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Showing posts with label SpeakerMikeGhouse. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SpeakerMikeGhouse. Show all posts

Friday, June 17, 2011

Can Muslims be good Americans?

You many have received an email with the heading, “Can Muslims be good Americans?” I have received this at least a dozen times. Do you need to respond to it? The choice is yours; no one has the time to hammer away hatred. 

There is a lot out there in circulation and I am pleased to have worked on responses, if you get that again, send them this or create your own. Indeed some of the Islamophobes like Robert Spencer, Nonie Darwish, Geert Wilders, MA Khan, Ali Sina, Walid Shoebet, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Newt Gingrich, Brigitte Gabriele, David Horowitz, Steven Shamrock, Wafa Sultan and others are consistently showing their dumbness in attacking Islam. These men with hate cannot speak love, the lust for power has made them abandon common good things about civility, just like some of the radicals among Muslims.

Let me ask yout this, if there are 200 murders a year in New York City, can we say, all the New Yorkers are murderers? Can we deduce that if Dallas gives 1000 traffic tickets a month, all the Dallasites are reckless drivers? If there are a few bad Muslims, how does it it make Muslims bad guys?
 
By the way, I am a Republican and like a majority of us, I am a moderate one who cares for every American and stand up for the rights of every American, to me that is a conservative value.

The men and women waving the flag of conservatism like Gingrich and the folks are abusing the usage of the word conservative. I am am saddened that my affiliations with the Republican party, a darn good party is flooded with extremists at the helm. As Americans we can handle the extremists, but difficult to deal with the monkies. I need to build my Republican base to make our Party a truly conservative party and purge the extremism from the extremists.

In the following, dialogues, some dude responded to it in a dozen ways to the question, can Muslim be good Americans? To distinguish who is who, the line starts with his name.

# # #
Can a good Muslim be a good American? 

Apparentely, this question was forwarded to a friend who worked in Saudi Arabia for 20 years. The following was his reply:   

Dude:  Can a good Muslim be a good American?  Theologically - no... Because his allegiance is to Allah, The moon god of Arabia. 

Mike Ghouse: There is no moon God for Muslims, no Muslim has ever heard of it. You can call any Muslim and find the truth for yourselves.  There is only one God, It, he or she is kind, merciful and just. Every one of the 114 chapters in Quraan start with those attributes except one, where it is mentioned in the text. The allegiance is to the invisible creator of the universe who belongs to all of us, and all of us are his creation.  
  
Dude:   Can a good Muslim be a good American?  Religiously - no... Because no other religion is accepted by His Allah except Islam. (Quran, 2:256)(Koran) 
  
Mike Ghouse: This man could have at least read the quote. How many of you believed him when he said, “Because no other religion is accepted by His Allah except Islam.”  The quote reads differently.

Well, here is 2:256 "Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error ..." This is Islam's unambiguous affirmation of freedom of faith, which also applies to changing of faith. The Qur'an illuminates before the humanity the two highways [90:10], one of which leads to salvation. Islam is an invitation to the highway toward salvation, but it is based on FREEDOM OF CHOICE.

However many a Muslims believe that “No other religion is acceptable to Allah except Islam” based on verse: 3:85 (Asad) “For, if one goes in search of a religion other than self-surrender unto God, it will never be accepted from him, and in the life to come he shall be among the lost.” They take it verb Islam as noun Islam.

Islam in its general meaning is submission to the will of God; which is caring for life and environment and maintaining the balance within oneself and with others. The key word is “self-surrender unto the creator”. Anyone who follows the laws of goodness (surrender) to keep peace in the society is following the Den, the dharma, the righteous path to sustain peace. As the verses are quoted earlier, if you do the right karma, God will shower his grace regardless of whether you are a Muslim or not.

Dude:   Can a good Muslim be a good American?  Scripturally - no... Because his allegiance is to the five Pillars of Islam and the Quran.

Mike Ghouse: Muslim Allegiance is to God, the day of accounting and righteous deeds, the five Pillars of Islam are the ritual practices to achieve piety. They are 1) Witness that there is no God but God and Muhammad is his prophet, 2) Prayers, 3) Fasting, 4) Zakat (tithe) and 5) Pilgrimage. Jihad is not the pillar of Islam.

I was on a bus in Israel, the tourist guide started out the history of Islam saying the first pillar of Islam was Jihad, killing the infidels… I spoke up and an Imam on the bus joined me in addressing the five pillars of Islam. The guide at least agreed to tell the right thing from here on, we gave her a printed copy of it at the Hotel.  Hell, some Muslims also believe Jihad is the 6th pillar of Islam.

By the way, a Muslims faith is incomplete without a belief in all the prophets and the name of Jesus is often referenced in Quraan.  Muslims believe that Jesus will come back as the messiah and restore the kingdom of heaven where no one has to live in the fear of the other. It is Jesus who is coming back and not Muhammad.
Quraan 2;62 - “VERILY, those who have attained to faith [in this divine writ], as well as those who follow the Jewish faith, and the Christians, and the Sabians -- all who believe in God and the Last Day and do righteous deeds -- shall have their reward with their Sustainer; and no fear need they have, and neither shall they grieve.”
Quraan 22:34 – “For each congregation we have decreed rites whereby they commemorate the name of GOD for providing them with the livestock. Your god is one and the same god; you shall all submit to Him. Give good news to the obedient.”
 
Dude:  Can a good Muslim be a good American?  Geographically - no... Because his allegiance is to Mecca, to which he turns in prayer five times a day.
 
Mike Ghouse: Mecca is the focal point to build uniformity and harmony. A system was created so all worshippers can face in one direction instead of multiple directions. There is no other value than that; it is a sanctuary where people walk in putting aside their conflicts, malice, ill-will and evilness.   It is as simple as 500 people sitting in a church facing the pulpit instead of each one facing in different direction. There is no allegiance to Mecca

Dude:  Can a good Muslim be a good American?  Socially - no... Because his allegiance to Islam forbids him to make friends with Christians or Jews.

Mike Ghouse: That is sheer non-sense, a Muslim can marry a Jew or a Christian woman without even converting her, the only requirement to marry is that she believes in one God, meaning oneness of God, commitment to one God, one creator….  We dealt with the issue in the Quraan conference, the verse was read by a Catholic bishop, among the ten other denominations. Just read it in the Quraan. Check it out at http://www.quraanconference.com/

Dude:  Can a good Muslim be a good American?  Politically - no.... Because he must submit to the mullahs (spiritual leaders), who teach annihilation of Israel and destruction of America, the great Satan.

Mike Ghouse:  Muslims do not submit to any Mullah, they submit to God alone. I am really laughing at this.  For a majority of Muslims there is no Mullah, there is no central authority in Islam. They put up with them at times in the Friday sermons, but few will support idiotic Mullahs... they are in every group, Mullah Pastor Hagee spews out hate, Obama’s pastor did… Mullah Pat Robertson is hateful, but does he represent the views of all Christians? Muslim clergy are no exception; there are a few bad ones.

However about 15% of Muslim who follow Shia, have some central authority, but they are divided as well and their allegiance to their leaders is for civic leadership.

Islam has nothing to do with destruction of Israel, the Hamas charter calls for it, it was written in 1988, where as the Israeli leaders have said the opposite since 1948 – to treat Palestinians as roaches and push them in to the desert holes. Islam does not even approve killing another human, unless it is in self defense.  Neither the Israelis nor the Palestinians mean it, they want peace.

Let’s assume, Russians arm the native Americans and create a land for them in Texas, and they become militant and as powerful as Israel and go on rampaging others,  boot the people out of their homes and take over…because it was their land before… what do you do, just lay down? While you pillage, bomb and steal their houses?  That is what the Palestinians are doing, fighting for their rights.  

Shame on us Americans to have listened to the right wing Christians; go by what the Israelis want. They want peace, the right wing Christians and Jews in the US want to mess it up.  The right wing among Muslims or no angels either; they mess up other people’s lives.

Dude:  Can a good Muslim be a good American?  Domestically - no... Because he is instructed to marry four Women and beat and scourge his wife when she disobeys him. (Quran 4:34)

Mike Ghouse: Read 4:32- 4:37 yourselves. An American Christian woman told me in the Quraan conference.  She would rather be a Muslim woman who gets hit with a feather like stick upon infidelity, than an American Christian man who will violently kill her if he finds her sleeping with another man, or a Hindu man who would douse her in Kerosene and burn her alive. The instruction was not to kill but beat her with a feather like stick as a discipline… the new and correct understanding is “if you find your woman sleeping with another man, go for separation. “ She said to Google the stats, More American men kill their spouse/partners violently than all men combined in the world.  

The wrong interpretation has been in circulation that goes against the very grain of Prophet’s teaching – fair and equitable and to treat your spouse with utmost dignity. Check this out. http://quraan-today.blogspot.com/2009/05/wife-beating-quraan-434.html

Polygamy has been around; while go through a legal process many a Men abuse women any way. Muslims are no exception.  The instruction was limit to 4 for social justice purpose and not for lust.  It was not an ordinance, but exception in cases where the woman needed protection … for example after WWII and Vietnam war thousands of women were put on the street… men abused them and took advantage of them, spreading STD’s.. and other stuff… instead of treating a woman as a whore and dehumanize her, marry her and give her the dignity of life she deserves...  it was to be approved by his first wife to ensure it was justice and not lust. Abuses happen every where… look in our own backyard… Look at Wiener, Clinton, Newt Gingrich… and some of your friends.

I stand opposed to polygamy, but I have no problem if men marry more than one woman in Iraq, where Bush bombing has put over 250,000 women on street; what do you do with them? Men take advantage of women, they want to use for the favors whether they are American or Arabian.  The make them dependent?  Give the food for sex? That is a shameless men trait no matter where that man is from. I rather see dignity given to a woman than make her dependent and use her as a sex object. Only in that situation and to give her dignity and not for lust.

Dude:  Can a good Muslim be a good American?  Intellectually - no... Because he cannot accept the American Constitution since it is based on Biblical principles and he believes the Bible to be corrupt.

Mike Ghouse:  American constitution and Islam have a lot in common- Justice, Equality, dignity and respect for all. Don’t give me that it is not the case, indeed it is, we in America did not treat the women and African men equally until 50 years ago... Because we misread our own constitution, thanks God all of us are growing ….. Muslims also know that Averroes the Muslim influenced the two other wise men Aquinas and Maimonides, who are influential in our constitution drafting. Indeed, the US Supreme court has the frieze that shows Quraan. 

 
Dude:  Can a good Muslim be a good American?  Philosophically - no... Because Islam, Muhammad, and the Quran does not allow freedom of religion and expression. Democracy and Islam cannot co-exist. Every Muslim government is either dictatorial or autocratic. 

Mike Ghouse:  " ... Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error ..." [2:256] this is Islam's unambiguous affirmation of freedom of faith, which also applies to changing of faith. The Qur'an illuminates before the humanity the two highways [90:10], one of which leads to salvation. Islam is an invitation to the highway toward salvation, but it is based on FREEDOM OF CHOICE.

5:8 (Asad) O YOU who have attained to faith! Be ever steadfast in your devotion to God, bearing witness to the truth in all equity; and never let hatred of any-one [19] lead you into the sin of deviating from justice. Be just: this is closest to being God-conscious. And remain conscious of God: verily, God is aware of all that you do.

Dude:  Can a good Muslim be a good American?  Spiritually - no... Because when we declare 'one nation under God,' The Christian's God is loving and kind, while Allah is NEVER referred to as Heavenly father, nor is he ever called love in the Quran's 99 excellent names. 

Mike Ghouse:  It’s a pledge every Muslim takes. One nation under God indivisible … looks like this dude who wrote is divisive.
 [4:59] O you who believe, you shall obey GOD, and you shall obey the messenger, and those in charge among you. If you dispute in any matter, you shall refer it to GOD and the messenger, if you do believe in GOD and the Last Day. This is better for you, and provides you with the best solution.

Dude:  Can a good Muslim be a good American?  Therefore, after much study and deliberation... Perhaps we should be very suspicious of ALL MUSLIMS in this country. - - - They obviously cannot be both 'good' Muslims and 'good' Americans.  Call it what you wish it's still the truth... You had better believe it. The more who understand this, the better it will be for our country and our future.
Quraan 49:6 O YOU who have attained to faith! If any iniquitous person comes to you with a [slanderous] tale, use your discernment, lest you hurt people unwittingly and afterwards be filled with remorse for what you have done.”
 “i.e., verify the truth before giving credence to any such report or rumor. The tale-bearer is characterized as "iniquitous" because the very act of spreading unsubstantiated rumors affecting the reputation of other persons constitutes a spiritual offence.”
President Reagan had echoed the same sentiments with the phrase, Trust, but verify and Bhagvad Gita guides, finding the truth is one’s own responsibility. 
"O you who believe, you shall be equitable, and observe GOD, when you serve as witnesses. Do not be provoked by your conflicts with some people into committing injustice. You shall be equitable, for it is more righteous. You shall observe GOD. GOD is fully Cognizant of everything you do" (Quran 5:8)

Mike Ghouse:  I hope you can see the BS this guy has given and I pray that you circulate this to the same sources you got this from. And I ask you to check it out:

Read this, there is an item about Quraan Mistranslations in this:


To check Quraan Translations go to: http://www.islamicity.com/QuranSearch/    


By the way, there were similar articles by many:

All these men and women are about making money, frightening the crap out of you and ask for money, every time.

Geert Wilders – check out his questions and my response:http://quraan-today.blogspot.com/2008/01/muslim-response-to-wilders.html





Robert Spencer


A Good Muslims is a good American is a good Canadian,
A Good Christians is a …..
A Good Jew is a …
A Good _____ is a good ______________

Mike Ghouse is a speaker thinker and a writer offering pluralistic solutions on issues of the day.

Here are my speaking topics - Islam, Pluralism and Inspiration.

Here are my profiles:


I am available to speak on any topic

Mike Ghouse


THIS FOLLOWING NON-SENSE IS IN CIRCULATION

This is very interesting and we all need to read it from start to finish.  And send it on to everyone.  Maybe this is why our American Muslims are so quiet and not speaking out about any atrocities. 
 
Can a good Muslim be a good American? 
 
This question was forwarded to a friend who worked in Saudi Arabia for 20 years. The following is his reply:
 
Theologically - no... Because his allegiance is to Allah, The moon god of Arabia. 
  
Religiously - no... Because no other religion is accepted by His Allah except Islam. (Quran, 2:256)(Koran) 
  
 Scripturally - no... Because his allegiance is to the five Pillars of Islam and the Quran.
 
Geographically - no... Because his allegiance is to Mecca, to which he turns in prayer five times a day.
 
Socially - no... Because his allegiance to Islam forbids him to make friends with Christians or Jews.
 
Politically - no.... Because he must submit to the mullahs (spiritual leaders), who teach annihilation of Israel and destruction of America, the great Satan.
 
Domestically - no... Because he is instructed to marry four Women and beat and scourge his wife when she disobeys him. (Quran 4:34 )
 
Intellectually - no... Because he cannot accept the American Constitution since it is based on Biblical principles and he believes the Bible to be corrupt.
 
Philosophically - no... Because Islam, Muhammad, and the Quran does not allow freedom of religion and expression. Democracy and Islam cannot co-exist. Every Muslim government is either dictatorial or autocratic. 
  
Spiritually - no... Because when we declare 'one nation under God,' The Christian's God is loving and kind, while Allah is NEVER referred to as Heavenly father, nor is he ever called love in the Quran's 99 excellent names. 
  
Therefore, after much study and deliberation... Perhaps we should be very suspicious of ALL MUSLIMS in this country. - - - They obviously cannot be both 'good' Muslims and 'good' Americans.  Call it what you wish it's still the truth.. You had better believe it. The more who understand this, the better it will be for our country and our future.
The religious war is bigger than we know or understand!
 
Footnote: The Muslims have said they will destroy us from within.
SO FREEDOM IS NOT FREE.

THE MARINES WANT THIS TO ROLL ALL OVER THE U.S.
 
Please don't delete this until you send it on.
~~~~
Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer. He is committed to building a cohesive America.

The Foundation for Pluralism champions the idea of co-existence through respecting and accepting the otherness of other, and World Muslim Congress is committed to nurturing the pluralistic ideals embedded in Islam. Mike is available to speak on Pluralism, Islam, Civil Societies, and Peace & Justice at your work place, place of worship, school,  seminars or conferences.  He is a media commentator offering pluralistic solutions on issues of the day.  Mike's work is reflected at three websites & twenty two Blogs listed at
http://www.MikeGhouse.net/

Friday, May 20, 2011

Hate mail on Obama speech

http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2011/05/hate-mail-on-obama-speech.html

My appearance on Hannity show and support for Obama's proposal last night has produced a few pieces of hate mail from the rightwing Christians, Hindus, Jews and Muslims alike and a full blown article on me. 

The Israelis and the Palestinians want peace but the right wingers among them and the US have been a hindrance. 

These guys want the conflicts to continue so they can cash in on it. If there is peace, the lobbies lose donations and many a organizations will go out of hate business. Fox will not have the material anymore. 

I pray that these men and women put in their time and energy in creating peace and join Obama, let their passion be put in for good purpose, so the people of Israel can hope for a secure life and Palestinians can live with hopes.

Obama should stick out, when they have peace we can save $5 billion a year in aid and take care of our own here in America.  We pay them and we have a right to ask them to do the right thing and make peace, this is time. 

Mike Ghouse
Committed to build cohesive societies
www.MikeGhouse.com




  
 

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Happy Easter


http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2011/04/happy-easter.html

Easter is a celebration of Jesus Christ's resurrection from the dead, it is Christianity's most important holiday. Many a Christians don white clothing symbolizing purification. It was what Jesus donned once and to this day the tradition is followed at Yardent, where Jesus was baptized.

I was blessed to be baptized in River Jordan last year in the same spot where Jesus was baptized. It was an enriching experience to me in particular feeling the symbolic transformation.

Jesus is my mentor, a true pluralist who had no barriers between him and humanity, as a Muslim I felt the affirmation of that thought; of being boundless. 

Some of you may not be aware that Jesus is revered by Muslims, belief in him as a prophet is a requisition. He is considered as the bright star in the morning that brought the day light and predicted the arrival of Muhammad. Muslims further believe that Jesus is coming back as the Messiah around the end times and restore peace on earth and create the kingdom on earth where no human will be apprehensive of the other.

There is a full Chapter on Mary in the Quraan and Prophet Muhammad said there are three women who need to be looked up to as role models; Mary, Asia (the one who raised Moses) and Fatima (prophet’s daughter) and none of the women were traditional, they stood up against odds and changed the course of history.  The Hijab many Muslim women wear has origins in Mother Mary’s Hijab.

It was a trip called “MEPI” Middle East Peace Initiative organized by Universal Peace Federation. I was blessed to visit the holy sites of Bahais in Haifa, Druze near Golan Heights, and of course the Wailing Walls (Jews), Masjid Al-Aqsa (Muslims) and Holy Sepulcher and every Place where Jesus had been, via del Rosa where he walked with the cross, his burial place where he was risen, it was just an incredible experience and will write about it for Christmas.

Look me up in Google as “interfaith speaker”.

Happy Easter

Monday, April 11, 2011

Ghouse Humor, Monday, April 11, 2011

http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2011/04/ghouse-humor-monday-april-11-2011.html 
This is your weekly dose of humor, get offended and get angry but at the end laugh it off. Humor makes one see the irony of life. Blonde are stereotyped, Aggies’s and Pollock's are the others, in every community and nation someone or the other is butt of the jokes, not any more... I will consciously make and effort to break the stereotyping in the humor I have been sharing on Mondays and I urge you to make the same effort.  I hope you laugh your tail off and enjoy the rest of the week.
_________________________________________

An 80 year old woman was arrested for shop lifting.
When she went before the judge he asked her,
"What did you steal?"

She replied: "A can of peaches".

The judge asked her why she had stolen
them and she replied that she was hungry.

The judge then asked her how many
peaches were in the can.

She replied, "6".

The judge then said, "I will give you 6 days in jail."

Before the judge could actually pronounce
the punishment the woman's husband spoke
up and asked the judge if he could say something.

He said, "What is it?"

The husband said "She also stole a can of peas."
_______________________________________
Stranded on a chain of beautiful deserted islands in the middle of nowhere
the following people are stranded:

- Two Italian men and one Italian woman
- Two French men and one French woman
- Two German men and one German woman
- Two Greek men and one Greek woman
- Two English men and one English woman
- Two Bulgarian men and one Bulgarian woman
- Two Japanese men and one Japanese woman
- Two Chinese men and one Chinese woman
- Two Irish men and one Irish woman
- Two American men and one American woman
 
One month later, on these absolutely stunning deserted islands in the middle of nowhere, the following things have occurred:
 
* One Italian man killed the other Italian man for the Italian woman.

* The two French men and the French woman are living happily together in a menage a trois.

* The two German men have a strict weekly schedule of alternating visits with the German woman.

* The two Greek men are sleeping with each other and the Greek woman is cleaning and cooking for them.

* The two English men are waiting for someone to introduce them to the English woman.

* The two Bulgarian men took one look at the Bulgarian woman and started swimming to another island.

* The two Japanese have faxed Tokyo and are awaiting instructions.

* The two Chinese men have set up a pharmacy/liquor/store/restaurant/ laundry, and have gotten the woman pregnant in order to supply employees for their store.

* The two Irish men divided the island into North and South and set up a distillery. They do not remember if sex is in the picture because it gets somewhat foggy after a few liters of coconut whiskey. However, they're satisfied because the English aren't having any fun.

* The two American men are contemplating suicide, because the American woman will not shut up and complains relentlessly about her body, the true nature of feminism, what the sun is doing to her skin, how she can do anything they can do, the necessity of fulfillment, the equal division of household chores, how sand and palm trees make her look fat, how her last boyfriend respected her opinion and treated her nicer than they do, and how her relationship with her mother is the root cause of all her problems, and why didn't they bring a damn cell phone so they could call 911 and get them all rescued off this godforsaken deserted island in the middle of friggin' nowhere so she can go to the spa, get her nails done, get a "hot rock massage", and go shopping... 
______________________________________
THE FOLLOWING HUMOR IS RE-WORKED TO BREAK THE STEREOTYPING


FIRST DEGREE
A married couple were asleep when the phone rang at 2 in the morning. The Read head wife picked up the phone, listened a moment and said 'How should I know, that's 200 miles from here!' and hung up.

The husband said, 'Who was that?'
The wife answered, 'I don't know, some woman wanting to know if the coast is clear.'

SECOND DEGREE
Two Brunettes are walking down the street. One notices a compact on the sidewalk and leans down to pick it up. She opens it, looks in the mirror and says, 'Hmm, this person looks familiar.'
The second brunette says, 'Here, let me see!'

So, the first brunette hands her the compact.
The second brunette looks in the mirror and says, 'You dummy, it's me!'

THIRD DEGREE
A Cowgirl suspects her boyfriend is cheating on her, so she goes out and buys a gun. She goes to his apartment unexpectedly and when she opens the door she finds him in the arms of a redhead. Well, the Cow Girl is really angry. She opens her purse to take out the gun, and as she does so, she is overcome with grief. She takes the gun and puts it to her head.
The boyfriend yells, 'No, honey, don't do it!!!'
The Cow girl replies, 'Shut up, you're next!'

FOURTH DEGREE
An African American woman was bragging about her knowledge of state capitals. She proudly says, 'Go ahead, ask me, ... I know 'em all.'
A friend says, 'OK, what's the capital of Wisconsin ?'

The lady replies’, that's easy .. it's W.'

FIFTH DEGREE
Q: What did the Spanish lady ask her doctor when he told her she was pregnant?
A: 'Is it mine?'

SIXTH DEGREE

Bambi, a blonde in her fourth year as a UCLA Freshman, sat in her US Government class. The professor asked Bambi if she knew what Roe vs. Wade was about.

Bambi pondered the question; then, finally, said, 'That was the decision George Washington had to make before he crossed the Delaware.'

SEVENTH DEGREE
Returning home from work, an Indian woman was shocked to find her house ransacked and burglarized. She telephoned the police at once and reported the crime. The police dispatcher broadcast the call on the radio, and a K-9 unit, patrolling nearby, was the first to respond.

As the K-9 officer approached the house with his dog on a leash, the Indian woman ran out on the porch, shuddered at the sight of the cop and his dog, then sat down on the steps. Putting her face in her hands, she moaned, 'I come home to find all my possessions stolen. I call the police for help, and what do they do? They send me a BLIND policeman!' 
_____________________________________

SPEAKER ON PLURALISM and INTERFAITH

If you know someone is looking for a speaker on Interfaith, here is the information.

Mike is available to speak on Pluralism, Islam, India, Civil Societies, and Peace & Justice at your work place, place of worship, school, seminars or conferences.  He is a media commentator offering pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. 

Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer. He is committed to building a cohesive America through the America Together Foundation.

The Foundation for Pluralism champions the idea of co-existence through respecting and accepting the otherness of other while the World Muslim Congress is committed to nurturing the pluralistic ideals embedded in Islam.

Mike's work is reflected at three websites & twenty two Blogs listed at http://www.MikeGhouse.net/


_____________________
PART TIME BUSINESS

If you know some one is looking to create a retirement income with a little effort, you can call me
Mike Ghouse
(214) 325-1916

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

A challenge to Muslims, are we fit to be Americans?

The answer is obvious most of us are,  and those who are not need to catch up, it is your home, your nation and your permanent address, most likely you will be buried here, you can be rest assured that you grave will remain untouched for centuries.

We need to protect and defend the very culture that allowed us to be who we are and who we want to be. Other than democracies only the privileged achieve their dreams. America has welcomed us, embraced us and we need to do our part; to be active participants and contributors towards the peace, security and prosperity of our nation.

A decade ago, I had challenged the 'excuse producers' among us that the Jews control the media. I said baloney to that and took upon the challenge to prove it otherwise. Thank God a bunch of us formed MRRP Muslim Rapid Response Team in February 2005 and fired off letters to the media and received the coverage, and at least the public got to hear a different point of view when accusations were leveled against the Mosque in Richardson including Imam Zia Kavakci.

I was told that an Indian Muslim can never be the Prime Minister of India, I said baloney to that and experimented forming Dallas Indians group with 1700 Members in it, literally every  “who is who” among Indians is a part of the group,  with about 25 Muslims in the group.  As long as we are fair and represent all Indians, any Indian can be the Prime Minister of India; the blood of democracy runs through our veins and we are inherently democractic by nature., ofcourse, I am talking about a majority of the Indians of all hues.


We assume that we will not be given a space in the conservative media, I said baloney to that and wrote articles in conservative magazines including the front page, where in I have called Spencer “misinformed” and he has published it under the title “One Islam”. Been on Sean Hannity, a tough battlefield where we will not be given the space. Over a period of one year and 20 appearance on his show and 16 on his nationally syndicated radio show, I have moved from being slaughtered (a few Muslims actually liked it) to being assertive to get my words as the last words.  I have told Hannity that he was wrong and have been aggressive with Brigitte Gabrielle, Robert Spencer and Pamela Geller and have called on them to tell the truth to the American People. Hannity and I seldom agree but we value our right to have that opinion. 

Why am I writing this?

It is to encourage a few among us to spend the time in getting in to the media and changing the false perceptions about Islam and Muslims. We can do it, if we quit wasting time on things that don’t matter in the discussion groups. We spend too much time on debating the rituals.

I am writing this particularly to those who aggressively call this note “self glorification”. I am challenging your capabilities to get out and do something, what holds you?  I know you can do it better than most of us, but you have to quit back biting and focus on producing something substantial. 
Thank God, I have authored over 1000  published articles on Islam and Pluralism in papers such as Tehran Times, Arab News, Jakarta post and even a paper in Somalia… and of course several ones in the United States including Washington post, Huffington and few other including my home town paper, Dallas Morning News.  It has been translated into Arabic and now some in Indonesian.

I have introduced a few aspects of Islam in most of the generic pieces I write; the articles are not about Islam, but about the society in general and have added the Islamic take on issues. I was told that non-Muslims have come to appreciate the little knowledge here and little there about Islam and aborbing the positive values of Islam one at at time, while a few Muslims have appreciated learning about the wisdom of other religions.  We are all part of the large familiy of religions and we must know each other (Q 49:13).

Here is a list of 25 ( of the 33) articles I have written along with others in Dallas Morning news in the last six months, please log in and respond to the notes, have your presence in every aspect of the society.   


  1. TEXAS FAITH: Did the King James Version of the Bible change the world?

  1. Texas Faith: Should women be required to have a sonogram before undergoing an abortion?

  1. TEXAS FAITH: What to make of Rep. Peter King's hearings into Muslim American radicalization?

  1. TEXAS FAITH: How do we keep the debt from limiting the future of younger Americans?

  1. TEXAS FAITH: Will Facebook kill the church?

  1. TEXAS FAITH: The Blessings and Burdens of Life Online
    http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/02/post-93.html

  1. TEXAS FAITH: Religious institutions and assimilating immigrants
    http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/02/texas-faith-religious-institut.html

  1. TEXAS FAITH: How would you advise President Obama on dealing with leaders like Hosni Mubarak?

  1. TEXAS FAITH: What's the role of religious faith when there are no good choices?
    http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/02/texas-faith-whats-the-role-of-2.html

  1. TEXAS FAITH: What can religious groups do to help along the Mexican border?
     http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/01/texas-faith-what-can-religious.html

  1. TEXAS FAITH: Why do some religious affiliations produce more political leaders?
    http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/01/texas-faith-why-do-some-religi.html

  1. TEXAS FAITH: What do you do when you see someone showing signs of mental deterioration?
    http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/01/texas-faith-what-do-you-do-whe.html

  1. TEXAS FAITH: Which religion stories merited more and better coverage?
    http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/01/texas-faith-which-religion-sto.html

  1. Texas Faith: Why not worry about your theology?
    http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/12/texas-faith-why-not-worry-abou.html

  1. TEXAS FAITH: How should chaplains deal with Don't Ask, Don't Tell repeal?
    http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/12/texas-faith-how-should-chaplai.html

  1. TEXAS FAITH: Was Oklahoma out of line with Sharia amendment?
    http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/11/texas-faith-was-oklahoma-out-o.html

  1. TEXAS FAITH: How do you view God?
    http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/11/texas-faith-how-do-you-view-go.html

  1. TEXAS FAITH: Why does fear sell on the campaign trail?
    http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/11/texas-faith-why-does-fear-sell.html

  1. TEXAS FAITH: Does firing Juan Williams improve our understanding of religious diversity?
    http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/10/does-the-firing-of-juan-willia.html

  1. TEXAS FAITH: Should Christians (and other non-Hindus) beware of yoga?
    http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/10/texas-faith-should-non-hindus.html

  1. TEXAS FAITH: Why do our faiths shape some political views, but not others?
    http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/10/texas-faith-why-do-our-faiths.html

  1. TEXAS FAITH: Why is there such a lack of religious knowledge?
    http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/10/texas-faith-pew-forum-study-on.html

  1. TEXAS FAITH: Why do we pray for Christopher Hitchens?
    http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/09/texas-faith-why-do-we-pray-for.html

  1. TEXAS FAITH: Should faithful focus on charity or justice?
    http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/09/texas-faith-should-faithful-fo.html

  1. Texas Faith: What religion stories should the media focus on?
    http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/09/texas-faith-the-media-and-reli.html
Mike Ghouse, President of America Together foundation is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day, and is available to speak at your place of worship, work or in seminars and conferences.

Through the Foundation for Pluralism, Mike champions the idea of co-existence through respecting and accepting the otherness of other, and is committed to nurturing the pluralistic ideals embedded in Islam through the World Muslim Congress.  He is a speaker thinker and a writer on the topics of pluralism, cohesive societies, Islam, interfaith, India and Peace. His work is reflected in 4 website's and 27 Blogs at http://www.mikeghouse.net/