Michelle Obama makes history

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I
will write an article honoring the History making day on July 27, 2012, the
opening of the London Olympics. Michelle Obama was a catalyst to this sea change of a moment in history.

The world lifted itself onto a new level of civilization. Fifty years ago, no
one could have imagined a Black person (representing all minorities or the
governed in the world) would be honored in this fashion. Of course, to bring
about this change, every race, faith and ethnicity has worked on it.

I am feeling great to live and see this era of human history. It was so
beautiful to see Michelle Obama being treated well, mostly with their hearts. I
felt so good about America, as I have written elaborately, God’s own country
(video –http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMXsTo4VYh8&feature=youtu.be )

I am proud of America with all humility of doing the right things, despite the
difficulties; we have paved the way for a pluralistic society, where every one
can be himself or herself.

A UK magazine had published over 500 pictures of hers being with the Queen,
Athletes and other dignitaries, normally I don’t see that many pictures, but I
did, she represented a change in the world, a new level of civility. On
November 4, 2008, Obama choked the world as well as me, and tears of joy rolled
down my cheeks. http://mikeghouseforamerica.blogspot.com/2008/11/president-obama-choked-me-with-tears.html

To a few, just a few of my fellow Republicans; get over the petty politics and
appreciate the good things of life no matter where it comes from, which
religion, what race or which ethnicity or nationality. Good things are good
things. My republicanism does not diminish by a single ounce by appreciating
what Obama means to the world. He has not done well on the economy but that
should not take away from the good man he is. 

Some day, I will write this up.

MikeGhouse is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. He is a professional speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, civic affairs, Islam, India, Israel, peace and justice. Mike 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 and regularly at Huffington post, and several other periodicals across the world. The blog www.TheGhousediary.comis updated daily. 

Ramadan day 16 Ahmadiyya Mosque

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BASIC INFORMATION

This is the
3rd year of visiting different Mosques and places of worship for
Iftaar during the month of Ramadan. Among the prominent ones are Masjid Al-Aqsa
and Bait-ul-Muqaddas in Jerusalem, Fox News Studios, Unitarian and Family
Federation of Churches in Dallas, and Lufthansa Airlines over the
Atlantic.

As a
member of diverse family of faiths, our efforts will be directed towards
“knowing each other as guided by Quraan to attain peace for the humankind with a
firm grounding in commonly held values. Insha Allah, next year, we
will work on doing Iftaar at a Synagogue, Baptist Church and Catholic Church and
possibly places of worship of different faiths. Hindu teachings call it
Vasudaiva Kutumbukum, we are all one large family under the blue
dome.

Throughout the month of
Ramadan, I am on a journey to grasp, understand and share the meaning of Taqwa
from different perspectives. One of the elements of Taqwa is to feel like, as
Carl Sagan said, “a pale blue dot” against the vastness of universe. In 1990 the Voyager-I took the picture of Planet Earth
from a distance of 3.7 billion miles from Earth in 1990. It was humility
of first order, the Planet Earth was merely a speck , a Pale Blue Dot (.12 pixel
in size) against
the endless vastness of space. This ought to make us appreciate the greatness of
the creator, and truly say, Allahu Akbar!

Remember the words of
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)? He had said, when I die, bury me in an unmarked grave!
This is an example of humility! Also known as Taqwa! He was the Prophet and
did not have an ounce of arrogance; his life was an example for us to consider
living as a good citizen. Indeed, every prophet exemplifies the simplicity of
life. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) wanted us to recognize we are merely a speck in
the expanse of this great Aalameen.

At the Ahmadiyya Mosque,
after the Maghrib Prayers, I was given a moment to share my thoughts, and I
focused on Taqwa; it is to get closer to God, he is closer to us than our
Jugular vein, meaning he is fully aware of everything we do, he is part of our
consciousness, yet we have complete free will.

When we are in tune with
him, we would be acquiring his sifaats (qualities as we humans understand) like
kindness, mercifulness, generosity and just and unbiased. Getting closer to God
simply means having those qualities in us. For our Vedantic friends reading
this item, the act is known as God conscious, and for most others it is
spirituality or Kabalistic experience for our Jewish friends and mysticism for
Sufis. These are different expressions of the same experience; being in tune
with God; Taqwa.

In one of the stories, King Solomon asks God to give him
all the powers God has, and in particular, he wanted to be Ar-Razzāq, the provider. God says No, and
Solomon begs.

God says, you really have to be above pettiness to be
Ar-Razzaq; Solomon comes back with try me! Then God says, ok I will give you a
day. The next day, God calls Solomon onto the carpet and laughs at him. I told
you, you cannot be Ar-Razzaq.

Solomon
argues, what do you mean God, I was a great Ar-Razzaq, to which God says,
Solomon, nothing doing, you goofed up, there is a man dying of hunger, why the
hell did you withheld the food from him? Solomon, the smart Alec shoots back,
“ha ha ha, you did not know that, did you? He was a disobedient Man! God says,
I told you so Solomon, you have to rise above pettiness to be the provider, I am
taking back my role, and your Taqwa meter is at zero.

Can we be in tune
with God? It’s tough, but we can try and that is what Taqwa is all about. In our
times, women like Mother Teresa has achieved the highest degree of Taqwa, men
like Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King have achieved that. Of course, we
know many a Muslims have achieved that. Have you? Of course, I have not either,
and I am trying. If we are unjust towards a person we don’t like, our Taqwa
gets smashed to smithereens! Where do we stand on this one?

Now to answer
your question what is the point in referencing Mother Teresa, Mahatma Gandhi,
Carl Sagan and others. It is because Taqwa is a universal aspiration, and it is
open to every human being regardless of the religion one follows.

Islam is a universal faith, and if others cannot relate with its
concepts, then it cannot be universal. This blog is being read all over the
world, hence the narration, so people of other faiths can relate with the Taqwa
values.

A
few Mosques do the education (dars) prior to fasting, Ahmadiyya Mosque is one
such place and other one in Dallas is the WD Muhammad Mosques. Insha Allah, I
will let you know about the Bohra Masjid next week.

The teacher was
giving a dars at the Mosque, typical of most places of worship; his focus was on
Shirk (dilution of God’s dominion) by followers of other religions where they
focus on the messenger rather than the message.

At
8:24 the announcement was made that it was time for the Iftaar, and everyone was
served the Khajoors (dates). Each mosque has its own unique methodology in
breaking the fast. The Madinah Masjid seems to have one of the most well
directed process, the Imam leads all the supplications and no one can be lost
in this mosque.
The Maghrib Prayers were observed in the same
manner as the Sunni Irving, Richardson or Plano Mosques. The Imam kept the
recitation short to be easy on the ones observing fast! There is no Imam per
say at this Ahmadiyya Mosque, the president of the Association led the prayers,
and in most smaller Mosques of all denominations, any one can lead the
prayers, not
necessarily, but usually the seniors are asked to do that. However, the bigger
Mosques have full time professional Imams. When I was teenager, I led
the kids prayers.

The traditions from breaking the fast to the Maghrib
prayers and dinner are identical with the Sunni tradition that is followed in
most of the Mosques in Dallas / Fort Worth area, and I grew up with the same
rituals in Bangalore. Another part of the Taqwa in the realm of humility is NOT
to have the arrogance to believe other traditions to be of lesser value. Each
time you consider others tradition is of lesser value than yours, your Taqwa
meter resets itself to Zero.

The
Ahmadiyya Muslims have taken one of the largest service to the nation
initiatives; blood donations. Last year they collected about 12000 units to
save lives, this year they are targeting 12,000 units and hope to collect more.
On September 11, they are doing the blood drive at Dallas City Hall. They are
looking for additional locations. If you wish to join them, please do so.

Their Chicken Curry for Iftaar dinner was
delicious, my Uncle use to cook the best Chicken Curry in the world and this
curry was a close match, and I enjoyed it on a conversation with two seniors
visiting from Lahore, Pakistan, and two seniors from Dallas. Good people doing
good things.

This Mosque has also adopted the “Alma Road” stretching from
Plano City into Allen, meaning the volunteers will put in their time and effort
to keep the road clean. The City has placed a few signs along the road
recognizing their service.

We appreciate their contributions in making
our communities better.

Mike Ghouse is committed
to building a cohesive America with participation from every community. Please
visit www.AmericaTogetherfoundation.com

Please mark your calendar
for the Unity Day USA, a positive event that brings all Americans Together to
rededicate our pledge for a peaceful, prosperous and secure America. We are a
part of America and we need to feel and live it. If you liked some of the
article, you will like the description of Unity Day USA at www.UnityDayUSA.com

What
does God really want?

http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2012/07/happy-ramadan-what-does-god-really-want.html

Are Muslims a part of the American
society? http://nabsites.net/demo/are-muslims-part-of-american-story/

A call from God to know each other http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2012/01/mission-of-world-muslim-congress.html


Please visit www.RamadanDaily.com for a record since
2010.

MikeGhouse is committed to building
a Cohesive
America and offers pluralistic
solutions on issues of the day. He is a professional
speaker,
thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, civic
affairs, Islam, India, Israel, peace and justice. Mike
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 and regularly at Huffington
post, and several other
periodicals across the world. The blog www.TheGhousediary.comis updated daily.

Ramadan day 15 Irving Masjid

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BASIC INFORMATION

I simply cannot believe it is
the 15th Iftaar of Ramadan of 1433.

The Islamic Center of
Irving aka Irving Masjid is in the centre of the Dallas/ Fort Worth Metroplex
with great freeway access from both sides of the Metroplex. It’s a fairly
diverse congregation with large Subcontinentian (India, Pakistan, and
Bangladesh) congregants.

Dr. Imam Zia Shaikh is the
resident scholar, author and Imam of the center. Without being biased towards
other Imams, he is my favorite Imam in the area, he is one of the few Imams who
understands interfaith relations and is active in it. He and I have authored two
articles1, and have appeared in one TV2 Interview. He just
wrote a book titled Silencing the Critics which is worth reading (link below to
buy from Amazon). You can read more about him at the Masjid Website.

Imam Zia Shaikh has attended at least 15 of the many interfaith events
we organize, and he was the master of ceremonies (Compeer) in two of our events
– www.Unitydayusa.com and www.holocaustandGenocides.com
both designed to promote understanding between people of different traditions.
He was the lead Imam at the www.QuraanConference.com.

Imam Zia, as he is popularly
known as, is a humble, gentle and a kind man. He has a pleasant approach towards
finding solutions. He reasons with you rather than saying this is the way, an
unusual Imam who makes a fan out of you. In one of our first meetings some
eight years ago, he called on me to discuss my take on Islam that some had
questioned, we had a healthy discussion and we saw each other’s point of view
and concluded the conversation with more respect for each other, at least on my
part.
At the Iftaar, he said
something simple but powerful “This Ramadan, if we can take the idea that we
don’t need much, and can live with little”. It was in reference to a Dallas area
Pastor who is observing fasting. The Imam shared what the Pastor is writing in
his blog about Ramadan, “During the prostration, it is a total submission” to
God. More about the Pastor at: http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2012/08/dallas-pastor-observing-ramadan.html
Inside the sanctuary, there
was a senior gentleman giving a talk about Ramadan to a group of people – this
is a missionary group called Tablighi Jamaat, one of the other persons met me
after the prayers, he said, two couples are visiting from Saudi Arabia on a
mission to talk about Islam.

The missionaries whether they are Mormons,
Evangelists or the Jaamatis (Muslims), they all sound alike, using similar
language and too eager to sell their religion. If you had experience with phone
solicitation calls, you would see through this. Those guys memorize the whole
spill and are eager to get it out of their system, when you interrupt them, they
are lost, and instead of responding to your question they resume their spill. I
don’t know their success rate, but in sales, they say if you hit enough numbers,
someone will buy it.

Imam Zia is sensitive about
the needs of Ramadan, he recites short chapters during the Qiyam (standing
position – check on the left panel of this blog for various positions) and same
goes in Tashahhud – so the people who have fasted can get to the food quickly.
I am sure most people appreciate that. I see the differences in sensitivities
of each Imam.

There is a huge tent outside
the mosque for Iftaar dinner, it was boxed dinner. While in the line, I got to
speak with a few people, one of them has moved from Connecticut and was excited
about the arrangements made here. He was asked by his friends back home to take
the video and send it to them; he said he has not done that. Instead he will
share this site. www.RamadanDaily.com
.

Please share the practice of your mosque in whatever city you live in.

I must emphasize this, the
volunteers are handing the food in the most hygienic form, thus far, I have
not seen any mishandling of food; all wear gloves and serve the food. Glad to
know it has become a culture in the mosques.

In Big D, that is Dallas,
every now and then we see women wearing full Burqa, it is not common but it
exists. I saw a lady walking from the Mosque to the tent this evening completely
covered. A month ago, in the course Islam 101 at Plano Masjid, one of the ladies
on the panel was completely covered with a small slit cut for her eyes to see.
In Carrollton I saw a lady driving on George Bush freeway. That is three in
three years of the 60,000 some Muslims in the area.

FRIDAY
PRAYERS

I should have known better,
but we learn something new every day. There is a beautiful Mosque ( I thought)
in Frisco, way back when I was managing a home building subdivision in Frisco
(1998) this Mosque was under construction and I wondered if Qibla is
incorporated into the Mosque as it seemed circular. Today, I decided to go for
Juma prayers, as I go to different Mosques on Fridays. The place was all locked
up, I hung around until 2:00 PM and left, it was too late to go the other Mosque
in Frisco. The sign in front of the gate said, “school of Islamic Sufism.” The
building, the gardens and the entry gate is magnificent.” Insha Allah, I will go
back there one of these days. There was also a place called Tauheed Center in
Frisco that was closed most of the times, someone said, that it was an Iranian
Christian congregation. I have not verified
that.

Tomorrow, Insha Allah, I will
be at Ahmadiyya Mosque and on Sunday at the Dawoodi Bohra
Mosque.
Mike Ghouse is committed to
building a cohesive America with participation from every community. Please
visit www.AmericaTogetherfoundation.com
Jazak Allah Khair

Please
mark your calendar for the Unity Day USA, a positive event that brings all
Americans Together to rededicate our pledge for a peaceful, prosperous and
secure America. We are a part of America and we need to feel and live it. If
you liked some of the article, you will like the description of Unity Day USA
at www.UnityDayUSA.com

Imam
Zia’s book; Silencing the Critics http://www.amazon.com/Islam-Silencing-discussion-frequently-misunderstood/dp/1470150409/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1344050893&sr=8-1&keywords=imam+zia+sheikh

Co-Authored by Imam Zia
and Mike Ghouse – http://quraan-today.blogspot.com/2008/01/muslim-response-to-wilders.html

TV
Appearance – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nB_c5qHlj0

A
few other Articles to read if you have the time:

What
does God really want?

http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2012/07/happy-ramadan-what-does-god-really-want.html
Are Muslims a part of the
American society?
http://nabsites.net/demo/are-muslims-part-of-american-story/

A call from God to know each other http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2012/01/mission-of-world-muslim-congress.html


Please visit www.RamadanDaily.com for a record since
2010.

MikeGhouse is committed to building
a Cohesive
America and offers pluralistic
solutions on issues of the day. He is a professional
speaker,
thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, civic
affairs, Islam, India, Israel, peace and justice. Mike
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 and regularly at Huffington
post, and several other
periodicals across the world. The blog www.TheGhousediary.comis updated daily.

Ramadan day 13 Missed it today

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Title
– Ramadan day 13 Missed it today
Date
– Wednesday, August 1, 2012 | Ramadan13, 1433
Mosque
– World Muslim Congress
Address
– 2665 Villa Creek Drive, Suite 206, Dallas, TX 75234
Website
– www.WorldMuslimCongress.org
29
Mosques – 29 days of Ramadan at: www.RamadanDaily.com
Today’s
Pictures: No Pictures
Iftaar Time today: 8:31 PM CST
Recommended reading
listed below the note

I could not observe
fasting or praying today.

Had allergies in the morning, even though I
took 1/3 of a small pill of Benadryl, it knocked me out…I am lactose intolerant,
took the same coffee from McDonalds this morning and I don’t recall anything
unusual.

I have been sleepy most of the day – did not do
much.

Please do visit the
site www.unitydayusa.com , the words are few,
but look at the impact it will have on the society in making America a beautiful
nation for everyone.

If you wish to volunteer, sponsor or be a part of
the event, please visit www.UnitydayUSA.com

Jazak Allah
Khair

Please
mark your calendar for the Unity Day USA, a positive event that brings all
Americans Together to rededicate our pledge for a peaceful, prosperous and
secure America. We are a part of America and we need to feel and live it. If
you liked some of the article, you will like the description of Unity Day USA
at
www.UnityDayUSA.com

A
few other Articles to read if you have the time:

What
does God really want?

http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2012/07/happy-ramadan-what-does-god-really-want.html
Are
Muslims a part of the American society? http://nabsites.net/demo/are-muslims-part-of-american-story/

A
call from God to know each other http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2012/01/mission-of-world-muslim-congress.html


Please
visit http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/
for a record since 2010.

MikeGhouse is
committed to building a Cohesive
America and
offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. He is a professional
speaker,
thinker and a writer on pluralism,
politics, civic
affairs, Islam, India, Israel,
peace and justice. Mike 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 and
regularly at Huffington
post, and
several other periodicals across the world. The blog www.TheGhousediary.comis
updated daily.

Ramadan day 12 my office

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DESCRIPTION

Today, on the eve of 12th
Iftaar, I chose to stay in the office, Insha Allah, I will visit at least 25
Mosques this month. A few volunteers joined me during Iftaar to discuss the
8th Annual Unity Day USA to be held on Tuesday, September 11, 2012.
We hope to invite a 1000 people; the last highest attendance was 650. This is an
event that brings people of all faiths, races and ethnicities together as a step
towards building a cohesive America. Please visit www.unitydayusa.com for
details.
Muslim
families serving – 12 year old Zahra Cheema writes (story
below)
At the Unity Day, we
recognize and appreciate up to 7 individuals a year who have gone out of their
way to build
bridges among Americans of all hues. Indeed, it is our duty to honor and cherish those
individuals who have dedicated their lives for the purpose. Here is a list of 22
individuals in the last 7 years.
Hon. Len Ellis, Hon. MaryAnn Thompson-Frenk, Dr. Imam
Zia Shaikh, Pastor George Mason, Dr. Harbans Lal, Rev. Bill
Matthews, Hon. Muriel Pinkus,
Rev. Bob Roberts, Bishop Mark Hernandez,
Dr. Basheer Ahmed, Hon. Jeff Weiss, Hon. Bob Ray
Sanders, Hon. Julie Ann Turner, Hon. John Hammond, Hon. Jonathan
Halsey, Hon. Steve Blow,
Dr. Rev. Petra Weldes, Hon. Marzuk Jaami
and Alexis Yancey, Hon. Late Elliott Dlin, Dr. Robert
Hunt, Hon. Sam Hodges,
and Hon. Daisy
Khan.

This year on Tuesday,
September 11, we have another great individual from the Muslim community who
will be recognized and 5 others from Hindu, Jewish, Christian and other
communities.
We have just begun the process
of serving the nation in every which way we can and have ways to go. We have to
be a part of the society; a well integrated society is good for every one of its
inhabitants in the long run. Please don’t look to the government or me to do it
(as some do, I am simply a volunteer and don’t get paid for any one to demand),
you do your share and take pride in it.
To paraphrase President John
Kennedy, “Ask not what the country can do for you, ask yourselves, what you can
do for the country”. It should resonate with Muslims strongly, ask not what the
Prophet can do for you, ask yourselves what you can do for the community, not
just Muslim but every American; it’s the free will we are blessed with. God
tells us to be individually responsible for our acts, and we will be
accountable for it individually, and on the Day of the Judgment we are on our
own. The best ones among us are those who care for their neighbors.

HOW ARE WE SERVING

We
have regular free Medical clinics in most cities in America. In Dallas/ Fort
Worth area we have three regular clinics to serve Americans. While the Al-Shifa
and Richardson Mosque clinics offer free outpatient checkups, the Ismaili clinic
offers extensive services for a small fee to be self operating with full time
nurses and the staff. Several other mosques have started smaller clinics. It was
an idea that began in the early Muslim societies and gaining momentum in America
now, thanks to the Muslim Doctors to do their share in providing medical care to
the un-insured.

I do urge Muslims in every City in USA and Canada to
write up about their community, an effort must be made such as the following
note. Don’t ask the organizations to do it, they have plenty of work to do, ask
yourselves what can you do about it, and just do it. We will be happy to share
it at the WorldMuslimCongress@yahoogroups.com
a service forum about co-existence and at the WorldMuslimCongress.org. Alhamdu
Lillah, many a magazines and Journals around the world are republishing the
material including ones in Somalia. In the past, Tehran Times, and Jakarta Post
have picked a few of the pieces as well as Arab News has published many of the
pieces from here. I have mentioned about Ramadan in Dallas
Morning News in my article today.

As an example of expressing to
encourage others to do the same, here is a 12 year old Zahra Cheema, who writes
to her Dad Tariq.

“AA
Baba
On Saturday, July
29th, Mama, Ibrahim, Bhaijaan, & I went to a Church called “Holy Ghost
Church”. The reason we went was to volunteer in serving food to the homeless.
When mama told us that she signed us up, I was pleased because I’ve never
volunteered in anything exactly like this. It seemed really interesting, &
something new I would love to participate in.

So when we arrived there,
a man guided us to the kitchen & on our way in, there were so many mats on
the ground & their we’re people sleeping/sitting on them. When I saw that
they must’ve spent the night, I thought it was really kind that the Church was
letting the homeless stay overnight. We got to the kitchen, & greeted the
Auntie that was hosting the event, & right away, I helped her daughter load
eggs into a pot before putting it on the stove ready to
boil.
The kitchen wasn’t modern
at all, so everyone had to do more things manually. Yet still everyone had
smiling faces and were happy to help out the less fortunate. The breakfast was a
nice typical American breakfast. It consisted of, pancakes, hash browns,
different types of fruits, & other sides to go with. Each person was also
given out a goody bag with treats in them. After the food was served on a
buffet-style table, I started to wash the dishes with
Mama.
While we were washing,
the boys’ we’re helping pick-up, wash,wipe, & dry each mat. They had to fold
the pillows & blankets in a bag. & they sweeper the whole floor while
They were eating. The boys did a lot of physical work. Then, mama & I went
out of the kitchen to see what was going on. We saw the volunteers pouring the
food into each of their plates. It made me happy to see that these people got to
eat a generous ammount & fill their small
stomachs.
What made me sad/sorry
was when I saw a family with a couple, & about 4 children. I thought to
myself how hard it must be to have to worry about your 4 children eating
everyday. I wondered if this was the only proper breakfast these people were
eating all week. “
I am sure you have a story to
share, start writing as simple as Zahra has done, ask your kids to do it. They
are more expressive than we were at their age, at least that is the case with
me.

On the interfaith front, we don’t frequent Churches,
Synagogues, Temples and Gurudwaras, as we invite others to join us; we need to
visit them as well.

IMAM AND A PASTOR

A pastor in Dallas is
observing 30 days of fasting, as a way to connect with Muslims and feel the
spiritual part of fasting. Thank God, the public radio in Dallas broadcasted the
interview of Dr. Wes McGruder of Rowlett and Imam Yaseen of Plano. Here is the
pod cast –

http://npr.vo.llnwd.net/kip0/kip0/_pxn=1+_pxI0=A65943+_pxL0=begin+_pxM0=+_pxR0=14312+_pxK=10412+_pxE=mp3/anon.npr-podcasts/podcast/77/510036/157672917/KERA_157672917.mp3
MUSLIMS OBSERVING
LENT
For your information, many a
Muslims are reciprocating it as well, albeit with criticism. We cherish others
when they do our stuff and I hope we can do the same when our folks do the stuff
for others. I thank Allah for giving me the guidance to set a few stretched
benchmarks – observing lent, commemorating Holocaust, Baptized on the spot where Jesus was baptized and
visiting Krishn’s birth place among many other things. Alhamdu Lillah, as a
Muslim, I have been standing up for every community and Insha Allah,
my dream is to serve every human without reserve or hesitation.

We do
have volunteer at various Mosques that have done the work for Habitat for
Humanity, soup Kitchens, feeding the homeless, but the burden is on a few, who
keep doing again and again. I hope we all make a concerted effort to encourage
volunteerism. Our Imams hold the key in changing our perceptions through
encouragement to volunteer.

We have to compile all our
works together, to encourage more to participate and volunteer in building an
America that is good for every American.
If we can raise or invest the
funds, we can get a National Muslim paper to update every one about everything
we do, and need to do.
Indeed, of the many things we
do, we have dedicated this day to bring Americans together and rededicate our
pledge to the safety of America.
Are Muslims a part of the
American society?
http://nabsites.net/demo/are-muslims-part-of-american-story/

Please
do visit the site www.unitydayusa.com
, the words are few, but look at the impact it will have on the society in
making America a beautiful nation for everyone.

If you wish to volunteer,
sponsor or be a part of the event, please visit www.UnitydayUSA.com

Jazak Allah Khair

Please mark your calendar for
the Unity Day USA, a positive event that brings all Americans Together to
rededicate our pledge for a peaceful, prosperous and secure America. We are a
part of America and we need to feel and live it. If you liked some of the
article, you will like the description of Unity Day USA at www.UnityDayUSA.com

A few other Articles to read
if you have the time:

What does
God really want?

http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2012/07/happy-ramadan-what-does-god-really-want.html

A Muslim observing the lent:http://nabsites.net/demo/happy-easter/

Quraan conference, dealing
with mis-translated verses of Quraan
http://quraanconference.blogspot.com/2012/07/pastor-robert-jeffress-ingnites-quraan.html

A call from God to know each other http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2012/01/mission-of-world-muslim-congress.html


Please visit http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/ for a record since
2010.

MikeGhouse is committed to building
a Cohesive
America and offers pluralistic
solutions on issues of the day. He is a professional
speaker,
thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, civic
affairs, Islam, India, Israel, peace and justice. Mike
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 and regularly at Huffington
post, and several other
periodicals across the world. The blog www.TheGhousediary.comis updated daily.

Ahmadinejad: World forces must annihilate Israel

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This piece appears in Jerusalem
post.
I am a supporter of Israel, but not the unjust policies of
Israeli government. The policies are dangerous to security (not defense) of Israel
and tarnish the character of Jewish nation.  I have written over 25 pieces on the topic,
please visit www.IsraelpalestineDialogue.com

As peace makers, we should listen carefully. The biggest
mistake the hard liners among the right wing Muslims, Jews, Christians and
Hindus make is simple; they don’t listen.

They jump to conclusions and mess up the world. This is what
Ahmadinejad said in the same paper and they had the gall to mis-write the
heading, “Anyone who loves freedom and justice must strive for the
annihilation of the Zionist regime in order to pave the way for world justice
and freedom.”|

Criticizing Zionism is not criticizing Israel, Judaism or
Jews.  It is downright stupid to call “annihilate
Israel” when it was “regime change”.  I
do hope the prominent Jews condemn this non-sense.

Nearly half of Israel wants Netanyahu regime gone, it is not annihilation of
Israel or Jews, and it is the regime! The same dudes have the ability to distinguish
between Republican and Democrat regimes in America.  The late Prime Minister Menachem Begin wanted
a regime change when Carter was the President, as Americans we did not look
that as Anti-American.

Not all Israelis are enamored with Netanyahu, there are
Jewish organizations against the regime, indeed, and there are Rabbis against
Zionism.

We should not spread falsities; it is not good for Israel,
Jews, Iranians, Americans, Palestinians or any one.
Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on the topics of Pluralism, Coexistence, politics, interfaith, Islam and cohesive societies. He is committed to building a cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day.

Republicans and Mike Ghouse

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Republican Congressmen; Kenny Marchant, Mike Conway, Pete Sessions,  Sam Johnson, Ted Poe, Ralph Hall and Citizen Mike Ghouse

Photo:
Republican Congressmen; Kenny Marchant, Mike Conway, Pete Sessions, Sam Johnson,
Ted Poe, Ralph Hall and Citizen Mike Ghouse to talk about Unity day USA. Please
hold your judgment, I will be meeting with Democrats also, it is an All
American effort.

I am sure you have met many like me; an American first and America first.  Though, I am a Republican and a moderate one,
my first loyalty is to America, far above my loyalty to my party.  Neither Republican nor Democratic party is bad
for America, it is the individuals, yes the individual drivers that cause the
party to get, good, bad or an ugly label.

I will urge you to refrain blaming the party, race, sexual orientation,
religion, community, city – blame and hold the individuals responsible for
starting trouble anywhere, and praise the ones who initiate good things.

More
and more Americans are realizing that this is the right thing to do  I am a  free and independent to the core, and I listen
patiently to Rush Limbaugh, speak on Hannity, and temperately listen to Rachel
Maddow, but will question them all and seek the truth, that is my
responsibility as an individual. I urge you to do the same. Let these rascals
not divide us but educate us with different points of view.
Now,
I request you to help me, would you invite, in my behalf, as my friend, your
civic, community, religious and political leaders to the event? The details are
at www. UnityDayUSA.com

Thank you.

MikeGhouse is committed to building a
Cohesive America and
offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. He is a professional speaker,
thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, civic affairs, Islam, India, Israel, peace and
justice. Mike 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 and regularly at Huffington post, and
several other periodicals across the world. The blog www.TheGhousediary.com is
updated daily. 

Does Romney give a flip about Israel?

      Comments Off on Does Romney give a flip about Israel?

Peace hinges on hopes for
the Palestinians and security for the Israelis, anything short of justice will
not produce sustainable peace. If Jews and Palestinians can take the position
that we cannot have peace when others around us don’t, and work on first
removing bias and stereotyping from their own minds, the conflicts will fade
and solutions will emerge.

What has Romney got to
lose? 

He will say anything to get elected, including, “as a President I will declare
war on Iran on day one in my office and bombard them to smithereens.” When they
hear elimination of their perceived enemy, men like Adelson and their likes
will write big checks, they are good business men, the know the money will
recycle back to them via Aid to Israel, if Romney gets elected. Who are the
losers? It is the Average Israeli, Iranian, Palestinian, you and I who will pay
the price.

I have always taken a
stand for the Jews and their security, not at the cost of Justice to the
Palestinians, like some of my fellow Republican do, instead stand for what is
right and uphold the human rights.
The mess created by Prime
Minister Netanyahu and a few among the right wing Jews in the United States has
caused a lot of discomfort for the ordinary Jews, their policies are indeed
destructive to Israel in the long haul. Many Jewish Organization in the United
States are gathering momentum to do what is Jewish; Justice.
I wonder if men like
Netanyahu, Bill Crystal, Adleson and their likes existed before and if they
did, were their attitudes responsible for uprooting Jews in Spain, Germany
and other places?  These men are short-sighted and their
actions are directly responsible for building up Antisemitism around the world.
All of us should  stand up against  Anti-Semitism, Apartheid, racism,
Islamophobia, Gayphobia and other evils of the society. 
There is a shameful amount
of Anti-Semitism brewing, because Jews are perceived as taking advantages of
others like illegally grabbing the lands from Palestinians. However, it is not
Jews, who are wrong, it is a few right wingers among them. Indeed, they are
causing damage to Jews in decades to come.
They know what is wrong;
the violations of international laws, building settlements, throwing people out
of their homes and building their own homes  by vacating and
murdering the rightful owners of the land.  Whether God exists or not, the
people around the world know it is wrong and someone has to pay for it
someday’; it will be the ordinary, innocent Jews, as they have paid many times
before, and It is time to say enough is enough.
Men like Romney, Gingrich,
Santorum and others will say anything to get elected and tap in the Jewish
money, the cheap men will compete in licking Netanyahu’s boots. It is so
embarrassing to read our nominees licking the prime minister’s boots. Each one
is eager to give away more  (that’s what support means) than the other.
Romney blames Obama for
spending money on the health of Americans, whereas he is willing to spend the
money on war and destruction. Who will pay for this stupidity?
We cannot afford another
war and Romney is either duping the Israelis or does not give a flip about what
happens to American economy or Israel in the long run.
The Israelis need to wake
up from these fakes who are ruining their future. Netanyahu can bully around
and kill many more Palestinians or Iranians, but the blood of the people will
have a price; protracted insecurity to Jews living in Israel. I don’t think the
Right wing Jews see that, they are determined to teach a lesson without
worrying about the consequences. 
The law of karma works
very well, they will get away with murders today, but will pay for it in terms
of insecurity. Their attitudes is screw the ordinary Israelis and Americans, why should they bother about
the ordinary.
Instead of spending every
one’s time, money and energy in destroying Iran, if they can spend the same on
developing good relations with others, hostilities will mitigate. There is a
Chinese saying, if you want to take the enemy out for good, make friends with
them, on the other hand, if you overpower them today, you will not sleep well worried
sick about your own vulnerability. That is how the law of karma works.

The few hawks do not want to make peace with Iran or the Palestinians, which
means they will have to stop the aggressive theft of the Palestinian land, and
stop the settlements as alluded by Dani Dayan and stop milking America.

In the past, the tyrant
missionaries got away massacring the native tribes, the Hitlers,
 Ferdinands, Saddams, Asads and those crooks got away too. Are the Israeli
hawks thinking of doing the same to the Palestinians? Is the world going to sit
by and do nothing? Indeed they did nothing to stop the Holocaust till the tail
end of it. Are we going to pass the problems to over next generation?

If Israelis and Palestinians can demand accountability from their leaders
measurable by peace and security for both the peoples, then a lasting
sustainable peace is possible. The problem in not Jews or the Palestinians, it
is the right wing hawks on both sides.

A personal note: As a Republican, I am leaning towards Obama again, Romney seems to be an opportunist and not good for America, Israel, Palestine or any one. He is not a man of his own conscience, there was another one like him who played to someone else’s tunes. Obama has blundered, but he will not ruin America with another war. 

_______


Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on the topics of Pluralism, Coexistence, politics, interfaith, Islam and cohesive societies. He is committed to building a cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day.

TEXAS FAITH: Has religion lost its bite?

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http://nabsites.net/demo/texas-faith-has-religion-lost-its-bite/

  

Has faith been boiled down into tenets that mostly make us feel good about ourselves? Or, to put it another way, has modern religion lost its ability to make us feel uncomfortable about parts of our lives?

Texas Faith is a weekly column at Dallas Morning News managed by Editors William McKenzie and Wayne Slater, the material is contributed by several panelists, for all responses please visit  http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/2012/07/texas-faith-has-religion-lost-its-bite.html/

Has modern religion lost its bite?

MIKE GHOUSE, President, Foundation for Pluralism, Dallas

Indeed, the modern religion is reduced to a ritual to be performed as a social obligation to get it over with, rather than what it ought to do to you personally.  It is particularly dumped on children as a duty to be fulfilled. The story is similar in most religions, given the space limitations; I will keep it to the Islamic month of Ramadan.

As a part of developing the model for Pluralism in Islam, I am visiting every denominational mosque since Ramadan began ten days ago for the whole month ending on August 18th or 19th depending on the moon sighting.  It is everything you wanted to know about Ramadan and more; its politics, spirituality and traditions at RamdanDaily.com.  One will appreciate the uniqueness of each of its traditions.

Dr. Allama Iqbal, a great philosopher and a poet wrote a poem in Urdu language, and one of the most famous lines goes as follows; “Tera dil to hay sanam aashna, tujhay kia milay ga namaz main. ” Broadly translated, you heart is elsewhere, and so what do you get out of praying or fasting?

What do the Salat (ritual prayers) and fasting do to you, and what is the cumulative effect on you?  If it does not bring Taqwa, the spirituality and humility in you, then you have merely performed the ritual without being affected by it.|

Taqwa has many dimensions, one of them is humility, the essence of which is feeling, talking and acting equal with your employee, spouse, family and other members of the society, Muslim or not. How do we measure up?

Arrogance is the mother of all conflicts, whereas humility is the solution to most of them. When you bow, kneel or prostrate at your place of worship, it is an acknowledgement of the invisible superior being, and equality of fellow beings.

Has your religion lost its bite? Look at the ritual practices in your own, most people get it right, a few don’t.

To a few, religion is a powerful tool to manipulate others, or pushing their beliefs onto others. To some it is a social need to keep their status as a church going “honest” family, and some feel sanctimonious when performing the rituals in a Church, Temple, Synagogue, Gurudwara or a Mosque. When they step out of the sanctuary, the arrogance creeps right back in, and the religion loses its bite instantly.

Added

My Professor Dr. Ramachandra, shared a story about the senselessness of rituals. He said, a great Hindu Sadhu (saint) goes to the Ganges to take the holy dip in the river to wash his sins off. As he walked on the edge of the river, thousands of devotees recognized him and decided, that is was time for them to learn from him by observing his rituals.

So the Sadhu places his traditional water bucket on the sand, and goes into the river, looks back at the brass bucket and realizes that it could be stolen, the smart man walks back and buries the bucket in the sand. As he was walking into the river, he realizes that he may not find the spot in the large swatch of sand, so he comes back, and plucks a branch from a tree and plants it on the top of the buried bucket and merrily goes back into the river. When he returns from his bath, he was shocked to see thousands of tree branches buried in the sand instead the one. Many a rituals are formed thru imitations without meaning it.

………………………….

Please mark your calendar for Tuesday 9/11/2012, it’s a big event in Dallas- details at www.UnitydayUSA.com

……………………..

No American has to live in apprehension or fear of the other. There are solutions, here is a trailer of the movie in making:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMXsTo4VYh8&feature=youtu.be

Mike Ghouse is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. He is a professional speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, civic affairs, Islam, India, Israel, peace and justice. Mike 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 and regularly at Huffington post, and several other periodicals across the world. The blog www.TheGhousediary.comis updated daily.