A purposeful life by Mike Ghouse

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TheGhouseDiary.com
Have you found
your life to be purposeful? Congratulations if you have, If not, it is time to
find out, don’t run, it is easy, and with that and you’ll find comfort, a
lot of comfort in knowing who you are,  and what you want to do with your
life. No one is free from problems and no one’s life is easy either, we
struggle through it daily. 
The purpose can
be as simple as minding your own business, as my friend and father figure
Everett Blauvelt had said, or becoming President of the United States, the
biggest headache job in the world. It is doing what you feel comfortable with.
The most successful life is living the life you want to live. Please
remember, no purpose is noble, superior or inferior, it is simply
meaningful to you if you can get to do what you want to do.

I have found my
purpose, and I hope you find yours, please take the time to review this blue
print. The best thing you can do for yourselves is it to take ‘an hour’ away
from everything and everyone, and reflect on your life. There is nothing more
peaceful than knowing yourselves.

 This is
for you, a blueprint for a successful life- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/2014-a-blueprint-for-a-pu_b_4517662.html
. If this helps you, please share it with others, it is too simple, but
works as many of my friends have said so.
Ok,  my
purpose in life is to work towards creating a cohesive world, where no
human has to live in anxieties, tensions or fear of the others. It is achieved
by learning to respect the otherness of others and accepting the God given
uniqueness of each one of us.
Thanks for
giving me 10 Million plus views on Google search:   https://plus.google.com/108969690090944956820/about 

God bless you!

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

Bajrangi Bhaijan – An oscar contending movie

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It is one of the most powerful
movies made in Indian Cinematic history.  There have been some remarkable films that set
a new trend and this one sets the standards for a new genre of films, rather
than the typical boy and the girl in romance and the difficulties they face.

The hero of the film is an
innocent Pakistani girl who had lost her ability to speak, so she travels to
India with her parents to seek saintly blessings to restore her voice. In the
process she gets separated from her mother and the girl was lost, but fortunately
runs into a reluctant man, the second hero, who ultimately takes her back to
her family in Pakistan despite all the bureaucratic tangles. The story is
really about the genuine humanity embedded in all of us, in spite of our
raising.

I have had a lot to absorb from the film. The most important thing is every one
of us is created to be a good human, and shamefully, the parents are usually
the villains, who instill prejudices and hatred in their kids towards
others.  What a shame to poison their own
children!

The children grow up to become a
hindrance to peace and prosperity of a nation. 
Most of the kids raised in Madrasass and RSS schools have a wall around
them and find it hard to connect with others and see another point of view. Do
we fault the kids? Not all, it is their parents and teachers!


For Centuries, India has been a blessed nation where people of different faiths have interacted with each other, went to work and schools together, and they see the movies together and attend
funerals, weddings and other ceremonies.

However, there is a trend of separation growing and it must be curbed, before
it is too late. There is a problem is with the teaching; the kids are raised in
seclusion and limited knowledge about each other, and whatever little they know
about the other is negative. In the long run it breeds more conflicts and
tensions for all. One cannot prosper and live in peace when others around him
are not.

A true patriotic Indian would considers every Indian his larger family, same goes to Pakistan or any other nation. Once we start denying the otherness of others to others, arrogance creeps in and we start feeling we are somehow better than the other. Damn us for such arrogance, that is what kills the society and relationship, all of us are going to die one day and will either be buried or cremated, we are done with you, no matter who you are. I hope you felt agitated with this paragraph, and I am glad you did, make an effort to treat every one as equal and see the sense of serenity you feel inside.
 

The film portrays the power of
humanity that takes over you, no matter how much bigotry is pumped into us. The other hero of the film had the opportunity to be a human despite his training to
reject Muhammadans (Muslims) in his own subtle ways in the movie like not wanting to enter into a Mosque or not wanting to gesture Muslim greetings,  Do all such
kids get the same opportunity to be a good human?

A few scenes show Pluralism at its height – i.e., respecting the otherness of
others.  When the hero discovers that the
girl eats meat, he concludes that she is not a Brahmin, when she sits in a
Mosque and puts the head scarf on, he understood her to be a Muslim girl –
Initially he was trained to keep away from Muslims and murmurs that she is a
problem for him, but the power of the connection he had with the girl makes him
cross his own bias – and feeds meat to the girl, even though he does not. This
is what a genuine pluralism is about and I have wanted to make a clip about it
for the last several years from my own experiences, and I will do that one of
these days.

When the Imam drops the hero to a safer place in Pakistan, the hero had
difficulty in saying Khuda Hafiz, whereas the Imam goes ahead and says Jai
Shree Ram to him – causing him to think about his own bias – by saying Khuda
Hafiz he does not become a Muslim, it is merely a word to communicate good
wishes of safety.  It’s my dream to see a
day, when people greet each other with Namaste, Salaam, Shalom, Jai Jinendra,
Satsri akaal or other phrases as synonyms. There are many videos about it; here
is one that I did in front of a thousand audiences in a Chicago Bible college
in a seminar. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eo3a8wX6SXQ
. When the girl says Jai Shree Ram at the end, it is a beautiful expression of
good wishes.

If you are prejudiced towards
Muslims, Hindus, Jews or others, for God’s sake don’t poison your children; let
them grow up to be free individuals who care about fellow humans. Ask yourselves a simple question – do you know enough good about Hindus or Muslims more than what you have chosen to believe the negative things about the other? Is this prejudice eating you?

Again, a majority of all people are good people, as witnessed in the movie, people will come around for goodness, goodness is natural to us and we gravitate towards it. If you don’t, forgive your parents for making you bias, and get out of it and enjoy the freedom without prejudice. 

Note: If you wish to add your comment,
not an ordinary one, but a powerful one in less than 50 words, I will include
it as your quote when the full article is published.

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

Chattanooga Killings- Fox and Friends with Mike Ghouse on Sunday

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Sunday, July 19, 2015
Talking points in development for 

Mike on fox and friends

Sunday morning 

The most tempting responses to the shooter in Chattanooga are, “monitor the
mosques”, “watch out for Muslims, ” watch out for “bearded Muslims”,  “converts”
or those who visit Pakistan or Yemen,  and a whole lot of other rhetoric that is
malicious towards fellow Americans. 
Directing Hate and ill will towards a group of people is the
wrong thing to do. 
Individuals commit crimes and individuals are
punished…
This kind of talk has nothing to do with finding solutions but raking up
meanness in us. It’s a dumb and irresponsible act of blaming someone else
instead of finding the wrong doer, this is simply not acceptable. I don’t want
any excuses from the law enforcement, nor diversions. I want results. 
The dialogue we need to have is, how do we deal with sickos? Sickness is a
common factor and is not exclusive to any race, religion or region. 
How do we track the jihadi mindset of Abdulazeez or the sickos who walk into a school and shoot innocent children in new
town, massacre Gurdwara worshipers in Wisconsin, a blow up the theater in Denver
or go on a shooting spree at McDonald in San Diego…  
Peter King’s investigations proved he was wrong in his bias.
94% of terrorism in the U.S. Is attributable to white
supremists… 
We need an acknowledgement from all that we do have sickos
among all of us, and we do have warped up men Among Muslims just like in any
other group, and we all need to monitor more consciously and continue to report
any dangerous talk.
As Muslims we have an obligation to self monitor our mosques,
where philosophical conversation is turned into extremist understanding- for
example dying for the sake of Allah. I’ll expand on this on the
show.
It is our duty to keep law and order and faithfully guard the
safety of every citizen. Hate is one of the many sources of disrupting the peace
in a society and it is our duty to track down the source of such hate and work
on mitigating it. We have an obligation to build cohesive societies where no
american has to live in fear of the other.

Thank you,

Mike Ghouse

(214) 325-1916
Mike is a speaker, thinker, writer, pluralist and a human
rights activist committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic
solutions on issues of the day. A Tv and a radio commentator. Info in 63 links
at MikeGhouse.net and writings at TheGhouseDiary.com 

=

Mike Ghouse on Voice of America about Iran deal, Turkey and Ferguson

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My talking points for Voice of America Radio, Washington, D.C 
Turkey
Turkey has allowed 6 F-16 Falcon
fighters to operate from their Incirlik air base to do the sorties over ISIS
territory.  We had enough of the evil
acts from the ISIS, it is time to stop them from killing people, destroying the
heritage of the nations and forcing women to be sex slaves.

Way back in September 2014, in an Op-ed at Huffington Post, I had urged
President Obama to use the Quranic method, to give them warning, if they don’t
stop killing, drone them and save the innocent lives of Christians, Yazidis,
Shias and others.   However, if they retrieve,
we have to stop. 

I would rather round them up and question them, and demand them to show where
Quran tells them to do such evil things. I hope that will put an end to the
false propaganda against Islam, and let the world focus on evil in men.
Religion is never the problem; it is the evilness in men.

We have the world with us, and it is time to stop them and that is the right thing
to do.

2    Iran Deal

a.    
This is the best thing that has happened
– It is good for Israel, America, Iran and the world. I am writing a full
article on this topic.
b.   
Netanyahu is possibly the worst enemy
of Israel – he is isolating the nation from the rest of the world. Six Powerful
nations Russia, China, UK, France, Germany and US are in this together to
ensure Iran does not go nuclear behind everyone’s back. They have made this
deal in good faith for the protection of Israel.  
c.    
It is good for Israel and what does
Netanyahu do? He slaps them in their face! 
d.    
Why should they like this man?
e.    
We have to guide the world’s anger
towards Netanyahu, the pied piper of Israel, instead of the people of Israel.
f.      
The Republicans want to double down on
this, shame on them, if they do not pass this bill, I would question their
loyalty? Are they allowing a foreign leader to be disrespectful of our
president? Shame on them.
g.    
I am sure there a few good Republicans out
there who want to do the right thing for America, Israel, Iran and others, but
will they do the monkey see, monkey do? That is obedient conformists and jump
like sheep instead of exercising their minds?
h.   
Mother Teresa said – if you want peace,
go talk with the enemy
i.      
Chinese Quote – if you want to get rid
of the enemy for good, make friends with them.
j.      
Obama has precisely done that, and this
is a major paradigm shift in our foreign policy – it is sensible and the
righteous one
k.    
Obama said, super powers don’t response
to talks – he is right, we cannot be yelling at each other, one has to be an
adult. I hope the Republicans act like adults as well.
l.      
Obama is right again, it is the best
way for Iran not to get nuclear weapons.
m. Reagan had that wisdom, and he dealt with Russians while they
had their missiles pointed at us. Of course every Republican is eager to claim
to be a follower of Reagan – but very few of them are
n.   
Negotiate with enemies
o.    
Hardliner on the Iran side are as ugly
as ours are.
p.   
Netanyahu does not get it, he is not
comfortable with peace, he has got to be on the edge and keep the Israelis and Americans
on the edge.  
3

Behjat Gilani and Mike Ghouse on VOA
      

Ferguson after one year
The police chief says, “They were criminals, they weren’t
protesters,” Belmar said – aren’t they innocent until proven guilty? We should
demand an apology from this officer.  Instead of mitigating the bad race relations,
this guy aggravates by killing.  Aren’t
they not trained to hold the trigger?

I question the police training to produce these men who are too eager to pull
the trigger.

Mike Ghouse, speaking for America Together Foundation.
Thank
you,

Mike Ghouse
(214) 325-1916

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

A personal note about my work in Washington

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What am I doing in Washington


I am requesting your generous feedback.  Here is an effort to write the shortest possible note, and yet say most of it, please let me know if I did it.

Pursuing our dreams and realizing them in our life time is the biggest achievement in one’s life. The dream comes in two parts and most of us have achieved the first part; i.e., taking care of ourselves and our families to the best of our abilities.   America has been a great catalyst in achieving our dreams, thank you America!

The second part is what most of us are hunkering for, and at times it is not clear where we should place our priorities or what legacy we want to leave behind us. Bill Gates had the best advice – do it while you are alive and relish the good, instead of letting it happen on its own when we are gone abruptly.  We all struggle to make our life purposeful and that is good. You can join us in that direction.

My friend Ambassador Islam Siddiqui and I were walking from our office to the congressional building for a meeting. On our left were Supreme Court and the Library of Congress, and on the right was the Capitol Hill.  We were talking about the founding fathers and their vision that has carried this nation this far, what a vision they had, and how utterly unselfish were they!  We are all the beneficiaries of the systems and structures they left behind.  You and I wouldn’t be here had it not been for their immortal declaration of independence that all men are created equal.

That vision has been raining on me like blessings from Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).  His wisdom could not be clearer; he said a good deed is something you do for others. God repeatedly asserts (Quran) that if you take care of his creation; i.e., your fellow beings, your rewards are with him.  Thanks to the prophet for elaborating on it, he explained, a good deed is like planting a tree knowing full well that the beneficiaries of the shade and fruit from the ( future) tree are not us.

Our own internal reward is the “worthy feeling” we will earn by making the world a better place for everyone. A sense of security and a sense of feeling home are the greatest values we can give to fellow humans, that is one of the most primal needs of humanity.  
On my part, as you may have witnessed over the last 20 years, I have dedicated myself to that purpose, and leave the results to the will of Allah. Now, several Muslims under the leadership of Ambassador Islam Siddiqui have come together to bring about a positive clearly defined and measurable changes.
I am tasked with the responsibility to change the perceptions about Muslims, right now a majority of Americans do not see Muslims favorably, and we hope to gradually turn that around.  We are determined to change perceptions about Muslims. In a few years Muslims will not be an open season to politicians to heap insults, those who resort to it will meet the same fate as they would if they hurl it on Jewish and African Americans. Our goal is simply to be treated equally in all aspect of life. Period.

Our goal is to build a cohesive America where none of us have to live with apprehension, tension, suspicion or fear of the other. It is the land of the free and the brave. We hope to earn our dignified social, political and religious space in the U.S and cherish it with fellow Americans.

A press release follows with the announcement of the organization and an invitation will be sent to you for the launch of the organization. 
 If you visit www.AmericanMuslimInstitution.com  and register your email address on the top right box, you will automatically get all the updates and invitation.  

If this makes sense to you, please join us in advancing the work.

My writings will continue at Huffington Post, Dallas Morning News and other Newspapers and will continue as a commentator on Fox and other TV networks – all of them will be at www.TheGhousediary.com.

Thank you.

Mike Ghouse
Executive Director,
American Muslim Institution
Washington, DC

—————————————————————————————

American Muslims launch an organization in Washington DC
Washington D.C., August 5, 2015 – “American Muslims of the Washington, DC area are pleased to announce the formation of a nonprofit organization to provide reliable information and advice to public and policy makers on Islam and Muslims. We need constructive solutions to current and emerging problems emanating from wrong perceptions and misinformation about Islam and Muslims in America.” said Dr. Islam Siddiqui, President of the newly formed American Muslim Institution.
Our Mission is to work for a world of co-existence through inclusiveness and participation. As a member of diverse family of faiths, our efforts will be directed towards justice and equality to attain peace for Americans with a firm grounding in commonly held values.
We are committed to be a proactive voice for American Muslims and promote a positive image of Muslims through dialogue and understanding.
  
The sponsors of the organization are deeply committed to the peace, security and prosperity of the United States of America. The organization in its nascent stages has just begun the process of gathering some of the brightest minds from academia, public intellectuals, activists and futurists to find pluralistic and positive solutions to the problems facing the country and wrongly attributed to Islam. Indeed, this organization will be a reliable source of information and advice in dealing with the issues facing the homeland. 
“We will continue to make concerted efforts to increase our participation in the civil society and earn our trusted social, political and religious space in the U.S.”Mike Ghouse, the Executive Director of American Muslim Institution added.
Ambassador Islam Siddiqui is a former U.S. Under Secretary of Agriculture and Chief Agricultural Negotiator, and was the highest ranking American Muslim in the United States Government under the Clinton and Obama Administrations.
Mike Ghouse is a public speaker, thinker, writer and a TV-Radio commentator on Pluralism, Islam, and Politics and is a human rights activist committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day.
Both Dr. Siddiqui and Mr. Ghouse can be reached at the above mentioned numbers to discuss the vision and mission of the American Muslim Institution.
Details of the official launch will be announced in the next few weeks. 

Contacts:


A tribute to Mani Rahman

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A
Tribute to Mani Rahman
I am
taken back, completely shocked at the sad and untimely demise of Mani Rahman, a
great soul and a great friend.  I have to
write a tribute about him and here is the start and will add to it as I start
thinking about all the good things he has done.


Mani
called me up to see him before I left for Washington; and on July 7th
we sat in his office for several hours discussing politics and service to the
community. He was going to join me in DC in the next four years…. We discussed
about a business venture on a partnership basis, and he reminded me again on
July 17th, “Mike, let’s not forget about our business plan, it
sounds good to me…”  It is so fresh on my
mind.
We
talked about “Life Insurance” and reluctance on part of Muslims, and I had
given him a few suggestions that he liked. One of these days, I am going to
write an article on the topic of Insurance and dedicate it to Mani Rahman. 
He
was a very caring person, and cared for his children very much.  The guy remained single for one singular
reason; his children! He did not want to marry and have the children go through
step-mother tensions. I am sure there are many fathers out there who have regretted
doing precisely that. But Mani remained single and I have always admired him
for his reason to be single.

Mani
and I have known for over  25 years, he was host of one of the segments on my
Radio show in 1996-1999, the first commercial radio in Dallas, a precursor to
Fun Asia Radio.

He was always there to help, and had pitched in $250 to $500 towards
Thanksgiving, Unity Day, Holocaust and Genocides and other events.  Mani had also donated $250 towards making a
video on Pluralism and coexistence, and oddly he would recite my statement each time I saw him,  “if
we can learn to respect the otherness of others and accept the God given
uniqueness of each one of us, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge.”  Here is the video – Thanks Mani for the
sponsorship. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7Tyt7raIXM 

He was in Costa Rica a month ago, and texted me from there, he was having good time, I sent him my article on Ramadan and he liked it very much and sent a thumbs up from there.

I had asked Mani if he could donate for the Gandhi statute in Irving and he
did.  Mani’s name will always be
there.  He was a contributor to all the
great causes out there regardless of the nationality, religion or race.  He was going to support my new organization in
Washington as well once we had incorporated.

Politically Mani was independent, though Republican sounding, he was with both the Republicans and Democrats.

He was a supporter of Human Rights organization of Bangladesh,  I asked him and he supported it.  I thank Prodip Saha of Bangladesh Human Rights Org for this message, “A step backwards for the Human Rights community- Mani Rahman passed away day before yesterday. He has brain stroke while driving and it ended in minor accident as he was unconscious. Very sad news.  Just wanted to let you know in case you haven’t heard. Regards- Prodip.
I have to find his pictures from the early 90’s. He and I along
with Sante Chary, Mayor Ron Kirk, State Senator Alonzo and Gonzales were at
Bill Clinton’s inauguration in DC. As I find the pictures, I will add here at www.TheGhousediary.com
I miss you my friend.
May your soul rest in peace.
Thank you,
Mike Ghouse
(214) 325-1916
Mike is a speaker, thinker, writer, pluralist and a human
rights activist committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic
solutions on issues of the day. A Tv and a radio commentator. Info in 63 links
at MikeGhouse.net and writings at TheGhouseDiary.com 

President Kalam and Islam

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Kalam and Islam | Foundation for Pluralism | The Ghouse Diary.com 

Najid Hussain;

Your article, “Kalam and Islam” is one of the finest articles I have read about religious and social pluralism, and it resonates with me, and a reflection of my own understanding of religion.

This article has changed my opinion about you, although I have always respected your take on many an issues, I had erroneously placed you in limited understanding of Islam category – now your article changes all that. I am so glad you wrote it. 

Indeed, I chose to become a Muslim in the late 90’s, and Bhagvad Gita is one of the three reasons to lead me there, I was irreligious for the previous 30 years of my life (several videos and write ups are available on the net).

Islam and Quran are not for Muslims alone, they are guidance for whole humanity – God is God of Universe, (Rabbul Aalameen), Prophet Muhammad’s message is message for whole humanity (Rahmatul Aalameen) and we have to become Muklooqul Aalameen (beings that embrace whole humanity)  to complete the equation. I have written extensively on the topic, some day, I will exchange that with you if you have the time. As I find the freedom in you to see the philosophical dimension of Islam as opposed to remaining entrenched in the ritual aspect of it.

It may be difficult for a few people to swallow that Religion, every religion is a beautiful gift of God to humanity and serve the same purpose – creating societies that function cohesively. God wants his creation to remain coherent.

The only thing that caused me to pause about your article is the use of the word “Only”, “it is only Hindu faith that truly understands….” and “it is only Hindu philosophy….”   Five years ago, I was sitting in the Baptist Church in Dallas – Pastor Robert Jeffers claimed, “ Its only Christianity that teaches the purpose and meaning of life”… and I made extensive notes during his sermon that Hinduism, Islam, Baha’I, Budhism, Judaism, Sikhism and all other faiths that teach the purpose and meaning of life. (The whole story is at www.QuraanConference.com).

As beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, faith is in the heart of the believer. No mother is inferior to her offspring, and no faith is inferior to its believer. If we can learn to respect the otherness of others and accept the God given uniqueness of each one of us, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge.

Najid, I am glad you wrote this piece and God willing, I will share this on my Pluralism, Islam and other sites. It is a good article. Congratulations.

Article is at Outlook Magazine – http://www.outlookindia.com/article/kalam-and-islam/216493

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

Capital Punishment – Why Yakub Memon’s hanging should have been telecast live

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THE GHOUSE DIARY.COM 
I am pleased to share my thoughts about Capital punishment and the deliberate killing of the criminal Yakub Memon, as this has become the most talked about death penalty in the nation. 
I have been opposed to Capital punishment from the early 80’s, however, I have slipped twice since then; first when I heard about a guy who raped my friends’ daughter, and a Houston woman who killed 7 of her children for claiming insurance. All other times, I have stood firmly with the idea that the society cannot act like outrageous beasts and we cannot deliberately kill an individual no matter what caused him to be a killer.

In a democracy, civility goes hand in hand. If everything is just in a society all goes well, but when injustice occurs directly, indirectly or remotely, bad things multiply in the society, and it will take time to restore dharma – the righteousness. Justice and Fairness are the pillars of any society; a good system ensures trust, prosperity and peace for all.

Who do you blame when some punk shoots the cashier at a 7/11 for a few bucks? His parents, his community or his situation? What if that man or woman was raised where you and I were raised? Is society responsible for creating such a monster? Should we punish that monster? Will that end more monsters?

Of course the state shamelessly kills its criminals either through a lethal injection as in Texas or chopping the head off in public as in Saudi Arabia. Both acts are disgusting and barbaric. In the early 80’s I was appalled with an Indian judge who was visiting,  his unflinching take on death penalty was just plain shocking, I thought being a judge, he would have debated, hesitated or would have reservations… NONE Whatsoever!

I have written quite a lot on the topic, but the following paragraph expressed my sentiments very well. “Today, the Indian state has shown itself to be no better than Tiger Memon. Tiger planned the bombings in retaliation to the terrible violence against Muslims that followed in the wake of Babri Masjid demolition. We have terminated his brother’s life to extract vengeance for the blasts.

Tiger’s act was a reaction of a hotheaded criminal; we sent his brother to the gallows after keeping him in jail for 22 years – what could be more cynical and cold-hearted than that. What ends of justice does that serve now? Are we safer from his judicial elimination? How have we shown ourselves to be different from those we condemn? “

I am citing a beautiful example, which you will find them in all societies. This by no way exonerates any society; criminals are in every group of people.  Hazrat Umar once commuted an order to cut the hands of a thief as a punishment. He discovered that the man stole the food to feed his children. Umar took the blame on the society for creating such a desperate situation for individuals to resort to such a thing.  I hope we all start thinking what is just instead of blindly applying the laws. We the Americans are no exception to that.
The following column is a compelling article to read.

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

Why Yakub Memon’s hanging should have been telecast live
Courtesy of Catch News. com

America the Beautiful – My new job cleaning McDonald’s Toilets

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AMERICA
THE BEAUTIFUL | MY NEW JOB: CLEANING TOILETS

Yesterday, I drove from Washington DC to Louisville – it should have taken
about 10 hours, but instead it took me 15 hours – Two reasons: 1) The country
is so beautiful and 2) had to stop 8 times at the restrooms.


First
the beauty of the region… I just could not get over the beautiful mountains all
the way from West Maryland thru W. Virginia and Kentucky – start singing my own
song America, America, America… you are so beautiful – represented by
everything God has created from different races to religions to regions,
seasons, nature and people.  If there is
already a song, I would like to listen, if not I will take classed in writing
poetry and write the song and sing it too… If you have not driven the different
landscapes of America, you have not seen anything.

There is a Punjabi saying –
the one who has not seen Lahore, was not born at all.

Second
thing about 8 stops! I picked up boiled eggs, veggie, fruit trays and
Rotisserie chicken to eat along the way… I don’t know if it was the egg or veggies,
I started having diarrhea. and stopped at every McDonald – usually cleaners
bathrooms, but this time, they were filthy and I did not have a choice to go to
other place – I cleaned them and cleaned back when I left. I don’t know if I
will ever understand why people leave sinks and toilets dirty – they have no
shame at all. So, I cleaned 8 McDonald Toilets.

What I have seen in life, is when people don’t take keep their places clean,
the decline begins. McDonald guys, pay attention to this.

Finally the 2nd Pepto must have worked to stop the diarrhea; things
were under control when I reached Louisville around 1:00 AM

 
Thank
you,

Mike Ghouse
(214) 325-1916

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

What am I doing in Washington

      Comments Off on What am I doing in Washington
A short note
to my friends

I am requesting your generous feedback. 
Here is an effort to write the shortest possible note, and yet say most
of it, please let me know if I did it.

Pursuing our dreams and realizing them in our life time is the biggest achievement
in one’s life. The dream comes in two parts and most of us have achieved the
first part; i.e., taking care of ourselves and our families to the best of our
abilities.   America has been a great catalyst in achieving
our dreams, thank you America!

The second part is what most of us are hunkering for, and at times it is not
clear where we should place our priorities or what legacy we want to leave
behind us. Bill Gates had the best advice – do it while you are alive and
relish the good, instead of letting it happen on its own when we are gone abruptly.  We all struggle to make our life purposeful
and that is good. You can join us in that direction.

My friend Ambassador Islam Siddiqui and I were walking from our office to the
congressional building for a meeting. On our left were Supreme Court and the
Library of Congress, and on the right was the Capitol Hill.  We were talking about the founding fathers
and their vision that has carried this nation this far, what a vision they had,
and how utterly unselfish were they!  We
are all the beneficiaries of the systems and structures they left behind.  You and I wouldn’t be here had it not been for
their immortal declaration of independence that all men are created equal.

That vision has been raining on me like blessings from Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
 His wisdom could not be clearer; he said
a good deed is something you do for others. God repeatedly asserts (Quran) that
if you take care of his creation; i.e., your fellow beings, your rewards are
with him.  Thanks to the prophet for
elaborating on it, he explained, a good deed is like planting a tree knowing
full well that the beneficiaries of the shade and fruit from the ( future) tree
are not us.

Our
own internal reward is the “worthy feeling” we will earn by making the world a better
place for everyone. A sense of security and a sense of feeling home are
the greatest values we can give to fellow humans, that is one of the most
primal needs of humanity.  
On my part, as
you may have witnessed over the last 20 years, I have dedicated myself to that
purpose, and leave the results to the will of Allah. Now, several Muslims under
the leadership of Ambassador Islam Siddiqui have come together to bring about a
positive clearly defined and measurable changes.
I am tasked
with the responsibility to change the perceptions about Muslims, right now a
majority of Americans do not see Muslims favorably, and we hope to gradually
turn that around.  We are determined to
change perceptions about Muslims. In a few years Muslims will not be an open
season to politicians to heap insults, those who resort to it will meet the
same fate as they would if they hurl it on Jewish and African Americans. Our
goal is simply to be treated equally in all aspect of life. Period.

Our goal is to build a cohesive America where none of us have to live with
apprehension, tension, suspicion or fear of the other. It is the land of the
free and the brave. We hope to earn our dignified social, political and
religious space in the U.S and cherish it with fellow Americans.

A press
release follows with the announcement of the organization and an invitation
will be sent to you for the launch of the organization.  If you visit the following Blog and register your email address on the top right box, you will automatically
get the invitation. www.AmericanMuslimInstitution.com  

If this makes
sense to you, please join us in advancing the work.

My writings will continue at Huffington Post, Dallas Morning News and other Newspapers and will continue as a commentator on Fox and other TV networks – all of them will be at www.TheGhousediary.com.

Thank you.

Mike Ghouse
Executive Director,
American Muslim Institution
110 Maryland Ave NE, Suite 508
Washington, DC. 20002