A Muslim’s take on Mr. Subramaniam Swamy

URL: http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2011/12/muslims-take-on-mr-subramaniam-swamy.html

First of all, the dearest person in God’s book Quraan is the one who forgives and secondly Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) has clearly set up a model of behavior for Muslims; to pray for the ones who throw rocks (Taif story)  at you or harm you. We simply cannot go wrong following that guidance to create better societies.

I welcome the reform Mr. Subramanian Swami has espoused, and his decision to teach tolerance. Indeed, King Ashoka was a reformed man after the Kalinga war and proved it by preaching and practicing non-violence. His character was defined by who he was rather than what others were not.  

Mr. Swami has the freedom to teach what is in his heart, but if he has made that transformational announcement to teach tolerance, he will have to prove that to himself through his actions and we have to give him the benefit of doubt. I hope Muslim groups take the initiative to invite him to speak and let him have a chance to change, if he does, it is good for India, if he is the same, he cannot do more harm than he has done to harm the fabric of India’s cohesion. But please give him the due respect for making that effort, even if he fails.  Let the public judge and refrain from judgment. Only God knows what is in one’s heart and all we can do is nurture good will, which is more powerful than aggravating the fragile balance.

The first lesson for him to learn in tolerance is that he cannot demand from others, what he  himself does not have. He has got to let go of the baggage.

The second lesson to learn is grasping the full meaning of the wisdom embedded in the idea of “Vasudaiva Kutumbukum” – when you embrace the idea, you will act and treat the world as one family. If we can learn to respect the otherness of other and accept the God given uniqueness of each one of us, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge.

In invite him to join me in becoming an Ambassador of freedom and peace, where a human can eat, drink, wear or believe what one chooses.  We don’t have to emulate those whom we love to condemn, let them emulate us and let’s change the world with you and me first changing.

In the tradition of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), I pray for Mr. Subramanian Swami to become a teacher of tolerance. May God give him the same energy and zest to do the right thing.

Mike Ghouse is committed to building cohesive societies where no Indian has to live in anxieties, discomfort or fear of the other. His work is indexed at www.MikeGhouse.net and his current articles at www.TheGhousediary.com

Originally published at Op-Ed at Indian Muslim Observer:
http://www.indianmuslimobserver.com/2011/12/latest-editorial-muslims-take-on-mr.html

Quoted in  India Abroad as well:http://www.indiaabroad-digital.com/indiaabroad/20111216?pg=6#pg6

# # #

http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/Americas/Swamy-preaches-tolerance-after-Harvard-drops-him/Article1-779323.aspx

That is disingenuous Mr. Tarek Fatah.

Fatah on Honor Killing in Canada

Mr. Tarek Fatah is fully aware and cognizant of the mistransla­tion of the verse 4:34. I am not surprised at him for not even mentioning the correct translatio­n as a caution. He chose to let it ride; it suits his agenda that is downright ingenuous.

I am one of the many who prayed for the well being of Mr. Fatah when he endured cancer. Did the Doctor man condemn his whole body to be trashed for a few cancer cells? Or did he cure the cells and got Mr. Fatah well? It’s like the death penalty in the USA; would he bash the entire US Constituti­on for a few lousy creepy laws on our books? Same goes with Sharia, a few bad applicatio­ns of Sharia, should not make him bash the entire Sharia law. treat what is bad like the good doctors do.

Dr. Laleh Bakhtiar offers another meaning to the translatio­n of the Arabic word "Idrib," traditiona­lly translated as "beat," which has been mis-unders­tood and abused over the centuries by men who would be abusive any way, whether they are Muslim or not. "Why choose to interpret the word as 'to beat' when it means 'to go away' either one from the other, may be it meant separation as a process of re-evaluat­ion.

Mr. Fatah, you have rightfully earned a place don’t lose it by. Go get a book and read it; find the truth instead of barking at what is visible.

Here is the information on the translation: http://quraan-today.blogspot.com/2009/05/wife-beating-quraan-434.html

 

This is Fatah's article:  A Man's Honour Lies Between the Legs of a Woman http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/tarek-fatah/honour-killing_b_1133349.html?ref=tw&just_reloaded=1

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

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Tony Powerz and Mike Ghouse on Fox Radio, South Carolina

It was a delight to be on Tony Powerz Radio Show this afternoon, a conservative popular talk Show Radio host in South Carolina. The live conversation went on  air between 3:30 PM EST and 4:00 PM on Fox Radio AM 1380.  The topics sequenced from President Obama’s speech, Taxing the rich, Middle East, foriegn policy and aid to Pakistan.

It is a great news for the moderates around the nation to hear one among them is speaking assertively.  Tony Powerz was an incredible host in framing the questions to get the best out of his guests.  Tony was indeed open to hearing a moderate point of view where President Obama was not only criticized but praised on the things he has done well.  For disclosure purposes, I am a Republican, a moderate one and firmly believe that my loyalty to America comes first and then to the party. The statement I made in 2007 and was also articulated by Congressman Ron Paul this week.

President Obama’s speech in Missouri yesterday had the elements of us vs. them; there was no need for the President to deepen that chasm.  Instead, he should have stuck to his usual self, building a cohesive society.  I was critical of the President on his take.

It was a pleasure to share my proposal on taxation policy. Instead of the feds receiving funds through taxing the rich and re-spending, the ideal situation would be to let the rich keep their money and create the jobs.   Give them an equal amount in tax incentives to spend on hiring people and expanding economy and creating jobs, which will generate payroll taxes as well as the income taxs directly from Americans to the IRS. I trust the individual to create the jobs rather than the fed (pun intended). All will gain and no one will be discouraged from making money. The rich should make the money and invest responsibly back in job creation rather than the government.

On the Middle East, President Obama has blundered as well as made some good decisions. The good decision was to stick with the people of Egypt, Libya, Syria and Yemen, had he supported the damned dictators’ that come and go, we would have lost the people, they would have looked down upon us for supporting the tyrant rulers.

The biggest Obama blunder is rejection of Palestinian statehood at the United Nations. The Jewish people have endured a long history of suffering, and now they are enduring another pain, the pain of sacrificing their principle of Justice for  security. They wanted to be free and get over the anxiety and sit down and discuss with the Palestinians as two legal entities. Obama blew that opportunity. Justice to Palestinians and security to Israel would have put the world on a new tract of co-existence; it would have weakened the Iranian argument as well. Injustice to the Palestinians is the mother of all conflicts in the Middle East. The right refuses to see it, the Muslim majority nations would agree with that analysis. Iran would sit down and work with us for a better Middle East. I hope the policy makers open their eyes to it.  We don't really support Israel, we support those who make money in the name of Israel. The Israelis don't need our duplicity, they need a genuine lasting security.

Buldozer Netanyahu erred  by siding with Dictator Mubarak. The peace treaty was between the people of Egypt and the People of Israel and NOT between Mubarak and Netanyahu, lasting peace happens with acceptance from the people and not the dictators’ who are here today and gone tomorrow.

The same goes with the US Aid to foreign countries. Why are the Pakistani people not with us? The answer is simple, the money we gave to Egypt, Israel or Pakistan did not go to benefit the people of those nations, it went to the people who made their lives miserable.  I am kind of supportive of Governor Perry's idea of Zero Budget.  Let all the foreign aid budget be reworked based on tangible and sustainable goodwill towards us, the Americans.

We have wasted our monies giving to the dictators and oppresses, it was a piss down the drain. Why should people, the public hail us when our monies are used to beat them up?

The foreign policy needs to start from scratch, if America does not have a benefit from the good we do, then why do it? If the work does not yield lasting goodness for the recipients and the benefactors, drop it. Don’t waste our resources.

I thank Tony, Fox and AM 1380 for giving a voice to sanity.

Mike Ghouse is committed to building a cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. His work is embedded in 30 some blogs and a few websites and all is indexed at www.mikeghouse.net

Texas Faith: Should sexual immorality disqualify an otherwise capable candidate?

Two new paradigms including the integrity test for the candidate are explored, Media has completely missed out on this one. Cain is history, he had a chance for a graceful comeback, he blew it. The integrity test is embedded in our pledge of Allegiance and I seriously doubt if any one of the candidates will pass the test. Should we take a chance with Gingrich to betray another vow? 

Morality brigade: Cain and Gingrich

Should this moral standard, and the public attention that goes along with it, disqualify an otherwise capable candidate from holding office? Is the nation better off because of it? Ten Texas Faith Panelist at Dallas Morning News respond including;

http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2011/12/texas-faith-should-sexual-immorality.html

MIKE GHOUSE, President, Foundation for Pluralism, Dallas

The office of the President is about trust and we the people of the United States of America, expect the trustee to tell the truth and nothing but the truth.

A person’s character is judged by how he/she acts or reacts to incidents in life. We all have the capability to mess up the intricately held web of life, or strengthen it in building a cohesive society for the good of every American.   The decisions a President makes in critical moments are an extension of his or her personality and can ruin the lives of millions of people who were merely a strand in the web.  Each candidate has to pass the tests of integrity for us to place our trust in him or her. 

Herman Cain is history now. His arrogance got him into the corner and left him with no choice but to suspend the campaign.  Had he gracefully resigned at the very beginning of the process and announced that he will prove his innocence, he would have had a big window to come back at least on a VP ticket, he blew it.

I hope he is innocent; however I trust the claims of the women, shame on those men for belittling a woman’s testimony and finding faults with her instead of him, as though it would absolve him.  It also reflects poorly on the Republican Party for not asking him to resign earlier on.

Newt Gingrich probably will not pass the integrity test either; the political ad “Serial hypocrite” by Ron Paul raises millions of questions about him. Do we need to compel him to acknowledge those nefarious dealings or would he volunteer the truth.  

One of them allegedly broke the wedding vows, the other admitted it. Now, they may have broken their pledge to the nation and the media is yet to explore it. With one mouth they pledge, “… one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.” And with the other, one would not hire a fellow Muslim American in his cabinet and other would make the lives of the fellow Americans difficult because they believe in a different faith or have a different orientation. What does indivisible, liberty and justice mean to these men?

Should we give them a chance to betray another vow? “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."  

A new paradigm of disclosure needs to emerge. Is it difficult for the candidate to lay everything on the table at the announcement of one’s candidacy? The fear is legitimate, if the candidate is aware and did not disclose, or was not aware of his own wrong doing, and then do we need to invest our trust in him or her? In the land of plenty, we have a lot more qualified candidates than we can imagine, but they don’t come forward for the scrutiny and disclosure. We need one candidate to take that first step and disclose everything and lose it out, it will open us to discuss that issue and perhaps a decade later our societies will value integrity and give birth to new qualifications to accommodate the Cains and Gingrichs.

Ten Panelists respond at Dallas Morning News
http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/12/texas-faith-should-sexual-immo.html

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

How do you commemorate Imam Hussain?

Since, I write about every festival and commemoration of the people of the world, I was asked by a friend and then more asked, how do I pay my respects?

You don’t have to be a Muslim to commemorate Imam Husain’s commitment to righteousness.  We celebrate the birthdays of Mahatma Gandhi, MLK and others regardless of what religion we practice, and commemorate their death as well. Imam Hussain is another great personality who refused to endorse a corrupt man to govern his state, his endorsement was critical for the ruler Yazid, which he did not get, and like all other dictatorial maniacs, Yazid had Imam Hussain and his entire family killed. Imam Hussain may be gone, but his legacy lives on. Imam Hussain was killed on this day, the 10^th day of the first Month of the Muslims calendar called Muharram. I believe this day coincides with the day Moses returned, Noah’s ship landing and among other things.

The easy thing to do is sit down for five minutes, close your eyes and reflect on all men and women who stood up for righteousness, we are all beneficiaries of such a gift of sacrifice on their part. And make a small commitment to yourselves that you will stand up for the rights of others regardless of who they are,  and the least you can do is to speak up, or write a comment when you read, don’t back from doing the right thing…. Great men and women of spirit do not want anything, all they want is for all of us to get along and live a greater life and when you make a small commitment, they feel that their effort was appreciated.

Muslims do a variety of things including fasting and joining together to pray and pay a tribute to him. You can read more about the imam and share the article at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/muharram-2011-centrality-imam-hussain_b_1117929.html

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

Life with Vim, verve and vital.

Inject your life force with vim, verve and vital

Note: Susan Mckenzie is an incredible organizer of the words. She has successfully reorganized my articles to make a lot more sense than the original. I admire her talents. I am making a few exceptions to this Blog where I post only what I write and I am including Susan’s piece here, this is her 2^nd piece. – Mike Ghouse

 B: Boldness adds zing (vim, verve and vitality) to your steps.

 L: Living in a vital way should be top priority. 

 E: Every festival opens opportunities to enjoy what others hold dear, and enjoying enhances vim, verve and vitality. Enhance everything by absorbing enormous enlightenment from all excellent sources and enjoy exciting experiences (essence of vim, verve and vitality).

 S: Share vim and just watch the extra bounce (vim) in your step.

 S: Spice of life is variety and we can spice up our lives by being more open to other cultures’ ways of life.  

Y: You can do yourself and others so much good when you see the goodness, vim and vitality in all creation. Your life force is an energy (as is vim, verve and vitality),  so when you enhance vim, verve and vitality you are enhancing life force.

 O: Open to learning from every possible source.

 U: Ultimate enlightenment (upping your vim) takes place when you become Brahma, a state where you do not have any barriers between you and what surrounds you. Utterly enlightening and beautiful are the major religions that explain how to reach a similar state of being.

 1. FESTIVE FUN

 “My family has come to believe that all festivals are meant to celebrate and share the joy with the people you know.” (Mike Ghouse celebrates all festivals)

2. Wholeheartedly wholehearted

 “No matter what you do in life, do it wholeheartedly.” This brings joy to oneself and the others who will consume the work.” (Mike Ghouse).

 3. CHERISH THE WISE

 Mike Ghouse has always cherished Abe Lincoln’s statement “with malice towards none.” Practicing this bestows peace. 

4. OPEN SESAME

 “I am open to learning from every possible source,” says Mike Ghouse. Are you? 

5. TRUTH BE TOLD

  ”Don’t let prejudice stop you from learning all the good you can learn from all religious teachers.” I believe learning about other faiths simply enhances one’s search for the truth. 

6. ULTIMATE BEAUTY

 The ultimate in learning is when you become Brahma, to borrow from the Hindu philosophy, whence you do not have a barrier between you and what surrounds you. That is precisely what the Qur’aan means when it asks you to submit to the will of God.Krishna means surrender to him, or Jesus when he says follow me. You cannot go wrong with their advice and the wisdom of all other beautiful religions. (Mike Ghouse) 

7. FAITHFUL BEAUTY

 As beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, religion is in the heart of the believer. Each faith is beautiful to the believer and we should honor that. 

8. NOURISHING QUEST

 “Each one of the holy books nourishes me in my quest for the truth. It is quite inspiring to open each book and draw an enormous amount of wisdom from it.” (Mike Ghouse). 

9. GREAT GOODNESS

 Think of the good you can do to other beings, the goodness you bring to God’s creation (Mike Ghouse inspired by Prophet Muhammad).

10. PEACE AND HAROMONY

 God wants us to live in peace and harmony with his creation; that is indeed the purpose of religion, any religion. We cannot demand peace unless we are peaceful ourselves. 

11. I BELIEVE

 “I believe each one of us is created by the same creative process with a singular source [GOD] for such creation. I believe that respecting each one of its creations is the best form of praising, worshipping and honoring that creator. I believe knowledge leads to understanding and understanding to acceptance and appreciation of people with a different point of view. If we can learn to accept and respect the God given uniqueness of each one of the 6 billion of us then conflicts fade and solutions emerge.” 

12. MIGHTY MENTORS

 Mike just cannot sit quiet when he feels he can raise his voice. He was inspired by Prophet Muhammad’s quote that when you see injustice, the least you can do is to speak up. Martin Luther King Jr. is one of Mike’s mentors, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly”. Reverend Moon insists that the world would be a better place if we all care for each other and the Native American Chief Seattle said something to this effect. We are merely a strand in this world wide web, if we mess one, we mess the others. 

13. DARE TO DREAM

 Ray Bradbury inspires Mike Ghouse: Whatever you can do or dream that you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now. 

Mike Ghouse

 Mike Ghouse is a contributor of www.abetoday

 For more information about Mike check out the list of contributors at www.abetoday.com and also  http://www.mikeghouse.net/ProfileMikeGhouse.asp 

About the author

An I CAN READ English specialist with over 20 years teaching experience, I have worked in the British Council and Linguaphone, well-known language institutions. I am a London-trained lawyer and have been the public affairs officer at the British High Commission, Singapore, as well as an editor in an international book publishing house and a national magazine. In 2006, I was appointed as an Ambassador of Peace (Universal Peace Federation and Interreligious and International Federation for World Peace). I am also co-author of two law books: English Legal System and Company Law, published by Blackstone, Oxford University Press. For enquiries about I CAN READ classes, email susanmckenzie2003@yahoo.co.uk. FOR DAILY BLESSINGS: www.abetoday.com

A tribute to Dev Anand (1923-2011)

http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2011/12/tribute-to-dev-anand-1923-2011.html 

We lost Dev Anand today and I am writing a tribute to honor him with a Shraddhanjali of songs. Tomorrow, I may add a few more memories.
….

Dev was born Dharam Dev Pishori Anand on 26 September 1923 in Shakargarh Tehsil of Gurdaspur district in undivided Punjab, British India in an advocate family.
 …..

The three giants of Indian Cinema from 1940's to 1970 are Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand and Raj Kapoor among the male actors. Being the first, they set the standards for acting and every one since then follows on e or the other and they will continue to be the legends of India.
…

The three giants of Indian Cinema from 1940's to 1970 are Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand and Raj Kapoor among the male actors. Being the first, they set the standards for acting and every one since then follows on e or the other and they will continue to be the legends of India.


BBC resports, “Legendary Bollywood actor-director Dev Anand has died in London of a heart attack, aged 88, family members say. Anand, who produced and acted in dozens of films, was unwell and had gone to London for a checkup. In his 65-year career, which began in 1946, Anand became one of India's iconic actor-directors. “ 

Dev Anand visited Dallas in 1994-95 to give a key note speech at the Asian American Hotel Owners Association at Loews Anatole. One of the Dallas Board Members of AAHOA asked me to bring out a special issue of Asian News Magazine that I published from 1993-2000.


I spent days digging up listing his films – 105 in all with basic information about the heroine, music director, year released and the key songs. We presented a few copies for him to sign, he looked up the list, indeed he was engrossed in it and patted on my back “Shabash” and said he did not have list himself and he was going to carry that paper with him. Remember Internet did not exist then.


When you watched Dev Anand Movie, you always came out with a vigor, there was always something enthusiastic about him. He energizes you. A lot of us thought he literally mimicked Gregory Peck and ironically, Surayya the woman was in love with him; also chased Gregory Peck. I remember stories about Gregory Peck visiting Bangalore for the Silver Jubilee celebrations of his movie McKenna’s Gold at Lido Theater.


Dev Anand’s biggest movies were Guide and Hare Rama Hare Krishna.

Who will forget his songs, particularly these that have a lot of relevance to me personally.

1.       Mera Man tera Pyaasa - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foJNOtb4OPU&list=PL96E95F0AC5655ED5&index=13&feature=plpp_video

2.      Ek but banaoonga tera - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Qt6cGSDu4Y&list=PL96E95F0AC5655ED5&index=8&feature=plpp_video

3.      My Zindagi ka saath nibhata chalagaya - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sagi0o-d7XU&feature=relmfu

4.      Hai apna dil to awaara - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3K8TH8LBs-w&feature=related

5.      Tere mere Sapne ab ek rang hain - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9zjhg7BJXY&list=PL96E95F0AC5655ED5&index=6&feature=plpp_video

6.      Din dhal jaye hai - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_002K49S10

7.      Tere ghar ke saamne - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgFMp50UrMU

8.     Khoya khoya chaand - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5neEc7PjHg

9.      Ai dil na hota bechara - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5OXj62qJUQ

10.  Kya say kay hogaya - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMMHDuaJls4&list=PL96E95F0AC5655ED5&index=5&feature=plpp_video

11.   Abhi Na Jaao chod kar - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAa9XqBw7ag&feature=relmfu

12.  Phoolon ke rang say - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4iYbxFBZKQ

13.  Tujhe Jivan ki door say bandh liya hai - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amRMVEXb-xI

14.  Dekho o deewano - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tB8RwuRQySg

15.   Dum Maro Dum - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUqEPS6Mq8I&feature=relmfu

16.  Dil Pukare Aaray Aaray - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lquTatrN_9Y

I dropped everything to compile this note, I wish I had saved the list of his film or the paper where he had signed.

It’s my tribute to Dev Anand, who was a part of most of my life. I enjoyed his films and songs and the sense of youth he imbued was incredible. Indeed, on my wedding day, I sang the song "Mera man tera pyaasa and – Ek but banaoonga tera"

I salute you Dev Saheb, may God bless you.
Om Shanti, Om Shanti!

Mike Ghouse, a life time fan.

www.MikeGhouse.net



Dev Anand and Mike Ghouse, someone was holding the Special edition of Asian News for Deve Anand.



Israel is not a loser Mr. Netanyahu.

The Israeli leadership does not have a vision and have made gross mistakes over the last several decades. The Jews across the globe need to demand the Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to performance based on restoring genuine security to Israel.  

Netanyahu and his friends believe in bully power that has not worked; to oppress, to crush and to teach a lesson to the Palestinians. Their way of finding a solution to a conflict is to annihilate the party to the conflict, which will never happen. That is downright animalistic. If the evil Roman Empire and the scum bag Hitler could not annihilate the armless civilian Jews, what makes them think that they can drive the Palestinians out of their homes or annihilate them?  

If Israeli leaders keep threatening other nations, what should the other nations do? Commit suicide?  Israel’s security hinges on security of her neighbors, Israel will not have peace unless others around her do. Netanyahu and his ilk do not have that frame of mind to grasp it. All they know is to talk tough to an eternal cheering right wing audience who rejoice killing and oppression at the cost of security and ironically in the name of security. 

The Israeli leadership made serious mistakes in not supporting the Egyptian Spring, they alienated the Egyptians. A few weeks ago, I was with David Horowitz on Hannity show, he maintained that we (Americans) should have supported Mubarak. How wrong can he be? Had Israel supported the people, the equation would have been that of cooperation and Israel had a chance to say, but Mr. Netanyahu blew it. I wish the leadership represented the interests of the people?  

Bombing Iran is the most idiotic scheme they have cooked up; it will ruin America and Israel both as much as it ruins the other.  It will bring insecurity to Jews and Israel on a longer period. The current policies work against Israel.

Sean Hannity asks me; would you sit down and talk with the terrorist who is bent on killing you? My response remains the same, and then whom do you talk with to make peace?

Now they claim Israel is the biggest loser with the victory of Brotherhood.  I don’t think so; there is a way out for all parties.

Mr. Netanyahu needs a lesson in diplomacy.

You must win the people and earn their support in the long haul, do not support dictators, none of them will be around, people do and their support is sustainable.

Drop the ridiculous idea of bombing Iran, instead do the following;

 Make friends with Iran, and poof the enemy would be gone! It comes with the announcement that you will restore justice to the Palestinians and in one single stroke, the hostilities will begin to end. First, you have to earn the trust of the people including Sarkozy and Obama with your actions, then you really have to mean it.  
This is serious stuff that your right winger friends do not want happen, as they stand to lose an income that fear and conflict produces for them.  The 1% right wingers are holding the other Jews hostage with their policies. Watch out, the Israeli spring may be brewing to rid of your failed leadership. Remember your intelligence has been bad and unreliable.  You can change this all and find a pluralistic solution.

The Jerusalem post writes that “Israel is the biggest loser from Brotherhood Egypt win”. Nope’s, that is not true, there is a way out. If our Senate and Congressional leadership goes back to zero on Middle East policy and define a clear goal of security to Israel and Justice to Palestinians,  and do the things that take us there.

America will be the loser in the equation; we will completely lose our ability to be an “honest” broker if we don’t reign in on war mongering. China and Russia may jump in and we will be the losers in the end in every which way. It is in our interest to speak up and stop this war mongering and do the right thing; Justice for Palestine and security for Israel.

Mike Ghouse is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. His work is indexed at www.Mikeghouse.net and his current articles are at www.TheGhousediary.com

Muharram 2011, Imam Hussain and Muslims

The overall theme of the article is the effect of Imam Hussain in Islamic history. There is a variation and I chose not to label it with either denomination, but I have acknowledged it.  No Muslim wants Imam Hussain to be monopolized by any one, he belongs to the entire Muslim community as well as the world, he symbolizes the man who would stand up for righteousness risking his own life. That is the moral strength of the Imam Hussain (RA). 

Let us learn to see the issue as a larger family issue.

As a Muslim, I am consciously writing, speaking and even thinking like the Muslims who founded the religion.  Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and the Caliphs Abu Bakr, Usman, Umar and Ali only knew Muslims, and nothing but Muslim.

We are all one large family with differences and we need to start speaking like a family and not label the differences. What has happened for Fourteen centuries don’t have to be repeated?

If Allah were to line us up on the Day of Judgment, he will smile if someone says he is a  ______ Muslim. God will ask, what Muslim? Then God would look at the Prophet for an answer, and the Prophet probably would say, don’t ask me! That’s new to me as well.  

Courtesy of Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/muharram-2011-centrality-imam-hussain_b_1117929.html
 
Mike Ghouse is committed to doing his share of building cohesive societies for the humanity including his own base; Muslims. His work is indexed at www.MikeGhouse.net

Gingrich next exit, Romney has to contend with Paul

CAIN GONE, GINGRICH NEXT - ROMNEY AND PAUL NOW

The only candidate that is holding on to the principles of GOP is Ron Paul. He said “the loyalty to my country comes first and the party next” I wrote the same phrase in 2007 and again in 2008 asking the Republicans to put America first.

Now Gingrich will be made to acknowledge things that he did not volunteer, he was not faithful to his wife nor will he pass the standards he “talks” about as a hypocrite, and he will fail the integrity. My article will be out next week. As of now, if all things go well it would be between Romney and Paul unless someone surprises.

Cain should have gone gracefully; he would have earned the respect of the country, but he blew it, under the fake garb of conservatism he ran but ran out of steam.  Palin, no way!  It is time for the GOP to save some more embarrassment or let the process purge itself.   Where is Perry? I am glad at least I remembered him; he is the Governor of my State.

Mike Ghouse
A Moderate, but not a silent Republican