.   TEXAS FAITH: Is Rick Perry's "Day of Prayer and Fasting" about religion or politics? http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/06/is-rick-perrys-day-of-prayer-a.html

Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker, writer and a frequent guest on Hannity show and nationally syndicated Radio shows and Dallas TV, Radio and Print Media. He presides America Together Foundation and is committed to building a cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day.

Over 1000 articles have been published on Pluralism, Interfaith, Islam, India and cohesive societies. Two of his books are poised to be released this fall on Pluralism and Islam. He is available to speak at your place of worship, work, school, college, seminars or conferences. His work is encapsulated in 27 blogs, four websites and several forums indexed at http://www.mikeghouse.net/

Urdu | Memorial Day

The following video documentary on Handwritten Urdu Newspaper in Chennai is simply mesmerizing! The only handwritten Newspaper in the world! And today is Memorial day, a day dedicated to honor the loved ones who are no more.  I am dedicating this write up to Najma, my late wife on this Memorial Day.

I love writing Urdu and there is not a day that I don't scribble something or the other in Urdu. It was a good feeling to see this down-to-the-earth documentary. It was a pleasure to hear about the prevalent secular ethos in that news paper office.

In the early sixties we had three Urdu Newspapers in Bangalore; Pasban, Jumhoor, Azad and Salaar, there are many more now and I forgot the weekend news papers we had.  

I hope you’d love this video:

http://gizmodo.com/5804614/this-is-the-last-handwritten-newspaper

Indeed, I am infatuated with Urdu, interestingly it was Urdu that had pulled me towards my late wife Najma at a Mushaira in Richardson after which she had joined me on my TV and Radio shows as a co-host and a year later we married. She was superb in her diction and choice of words, people loved to hear her out on the radio; I would pull the car over and listen to her whole program. I can never forget Farida Jalal yielding her portion of emceeing to Najma in a Bollywood show, Lata Mangeshkar was enthralled and said "Najmaji aap ki awaaz bahut hi sunder hai aur aap bahut achchi Urdu bolti hain".

I am dedicating this write up to Najma to honor her memories on this memorial day.

About the Pluralism and Secularism in India, which I am a product of, I found those attitudes across the board. Even last year when I was in Bangalore and addressed the Muslim leadership gathering, the tone was same; co-existence and pluralism drawn from Islam and Hinduism at works.

I am pleased to quote my mother on this topic that I wrote on Mother’s day, "She was a pluralist. My youngest brother Farooq runs a real estate business in  Bangalore, and his manager had hung the picture of Lord Krishna in the office; he asked my Mother about it, she was blunt, "do you have your religious symbols hung on the wall? He said, yes, and she said, let him have his. Dear Mother, I salute you and I am going to brag about you." article at http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2011/05/mother-my-story-happy-mothers-day.html

I did not realize how much of Urdu runs through my veins, however I am yet to  give expression to it. I was writing to my mother until she was alive and kept writing  to my sister when she was in Rae Barielly and Secunderabad with my brother in Law who served in the Indian Army. However I used to write “Afsanay” short stories in Urdu and have written several Nazams and Ghazals in the  past, and have written a few Rubayee’s lately on Pluralism and social cohesion, they sound just like my mentor Sahir Ludhianavi. My sister writes for Salaar in Urdu and she has agreed to translate my work in Urdu for publication in Bangalore, my home town.

When I became single, I was looking for someone who does not have barriers between her and another human being. Religion, Race or Ethnicity was never an issue to me, so I talked with so many from literally every possible background …and I was joyous to know so many women from Muslim, Hindu, Parsee, Jain, Christian, Jewish, Sikh, Buddhist and different backgrounds were equally open about religion, race or ethnicity.  Most of them had described themselves as spiritual not religious.  

Then I realized, it wont’ be fair to her that I want to go to the Mushaera and she  will not enjoy it.  Grudgingly, I  was willing to miss seeing a woman in Saree or Shalwar Qamees, but Urdu was another thing. I see many of my friends in that boat here in Dallas and other cities, where the guys or the girls have to go-it-alone as their spouse does not speak Urdu. They cannot even enjoy listening to the songs without a timer for “my turn”. 

Thank God, I finally met Yasmeen, who was everything I was looking in a life partner and darn, she spoke Urdu!  God willing, we hope to host a few poetry sessions in Urdu and Hindi  next year. I’d rather attend the Public Mushaera when politics is cut out. We attended one in Louisville and it was fabulous. I had written a poem on Social cohesion and it was a cross between Iqbal and Sahir… I abandoned it, as I do not want to sound like I have copied them. Temptations to write it out again comes to my mind repeatedly, but I will be knowingly manipulating it not to sound like Sahir, then it will not be genuine poetry. Well, I will have to write another one and stop reading Iqbal and Sahir.

Happy Urdu and Reminiscent Memorial day

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Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker, futurist and a writer on the topics of Pluralism, Coexistence, interfaith, Islam, India and cohesive societies. He is committed to building cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day.  His work is indexed at http://www.mikeghouse.net/ 

Note to Desis – you do not wish a Happy Memorial day; it is a day of remembrance and not rejoice.