Mike GhouseComments Off on Zakir Naik, fact check failure
Accidentally, the following video of Zakir Naik popped on me while watching YouTube. https://youtu.be/XnLfuZCQ7pY
At 2:04 he says Czar Alexander II was assassinated in 1882 in a bullet proof car donated by Napoleon I of France.
I knew the first car was made in 1886, so I checked, there was no car in 1881, and bullet proof car did not come until 1972. Here are the dates Napoleon I (1799 -1804) and Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821).
This is perhaps my 3rd fact check on Zakir Naik. Either his researchers are wrong or he doesn’t check, regardless it is his responsibility.
Way back in 2010, pastor Robert Jeffress, a big evangelical name also bullshitted about purpose of life.
I expect the big names to tell the truth, wouldn’t you?
Mike GhouseComments Off on INDIA NEEDS RABBLE ROUSERS
The intellectual assessment by Rahul Gandhi is realistic, I like that, but it will not work at this time. We are fighting the mighty empire with Pitbulls unleashed, the false charges, fake encounters, threats to families, and those ugly tactics are in play to silence every Indian who speaks out.
What we need in India is rabble-rousers and great orators who can move the audience, who can shout slogans in unison, like, “Lock her up – Lock her up,” or “Modi Modi Modi.” But, better slogans like “Bharat Hamara hai,” “Azaadi,” and Government of the people by the people with malice towards none.
Intellectual discourse is meaningless in India now; we have gone beyond that point. Hitler did not believe in dialogue; Modi doesn’t either. The story is the same here in the United States. They have a Golden statue of Trump at the C-Pac Meeting, and Modi has mercilessly erased Sardar Patel’s name on the stadium and put his name on it. They all want to be the next Gods.
Rahul is right; only mass peaceful agitations can bring sanity, economic stability, and social coherence to India. The Shaheen Bagh and the Farmers protest are good examples of restoring democracy.
We need to rise and not take the abuse and lose all the rights to freedom. On my part, I will do my share of work, and I am not going to sit idle and do nothing; I will work with the Senate and Congress to get them to speak up.
India is our motherland and ally of our homeland, and it is in our interests to keep that relationship healthy.
Each of us wants India to be the great nation it was a decade ago, and we have to do our share of the work. We cannot let our motherland go down the tube.
Mike GhouseComments Off on **GHAZALA ON INDIAN MUSLIMS**
Ghazala Wahab has articulated the Indian Muslim experience precisely, and most of us can relate to it.
We lived on Main Street, the ‘only Muslim family’ (these phrases did not exist then), and we never felt any different; we were a part of a fully integrated society. I don’t recall any bias towards us; even the idea of discrimination did not exist then.
Like Trump has emboldened the divide, Modi has done precisely that. We have to change this, one person at a time.
We are all in this together. Let’s learn to acknowledge and know the difficulties each community faces.
What is the benefit of getting along?
It offers peace of mind, removes apprehensions, and frees one to fully connect with spouse, kids, mom, dad, siblings, friends, and community. If we are tense, we don’t give 100% of our pure attention to anyone or even provide 100% performance at work. Live and let live lends itself to improving the quality of our lives rather than battling with tensions.
Let’s do our share of work.
Let’s accept and respect the otherness of the other and work towards a cohesive Indian community here in the United States. Let the covid go, and we’ll start participating in each other’s festivities. Let the goodness begin here.
Center Mike Ghouse, Founder of Center for Pluralism, currently in need of kidney transplant
The 2020 Corona virus pandemic has created new realities in just about every facet of human life since its rapid onset roughly ten months. Community health efforts have had to adapt to these new and challenging realities in real time. A fact that remains is the ever increasing need for living donations.
The virus has not slowed the need for life saving donations, in fact in many cases it has amplified the challenge. Relatives, loved ones, friends and even individuals who wish to remain anonymous often serve as living donors to spare a patient a long and uncertain wait. In 2020, more than 5,700 transplants were made possible by living donors. *
“Increasing organ donation and transplantation is a notable achievement any year, but truly remarkable during the unprecedented health crisis facing our nation,” says Steve Miller, CEO at AOPO. The Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO) is the non-profit organization recognized as the national representative of the 57 federally designated Organ Procurement Organizations (OPOs) responsible for facilitating the organ, eye, and tissue donation process. AOPO leads the nation’s organ donation process through advocacy, education, and innovation.**
In spite of this optimistic news there remain people within our communities that need transplants. In many cases patients turn to a small number of friends and family members for help, or keep their illness a private matter with the hopes that they will be chosen for transplant through a donor registry. We believe that communities can do more.
Barriers to broader awareness include lack of familiarity with the donation/transplantation process, a lack of informed community health professionals and or Faith Leadership with the background and thorough understanding in this area to provide consultative guidance. We may or may not be surprised how many people we know who are in need of a life saving transplant. More importantly, are we encouraging our communities to discuss these matters more openly. We have provided the following information to better inform our readers of some of the basics regarding ‘Living Donations’.
How do I become a living donor?
1. Contact a transplant center
If you know a person you would like to help through living directed donation, talk to him or her and contact the transplant program where the person is listed. If you would like to be a living non-directed donor, contact a transplant center of your choice to find out if they have this type of donation program. Visit the OPTN Member Directory for a complete list of transplant centers. When you contact transplant center staff, they will typically ask for your consent to begin a basic medical screening. With your consent, the transplant center staff will ask you questions about your medical history to find out if you have any conditions that would keep you from being a donor.
2. Have an initial screening
This initial screening is typically followed by a blood test to see if you are compatible with the intended transplant candidate. If you are not compatible with that person, you may have other options to donate. These options include paired exchange, blood type incompatible donation or positive cross-match donation.
3. Get an independent donor advocate
Transplant centers are required to provide an independent donor advocate (IDA) or IDA team for all potential donors. Your IDA should not be part of the potential transplant recipient’s medical team. The IDA will assist you during the donation process.
Photographed is a good friend and colleague Mike Ghouse currently in need of a kidney transplant. Kindly share the video links with friends, family and your community to spread the word about the ongoing need. If you are aware of anyone interested in potentially giving the gift of life please email: KindneyforGhouse@gmail.com.
Mike GhouseComments Off on Daily Debates with myself – Ghouse
DAILY DEBATES WITH MYSELF
Ironically, I find my time meaningful whenever I am hurt; it allows me to seriously think about the issues. Last night I fell again, 2nd time in my life, and checked in and out of hospital this morning. No fracture, thank God. When I had the cardiac arrest in 2013, I wrote an extensive article called Michami Dukkadam – about seeking forgiveness and forgiving others. I tied most of the loose ends of my life at that time; it is a daily effort. If I were to croak today, I have no regrets; I will go in peace.
It’s overwhelming; every morning, I spend my time trying to think about solutions. How do we restore harmony among fellow Americans? Right or wrong, there are grievances. Will Trump speak to the Qanon people to lay down and join the mainstream to build a secure America for everyone? Will Joe Biden bring Americans together, or is it merely rhetoric?
I missed giving a presentation last night, “Fulfilling President Joe Biden’s Dream of Bringing Americans Together (Political Pluralism),” organized by the College of Complexes in Dallas. I am glad to see Tom Berry has rescheduled the meeting to February 20th. I am committed to bringing Americans Together (C) and hope to see an America where each one of us feels secure. It is an inclusive America.
Across the world, Christian persecutions continue in Nigeria, China, India, Pakistan, and other nations. Harassment of Hindus in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh is a daily affair. Muslims are on the verge of facing genocide in China, Burma, India, and Sri Lanka. Anti-Semitism has spread from Europe to Latin America.
My request to you is not to be biased against any group of people; it is a few individuals who drive the agenda; all others in that group are sheep. We have to reach them and have a dialogue.
At the Center for Pluralism, I continue to learn and strongly feel that Religions are never the problem; there are always a few people who don’t get their religion right, and they are the problem. They are raw men and women driven by the lust of power and greed to accumulate wealth.
If everyone follows their religion, the world would be free from conflicts. The criminals use religion to meet their greedy ends.
The people who are not persecuting others are Sikhs, Bahais, Jains, Falun Dafa, Mormons, Ahmadiyya, Zoroastrians, and other smaller groups. I wonder if they get the power and a nation to rule will they do the same to their minorities? The Mormons did oppose same-sex marriages, though.
I feel like one of my legs is in boiling water and the other in chilled water giving me both comfort and pain.That is what I go through every day.
Men like Jeff Bezos, Ambani, Zuckerburg, Adani, and others do create jobs and put things at our doors at a lower price – would they take all this wealth when they die? Steve Jobs, one of them, had realized the vanity of wealth and power. Unfortunately, it was on his death bed. I hope these greedy men take time to think about life and their role in it. They just have to stop and smell the roses.
I hope someone drills sense into Ambani and Adani in India to tell Modi to cancel the laws enacted against the farmers’ wishes. They have enough wealth and need no more. Their silence amazes me.
Individuals like Gates, Soros, Premji, and others are giving away their wealth for society’s benefit. I wish more people focus on doing good things in life. The world would be a better place. I hope the rich people invest their monies in promoting goodwill among communities.
HERE IS THE INFO
February 20th – Meeting #526 organized by the College of Complexes in Dallas, Texas
Fulfilling President Joe Biden’s Dream of Bringing Americans Together (Political Pluralism)
Dr. Mike Ghouse, a Public Speaker, pluralist, thinker, author, community organizer, news maker, interfaith wedding officiant, and founder and president of the Center for Pluralism in Washington, DC, will discuss how President Biden has repeatedly asserted that there is no Red or Blue America, it is the United States of America, that he will be the president of every American, and has committed to bringing America together. Mike will answer: “What does it mean? How will it be accomplished? How does it benefit America in terms of a cohesive social structure and a prosperous economy? What does it take?” He argues that more than election results, we have to start with common interest themes, work on learning about each other, and together rededicate our pledge for one nation. Mike explains that this is a gradual process of creating the sense that we are all in this together for the common good. He concludes by offering a blueprint to accomplish bringing America together and welcomes attempts to punch holes in his presentation. See also: http://www.TheGhouse.com
Mike GhouseComments Off on India’s BJP Awards Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
Congratulations to the Maulana for receiving India’s second-highest civilian award, the Pama Vibhushan.
In the Hindustan Times article dated January 25, 2021, I have discovered that Maulana had formed a committee to support (Himayat) PM Vajpayee’s election in Lucknow and had written articles for the RSS’s mouthpiece paper as well. He also advocated for giving up the land where Babri Masjid stood.
A few prominent Indian-American Muslim activists have relentlessly persecuted me for doing precisely the same thing during PM Vajpayee’s call for Muslims to join the BJP party.
I will lose some more ‘respect’ from a few Muslims with this writing, which is understandable, but the right thing that I foresaw and the Maulana had seen needs to be said.
No doubt, Vajpayee was an RSS man under the skin. However, there was some awakening in him to see a cohesive India and invited Muslims to join the BJP party. I welcomed it and wrote to my fellow Muslims to consider the offer.
Had Muslims joined them when BJP was not a hardcore Modi brand, Modi would not have made it to this point. BJP would have been more of a democratic organization with enough Muslims in it to influence the policies. We made a mistake by not heeding his call.
Perception is everything, and I had advocated that Muslims hold a mega press conference in New Delhi and unconditionally offer the Ayodhya land to build the Ram temple in the interest of maintaining communal harmony. I wrote and did a three-hour radio talk show, which was written up in Dallas Observer as the lead story.
The right-wing Muslims saw that as Ghutnay Tekna (kneeling) instead of seeing it as a goodwill gesture. We forget Muslims’ role is to mitigate conflicts and nurture goodwill, Prophet Muhammad’s practice (PBUH). We are the peacemakers. Restoring harmony is our sacred duty.
Fear drove Muslims that if we give up one mosque land, the RSS (not Hindus) guys will come for more.
That goodwill gesture would have retained the support of most of the Hindus for Muslims and would have spoken out against such claims. The gradual support erosion would not have happened.
Mike GhouseComments Off on India’s 72nd Republic Day
I am sad and happy today. In support of the Indian farmers, I am not in a mood to celebrate this Republic Day. Millions of farmers are protesting peacefully for over two months in cold New Delhi against the laws designed to enslave them to the corporations.
Today, India’s constitution is in peril, and on this day 72 years ago, India adopted its constitution as a secular democratic Republic in the lines of the US constitution. We are not perfect, but we do have the makings and are proud and humble about it.
Under Modi’s rule, Indians don’t feel secure about their faith, ethnicity, and culture. Of course, most Indians don’t see that; they are safe and have no empathy, just as most Americans don’t see the anguish the African Americans endure daily.
As Trump fell, so will Modi in due course. The Indians will rise again and restore righteousness in the country.
We are proud of our heritage – a multi-faith, multi-cultural, multi-regional, and multi-linguistic society. We have come to accept and respect every which way people have lived their lives. For over 5000 years, India has been a beacon of pluralism – it has embraced Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Baha’i, and Zoroastrian faiths to include in the array of the indigenous religions; Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, and Sikhism.
Indian democracy “was” a shining example to the World before Modi came to power. The previous governments have peacefully transferred the powers. Indians are pluralistically secular and economically capitalistic. They believe in a “live-and-let-live” lifestyle, which is the essence of capitalism.
Since Modi came to power, India’s economy has tanked, his focus has been whipping up nationalistic feelings without providing jobs and food. He has become a cult leader; his worshippers care less about jobs or food but are pleased that he is beating up on the enemies he has manufactured out of fellow Indians. His appeal has been to the mean instincts of Indians.
To gain absolute power, he has poisoned the society, pitting one Indian against the other. He has not given any interviews or held any press conference since he entered the office. He is not accountable to anyone.
His focus is on enriching his friends Adani and Ambani in return for money stacked away in Switzerland or some such place. He is selling every public property and land to them without any accountability. Now he wants to destroy the farmers, and thousands of farmers are protesting today.
I am proud of my heritage and am proud to be an Indian-American, and I will speak out against what is happening to my motherland. I am optimistic that India will return back to its pluralistic ethos, and once again people will start living in relative harmony.
Mike GhouseComments Off on My hat saved a bruise, the First fall of my life
My hat saved a bruise, the First fall of my life
The weather was gorgeous, so I went for a walk today, and in the excitement, I got out of the car, leaped forward to see the sunburst but forgot to see the curb, tripped, and fell on my face. Thank God to a God sent lady; she walked up and helped me out, then she ran to her car and found the band-aid (I removed it now to take the picture). Her home was about 100′ yards from the place I fell; she invited me to sit down and heal and then go. She gave one of the finest flavored herbal tea. I thanked her. Isn’t it good to know there are so many good angels out in the world?
I got home and looked at my hat and thanked it. It served as a cushion between my forehead and the curb and got crushed on the front portion. Otherwise, the bruise would have been more significant with my speed and falling flat on the concrete. What is ironic is, in the dialysis center, yesterday, they asked me (routine question) if I had fallen in the last three months; I said, No, as a matter of fact, I have not fallen in my whole life. It is my first fall in 69 years! I will be cautious and not act like an excited teen anymore.
Mike GhouseComments Off on Proud of Indian Americans
Proud of Indian Americans
It is a proud moment to see one of our own is managing Twitter’s policies, and I hope Facebook also hires someone like Vijaya Gadde to run its operations. Facebook has allowed extremists from among us.
A majority of Indian-Americans are free from bias and align with the American values of being fair and just with fellow humans. I know several who have rejected their parents’ ugly prejudices against African Americans, Dalits, Sikhs, Christians, and Muslims. DC has several of them.
However, we have a small number of Indian-Americans who align with the White Nationalists and extremists among Jews. Yes, they will not listen to anyone, but we should not give up on them. These creeps also practice caste bias here in our beautiful homeland. We should work on legislation to prevent biased people from having a seat at the high places to preserve the America we found when we came in the ’70s and ’80s.
Article by Chidanand Rajghatta, my fellow Indian American and a good journalist.
Mike GhouseComments Off on EVANGELICALS BLAMED FOR TRUMP
EVANGELICALS BLAMED FOR TRUMP
Blaming the “Evangelicals for the rise of Trump” is pure stereotyping and is wrong.
Not all of them, as I know enough evangelicals to say that the extremists among Evangelicals are the problem. I have dealt with them over the years. I have many friends among Evangelicals who don’t like what is happening in our nation today. Pastor Mason of Wilshire Baptist Church in Lakewood Dallas had said, Mike, theologically I can agree with you more than some of my fellow evangelical pastors.”
Loot at Bob Roberts’s work, my friend, an international evangelist who leads the evangelicals to drop their biases. So are Jim Eaton and Richard Cizik in the Washington DC area. There are more good people in each group of people than those who have gone astray, believing in Money God. Let’s look at them and support them to get their message out. It is the same with Muslims; none of us should judge any group of people by the acts of a few individual extremism drivers.
Let’s counter-extremism by supporting the good majority of people in each group
