Birth 2012 Global Celebration

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When I woke up on Saturday, the morning of 12/22/12, I found myself to be alive,
and everything around me to continued to exist. 12/12/12 came and gone, so was
12/21/21. Of course, I have not subscribed to these theories of the world
coming to an end, but it amazes me how many really believed in it and had even
stocked up food. 

This event, the “Birth 2012” was to shift the consciousness to
a new freshness devoid of the end of world scenarios. It was a healing event
for those who believed in Armageddon and needed a crutch to transform.
Dr.
Petra Weldes and Monica Blossom called in to join in for an evening of embodied
ritual, song, dance and prayer at the Center for Spiritual Living.   

There is something in me that wants to be a part of the whole
universe, and to be a part of all its bits and pieces. So, I joined the
group to be part of this part at the Center for spiritual living. The
lights were dimmed, and a circle was created with candles in the midst.
Started with Meditative Music, dancing to the rhythmic music in four
directions, yogic meditation… and in that environment of open
heartedness, all of us gathered back in a circle and shared each one’s
poem, story, and the feelings… it was a transformative evening.

When we fall the barriers between us and others, and learn to respect
the otherness of others, we feel home, we feel in tune with the island
we form, and intimately become a participative part of the whole
universe with humility.  It was indeed  a good feeling to feel home
every moment of the day and in every place.

I pray that, each of us finds an opportunity to participate in events
where we can shed this year, particularly those going through difficult
times, but all of us to move on with life with a new consciousness.  We
can form our own circle with one, two or three of our friends, quietly
meditating and reflecting and sharing about life, if nothing else, we
can do it ourselves in solitude and the quietness of our own place.

Ultimately, each of us is  responsible for our happiness and
happiness is a choice without tying it to things, monies and others.

May we find peace within ourselves, we are merely a strand in this
world wide web, but are important for the web to function effectively.

—
Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer committed to build cohesive societies, where no one has to feel apprehensive, uncomfortable or fear the other human. The site www.MikeGhouse.net indexes all of Mike’s work.

We are not a police state, we are a land of the free

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WE ARE NOT A POLICE STATE, WE ARE A LAND OF THE FREE

Guns don’t kill people, but the deranged individuals who have the guns do. Do we need them on the road? 

To
offset the drunk drivers, we don’t put more drunk drivers on the road;
we strip their licenses and privileges to drive to protect fellow
Americans. Guns are no different.  If one is mentally not qualified,
strip the gun!  Americans are not against guns, but certainly against
automatic weapons that kill 26 people in a few minutes. 

The
safety of Americans is the prime role of Government, and arming the
teachers, day cares and churches is not, that is the Guns Sales people’s
job for a commission. We are not a Goddamned police state, we are a
land of the free and we need to live and breathe freely without fear of
the other.

Mike Ghouse,
America Together Foundation.

Muslim's Leap of Faith: Offering Interfaith Prayers For Newtown

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Would Mahatma Gandhi go to heaven? Even though each member
of the faith will thoughtfully acknowledge that he would, but the ones who live
in cocoons, would say, not until he calls on Jesus as his savior, or recites
the Shahadah (Muslim pledge). A Muslim took an incredible leap of faith on the national TV on the eve of
interfaith prayers in Newton Connecticut, in presence of the president, watch
the video.
Continued at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/interfaith-prayers-for-newtown_b_2319929.html

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

God belongs in our hearts and not in school

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The need to keep God in our hearts is important, he remains a loving
God, but when we project him in public square or schools, it has a
chance to hurt one child or the other, who does not see God the same way
as others. Should we not respect that individual?

Would God like any one of his children be hurt invoking his, her or its name?

There
‘may’ be a way out, if we all can agree that God is a convenient name
to the energy that caused, sustains and terminates life, and each one of
us can respect each others’ belief that it could to be a male/ female
or genderless, one, none and many, nameless/ multiple names, existent or
non-existent being, specific or generic… isn’t that causer universal?
Shouldn’t we?

Isn’t better to keep God in our hearts than dump
him in school and hurt him? Have we not created him in our own image, as
others have in their own image?
 

 

I see a lot of
sense in keeping God to ourselves, and within our hearts. We can always pray anytime
and anywhere, one the bus, in the shower or in a quiet moment. Until such time
when all of us can accept to school prayers, not the majority, but the
unanimity across the board, we need to respect this particular law. Our model
is something other nations can emulate some day, a model where every human is
valued for who he is, what he eats, drinks, wears or believes. As long as one’s
actions do not affect public safety, he or she should have the freedom to do
anything. My freedom hinges on freedom of others that surround me.
———-
Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a
writer on pluralism, politics, peace, Islam, Israel, India, interfaith, and cohesion at work
place and standing up for
others as an activist. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers
pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. 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 everything you
want to know about him.

Prayer Vigil in Richardson for victims of Connecticut shooting

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PRESS RELEASE

We have to work on developing a
society, where no American has to live in apprehension, discomfort or fear of the
other. We pray for peace and kindness to prevail, please join us for the
interfaith prayers to honor the ones who have lost their lives.

Dec. 15, 2012 – We stand with the families, who have lost their loved
ones at the Connecticut shooting today, and we pray for the safety and security
of the ones shaken by the incident, and pray that confidence is stored to the
children and families who are scared.

As Americans we have to come together to mourn and reflect on this tragedy, and
find sustainable solutions. We have to assure our children, or those children
who have no one to assure, that what happened is bad, and we all have to work
to prevent it.

We have to remember that no matter how hurting it is, we cannot blame an
ideology or guns; it is the reckless attitudes of the deranged individuals that
caused the killing. They need help, if we spot such individuals, we need to
report them to find help for them, it is our silence that is bad, and we need
to let our children know that if they see any one behave unusually, they need
to tell the parents or their teachers in school. We have had four incidents
this year in Colorado, Wisconsin, and Illinois and now in Connecticut and we
cannot have our children live in fear.

We pray for peace and kindness to prevail, and seek the divine guidance to
bless us with guidance to prevent these tragedies. At this time, we have to
come together to express our support to the victims and their families.

We have to work on developing a society, where no American has to live in
apprehension, discomfort or fear of the other. We are all in this together.

Join us tomorrow for interfaith prayers, at 3:00 PM at 1210 E. Beltine Road,
Richardson, TX 75081 

1st Press Release at:  http://americatogetherfoundation.blogspot.com/2012/12/press-release-prayer-vigil-for-victims.html

———-
Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a
writer
on pluralism, politics, peace, Islam, Israel, India, interfaith, and cohesion at work
place and standing up for others as an
activist. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers
pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. 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 everything you
want to know about him.

Khushali Mubarak to HH Aga Khan and Ismaili Muslims

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Khushali Greetings to Ismaili Muslims and HH Aga Khan
URL – http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2012/12/khushali-greetings-to-hh-aga-khan-and.html

HH Karim Aga Khan is the 49th
hereditary Imam of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims. He is a direct descendent of
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) through Prophet’s daughter Hazrat Fatima (ra) and her
husband Hazrat Ali (ra), who was the first cousin of Prophet Muhammad, and the
first Imam in Shia tradition.

Indeed, Hazrat Ali was the first male to become a Muslim when the prophet
shared his message of oneness of God, accountability of one’s actions and
creating cohesive societies through justice.

Karim Aga Khan was born on
December 13, 1936. At the age of 20, he succeeded his grandfather, Sir Sultan
Muhammad Shah Aga Khan and became the 49th hereditary Imam of the
community.  He is the final interpreter
of Qur’an and provides authoritative guidance on matters of faith to the
Ismaili Muslims.

Khushali is a week long birthday celebration
of HH Aga Khan. The entire Ismaili Muslim community meets in the Jamaat Khana (community
center) for the whole week, extolling his work and his service to their
community and humanity. 

He is one of the rare gems of
Islamic scholarship and a Harvard Graduate. He has understood the essence of
Islam and articulates it very well. Islam to him is serving and caring for
people around you, regardless of their affiliation. A vision put forth by the
Prophet, when he said a good deed is like planting a seed, knowing full well,
that you may not be the beneficiary of the fruit and shade of the eventual tree
in years to come, the prophet said, that is a good deed, it is leaving a good
legacy for the next generation, as we have bequeathed from the previous one.

One of the unique qualities of Aga Khan is his ability to seamlessly blend the
spiritual and the material worlds. Prophet Muhammad and Hazrat Ali, both
preached moderation, and creating a balance between ascetic living and living
for material comforts. 

I drop things to read and listen
to his speeches, it’s all about pluralism.  I urge fellow humans to consider listening to
him. His talks encompass the idea embedded in God being the God of the
universes, not for the 47% but for the full 100% of his creation.  Prophet Muhammad is the mercy to mankind, not
just Muslims but the entire 100% of humanity, what he preached was to create
cohesive societies, where no human had to live in fear of the other. The only
fear he advocated was fear of God for doing wrong to fellow beings. 

Aga Khan lives by example to his
15 Million plus followers around the world. The best way to learn about him is his
work, the development work to uplift the ones in the ditches, his institution teaches
them how to catch the fish and be self supporting. Visit www.akdn.org/ 

May he live a long life and serve his
community, the Muslim community and every one of the 7 billion of humans.


I am pleased to include Dr. Peerwani’s comment:
 
Thank
you Mike for posting this on His Highness the Aga Khan, a truly
remarkable man. The Ismailies, as you are aware, follow the “batini”
path and differ in some of the practices. It is truly sad that they are
maligned and rejected by the orthodoxy. As the Arab Spring now moves
into its second phase, acceptance of diversity will be the litmus test.
Without this, there is no democracy. Let me quote something from the
speech of PM Harper of Canada:

“Your Highness, there are no
superlatives to adequately describe the admiration Canadians have for
the work that you and your organizations do in the service of pluralism,
peace and development around the world. You truly inspire our own hopes
for a better world. We Canadians are rightly proud of the fact that we
have built one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse and
harmonious societies on earth. This achievement is rooted in our
founding values: freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

But
it’s also rooted in our unique history and the heroic agreements our
founding peoples made to acknowledge and accommodate their diversity. As
you yourself have said, you’re Highness, and I quote, “We cannot make
the world safe for democracy unless we also make the world safe for
diversity.” If I may say so, sir, you sound like a Canadian. And in
fact, you are. On June 19, 2009, our House of Commons voted unanimously
to bestow Honorary Canadian Citizenship on His Highness the Aga Khan.
This is, if I may say, a richly deserved honor.”

(Abstract from
the Speech by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper at the Foundation
Ceremony of the Ismaili Centre, Toronto, May 10, 2010)

A few of the
many articles published at www.WorldMuslimCongress.com, a site committed to nurturing pluralist
values of Islam.

  1. The book, where hope takes root by
    Aga Khan http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2008/06/aga-khan-democracy-pluralism.html

     

  2. Aga Khan – Indeed building bridges is part of the Muslim
    heritage, as Muslims, our role is to mitigate conflicts and nurture goodwill.
    The Aga Khan is doing just that http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2008/04/aga-khan-building-bridges.htm
  3. Aga Khan, fifty years of Imamat http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2008/04/aga-khan-50-years-of-imamat.html
  4. Aga Khan Speech about balance http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2009/04/speech-by-his-highness-aga-khan-at.html
  5. Global Religious leaders http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2008/04/global-religious-leaders.html

  6. Architect of universal good http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2008/04/architect-of-universal-good.html

  7. Shia Imami Muslims
    http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2009/08/shia-imami-ismaili-muslims.html

  8. Criticism of Islam, Prophet and Quran
    http://nabsites.net/demo/criticism-of-islam-prophet-muhammad/

  9. Respecting Muslim Caliphs (Khalifa), Imams
    and decidersThe most persecuted communities among Muslims
    today are the Ahmadiyya Muslims followed by Shia Muslims by Sunni
    Muslims.  We know it is not Islamic to be unjust, oppressive and harassive
    towards others, Muslims or otherwise, but yet it is going on in Pakistan,
    Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia and even in India.  As a
    Muslim, it is my duty to speak up, and if all of us do our share of speaking
    up, at least we have fulfilled the responsibility to enjoin what is good and
    forbid what is evil.   http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2012/12/respecting-muslim-caliphs-khalifa-imams.html 

———-
Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a
writer on pluralism, politics, peace, Islam, Israel, India, interfaith, and cohesion at work
place and standing up for
others as an activist. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers
pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. 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 everything you
want to know about him.

Texas Faith: Is it really possible to heal the world?

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The human inclination to see justice in one’s own life time causes people to lean on the end-times, where no one goes free. They are fixed up here, pay for it in the next life
(Abrahamic) or go thru reincarnation (Dharmic). Religions offer those beliefs
to heal one’s soul. The mere thought of justice relieves one from the anguish. Christmas,
Hanukkah, Ramadan, Navaratri and other festivities are restorative therapies to
heal the soul.  Continued: http://nabsites.net/demo/texas-faith-is-it-really-possible-to/

Dallas Morning News, Texas Faith Column.
Is it really possible to heal the world? 

Rabbi Michael
Lerner wrote last week about Chanukah, describing it as “the holiday
celebrating the triumph of hope over fear, light over darkness, the powerless
over the powerful.” 

He went on to say that Chanukah is about
“understanding that when we connect with the transformative power of the
universe, the Force of Healing and Transformation, YHVH, we become aware that
the powerless can become powerful, that oppression of any sort is in
contradiction to the fundamental nature of human beings as loving, kind,
generous, free, creative, intelligent, attuned to beauty, caring for and
needing each other beings created in the image of God. When that energy and
awareness permeates our consciousness, no ruling elite and no system of
exploitation can possibly last for very long.”

Of course, this also is the month when Christians will
hear much about bringing joy to the world, peace on earth and goodwill to all. 

But is that so? Is it really possible to heal the
world? 

Some whose theology predicts end-times see the world
as marching from bad to worse, with God intervening at the end. Others hold to
a theology that sees them as being used by God to bring his kingdom on earth as
it is in heaven. Still others are neither so fatalistic nor optimistic.

Where do you stand? What does your faith tradition say
about healing the world?

 MIKE GHOUSE, President,
Foundation for Pluralism, Dallas

The physical or the spiritual world sustains its
equilibrium through the self-balancing mechanism built into it. When that
balance is knocked off through our recklessness, like global warming or the
destruction of nations and families through wars and egregious selfishness, the
God-given system becomes energized and becomes capable of restoring to its
pristine equilibrium, as it was created, provided an effort is made to heal.
That way, we can live freely from anxiety again.

When the world came into being through evolution,
creation or big bang, it produced two significant things: matter and life.

Every piece of matter in the universe is programmed to
have its own balance whether it is the sun, moon or other galaxies. In chapter
55: 5-8, the Quran says, God has set a place for everything in the scheme of
things and has designed them to maintain their own cohesion.

On the spiritual plane, God advises in Quran (55:9),
“weigh, therefore, [your deeds] with equity, and cut not the measure short!”
Indeed, the human life is not put on auto-pilot like matter. We were endowed
with the free will to strive for that continual balance.

Rabbi Lerner sets the fundamental loving nature as the
base of balance and peace. Human selfishness continuously knocks that balance
off.

If the balance is not restored in our life-time, when
tyrants get away, murderers cannot be found, then the end-time scenarios come
into play.

The human inclination and desire to see justice in
one’s own life time causes people to lean on the end times, where no one goes
free. They are fixed up, pay for it in the next life (Abrahamic) or go thru
reincarnation (Dharmic). Religions offer those beliefs to heal one’s soul. The
mere thought of justice relieves one from the anguish.

We have the responsibility to heal the world to live a
conflict-free life. Chief Seattle puts it precisely, that we are all
interconnected in this massive web, which we did not create, but happen to a be
a strand in it. If we mess with any strand, we mess with the whole web and
ourselves.

Christmas, Hanukkah, Ramadan, Navaratri or other
festivities are restorative therapies to heal the soul.

Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas!

 . . . . .
The
Texas Faith blog is a discussion among formal and informal religious leaders
whose faith traditions express a belief in a transcendent power – or the
possibility of one. While all readers are invited to participate in this blog,
by responding in the comments section, discussion leaders are those whose
religion involves belief in a divine higher power or those who may not believe
in a transcendent power but leave room for the possibility of one. Within this
framework, moderators William McKenzie and Wayne Slater seek to bring a
diversity of thinkers onto the Texas Faith panels.
To see
responses from all the panelists, please visit Dallas Morning News at:
http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/2012/12/texas-faith-is-it-really-possible-to-heal-the-world.html/
———-
Mike Ghouse is a speaker,
thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, peace, Islam, Israel, India, interfaith, and cohesion at
work place and standing up for
others as an activist. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers
pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. 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 everything you
want to know about him.

Respecting Muslim Caliphs (leaders), Imams and Deciders

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The
most persecuted communities among Muslims today are the Ahmadiyya
Muslims followed by Shia Muslims by Sunni Muslims.  We know it is not
Islamic to be unjust, oppressive and harassive towards others, Muslims
or otherwise, but yet it is going on in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia,
Malaysia and even in India.  As
a Muslim, it is my duty to speak up, and if all of us do our share of
speaking up, at least we have fulfilled the responsiblity to enjoin what
is
good and forbid what is evil. 

URL – http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2012/12/respecting-muslim-caliphs-khalifa-imams.html

Did Jews persecute
Jesus? I think not, it was the leadership, who was out of touch with his
message and insecurity of loosing control of the society, that led the insecure
powerful men to be done with Jesus, it was all God’s design to create a legacy of Jesus Christ.

I’m not sure if Sunni
Muslims should be held responsible for the harassment and persecution of
Ahmadiyya Muslims, or if it was the dictatorial regime Zia-Bhutto combine that may
have influenced many to think in their terms. If it was Zia-Bhutto combine, it
should have withered with them-gone, why did this germ spread within and spread
beyond Pakistani borders? 
Research

is warranted
to understand ourselves. However, the majoritarian behavior is similar
in all
religious, political and cultural groups. The mainstream Christians did
not
accept Mormonism as their equals in America, but Romney worked out as a
catalyst in propelling the dramatic
change,
the belligerence towards Mormonism from the right wing Christians has
receded.
The Dalits (Hindu caste system; Dalits are on the lowest rung) were
harassed and humiliated in India , but thanks to Jagjivan Ram, his mere
ascendancy to
become India’s defense minister decades ago, mitigated the events to
occasional.  
I am sure; there are more examples around the world to look up to with
such catalytic changes.

 May be an Ahmadiyya Muslim Presidential
Candidate in the United States may become a catalyst to change that
equation
among the Muslims; indeed, it would be a tipping point. When we, the
first
generation immigrants die off, the hurdles would be cleared for the
youth to
bring about a positive change among Muslims, not only here in the United
States, but in the nations where their human rights are violated.

There is a strange phenomenon
of hate that works; the self proclaimed religious pretenders are driven by
greed and insecurity, and religion means nothing to them. 
The right wing
Christian Americans, had to have someone to hate….they switched from Chinese, to Russians
to Arabs to Muslims, whatever happened to the teachings of Jesus? The same goes
with the right wing Jews, Hindus, Buddhists and others. The right wing
Sunni Muslims also need someone to
hate, and they have gone from idol worshipers to Jews to Ahmadiyya and
Shia Muslims now.  Do they need to reject Ahmadiyya Muslims to
satisfy their base instincts? Whatever happened to the teachings of
Prophet
Muhammad?  He said the greater Jihad (battle
within one self about the righteousness or its violation) is to conquer
the
base instincts. 

In
the tradition of Prophet Muhammad, I respect the otherness of other,
without
agreeing with the other. Prophet Muhammad has set many examples, and one
of them is changing
his name on the document of Suleh-Hudaibiya from Muhammad Ur Rasool
Allah to
Muhammad bin Abdullah to make peace, please remember a few Suhaba
(associates) were not happy with that decision, but the Prophet had to
do for the sake of peace.   So let Ahmadiyya Muslims believe in what
they believe,
they are fellow Muslim in that they believe Prophet Muhammad as the last
messenger, and our common guidance is Quraan, Allah is the master of the
day of
Judgment and we are individually accountable for our actions.

 I accept Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmed as a great
Islamic scholar and Hazrat Mansoor Ahmed as Khalifa of Islam among his contemporary
Khalifas (Leaders/Deciders) like HH Aga Khan, Syed Burhanuddin, Imam Khamenei, Warith Deen Muhammad and others
representing each tribe. We have a dire need for someone to make sense for us all.
These contemporary Khalifas are effectively directing their communities,
with enmity towards none. Of course, we Sunnis do not have one voice to guide
us, and that is fine too, as long as we do unto others as we want others to do for us.  

However, it is difficult
for me and most Sunni Muslims to believe that Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmed is the
promised Messiah, but that should not mean for us to deny them their belief.  The last Ayat of Sura Kafirun in
the most utopian sense means,  your belief works for you, as mine works for me, as a ccorollary, “as
beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, faith is in the heart of the believer.  
We differ with the Wahhabi, who have gone to the extremity of destroying Prophets’ house and his
belongings and much more, the Deobandis and Barelvis do not pray in each other’s
mosques… 

we have to learn to accept the differences with grace. It makes sense for
the Sunnis to keep our faith intact by accepting that Rasool, Nabi and Nabuwwat
ends with Prophet Muhammad. He was the last message giver in every sense of the word.
I do hope, my fellow
Muslims, be it Ahmadiyya, Bohra, Ismaili, Shia, Sunni, WD Muhammad or Wahabbi
can learn to respect the other Muslims, without having to agree, and without
the temptation to demand the others to behave like us, or bullying them to give up their beliefs by the virtue of
majoritarian arrogance, we should be Khaksaars and not dictators. 
Jazak Allah Khair

Mike Ghouse
Muslims together can build cohesive societies, where every one of Allah
creation lives safely and in harmony with each other. www.WorldMuslimCongress.com
…… …..
WD Muhammad Appreciation
week in Dallas
http://nabsites.net/demo/wd-muhammad-appreciation-week-in-dallas/
……………  
Khushali Mubarak,
Happy Imamat Day
http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2012/07/khushali-mubarak-and-happy-imamat-day.html

 ……………

Majlis e Aza – Shia
Muslims
http://nabsites.net/demo/majlis-e-aza-maulana-hayder-shirazi/

 ……………

Criticism of Islam,
Quraan and the Prophet
http://nabsites.net/demo/criticism-of-islam-prophet-muhammad/

 ……………

Appeal to Indonesian
Muslims
http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2010/09/appeal-to-indonesia-about-ahmadi.html

 ……………

Maulan Suharwardy
Criticizes Ahmadiyya Muslims
http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2012/12/syed-suharwardy-criticizes-ahmadiyya.html

 ……………

28th day
of Ramadan at Bohra Mosque
http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2010/09/28th-day-of-ramadan.html
…………… 

Maulana Suharwardy criticizes Ahmadiyya Muslims

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In
reference to a press release, “Khalifa of Islam delivers ‘a powerful and
inspiring address, in EU Parliament” Maulana Suharwardy crossed the sacred
interfaith line of denying the rights of Ahmadiyya Muslim to present themselves, as they deem it fit. 

 

Indeed,
I am concerned about Maulana Suharwardy’s comments about Ahmadiyya Muslims; the
full email is appended below. As a Muslim and as a human, it is my duty to
speak out when I see wrong, and thank Allah, I have stood up for every possible
human I know of on this earth.

Continued:  http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2012/12/syed-suharwardy-criticizes-ahmadiyya.html

The
role of a Muslim is to mitigate conflicts and nurture goodwill for creating
cohesive societies for humanity to live in harmony, not just Muslims, but the entire creation.

Maulana Suharwardy is a member of
Canada’s interfaith group, and writes, “I am extremely offended by the claim that
was made in Mr. Ahmed’s email. Who appointed Mr. Masroor Ahmed “Khalifa of Islam”? What authority he
has to make such an outrageous claim?  He can be Khalifa or prophet or messiah of his
own faith or community. But he has no right to claim that he represents
Muslims. He represents his own Ahmadi/Qadyani community. “

First of all, I am disappointed
that he calls the community “Qadianis”, which is not how they want to be called
– Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmed, the founder was from the town of Qadian, but the community prefers
to be called Ahmadiyya Muslim community and we should honor that.  

One of the Golden rules of interfaith
groups is, we do not define others or put others in our imaginary cages, we
respect the otherness of others. 
Muslims, Jews or Hindus simply do not like when a right wing Christian calls
their faith a “Muhammadan cult” or “Christ Killers” or Idol worshippers
respectively.  We are much more civilized
than that. We have to respect the otherness of others.

I take strong objection to Mr.
Suharwardy’s reference, and I urge him to consult fellow interfaithers about the
guidelines. 

He asks, “Who appointed Mr. Masroor Ahmed “Khalifa of Islam” to speak about Islam?”
Mr.
Suharwardy, it is a good question, you should have asked Osama Bin Laden, who
authorized him to terrorize the world in the name of Islam? Who authorized the
Muftis of Saudi Arabia to declare Shias to be infidels? Who authorized the Iranian
Imams to declare Sunnis to be non-Muslims?

Who
authorized King Abdullah to claim to be the Guardian of the holiest places? Is
he the Guardian or Allah the ultimate Guardian? The Ismaili community calls his
highness Aga Khan as the Hazar Imam, the Shias do not agree with it, perhaps
you may not either, but they believe. Do you dare question the usage of the title
Ayatollah or Ruhollah, if you know the meaning of it? Is Jesus the only way?

Malaysia
went through hilarious case of fighting to pass the ordinance that the Sikhs
and Christians cannot call Allah for God, Huh! Is Allah their personal
property?  Thank Allah; the Muslim clergy
did not win the case. Any one on the earth can call God, any name he or she
chooses. By the way, the Sikh faith scriptures address God as Allah, Ishwar and
other beautiful names. The Christian Arabs call Allah for God, indeed, Jesus
Christ called God Elahi. Who authorized them? 
Is God and Islam any one’s property?

It’s a free
world my friends and we have to learn to live freely with different claims. Let’s
learn to respect the otherness of others, as long as they are not killing you,
robbing you or confiscating your property or breaking a contract with you – let
them live their life with their titles. 

On the contrary, the
Ahmadiyya Muslims are doing good things in the name of Islam, serving the local
communities, it is nothing but building a
positive space for Muslims. However, I urge the community leadership to avoid,
yes, avoid, making any inference that they are peaceful Muslims, as if others
are not. To a Christian, Hindu or Jew, it appears that you are saving your
tail. Please don’t do that. Whether, I am sitting in your Masjid (I visit every
Masjid of every Muslim denomination) and listening to you or not, this
projection is difficult for me to sit and listen. I have mentioned this to the community twice before and here again.

Maulana
Suharwardy, sadly, you and I, and our generation is brain washed to believe
that we are the only righteous one, there is nothing wrong with that, but to
deny other’s their righteousness is arrogance.

Once,
we the primates become dear to God, the new generation will breathe freedom. None
of us would be left to inject the poison of arrogance in their veins. We are
stuck with beliefs and we cannot, and do not want to extricate ourselves from
that conditioning. It is sad.
If
you are a true Muslim, you will stand up for injustices a few radical Muslim are inflicting
on fellow Muslims and others.  I was kidding about your
Muslimness, I am sure you are a true Muslim,  who am I to judge? 

 The new generation is open towards each other
in creating a cohesive society, where everyone can live with his or her own
belief, without making a business of denying the others their beliefs, and
thanks God for the American and Canadian school systems, where they do not
further brainwash our kids to be prejudiced towards others. One of the central
tenants of Islam is to be non-judgmental, because only the Creator is the
master of the Day of Judgment. Is he not?

———-
Mike Ghouse is a speaker,
thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, peace, Islam, Israel, India, interfaith, and cohesion at
work place and standing up
for others as an activist. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and
offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. 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 everything you
want to know about him. 

 ———-

From: Syed Soharwardy [mailto:soharwardy@shaw.ca]
Sent: December-06-12 1:38 PM


To: Subject: RE: Khalifa of Islam delivers ‘a powerful and
inspiring address,’ in EU Parliament

Hello Friends,
My apologies if my email
offends any member of this forum. I am fully aware that this forum represents
many faiths and denominations. I respect all of them. I have NO animosity or
hate towards anyone. However, I know for sure, my response to Mr. Ahmed’s
email will be interpreted as hate message. I have no intention or desire to
insult or hate anyone including my brothers and sisters of Qadyani / Ahmadi
faith. I love them and respect them as much as I love and respect the other
forum members. However, I have to speak up what I believe.

I am extremely offended by the
claim that was made in Mr. Ahmed’s email. Who appointed Mr. Masroor Ahmed “Khalifa
of Islam”? What authority he has to make such an outrageous claim? 
He can be Khalifa or prophet or
messiah of his own faith or community. But he has no right to claim that he
represents Muslims. He represents his own Ahmadi/Qadyani community.
These outrageous unwanted
claims from Qadyanis/Ahmadis are the cause of clashes between Muslims and
Ahmadis in Pakistan and elsewhere. If Ahmadis stop claiming that they represent Islam then the problem
will go away. Ahmadis represent their own community which has
different beliefs than the Muslims. It is a unanimous understanding among all sects and
denominations (shia, sunni, salafi, wahabi, etc……) of Islam that Ahmadis are not
Muslims because they believe in a person as a prophet who claimed that he was
the second coming of Jesus Christ (peace be upon him). Overwhelming majority of
Muslims believe that Mirza Ghulam Ahmed Qadyani was an imposter, not a
prophet.

 

Until today, no Christian or
Muslim or anyone has found the grave of Jesus Christ but Qadyanis / Ahmadis
have found the grave of Jesus Christ in India. Mirza Ghulam Ahmed Qadyani not
only claimed that he was the returned Jesus Christ but he also claimed to be
Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ. He gave birth to himself, what a nonsense.
He insulted Prophet Muhammad, his family and his companions (peace upon all
of them). He cursed thousand time on all those Muslims who do not believe in
him. He called all those Muslims who do not believe him as a prophet or
messiah, “ The children of prostitutes”. I have references from his own
books.
I have no problem with what
Ahmadis believe. This is their belief and people have complete right to
believe what they want to believe. But no one has the right to hijack my
faith and become Khalifa of my faith.

 

Unfortunately, the extremists
and the terrorist have done the same thing with Islam. They became the
champions of Islam while their beliefs and actions are completely against
Islam. For God’s sake leave Islam alone. Mind your own business and please do
not become Islam’s Khalifa. No Muslim want you to be our Khalifa. You can be
Khalifa of Ahmadis / Qadyanis. I will have no issue with that. 
For the past three years I have
been trying to have face to face dialogue with my Qadyani / Ahmadi friends on
their Prophet’s outrageous claims but they refuse to have this dialogue. You
will be shocked to read from his own writings how outrageous claims he made.
Muslims do not want to be considered the followers of an imposter. 
Once again, I apologize for
raising this issue. I have cordial relationships with all the members of this
forum including Ahmadis but I could not ignore such a false claim. I will
never compromise on something which I know is wrong. May Allah and his final
and last prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) be my protector.

I am so concerned about my and
family’s safety and wellbeing. In the past Ahmadis / Qadyanis have gone to
police in Calgary and Toronto to get me arrested. Every time when I express
my disagreement with them they run to police and accuse me of spreading hate
against them. I am sure this email will go all the way to their headquarters
and there will be an action on it. 

Let me repeat, I love all God’s
creation including Qadyanis/Ahmadis but I will NEVER allow any terrorist or
imposter to hijack Islam. I will rather die instead of watching such
humiliation with my faith, Islam. 

Thanks
With Peace (Ma’assalamah)

The right winger in you

      Comments Off on The right winger in you

URL – http://nabsites.net/demo/the-right-winger-in-you/

It is not you, nor is there a group called right wingers. It
is each one of us once a while, occasionally or frequently a right winger.  There is a right winger in each one of us be it politically, ethnically or religiously at least once in a life time.  Check the following seven things out;
  1. No tolerance for criticism of the president, as long as president
    is from their own party. For example, a right wing Republican would not
    tolerate any criticism of Bush, it amounts to disloyalty to the nation and without
    blinking an eye, you are unpatriotic, and they will accuse you and blame your religion,
    race, ethnicity or immigrant status or whatever they can find that is different in you.  
    They usually attack the person instead of the issue,
    the far left Democrats have the same germ in them. The attacks on Obama by
    these right wing possessed individuals is pathetic, they lost the election, and instead
    of gracefully accepting the will of the people, they attack the person of
    Obama, some of those assess, even attack Michelle Obama. This is not good for
    the nation.  For every accusation you
    hurl on Obama, the same can be hurled on his predecessor – Obama went to Vegas
    when Sandy hit the shores, what did Bush do when Katrina hit Louisiana?
  2. If you are Chinese, Nigerian, Brazilian, German, Arab or
    African, simply substitute the words India or Pakistan with the name of your nation, the
    following experience would be the same. The Indian and Pakistani right wingers
    are no different. Criticism of what goes on there amounts to India or Pakistan
    bashing to them, they find it easy on their intellect to go ahead and make a
    judgment on you, instead of dealing with facts. Of course,  facts don’t matter to them.
    They hunger to create passionate supporters by painting the other guy their
    enemy. I see this every day among these two groups as well as the Bangladeshis’, switch it to Nigerian or Libyan and see if it works.
  3. Religiously, the right wing Muslims, Christians, Jews or
    Hindus behave the same. By the way, there are right wingers among Buddhists,
    Sikhs, and even Bahai’s.  I have
    experienced all of these; it will be in my book, something you already know. No
    matter what is suggested, their minds quickly decide that others are attacking
    them, and that the others are their enemies. They ruin the joy of their life by living
    in constant anxiety.
  4. By the way, conservatives are not right wingers, although
    right wingers can be conservatives. The right wingers are calling themselves conservatives, they are not. Conservatives want to stick with what is
    proven, what is known and what is working, and resist experimentation.
    They are not risk takers. You and I are conservatives in some areas and in the
    same areas occasionally, frequently or never. 
  5. What makes one a right winger? You can observe the following;
    facts don’t matter to them, they insist their version is the final truth, and
    how dare you not accept their view as a fact? They are usually blunt and tell you that you are wrong, facts don’t matter to them.  If you disagree with them, they
    become a passionate enemy of you; they will make the time to tell all the bad
    they they imagine about you, and tell others. They are risk takers, and are
    not embarrassed if they make the sense or not, if they don’t, they get louder
    and chase you to the end of the world. They usually bond on the basis of hate for
    others, which are temporary associations.  
  6. Relax, you are not a right winger, if you are reading these words. Right
    wingers moved on out after item # 1 and have already responded in their minds, or
    passed it on to their friends… They rarely read things… remember facts don’t
    matter to them. They may be engaged in item # 5 right after # 1.
  7. We need to be compassionate, I wrote this as an example, some
    of my closest friends are right wingers in religion, politics, culture and
    cuisine and I have found a way with some of them in my workshops, talks and
    dealings – to respect the otherness of others and accept the God given
    uniqueness of each one of us. Pluralism is an attitude of respecting who you
    are, without having to agree with you. I have found that their attitudes are molded by lack of knowledge about you, of inexplicable phobias….if you take the time, and when they see that you care, the fears vanish for them. They can become great friends with the same intensity for friendship. 
God bless us all with peace, may our anxieties recede, and
may we give each other full value as we give to ourselves. Amen! We may all learn to respect the intentional diversity of God’s creation, it amounts to genuine worship of God.
———-
Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a
writer on pluralism, politics, peace, Islam, Israel, India, interfaith, and cohesion at work
place and standing up for
others as an activist. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers
pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. 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 everything you
want to know about him.