This Flower Has Special Significance

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Moghra, also known as Motiya and Jasmine, has a special significance to my family and me.

After the 1918 Spanish flu, my Grandmother lost her entire family, abandoned the land, and walked to her brother’s home about 15 miles with her two kids; my father, a toddler, and my aunt. The bus came once a week, and it was dangerous to stay in the flu-infected community, so she left..

She did not want any help from her brother except a place to stay. She was a proud woman with dignity. She decided to sew flower garlands together and sell them at the bus stop. Apparently, she rode on the horse to bus stops. It’s common for South Indian women to wear the flower garlands tie to their hair; even now, it’s a tradition in South India. That flower was Jasmine.

She raised her two kids with her little business. Later on, she moved to Yelahanka, a suburb of Bangalore. She did not go to school but had a great brain raising my father. He just went to Middle school and went on to become the councilman and Mayor of the town. He was the only Mayor who did not get home sites allotted to himself.

My Grandma was a proud independent woman, ahead of her time. She remained single all her life and passed away at 98. I have a lot of affectionate moments with her that I cherish.

My father decided to go back and re-cultivate that abandoned land after nearly 50 years, and what did he do? He reserved half an acre for cultivating Mogra- the Jasmine flower!

I was on the farm for about three months to be a farmer. And what did I do? I named my daughter Jasmina.

I was a short-term small farmer. I have a lot of respect for farmers and stand with them in their protest against the draconian imposition of rules by sadistic authoritarian men in a democracy, downgraded to a half-ass democracy by several international bodies. India will not be a reliable ally of the United States as long as Modi keeps destroying. He is selling the nation to his buddies at a dirt price. In 6 years, they have become mega billionaires from just billionaires. This has to stop, and it has to change, and the change is coming to save India from being robbed by Modi and his gang.

Mike Ghouse

American Muslim Agenda

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American Muslim Agenda is a chapter from the book American Muslim Agenda available at Amazon and Kindle

Twelve Agenda Items

Our vision is a cohesive America—an America where each one of us feels secure with our ethnicity, culture, race, and religion—where we would learn to respect the otherness of others and to accept the God-given uniqueness of each one of us. All of us, the 323 million of us, will have a personal interest that would be as unique as our thumbprint and a public interest that would be familiar to all. It would be one America and one nation with liberty and justice for all.

Everything begins with strategic planning. In this chapter, we will be envisioning an outcome, putting an effective plan together to achieve them.

Vision: A Muslim Woman President of the United States of America

No one has ever achieved anything without seeking it. The American Muslims have to come out of the cave and live in the big world with all others.

As a member of the diverse family of faiths, our efforts must be directed toward justice and equity to attain peace for the humankind, with a firm grounding in commonly held values. We cannot have advantages at the cost of others. Such benefits are temporary and deleterious to lasting peace. We believe what is right for Muslims has got to be good for the world and vice versa for the goodness to sustain.

This book The American Muslim Agenda is a roadmap for Muslim integration. We have to be one with all—“e pluribus unum” as the motto. This book will hopefully put us through the exercise of setting our goals and contributing toward a prosperous future of our society.

Here is the outline of The American Muslim Agenda—the things we have to do to move toward the fulfillment of our vision.

⦁ Preface
⦁ What Should Be Our Goal?
⦁ Are Muslims a Part of the American Story?
⦁ How Do We Change?
⦁ Where Did We Go Wrong?
⦁ Justice Alone Cannot Carry Us Far
⦁ Setting Our Priorities
⦁ Muslim Leadership
⦁ The President of the United States of America

The American Muslim Agenda is intended to cause discussions and spur actions to lead us to become fully integrated citizens of America. Thanks to our Founding Fathers for blessing this land with the ideals of democracy, freedom, and justice for all. It resonates with Muslims. Indeed, that is the kind of society Prophet Muhammad had envisioned, and America fulfills that dream of Muslims to be free and brave, and they pray for this blessed land every day.

Muslims around the world see us as a thriving model community, mainly where they are the majority. They can see us succeed in a system that is good for all humans and hope they will choose to emulate our democracy and our ideals. May God bless the whole world with freedom to be who they want to be.

Professor Sachedina had traced the “Islamic roots of democratic pluralism.” In his book of the same title, Islam is designed to be a democracy, and monarchy, communism, and dictatorship are anathema to the principles of Islam.

Prophet Muhammad did not rule his subjects; he called them all his ummah—that is, his community—be it Jews, Christians, pagans, Muslims, and others. Each community lived by their religious laws. That was the essence of the Madinah charter that he initiated for all his ummah to live freely and practice their faith. Think about it. Was the Prophet’s government Islamic or pluralistic?

The Prophet was not a king to pass on the public property he managed to his kin. It was not his, to begin with, to share. He considered himself a trustee of the estate he led. After his death, a process of consultation began to appoint the next leader, and the leader was instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. An analogy exists in our immoral Declaration of Independence.

Five administrations in a row followed that principle, starting with Hazrat Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali, and Hasan. Allah was pleased with them for being righteous. The sixth one, Mu’awiyah, screwed up the system and claimed himself to be a monarch, albeit using the same title caliph, or administrator. That was in AD 661, and for the next 1,259 years, Muslims did not see the light of the democracy.

Turkey became the first democracy in 1920 with Mustafa Kemal Ataturk leading as their first prime minister. Of course, most nations chose democracies in the mid-twentieth century, but unfortunately, most of the Muslim-majority nations are still theocracies, dictatorships, and monarchies.

Once, Sean Hannity pushed me to name one stable democracy in the Muslim world, and I proudly recited Turkey, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Bosnia. Sadly, Erdogan will flip Turkey into another dictatorship.

Democracy cannot be imposed. President Bush was surrounded by nincompoops to give him such bad advice. Democracy is learned through educating onself, meeting different people, and learning to respect the otherness of others. If we had spent tenth of what was blown in Iraq and Afghanistan on opening schools there and spent the rest here in America retraining millions of Americans who had lost their jobs, we would have had a better world today.

Sunnis are not safe in Iran and Iraq. Shias are not secure in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, and elsewhere, and the Ahmadiyya Muslims are not safe in any one of the Islamic nations. It is embarrassing to know that we have allowed a few freaks among us to call the other an infidel, violating the very idea of Islam that no one gets to judge others’ faith but God. Shirk—that is, acting and judging one’s faith in behalf of God—is the greatest sin in Islam, and we have plenty of sinners out there.

The American Muslims are blessed with freedom. We can be a role model for the world by setting an example. The only advantage we have over any Muslim anywhere is freedom. Indeed, democracy is a natural fit for a majority of Muslims, and they are most comfortable and self-assured in democracies. As our Jewish friends, Muslims will be significant contributors toward making America a great nation.

Everyone does well when there is freedom of religion, speech, and press. We are all born free, and that must be understood. Muslims and Muslim-managed nations need to reset their priorities and have a plan for the future. That is another chapter for another day. My focus in this book is Muslims in the United States and other democracies.

The American Muslim Agenda is about looking past the short-term setbacks and seeing further out beyond the next seven generations. How do we shape a society where each one of us, not just Muslims but each one of the 323 million Americans, feels safe and secure in what they drink, eat, wear, and believe?

The good news is, for the conservatives among us, guidance is available in the Quran, and examples of the Prophet abound to chart the right course for humanity. However, for a majority of Muslims, Islam is common sense.

Unfortunately, the Muslims have been misled by the right-wing scholars (chapter on “The Source of Muslim Extremism”) of the past. They have distorted the pluralistic teachings of the Prophet and presented Islam as a political entity. Islam is not a governmental entity, and it is spiritual and social guidance to live in harmony with oneself and fellow humans.

Let’s start with the definition of the word Muslim—a generic word to mean “a good citizen.” Good citizenship requires that each one of us safeguard our own lives and what surrounds us—life and matter. We should put behind the old thinking that worshipping the specific name “Allah,” keeping a beard, wearing a hijab, and following the rituals make one a Muslim.

Rituals are pathways to reach the final goal, that is, to create a peaceful abode where we live and where each one of God’s creations lives securely and with dignity. The Prophet had expressed that vision in so many ways, including the wish that a single woman could go from Medina to Damascus and come back safely without harassment or assault. That is the ultimate of a civilized society. A contributor to such ideals is a Muslim.

A Muslim is a conflict mitigator and a goodwill nurturer continually working on restoring harmony among the living and the environment.

What Should Be Our Goal?

Quran offers guidance to set our goal, and that is to enable humans to dwell in an abode of peace—a conflict-free, hassle-free life.

Theirs shall be an abode of peace with their Sustainer; and He shall be near unto them in the result of what they have been doing. (Quran 6:127)

And [know that] God invites [man] unto the abode of peace, and guides him that wills [to be guided] onto a straight way. (Quran 10:25)

God is not talking about peaceful abode in a vacuum or some imaginary place. He is talking about the real life we have that we feel, see, hear, think, touch, witness, and live. The straight path is living in harmony with ourselves and with fellow humans. That is the straight path that leads to peaceful abode.

We have to live freely without fear in the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness. We should not conflict with any of our fellow Americans; if we are, then we are not following the guidance of the Quran. The Quran says God chose to create us in different races, sizes, shapes, tribes, and by extension, religions. Respecting and accepting each one of God’s creation are the highest forms of praise to Allah, the creator and the causer of the universe.

Are Muslims a Part of the American Story?

We are not connected enough with the mainstream society for a vast majority of Americans to stand up for us, empathize with us, or even understand the truth about us that we are no different from them in our endeavors and aspirations of life. We must, however, express our gratitude to the millions of Americans who have stood up for us, compelled by their sense of justness and fair play.

Prof. Sherman Jackson observes, “Thus far, however, Muslims remain outside the American story, which is why, despite their positive contributions to society, they seldom enlist empathy when they are jailed, deported, or discriminated against.” And he offers the solution, “Hopefully, however, it will not be long before Muslims come to understand this. Once they do, while guilt by association may continue, Muslims will be able to fight back. For in this they will be joined by others.”

The Guardian reports in the article “How Anti-Muslim Are Americans?” that hostility toward Muslims in America exists alongside a lack of familiarity with Muslims. The YouGov poll that looked at hostile attitudes also asked respondents, “Do you personally happen to work with anyone who is Muslim?” and 74 percent said no. The survey also asked whether respondents “happen to have any friends who are Muslim,” and 68 percent said no. Another 87 percent said they had never been inside a mosque. Across all religions, there is a correlation between the percentage of respondents who say they know members of a faith and the rate who say they have favorable attitudes toward members of that faith.

Muslim Americans are well aware of negative attitudes toward them. The last time Pew conducted a survey that sought out only Muslim respondents in 2011, they found that negative experiences were commonplace. In the past year, 28 percent said that people had acted suspiciously; of them, 22 percent said they had been called offensive names; and 21 percent said they had been singled out by airport security.

Where Did We Go Wrong?

The average Mohammed and Amina have realized that to be a spiritual part of the society, we have to connect, we have to care and be cared for, and we have to be with the organization emotionally as they would be with us. To feel a complete sense of feeling “at home,” we have to live the essence of American life that is not different from the essence of Islamic life. Please don’t jump to conclusions. It does not mean you have to give up an ounce of your identity; it simply means the sense of difference of “they” versus “us” has to vanish from our thoughts and “us” to be ingrained in our feelings, language, and actions. We are Americans.

The traditional religious leadership and the leadership that runs Muslim organizations are yet to grasp this; in the name of identity, they dig in their heels. That has been the hallmark of all insecure religious leaders to keep the flock tethered.

To be religious is to bring about a balance within oneself and with others who surround us. Through humility, religion seeks to dissolve the barriers among peoples. We need to embrace other flocks; we need to look for permanent solutions of coexistence and honor everyone’s God-given space and uniqueness.

As Muslims, we chase our tails; we spend all our disposable hours at the mosques or engage in big talk about love for Islam and attend lectures on how to be a ritual Muslim. Unquestionably, it is a part of what makes one a Muslim, but that is not all that Muslims should be concerned. Our focus ought to be is to become a part of that American story.

Please remember no one is pushing us out or excluding us; it is us who are not integrating to become a part of the whole, and it is our loss as many of us do not feel that we are a part to this land; that engenders undesirable insecurity.

Justice Alone Cannot Carry Us Far

Several organizations are making the efforts to make that change “to become a part of the American Story,” but it is not their priority to grow the feeling of being home, something that solidly bolts us to the ground. Our priorities must take us from a ritual Muslim to a strong civic Muslim and be a part of the American story.

Each one of the 323 million of us must feel connected with one another and talk and act as one nation. Those of us who have not grown up yet, being American is our identity as much as being a Muslim. Our ability to build relationships with people other than our kind does not negate or reduce our religiosity but enhances it.

How Do We Change This?

As good citizenship is not only our duty, we must be self-critical of our society—the Muslim as well as the American. I hope that the conservatives among us will get beyond the self-righteous criticism and value the freedom that we are endowed with to exercise with pride and care.

Refreshing our identity, we must learn to reexamine our attitudes toward others and push the refresh button to understand the essence of Islam. We must do our inner jihad against the temptations to reduce Islam to rituals; we should be identified as Muslims not only by the ritual aspect of our religion but also by the spiritual and social point of “being a Muslim.”

Being a Muslim is volunteering one’s time and effort for the general well-being of the society and serving it with blinders. Prophet Muhammad said, “Your responsibility is to yourselves, to your family members, to your relatives, to your neighbors around you and beyond.” He did not advocate exclusion. A neighbor is a neighbor is a neighbor.

A Muslim is someone who is engaged in mitigating conflicts and nurturing goodwill among our neighbors and countrymen to help create a just and more viable society for all.

Indeed, Prophet Muhammad set that example earlier in his life when he was called on to resolve a dispute among the tribes about who should have the honor of placing the fallen stone in the walls of the cube called Kaaba; they came to him because he had earned the reputation for being just and truthful. He could have chosen anyone to do the honor to gain favors, he could have given it to his tribe and make himself look good, but he did not.

He believed in peaceful coexistence and wanted to mitigate conflicts among the tribes and nurture goodwill; he tried to bring about a change. Indeed, he placed the small stone on a sheet of cloth and had all the leaders raise the piece of fabric up in unison.

Imagine the men lifting the sheet and looking at one another. They were adversaries a day ago, and now they are participants. What must have gone through their minds? They probably saw the erosion of conflicts and the emergence of goodwill. It is a model for Muslims to follow; to be just, fair, and truthful; and to be goodwill nurturers. He was called the amin—the honest and just.

Muslims respect the otherness of others and understand the essence of Islam—justice and peace. Rituals are not an end in themselves; they are merely markers of being a Muslim. They are the most critical aspects of our faith, paving the way to achieve humility and spirituality. Just people are ones who care for what surrounds them—life and the environment. Isn’t that what the will of God is? Doesn’t submitting to the will of God mean working for a just society and bringing equilibrium between living beings and the environment?

To me, one has to shed arrogance. Indeed, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said to his associates after returning home from a victorious war, “The biggest jihad begins now. It is the war with one’s seductions. It is to reign in our temptations to avenge, [to] revenge, or to get even. It is getting hold of our anger, the anger that leads to injustice.” He said, “Don’t let your bias toward the other compromise your sense of justice.”

A majority of Muslims certainly practice this refreshed identity, but a few loudmouths define Muslims otherwise, and sadly, they get the most coverage in the media, drowning the good and encouraging the ugly.

But vigorous effort to project our real identity has begun, and inshallah, we will succeed with a realization that what is right for Muslims has got to be good for the humanity and vice versa for it to sustain. We cannot have advantages over the others; such benefits are deleterious and temporary.

Setting Our Priorities

Engaging with the society at large must be our priority now. We should quit making excuses that we do not have the time; we must carve out our time from the social activities. We have to invest our time in the long-term goodness and to acquire a sense of being at home; we must take our time from some of the religious activities and lectures that make us stronger ritual Muslims and invest that time for sustainable goodness to become an overall Muslim.

The Ismaili Muslims are consciously building bridges and creating a society of integration and oneness. As a Muslim, I take pride in their work and urge them to work with all Muslims; their plans are worth emulating. What is good for Muslims has got to be good for America and vice versa for that good to be sustainable.

When we move away from “me and my interests” to “us and our interests,” we can see a sea change goodness for all the Muslim communities and other communities. Together, the Ahmadiyya, Alawi, Bohra, Ismaili, Nation of Islam, Shia, Sufi, Sunni, Twelvers, Warith Deen Muhammad, and other denominations contribute to the well-being of America. Our pettiness denies others and reduces our wholesome share of good. We need to take cumulative credit for serving fellow Americans.

America is our home. We are going to spend our lives here. It is home to our kids and grandkids and their grandkids, and we are going to be buried here. Each cemetery plot is our permanent residence till eternity. And we owe it to ourselves to make this land safe, secure, peaceful, and prosperous for one and all. No one can have peace for themselves unless others are in harmony. It is the responsibility of each one of the 323 million of us to do our share.

Muslim Leadership

We have been here for a long time but have not learned what democracy means, and we still want to dictate others and have got to change.

One head of a Muslim organization told me, “As long as I am the president, you will not do a program on sharia, let alone talk about it.” No discussion was allowed, shutting the other board members from even talking about it.

Two Muslim leaders cornered me at Cafe Brazil in Richardson, Texas, and “told” me that the next time I do a program on sharia, they are to be consulted or, in effect, get their permission. They were indeed invited but chose to ignore the invitation. The positive outcome of that sharia event was that Jeff Weiss (may his soul rest in peace) of the Dallas Morning News attended and reported it in the Dallas Morning News. Over the next five years, he understood and defended Islam in parts of his columns because he knew the difference between a personal and a public sharia.

Sean Hannity’s attacks on sharia were mitigated to the public sharia, and he spared the personal sharia. I heard Newt Gingrich is on that bandwagon, and I will try to have a conversation with him. Maybe he will change.

We were developing a program to train Muslim speakers. One of the organizations that specialize in speaker training did not want to share their material, and the reason was the most ridiculous one I have ever heard. They said the speaker coaching was not for Ismaili Muslims. I tried to scream, “What difference does it make?” Finally, we developed our own speakers’ program, and that is the twelve Islamic values—the values that contribute to creating a better world (see chapter “Islamic Values”). We will be happy to coach those values, the common-sense values, directly from the Quran to all Americans so that we can learn about one another. We also have workshops on learning about other religions. Let’s prepare our nation to learn to respect and accept other faiths as equally valid faiths.

Another Muslim leader had asked me to “uninvite” a Hindu speaker from a public event. I did not like it, and I will never do that. But I carried on, and that built animus toward me.

What a shame. A few Muslim leaders are a hurdle to integration.

I have opened many interfaith and civic meetings with pluralism greetings to include greetings from major faith traditions and conclude with a short “inclusive prayer.” One of the lines was “As Americans, collectively, we believe in one god, no god, and many gods—the dear cause of the universe—guide us to learn to accept one another as fellow humans.” A lot of gossips went around, condemning the inclusion and proclaiming that, as a Muslim, I should not do it. I wish they had learned Islam from the Quran and not the schools where they dish out the same o’ same o’ stuff. There are a lot of flaws we keep passing on from the old misguided teachings.

One of the most embarrassing things for me as an American Muslim was the difficulty I faced in Mulberry, Florida. I was there to organize a peaceful interfaith meeting to find a solution to Pastor Terry Jones’s Quran-burning event. I knocked on several mosque doors between St. Petersburg and Orlando to see a Muslim woman to sing our national anthem. The interest was dim, and they looked at me as if I were doing something wrong. Two men said it was not a Muslim thing to sing the national anthem. I should have kicked their butts, but I was focused on the event and let that go.

God willing, we will have a national-anthem singing competition among Muslim kids for the Fourth of July event in 2019. It is time we do that. The Adam’s Center Mosque in Washington has kids who sing, and another group in Gaithersburg sings the national anthem. In Dallas, Texas, we had trained many Muslim women from Sunni, Shia, Ismaili, Bohra, and African American traditions. They were hijab-wearing to skirt-wearing Muslim women for our Unity Day USA events for over fifteen years. Washington DC is my hometown now. If Muslims can understand their priorities and fund, we will make that happen here.

Muslims have a problem in publicly denouncing a few unfortunate aspects of sharia, including apostasy and blasphemy. Sharia laws need serious amendments, just as our constitution has twenty-seven of them. I’ll discuss this in more detail in the section “Fixing Sharia Laws.”

Sean Hannity understands the difference between public sharia and personal sharia, so his challenges were precise. We owe it to fellow Americans to allay their fears, and some of these guys don’t get it.

We need Muslim leaders who have the guts to face things squarely.

Most of the Muslim leaders are conformists. They cannot cope with dissent and disagreement. They have the arrogance that people should listen to them because they write the checks. There are a few individuals whom I know who have donated monies and never asked even their name to be listed or wanted special treatment and seating in the event. I wish we had more donors such as Farooq Wazir Ali, Dr. Nauman Anwar, Dr. Basheer Ahmed, Dr. Amanullah Khan, Amir Rupani, Dr. Muqtada Koreshi, and you who would never ask for a pound of flesh.

Leadership has the vision to foresee the problems and bring reluctant people together for the common good. We have to learn to factor in opposing views, though they are agonizing, adding to long-term stability. It takes guts, and we hope to train enough Muslim leaders to take those steps.

We can learn from our senators and congressional leaders not to make the mistakes they make. President Obama is my favorite president, but he made a big mistake when the senate passed the Obama Care bill. He was content with the democratic vote and did not seek republican ballot. Because of that, the law has been stripped several times since then. Despite it all, it has survived. Had Obama gotten republican vote, even though it was not necessary, the act would not have been attacked. Now Trump is making the same mistakes. The bills are being passed with one vote. That is not good for our country. We should have broader consensus, like 67 percent support for any proposal to give and sustain it.

Thanks to our imams. They are a blessing and play a key role in reshaping Muslim relationships with fellow Americans. In the past, we have asked the imams to pray for the release of Yazidi women, persecuted Christians, or harassed Shia or call on them to urge Muslims to honor our veterans on Veterans Day—they have done it all. Fellow Americans need to know this, and we are going to do a lot more now.

Their hands are usually tied up by the management. They need to have the freedom. I believe American Muslims have to take firm steps to get rid of the last few lousy apple imams or provide them training about the First Amendment and pluralism and civil societies. We don’t need to screw up our lives in this blessed land.

Among the imams, Muslim scholars, and us, we will test one another in stretching beyond our sketchy religious boundaries created during the Middle Ages but will unequivocally stick together and remain within the pluralistic traditions of Islam.

We need to reach out and talk with those who are polarized, and those who are not friendly. We have had great success with people who were written off by fellow Muslims as right-wingers. We will continue to work with them and endure the humility if necessary for achieving a greater good for them, for us, and for all of us Americans.

It is time for Muslims to take the steps necessary to allay the fears of fellow Americans and undo the tensions, remove the suspicions, and restore trust among Americans. This is what a Muslim ought to be—a conflict mitigator and a goodwill nurturer.

We must make sure we elect the right leadership in our Islamic centers—someone who is an amin, someone who has worked with people of different faiths and political views, and someone who has volunteered in civic and nonprofit organizations for at least five years to be on the board of Islamic centers.

Muslim Woman President of the United States of America

As a community, American Muslims have not developed any concrete plans to extricate themselves out of the chaotic situations, hostility, and incessant Islamophobic rhetoric they face. Each time a terrorist acts out, they start praying and wishing that the terrorist was not a Muslim. Then condemnations follow that the terrorists are on the fringe. They are not one of them, or they are extremists. Then they will start combating the conservative media, defending the faith.

We are American Muslims, and we can do better than that.

This book paves the way to own up the mistakes we have made and fix them and become fully integrated Americans. There is only one America, and all of us are a fully integrated part of that nation. We need to learn to engage with those who are opposed to us, and I have success stories reasonably to share on that front.

Why a Muslim Woman? Why should we set the goal to elect a Muslim woman as the president of the United States of America in 2036?

The answer is simple—we have a history of that. When Muhammad (PBUH) walked home all excited but shaking and confused with the revelations he had just received, he did not know what to do next. His wife Khadija did not discount or question him; she believed and comforted him instead.

There is a woman behind the success of every man. Indeed, the historians have written that Khadija was “the rock upon which Muhammad built his faith.”

Bibi Khadija became a catalyst in his mission of creating responsible, accountable, and just societies, which is an expression of the oneness of creation or, merely put, tawhid.

She was with him all the way until he realized his mission. She saw to it that he succeeded in his goals. Khadija was the kind of woman that every man or an organization needs to bring success to them.

Khadija was ahead of her time and led the women’s liberation movement. She did what no one had done before in any society—she “proposed” to marry the man fifteen years younger than herself. The Prophet accepted, and subsequently, they were married.

Thus, began the journey of freedom for women. The Prophet restored women’s inalienable God-given right to be free and independent. He declared that a woman was responsible for her deeds on the Day of Judgment as was the man. No one bears other’s burden, and each one of us is a full and a dignified human. He made statements that most of the men hated initially until they understood it fully. He said a woman is free to own her property, propose to marry, and divorce with her own volition. This was revolutionary not only fourteen hundred years ago but also one hundred years even here in the United States when a woman was considered a man’s property.

We have several independent women among Muslims; if one of them runs for the president and wins it, she will be a role model for all, including Muslim men.

We must also work on getting a Hindu, Native American, Sikh, LGBTQ, atheists, and other leaders from different communities not represented in the past. We have to perfect our union to be represented by all Americans. We cannot have advantages at the cost of others. Such benefits are temporary and deleterious to lasting peace.

The first generation of immigrants are still not a part of the society. Our interests are narrower, reflective of our groups. Once we become universal in our approach and put America first, then we will have universal acceptability from most segments of the American society.

Our loyalties should be to America and not to our nations where we were born. I did a radio show in 1998 after the back-to-back nuclear tests by India and Pakistan. The United States placed restrictions on aid to both countries. What I heard on the radio, from the live callers, the Indians and Pakistanis said that they would send the money to their nations anyway. That is wrong! Of course, the Israeli Americans and other Americans do the same. Their loyalty is not to America.

The day we confidently think, talk, and act “America first” but not at the cost of others, such acts are harmful to the sustainable stability of the nation. No will stop us from becoming the president of the United States. This land is full of good people who want nothing but the best for America.

A Muslim will not become the president of the United States unless they represent the interests of every American. The same goes to Hindus, Jews, atheists, LGBTs, Native Americans, Sikhs, Baha’is, or anyone. Before Barack Obama, Jesse Jackson tried but failed, only because his interests were narrow. Obama has given the model to the world: “If you can represent all people, you earn the chance to serve as a leader.”

The President of the United States of America

The following twelve steps, if taken, offers the opportunity to be the president of the United States of America in 2036:

⦁ Readying Our Children Now
⦁ Respecting the Otherness of Others
⦁ Being the American Amin
⦁ Volunteering
⦁ Standing for Others
⦁ Being a Part of the Society or Story
⦁ Social Mixing
⦁ Removing Apprehensions
⦁ Involving in Interfaith and Intrafaith
⦁ Involving Grassroots
⦁ Being a Cultural American: Include Gratitude in It
⦁ Running for Office

Readying Our Children Now

In 2036, there will not be a school, playground, day care, workplace, hospital, factory, government office, city, state, state in America where you will not find people of different faiths, races, ethnicities studying, working, and even marrying together.

Are our kids ready to work in such places where these many different people work? Have we poisoned our kids with ill will for the others? What a shame if the evangelical kids are raised with ill will toward Jews, Mormons, Unitarians, Catholics, and others. What if you nurture an American Hindu kid hating Muslims or vice versa? Virtually, as a parent, you have screwed their life. You will be gone, but they have several decades to live on, and they will live and work in apprehension and discomfort. And when they come home from work, they have things to gripe about others. They will not give 100 percent of their heart and mind to their families or the profession.

Let your kids learn to live with others. Take them to every place of worship. Do not poison them. Make them familiar with different races, faiths, and cultures. Make it easy for them. And when they grow up, they will be happy to work with various people without bias. The business and families benefit equally.

Let them be Americans first. This is where they live and die, and this is their identity. They can choose their political orientation as adults. But as an honest, sincere, caring parent, you have to let them know different political parties, not as enemies but as people with a different viewpoint.

If my kids run for a public office, they will have greater acceptance from the community at large as they are not biased toward any American—religious, racial, or political. They have been to almost all places of worship and cultural events, and I hope they turn out to be pluralists. That would be an accomplished mission for me.

At the Center for Pluralism, we have many programs, and if you wish to fund, we can set up a full-blown program as a pilot project to be replicated in other cities.

Respecting the Otherness of Others

America is about respecting the otherness of others, and so is Islam. No individual male or female, rich or poor, heterosexual or homosexual is less than or superior to you. No one is dropped from Mars or some other galaxies to claim superiority. All of us are created from the same precise process from birth to death.

The conflicts with family members, communities, and nations are based on the ignorance of one another’s values. Whatever we know about the other is not firsthand. Our perceptions were packed into us by a few ugly parents, shortsighted friends, bad teachers, preachers, and of course, the media.

There was a lady on Facebook claiming to be a rationalist but continuously attacking the Jews, and she wanted a ban on circumcision. And when I said it was not a cult thing but a tradition of three thousand years, she attacked Muslims that they should not eat meat. I bet her children will have a miserable time in school or workplace where Jews or Muslims work.

Respecting others does not mean compromise; it just means you accept the other person as unique as you are. When you talk with them, your attitude is to consider them equal. Your words and actions should not betray your talks.

The Essence of Islam

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The Essence of Islam is a chapter from the book American Muslim Agenda available at Amazon and Kindle

Islam remains a myth to many a people, including Muslims, simply because its purpose was rarely explained and its role vis-à-vis the humanity is seldom understood.

Muslims have reduced Islam to the rituals. Many of them believe that it is all about the five pillars, burqa, beard, and headgear. Sadly, that is how it is understood by fellow humans. Islam is much more than that. It is a way of life; Deen as Muslims prefer to call it.

In 2003, I undertook the difficult task of mining the essence of each religion by going beyond the rituals. The bottom line question was how each religion contributed to a better world. When Jesus says to Christians, “Follow me,” Krishna appeals to Hindus, “Surrender to me,” and Allah guides Muslims, “Submit to my will,” what does it mean? Will the man on the street who has no idea of God or religion will understand this?

So we took to the air, and for every day, five days a week, we talked about religion. Every Monday, it was Christianity for an hour, Hinduism on Thursday, and Islam on Friday. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, we alternated among atheism, Baha’i, Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism, Judaism, interfaith, Earth-based traditions on our radio talk show.

The clergy from each faith had to relearn on communicating how their traditions contribute to the overall well-being of humanity. We assumed our audience had never heard of God or religion and how they would take it. We did a total of 780 hours of the radio show called the Wisdom of Religions, All the Beautiful Religions.

We also did a fifteen-minute segment called Festivals of the World where we shared the essence of each major festival happening that week. My friend Shri D. D. Maini once asked me, “What is the purpose of this program?” Right then, his son Rajiv stepped in and said, “Daddy, I learned about Karva Chauth (a Hindu festivity) from his radio.” Indeed, most people got the gist of one another’s festival of all religions.

To make the point about learning the essence of Islam, I am taking you on a bus trip to Jerusalem. There were forty of us, mostly Americans and a few Europeans on a Middle East peace initiative by the Universal Peace Foundation of ReverendMoon.

As the bus started moving, the tour guide came on the public address and said, “Today I am going to share about Islam. Islam has six pillars, and they are jihad, pledge . . .” I let her finish the long spill then got up and said, “I am a Muslim, and there are only five pillars in Islam, and jihad is not one of them. Can I explain that to my fellow passengers?” There was a dead pause for a few seconds, and it appeared like an eternity.

The passengers were my teammates, and in unison, they shouted, “Let him.” Of course, I explained, and the two Dutch imams also joined me. She protested, but we insisted that we are Muslims and we knew the faith and produced her a printout upon return to the hotel. She promised to pass it on to the tourism ministry as they were the ones who approved the script. Islam is deliberately misrepresented in Israel; of course, the Palestinians do the same. As responsible members of the society, we have to work on learning about one another as we are—the good, bad, and ugly among us.

It was Ramadan, and we were fasting. The passengers asked us to follow the rituals. One of the imams did call for the prayers (adhan) in the moving bus on the public address system. Of course, I translated the adhan, and the bus pulled over for the four of us to pray, including a Muslim woman in the group. The Palestinian Christian bus driver produced dates and water for us to break the fast. He was the happiest guy on the bus when he proffered the dates to us.

What Is the Need to Understand the Essence of Islam?

When we live as neighbors, fellow workers, students, players, activists, passengers in buses or planes, and inhabitants of the same city, it behooves us to learn about one another’s beliefs, motivations, moments of celebrations, devotions, or commemorations, and what we believe. The more we know about the other, the less mythical they would become, creating a friendly environment for all of us to function efficiently in whatever we do. Knowledge leads to understanding and understanding to acceptance of the otherness of others, leading us into tension-free and sustainable prosperity.

Religion is a system that guides one to live in balance with the self and with what surrounds—life and matter.

Dr. Sheikh Rached Ghannouchi was crystal clear. “The role of religion is to answer the big questions for us, those relating to our existence, origins, destiny, and the purpose for which we are created. It is to provide us with a system of values and principles that would guide our thinking, behavior, and the regulations to which we aspire.” He added, “Islam is a religion of civilization,” which he suggests elsewhere is the essence and purpose of every world religion.

Chief Seattle, a Native American, said this perfectly, “All things are connected. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons of the earth. Man did not weave the web of life. He is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the webs, he does it to himself.”

The great Talmudic sage Hillel said the following in the first century BCE, “What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. That is the whole Torah. The rest is the explanation of this—go and study it!”

I would say the following from the Quran, “God has created us into different races, religions, sizes, colors, and other uniqueness. Respecting the otherness of others and accepting the God-given uniqueness is the whole truth, and the rest is the explanation of this—to study it.”

This is the essence of Islam: “O mankind! We have created you male and female, and have made you nations and tribes that ye may know one another. The noblest of you, in sight of Allah, is the best in conduct. Allah Knows and is Aware” (Quran 49:13).

In other words, God has created the universe in balance (Quran 55:8–11) and harmony. He has given us the ability to manage (khalifa) our environment, has given us intellect over other species (ashraful mukhlookhat), and has expected us to preserve that harmony. Indeed, that is God’s will. Among our species, each one of us is created to be unique with our own thumbprint, eye print, taste buds, religion buds, and DNA. That uniqueness causes us to seek security for ourselves, which becomes a source of conflict with individuals or groups competing for the resources. Then he offers guidance through peacemakers in every nation and community and advises us. Most of the conflicts can be removed if we learn about one another, and those who do that, he calls them the best of the creation as they restore harmony.

Islam teaches about building cohesive societies where each one of us has to function together to move forward in life. It involves respecting the otherness of others; honoring freedom of speech and faith, justice, mercy, humility; and treating, feeling, and believing all as equals.

It is time we restore Islam to what it was meant to be. It is one of the many beautiful faiths that contribute to building cohesive societies—a society where each one of us takes the responsibility to be the amin (trustworthy) of the society and cares for fellow humans, believes in Rabbul Aalameen (universal God) and Rahmatul Aalameen (universal Prophet), and become mukhlooqul aalameen (universal being). We have to shed the arrogance and believe that no one is superior or inferior to us. We must become conflicts mitigators and goodwill nurturers and make this world a better place for all of God’s creation with prejudice toward none.

Sadly, a substantial number of Muslims refuse to see another point of view. What is dished out to them is the unquestionable truth. Quran is the word of God and the truth, but all other books in Islam for Muslims are written by humans who make errors and are a source of conflict.

Let me share a few quick examples.

A Yemeni judge offered a choice to al-Qaeda prisoners in his jail, “If you find verses in Quran that advocate killing non-Muslims, I will join your jihad (as they understood to be armed struggle). But if you don’t, would you join me in hunting down and stopping the violent preaching? Sixty days later, the prisoners were angry as they did not find anything in the Quran about killing another soul. Once they felt duped, they wanted to end those nonsensical teachings (see chapter “The Source of Muslim Extremism”) and joined the judge.

The same formula was applied to Pastor Robert Jeffress who said, “The Quran is an evil book written by an evil prophet.” I asked him that if he read that someplace or someone told him about it, then had he verified it? He backed off. I offered him a copy of the right (near right) translation of the Quran to study it, and we would debate. The challenge to him was to find three mistakes in the Quran that we agreed in public. If he would find them, then I would join his ministry; if not, he would have to heed the call from Jesus to be a peacemaker.

Finding the truth is our responsibility. Just because the tradition does not allow certain things, it does not mean it is Islamic; it could be cultural.

The right-wing Muslims have deliberately mistranslated the Quran for political reasons, and so are the hadiths. Some of the hadiths that Baghdadi quotes or the neocons quote are not pulled out of thin air; they are part of our secondary books, and they have wrong information amid the excellent stuff.

I urge fellow humans to have faith in the Quran. You can never go wrong, but remember, God is not a villain of his creation. God loves us all. He is Raheem, Rahman—that is, kind, merciful and just. We must verify the authenticity of our traditions. If they say, “You cannot make friends with Jews and Christians,” we need to study that and find the truth for ourselves. A just god cannot be prejudiced or make deals with us behind others’ backs or vice versa. Some Muslims believe that “Islam is the only religion acceptable to God,” and they quote Quran 3:85. Check out the different translations. That is not what it says.

Quran is not about governance but about guidance. It’s the book of wisdom that helps humanity build cohesive societies.

Islam is not about establishing government, compelling others, or forcing others to obey you or your point of view; it is about living in harmony within and with others. Indeed, Islam is about “live and let live,” and most certainly, mind your faith.

Judging others’ faith or denigrating others faith is an absolute no in Islam. Everyone wants to become God’s assistant, partner, or deputy and pass judgments about others’ faith. We should consciously stop it.

There was never an Islamic government; Prophet Muhammad did not run an Islamic government. He was the head of a pluralistic government, almost identical to what India and Indonesia have, where each community is served by their laws to administer on religious matters. The Prophet did not sign the Madinah treaty of governance as a head of the Islamic state; he signed as a civic leader along with others—the others who had equal rights to their faith and practices.

Here are a few takeaway points:

  • ⦁ Islam is about being a good human being
  • ⦁ Islam is not about ruling others but creating a better world for all of us.
  • ⦁ The best Muslim is one who cares for fellow humans.
  • ⦁ The best Muslim mitigates conflicts and nurtures goodwill.
  • ⦁ A good Muslim is an exemplary citizen who cares about all fellow humans.

It’s a system devised to restore sanity and common sense in a given society through simple basics like trust, truthfulness, security, justice, “nonjudgmentalism,” humility, kindness, and prayers. These are the principles of building cohesive societies where no human has to live in apprehension or fear of the other. I would say, “If it is not common sense, then it is not Islam.”

Islam has not claimed to be an exclusive religion to earn God’s grace if you are good to his creation (life and environment). He will be useful to you—that’s how simple it is. Ultimately, it is your peace of mind. “Surely, those who believe, those who are Jewish, the Christians, and the converts; anyone who (1) believes in GOD, and (2) believes in the Last Day, and (3) leads a righteous life, will receive their recompense from their Lord. They have nothing to fear, nor will they grieve” (Quran 2:62). Here, the good lord is saying that the basis of your rewards is that you lead a righteous life: caring for his creation—life and matter. Belief in the Last Day merely means that the accountability of one’s actions and that trust in God amounts to the response to the creation.

Islam never claimed to be a new religion as it would negate the existence of other faiths. In fact, it acknowledges the existence of Judaism, Christianity, Zoroastrianism, paganism, and other traditions. Not only that, but God also claims he has sent a messenger (peacemaker, prophet, or whatever name suits you) to each tribe and community to restore harmony in that society. I cannot resist quoting the Bhagavad Gita here, where Krishna says, “Whenever there is moral decay or dharma takes over the community, I will emerge among you to restore dharma (righteousness).”

Say, We believe in GOD, and in what was sent down to us, and in what was sent down to Abraham, Ismail, Isaac, Jacob, and the Patriarchs; and in what was given to Moses and Jesus, and all the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction among any of them. To Him alone we are submitters. (Quran 2:136)

Islam is about free will—it is built into all humans. When Adam was given a choice to eat or not eat a particular item, he ate it, knowing the consequences. The decision was made to remove him from the eternal place—the paradise. The angels must have argued with God why he did not stop Adam from eating, and then God must have said, “Look, I am the god, and I offered him a choice. He picked what suited him. I am the god. If I don’t honor my word, then who will?” Then God decided to upload free will into human DNA. That is why we call that an inalienable right.

To be a Muslim is to be a peacemaker who seeks to mitigate conflicts and nurtures goodwill for the peaceful coexistence of humanity.

Hindu America Foundation’s petition about Bangaldeshi Genocide

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Please note that I have signed the Hindu American Foundation’s petition to recognize the Genocides of Bangladeshis in 1971, including Hindus and Muslims. Indeed, we commemorated this about ten years ago in our annual Holocaust and Genocides program. In the last 16 years, we have recognized over 30 such genocides, and each year we will continue to remember them all. No exclusions.

Hindu American Foundation’s only purpose, it seems, is to denigrate Islam and Muslims, as the RSS in India exists because of Muslims. But to my Muslim American friends, I remind them that Islam instructs you to stand up for justice to every human being; it further says you have to speak up the truth even if it goes against you. And another verse states, don’t let your bias make you unjust towards others. Justice, equality, and human rights are the three strong pillars that Islam stands on. So, I have signed the petition as the founder of the Center for Pluralism. It is not a support for HAF but an acknowledgment of the suffering of the Bangladeshi People.

Some of my fellow Indian Americans severely criticized me for hosting the Sikh Genocide of 1984 and the Muslims’ Gujarat Massacre. Some of the Pakistani Americans treated me the same when we commemorated the Bangladeshi Genocide. Some Bangladeshis did not like our mention of how they are treating the Biharis left behind from 1971. Of course, some Jewish Americans did the same to me when we talked about the Gaza Massacre.

Our presentations are about the human suffering inflicted by fellow humans and have nothing to do with a nation or a religion.

Our organization’s (Center for Pluralism) history is laden with standing up for the human rights of all people. We have a record of standing up for Atheists, Bahai, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Jains, Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, Wicca, Native Americans, the LGBTQ community, and the Zoroastrians.

We are also a signatory to over 100 petitions in the last year, supporting the rights of people across the world.

Mike Ghouse
Center for pluralism.

Two Islams: Pristine and Mangled-Up

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Two Islams: Pristine and Mangled-Up is a chapter from the book American Muslim Agenda available at Amazon and Kindle

Nearly two decades ago, I argued with the Islamophobes that there is only one Islam—period. Unfortunately, there are two Islams: pristine Islam and mangled-up Islam. This chapter is about the administrative aspect of Islam; the next section, the “Essence of Islam,” is about the spiritual point of Islam.

Pristine Islam

Pristine Islam is practiced by the majority of Muslims (see chapter “Who Are Moderate Muslims?”). They live their religion and let others live theirs. Religion is guidance to live an exemplary life of a good citizen. Religion does not separate them from their fellow beings. Dr. Allama Iqbal wrote, Mazhab Nahin sikhata, aapas may bair rakhna, that is, “religions do not teach one to be divisive or hold others like the other.”

The pristine Islam is administered in two formats: the public and the private. Together, they are about 95 percent of the Muslims worldwide.

Public Islam is open to all and is based on universal teachings of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) with least restrictions. It is not controlled by anyone and accommodates a range of practitioners living a very religious life and nonpractitioners. One can call themselves a Muslim with or without practicing the rituals.

It is like a public park available to all humanity. I would estimate that 80 percent of all Muslims practice this form of unrestrictive Islam. No one imposes or chases them to follow the religion. You are entirely free to live your life within the broad guidance that there is a consequence to wrongdoing or doing the right things. Of course, the problems are a product of such freedom. The public Islam is followed by a majority of Sunni Muslims.

Private Islam is also a part of pristine Islam and is administered privately and run like a private club managed by influential leaders. They have additional rules of membership to keep the group intact. “Freedom does differ” is frowned upon. Most of the Shia versions of Islam such as Bohra, Ismaili, Alawi, and Twelvers fall in this category. The Sufi, Ahl-i Hadith, and other versions of Sunni Islam are also a part of this group. Then there is the Ahmadiyya version of Islam, which is also part of this group. All these groups are relatively well managed with restrictions; if the members fail to follow the rules, they may be excommunicated. Restrictions have their own benefits. However, about 15–19 percent of Muslims are following private pristine Islam.

The pristine Islam is based on the belief that God has created the entire universe in balance and harmony (Quran 55:4–13). Each one of us has the responsibility to manage that balance between life and environment, balance within (physical and spiritual), and balance with others (religious guidance and or civil laws) through moderation. Allah, the name of God in Arabic, is not the god of Muslims but the god of all humanity, and Muslims share him with others.

Pristine Islam is about respecting God’s creation. Indeed, the diversity is purposeful. God has made everything to be unique with its own sustainable equilibrium. He says he has created all of us from the same couple and has made us into many tribes, nations, races, and other distinctions while acknowledging the existence of other traditions. Indeed, Islam is not a new religion but a continuation of God’s guidance throughout the history of mankind.

Pristine Islam is about building cohesive societies where no human has to live in fear of the other, and if there are individuals who oppress others, we have to speak up for the sake of restoring that elusive balance. Islam is about harmony with the self, others, and what surrounds us.

This is another expression of Islam from Muhammad Yunus, an Islamic scholar, “The essence of Islamic message lies in deeds, righteousness, moral awareness, community service, attaining excellence in lawful pursuit, dealing justly with all, forgiving the past enemies, and so forth.”

Pristine Islam is about humility and sense of parity it imparts through its rituals. I salute God when he says—and Muhammad (PBUH) reiterates—that no prophet is above the other and no human is above the other. That alone is good for me to be a Muslim. Remember, arrogance kills relationships, and humility builds them. Ego is the root cause of all conflicts, and hence, God gives a zero to the arrogant ones until they become humble.

Pristine Islam did not spread by sword or baton, threats or fatwa bombs. It is not the religion of insecure men who have to harass others to seek obedience. Islam is too secure a religion and does not need fatwas.

If you are a man or woman secured enough in your belief la ikraha fid-din—that is, there is no compulsion in matters of faith—you will see the beauty of God’s wisdom. Remember this very clearly; it is for this reason the Prophet did not want clergy business in Islam: he assigned you to read the book and follow it, and you alone are responsible for your behavior and not anyone else. He did not even compel his guardian, his uncle, despite the power he had. His uncle died without accepting Islam. It was God’s choice to make the point that there should not be any coercion, compulsion, or inducement in matters of faith.

Pristine Islam is not about ruling or dictating others; it is about how to live in balance with yourselves and others to create harmony among people based on equal justice to all humans.

Prophet Muhammad did not have an Islamic government; what he had was a pluralistic form of governance. He was a Muslim, all right, but did not govern as a Muslim. He was a civic leader. He foresaw what the majorities can do to the minorities and invited, on his own, the Jews, Christians, and others to sign the Madinah treaty (you can google it) where all citizens will be equal and their rights to be who they are, are guaranteed. Indeed, the communities practiced their own laws to govern their cities. Jews had their own rules they practiced, so were the Christians, pagans, and others. I am pleased to share that India and Indonesia have similar laws. It was indeed the government of people by the people for the people. Prophet Muhammad called all of them as his ummah (fellow countrymen).

Islam is a common-sense religion, and it is easy to follow.

Mangled-Up Islam

The mangled-up Islam is followed by fringe cults such as ISIS, al-Qaeda, Taliban, al-Shabaab, Hizbul Mujahideen, and Lashkar-e-Taiba. They are less than 1 percent of the entire Muslim population. If the followers of pristine Muslims do not reach out to them, their numbers are likely to increase. They are a security threat to Muslims and others as well.

This chapter is aimed to generate constructive discussions to get us out of the nasty quagmire of division and discord.

We may also want to call it corrupted Islam because the fringe groups that practice this faith as Islam is not the same inclusive, universal faith that Prophet Muhammad practiced.

The corruption came from a few scholars who turned Islam into an exclusive religion. They took it upon themselves that they have to convert others and not rest until Islam rules. You have heard the nutcase Anjem Choudary on Fox News with Hannity, who said Muslims would not rest until they had an Islamic flag on the White House. Maulana Maududi advocated political Islam, and of course, Imam Khomeini’s fatwa against Rushdie was not thoughtful either. He forgot that Islam is about freedom. Please refer to the chapters “The Source of Muslim Extremism” and “Criticism of Islam, Quran, and the Prophet.”

We may deny it, but the mangled-up Islam exists in tandem with the pristine one and is carried out by a tiny minority of self-proclaimed ideologues who are reckless, powerful, and vocal to create a false impression that all Muslims are like them. I am sure Christians, Hindus, Jews, Buddhists, and others experience similar misrepresentations of their religions.

Where Did We Go Wrong?

When Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) initiated the inclusive Madinah Treaty, he showed us the way. A spiritual leader can also be a civic leader and work with the people of other faiths with respect and dignity. He would not have invited Jews, Christians, and others to sign the treaty had he believed that Islam was the only way. We need to study how much of that separation between belief and state was carried forward by the rightly guided caliphs. After them, most certainly, someone mangled up the pristine Islam of inclusiveness.

The only thing our faith requires of us is to believe in the word of God and to emulate the lofty principles and conduct of the Prophet (uswatun hasanat 33:21). God repeatedly asks us to use reason and gives us the freedom to question everything. Thus, we should be sane enough to question the interpretations of everyone, including the significant Sunni and Shia imams, scholars, jurists, and their traditions (madhabs). We have never challenged them because of fears of persecution and the punitive fatwas. It is time to examine all that has been dished out to us.

The authoritarian circumstances created a need to interpret the faith to suit them—a phenomenon that is intrinsic to all religions. Scholars like Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn Kathir gave their personal views on the civil, political, and military aspects at the time of the Crusades, of the great violence of the Mongol attacks, and of the other social and political upheavals of the era. Theirs were a reaction to the situation and not the guidance of the Quran.

The mistake we have made is to give their word a near equivalence of the Quran and the Prophet; we can judge them against historical relativism but should not regard their work as an integral component of Islamic teachings. All said we must admit that whatever their intentions might have been, the medieval scholars messed up the interpretation of the Quran. Instead of building cohesive societies, they were inclined to forge exclusive authoritarian societies. A lot of their work is good, but it takes only a single drop of poison to endanger a pot full of water.

Misinterpretations

“Islam is the only way acceptable to God,” while negating God repeatedly guarantees that no matter what faith you follow, if you are good to your fellow beings, you’ll earn his grace.

Say, we believe in GOD, and in what was sent down to us, and in what was sent down to Abraham, Ismail, Isaac, Jacob, and the Patriarchs; and in what was given to Moses and Jesus, and all the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction among any of them. To Him alone we are submitters. (Quran 2:136)

“Don’t make friends with Jews and Christians” is such a “blunderous” interpretation and goes against the Prophet’s practices when he married a Jewish and a Christian woman without converting them.

“Death to anyone (apostate) who abandons Islam” goes against the very essence of Islam—that there is no compulsion in faith. There is a lot more that is not in the Quran and the Prophet’s practices but has crept in through crippling the inclusive nature of Islam and giving birth to political Islam.

The neocons feast on those verses, and most certainly, they have not pulled the “hateful citations” out of thin air. They are quoting the interpretations of men such as Ibn Wahhab, Maududi, and Banna.

Each one of them was a product of history; in some cases, they were control freaks and ignored the Quranic teachings of no compulsion but advocated authoritarianism. They did not believe in individual God-given rights and suggested the state to kill those who differed. This is another instance we have gone wrong by not denouncing their misinterpretations.

It is time to clearly understand the primary message of the Quran rather than reading it with the eye of its medieval era jurists, scholars, and ideologues. There is an urgent need to understand the core message of Islam that remains buried under layers of old interpretations.

Muhammad Yunus is a dedicated researcher of the Quran, and his work is published in a German web portal, Qantara.de.

There is a dichotomy of Islamic faith within its primary scripture, the Quran and its theological corpus [traditions and sharia laws]: one appearing at a point in time in history as an epicenter of faith, and the other evolving in its second century onwards—like the ripples of the initial surge of faith. The former is constant, eternal and independent of history. The latter inevitably shaped by historical factors: the pre-Islamic faith of the incoming converts, state of civilization, religious orientation and academic methods of the era. If Islam is equated with the “religion” [or worldview] espoused by the Quran—regardless of whether it came from God or Muhammad made it up, it is universal, tolerant, balanced, gender-neutral, inclusive, non-political, pluralistic, flexible and open-ended—albeit within broad boundaries, and emblematic of justice, liberty, equality, and other universal secular values.

In the article “You Can’t Understand ISIS if You Don’t Know the History of Wahhabism in Saudi Arabia,” Alastair Crooke rightly points out that the political greed of the founder of Saudi Arabia who took Ibn Wahhab’s ideology to suit his personal ambition to own the land and control its resources, in contrast to Islam that teaches that we are trustees of public properties and not usurpers.

It is easy for us to blame Bush; had he not invaded Iraq, would all this have happened? The Shia-Sunni strife, the civil war, Syria, and the birth of ISIS have all stemmed from that one singular misadventure.

Well, what Bush did is not the issue, but what are Muslims going to do about it—fix it or keep blaming?

Insha Allah, we plan to hold another conference based on the theme that “Muslims should be whole, celestial beings (mukhlooqul aalameen)” to honor God’s word in Quran 49:13. This is based on the Quran that God is the god of all humanity (Rabbul Aalameen), the Prophet is a mercy to mankind (Rahmatul Aalameen), and it follows that we have to embrace full humankind with its God-given diversity. We have to build cohesive well-functioning societies that are good for Muslims and good for the world.

Interfaith and Intrafaith Relations

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Interfaith and Intrafaith Relations is a chapter from the book American Muslim Agenda available at Amazon and Kindle

Who was the first human to hold an interfaith dialogue?

It was nice to see a few hands go up. One of them said, “Warith Deen Muhammad.” That was a good response. He was indeed the first Muslim in America to initiate a dialogue with Christians and Jews. He was rightfully called the Imam of America.

The question was asked again. Historically, who was the first human to hold an interfaith dialogue?

There was dead silence. Someone pointed to me, and I laughed. I am not a historical person. There were a lot of Muslims, and no one knew that.

Prophet Muhammad may be the first individual to hold an interfaith dialogue as he had the opportunity to deal with several faiths. Zarathustra, Abraham, Moses, Krishna, Buddha, and Jesus did not have that opportunity. They dealt with those who did not believe or those who deviated from the given belief.

Muhammad had that opportunity to have a conversation with Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians, pagans, and the Sabeans (other).

His teachings reflected the idea that Islam is not a new religion. Religion is a natural outcome of restoring coherence in a chaotic society. Indeed, that is precisely what Moses, Buddha, Jesus, and other great masters did. Krishna explicitly said through Bhagavad Gita, “Whenever a society rots, I [meaning the goodness] will emerge from among you and restore dharma [that is, righteousness].”

Religion is a system designed to bring sanity to the society, where each one of us can live freely as individuals, without fear of the other. You will find a lot of the same values reflected in each faith.

A mother among the Zulu tribe, Amazon jungles, New York City, or Banaras knows precisely what to do when her baby cries. Similarly, no matter where you live, the wisdom to live cohesively is identical. Why should the “essence” of the Quran be different from the Torah, Bhagavad Gita, Bible, Jaina, Book of Mormon, or Kitáb-i-Aqdas?

The Quran says God has sent a peacemaker (broader term to include prophets, messengers, and other great souls) to every tribe and every nation. Those who don’t believe in God can see the validity in the statement from a common-sense point of view. Do you recall a dispute in your family, your workplace, a football game, a mosque, a church, a synagogue, the Trump administration, or the United Nations where everyone is fighting over an issue? There was always one among the many who spoke up, and suddenly, everyone was at ease with the solution. That is what Allah or Krishna meant—a peacemaker to every group because God loves us and wants us to live in harmony. Harmony is the ultimate will of God.

Why Is Interfaith Dialogue Necessary?

Let’s face the facts. There are a handful of rabbis, imams, pastors, pundits, gyanis, shamans, and clergies who are downright honest about others’ faiths. These men and women can play a significant role in bringing people together toward the idea of one nation for everyone to live their lives securely.

There are religious bigots in the garb of clergy who make an ass of you by denigrating others’ religions. What do they know about the others? If you get a chance to visit the First Baptist Church of Dallas, listen to Pastor Robert Jeffress. He condemns Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Mormonism, and just about every faith. He said, “Islam is a false religion preached by a false prophet.” He was greeted by nonstop applause and a standing ovation.

The problem is not the religion but his congregation who gave a standing ovation, encouraging evil speeches.

Baptists don’t do that; the individuals do that. For every lousy apple Baptist preacher, there are thousands of great Baptist preachers. There is Bob Roberts, George Mason, Rick Love, Jim Eaton, Richard Cizik, Sel Harris, Paul Murray, and thousands of others who preach tough love.

Indeed, I have dedicated the section “Islamic Value No. 12: Civil Dialogue” to Bob Roberts and Ambassador Sam Brownback. One of these days, I will devote a chapter to each of my friends in the interfaith world.

How often do you hear an evangelical pastor present Mormon faith to his congregants as a Mormon deacon would present?

How often do you hear a reformed rabbi present Orthodox Judaism in a positive light?

How often do you hear a Sunni imam talk positively about a Shia or vice versa?

How often do you hear Hindus uplift Hindus from lower castes?

Not often. Even if they fake it for public consumption, they always come up with a butt but. The story is the same with people of all faiths. That is downright dishonesty.

A religious person should never put down other faiths. If they do, watch them out. Either they are bigoted, or they have zero knowledge about others, or they just don’t follow their religion.

This is the reason an honest dialogue is necessary among faith leaders. Religion is designed to bring sanity to people, to restore righteousness among people, and not to make them arrogant that they are the best. Who cares?

Dialogue is necessary to understand that the Christian god, Muslim god, Hindu god, and the Jewish god fought with one another in a bloody battle and one of them won the battle. The winner did not kill other people’s God; he took them all and became one.

The final god is a good god. He is neither your property nor mine. He does not make a deal with you behind my back. Why would I want a sneaky god like that?

What purpose does it serve to know the other?

When we live as neighbors, fellow workers, students, players, activists, and inhabitants of the same city, it behooves us to learn about one another’s beliefs, motivations, moments of celebrations, devotions, or commemorations. The more we know about the other, the less mythical they would become, creating a friendly environment for all of us to function efficiently in whatever we do. Knowledge leads to understanding and understanding to acceptance of the otherness of others, leading us into tension free and sustainable prosperity.

In the early part of the second decade 2010, I was writing at Dallas Morning News in the “Texas Faith” column. That was the time I was on TV on Fox News about the Ground Zero Mosque. I am thankful to several fellow writer-pastors in Dallas for writing their opinions in support of the mosque.

In June 2011, the city of San Francisco and Santa Monica put a referendum to the public to ban circumcision. I wrote an op-ed at the Huffington Post, followed by several rabbis urging the people to withdraw it, and finally, they did.

In the same year, Russia showed the bigotry toward Hinduism and had banned the Bhagavad Gita. I was one of the thousands of people that appealed, and my friends heeded my call and flooded the Russian embassy. They withdrew the ban.

In 2009 in Indonesia, a fanatic crowd burned a Christian church on the day of Muharram. We made the appeal, and donations were sent to rebuild the church. Many Muslims participated in the donations, and the Jakarta Post highlighted the petition in their paper.

If we stand up for one another, all of us will live in peace. By the way, that will be my next book—Standing Up for Others.

The sparks of conflict between Jews and Christians lie dormant and takes the ugly form of anti-Semitism and flares up every now and them. It will not go away unless they accept that Jews did not kill Jesus but that was the practice of the time to execute a dissenter.

The deeply rooted ill will for Muslims among Jews is frequently cashed by Netanyahu for his political gains. Prophet Muhammad is accused of watching the beheading of approximately seven hundred Banu Qurayza Jews after the war of the trench in Medina. The under-the-radar resentment will not go away until Muslims clearly prove and say that Muhammad did not kill Jews but that the killing was ordered as a punishment for betrayal by the Jewish tradition. Madinah had adopted a constitution where Jews, Christians, and others were governed by their own religious laws.

In the sanctuaries of most of the churches around the world are the reverberating sound “Islam is a false religion.” This is a statement made by a Christian pastor in Syria in the ninth century to keep his flock from losing to Islam. He saw that Jesus was described as a prophet by Islam instead of the son of God, and to him, that was a lie.

The Hindus have been forcibly converted by Christians and Muslims in the past, and even now, you hear about harvesting the souls in their annual conventions. It is disgusting to listen to that from the men who represent the teachings of love from Jesus or Muhammad who was a mercy to mankind.

We have to face these issues squarely. Most of the interfaith dialogues are primary in nature, built on fellowship. It is time to deal with the tough questions. I have written to Pope Francis, my imam and my hero, to deal with these issues or assign me the responsibility to take this up and work on putting these conflicts behind and focus on poverty, education, pluralism, and prosperity—the real battles of the world. Today he is one of the rare God’s men who are like God, embracing all and rejecting none.

It takes away the ill will and fears you have of others so you can live your life and others can live theirs.

You are welcome to plug in Mike Ghouse with name of any religion or any festival, and you will find the info on the net or visit www.CenterforPluralism.com and even www.WorldMuslimCongress.org.
If we can learn to respect the otherness of others and accept the God-given uniqueness of each one of us, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge.

Intrafaith

Islam is about decimating arrogance, the root cause of all evil. Islam is about humility and equality. It has many built-in features to knock out any idea of superiority of one over the other. Pluralism is deeply rooted in Islam.

When he said in his last sermon as his previous advice to humans, he said, “No Arab is superior to the other. No white man is excellent to the other or vice versa. Treat all humans with dignity and respect.” It is a statement to decimate arrogance.

Do Muslims follow this?

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) had mentioned that his followers would eventually form themselves into seventy-two groups. Please note that the number seventy-two is a metaphorical number, meaning many or even infinite. Then he suggested that everyone should race to do good things. A good deed is something you do for others without any benefit to yourself, such as planting a tree, knowing fully well that when that plant becomes a huge tree and bears fruit or shadow, you will not be the beneficiary.

However, like all humans, Muslims fall for arrogance. Other groups have to be wrong for them to be right. They have misinterpreted the idea of “all should compete in doing good” to mean only one of them is right and others are wrong. How un-Islamic! When a teacher asks her students to do well in the class, she wants all to do well; she wants everyone to score a hundred. But as it happens, different scores are achieved by each person. I am sure a few will fail, but most will pass. That is what the Prophet’s wisdom is about.

The ultimate achievement of religion, any religion for that matter, is to restore balance within one’s soul, heart, and mind.

Denominations

Like all other human endeavors and religions, Islam has many denominations or unique groupings among Muslims. What we need to do is respect God’s wisdom and be respectful of the otherness of others. After all, only God has the authority to judge what is in one’s hearts and not us. Neither are we accountable for others’ actions, except stopping wrongdoing to fellow beings. There is no Muslim who does not recite this sentence, a part of the very first chapter of the Quran, “مَـالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّين.” Islam is about justness, fairness, dignity, and equality of all of God’s creation.

A Muslim is someone who accepts God, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and the Quran as guidance, and anyone who calls themselves a Muslim is a Muslim. Only God knows what is in one’s heart, and no one has a right to declare the other anything less. If they do, they are committing the gravest of sins called shirk, that is, diluting God’s domain of decision-making and speaking on behalf of God.

After the death of the Prophet, a political struggle began for the leadership of the state. Apparently, as it happens today, it happened then.

Abu Bakr Siddique (RA) and Hazrat Ali (RA) were competing. The consensus was to go with Abu Bakr Siddique, and he was elected to be the first caliph, the leader. The supporters of Hazrat Ali were disappointed. Then after the death of Abu Bakr Siddique, Hazrat Umar was elected; then again, Uthman won. Finally, Ali was chosen as the fourth caliph. By then, his supporters had grown into a faction of their own.

Theologically, Hazrat Ali should have been the first caliph as he was the first one to believe the message of the Prophet and perhaps the most knowledgeable about Islam as taught by the prophet. Politically, Abu Bakr Siddique had more clout to bring coherence to the chaos of the day.

Over a period, the chasm between the two groups grew to the point of creating secondary books to justify each position. The unwise men kept piling on the differences rather than reconciling them.

Yet another, the new movement came in to being in the late nineteenth century, headed by Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. Almost all Muslims believe that Jesus will come back to the world to restore righteousness and harmony. The great teacher Mirza Ghulam Ahmad felt that he was the promised messiah.

I am disappointed in my fellow Muslims for hating and denigrating one another. An evangelical pastor told me once, “It is easy to keep the Muslims fighting.” He said, “They fight like dogs when you throw the bones of religious difference at them as if that were the only thing worth fighting for.” I have seen relentless attacks by both the Sunnis and Shias against Ahmadiyya Muslims.

For the first time in the history of the United States, if not the world, in 2013, we held a conference bringing Sunni, Shia, and Ahmadiyya Muslims together. It was organized by the Boniuk Institute at Rice University in Houston. A two-hour video of the conference is at the Rice University archives and the World Muslim Congress archives, thanks to Mr. Boniuk and Mike Pardee for organizing and letting me moderate this tough topic.

Check the video at www.MuslimSpeaker.com and https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=TNGfBUXGm4I.

The second time the Ahmadiyya, Sunni, and Shia Muslims came together was when the Center for Pluralism held a peaceful interfaith event on the eve of the Quran-burning incident in Melbourne, Florida. A part of the program was to pray two units of Muslim prayers, and typically, they don’t pray together as they do not accept anyone to lead the prayer as an imam. Fortunately, I did not have any bias toward anyone, and they all agreed to pray in the prayers I led.

The third time around was in Dallas, Texas. We celebrated Prophet Muhammad’s birthday through poetry recitation called mushaira. Each denomination of Muslims—including Ahmadiyya, Bohra, Ismaili, Shia, Sufi, Sunni—W. D. Muhammad sang in praise of Prophet Muhammad, along with Jain, Hindu, and Sikh reciters.

I chose to become a Muslim and follow the Islam that the Prophet taught. No denomination for me. Thank God for giving me the heart of a Muslim with prejudice toward none! The Prophet will not recognize anyone if they claim that they are Sunni, Shia, or Ahmadi. He will ask, “What is that?”

No one is wrong. The Sunnis, Shias, Ahmadis, and their many subgroups were given to believe in certain things. That is how each one is raised. You cannot ask anyone to feel otherwise or compel them to think otherwise.

All religions are like amoeba, a single-celled organism, that splits and keeps splitting. It has happened with every faith, except new faiths, who will eventually find division as their numbers grow. Islam is no different. It is all about human nature, and human life is to differ from the other, so it is natural for the growing community to split.

Like all creation, every human seeks their own balance; there will always be a continuous struggle among guilt, repentance, recognition, restoration, and redemption.

Four Distinct Groups: Sunni, Shia, Ahmadiyya, and the Nation of Islam

Most other denominations you hear are subgroups of Sunni and Shia.

The Sunni group has many subdenominations as it is with Protestant Christianity or Hinduism, while Shia has a few groups within.

Sunni mainstream, Deobandi, Barelvi, Ahle Sunnat, Ahl-i Hadith, Hanafi, Shafi‘i, Hanbali, Maliki, W. D. Muhammad, Sufis, and several others are part of the Sunni tradition created by men after the Prophet.

Shia Mainstream, Twelvers, Ismaili, Bohra, Alawis, and Others

The Ahmadiyya branch of Islam is relatively new, and even this group has split into Lahore and mainstream Ahmadiyya groups.

The message of the Quran is universal. According to the Quran, God Almighty rewards any righteous believer irrespective of the name of the religion.

In the name of GOD, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. (Quran 1:1)

This above verse is a dominant verse in all the 114 chapters of the Quran, and the very first verse in 113 sections, highlighting the most critical aspect of God over anything else.

The Shia and Sunni Muslims have ganged up on the Ahmadiyya Muslims, and shamefully, Pakistan’s constitution declares them as non-Muslims. Ironically, the whole purpose of Islam was to bring equality to mankind. There are controversies about the teachings of Ahmadiyya, which traditions do not have them.

In a hypothetical situation, if Muslims were to complain to Trump about discrimination in the United States, his policymakers can easily shame us. They can say, “Look, if you treat your minorities with dignity, we will treat you with dignity. If you justify your prejudice against them, we can do the same to you.” I did not expect American Muslims; of course, they are few in numbers who need to fix their attitudes. Islam is a free religion, but we have to show it with our beliefs and actions that it is.

What needs to be done is for Muslims to come together and declare that we are all Muslims, forming into seventy-two (or infinite) tribes. It would be shirk (dilution of God’s dominion) for any human to declare the other as less than Muslim. Together, we are made to serve humanity and care for God’s creation and not fight with them.

A shameful response from my fellow Muslims has belligerently come through when a step is taken. I have hoped the new generation of American Muslims rejects the stinky attitudes of some of their parents who poison them against the other.

The good news is our imams, a majority of them, have been a part of the interfaith movement and are free from such prejudices. Whenever I have asked them to pray for one another’s well-being, many of them have done it.

Roots of Pluralism in Islam

Say, “We believe in GOD, and in what was sent down to us, and in what was sent down to Abraham, Ismail, Isaac, Jacob, and the Patriarchs; and in what was given to Moses and Jesus, and all the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction among any of them. To Him alone we are submitters.” (Quran 2:136)

According to the Quran, all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.

We have honored the children of Adam, and provided them with rides on land and in the sea. We provided for them good provisions, and we gave them greater advantages than many of our creatures. (Quran 17:70)

Islam is also called a religion of fitra (of human nature). Human are unique with their own thumbprint, eye print, taste buds, religion bud, and DNA.

O, men! Behold, we have created you all out of a male and a female, and have made you into nations and tribes so that you might come to know one another. Verily, the noblest of you in the sight of God is the one who is most deeply conscious of Him. Behold, God is all-knowing, all-aware. (Muhammad Asad, Quran 49:13).

We believe in GOD, and in what was sent down to us, and in what was sent down to Abraham, Ismail, Isaac, Jacob, and the Patriarchs; and in what was given to Moses and Jesus, and all the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction among any of them. To Him alone we are submitters. (Quran 2:136)

Make no distinction between them. Accept their uniqueness of race, ethnicity, religion, and traditions. No one is superior.

Indeed, God has intentionally created each one of us to be unique and made us into many tribes, communities, nations, and of course, the Quran acknowledges different religions as well. With that uniqueness, he expects us to have conflicts among us but then offers guidance and says, “The best ones among you are those who learn about one another.” What happens when you understand one another? Conflicts fade and solutions emerge for living in harmony.

Is there a need to reconcile the differences? Not at all. There is no need to reconcile. It is human nature to divide themselves into ideas, religion, politics, cultures, and nations. Shia, Sunni, and Ahmadiyya divisions are natural. There is no need to compel anyone to believe otherwise. Islam forbids compulsion (Quran 2:256) against one’s will without ifs and buts, and I hope all of us get that message right.

However, there is a need to understand one another and accept their uniqueness.

Islam is not a private club owned by stockholders who decide who should be a member and who should not. Islam is a public religion, like a public park where all are welcome to enjoy being here or choose not to come. It is time for Muslims to respectfully accept each denomination as valid and believe in Allah’s wisdom expressed in the Quran in so many verses, particularly Quran 49:13, 109:6, and 2:256.

God wants all his creation to be free from fear and conflicts and wants everyone to achieve freedom. He wants everyone to be in harmony with oneself and with what surrounds them—life and environment.

Who Are Moderate Muslims?

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Who Are Moderate Muslims? is a chapter from the book American Muslim Agenda available at Amazon and Kindle

Every individual—regardless of their race, religion, nationality, affiliation, or gender—falls into three broad categories: conservative, moderate, and progressive.

Conservatives are those who hang on to their religious, social, and cultural values firmly and have difficulty in dealing with any advancement from that position. They are the backbone of society and hold things together. If it were not for them, chaos after chaos will have to be dealt with.

Progressives, on the other hand, are the engines for progress. They want to explore and get out of the caves and see the universe. They accommodate an individual’s linear movements out of the circle, and their comfort zone is much bigger and fills planet Earth. All the progress we have made in society, culture, religion, and politics is because of their drive.

Moderates live in the center of the spectrum. They are usually the spectators of the two extremes on the left and the right. They are the acceptors of change. They are the silent majority.

Conservatives are always afraid of others; a change is an anathema to them. They are insecure and will adopt any means from brutal force to conniving to feel their false sense of security (John Bolton, Dick Cheney, George Bush, and others). The ultraconservatives even refuse to see another point of view.

The ultraprogressives are comfortable experimenting with the changes and opening the new doors and stretching beyond their capacity. They are way too open to the conservatives.

Moderates get along with all. they see both points of view, and finally, they vote which way to go—the path laid out by the conservatives or the progressives. A majority of the population is moderate, even the center-leaning conservatives and progressives are more comfortable with moderation. Change is welcomed but in linear form (Lincoln, Kennedy, Bill Clinton, and Obama).

Moderation in Religion

The best way to understand moderation in religion is to study Buddha, the lead proponent of temperance. He was a prince and saw the luxuries life had to offer him, but he had difficulty in understanding death, suffering, poverty, and diseases. So he gave up everything and went to live on the streets, living off alms and begging for food. Once he understood (also known as nirvana or enlightenment) the purpose of life between the two extremes, he went on sharing his wisdom for people to adopt moderation to live a happier life—a life with least amount of conflicts.

Nine hundred years later, Muhammad was facing the same crisis—the division, discord, poverty, and suffering of people around him. So what did he do? He went to the cave each time and reflected on life, and like Buddha, he came to the same conclusions and recommended moderation in every aspect of life.

There is a story about a man who believed in worshipping God all day long. When the Prophet’s associates mentioned about him, he was more at the mosque than at home with his wife. The Prophet responded, “God does not want his prayers all day long, but just the prescribed prayers are enough. The man needs to be fair and only to his wife and spend time with her, like taking her to movies.” Just kidding.

Islam preaches moderation in every aspect of life. The prophet says you cannot go wrong following the usual path.

Now let me take a moment to reflect the attitudes of my Muslim friends, and you determine what it is. Whenever, I have listed my mentors as Jesus, Buddha, Muhammad, Gandhi, Mother Teresa, MLK, Pope Francis, Obama, and others; some of them had a problem with it. A few protested that I should not list Gandhi and Muhammad in the same line. They forget the teachings of the Quran that no one is superior to the other. All good men are on par; we may learn more from one than the other, but in the eyes of God, all are equal, and it is a moderate view (see section “Islamic Value No. 9: Equality and Gender Equality”).

Who Is a Moderate Muslim?

Our friends on the right—particularly among Jews, Christians, and Hindus—believe that a moderate Muslim is someone who has an ax to grind and who can join them in bashing Islam. This narrative suits them, but they are not dealing with moderate Muslims; they are dealing with the left whose voice does not reach out to the moderate majority but the left. The moderate Muslims merely laugh off at the extremism displayed by the right-leaning Jews, Christians, and Hindus. The same is good the other way around.

Moderate Muslims are like average Christians, Hindus, Jews, Sikhs, Baha’is, Jains, or others. Getting along with everyone, they have no problem with anyone, and they live their life and let others live theirs. Their focus is in taking care of themselves, their family, friends, and community. By nature, they are spectators; they watch the extremists fight with one another.

Moderate Muslims do not fall for temptations. The progressives do, and so are the conservatives. I fully understand them when I was on the show Hannity for about seven years. Wherever and whichever lion’s den I walk into, temptations lie in my path to bash Islam and go up on the fame ladder. It was easy to fall into the trap and become like Zuhdi Jasser, Tarek Fatah, Asra Nomani, or Raheel Raza. I am a moderate and will not be tempted by the left or the right; as a stable moderate, I would instead pull them to the center of the universe.

Moderate Muslims have no qualms in wishing you a merry Christmas, happy Hanukkah, happy Diwali, or whatever festival you celebrate. The same is right about the moderate Hindus, Christians, Jews, and others.

I teach the beautiful religious greetings of all religions and what they mean. It is breaking the ice among strangers, connecting and developing possible friendship. Twice, I was taken aback. In one of the gatherings, I mistook a man and greeted him with a Muslim greeting. He actively resisted and retorted, “I am not a Muslim.” A kid said “Happy Hanukkah” to another one in a subway in New York. He got beat up for that after the remark “I am not a Jew.” You will find these in all faiths. How would moderates respond? They see that the other person is wishing them well and positively responds back either with what they know or in the same religious tone.

The far-right conservatives among us scream out loud that Hinduism is in danger, Christianity is in danger, Islam is in danger, or Israel (Jews) is in danger. Does God want these salesmen to defend his religion? Is God’s religion so weak and defenseless? They are not protecting the faiths; they are trying to get you to open your checkbook. Read their articles be it Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, Christian, or others. They will frighten the crap out of a constipated man and then ask for donation.

The moderates try to mitigate conflicts, but they don’t stir up the base emotions for one to open the checkbook. I am sure, most of the peace organizations like ours, the Center for Pluralism, face the same situation. Who wants to pay for good things? We are conditioned to have an enemy, and whoever implants that in our mind, we support him or her.

The moderates among us don’t see the danger. We don’t need these conservative men to escalate and aggravate the conflict. We instead see them mitigate the conflicts and nurture goodwill.

Moderate Muslims will seldom say you will go to hell.

Moderate Muslims (or any moderate for that matter) don’t bring religion between you and them. Social life is comfortable with them; they mix and mingle. They will go to a bar with you, and while you drink alcohol, they will quietly drink water or soda and not make a production out of their religion.

I was in Mexico with Mary Ann Thompson’s organization Memnosyne Foundation for the grand opening of the medicine garden for the Maya Indians. The group stayed in an all-paid vacation resort. One evening, we want to the bar. They served unlimited free drinks. Mary Ann and I were the only two nondrinkers. She had a virgin margarita; so did I (nonalcoholic). We kept ordering, and everybody had a ball. We have a choice in life. I will not compromise friendships for a drink. There was no need for me to stay and sulk in the room while they were having fun. A moderate Muslim is a part of every aspect of society.

Moderate Muslims’ language is sensitive. They rarely believe that there is an enemy out there to get them. They see people as different from them.

Moderate Muslims are mainstream Muslims; they have no barriers between them and God’s creation. They are free from prejudice toward others.

Moderates of all faiths, including Muslims, will listen but will not produce and disseminate conspiracy theories.

If you invite them for dinner, they quietly eat what suits them, and you don’t have to be stressed out about what to cook for them. They appreciate it if you are conscious that Muslims don’t eat pork products.

Moderates don’t excite people. Their focus is on finding solutions and getting along. They don’t bash anyone.

Moderate Muslims quietly practice their faiths; take care of their children, family, education, neighbors, crime, and retirement. They also volunteer at civic organizations that serve all humanity.

They have an inherent sense of equality concerning men and women. Misogyny is not a part of them.

Moderate Muslims do not flaunt their religion at every opportunity.

They are not hell-bent on converting or missionizing others. They see other paths as equally valid. They will not engage in the upmanship battles either.

Moderate Muslim interactions would usually be personal. They are not enthused in selling their religion. They do not see any problem with others’ beliefs.

Almost all Moderate Muslims happily quote and believe in the following verses. They are the basis of free speech, free will, respect for the otherness of others, and inclusiveness—also known as pluralism:Unto you, your moral law, and unto me, mine. (Asad, Quran 109:6)

To you be your Way and to me mine. (Yusuf Ali, Quran 109:6)
Unto you your religion, and unto me my faith. (Pickthall, Quran 109:6)
You have your religion, and I have mine. (Wahidudin, Quran 109:6)
You have your own belief, and I have mine. (Safi Kaskas, Quran 109:6)

Note: The right-wing Muslims have gotten the uneasy interpretation. Please check the section “Islamic Value No. 12: Civil Dialogue.”

THERE SHALL BE no coercion in matters of faith. Distinct has now become the right way from [the idea of] error: hence, he who rejects the powers of evil and believes in God has indeed taken hold of a support most unfailing, which shall never give way: for God is all-hearing, all-knowing. (Muhammad Asad, Quran 2:256)

Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error: whoever rejects evil and believes in Allah hath grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold, that never breaks. And Allah heareth and knoweth all things. (Yusuf Ali, Quran 2:256)

There should be no compulsion in religion. Normal behavior stands out clearly from error; so, anyone who rejects the Arrogant ones and believes in God has grasped the Firmest Handle which will never break. God is Alert, Aware. (T. B. Irving, Quran 2:256)

O, men! Behold, we have created you all out of a male and a female, and have made you into nations and tribes so that you might come to know one another. Verily, the noblest of you in the sight of God is the one who is most deeply conscious of Him. Behold, God is all-knowing, all-aware. (Muhammad Asad, Quran 49:13)

O mankind! We created you from a single [pair] of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other [not that ye may despise each other]. Verily the most honored of you in the sight of Allah is [he who is] the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted [with all things]. (Yusuf Ali, Quran 49:13)

People, we created you from a male and a female and made you nations and tribes so that you may know one another. The best among you in the sight of God is the one who is most mindful of God. God is All-knowing and All-Aware. (Safi Kaskas, Quran 49:13)

As most moderate white, black, Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Sikh, Native Americans, pagans, Wicca, or Zoroastrian parents do, moderate Muslims will neither compel their children to observe religion nor throw fits if their kids marry outside their faiths. Personalizing faith is an American value.

Moderate Muslims are reasonably well integrated, and they don’t feel threatened that their religion is in danger.

The process of telling the American Muslim story has begun. It started with Sean Hannity of Fox News. He was the first one to bring a moderate mainstream Muslim on his show. Before that, Muslims were usually represented by bearded men wearing religious costumes. Let me clarify—the beard and hijab are not the determinants of one’s moderation or religiosity. They are cultural in nature and are a personal choice.

Gone are the days when you were not Muslim enough to speak about Islam if you did not wear the beard or hijab, did not throw in a ton of Arabic phrases, and did not wear some exotic sort of body-and-head covering associated with Islam.

Islam is not about ruling others or compelling others to believe against their will. The Quran is clear on that. No one bears the burdens of others, and no one is responsible for others’ actions. What Islam is, is free to believe as you will and the freedom to choose between right and wrong. And it is very much about taking responsibility for one’s words and actions.

These characteristics accurately describe the vast majority of mainstream American Muslims. They quietly practice their faith and don’t feel the need to make a show of their religion.

Islam is nothing but common sense, and moderate Muslims represent that.

Can a Muslim Woman Marry a Non-Muslim?

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Can a Muslim Woman Marry a Non-Muslim? is a chapter from the book American Muslim Agenda available at Amazon and Kindle

This chapter is merely an expression of what many American Muslims are thinking but are afraid to express. I am pleased to present some thoughts to reflect on. Ultimately, the decision to marry rests in the hearts and minds of the individuals marrying. It is their life, and it is God who puts love in their hearts for each other.

Some of us may not want to acknowledge it, but American Muslims have their own Islam that differs from others in other lands but precisely the same as what Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) practiced—a religion committed to building cohesive societies and caring for life and the environment.

Can a Muslim Woman Marry a Non-Muslim Man?

It is easy to stick to the traditions; on the one hand, we save the hassles and the agonizing process of thinking, doubting, and worrying about failed marriage or family. On the other side, the change is inevitable as evidenced by our eating, sleeping, communicating, housing, clothing, moving, romancing, and living habits that have changed steadily over one’s lifetime.

We have accepted the changes in all aspects of our lives over a period, and if it were not for the progressives, we would still be living in caves, and many of us would not have lived beyond fifty. We are doing what our grandparents could not have even imagined, and hopefully, we will prepare ourselves to accept what our grandchildren will do gracefully.

When God created the universe, the chief products were life and matter. He chose the thing to run precisely as he programmed it (Quran 55:5–11)—Earth is going around the sun with precision, the moon circumambulating around Earth, the change of seasons, and how a seed becomes food through a precise process. Jupiter, the moon, or the seed don’t make decisions (Quran 55:5); they act according to a well-defined program, and they don’t think, nor do they have a brain either (Quran 55:6) to work independently, except the built-in defense mechanisms.

Unlike matter, humans were not put on a trajectory; they were given the freedom to determine their equilibrium along with guidance. Remember, God did not compel Adam but gave him the choices and honored it. He could have stopped Adam from eating the fruit, but he did not. He probably told his angels, “Look, I gave them (Adam and Eve) a choice, and if I do not honor my word, who will?” Adam chose what suited him, and God decided to upload “freedom” into Adam’s DNA.

Indeed, the freedom to choose, freedom to believe, freedom to speak, and freedom to live his life with consequences for each action is an inalienable right of every human. You see that embedded in Quran 2:256—la ikraha fid-din (no one can force the other to believe against their will). This idea was beefed up again with another sage advice elsewhere in the Quran where God advised the Prophet to do his work and not worry if people would listen to him or not. God says, “Let me be the decider to put in their heart to listen to you or not.” It is purely because of the freedom clause God has incorporated into us. Islam is also called a deen of fitra, that is, human nature.

A few Muslims are conditioned to think in binary terms—halal or haram, zero and one, day and night, black and white—and they are comfortable with it. They need to stick to their belief if that works for them and let others go with what works for them. No one should be compelled to believe otherwise.

If God had said no to a Muslim woman marrying a non-Muslim man, it would have been told in the Quran; there is not even an inference. God does not make mistakes; instead, he empowers us to figure out our equilibrium.

This issue is not a religious issue but a cultural one and is common to all societies and groups. It is more of a man feeling he is superior to a woman and that he is entitled to her body, soul, and mind. That is not how the Quran communicates. No one is responsible for others’ deeds.

Entitlement is indeed a bad cultural value. The scholars were driven by the need of time and stamped their cultural understanding as religious values. Cultural values are time-sensitive, whereas religious values are immortal. Our needs are different today from the needs of times when Muslims decided on their own that a Muslim woman cannot marry a non-Muslim man.

It is time for Muslims to think and reflect instead of becoming judgmental. God would have made us into a piece of rock if he did not want to us to consider and make our own decisions.

Dr. Azizah Al-Hibri, a Muslim scholar, explains the idea of illah in her book An Introduction to Muslim Women’s rights that

Islamic law is usually based on an Illah—justification, and reason for an act. By agreement of scholars, when the Illah disappears, so must the law, unless there is another Illah for it. Much of our heritage of ijtihad, however, was formulated hundreds of years ago and has not been reexamined recently to determine whether ilal (plural of Illah) for the related laws are still in place. The latter observation is especially significant because systems of Islamic law have often incorporated customs of local communities within them, so long as such customs were not viewed as contradicting the Quran. This practice, incidentally, is part of the Quranic philosophy of celebrating, rather than obliterating or punishing diversity.

This principle of illah gets violated regularly. Here is an analogy to make the point. In the case of rape, witnesses are required to prove that the abuse happened. The emphasis here is on “proof,” and today the DNA test is the best proof one can get. In a fatwa given in 2016, the Pakistani ulema rejected the “proof” and insisted on witnesses. This is a classic case of getting stuck in rituals instead of understanding the essence of the ceremonies.

Moreover, the same illah for preventing a marriage of a Muslim woman to a non-Muslim man does not exist anymore in American life. We have to do our ijtihad (reasoning), and justification must exist to prevent such a union.

This chapter is for those who are about to enter into a conflict zone, and this piece gives them information to make their own thoughtful decision.

The Scope of This Chapter

The scope of this article is limited to interfaith marriages and Muslim women marrying non-Muslim men. The follow-up article will address who are the believers and why limit it to people of the book. Accountability is the illah here.

The question “Can a Muslim woman marry a non-Muslim man?” has been around for a long time, and the answer has always been an emphatic no. Guarding the flock is a human trait, and no tradition wants to lose a member of their culture to the other, whether you are a Hindu, Christian, Sikh, Jew, republican, democrat, libertarian, or new—indeed any tradition, for that matter. Muslims are no exception either, and there is no need to beat up on Islam for your comprehension deficiency.

I have dedicated twenty years of my life into learning and analyzing the role of religion in society. There isn’t a single religious group out there that allows interfaith marriages without hassle. The goodness and ugliness are universal.

The interfaith marriage problems that we see now may shortly not be an issue, and we have to deal with them now. The core belief in Islam remains the same, no matter which of the seventy-two denominations you belong to, but the cultural diversity ranges from group to group.

As a Muslim thinker, I have consciously chosen to remain within the bounds of Quran and explore the vastness and wisdom of God’s words.

The Intent

The sole intent of this essay is to shape and preserve the future of American Muslims in general and Muslim women in particular. Here is another effort to make their lives comfortable and in the fold by expanding the fold to be reflective of Allah’s “unlimitedness” (Aalameen) and extending Prophet Muhammad’s mercy to the entire universe (Aalameen). Aren’t Muslims supposed to have a universal vision to embrace the whole humanity with its God-given diversity?

Please don’t forget—you live in the land of the free and home of the brave, and America loves everyone. She has her own culture that each one of us has subconsciously embraced and has lived by her. The first generation and the subsequent generation of American Muslims are an integral part of America in every way.

A new American Muslim culture is evolving while the layers of dust accumulated on the tradition are peeling off, and along the way, Islam is being restored to what it was meant to be—a common-sense religion.

Dr. Azizah Al-Hibri writes on page 53 of her book,

The Quran states that God created humans, male and female, from the same nafs so that they may find tranquility, mercy, and affection for each other. The Quran also states that male and female believers are each other’s walis (protectors, Guardians). These themes permeate the Quran and make it very clear that there is no metaphysical, ontological, religious or ethical primacy for the male over the female. The Quran also makes it crystal clear that divine will contemplate a relationship of harmony, consultation, and cooperation, as opposed to conflicts and domination, between the two genders.

Accountability

One of the most enduring values of Islam is accountability. The Quran makes an individual acutely aware of one’s responsibility. “All people will reap the harvest of their deeds; no one will bear another’s burden. Ultimately, all of you will return to your Lord, and he will resolve your disputes” (Quran 6:163–164). Indeed, each one of us is responsible for our thoughts and actions.

Quran places equal emphasis on men and women. A woman cannot excuse herself on the Day of Judgment or day-to-day living. Men need to get this straight; a woman is fully empowered and responsible for her actions and not the men.

Prophet Muhammad was one of the first women’s liberators who restored their inalienable rights to them. He further beefed it up by advising women that if their husband commands them to do things against their will, they have the right to refuse and, if unbearable, the right to divorce. Such was the empowerment of women.

Interfaith Marriages

According to the Pew survey, nearly 40 percent of the marriages in the United States are interfaith marriages, including Muslims and Hindus. And among Jews, it is much higher; one out of two unions is outside their faith. The trend is gaining momentum and has no reason to stop or slow down.

For a long time, Muslim men married women of the book—that is, Jews, Christians, and Muslims—but the Muslim woman rarely married outside her faith. However, we are pushing boundaries further out to accommodate more inclusion of God’s creation. If that does not come through, the couple always has an option to marry outside the scope of their religious traditions with no consequences. Religious vigilantism has no place in America, nor will it ever gain ground. Islam is about freedom; it is in our ghutti (DNA).

Today with the God-given freedom, religious barriers are coming down. It may take two more generations for interfaith marriages to become a norm. Men and women become friends, fall in love with each other, and make their relationship to its ultimate—marriage. We cannot deny the fact that Bibi Khadija employed Muhammad (before he became prophet). She did not propose to marry him out of the blue; she knew him over a period and believed he would be the right partner. She did not send her parents to his parents either; it was one-on-one.

God has created all species in pairs and has made one for the other, and when that union takes place, harmony is restored. God is about balance, and marriage is a step to bring peace between two people, and some even consider it to be a form of worship.

And among His wonders is this: He creates for you mates out of your kind so that you might incline toward them, and He engenders love and tenderness between you: in this, behold, there are messages indeed for people who think! (Quran 30:21)

Legitimate Concerns

A few concerns are addressed here, and ultimately, the couple has to make their own decision.

Head of the household. The resistance to a Muslim woman marrying a non-Muslim man is based on cultural practices even though it has a religious tone to it. An assumption was made that because the man was the provider, he will direct which way the household runs and how children are raised. That is not the truth in America and perhaps in Canada and other democracies anymore. Women today are equal partners and frequently contribute more to the household than men.

Harmony. If the man and woman are from different races, religions, or regions, it will create problems for the couple. How would they raise their children? What religion would they follow? Will society look down upon them? How would they celebrate their festivities or bury their dead? How will they handle divorce and their children? It is still a problem with many societies but not in the United States and Canada; we have figured it out.

There is a load of wisdom in the Quran. The Prophet’s nurturer and uncle did not become a Muslim and died as a pagan. It is God’s design to set an example of learning to live and care for one another despite different religions. The Prophet married Maria and Safia, Christian and Jewish women, respectively, and he did not compel them to become Muslims either, but they did it on their own.

The questions are endless, but the answer is a powerful one, and that is accountability. In the traditional societies, parents rightfully feel responsible for guarding the happiness of their offspring, whereas parents in North America are learning to believe that their kids are independent and know what they want in their lives and will find their happiness. Ultimately, they have to live their own lives; you cannot babysit them forever. American Muslim parents trust their kids to do the right thing and let them run their own lives. Please note that this comparison is made with Muslims living elsewhere in the world.

There is one segment of single Muslim women that is reaching an enormous percent of all the single women. These women are in their late forties and fifties and are divorced and certainly not looking for a provider, nor do they entertain having children. They are merely looking to have a friend and a companion in their marriages and live their own lives. A friend of mine puts it crudely, “Look, no one in the family or workplace would ever question the rituals you follow on the toilet seat. Why should anyone question how one prays?” In a pluralistic society, religion is increasingly becoming personal in nature, applicable to the believers of that faith, just as it happened during the times of the Prophet with the Madinah treaty. To you is your religion and to me is my faith, and together, we can live in harmony.

Dr. Gail Saltz, a New York–based psychiatrist and the author of The Power of Different writes, “In every marriage, there are plenty of issues that can divide couples, from differing cultures and religions to their stance on children, money, and sex.”

Gwendolyn Seidman, associate professor of psychology at Albright College in Pennsylvania, adds that two individuals from different social strata will potentially face conflicts.

This could create conflicts where one partner thinks the other is not ambitious enough or one partner disapproves of the other’s scheming . . .So if one partner is conservative and the other is liberal, but neither is particularly politically active, this difference is less likely to be a problem than if both partners are strong partisans . . . An omnivore and a vegetarian can happily coexist if the omnivore is content to cut down on meat. . . . But if he needs meat at every meal, there is going to be a problem.

Seidman concludes, “The more alike you are, the less there is to fight about . . . But the good news is that as couples spend more and more time together, they start to become more similar, both because of their many shared experiences and because of deliberate efforts to get along.”

This is the reason Muslim parents (Hindu, Sikh, and Jain parents too) take charge of finding the “suitable” husband for their daughters. They want their daughters to be happy. However, the time has come now for you to trust your daughter to make her own decision; after all, it is her own life.

Divorces

A couple’s happiness is based on how they take care of themselves and each other. Lack of communication is one of the reasons for divorce, whether they are from the same religion or different religions or races. No one wants to hear this, but Islam, the doctrine of common sense, has made room for divorce, so the individuals can continue to live on with their lives with least misery. Acknowledging this fact may strengthen the relationships and become an antidote to divorces.

Remember, God does not prefer disharmony but would accept if the harmony of each is preserved by divorce. Balance is a mental attitude. If the couple has enough love, the issues become stepping-stones to figure out how to live with harmony. Dr. Abdul Hamid Abusulayman writes, “There is a clear distinction between doubts and problems. Doubts provoke obstruction, frustration, and discouragement, whereas problems inspire motivation, action, and diligence,” and solutions. To this, I will add, “Whatever you do in life, do it wholeheartedly. There is joy in it for everyone around including ourselves.”

Comfort Zone

Our comfort zone is directly proportional to the predictability of our environment; the greatest conformity produces maximum comfort, greater security, and minimal conflict. It is in this context that I am addressing the issue of a Muslim woman marrying a non-Muslim man.

On the face of it, it sounds like a discriminatory practice that a Muslim man can marry a non-Muslim woman, whereas a Muslim woman cannot do the same. It is not only discouraged but also declared to be wrong, and some have gone on to say that you are out of the pale of Islam and even against Islam.

This discriminatory practice is cultural and has worked in societies where women are economically and socially dependent and thus are subservient to men. However, our women—the American Muslim women—are neither financially nor culturally reliant on men, and nor should they be subservient to men. We are all created equal.

Any culture does not bind God. He sees it differently and says that a man and a woman are equally accountable for their actions; they are each other’s garments (protectors, friends, defenders, secret keepers); and the relationship is not that of subservience but that of partnership with responsibilities and duties to each other with full dignity.

A woman is as independent as a man is. Indeed, our women—the American Muslim women—live the life of Hazrat Khadija, the Prophet’s wife, who had her own business, her wealth, her own home, and her comfort zone. Our women are blessed to live the life of Hazrat Khadija, and we thank God for that. Shouldn’t that help us knock out our security concerns and comfort zone issues?

Quran on a Muslim Woman Marrying a Non-Muslim Man

There is no specific verse in the Quran that bans a woman from marrying a non-Muslim man. How can it be? Islam is a religion of common sense. God says we are created into many nations and tribes from the same single couple—Adam and Eve. Thus, we are all one large family of humans. Then he says, “The best ones among you are the ones who learn about the other, and when we do, conflicts fade and solutions emerge.”

No other couple follows God’s advice more than the interfaith and interracial couples. Their union is a declaration to the world, “Look we are different, but we can live in harmony. Why don’t you do the same?”

There are two layers to this issue—the people of the book (Jews and Christians) and, the other filter, the mushrikoon, those who do not believe in the oneness of God.

Sheikh Khaled Abou El Fadl, a scholar of Islam, writes,

This is the law as it exists or the legal legacy as we inherited it. In all honesty, I am not convinced that the evidence prohibiting Muslim women from marrying a Kitab is solid. Muslim jurists took a solid position on this matter—many of them going as far as saying if a Muslim woman marries a Kitabi she is as good as an apostate. I think, and God knows best, that this position is not reasonable and the evidence supporting it is not very strong. However, I must confess that in my humble opinion, I strongly sympathize with the jurists that argued that in non-Muslim countries it is reprehensible (makruh) for a Muslim to marry a non-Muslim.

I think that would be a political consideration in most other nations but not in America. What we have witnessed in January 2017 is incredible; the whole country stood up for Muslims, a teeny-weeny minority. We are the nation of laws, and our rules will guide us to be a just society with occasional digressions. As Americans Muslims, we have placed our trust in our constitution and will defend it with our lives if we have to. This is the best nation on Earth, and we have to preserve it for every one of us.

The fear of losing the members of the flock to others drove the jurist to make that call, which may not be valid anymore. In an article “Seven Things You Don’t Know about Interfaith Marriage,” author Naomi Schaefer Riley offers the following information: “Children of interfaith couples are more than twice as likely to adopt the faith of their mother as the faith of their father,” provided the mother follow a particular faith.

Two out of five Muslims marry someone from other faith. This seems to be a significant driver of the integration of American Muslims. Furthermore, she adds that this number increases to 67 percent for people in the age group of thirty-six and forty-five.

Despite the passing phase of political chaos now, the young Muslims believe Islam is not a divisive religion but an all-embracing religion of the Aalameen, and it accepts the otherness of others through God’s own words lakum dinakum waliaddin (to you is your faith as mine is to me). It is a mutual acknowledgment of the otherness of others. They believed in freedom and did not believe in pushing others to think into your way. The Quran calls la ikraha fid-din (there is no compulsion in matters of faith). Indeed, freedom of speech and freedom of religion are the values Islam cherishes. Remember, it is a common-sense faith.

Verses from the Quran

Do not marry women who associate [others with God], until they believe [in God]. A believing maidservant [amah] is better than a woman who associates [others with God], even if she allures you. Do not marry men who associate [others with God] until they believe [in God]. A believing male-servant is better than a man who associates [others with God], even if he allures you. (Quran 2:221)

The illah, or the cause of reason, for discouraging marriage between two different people is to prevent disharmony, considering several sociocultural and economic factors. Illah becomes discretionary here as the couple is determined to live in harmony and not let the other elements affect their relationship.

Quran 5:5 expressly allows a Muslim man to marry any believing woman, regardless of religion. No argument about it. The poem, however, remains silent about whether a Muslim woman is free to marry a believing non-Muslim man as suggestive in Quran 2:221, which predates Quran 5:5 in the revelation calendar. Please look at this from an American cultural perspective, and American Islam is gaining its own identity.

The issue is that of compatibility.

When the Quran talks about believing women over polytheists (mushrikoon), a contrast is drawn to highlight the compatibility part of the relationship. God has created a mate for everyone, and he is happiest when that union lives in harmony. God is within us; he is closer to us than our jugular vein, meaning he is aware of what goes on with us. As our conscience, he reminds us to consider someone who is compatible over someone who is not. At one time in history, the mushrikoon and muminoon (Muslims) could not live with each other, but that is not the case today in America.

Likewise, compatibility is the critical factor in the verse to marry someone who is close to you (believing) than someone who is not (mushrikoon).

Furthermore, a strife existed between the tribes. The ones who believed in the prevalent customs hated the idea of accountability that Islam was talking about. Here, the issue of trust was in play, particularly when the phrase “charming, bewitching, allurements” were used. “Don’t be beguiled with charms” was the caveat.

Someone sent the following two paragraphs, and I cannot trace back, thanks to whomever it was.

This allusion to “slaves” (men and women) is quite indicative of the moral values that the Quranic Revelation tended to inculcate in people. On the one hand, the Quran showed ‘Tolerance’ toward the fact of slavery that was universally common at the time; on the other hand; it sought to break the first chains of social hierarchy by preferring these “poor” believing slaves to those wealthy people who formed the elite then.” The relationship is suggested based on relatability.

Furthermore, the new believers needed to be protected from polytheists’ abuse who considered this new religion of Islam as a threat to their interests. The Quran urges Muslim men and women to get married to believers who had, like them, such faith awareness and were conscious of justice on earth. The purpose was to entirely avoid the marriage of Muslims to polytheists who made every effort to stand against a religion that was defending the most vulnerable people on earth.

Thus, the said verse stipulates that Muslim men and women be allowed to contract marriage with believers and prohibited to marry polytheists. Here, the Quran takes an egalitarian approach in addressing both men and women on an equal basis.

The “proof” item in case of rape over “witnesses” can be applied here as well. We need to understand the essence of God’s wisdom rather than the words as words expand and shrink in meaning.

The rejection of polytheist has to do more with the specific people who are harassing and making the lives of Muslims difficult than polytheists in general. That is not the case anymore. Everyone is a believer, whether you are a pagan, Hindu, Wicca, or Buddhist; you do believe in accountability of your actions, and that is the key to nurturing harmony in the world, which is an Islamic value. The Sikhs, Baha’is, and a few others are indeed the people of the book and the so-called monotheists that need to be included. Even the people without papers are accountable and responsible. That is how the society works now. I always welcome the cautions in our holy books. Creating a better world is our duty.

Disappointments

It is disappointing to the potential brides and grooms that their clergy or parent invariably insists on the other person to convert to their faith tradition. Some do, some fake it, and some are not comfortable with the idea at all.

When a couple is deeply committed to marrying, they go ahead and get married but sorely miss out on the ceremony. Over the years, I have seen too many couples miss out on the joy of that additional sense of completeness that comes with a religious service. Marriage is between two individuals, and their families and friends ought to be supporters and cheerleaders to celebrate and complete their joy.

God Bless the Interfaith and Interracial Couples

Despite their religious, racial, or cultural differences, they are setting the new standards of civility by showing the world how to live in harmony. We have to cherish and honor the couples who embrace genuine humanity by accepting each other’s uniqueness.

When people are showing extreme intolerance toward each other, the interfaith and interracial couples are showing the way to live in harmony and are contributing to the idea of one nation. They are indeed exemplary patriotic Americans.

You are who you are, and I am who I am. Let’s acknowledge that and live in peace. As long as we don’t mess with one another’s space, sustenance, and nurturance and respect one another’s uniqueness, we all will do well. If we can learn to recognize the otherness of others and accept the God-given uniqueness of each one of the seven billion of us, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge.

As a society, the least we can do is acknowledge them for their contributions toward the idea of one nation that is America. God bless them!

Dealing with Conservatives

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Dealing with Conservatives is a chapter from the book American Muslim Agenda available at Amazon and Kindle

Muslims in the public square have a problem dealing with self-proclaimed conservatives among republicans. Both sides don’t believe in dialogue or even seeing each other’s point of view.

When the republicans talk nonsense, like “We don’t want to talk with the extremists,” Muslims laugh at them for their ignorance, yet they refuse to speak with the republicans.

There were some Muslim-organized events I was connected with; no one wanted to invite the republicans to their activities. They did not want to hear them. That is pathetic, and that needs to change.

An executive director of one of the Muslim organizations called me once and cursed out for going on the show Hannity, but he called me right back and made up and concluded we did not have this conversation.

Several others have written articles about me in a derogatory manner for going on Fox News.

Both sides need to tone down their rhetoric and listen to the sage advice of Mother Teresa, “If you want to make peace with your enemies, go talk with them.” Yes, gossiping over dinner among friends will not change anything. Getting out and talking with them does change.

Muslims ought to believe in the wisdom of the Quran. “To overcome evil with good is good, and to resist evil by evil is evil” (Quran 41:34). It is also strongly urged in the Quran in the same verse, “Good and evil deeds are not equal. Repel evil with what is better; then you will see that one who was once your enemy has become your dearest friend,” and then again in Quran 49:13 that says that the best among you are those who learn about one another. When we know one another, conflicts fade and solutions emerge.

I was on Hannity’s TV show 110 times and about 150 times on his nationally syndicated radio show. It was humiliating in the beginning, but after he knew me, he gave me the time. And many times, he gave me the last word.

The best came when he quit bashing the Quran. I gave him Muhammad Asad’s translation and explained to him the gross mistranslation of two other interpretations. He understood it and had not bashed on Quran since. If he messes up, I will have to go see him again.

Hannity was also was effective in changing Congressman Peter King’s attitude toward Muslims. King, who was hell-bent on wiretapping all Muslims, turned 180 degrees around and said to the CNN camera after the Boston Marathon bombing, “Ninety-six percent of Muslims are fine with me. I am concerned with the 4 percent.” Thank God and thank Hannity for such a flip.

You can hear the full story about the transition on YouTube under the title “Dr. Mike Ghouse on the Power of Engagement with Fox News.” That was my speech at the plenary session at the Aligarh Muslim University.

As Muslims hold a negative view of republicans, republicans mirror the same. Neither one has taken the time to understand each other. Muslims are as hard-nosed in talking with the republicans as they are.

Not the moderate Muslims, but Muslims in public square kept me at bay. The screen came off one evening when I spoke to one such group of Muslims in May 2015.

After I gave a talk about the power of engagement and shared the story of the dialogue between Sean Hannity, I said to the group that I was not a republican anymore. When I finished my talk, I was utterly taken aback for the hugs and praises lavished on me for not being a republican.

Being on Fox News made me an outcast among Muslims; a majority of them had not seen any shows but merely associated my name with Hannity. Once, Hannity asked me on a live show if Muslims hated him. My response was “not those who have understood your distinction between radicals and the moderates.”

Every place I speak, I urge Muslims to reach out to the republicans. We are all in this together. Once they see a different Muslim in you than what has been posted on their minds, they will open up to you.

A vast majority of them, like us, have heard things about others from friends, news, social media, or our knowledge of others and instantly form opinions about others. As responsible individuals, we must strive to strip stereotyping and build pathways to ensure the smooth functioning of our society, whether it is our workplace or our neighborhoods.

We need to reassure one another, particularly the disconnected ones, that together as Americans, we are committed to safeguarding the American way of life. No American needs to worry about losing their way of life. Together as Americans, we uphold, protect, defend, and celebrate the values enshrined in our constitution—a guarantor of the way of life each one of us wants to lead.

Thanks to Dalia Mogahed

In September 2015 or at the beginning of October 2015, CAIR had called a meeting to discuss the issue of the impending global rally in front of twenty mosques and community centers across America. These were the gun-toting men planning to demonstrate, and there was an element of hostility in it.

Congressman Keith Ellison had chaired the meeting, and as he was about to conclude the group’s decision to lock the mosques and stay home, I spoke.

We have seen African Americans, Baptists, Catholics, Jews, Mormons, Irish, and Italian Americans go through painful transitions of acceptance as equals; Muslim-Americans and Latino immigrants are experiencing similar shifts now.

Although every community mentioned above has endured a long transition period, Muslim Americans may have a chance to shortcut the duration by taking a proactive stand on October 10.

This may be a God-given opportunity to mend fences and come together as Americans. While it may be tempting, as American Muslims, we should avoid viewing anybody as our enemy out to get us. While asserting our rights as American citizens, we will be well served by acknowledging that many a citizen have questions about our faith and our books.

As fellow Americans, we should boldly address these questions and allay their fears. We have to come together as Americans and solve our problems together. Inaction, isolation, retraction, or hiding behind walls is not an option for us; it merely prolongs the transition process and may inadvertently serve to intensify the sense of distrust that exists among a few.

They will march with their guns and expect hostility. They have a wrong image about Muslims. This is a God-given opportunity for us to change their perception. When they come here, let’s set up tables and provide them water bottles, even serve hot dogs, wave the American flags, hoist a flag at the entrance, and welcome them. That should flip them, may be skeptical, but they will figure out that Muslims are not what they are told to believe but [are] very kind and hospitable people.

There was dead silence for nearly ten seconds.

It appeared as if I were talking to walls. The dead silence was broken by Dalia Mogahed. She spoke in support of engagement, Congressman Ellison agreed, and the decision was made not to close the mosques.

We sent a press release, and thank God, the group canceled the demonstrations in most places, except in Arizona where they were welcomed and they flipped.

Recommended Actions for Muslims

  • Let every masjid (mosque) that our friends want to demonstrate around operate normally. No need to stay home.
  • Every masjid should fly the American flag.
  • Let every masjid provide water for the visitors in front of the building through vendors, and if funds are available, serve kosher hot dogs.
  • Muslim women and youth should hold placards or banners that carry messages such as the following:
  • We welcome our friends, fellow Americans.
  • Join us in an interfaith prayer led by a pastor, rabbi, imam, or a priest.
  • We are Americans. This is our home.
  • We abide by our American laws.
  • We believe in the US constitution.
  • Safety of all Americans is our prime goal.
  • We are all Americans. Let’s join hands.

Note: The opinion is the author’s own and does not reflect or represent the views of any organization other than America Together Foundation.

Related

Over the years, I have faced off, dealt with, or responded to the following: Robert Spencer, David Horowitz, Brigitte Gabriel, Pamela Geller, Geert Wilders, Noni Darwish, Bill Cunningham, Jamie Glazov, Katie Pavlich, Frank Gaffney, Zuhdi Jasser, Glenn Beck, and a few others on the show Hannity and Hannity Radio. I hope to share those insights in my next book.

Former Muslims such as Wafa Sultan, Noni Darwish, Ayan Hirsi Ali, and Walid Shoebat and Muslims such as Tarek Fatah and Asra Nomani have chosen to take it out on Islam for the bad experiences they have had in their lives. They should blame the individuals who mistreated them and not the religion.

If you had a bad life as a child, you could blame the father or the relative but not their religion. A few among Catholics, Hindus, Muslims, Jews, atheists, and others are individual abusers even though their religion teaches them otherwise.

When Brigitte Gabriel’s, Robert Spencer’s, or Hannity’s quotes seem senseless, they are not illogical, and they are not cooking up; they find that nonsense in the secondary books of Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn Kathir, Hassan Banna, Maududi, and their likes.

Anjem Choudary

The other day, Mehdi Hasan of the Oxford Debates and Al-Jazeera fame casually mentioned that he declined to speak at a Muslim event as he was trying to avoid being stereotyped then regretted that decision as the speaker they got was an extremist.

I have a similar regret for not taking up the assignment to speak in favor of the Brotherhood when Morsi was elected to lead in Egypt. Sean Hannity asked if there was at least one thing I could talk positively about the Brotherhood; I had none, and I despised the Brotherhood for making Islam a political ideology. I said that no sane American Muslim would speak in favor of the Brotherhood, so they found Anjem Choudary in London, the creep who wanted to raise a Muslim flag on the White House. I wish I had said something positive to say about Brotherhood, and Anjem Choudary would not have been on American TV.

Reluctant Muslims

In 2007, Dr. Imam Yusuf Kavakci was sought to sign on a declaration that apostasy was not Islamic as a part of the initiative of Dr. Mohammad Omar Farooq. Our goal was to get one hundred signatures from the imams of America to put this indecisiveness and confusion behind. He agreed but deferred it to a name by another scholar Jamal Badawi. When Dr. Badawi signed, Dr. Kavakci chose to refrain because of pressures from the stick in the muds at the mosque.

We need to reach out and have a dialogue with the ones who are apparently opposed to us. Apostasy is wrong; most imams agree that it goes against the very grain of Islam, but they are not willing to announce it publicly. This has got to change.

Muslim leaders need to lead and not pander to the funders. One head of a Muslim organization told me, “As long as I am president of the organization, you will not do a program on sharia, let alone talk about it.” No discussion was allowed, shutting the other board members from even talking about it. The chapter “American Muslim Agenda” has the full section on Muslim leadership.

American Muslims don’t need and don’t want the public sharia in America. The public sharia involves a third-party administrator to serve justice among conflicting parties. However, let it be clear that the personal sharia is practiced by Muslims, including me. That is the how I pray, fast, eat, dress, marry, and bury the dead. It is between, and I would not allow anyone to mess with it.

No Caliphate

Caliphate is another fear some of our conservative Americans friends are worried about. They associate caliphate with Baghdadi and the havoc he unleashed on the civilian populations. American Muslims believe in democracy, and indeed, more than 60 percent of Muslims live and thrive in democracies. They have no taste for caliphate, which is another form of dictatorship. Islam is not about governance and oppression; it is about living your life and letting others live theirs.

American Muslims are Deeply Committed to America

All people who seek freedom and who love freedom love America. We owe it to fellow Americans and continuously assure them that they need not fear about Muslims or sharia. As Americans, we uphold, protect, defend, and celebrate the values enshrined in our constitution. Our faith reinforces the idea of one nation with liberty and justice for all.

Muslims are deeply committed to America, the land of the brave and the free, with liberty and justice for all.

Pushing Back on Tarek Fatah

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Pushing Back on Tarek Fatah is a chapter from the book American Muslim Agenda available at Amazon and Kindle

It is one of the many events or incidents of pushing back on the people who misrepresent religion—politics of culture. Over the years, we have responded to many of them, including Robert Spencer, Wafa Sultan, Noni Darwish, Walid Shoebat, and Ibn Sina. Many have taken a hike when logic, reason, and common sense become the denominator.

Wednesday, May 9, 2018, Washington DC, the Middle East Forum (MEF) headed by Dr. Daniel Pipes held a “Countering Muslim Advocacy Day” in response to US Council of Muslim Organization’s (USCOMO) “Muslim Advocacy Day.” It was held at conference room 200 on the house side of Capitol Hill.

I make it a point to attend events by the extreme right and left along with the moderate ones. Unless we know all sides of the issue, our opinion will be partial. As usual, I have had some awkward moments with the lies propagated and sad moments of watching spineless Muslims.

The panel included Daniel Pipes, Cynthia Farhat, Sam Westrop, and Tarek Fatah. They released a report titled “Islamists with Direct Ties to Terrorists Lobby Congress.”

Confrontation

They opened the program with a proper preface, announcing that the event was not anti-Muslim but anti-Islamist. Indeed, all of us need to understand the difference between the extremist political ideologies in each faith group and the faith itself; they are two different things.

A few Muslims from USCOMO have said dumb things, and they are all in the report. I did not verify the integrity of those statements, but they are welcome to correct it. USCOMO members are CAIR, ICNA, MANA, MSA, MLFA, MUNA, AMP, and the mosque cures. I fought with World Net for nearly a decade about their accusations against a CAIR executive in 1999 who had said that when they had the power, they would impose sharia. Of course, I challenged World Net to produce documents, and they never did.

The kind of sharia that is practiced is not coming to America; no Muslim woman would want to give up her share of the property upon the death of her husband or vice versa. Unless there is a will, the surviving spouse will own the full feature. No American Muslim, father or mother, would want their daughter or son to be hurt because they have a child out of wedlock or they are gay or lesbian. It does not happen in fifty-two out of fifty-six Muslim majority nations, and it will never happen in America either. American Muslims are free and brave people and know that if it is not common sense, then it is not Islam.

Tarek Fatah

During Tarek Fatah’s presentation, he said that Muslims curse Jews and Christians in every prayer five times a day and recited “Surah Al-Fatiha” in Arabic as if the audience were dumb idiots, a few maybe, but most people were intelligent. Then he pointed his finger at me and said, “Mohamed, no, you like to be called Mike. Okay, Mike Mohamed, would you join me in condemning those words in prayers?” You know the pettiness in that statement; I am used to it. It is for men like him I wrote an article “My Name Is Mike Ghouse.”

He wanted to pick a fight with me. He recited “Surah Al-Fatiha” (the first chapter of the Quran) again, and I knew where he was going with it. Usually, no one would speak during a presentation, but he dragged me with a question, pointing his finger at me. That was a mistake he made, and I gave it back to him.

I said, “Tarek, you are full of hot air. You are dead wrong on the prayers. Muslims do not curse Jews and Christians in their prayers. It is not in the Quran, and it is not a part of Islam.” He repeated the last verse of “Surah Al-Fatiha,” and I shot right back at him, “That is a bloody mistranslation,” and reiterated that the translation he was referring to was “as worse as his lies.”

Tarek started shouting to drown my voice, and I appealed to Daniel Pipes to share the translation of that verse. I knew he knew the right interpretation.

Daniel Pipes had to respond and translated the last verse again, and I applauded him and said he was right and asked him if the verse said anything about Christians or Jews. He acknowledged that it was not but said it was assumed to be “Jews and Christians.” That completely shut Fatah’s ass up, sorry—it was his mouth. Unfortunately, both are the same on his body; they release foul air.

Tarek’s presentation panders to the base instincts of people—those who relish belittling others. A few outrageous items are listed here. Most people let it pass, but those who cannot stand the falsities will speak up. Tarek Fatah will thrive well as long as he belittles Muslims and their way of life. There are shameless people out there who will give him a lift on that. He does not have facts; all he has is hot air. I encourage Muslims to take up the challenge with him; he will lose if we go by points.

He continued with his nonsense.

  • Muslims’ goal is the destruction of the world—totally false.
  • Muslims live for living for a hereafter—some truth in it.
  • He made fun of writing from right to left. That joke goes well in India, but the man did not realize Hebrew is written from right to left as well. Of the twenty-three people in the room, more than ten were Jewish, a few Muslims and Christians. The program was tight. If not, a Jewish person would have corrected him.
  • He said if a Muslim would not denounce jihad, he should be kicked out.
  • He said if a Muslim would not denounce polygamy, he should be kicked out.
  • He said that Muslims should not be allowed to speak with the congresspersons or the senators. Same was told by Cynthia. In that controlled event, I could not say, “Tarek and Cynthia, since you don’t believe in the American value of free speech, you must be kicked out as well.” I did not because I think free speech is an inalienable right of every individual. Thankfully, neither Pipes nor the British guy attacked free speech.

All the three—Tarek, Sam, and Cynthia—were criticizing congresspersons and senators for meeting American citizens. Every elected representative is duty bound to meet all his constituents without prejudice.

They did not spare the republicans for listening to “those friends of brotherhood” and showed a clear bias toward democrats.

Of course, they were blaming the press.

Tarek ought to be a stand-up comedian; he turned situations into comedy superbly well. He got several laughs out of the audience. Pakistan must have done something to him; he was so hostile toward that country.

I was proud of the Jewish audience in a Los Angeles synagogue. When Wafa Sultan, another Islam basher, started lying about Muslims, the audience not only spoke up but also walked out on her. They did not want to hear her, and they were not gullible.

At the question and answer session, I was one of the first ones to raise my hand, and I kept rising for thirty minutes. Dr. Pipes was ignoring me, and I was determined to speak up. It was quite a battle. I was sitting in the second-row center, and they had taped the whole thing, and my hand should be prominent there. We’ll see if they will retain or cut my segment. However, I must give credit to Robert Spencer and his likes who have published my pieces word for word even though it went against them. I trust Pipes will respect free speech.

Finally, Mr. Pipes could not look around or beyond me. I was right in his face, and I said, “Dr. Pipes, your forum will be little more credible if you have a moderate Muslim on your panel so that the people can get a full picture rather than a partial, one-sided picture.” As a courtesy, he thanked me for the tip.

I continued, “Some of the information in the report is legitimate and am glad you brought this up, but a whole lot of it was full of hot air. The audience here should be embarrassed for laughing when Tarek Fatah ridiculed hijab and Muslim garb. Tomorrow, it would be kippahs and turbans. No one should condemn other people’s way of life.” Tarek interrupted and tried to defend, but I bulldozed him by reiterating his statement ridiculing hijabs.

Sam and Cynthia had decimated the Islamic Relief charity and claimed it was an operation of brotherhood. I didn’t buy that, and later, I talked with Pipes about it, and he took my information and said he would send the data.

I have defended CAIR on the show Hannity many times, but they need to attend these meetings and produce documents to the audience and get their slate cleaned once for all. ISNA did it.

Free speech is an American value and must be valued at all times. If there is a seminar or conference about Muslims and no Muslim is there, please try to go or send me there.