India's experiment with clean politics and preferred election outcome

Mike Ghouse March 13, 2014 Comments Off

Years ago, India ranked # 1 on the list of corrupt nations in the
world, and today it is not. Despite the economic, social, cultural
frictions we have, we are inherently a pluralistic democracy.

The General Elections are going to be held from April 7 through May 12, 2014,
and we have several regional and national parties competing for the 543
Parliament seats. There are two major alliances of
regional parties; NDA – National Democratic Alliance with BJP as its anchor,
and UPA- United Progressive Alliance with Congress as its
anchor. There is a third front is emerging with regional parties and AAP. It
takes 272 Members to form a government. Currently Congress holds 228 seats and
BJP 137, all of this is likely to turn upside down.

Arvind Kejriwal leads a brand new Party called AAP -Aam Aadmi Party,
and his party will be competing with two well organized established
parties – Narendra Modi leads the BJP – Bharatiya Janata Party (Indian
version Republicans) and Rahul Gandhi heads the INC- Indian National
Congress (Democrat equivalent).

You may differ, but my personal
choice is for no party to win the majority. A coalition government
would be much better, as it compels them to be watching each other,
decisions will be made by issue and not party line. It will also lend to
greater debates on the issues. Unlike the US, if the coalition
government does not perform, it can be brought down with a no confidence
vote.

Arvind Kejriwal – no experience in governance, nor does
he have an established system to carry the Party – the AAP; Aam Aadmi
Party – common man’s party. But he is good for India. He wants to run a
clean corruption free government. My worry is simply this –what if he is
killed by the same party that killed Mahatma Gandhi, does he have an
established system to carry the party forward without him? Is the
manifesto written up?

Arvind is a good guy – at least corruption
will be checked, but we need to make sure, he has systems in place to
carry the business of governance.

The man leading the BJP plank
is Narendra Modi, who needs lessons in history, biology, math and
society, he is making blunders upon blunders. His popularity sounds
like Ted Cruz’s but not sure if it is managed or real. He is not an
inclusive man and does not seem to believe in freedom. His state is one
of the few where Christians, Dalits and Muslims are harassed, people do
not have the freedom to choose their faith.

In the last two
months he has worn over 25 different style hats in every town he visits,
but refused to wear a hat given by Muslims – Under his watch nearly
1200 people were massacred while he did not stop the mayhem, 20,000
People are still living in wretched camps displaced by the massacres. To
this day, he has not expressed remorse or regret for the deaths, just
like George Bush has not done it yet. He promises prosperity and
development, and is compared to Hitler, who promised and delivered
prosperity to Germans at the cost of Jews and others, at the end nothing
survived. If he does not care for social structure, all that
development will not be sustainable.

Rahul Gandhi on the
other hand represents the INC – it appears that he does not want to
fight to win, nor does he have the experience. The only thing going for
him is the party machinery which is well established. He lacks
experience and does not have guts to run the largest government in the
world.

Again, no one should be given a free hand, let there be a
coalition government, let them learn to work with each other and
deliver prosperity without hurting the social structure. A cohesive
India is the way to go, a prosperous India without cohesiveness is
doomed, the disparities may give birth to communism – to rip from the
over night rich to give it to the depressed ones.

Faceboook: https://www.facebook.com/IndiaPluralism
Yahoogroups: DallasIndians@yahoogroups.com
URL: http://nabsites.net/demo/indias-experiment-with-clean-politics/
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a
writer on pluralism, politics, peace, Islam, Israel, India, interfaith, and cohesion at work
place. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers
pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. He believes in
Standing up for others
and a book with the same title is coming up. Mike has a strong presence on
national and local TV, Radio and Print Media. He is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on
Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to
the Texas Faith Column at Dallas
Morning News; fortnightly at Huffington post; and
several other periodicals across the world. His personal site www.MikeGhouse.net indexes all his work
through many links.

Fox News : Missing Malaysian Plane and Terrorism angle on Sean Hannity show with Brigitte Gabrielle and Mike Ghouse

Mike Ghouse March 12, 2014 Comments Off

Published March 12, 2014 | Hannity | Sean Hannity

With: Brigitte Gabriel, Mike Ghouse
Video: http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/hannity/2014/03/13/missing-malaysian-airlines-flight-was-it-terrorism

This is a rush transcript from “Hannity,” March 12, 2014. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
SEAN HANNITY, HOST: And this is a Fox News Alert. A Chinese government agency is reporting tonight that it has satellite images of suspected debris from the missing Malaysian Airlines plane. Meanwhile, authorities are still not ruling out the possibility that terrorism played a role in the disappearance of the airliner. Remember, this happened on Saturday.

Joining me now to talk more about the tragic possibility are Act for America president Brigitte Gabriel and the president of the America Together Foundation, Mike Ghouse.

Mike, look, we live in a post-9/11 world. Does your first thought go towards terrorism? I have — I am unapologetic in saying that’s where my thoughts go to.

MIKE GHOUSE, AMERICA TOGETHER FOUNDATION: Well, you’re absolutely right. That was my thought and the thought of many Muslims. Praying God, I wish it is not terrorism. And you’re right, Sean, that goes out.

But first of all, my prayer to the victims of the 293rd (ph) people who died. And also, I want to condemn the cavalier attitude of the aviation minister of Malaysia. The guy said…

HANNITY: Oh, they’ve been awful.

GHOUSE: … the Chinese — Chinese (INAUDIBLE) to nothing. And I was very upset with that.

HANNITY: All right, Brigitte, I mean, this is the world we live in. And it seems, you know, in a post-9/11 world, it would be foolish not to suspect right out of hand that this could be an incident of terrorism, right?

BRIGITTE GABRIEL, ACT FOR AMERICA PRESIDENT: Exactly. And I believe, Sean, that both the Chinese and the Malaysians believed immediately that it had something to do with terrorism.

Listen, the Taiwan national security bureau already warned China that there going to be a terrorist attack against the Beijing airport and the subways just few days before this disappearance of this airline.

Also, China has been on high alert regarding terrorism, especially after the first of the month, March 1st, where there was a terrorist attack in a train station, where 29 people were killed and 140 injured.

The Chinese government suspects it is a group called the East Turkistan Islamic Movement, which is a separatist movement in China trying to declare independence from China. They are also known as ethnic Uighurs. As you may remember, Sean, we had three of them in Gitmo arrested because they were fighting with Al Qaeda that we — China did not want them back. We ended up sending them to Bermuda, where we settled them three years ago.

HANNITY: All right…

GABRIEL: So that’s what the Chinese know, and that’s what they are dealing with.

HANNITY: All right, Mike, your final thought?

GHOUSE: Well, I’m glad we were able to find the debris. What a relief to the families that at least they know they are dead. It did not disappear somewhere in the air. That is a big relief. And again, my prayers go out to the victims. And again, I condemn the Malaysian minister for taking that cavalier attitude. We should worry about every life. Every life is precious, and I hope we find out…

HANNITY: But the debris is the first — the debris gives us the answer. Was this an act of terror, was it an accident of some kind?

All right, guys, thank you both for being with us. Appreciate it.

Content and Programming Copyright 2014 Fox News Network, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Copyright 2014 CQ-Roll Call, Inc. All materials herein are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of CQ-Roll Call. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content.
# # #

TONITE ON FOX NEWS –
SEAN HANNITY SHOW WITH GHOUSE & GARBRIELLE

TERRORISM FEARS FLY IN
CHINA AS SEARCH FOR MISSING JET CONTINUES

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2014/03/10/China_MH370_terrorism_chatter

MONITORING FOR NEWS:
WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY JAY CARNEY BRIEFS AT 1PM ET

I hope to condemn their aviation minister who was reckless with his statement and discounted the passengers as mostly Chinese, as if their life means less.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a
writer on pluralism, politics, peace, Islam, Israel, India, interfaith, and cohesion at work
place. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers
pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. He believes in
Standing up for others
and a book with the same title is coming up. Mike has a strong presence on
national and local TV, Radio and Print Media. He is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on
Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to
the Texas Faith Column at Dallas
Morning News; fortnightly at Huffington post; and
several other periodicals across the world. His personal site www.MikeGhouse.net indexes all his work
through many links.

Movie: Son of God

Mike Ghouse March 9, 2014 Comments Off

The good, bad and ugly aspect of human beings is proportionately set in the movie and well put together. A good movie to see. I am glad to see the human element at works in sending Jesus to crucifixion rather than honing on the Jewish factor. It is time to separate the two and quit blaming the Jews; it has gone on far too long and the singular cause of much of the anti Semitism and the persecution of Jews. I am also happy that Pope Francis has taken steps to rectify this.

As beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, faith is in the heart of the believer. Jesus says if you believe me, you’ll see me. It’s not easy for Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, Zoroastrians and Baha’i to see a tangible God having a son, whereas it is difficult for Christians, Hindus and others to relate with an invisible, formless, and a genderless God, let alone an offspring.

We have to learn to respect the otherness of others to create peaceful societies. I cannot demand one to enjoy an apple pie while the person enjoys peach cobbler, or push someone to enjoy a well done steak where as he or she enjoy the medium rare. There is no compulsion in who, what and why any one likes what he or she likes.

One has to believe that God has set up the situations for Jesus, Muhammad, Moses, Krishna or others, as a part of the overall teaching methodology. If you went by logic, a lot of things don’t make sense in any religion.

As always, I am trained to see the technical flaws in the movies. When Jesus was on the cross, they show a close shot of his right arm under the Horizontal piece of wood, in the middle of the length of the arm, there was a piece of rope tied to wrap the wood and his arm – that rope shows loose on the top, as if the arm is not hanging and pulling the rope close the wood on the top side. The other one was the boat in the beginning on the Sea of Galilee, it was a studio thing, and they did not make an effort to look real either.

Holocaust Museum in Washington DC

Mike Ghouse March 8, 2014 Comments Off

I take pride in being the first Muslim in the
World to commemorate Holocaust in 2006, and every year after that as a
step towards building cohesive societies, where we care for each others’
suffering and stand up for the other.

I am committed to the Holocaust and Genocides Education and have been organizing the event for the last 7 years – www.HolocaustandGenocides.com . Our program is inclusive of all faiths.

It was quite a reflective tour at the Washington Holocaust Museum for me … which I will write about in the coming few days.

Pluralist Mike Ghouse
sees opportunity for faith discussion after
Holocaust Museum shooting.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/DN-ghouse_14met.ART.East.Edition1.50e0b73.html

By DIANNE SOLÍS / The Dallas Morning News

dsolis@dallasnews.com

Carrollton resident Mike Ghouse was horrified
when he heard last week that a security guard
had been shot to death at the U.S. Holocaust
Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.

Mike Ghouse discusses
interfaith tolerance and under- standing online
and on air.

“I thought, ‘Why do people have hate?’ ” said
Ghouse, who 15 years ago founded the Foundation
for Pluralism. “That was my first response.”

The 57-year-old homebuilder and property manager
sees the tragedy as a way for people to discuss
their separate faiths, to forge understanding
and to defuse religious tensions. His
foundation’s mission is to embrace the
ecumenical ways of the world.

“There is not a faith we haven’t covered,” he
says.

Ghouse is a Muslim who originally emigrated from
the Bangalore area of India about 30 years ago.

“I will never claim my faith is superior to
others,” he said. “Every faith is beautiful to
me. The inability to accept the differences of
others causes conflict.”

Ghouse is a frequent-flier in cyberspace, and
many of his commentaries on ecumenical respect
can be found at

www.mikeghouse.net , on Facebook and on
Twitter. The multilingual Ghouse also started
talk shows on the radio geared toward the
Diaspora from India and Pakistan. And when
weekend worship comes, Ghouse visits services at
Muslim mosques, Hindu temples, Jewish synagogues
and Catholic churches.

His own daughter was so swept up by her father’s
pluralism.

# # #

Muslims Condemn display of hate at Holocaust
Museum

http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2009/06/muslims-condemn-display-of-hate-at.html

Texas Faith – What’s the balance between religious freedom and freedom from discrimination?

Mike Ghouse March 8, 2014 Comments Off

We may not agree on the definition of sin, but the folks who see religion
literally ought to consider keeping their doors open to bring the “sinners’ back
into the fold of their brand of religion (any religion), instead of condemning
them to hell and keeping them at bay. If the literalists want to earn the
brownie points with God, then don’t shut the door.

TEXAS FAITH: What’s the balance between religious freedom and freedom from
discrimination?
By Wayne Slater
wslater@dallasnews.com
2:31 pm on
March 4, 2014 |

When Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer announced she was vetoing a “religious
freedom” bill that targeted gay men and lesbians, she said religious liberty
remains a “core value” in Arizona. But, she added, “So is
non-discrimination.”

The debate over the Arizona bill – and similar proposals under
consideration elsewhere – highlights the tension between two competing and
deeply held American values: the right of people to practice their religion vs.
the right to be free from discrimination. It’s a balancing act, and not an easy
one.

It is at the heart of the debate over the Obama administration policy
requiring businesses to provide health insurance for their employees that
includes forms of contraception. It’s central to the argument by supporters of
the Arizona bill that a baker who opposes same-sex marriage shouldn’t be
required to bake a wedding cake for a gay couple. Both sides make a claim on
liberty.

Clearly, nobody’s advocating that the government sanction, say, the right
to deny service to black people at a lunch counter – regardless of whether the
owner says it violates his religious beliefs. At the same time, nobody’s saying
a Jewish caterer must work the Nazi rally, even if the Nazis claim they’re being
discriminated against.

The question is, as a matter of public policy, how to reconcile competing
rights? How do we protect both the religious rights of one person (which may
involve discriminating against some people) and the deeply held right to be free
from discrimination? What’s the balance and how best do we achieve it?

As expected, our Texas Faith panel of experts on faith and public policy –
theologians, activists, clergy, scholars – don’t agree. And in so doing, they
offer provocative, thoughtful reasons. If you think you know what side you’re
on, read our Texas Faith panel and think again.

MIKE GHOUSE, President, Foundation for Pluralism and speaker on interfaith
matters, Dallas

The question of protecting the religious rights of a person and the right
to be free from discrimination comes up time and again like a new day every
day.

As a nation, we began our life with the immortal “declaration of
independence” as our very first document, and we continue to rely upon it as our
guiding principle. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are
created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable
Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. That
to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their
just powers from the consent of the governed.”

No man is an island; and no one can survive by himself or herself without
living or relating with others. From the day we were born to the day we die,
and the time in between is spent in connection with someone or the other. The
systems of governance and civil society are shaped for co-existence; we cannot
function without the other for a considerable period of time.

On the civil side of the equation, any law that breaks the “One nation”
into many nations of my nation versus yours, knocks out the immortal declaration
“that all men are created equal” is flawed. We have drawn a line and our current
anti-discrimination laws are good, and must be improved upon rather than
decimate them.

However, on the religious side, we need to debate and understand the
morality of discrimination. Jesus did not condemn the sinner, and went a step
further to prevent bigotry and discrimination by embracing the prostitute to
make the point that we cannot refuse services to others.

Refusing service or products to an individual because I do not agree with
his or her sexual orientation violates the fundamental bounds set by the civil
society and religion.

To read the take of other panelists, please visit Dallas Morning news at –
http://dallasmorningviewsblog.dallasnews.com/2014/03/texas-faith-whats-the-balance-between-religious-freedom-and-freedom-from-discrimination.html/#more-35528

International women's day – a message to men

Mike Ghouse March 8, 2014 Comments Off

URL- http://nabsites.net/demo/international-womens-day-message-to-men/

Men who treat women as unequal are indeed immature and insecure; they
did not learn how to be a strong man who feels equal with women in
particular and other members of the humanity in general. Men who treat
women as equals are secure and mature. A majority of men are however
good secure men.

Men have a misplaced competitive instinct, they want to win,
and those who cannot compete with other men, will take advantage of
women and children who are dependent. Some idiots do not consider their
wife, daughter, mother, sister or other women to be fellow members in
the journey of life, but rather as their competitors. To feel that fake
security within, they preempt to put women down in a variety of ways.

A man whose attitude is “what does she know?” A man who shouts down at a
woman is afraid of losing to the woman in an argument, a man who
ignores when a woman talks is equally insecure. Their security comes
from making others insecure and not from within.

These men need
to grow up for their own good, to enhance the joy of living their lives
to the fullest. I challenge these men today to feel, act and talk equal
with women, and see the genuine sense of security that comes with a
sense belonging they gain – it is priceless and worth the effort.

It is a day to celebrate freedom of women from men’s slavery; women
have come a long way on the road to freedom and if each one of us men
can grow up and are secure, and respect the women as equals in every
aspect of life, then the world would be a better place.

One of the legendary poet philosophers of India, Dr. Allama Iqbal said thus;

Wujood-e-Zan Se Hai Tasveer-e-Kainat Mein Rang
Issi Ke Saaz Se Hai Zindagi Ka Souz-e-Darun

The world is beautiful because of the existence of woman;
she is the lyre that can impart pathos and warmth to human heart.

Max Babi on face book wrote,

If woman didn’t exist, poetry wouldn’t either
etiquette culture literature practicalities neither
a woman turns a mere man into a human being
(Would be) no oratory and no accountability, either.
– Max Babi

Na hoti agar aurat to shayari bhi na hoti
tameez-o-tehzeeb adab duniadari bhi na hoti
mehez mard-ko insaa.n banaati hai aurat
sher-o-sukhan balki zimmewaari bhi na hoti.

Dr. Aslam Abdullah beat me to the following write up, a great write up
which I was going to write almost identical to it, since he wrote before
I did, I am sharing his thoughts for the day. “A day to pay tribute to
all those women who have gone through injustices and exploitations in
the name of culture, religion, God, traditions, custom, family honor,
male honor and you name it. I wish we men take a vow on this day that we
will never resort to domestic violence, verbal or physical, that we
would show respect to every woman, that we would not view women as a sex
object, that we would treat our wives equally, that we would not
discriminate against our daughters, that we would stand for the dignity
of every woman, including those who we think do meet our moral
standards, that we would not regard non-Hijab wearing woman as deviants,
that we would not be arrogant to judge women based on their dress or
looks that we above all give them equal and better space in our
masajid.”

What can Men do today?

Resist every thought
and act that comes instinctively to you to consider woman’s opinion any
less, or what does she know, instead listen to her thoughtfully, you
will be surprised that she is a lot more stable, secure and giving than
you can every imagine… you just have to be a listener, challenge your
capabilities of listening.

If we can grow up and respect women,
particularly the ones we know as equals in every aspect of life, which
means respectfully listening, then the world would be a better and
secure place for each one of us men.

Speaker Mike Ghouse
www.MikeGhouse.net

Bad Weather Delays Forum on Religious Intolerance at Brookings

Mike Ghouse March 8, 2014 Comments Off

THE LEDGER
Published: Monday, March 3, 2014 at 1:33 p.m.
http://www.theledger.com/article/20140303/NEWS/140309787

MULBERRY | Snow has delayed today’s roundtable forum on religious intolerance at the renown Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., which was to include three Polk County residents.

Organizers said the event will be rescheduled to April.

Three residents from Polk County were scheduled to speak on their efforts to counter a demonstration in Mulberry by Florida pastor Terry Jones, who planned to burn 2,998 Qurans last Sept. 11.

His efforts to burn the Muslim holy books were thwarted when he was arrested by Polk County Sheriff’s deputies for unlawful conveyance of fuel for pulling a cooker on a trailer filled with kerosene-soaked Qurans. He also was charged with openly carrying a firearm. Both charges remain pending.

Suzanne Carter, Butch Rahman and his 18-year-old son, Curtis, joined with Mike Ghouse, president of the World Muslim Congress in Dallas, to stage a peaceful Unity Day ceremony at the Mulberry Civic Center on Sept. 11, the anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States.

They were to speak today on the importance of a community’s peaceful response to religious intolerance. Carter said they have been invited to return for the forum in April.

Mulberry Organizers Against Religious Intolerance Invited to Washington Forum

Mike Ghouse March 8, 2014 Comments Off

By Suzie Schottelkotte
THE LEDGER

http://www.theledger.com/article/20140302/NEWS/140309840/0/search?p=all&tc=pgall

Last Modified: Sunday, March 2, 2014 at 11:17 p.m.

MULBERRY | What began as a simple stand against intolerance in Mulberry last year is bringing three Polk County residents a voice today in a forum at Washington’s renowned Brookings Institution.

MULBERRY | What began as a simple stand against intolerance in Mulberry last year is bringing three Polk County residents a voice today in a forum at Washington’s renowned Brookings Institution. Butch and Curtis Rahman will join Suzanne Carter today in speaking at a forum on religious intolerance in Washington.

CALVIN KNIGHT | THE LEDGER

“I don’t think any of us imagined it would turn into what it has,” said Suzanne Carter, a Mulberry resident who was outraged when Florida pastor Terry Jones said he planned to burn 2,998 Muslim holy books in Mulberry last Sept. 11.

“I just didn’t want to see that in my town,” she said, “and I felt like I needed to do something about it.”

Last summer, Mulberry resident Bill McKinney offered to let Jones, pastor of Dove World Outreach Center in Bradenton, stage the Quran burning at his home. Soon after Jones announced those plans, Butch Rahman and his son Curtis, then 17 years old, were working on their rental property down the street from McKinney’s home.

“I wanted to know what he was thinking,” said Curtis, a senior at George Jenkins High School, “so I went to his house and asked him. We had a good discussion, but we didn’t agree on much. I just didn’t think it was right.”

Then Mike Ghouse, president of the Dallas-based World Muslim Congress, heard about Jones’ plan and the community’s effort to counter it, and he decided to take a stand of his own. His group had staged a Unity Day ceremony annually on Sept. 11, honoring the memory of those killed in the terrorism attacks on the United States on that date in 2001, and he decided to bring that ceremony to Mulberry.

As one group learned about the other’s efforts, they began to converge into a singular event celebrating diversity.

It’s that effort, said Joelle Fiss, senior associate with the Human Rights First organization in Washington, D.C., that is bringing them to the global table at Brookings today. The Brookings Institution stands among the leaders in public policy research.

“Terry Jones was trying to provoke a division within American society,” said Fiss, an organizer of the round table. “Instead, these folks managed to unite the society in Florida and celebrate diversity.

“They realized that although what he was doing was legal, it was really offensive to many. They used their right to freedom of expression to fight that.”

The Mulberry contingent, including Ghouse, will join academics, experts and government representatives, including those from the State Department and the Department of Justice, in a discussion about the ways government and society can fight religious intolerance while respecting freedom of expression.

Fiss said they will be among about 20 representatives from the public to join the discussion.

Butch Rahman, an executive with Florida Traditions Bank, said he hopes to convey the need to ignore people like Jones.

“I’d like to get to the point where he goes wherever he is going, he burns his books and nobody pays any attention,” he said. “I’d like to educate those who are the most riled up that this is one man who is speaking out. He isn’t representing this community or the government. He’s just one person, and brush him off.”

Carter, marketing director for Florida Comedy Traffic School, said communities need to learn to come together, and she’s hoping to impart the power of the average person taking a stand on a global issue.

“We could have protested,” she said, “but we wanted to take a different stand in response to his hate. We wanted to pull the attention away from him.”

Fiss said Mulberry’s reaction to Jones was an excellent example of combating religious intolerance.

“It’s not unique, but it’s an excellent example of a community coming together in a peaceful response,” she said.

Within days of Sept. 11, McKinney withdrew his offer to allow Jones to burn the Qurans on his property, forcing Jones to relocate the event to a county park. He was within three miles of that park when he was pulled over and arrested for unlawful conveyance of fuel while pulling a cooker on a trailer filled with kerosene-soaked Qurans. He also was charged with openly carrying a firearm. Those charges are still pending in Circuit Court.

[ Suzie Schottelkotte can be reached at suzie.schottelkotte@theledger.com. ]

Thank you Mother, I am grateful to you!

Mike Ghouse February 18, 2014 Comments Off

THANK YOU MOTHER

My Mother taught me one of the greatest lessons of my life; tie the
loose ends of life regularly, and to achieve that, she said, forgive and
seek forgiveness, don’t carry ill-will beyond a minute, and express
your gratitude before you lose the chance to do it. Her life was an
example! She took her last breath 13 years ago today.

The best accomplishment of my life was telling her
that I loved her and that whatever I am today is because of her, and
that I am grateful to her – just a day before she took her last breath.

The second best thing I have done was to sit next to her on my last few
visits, and listen to her without interrupting… and without arguing,
and that is all she wanted! She was in hog heavens and pushed me out to
go and do other things!

Her comments that have stuck to me
are – on the day of accountability (Qayamat in Islamic tradition) each
one is on his or her own, and solely responsible for his actions. Only
the good deeds you have done will gracefully save you. Then she said,
whoever controls his own self, has won the world ( It took me 20 years
to understand what she meant) and the Verse from Quran that says “to you
is your way of life and to me is my way of life”, let’s respectfully
accept each other as the way we are.

She was Pluralistic in
her approach – She had friends from every walk of life. There was the
Jain neighbor lady, Hindu friends, Swaran Latha, the Christian Lady and
the Parsi-amma Mrs. Bahramjee and of course Muslim ladies too. She had
no barriers between her and people around her.

Every religious
tradition has elevated mother to nearly the status of God, because she
possess many a qualities of God; kind, merciful, beneficent and caring
among thousand other qualities. Mother is the reason for our existence;
sustenance, nurturance and shaping who we are. I applaud those who have
grown up without a mother; it takes a lot to be a beautiful being
without the nurturance from a mother.

Every time I think of my
parents, I realize they have passed on the “Pluralism” gene to me, my
sister and brothers and my family. When I talk with my sister, I feel I
have not improved much in the last 40 years- I am right with her with
all that education and experience.

Well, I sat up this morning thinking about her and appreciating her, did my Prayers to thank her and I feel refreshed.

Now I ask you to consider tying the loose ends of your life, its nirvana! Mukti, Moksha, Nijaat and Salvation.

Thank you Mother.

More at http://nabsites.net/demo/mother-my-story-happy-mothers-day/

Texas Faith: Did United Nations report on Catholic Church go too far?

Mike Ghouse February 12, 2014 Comments Off

The clash between the religious rights and civil rights is nothing new
in the United States. We have come a long way in splitting hair and have
been successful in dissecting civil rights out of religious rights. We
are struggling with same sex marriage, gender equality, contraceptives,
abortion and other issues. The First Amendment may eventually be reduced
to just preventing establishment of, or hindrance in the free exercise
of religion, but may give room to wean civil and criminal issues into
the civil jurisdiction like the death penalty.

Texas Faith: Did United Nations report on Catholic Church go too far?

By Rudolph Bush
rbush@dallasnews.com
11:35 am on February 11, 2014

The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child issued a stinging report Wednesday that
first and foremost called on the Roman Catholic Church to remove all
child abusers from its ranks and to open its archives to the committee
for independent review of crimes and concealment.

The report went beyond that though to criticize the Church for its
stance on abortion, homosexuality and contraception among other things.

The Vatican responded that certain elements of the report were “an
attempt to interfere with Catholic Church teaching on the dignity of
human person and in the exercise of religious freedom. ”

The Catholic Association issued a statement calling the report “a
stunning and misguided attackon the Vatican. The responsible committee
appears to have overlooked the last decade, in which the Church has
taken serious measures to protect children.”

In simple terms, should the committee have limited its comment to the
issue of child sexual abuse or was it right to raise broader questions
about the church’s teachings on social issues? In a broader sense, what
is illuminated by this conflict between a secular institution and a
religious one? How should a person of faith respond when someone or
something questions their sacred teachings?

MIKE GHOUSE, President, Foundation for Pluralism and speaker on interfaith matters, Dallas

The call from the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child on the Roman Catholic Church to remove all child abusers from its ranks and to open its archives to the committee for independent review of crimes and concealment is within its charter.

The United Nations’ declaration on religious intolerance in its Article 1 (3) states, “Freedom to manifest one’s religion or beliefs may be subject only to such limitations as are prescribed by law and are necessary to protect public safety, order, health or morals or the fundamental rights and freedoms of others.”

The United Nations or its committees do not have the authority to demand accountability or execute any of their decisions. However, most nations are signatories to its charter on religious freedom and human rights.

This particular issue has opened up a can of worms, and may lead us into redefining the boundaries between religion and civil society beyond a nation’s border.

The clash between the religious rights and civil rights is nothing new in the United States. We have come a long way in splitting hair and have been successful in dissecting civil rights out of religious rights. We are struggling with same sex marriage, gender equality, contraceptives, abortion and other issues. The First Amendment may eventually be reduced to just preventing establishment of, or hindrance in the free exercise of religion, but may give room to wean civil and criminal issues into the civil jurisdiction like the death penalty.

However, other nations like Saudi Arabia (beheading), Pakistan (blasphemy laws), Iran (stoning adulterer to death), India (anti-conversion laws), Israel (Orthodoxy-settlements), Uganda (death for homosexuality) may vigorously defend their right to keep it under a religious wrap. Of course we still have the death penalty in practice and needs to be done with.

Thanks to Pope Francis, in less than a year, he has been able to see all the infractions within the Catholic Church and taken the initiatives to fix them, and it will take a few more years or longer to stabilize. However, knowing the Pope for the last eleven months, I believe he is on the side of the victims, and indeed he is a mercy to mankind and will do the right thing.

Society at large has a responsibility to protect the unprotected and punish the abuser. Religions do not have a system to petition with religious authorities to redress fallacious laws. As a Muslim, I have seeded that change in Fixing Sharia.

A few decades from now, will most of the religious laws transition into civil laws as societies become increasingly diverse?

To read from other panelists, go to Dallas Morning News at – http://dallasmorningviewsblog.dallasnews.com/2014/02/texas-faith-did-united-nations-report-on-catholic-church-go-too-far.html/