Republicans, I told you so!

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The GOP needs to listen to guys like me who are critical of the leadership. We will fix you up guys, on you own, you don’t have the brains to see your problems. You don’t see that you are war mongers, you don’t see that you are anti-middle America, you don’t see that you are anti-equality of women,  you don’t’ see that you are anti-liberty, you don’t see your double talk about liberty, you don’t see that you want to force women to obey you, you don’t see that you want to intrude in private lives of gays and lesbians, and you have illogical hatred for Muslims. Are you really conservatives? These are not conservative values, these are values of the frightened bulls that attack anything in sight. 

We the moderates are here to fix you, its time you listen to us. We have nothing to gain, no one to dupe, but to do good for America with a strong two party system that represents the will of the people. 

I see a ray of hope, and glad that GOP is waking up to the post Mortem report. Maggie Haberman writes at Politico, ” The Republican National Committee concedes in a sprawling report Monday that the GOP is seen as the party of “stuffy old men” and needs to change its ways. Among the RNC’s proposed fixes: enacting comprehensive immigration reform, addressing middle-class economic anxieties head on and condensing a presidential primary process that saw Mitt Romney get battered for months ahead of the general election.”


The leadership was and perhaps is too dumb to realize that it was the Republican moderates who mercilessly dumped the self-proclaimed extremists, disguised as conservatives like Bachman, Santorum, Gingrich, Cain, Perry and others.

Romney is deficient in morals, two days after the expose on MSNBC about his blatant lying, he had the audacity to tell the CPAC that his remarks were for private audience. So a man like him will say one thing to his privates and one to the public. Do America need these kind of men? Do we need to dump him as an useless guy and move on, or grill him about his morality? I am embarrassed that he got the applause at CPAC, what are the folks at CPAC made of?

Any way Romney played moderate during the first half of the primaries, when others fell, he became the tortoise who would clutch the nomination, so he cheated the conservative by playing conservative, and  got the nomination.  The Chameleon was ready for the next phase to play moderate to wean Obama supporters, and played their game. Of course that ruthless shameless remark of 47% got him nailed.

I thank God every day, that we don’t have that idiot as our president. Imagine what he would have done, to please the few, who do not even represent American or the Israeli public, he would have gone to war with Iran to please the bone thrower Netanyahu and eggers like Gingrich, Santorum and their Gang. He  would have screwed America, did it matter to him? No, he was secure with his money stashed away in Bahamas. Did he care about the 47%?. Thank you lord for saving America from another disaster.

We the moderate republicans are the genuine base of Republicans, and not the rabble rousers like Karl Rove, Limbaugh and others who kept lying to the GOP through the end. Either they had no idea or were simply duping the public. GOP does not matter to them, the money it brings to them does.

Wake up Priebus, learn the truth and listen to the moderates, we have been telling about this.  America needs to stand firmly on the two party system, we cannot afford to lose the house in 2014, if we don’t speak out against the daily stupidities coming out of Republicans, we will lose the majority. Mark my words, I am going to tell you,  I told you so.

Mike Ghouse is a Republican committed to moderation to preserve the plurality of our country, which is overwhelmingly moderate.

……………
RNC: Voters see GOP as ‘scary’ and ‘out of touch’ Read more:
http://www.politico.com/story/2013/03/rnc-report-gop-scary-out-of-touch-88974.html#ixzz2NvYIO8yx

Shia Sunni difference over Prophet's last sermon, what do we do about it?

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How do Shia, Sunni and other Muslims come together for common good?
URL –  http://nabsites.net/demo/shia-sunni-difference-over-prophets/
………

Facts don’t matter, it did not matter to President Bush and his followers, and they believed what they believed despite the information available to the contrary. We Muslims are no different, each one of our sect is entrenched with certain beliefs, and our fundamental beliefs will not change. Indeed, accepting change is like making the earth beneath us disappear. If Sunnis accept Shia version as fact or Shias see the Sunni version as the truth, their whole theology collapses, each one will cease to exist, and for that reason, no one will subscribe to each others’ “facts”. 

Sunnis believe that in his last sermon, Prophet said he was leaving the book (to learn and understand, as we are individually accountable for our actions) while the Shia Muslims believe that he also said he is leaving behind his progeny to offer guidance. Even if we were to recover the real voice and his speech, neither group will believe in it; it amounts to wiping out our beliefs. It is best to follow the guidance from Qur’aan; let you believe what works for you and I believe what works for me, as long as we do not mess with each other’s space, sustenance and nurturence. Both will go to Janna if we care about God’s creation.
 

Shia beliefs have worked for Shias, Just as Sunni, Wahhabi, Ahmadiyya, Bohra, Ismaili, Salafi, Deobandi and other beliefs have worked for them. Do we see the need for a change? 

Religion is not a football game where the touchdown will be decided if the guy’s foot or any part of his foot was inside the line while catching the ball. Religion is not that precise, a sinful woman can give water to a thirsty animal and earn God’s grace, and drunk can share food with the neighbor and get preference over the Namazi (someone who prays all times). Islam is a big universal religion and not defined by petty lines.  All will go to paradise, if you take care of fellow beings, animals and environment – indeed serving and preserving God’s creation means serving God.

We have conflicts among us, not real ones, but the ones that do not affect our space, sustenance and nurturance. God has intentionally created us to be different, he created us from a single couple in to many tribes, communities and nations, and he expects us to be different, but he also expects us to know each other, and figure out how to preserve his creation and not mess with it. The best among us are the ones who are righteous, those who care about God’s creation, each one of us.

We need to learn about our difference, that is human curiosity, however we need to do our Jihad, our struggle in fighting the temptation to denigrate the other in any fashion. Here again God loves us, and guides us how to dialogue without ever putting each other down.

The Sunnis include all of Prophet’s wives as his family, where as Shias limit it to Fatima and her descendents. There are Sunnis who claim that they are descendents of the Prophet, as if to claim special privileges. Islam is about equality and humility and not privileges. No one in Islam is special unless it is for his actions and deeds. The prophet even told Fatima that there is no free ticket to her to paradise, just because she is the daughter of the prophet, so what makes any one think that he or she has privileges? Prophet wiped the privileges completely, as it is arrogant to claim such status, and God does not like it because arrogance messes with his peaceful creation.

Prophet appointed Bilal to the highest position to call Muslims to prayers to shut the arrogant ones that he was a slave; he knocked out the vanity from the wealthy and asked them all to stand in the same line no matter who it was, he liberated women from a chattel (Woman was still a Chattel even in the US until 150 years ago)  to a free individual who is free to marry, divorce, own the property and business; and he said all will do the fasting to imbue a sense of humility. And remember he made Zakat proportionate so all can contribute proportionately. Did he make the Hajj a requirement for all? Heavens no, and this is the only thing that is not mandatory, because of the affordability factor. Islam is never against making money and getting rich as long as you are fair and just to the resources that make you rich.

As a Sunni, I implore fellow Muslims to learn to respect each other’s traditions and belief. There is no point in proving each other wrong. Just follow the guidance of Allah and the Prophet – be good to fellow beings. Start going to each other’s place of worship and see the devotion each group has in the way they pray. I am blessed to have been in every Masjid including Kaaba, Masjid Nabwi, Masjid Aqsa and Bait-al-Muqaddas, I have prayed and iftaared regularly in Bohra, WD Muhammad, Ahmadiyya, Shia, Sunni, and just about every traditions with the exception of Ismaili Jamat Khana. Insha Allah, God may fulfill me with that wish. I have been there, but never been a part of their prayers, however and whatever it may be. Knocking prejudice out towards fellow Muslims is peaceful, try it, you may cherish it. Alhamdu Lillah, I walk my talk. 

Insha Allah, we will do more intra-faith dialogue and learn to respect each other for what we believe,  and not get hell bent on proving and denying each other’s faith.  I will do my personal share of work in bringing unity for common goodness. All it takes is more of us to take the stand and hold such meetings and learn about each other for creating a better world. (Q49:13). Check this out. http://nabsites.net/demo/sunni-muslims-at-shia-and-ahmadiyya/

Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, peace, Islam, Israel, India, interfaith, and cohesion at work and social settings. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. 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 everything you want to know about him. 

 ………………..
  FORWARDED BY  ANSAR RAZA 

It is forwarded by Ansar Raza and we need to know the author. I implore Muslims to always quote the source or put their name to it. Never give the impression that it is your writing.

SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT SHIA BELIEFS

 Is Imamat an Article of Faith?
 
The Holy Qur`ān requires Muslims to believe in Allah, Day of Judgment, angels, Divine Books, and Messengers. It declares those who deny any of these articles of faith as extremely misled people.

“It is not righteousness that you turn your faces to the East or the West, but truly righteous is he who believes in Allāh and the Last Day and the angels and the Book and the Prophets…” (2:178)

 “And whoso disbelieves in Allāh and His angels and His Books and His Messengers and the Last Day, has surely strayed far away.” (4:137)

Nowhere in the Holy Qur`an we are required to believe in any human being other than a Prophet/Messenger. However, according to Shia beliefs, Imamat is also an article of Islamic faith. However, the Holy Qur`ān does not consider it as one of the articles of Islamic faith. Hadhrat Alī, while discussing articles of faith in Nahjul Balagha, that is a collection of his sermons, never mentions Imamat as one of them.

 Does an Imam have to be a Prophet First?

Shia interpretation of the verse (2:125) of the Holy Qur`ān is that the Prophet Ibrahīm as was first made Prophet, and then he was tried with certain commandments that he fulfilled. Then he was promoted to the status of Imam.  If this is how the Imams are appointed, then our Shia brothers must believe that all of their Imams were Prophets first, then tried by certain commandments and after fulfilling those commandments, they were promoted as Imams. Obviously, this belief completely negates their concept of the finality of the Prophethood of Prophet Muhammad sa and implies that they believe in 12 Prophets after Prophet Muhammad sa. Another problem they face is that, according to their belief, their Imams are borne as infallible beings. Does it not mean that their Imams first became Prophets, put to trial, succeeded and then promoted to the status of Imam, before their birth?

 Are Wives not Members of the Family?

Shia Muslims do not consider the wives of the Holy Prophet sa as his family members sayng that the family members mentioned in the verse (33:34) only include Lady Fatima ra, Imam Ali ra, Imam Hassan ra, and Imam Hussain ra. However, in the following verses the Holy Qur`ān mentions the wife of Prophet Ibrahīm as and the parents and siblings of Prophet Moses as as the members of their families. Angels said to the wife of Prophet Ibrahīm as:
“Do you marvel at Allāh’s decree? The mercy of Allāh and His blessings are upon you, O people of the house.” (11:74)
When Prophet Moses as, as a child, refused to be fed by any of the women of Pharaoh’s house, his sister said to them: “Shall I direct you to the people of a household who will bring him up for you and will be his sincere well-wishers?” (28:13)

How can Shia Muslims reconcile these verses with their beliefs?

 Qur`ān and Imam Separated?

According to Shia traditions, the Holy Prophet sa said in his last Hajj Sermon that he is leaving two heavy things among the Muslims, namely, the Qur`ān and his progeny. He said that as long as the Muslims hold fast to them, they would not be misled. Now the situation is that we have the Holy Qur`ān in our hands but the Imam has disappeared. According to another Shia belief, the real Qur`ān is with the 12th Imam. In that case, we have lost access to both the Qur`ān and the Imam. Now, who do we blame if we are misled?

Muslims Condemn brutal attacks on Hindus and Hindu Temples by Muslims in Bangladesh

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URL – http://nabsites.net/demo/muslims-condemn-brutal-attacks-on/

Friday, March 15, 2013 | PRESS RELEASE | 3 ACTION ITEMS

Muslims Condemn brutal attacks on Hindus and Hindu Temples by Muslims in Bangladesh; this goes against the very grain of Islam. The culprits must be punished to restore trust and justice to the Hindus of Bangladesh.
The following press release is an expression of Muslims to register their protest, repentance and desire to restore trust among the Hindus of Bangladesh who are harassed and under attacks. This is not acceptable in Islam. 

We condemn these disgusting acts of Muslims among us, who are hell bent on hurting fellow Bangladeshis, because they are Hindus. These acts go against the very essence of Quran to treat every human, animal and the environment with dignity. Quran could not be clearer than this, “killing one person is like killing the whole humanity, and saving one life is like saving the entire  mankind.”    


The insane attacks on Hindus are referenced in several reports below, please read different reports to get the full picture, a commission must be established to report the findings.
The majority of Muslims are peace loving, however a few among us are not, and it is our responsibility to not let those few tarnish the name of our religion. We need to do our Jihad, and our struggle to bring justice and trust in the society. 

In the interest of containing, cornering and mitigating the conflict, we urge the Bangladeshi Government to take all the precautions to single out the individuals responsible for the chaos.
We appeal to the authorities, not to arrest the miscreants as Muslims or members of any of the religious or political organizations but as Individuals. Per Quran and per any civil law, the individual alone is responsible for his acts, and not his family members, mayor of his town, Imam of his Mosque, Bangladesh or Islam in this case. If we follow this wisdom, we will contain the problem to individuals and prevent further aggravation by pitting one group against the other.
The success of a nation depends when her citizens feel secure; in this case, it is the duty of the state to ensure the safety of Hindus, Buddhist, Shia, Ahmadiyya, Christian and other minorities.

It is also the obligation of the Bangladeshi majority to continue to speak up against the brutal treatment of fellow Bangladeshis who are Hindu. Indeed, the safety of a community is the responsibility of the majority.  

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) established a government in Medina, where no Jew, Christian or others were to feel insecure. He further gave one of the strongest instructions to Muslims – If any one of you is unjust to the other, By God, on the Day of Judgment, I will stand up against you in support of the victims. As a Muslim, I ask Muslims to come together to take these individual actions: 

1. Call the embassies and ask them to urge their Government to protect the Hindus immediately:

Washington DC at (202) 244-0183 – Fax (202) 244-2771http://www.bdembassyusa.org/ 
Ottawa, Canada at (613)-236-0138-39 – Fax (613)-567-3213  http://www.bdhc.org/ 
and or Bangladeshi Embassy in the your country 

Home Ministry in Bangladesh at  http://www.mha.gov.bd/  Dr. Muhiuddin Khan Alamgir, Minister, Phone Number 7169069 – email mkalamgir@yahoo.com   


2. Request the Government to restore the damaged homes of the Bangladeshi Hindus.

3. Request a commission of inquiry and a dialogue to rebuild cohesiveness in the Bangladeshi society, where no Bangladeshi has to live in fear of the other.
Donate whatever you can to re-build the demolished Hindu temples; we will have to find a reliable Organization in Bangladesh to ensure funds will be used strictly to rebuild the temples. The first $100.00 will come from the World Muslim Congress. We will set up a fund with trustees from Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist and Christian Members and seek support from the Bangladeshi Organizations in Dallas.

We have a responsibility to ensure the safety of every Citizen. We (the Muslims) should be the Amins of the world, where Hindus, Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Atheists and all others trust us to be just, fair and truthful. They should feel safe around us, for us to be the Amins in fulfilling the first foundational Sunnah of the prophet.

…………..

REFERENCES:

  • Images of atrocities against Hindus
Mike Ghouse, President
World Muslim Congress
Foundation for Pluralism
2665 Villa Creek Dr, Suite 206
Dallas, TX 75234
(214) 325-1916 – text/talk
……
YOU CAN ALSO FAX/ E MAIL / HERE IS A SAMPLE.   

Date:
Name:

Your Excellency,

I am concerned about the plight of Hindus in Bangladesh, and request you to ask your Government to protect the Hindus immediately. Please initiate a commission to find the facts and work on restoring damages temples and homes of the Hindu Bangladeshis. I also urge a national and local dialogue to begin in building a cohesive Bangladesh, where no Bangladeshi has to live in the fear of other.
Your Name:
Email:
Address/City/Zip

Obama is too civilized to show them his finger.

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We the Republicans are losing everywhere, not necessarily because
Obama is doing the right things, but because we are doing all the dumb
and stupid things.

As a Republican, it is my duty to speak out against the non-sense in my
party, and if we don’t  guard the fall, then I will be letting us die a slow death. I am worried about 2014. I have a feeling we will lose a lot of these disgusting Republican Senators and Congressional Republicans.

Nearly 92% of Americans want background check on gun sales, and what do these idiots do, vote against it. On the top of it, on the equal pay for women 22 of these idiots in Senate and 138 in Congress vote against it. They simply don’t get it and will lose big time in 2014. I hate to see that happen, we need to have each house in different party’s hands, and with a
simple majority and not a bully majority. Americans in general, and Republicans in particular need to dump these creeps. We need our representative to represent our sentiments and our needs and not be sell themselves cheaply to lobbyists.

John McCain, Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham expressed their belligerence
in the nomination process of Chuck Hagel and John Brennan. Obama is
too civilized to show them his finger. Furthermore Obama does not want
to waste time in engaging in unnecessary debates and that makes him a
winner against these losers. Dianne Feisenstein had to literally tell
Graham to shut up during the hearings. 

Masters in Rudeness

There is not a day that goes by without a stupid comment from a
Republican. The only saving grace is Rand Paul and Ted Cruz who fried
Eric Holder in giving an answer. If I were Obama, I would tell Eric not
to waste public’s money. If a question is asked, damn it give a straight
answer and don’t dance around it. Just tell it like it is, we do not
kill American Citizens on our land, any conditions, period. 

We the Republicans were disgraceful in not acknowledging the lowering unemployment
figures of 7.7%, we are so hateful towards Obama that we don’t’ even
want to give him the credit. It is as if we wanted Americans to
suffer and not have the job, we are on the path of self destruction. I
hope we the moderates can speak out strongly and save our party.

Today some of the Republican nuts send me a link where Michelle Obama
selected singer Adele to sing on her 50th birthday. Now they are
picking on her. The Americans have voted them in, and simply accept it.
She is not doing anything different than Laura, Barbara, Nancy, Rosalyn
or Jackie. I think we should rise above pettiness.

When we don’t have something substantial, we resort to these. I am
the best thing Republicans can ever get; I do not praise them when they
display their stupidities, and I speak up and keep waking them up so
they don’t lose out big in 2014. 

We cannot afford jerks like Bachman itching non-stop to defund Obama
care, it is there, accept it and move on. Don’t waste our time in
chasing the losing causes. I really feel sorry for the Minnesotans for
electing her.

Mike Ghouse is a moderate Republican, who see through the stupidities of
the party and speaks out. He cares about checks and balances and does
not want the Republican Party to be slaughtered in 2014. We need to have
strong two party systems to have stability in our policies.

_______

Muslims welcome Pope Francis

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Dallas, Texas, March 13, 2013 – The World Muslim Congress, a think tank, and the Foundation for Pluralism congratulate the new Pope, Pope Francis.

“I hope he heralds a new beginning for building a better world. In behalf of the people of faith or no faith, and my faith Islam, I welcome the Pope and make ourselves available to jump at his call for creating a peace in the world, where no human has to live in fear of the others, let the world be the new kingdom of heaven where we all feel safe and secure with each other. Amen”

There are a few deeply rooted conflicts among the Muslim-Christian, and Jewish-Christian communities that are the root cause of much of the conflict in the world, they have been simmering within the hearts and minds of the Christians, Muslims and Jews, and flare up now and then in difficult expressions.

The world needs a powerful personality to urge Muslims and Christians to accept the otherness of the other without the temptation to correct the other. It needs a strong personality that can absolve Jews from the myths ascribed to them. It needs a pope who is a blessed peacemaker and extends his embrace to the Pagans, Hindus and all others who do not worship or worship God in their own way. We are all children of God and honoring each other is honoring the creator.

He has got to initiate a dialogue on same sex marriage, women priesthood, birth control, intrafaith, and interfaith relations.

The pope is singularly the most important person on the world stage besides the President of the United States who can affect positive or negative outcomes. He can aggravate the conflicts or mitigate them and earn the blessings of Jesus – Blessed are the peacemakers.

We pray that Pope Francis ushers us into a new era of dialogue and respect for each other, Amen.

Mike Ghouse
World Muslim Congress
Foundation for Pluralism

2665 Villa Creek Dr, Suite 206
Dallas, TX 75234
(214) 325-1916 – text or phone
SpeakerMikeGhouse@gmail.com

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 aCohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day atwww.TheGhousediary.com. He believes in Standing up for others and has done that throughout his life as an activist. Mike has a 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.

Brouhaha over Ahmedinejad consoling Chavez’s mother, it angers Iranian clerics.

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YOU CAN LAUGH AFTER READING THIS.

The photo, released by Venezuela’s Miraflores Press Office, shows Elena Frías’ right hand clutching Ahmadinejad’s left, her head against his, as they stand near the flag-draped coffin of her son at a military academy in Caracas, Venezuela, on Friday.

Yahoo reports, “The image drew the immediate fury of Tehran’s religious conservatives. “No unrelated women can be touched unless she is drowning at sea or needs medical treatment,” Hojat al-Islam Hossein Ibrahimi, a cleric at the Society of Militant Clergy, said, according to Iran’s Al-Monitor.”

Pamela Geller, America’s profiteer from maligning Islam will have a hay day tomorrow, she profits from selling hate to the dumbos out there. But some Rabbi will tell her to shut up; it is not the creeping Muslim Brotherhood thing, but a Rabbi thing also. She has done many stupid things in the past, like jumping all over Muslims for the Halal slaughter of Animals, the Rabbis (and I believe the ADL also) had to tell her to shut up that is precisely a Jewish practice. In December 2012, I was on Fox News twice (Not Hannity) telling that it was a wrong idea to put billboards in the subways, and mentioned the consequence of a nutcase making threats to a Muslim woman, sadly a Hindu man was killed.

In February, on Hannity she wrote on her site that she is going to drag down this Islamist guy Mike Ghouse, fortunately I was able to shut her up and drag her down on Hannity show, so she changes my title from Islamist to a Moderate Muslim the next day.  I like Pamela’s passion, she and I have no ill-will or animosity between us we are good and civil to each other. If she can apply that in building peace she will be successful.

As a pluralist, I always ask is this act exclusive to one community or does the shoe fits the others as well.  In this case, is not hugging or handshaking exclusive to Muslims?  Do others hold similar views? Hold it before you laugh at the Iranian religious clergy, more than likely your Orthodox Jewish Rabbi, Sikh Gyani, Buddhist Monk, Hindu Pundit and few Christian priests and others will not even shake hands with a woman.  I was even shocked to hear Congressman Ron Paul say, “I will not travel with an un-related woman” during the campaign trial last year.

It is neither a bad practice nor a good one. It is just a precautionary practice. Most of the abuse of women occurs from close relatives and the people they trust, given that it is safer to keep physical contact out of the relationship.

It also depends on how comfortable you are with the others. Personally, I am comfortable with hugs with men and women equally, and hesitation never crawls through my mind.

My Jewish friend Muriel and I always give a hug, then she laughs at me, how dare you are, a Muslim giving a hug to a Jewish princess? In one of the Unity Day events some seven eight years ago, I was under the weather, so I kept my distance, one lady walked up for the hug, and I held back… she started telling you Muslims don’t hug women… I said; hold it dear, I am holding back because I have colds. You and I have hugged far too many times before for you to draw such conclusions.

Our Imams and Rabbis are super careful in shaking hands or hugging women, and we need to respect their space.

After I married Yasmeen, we went to several of her friend’s houses and when some pictures were taken, I was my usual self, and put my hand over the shoulders of her friends, forgetting the difference in culture, my wife reminded me that it is not a comfortable thing to do. It was re-learning to me, no one was ever uncomfortable with me before. The guy who teaches multi-culturalism goofed up himself. Ha!

– – – – – –
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 has done that throughout his life as
an activist. Mike has a 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.

Are we connected with our Kids – a good story

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ARE WE CONNECTED WITH OUR KIDS?
Many of us have been shocked with
the discovery that our kids and us are too far apart, even though we may pretend
it otherwise. I have seen too many parents cry it out loud, “I
did not know this was going to happen.” 
One of my friends sent his kid to
the best of schools in Dallas and always talked about the money he was spending
on him – as if the son was a stock market. He ran away and never wanted to see
the parents again. I feel the pain of the father, but I also feel the misery his
son is enduring. There was no connection between the kids and his parents – everything
was money to them.
A few years ago, one of the kids was
shot in an accidental fire between rival gangs, the parents were on TV, and it was
embarrassing to watch them talk– they were talking about money again! They have
done everything for him and listing the monies they have spent on his BMW,
Rolex Watches, Armani Suits… and he does this!  Man it looks like their stock market crashed
and not their son.
If we are connected well, not
perfectly, but relatively well. Meaning we cease to become parents in the sense
of advisers – but become good friends in terms of listening to them, then they
will share all about them, if we can hold ourselves and listen to them without
interrupting. Imagine this; you are excited or hurt about something, and you
want your spouse, friend or kids or any human with two years to listen to you,
instead if you get advice and interruption, you disconnect with them.
All it takes is UN-interrupted
listening.  My life is not perfect
either, but my kids talk with me comfortably. My daughter tests me with
shocking revelations, it puts my patience on test, but listening to her is part
of the affection and caring. She knows it was difficult and when she sees that
I value what she had to say and patiently listen, she would realize that and acknowledge
it, then I would say, yes, it was difficult and was very tempting to interrupt,
but listening to you was far more important than interrupting you. This bonds
us.
True friendship with your kids is
when you listen to them so intently that they will share everything, it gives
them relief, removes the barriers and a strong bond of trust is created. Then
neither of you will lose the other.
It’s not too late for any one. You can
always begin afresh! Be a cheer leaders to your kids when they turn 18.

HERE  IS AN ESSAY FROM A CHILD
A teacher from Primary School asks her students to write an essay
about 
What they would like God to do for them…

At the end of the day while marking the essays, she read one that made
her very emotional. Her husband, that had just walked in saw her crying
and asked her – What happened?

She answered – Read this. It’s one of my student’s essays.
Oh God, tonight I ask you something very special: Make me into
a television. I want to take its place. Live like the TV in my house. Have my own
special place, and have my family around ME. To be taken seriously when I
talk…. I want to be the center of attention and be heard without
interruptions or questions. I want to receive the same 
Special care that the TV receives when it is not working. Have the
company of my dad when he arrives home from work, even when he is tired.
And I want my mom to want me when she is sad and upset, instead of ignoring
me… And… I want my brothers to fight to be with me… I want to feel
that family just leaves everything aside, every now and then, just to
spend some time with me. And last but not least make it that I
can make them all happy and entertain them…
Lord I don’t ask you for much… I just want to live like every TV
At that moment the husband said:
– ‘My God, poor kid. What horrible parents!
She looked up at him and said:
– ‘That essay is our son’s!!!
URL- http://nabsites.net/demo/are-we-connected-with-our-kids-good/

……. 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 has done that throughout his life as an activist. Mike has a 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.

Happy Mahashivratri – Maha Kumbh Mela 2013

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Festivals mark a
significant milestone in one’s life. It is a ritual to transform oneself from
being one to the purified one. Hindus believe taking a dip in the Holy River
Ganges washes their sins off and renews their spirituality. It’s akin to
Christians walking Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem during Easter, or the time at the
Wailing Wall for the Jews and doing Hajj for Muslims.

One has to focus on the
essence of each religious activity; there is devotion, beauty and wisdom in it
for those who believe.  You can wish Happy Shivratri,
Happy Maha Shivratri to your Hindu friends.
Nearly 9 million people have already taken a dip in the Holy Sangam, the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and mythical
Saraswati rivers on the auspicious occasion of Maha Shivratri, bringing the
Maha Kumbh, the great gathering to a close on Sunday, March 10, 2013. Kumbh
mela is an annual event but the Maha Kumbh is every 12 years.
Click the picture to see larger version
Interesting stats and photos, courtesy New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/03/10/magazine/look-india.html

The Sanatana society writes, “Shiva is the god of the yogis, self-controlled and celibate, while at the same time a lover of his spouse (shakti). Lord Shiva is the destroyer of the world, following Brahma the creator and Vishnu the preserver, after which Brahma again creates the world and so on. Shiva is responsible for change both in the form of death and destruction and in the positive sense of destroying the ego, the false identification with the form. This also includes the shedding of old habits and attachments. “

“All that has a beginning by necessity must have an end. In destruction, truly nothing is destroyed but the illusion of individuality. Thus the power of destruction associated with Lord Shiva has great purifying power, both on a more personal level when problems make us see reality more clearly, as on a more universal level. Destruction opens the path for a new creation of the universe, a new opportunity for the beauty and drama of universal illusion to unfold. As Satyam, Shivam, Sundaram or Truth, Goodness and Beauty, Shiva represents the most essential goodness.”

Shiva is a Hindu deity, one of the three most influential denominations in Hinduism. He is “the Destroyer” or “the Transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine.

About a decade ago, on
my daily Radio show called Wisdom of Religion, all the beautiful religions,  Swami Nityananda my weekly guest described  the  Shiva Sahasranama (1000 names) in greater
detail. Every aspect of nature can be broadly defined in 1000 different names
and those names reflect the God qualities that one can acquire through
mediation and destruction of ego within. 1000 is not a finite number, it is a
metaphoric number, just as Muslims have 99 names of God to denote infinity.
Note: I have been
focusing on the essence of each religious festival for over 20 years, we wrote in
Asian News since 1993, then broadcasted on Asian News Radio through 2000 and
since then, it has been published in forums, blogs, sites and news papers. If
we all can learn to see the beauty of each faith, then we have transcended in
to the realm of getting closer to God, which means in tune with the universe to
function cohesively and effectively with the entire creation.

URL –http://nabsites.net/demo/happy-mahashivratri-maha-kumbh-mela-2013/

Happy Shivratri !

……. 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 has done that throughout his life as an activist. Mike has a 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.

Muslims Condemn acts of Violence against Christians in Pakistan, and assert that this not an act of Islam.

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The
following Petition is an expression of Muslims and Muslim Organizations to
register their
protest, repentance and restoration of Justice.

URL- http://nabsites.net/demo/muslims-condemn-acts-of-violence/

March
9, 2013 – Lahore, Pakistan, A mob of Muslims burnt down about 150 homes of
Christians living in Joseph Town near Lahore, and the carnage continues. “As
Muslims, we are embarrassed and ashamed of these men who call themselves
Muslims, we condemn these acts unequivocally.” commented Mike Ghouse who heads
the World Muslim Congress, a think tank in Dallas, Texas.

The Muslim
majority is deeply concerned about it. We urge Pakistani Muslim Americans in
particular, and Muslims around the world in General to create a fund to
rehabilitate the families who have lost their homes, that is the least we can do
as repentance.
 
Muslims at
large are at fault for allowing the abuse of blasphemy laws in Pakistan, which
is anathema to the Character of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), regarded as mercy to
the mankind. It is time for Muslims to mean it.

Do Prophet, Quran and God
need our protection?

What do parents do when their child runs out on the
street? Protect, protect and protect from all the perceived threats. They do
that because their child is not capable of defending him or herself from the
street bullies.  What do you do when you little daughter is in conflict with the otherl? You protect, protect and
protect.

If we believe that the Prophet needs our protection, then we are
dead wrong. He has been around and will be there through eternity. As Muslims,
we need to believe in him, he is not going anywhere nor will he be hurt or
harmed with any insults.

Don’t we proudly talk about Hazrat Umar’s
examples of justice? It is time to believe and act now.

The 2nd Caliph of
Islam Umar was known for Justice. Once, he refused to punish a thief, as he saw
that the state fell short of the responsibility to create a society where the
man did not have to steal food to feed his hungry kids, the very basic needs of
life. 

The condition for Christians in Pakistan is shameful.

Asia
Bibi was denied water from a public source because an arrogant Muslim woman was
drawing the water from the same well at that time.  That is most egregious
insult; denial of water.  What were her choices? Even if she had cursed the
arrogant Muslim lady, her religion or her prophet, Hazrat Umar would have
forgiven her due to circumstances. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) would have gone a
step further; he would
have set a model for Muslims to follow. He would not only have forgiven her, but
perhaps carried her water to her home.  After all he was Rahmatul Aalameen, a
mercy to mankind, was he not?

There was another incident, where an Imam
burnt a page from Quran to frame a Christian, he should have been
nailed.

Prophet is not going anywhere.

Islam is not going
anywhere; prophet is not going anywhere, and by opening ourselves up to
criticism, we will learn a lot more about our faith than we would ever know. We
need to move away from intolerance to acceptance of a different point of view
without having to agree with it. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) lived through it and
Muslims can learn from his examples.

 Criticism can fade away or rain on
us depending on how Muslims respond to it.  Lack of conviction in one’s faith
breeds intolerance towards criticism, whereas firmness in faith can lead us to
learn from criticism, explore the infinite wisdom and realize the strength of
our faith (Imaan); a worthy feeling to have, instead of living in doubt and
shooing criticism away.

 Pastor Jeffress of Dallas called the Quran, a
false book written by the false prophet. We looked at the examples of the
prophet and followed his graceful model and held an unusual Quran conference
with non-Muslim clergy on the panel to address the issue. A full accounting of the event, including extensive media
interviews and the program in details is at www.QuraanConference.com

When
you have an issue with your spouse and child, you don’t scream and shut them
down; the problem will not go away unless you face it and solve the issue. When
people accept the solutions willingly, we will have peace. The Christians, Shia,
Ahmadiyya, Hindus, Sikhs and other minorities in Pakistan need to feel safe.
They must be heard and justice must be served, isn’t Islam is all about
that?

I urge fellow Muslims to be open to all the criticism with
confidence, don’t shut it, and let freedom of speech be the corner stone of
Islam. Islam stands on its own; it does not need our defense, and it is silly to
protect God or the Prophet, they are not weaklings or our property to protect,
they belong to the whole universe, don’t they?

 If they curse the
prophet, prophet is not going to be cursed, have the strength in your faith and
return badness with Good; we know all the examples of his work. When you hear
someone curse the prophet, just say I am sorry you feel that way, but if you
wish to seek the truth, find it on your own or I will connect you with someone
who can guide you, if you don’t that is your choice and nothing will come off me
or the prophet, your words do not have the power to reduce Islam or the prophet,
I will pray peace of mind to you.

Islam is not going anywhere, prophet
is not going anywhere, and by opening up you will enjoy your Imaan (faith)
immensely with genuine admiration for its wisdom. I thank Allah for helping me
see the light and beauty of Islam, and you can too.

This petition is
authored by Mike Ghouse of World Muslim Congress and initially supported by the
following Muslim Organizations. 

World Muslim Congress, United
States
MCC for Human Services,  Texas
Ninteen Organization,
United States

REFERENCES – Standing up for humanity
http://nabsites.net/demo/sunni-muslims-at-shia-and-ahmadiyya/

Sunni Muslims at Shia and Ahmadiyya Moques

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Muslims take the 2nd step – Sunnis visit Shia and Ahmadiyya Mosques
http://nabsites.net/demo/sunni-muslims-at-shia-and-ahmadiyya/

Last night, an email was sent to Muslims of all denominations, the Sunni Muslims in particular were asked to make an effort to attend the Friday prayers at a Shia or Ahmadiyya Mosques as a symbol of solidarity with them.

I  was pleased with the calls from around the world and emails from Baghdad, Lahore, Kuala Lumpur and here in the United states. Thank God, many are going to different mosques.

I went to the Momin Center in Irving, Texas. The Imam delivered a great Khutba (sermon) about having faith in God, and asking God for help. He likened God to the CEO of a mega corporation- he said,  if you know the boss, life becomes easy for you and added, if you are with God, he makes the life easy for you.

The Imam acknowledged the presences of Sunni Muslims attending the Juma prayers in solidarity with the Shia Muslims.

 

The appeal read.

If you are a Sunni Muslim, make an effort to attend the Friday prayers at a Shia or Ahmadiyya Mosques -more about it. To find a Shia Mosque in the United States go to http://www.islamicfinder.org/  and in Dallas, go to www.DallasMuslimCenter.com

The 1st step was taken on Thursday, February 26, 2013 and here are the three different reports of the event, and the video will be out in a few days and will be posted here as well.




  •     Video to be added:

The You are probably aware of the efforts in bringing people of different denominations together.  Now, for the the first time in the United States, we were able to carry a formal  dialogue between Shia, Sunni, Ahmadiyya and WD Muhammad denominations in an academic setting at the Boniuk Center of Rice University.

Here are the two emails worth reading;
 …………………. ………..

Shia mosque is ok. I have said many prayers there but I will go to Ahmadiyyah mosque but to respectfully observe their service 🙂 one has to make a serious case to engage Ahmadiyyah into mainstream – unless they ractify a fundamental belief i.e. No prophet after Mohammad (PBUH)
 …………………. ………..

 Dear Mohammedbhai,

I just prayed at Ahmediyya mosque in Nairobi a month back, because our homoeopath is an Ahmedi.

I have also just been invited by Nazim A. to go to Jaffery’s to pray and to go visit the mausoleums in Najaf and Kerbala with the Ithna’asheri group. They and the Bohoras, in my experience, know more about the early history and the passions of Hadhrat Bibi Fatima (as), Hadhrat Hassan, Hadhrat Ali (as) and Hadhrat Hussein (as) and those who held to them than we do, as Khoja Ismailis.

It’s good to do this. The Ahmadiyya mosque is really peaceful.

 REFERENCES:
 


Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer committed to building cohesive societies. 
www.MikeGhouse.net