PROGRESSIVE WEDDING OFFICIANT
Dr. Mike Ghouse officiates weddings between people of different faiths and among the same. Through consultations with the couple and parents, if needed, he customizes the proceedings & sermons in both their faith traditions if they choose to remain in their respective faiths. It is a full-service wedding or Nikah. You can text him with your name(s) to (214) 325-1916 to set up a conversation to discuss how you want your wedding to be. More about him at https://theghousediary.com/mike-mohamed-ghouse-wedding-officiant-of-america/
INTERFAITH MARRIAGES: https://interfaithmarriages.org/
MUSLIM WEDDING OFFICIANT: https://muslimweddingofficiant.org/
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Everything about Mike Ghouse is on this page.
NOTE TO MEDIA – All items on this site are open to re-print and re-publication | Kindly send the link to SpeakerMikeGhouse@gmail.com.
Mike is deeply committed to Religious Freedom, Human rights, and Pluralism in Religion, Politics, Societies, and the workplace. He has dedicated his life to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day to the media, legislators, and policymakers.
Pluralism is Mike’s passion and commitment. He defines Pluralism as “respecting the otherness of the other and accepting the uniqueness of each individual.” and adds, “I am who I am, and you are who you are – any compulsions to change for the other, will subtly create resentments and thus conflicts. The best thing is to accept each other as they are; be it their faith, race, culture, or ethnicity.” This is what Mike believes, practices, and preaches through the last breath of his life.
Mike is a confident Muslim as opposed to a Muslim who cannot hear criticism of Islam, he welcomes criticism and responds with the wisdom he has found over the years. He chose to be a Muslim after 30 years of criticizing Islam, the Quran, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), and God. He has written extensively on most topics of Islam, nearly 2000 articles, and authored the book American Muslim Agenda. He has conducted several workshops on the Quran and knows Islam well. He can respond to most questions about Islam.
Mike wears the following hats;
1. Pluralism in religion, politics, culture, and the workplace (includes religious freedom and human rights)
2. Shaping the future of America
3. Islam – If it is not common sense, then it is not Islam – speaks, writes, and does workshops.
4. Officiates religious, interfaith, or secular marriages.
5. India’s security, peace, and prosperity.
6. Searching for a solution to Israel and Palestine conflicts
7. Conflict Mitigation and Goodwill Nurturance in any given situation – A Prophet Muhammad formula
He is also a licensed Interfaith Marriages officiant in all 50 States of the United States. More about it at www.InterfaithMarriages.org and www.MuslimWeddingOfficiant.org
A short intro:
Dr. Mike Ghouse is Social Scientist, Public Speaker, thinker, author, newsmaker, and Interfaith Wedding Officiant. He is deeply committed to Pluralism in Religion, Politics, Societies, Human rights, and religious freedom. He is the founder and president of the Center for Pluralism, Director at the World Muslim Congress, a think tank, and a wedding officiant at Interfaith Marriages. His new book American Muslim Agenda is available on Amazon, and “Standing up for others” and “Madame President” are coming soon. He is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions to issues of the day. His mission is to open people’s hearts and minds toward fellow humans. More about him at TheGhouseDiary.com
Mike’s Passion
- Passion — Pluralism, Human Rights, and Religious Freedom
- Mission — Is to open the hearts, minds, and souls of people towards each other.
- Vision — is to see a world where each one of us lives securely with our faith, ethnicity, race, national origin, and any other uniqueness.
- The goal — is to share how to live cohesively with each other
- Work — is at www.CenterforPluralism.com and www.WorldMuslimCongress.org
- Accomps — http://centerforpluralism.com/mission-accomplished-at-the-center-for-pluralism/
- Email — SpeakerMikeGhouse@gmail.com
- Website — www.TheGhousediary.com
- Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/MikeGhouse/ and https://www.facebook.com/Dr.MikeGhouse
- YouTube Channel — https://www.youtube.com/c/MikeGhouseShow/videos
- Twitter — https://twitter.com/MikeGhouse
- Linked-in — https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeghouse/
- Instagram — mikeghouse2
- The Book –– www.AmericanMuslimAgenda.com
Profile of Mike Ghouse
Dr. Mike Ghouse is a Public Speaker, pluralist, thinker, author, organizer, business and community consultant, newsmaker, and interfaith wedding officiant.
His mission is to open people’s hearts and minds towards each other, and he believes that the ultimate purpose of humans is to live freely and securely with their culture, race, religion, ethnicity, sexuality, and individuality.
He is deeply committed to Religious Freedom, Human rights, and Pluralism ( Religion, Politics, Societies, and the workplace). He has dedicated his life to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day to the media, organizations, and policymakers.
Three books are on the horizon, “Standing up for others” and “Pluralism in America” and “Children’s America.” The “American Muslim Agenda” is released and is available at Amazon, Kindle, Barnes & Noble, and other bookstores. Mike has stood up for the rights of people from Atheists to Zoroastrians and everyone in between including LGBTQ and Native American communities. If you want to know almost everything about American Muslims and the essence of Islam, this book is for you. It is about fostering societies where no one is more privileged than the other. Mike has co-authored a few books and has been cited in over 500 books and articles.
He sums up his work in these words, “If we can learn to respect the otherness of the others and accept the God-given uniqueness of each one of us, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge.” And for clarity, adds, “I am who I am, and you are who you are – there shall be no compulsion to change for the other as it will subtly create conflicts, the best thing is to accept each other as they are; be it their faith, race, culture or ethnicity.” He further believes that knowledge leads to understanding and understanding to acceptance of another point of view.
Mike is an effective communicator. His speeches, commentaries, press releases, articles, messages, and discussions are appreciated for common-sense clarity. Given his background in publishing newspapers, producing radio & tv talk shows, and commenting on national tv, he has excelled in building relations with the community, public, media, and the government.
His experience in dealing with people from different faiths, races, ethnicities, nationalities, sexual, and political orientations has empowered him with community-building expertise. He is committed to building cohesive communities – i.e., bringing people together towards effectively achieving the set goals.
Conflict mitigation and goodwill nurturance is his first nature and he offers pluralistic** solutions on issues of the day. Whatever he does, he does it wholeheartedly and pours his heart, mind, and soul into it — a trailblazer by all counts.
The skills that have made him a successful consultant are; communications, project management, events management, customer care, community outreach, social media, public relations, media relations, teacher, trainer, budget, and operations management.
Mike is the founder and president of the Center for Pluralism, an established educational institution in the Washington DC area. What have we accomplished? Here it is – http://centerforpluralism.com/mission-accomplished-at-the-center-for-pluralism/
Mike’s Speaking/ Workshop Topics
- Building a Cohesive America
- Building a cohesive workplace
- Shaping America’s Future
- Wisdom of Religions
- Pluralism in Religion, politics, society, and workplace
- Standing up for others
- American Muslim Agenda (book)
- Muslim Woman President of the United States in 2036
- Islam in a Nutshell/ Essence of Islam
- Muhammad the Peacemaker
- Understanding the Quran
- Tying the loose ends of life for a peaceful living – Michami Dukkadam
- Gratitude brings peace – Story of Appaiah
- Doing things wholeheartedly
- Pluralism in religion, politics, society, and workplace
- Foreign policy in relation to India, Israel, and Palestine
- Motivational Talks
- We can customize the speech to the needs of the organizations
STATS FOR MIKE
- An American Citizen.
- Washington DC resident since 2015.
- Texan for over 35 years.
- Dallas, Texas is his hometown.
- India is his Motherland.
- Pluralist in attitude – one who respects the otherness of the others.
- A conflict mitigator and a goodwill nurturer.
- Religion – chose Islam in1999.
- Socially Moderate.
- Politically independent.
- Services – Interfaith Wedding Officiant and community consulting.
- 60 Million views on Google Profile
- 26,821 friends on Facebook ( 9,607 + 7, 655 + 6,774 + 2785 )
- 20,286 connections at Linked in = 4,936 + 15,350
- 1991 = Twitter followers
- 45,000 + Personal lists from Atheists to Zoroastrians & by nations
- 404 = Instagram
- 780 hours of a radio talk show on the wisdom of religions.
- 3600+ articles touching all religions from Atheism to Zoroastrianism.
- 300+ appearances on the National T.V. including 150 on Fox News.
- 150+ Nationally syndicated radio shows on human rights, free speech, and foreign policy.
- 39 Workshops, 3 hours each for 12 religions + capstone
- 500 books carry citations of Mike’s work on building cohesive societies.
- Bias towards none.
- Home with every faith, race, ethnicity, culture, and society.
- Initiated the Annual Thanksgiving Celebrations & Awards Night in 1994.
- Initiated the Annual Unity Day USA in 2005.
- Initiated the Annual Reflections on the Holocaust and genocides since 2006.
- Managed over 150 public events in 25 plus years.
- Spoken at events larger than 5000 audiences. Rally | Convention | Show
- Author – American Muslim Agenda and two more books on the horizon.
- As a Muslim prayed in the holy place of Mecca, Madina, and Jerusalem – Najaf, and Karbala next.
- As a Muslim prayed in Mosques of all most all Muslim denominations.
- Been to every place of worship from Aztec to Zoroastrians and everyone in between.
- Published a bi-monthly News magazine Asian News Journal for 7 years.
- Produced and co-anchored 26 weekly TV shows.
- An active participant in the International religious freedom round table
- An active participant in the American religious liberty committee
- Member of Heritage Foundation
- Life Member India Association of North Texas, and International Hindi Association
- Board Member at Israel Palestine Confederation, Jewish Islamic Dialogue Society,
- Past President of Home Owners Association in Carrollton, North Texas Cricket Association, Dallas Charities, and other groups.
- Former board member at Dallas Peace Center, Memnosyne Foundation, Dallas Home Builders Association, Dallas International, and other organizations.
- Former Commissioner at Mayor Taylor’s economic task force for South Dallas.
- Former Commissioner-at-large at the City of Carrollton, Texas.
- Lives in a predominantly African American neighborhood with a purpose.
- Lived in the prime community of the City of Carrollton – the Coyote Ridge
- We will add – more time permitting
THE NAME IS MIKE GHOUSE
https://theghousediary.com/my-name-is-mike-ghouse/
TRIBUTES TO MY LOVED ONES:
- Najma – Late wife (1947-2008) https://theghousediary.com/life-is-a-poem-of-love/
- Mike’s Father (1914-1977) – https://theghousediary.com/happy-fathers-day-tribute-to-my/
- Mike’s Mother (1929-2001) – https://theghousediary.com/happy-mothers-day-a-tribute-to-my-mother/
- Maternal Grand Father –
- Paternal Grand Mother – https://theghousediary.com/my-grandmother-was-fiercely-independen/
- My School teacher – https://theghousediary.com/a-tribute-to-my-teacher-mr-abdul-hakeem/
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Mike has established the Center for Pluralism; an educational and advocacy institution in the Washington DC area. The center conducts workshops on opening people’s hearts and minds towards fellow Americans.
Dr. Ghouse is one of the champions of religious freedom and human rights. In the last 26 years, he has stood up for the rights of every religious group, from Atheists to Zoroastrians, including LGBTQ and Native Americans and undocumented Americans. Much of the work is at www.Standingupforothers.com.
Since he emerged in public life in 1993 with the publication of a Pluralist News Paper,
There are a handful of Americans who have done what Mike has accomplished. https://centerforpluralism.com/mission-accomplished-at-the-center-for-pluralism/
Dr. Ghouse conducts workshops and writes extensively about respecting, standing up for, defending, and protecting the rights of others. In addition to standing up for every religious or no religious community, he has defended the Shia, Sunni, and Ahmadiyya Muslims as a Muslim. A few examples are given below.
Over the last 26 years, Mike has brought thousands of people together through his annual events like the Unity Day, Holocaust and Genocides, and Thanksgiving celebrations, and a few ad-hoc events. He makes sure people of all faiths and no faith are represented in the programs including native Americans and the LGBTQ community members. The impact of the programs was people got to know each other, the more we learn about each other the fewer the tensions.
He has lead coalitions with many willing organizations to accomplish the goal of unity and fighting for their causes, some among them are the Memnosyne Foundation and the Adams Center and Churches of many denominations, Hindu Temples, and Synagogues.
Mike speaks boldly against the powers without regard to the consequences and has been threatened for his life many times. He was not hired for a good-paying job because he wrote against the Arab League’s proposal in the United Nations to restrict free speech.
Mike is a strong free speech advocate and has stood up for the rights of Pamela Geller his nemesis, and a hate speech queen when she was banned from speaking in London. Again, he fought off on Fox News TV with Sean Hannity and Brigitte Gabriel when they proposed banning Dr. Ghannouchi from speaking at the Yale University.
Dr. Ghouse has risked his physical safety to be on the front lines, particularly going into the town of Mulberry, Florida for the first time when he knew none and dealing with the Quran burning Pastor Jones. A documentary is coming out from that event to promote free speech to Muslims and what is sacred to Americans, it is due for release on the 20th anniversary of 9/11.
Mike has been a signatory to almost every letter from different communities through the IRF, written to the Department of State and the President.
He is still working on a House bill to create safety zones to prevent the refugee crises. Ambassador Brownback liked the idea and recommended taking it to Congressman Chris Smith and Senator Lankford. One of these days, we will get that accomplished.
Dr. Ghouse has extensively promoted religious understanding to develop harmony among the different communities mentioned above. Mike has conducted extensive workshops such as “Understanding the essence of religions” that included Atheism. His monthly show “Busting the Myths” busts the myths between different communities and promotes understanding.
He also has a monthly show to train the potential candidate to run for political office without prejudice to the Republicans and Democrats, speakers include from both the political parties, and trainees also included from both parties.
A few of the many examples are listed here;
When the Cities of San Francisco and Santa Monica put a referendum to ban Jewish circumcision, Mike Jumped and wrote an oped in Huffington Post. Finally, both cities withdrew from the referendum citing his article. There are a ton of such initiatives on the given website.
When Russia banned Bhagavad Gita, the Hindu holy scripture, Mike jumped again, and calls started going to the Russian Embassy, and they withdrew the Ban. There are many such accomplishments in the Standing up for Hindus segment at the site standing up for others.
When a few right-wing Muslims burned a church in Jakarta, Indonesia, Mike wrote an appeal, which was published in the centerfold of the Jakarta Post, donations poured, and the church was restored.
When Atheist Lena Joy in Malaysia and Abdur Rahman in Afghanistan converted from Islam to Christianity, Mike wrote to their respective governments against the case of Apostasy citing the Quran. He got a petition out to save Asiya Bibi from the blasphemy charges and defended the rights of Sikhs, Bahai’s, and Christians in Malaysia to use the name of Allah – the God. They retrieved the Fatwa. Mike also wrote to the Indonesian Minister to spare the Ahmadiyya Muslims from the whiplashes, they did. They pulled the Fatwa back.
He stood up for the rights of the LGBTQ community and included them in many of the annual events. He went on a signature drive in Texas, and finally, the state proclaimed the Native American Day in September of each year.
Mike has stood up for every community, bar none. He also writes about different religions and major festivals to promote understanding between communities. You can google search each faith and festival with his name.
Mike believes if we can learn to respect the otherness of the others and accept the uniqueness of each one of us, then conflicts fade, and solutions emerge. No one is more privileged than the others.
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A TRIBUTE TO PEOPLE WHO CONTINUALLY INFLUENCE MIKE
The links will be posted soon
- Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)
- Jesus Christ
- Lord Krishna
- Guatama Buddha
- Guru Nanak
- Mother Teresa
- Pope Francis
- Maimonides
- Mahatma Gandhi
- Martin Luther King, Jr.,
- Jiddu Krishnamurthy
- Aga Khan
- Dale Carnegie
- Sahir Ludhianavi
- Mike’s Grand Father – Shaikh Hussain
- Mike’s Father – Abdul Rahman
- Mike’s Mother – Khairun Nisa
- Mike’s Sister – Dilshad Noor Mohamed
PICTORIAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Mike Ghouse Profile-60-Pages-06.05.18
MIKE GHOUSE – RESUME
Phone: (214) 325 – 1916 MikeGhouse@gmail.com
Profile(s): https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeghouse/
EXPERIENCE
President & CEO | May 2015- Current
Center for Pluralism (non-profit)
Established the Center for Pluralism from scratch, and today the Center is well known in Washington DC and around the world with its workshops, talks, programs, and connections.
President & CEO | 2006-2015
First City Homes – Consulting firm
FCH is a business consulting firm managing home building, property management, remodeling, and various projects.
Community Manager | 1985-2006
National Home Builders
An award-winning community manager. Managed the entire home building process from developing lots to construction to customers move to their new home. It is a comprehensive process involving all aspects of life and business and customer relationships. Mike worked with Gemcraft Homes, Ryland Homes, Drees Custom Homes, Grand Homes, Bluff view Builders, and City Homes.
Deputy Finance Controller | 1997-1981
Fluor Corporation
Mike managed a $5.3 Billion NGL facility in Saudi Arabia involving budgeting, A/R, A/P, Payroll, and administration of remote sites.
SKILLS:
The skills that have made him successful are; communications, project management, customer relations, community outreach, social media, public and media relations, trainer, critical planning, budget, and operations management.
SUMMARY:
Mike has outstanding reach out and has built excellent relationships with federal, stand, and local governments. He has successfully dealt with diverse people from different age groups, races, religions, and regions, including the Native Americans and the LGBTQ Community. He is home with all the people.
EDUCATION
M.B.A., Univ of Dallas (1984)
M.Com, Bangalore Univ (1974)
D.D., Honorary in Divinity/ Pluralism
FAVORITE QUOTES
“My religion is as dear to me as yours is to you, and I wholeheartedly respect and accept all religions as valid traditions.”
“If we can learn to respect the otherness of the other and accept the God-given uniqueness of each one of us, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge.”
“Whatever you do in life, do it wholeheartedly.”
GOOGLE SEARCH
Mike Ghouse + Name of Religion
Mike Ghouse + Major religious festivals of the world
Mike Ghouse + News
QUOTES THAT HAVE SHAPED MIKE’S PUBLIC LIFE
Bhagavad Gita: “Finding the truth is one’s own responsibility.” This is his understanding of a passage, it has been the defining quote in his life. That’s what propelled Mike into finding the truth about the Quran and Islam by rejecting all the secondary literature in Isalm. Karen Armstrong’s book Muhammad changed Mike’s perceptions about the Prophet – Then he chose to become a Muslim in the late ’90s and gives credit to the Bhagvad Gita and Karen Armstrong.
The Quran: “Your faith is dear to you, as mine is to me.” His father and mother drilled this into him, it is indeed the epitome of conducting civil dialogue, and central to defining pluralism. Mike considers this as his first step in translating the Quran (God willing) from a universal perspective, that all humanity can relate and feel it is a book of guidance. After all, the Quran was not for Muslims, it was for humanity. More about it at http://centerforpluralism.com/quran-and-civil-dialogue/
The Quran: “There is no compulsion in the matters of faith or what one believes”, it is reiterated four times. There is a good dialogue on free will in the book, American Muslim Agenda, chapter Islamic Values.
Jainism/Mahavir: Anekantvaad is one of the most important and basic doctrines of Jainism. It refers to the principles of pluralism and multiplicity of viewpoints, the notion that truth and reality are perceived differently from diverse points of view, and that no single point of view is a complete truth.
Goethe: “Until one is committed, there is hesitancy… Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred.… Whatever you can do or dream that you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.”
Maya Angelou: Two quotes, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” And this, “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”
Ray Bradbury: “If we listened to our intellect, we’d never have a love affair. We’d never have a friendship. We’d never go into business because we’d be cynical. Well, that’s nonsense. You’ve got to jump off cliffs all the time and build your wings on the way down.”
Dr. Abdul Hamid Abusulayman: “There is a clear distinction between doubts and problems. Doubts provoke obstruction, frustration, and discouragement, whereas problems inspire motivation, action, and diligence.
Dr. Sheikh Rached Ghannouchi: “The role of religion is to answer the big questions for us, those relating to our existence, origins, destiny, and the purpose for which we are created. It is to provide us with a system of values and principles that would guide our thinking, behavior, and the regulations to which we aspire.” Indeed, the ultimate goal of all religions is to create cohesive societies.
Lord Krishna:’ Whenever the society becomes chaotic, someone from among you will emerge and restore the righteousness.” That is trusting and caring for each other.
Rabbi Hillel: That which is despicable to you, do not do to your fellow, this is the whole Torah, and the rest is commentary, go and learn it.”
Chief Seattle, a Native American said this perfectly, “All things are connected. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons of the earth. The man did not weave the web of life; he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the webs, he does it to himself.” Indeed, we are endowed with the gift of managing what surrounds us; life and matter.
ASSERTIONS:
“When Jesus says to Christians, “Follow me,” Krishna appeals to Hindus, “Surrender to me,” and Allah guides Muslims, “Submit to my will,” what does it mean? Will the man on the street who has no idea of God or religion will understand this? The purpose of the statements was for us to adopt their attitudes, the attitude of loving all the creation – life and matter. It simply means to be a great human, a great citizen or Amin, as Prophet Muhammad was known.”
” Whatever you do in life, do it wholeheartedly, there is joy in it for everyone around including ourselves”
“I will never claim my faith, Islam, to be superior or inferior to any faith, that would be arrogance, and arrogance kills peace and harmony in the society.” God prefers humility in humans and not arrogance.
“True spirituality is feeling like a speck in the universe, an insignificant but unique contributor to the universe’s existence. You will never feel or act to be different or superior from others, you feel you are one of the many. Indeed, spirituality and arrogance are inversely proportional to each other. The more spiritual you are the least arrogant you are. You don’t need to dress up long white, green, or orange sheets of clothes or beards, that is not spirituality, that is setting yourselves apart from the others instead of being a part of them. “
” We are one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. We are represented by every race, nationality, ethnicity, language, culture, and religion. We see God as one, none and many and in every form; male, female, genderless and non-existent, being and non-being, nameless and with innumerable names. I am committed to preserving this pluralistic heritage of the universe..”
“If we can learn to respect the otherness of the others and accept the God-given uniqueness of each one of the 8 billion of us, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge.”
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A FEW LINKS WRITTEN ABOUT MIKE GHOUSE
In Defense of Islam – Dallas Morning News
https://www.dallasnews.com/news/2010/09/19/in-defense-of-islam-pursuing-a-civil-dialogue/
Muslim Wikipedia
https://medium.com/worldmuslimpedia/mike-mohamed-ghouse-a-pluralist-and-an-outstanding-interfaith-and-peace-activist-5db250a38f06
Saudi Gazette – A proper response to inflammatory Act
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20130821177617
Times of India – Novel Protest by Muslim Americans
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/From-Muslims-in-America-a-novel-protest-against-quran-burning/articleshow/21982162.cms
Times of Israel – Police Arrest US Pastor before he can burn Qurans
https://www.timesofisrael.com/police-arrest-us-pastor-before-he-can-burn-qurans/
Dawn – US Pastor arrested before he could burn Quran copies
https://www.dawn.com/news/1042364
The Center for Pluralism is an established educational institution in the Washington DC area. What have we accomplished? Here it is – http://centerforpluralism.com/mission-accomplished-at-the-center-for-pluralism/
WEBSITES/ BLOGS/ MY WORK
Pluralism | Politics | Islam | Human Rights
The only way to achieve things in life is to make an unwavering commitment, and whatever I do, I do it wholeheartedly and pour my heart, mind, and soul into it. The Center for Pluralism took me years to establish and feel a sense of fulfillment in life. http://centerforpluralism.com/mission-accomplished-at-the-center-for-pluralism/
I am available to do consulting work on public, media, government, and community relations. My expertise is communications. I am home with people of different races, faiths, cultures, ethnicities, sexual and political orientations. I am a trailblazer, and nothing I have done has been done before.
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Public Speaker, futurist, and a frequent guest on national TV and Radio offering pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. He knows what to do.
The Book” What’s the American Muslim Agenda?
What is that Americans Muslims want? How close are they to what you want? What can they do about it? What are your issues with each other? If you are a conservative, grudgingly, you’ll see the value in this book, and if you are moderate, you’ll dance and sing along with joy.
You and I have a responsibility to create a world where, you, me, and our grandchildren can live without apprehensions. No matter we go, we should feel secure about faith, race, ethnicity, culture, and our political and sexual orientation.
Would the book American Muslim Agenda bring attitudinal change among Muslims? Yes, it will, it’s akin to planting seeds and nurturing it to give beneficence to the next generation. I know most American Muslims will wholeheartedly subscribe to the refreshed understanding of Islam, we need to expand it to more Americans.
Some of the reservations we have about Muslims and Islam are based on what we have heard from our parents, teachers, clergy, favorite media people, and others. We need to find the truth on our own and find freedom from misunderstandings. It is a blessing to be free.
Muslims have shied away from confronting difficult issues about their faith, and most of them don’t even have a clue about the essence of Islam, it was never articulated before in the history of Islam.
A few medieval scholars have reduced Islam to rituals, five pillars, dhimmi, jizya, sharia, externalities, and enforcement of your rules on to others. That is not Islam, and most Muslims can recite verses that Islam is about free will. God uploaded free will into Adam’s DNA, and emphasized it in the Quran, the prophet practiced ‘freewill’ and established examples for it. Sadly, Muslims know the truth but were bullied into silence with fatwa bombs. All I have done is articulated what Muslims believe, but dared not say it. The book is the voice of the majority of ‘American’ Muslims.
This book is a product of twenty years of research and thousands of discussions in which Muslims, non-Muslims, and “Islamophobes” have participated in it, including debates on Fox News with Sean Hannity, Stuart Varney, Pamela Geller, Brigitte Gabrielle, Robert Spencer, Jamie Glazov, Raymond Ibrahim, Walid Shoebat, Wafa Sultan, and several others.
Islam is about living your life and letting others live theirs. Islam is about building cohesive societies where all of God’s creation lives with dignity and freedom. In God’s universe, we are merely a speck, and no one is more privileged than the other. If you are a moderate individual of any faith, you will find the book in tune with you.
It is time to go beyond the five pillars of Islam, and I hope the Imams and Muslim scholars who are free thinkers would appreciate the contents of the book. This book may indeed become a reference manual for teaching Islamic values that contribute to creating a better world for all humanity.
The American Muslim Agenda offers guidance to Muslims to be one with all, and it voices what Muslims believe and live with and empowers them to live their lives and let others live with free will. The book opens the door to people of other faiths to shed their biases and join hands in creating a world of safety, security, and harmony for all humanity.
Islam is a public religion, and Muslims don’t own it exclusively. You are invited to participate in discussions, including your faith. The book is expected to initiate conversations about the nature of Islam and fellow humans. I welcome your criticism (after reading the book).
You can get the book by calling 1-888-795-4274 x 4528 or get it from Amazon online or a book store. You can find the talking points at www.AmericanMuslimAgenda.com.
A new book coming up: We have a responsibility to shape the future of our society, and we will continue to focus our energies on ensuring a safe America, a secure and confident America, where no one including your kids, grandkids or yourselves has to worry about their faith, ethnicity, race, gender or other God-given uniqueness and live their life without apprehensions. Talking points about the book at http://www.AmericanMuslimAgenda.com
Concerned by the divisiveness, he saw the need to bring Americans together and founded America Together Foundation committed to building a cohesive America, indeed it is in response to ACT America which is bent on pitching one American against the other. We will be holding a series of educational programs, conferences, and workshops to address the issues that divide us such as Civil Rights, GLBT, Quraan, Abortion, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, Racial Profiling, and Stereotyping.
The Annual Unity Day USA is in its 7th year now, it is a purposeful event to bring Americans together, on this Unity Day, we the people of the United States of America of every faith, race, ethnicity, culture, and background will gather to express our commitment to co-existence, unity, prosperity, and wellbeing of our nation.
Thanksgiving Celebration is in its 15th year showcasing cultural diversity.
The 5th Annual Reflections on Holocaust and Genocides is to learn and to acknowledge and reflect upon the terrible things we have inflicted upon each other and commit to avert such tragedies. Through this event non-Jewish people have consciously learned about Holocaust for the first time, it was also for the first time that people of 14 faiths came together to join in to commemorate the Holocaust that commemorated within the Jewish Community for years. They are not alone anymore in their anguish, we are all in it together with them, and it is a Muslim initiative to effect a positive change.
The programs, seminars, and workshops conducted by the Foundation for Pluralism have become a part of the America Together Foundation. While the Foundation for Pluralism continues championing the idea of co-existence through respecting and accepting the otherness of other, the commitment to nurturing the pluralistic ideals embedded in Islam through the World Muslim Congress continues.
Mike is a speaker, thinker, collaborator, and writer on the subjects of Pluralism, the Interfaith Movement, Cohesive Societies, Islam, India, Hope, and World Peace. Over 1000 of his articles have been published worldwide and two books are poised to be released this summer. His work is reflected in 4 websites and 27 Blogs indexed at http://www.mikeghouse.net
To engage Mike in a dialogue, conference or talk, write to Ghousespeaks@gmail.com and email dedicated for this purpose or you can call him on short notice at 214.325.1916
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