A Tribute to Dr. Laleh Bakhtiar

Mike Ghouse October 21, 2020 Comments Off

Mike Ghouse

Dr. Bakhtiar is a Muslim woman translator of the Quran, and thanks to her, she corrected the 1400-year-old misogynistic interpretations of verse 4:34 that bred resentment among Muslim women, most certainly American Muslim women.

The traditional interpretations of the verse by the misogynic men reads as follows;

Translation by Muhsin Khan & Muhammad al-Hilali, “Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, because Allah has made one of them to excel the other, and because they spend (to support them) from their means. Therefore, the righteous women are devoutly obedient (to Allah and to their husbands), and guard in the husband’s absence what Allah orders them to guard (e.g. their chastity, their husband’s property, etc.). As to those women on whose part you see ill conduct, admonish them (first), (next), refuse to share their beds, (and last) beat them (lightly, if it is useful), but if they return to obedience, seek not against them means (of annoyance). Surely, Allah is Ever Most High, Most Great”

Even Muhammad Asad, the erudite scholar, whom I admire, translated as thus, “MEN SHALL take full care of women with the bounties which God has bestowed more abundantly on the former than on the latter, and with what they may spend out of their possessions. And the righteous women are the truly devout ones, who guard the intimacy which God has [ordained to be] guarded. And as for those women whose ill-will you have reason to fear, admonish them [first]; then leave them alone in bed; then beat them; and if thereupon they pay you heed, do not seek to harm them. Behold, God is indeed most high, great.”

In general, Muhammad Asad’s translations and interpretations come closest to the essence of the Quran and Islam, except for the verses relating to women.

Misogyny is traditional; you will find it among Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, and other men. Even if it is not in the books, the practice is there. That is another story, and I will write about it next time.

I know my fellow Muslims will thrash me for saying this, so be it. I have to tell the truth like it is. I have met and have heard from several Muslim scholars who went to Islamic seminaries, including Al-Azhar University. What do they teach there? Rote learning! They memorize what was dished out to them for centuries, and independent thinking is either discouraged or does not exist. I am sure there are thinkers out there, the whole problem is the education system.

Indeed, Hilali Khan’s translation was offered for free prior to 2012, all you have to do is call the toll-free number, and they will send a free copy. I have no idea how many million Americans have received that bad translation for free and formed a negative opinion about Islam.

I have interviewed several Muslim women; most of them hated the above verse but never said that to anyone and reluctantly lived within the Muslim social system. If you visit the matrimonial sites, and I did for my research, most American Muslim women who are independent and over 50 do not list their religion as Islam in their profiles; it is usually “spiritual not religious.”

They hated the idea that the Quran permitted men to beat them if the situation arose, and some men took advantage of it.

That is not Islam, absolutely not.

That has been the practice of men of all religions throughout the history of mankind.

Thanks to Dr. Laleh Bakhtiar for correcting that gross mistakes that had denigrated Islam. She is the most influential Islamic scholar of this century. She restored a woman’s God-given dignity prescribed in the Quran.

Her translation reads as follows, “Men are supporters of wives because God gave some of them an advantage over others and because they spent of their wealth. So, the females, ones in accord with morality are the females, ones who are morally obligated and the females, ones who guard the unseen of what God kept safe. And those females whose resistance you fear, then admonish them (f) and abandon them (f) in their sleeping places and go away from them (f). Then if they (f) obeyed you, then look not for any way against them (f). Truly, God had been Lofty, Great.”

Video of Dr. Bakhtiar. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=833pm2pOhgw

My friend Safi Kaskas and a few others have replicated the translation. I hope to translate the Quran, and I would not use the words, “Then if they (f) obeyed you,” I would have used “If a reconciliation is achieved” or “both have agreed to the new terms.” The word obey is still misogynistic and connotates that men have more rights over women. It flies in the face of the Quran; in God’s eyes, men and women are equally responsible for living in harmony with each other. On the Day of Judgment, each one is equally accountable for their actions.

It was a lousy situation for Single Muslim women. For this reason, I painstakingly wrote the article, “Can a Muslim woman marry a non-Muslim Man?” It is her choice. If a Muslim man can marry a woman from other faiths, she should have the same rights. It is a chapter in the book American Muslim Agenda. Quran is the book of equal rights and humanistic values, and it does not say, a woman cannot marry someone from other faiths. Not at all.

A few Muslims throw two or three verses from the Quran at me with misogynistic translations. They back off when they are made to realize that they were banking on the mistranslated and misinterpreted verses, of course, if they are independent thinkers.

Islam, the Quran, and Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) have bombarded the idea of equality and dignity of every human. It is embedded in all of its ritual Practices. Why didn’t those Muslims not get the Message?

I have admired Dr. Bakhtiar for her research work. It was a significant relief for Muslim women knowing that the Quran treats men and women as equals. However, we have to go one more step further to reflect the actual values embedded in the Quran.

Thanks to Dr. Bakhtiar, who has wholeheartedly endorsed my book, The American Muslim Agenda. It is on page viii of the book and reads as follows:

“Endorsement for The American Muslim Agenda by Mike Ghouse The author presents a challenge to American Muslims to lose their egos and integrate themselves into being entirely Muslim, fully American.”

“They have a Muslim example to follow, and it is that of spiritual chivalry. Spiritual chivalry is that the spiritual warrior constantly strives for the sake of others. It is not seeing yourself as superior to others, to be an enemy of your own soul for the sake of your Lord, to act justly without demanding justice for yourself. Spiritual chivalry is to manifest a beautiful character.”

“The spiritual warrior (fata or the feminine, fatat) is a person who has a sense of honor, is called ‘he who breaks the idol.’ God Most High has said [in the Quran], ‘We heard a spiritual warrior named Abraham speak of them [the idols Abraham broke]’ [21:20]. And He said, ‘And he (Abraham, the spiritual warrior) made them [the idols] fragments’ [21:60]. The idol of every person is his own ego, so in reality, whoever opposes his own passions is a ‘spiritual warrior’.”

She further agreed to start the mandatory continuing education for imams and Ulemas to catch up with the correct translations and interpretation of the Quran.

She is a significant loss for Muslims. We need another bold Muslim scholar to continue liberating women. Prophet Muhammad was the first man on the earth to restore the rights and dignity of women. Stay with the Quran, a book of human rights, you cannot go wrong.

Here is a tribute to her by Davar Ardalan – https://medium.com/@idavar/courage-temperance-justice-and-the-enduring-wisdom-of-the-late-scholar-laleh-bakhtiar-df5f2aa59e4

May God bless her for liberating women.

Dr. Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker, author, community consultant, pluralist, activist, newsmaker, and an interfaith wedding officiant. Mike is deeply committed to Free speech, Human Rights, and Pluralism in Religion, Politics, Societies, and the workplace. He is the founder and president of the Center for Pluralism and a fellow at the World Muslim Congress, a Think Tank. He has dedicated his life to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions to the media and the policymakers on issues of the day. Everything about him at www.TheGhousediary.com.

Islamic Value – The American Amin

Mike Ghouse October 20, 2020 Comments Off

Taken from the book American Muslim Agenda by Dr. Mike Ghouse

Chapter 16: Islamic Value No. 1

The American Amin

Trust is one of the twelve major Islamic values that contributes in building safe, secure and cohesive societies. Everything element in nature has built-in anomalies, perhaps the rejection rate is less than one percent. On the one hand there is that temptation and the other there is instruction not to go astray. This is uploaded onto our genes, when Adam was tempted by Lucifer to go after what sounds like pleasure.

The only reason you are comfortable driving on the road, going to the mall or grocery store for shopping or leaving your child in a daycare is the limited trust you have in fellow beings. You trust the other driver to follow the traffic rules and not drive in your face, you feel relatively securing going shopping, and feel at peace knowing your child is safe at the day care.

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) had envisioned that the ultimate achievement of civilization will be realized, when a single woman can go from Medina to Damascus and return back un-harmed and un-assaulted. We are not there yet and we have to work at it. Thanks to fellow Americans for pushing the misogynist among us to listen to a woman’s story of assault, it is for the first time in human history that a few creepy men among us, at least pretended to ‘trust’ her word. That is not enough. The reluctant men did not even want to investigate the truth. May God forgive them for their shortcomings and give hope to women that the change is coming. Those men will pay for it one form or the other. That is God’s justice.

Islam is a systematic religion, it is like building a home. First, you pour the foundation, then erect the walls and then comes the roof. Without a good foundation, all the lavish furnishings or fancy woodwork becomes meaningless if the house remains insecure and you cannot trust living in it.

Let me be clear, every religion serves the same purpose as described herein about Islam; to bring sanity and coherence to an individual and to live in peace with fellow humans and what surrounds you. In Islam, no human is superior to the other, no prophet is superior to the other, and hence, neither your belief is superior to the other, (Chapter: Civil Dialogue) all are beautiful systems that work for the believer in creating an abode of peace for all.

Amin is the foundational value of Islam.

Before he became a Muslim, that is subscribing to the belief in oneness of humanity, and that each individual is accountable for his or her actions in keeping the society run smoothly, Mr. Muhammad was called Amin. It was God’s plan or call it the law of nature to find healing from a wise man when things are not going well in the society.

For anyone to listen to you, you have to earn the ‘trust’ of the people. They believe you if you tell the truth, you are trustworthy, just, fair, kind, and around whom people feel safe. Becoming Amin is like pouring the foundation of you home. You cannot build your faith without being an Amin first. That is how Islam was set up. Prophet Muhammad was the Amin, even those who disagreed with him, did trust him to make the right decision for them in a given conflict.

If you live amidst people of different faiths, races, and ethnicities, and they don’t know you, you have not poured your foundation, but decorated yourselves with a beard or a burqa. What is the point? Your faith is laden with insecurities.

The other word for a Muslim is Citizen. You don’t become a good citizen at once, it is a process of understanding the purpose of your life, a life about fellow humans, other life forms and environment. It is figuring your role in the web of life. Becoming a good citizen requires you to continually protect and restore the equilibrium or the balance in the society. The purpose is to live freely and with the least conflicts. As you mature, you become a better citizen.

Let me repeat from the preface of this chapter, Islamic values. Quran offers guidance to set your goal posts, and that is to enable humans to dwell in an abode of peace, a conflict-free, hassle-free life. Quran 6:127, “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.” And Quran 10:25, “And [know that] God invites [man] unto the abode of peace, and guides him that wills [to be guided] onto a straight way.”

The goal of a good Muslim or a good Citizen is to bring oneness to the given diversity and create a smooth sailing world. Embarrassingly, a few Muslim scholars went insane with it and did the opposite. They came with a dumb idea about Darul Harb and Darul Islam – Abode of conflicts and abode of peace.

Let me share the Native American quote that perfectly describes one’s role in society. Chief Seattle, a Native American said this correctly, “Man did not weave the web of life; he is merely a strand in it. All things are connected. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons of the earth. Whatever he does to the web, he does it to himself.”

If the whole family is together in whatever they do, without violating the rights of women, children, and weaker members, then all of them will feel secure and happy. They will have time to focus on uplifting the living standards rather than spending time tearing each other part or getting even. The same applies to the members of your community, place of worship, government and nations.

A Muslim is a good citizen, who cares for fellow humans and the environment, speaks up for justice for all and works on creating cohesive societies where each one of God’s creation lives freely without fear of the fellow humans.

We are one world, one humanity and one family, and we came out of the same first intelligent couple from the species who survived the furies of nature instead of getting washed away like the dinosaurs.

God says everything on this earth is created for you, it is a compact statement that contains the whole universe. Quran 55:10 -13 (Asad Translation), “And the earth has He spread out for all living beings, with fruit thereon, and palm trees with sheathed clusters [of dates], and grain growing tall on its stalks, and sweet-smelling plants. Which, then, of your Sustainer’s powers can you disavow?”

It is amazing how everything from the poison of a snake to the chemicals in a Jellyfish to a variety of Ayurvedic, Unani, Native American, Tribal and modern medicines have been derived from that ‘spread’ for all the living beings. There is a whole lot more we have to learn that are spread for us.

The Foundation of Islam is Amin.

As Lord Krishna said in the Bhagavad Gita that whenever a society loses its morality (adharma), he (meaning goodness) will emerge among them and restore the Dharma (righteousness) for the common good. Quran says, God loves all of his creation and has sent a peacemaker to every nation and tribe to restore, preserve and maintain the righteousness, so all of humanity can live freely and cohesively.

The most critical Sunnah (Prophet’s example) and the first Sunnah is to be the Amin; the trustworthy (81:21), the truth teller and someone who mitigates conflicts and nurtures goodwill for the peaceful coexistence of his or her neighbors, communities, tribes and nations.

That was the first example of Muhammad (PBUH) to be a good citizen, wasn’t it? Wasn’t that the first model, Prophet Muhammad had set up for one to follow? Mind you, he was called Amin by non-Muslims. Shouldn’t we start with the same first foot forward?

To be good citizens, whether, in Pakistan, America, Saudi Arabia, China or Indonesia, Brazil or India, we have to earn it by being a participant and a contributor towards to the wellbeing of the people around us. Your presence should relax others, and make them comfortable that you are a peacemaker and they can trust you for your fairness.

Muslims should be a Mercy to fellow beings (That is the walls of the house you are building). The second most important Sunna to follow is to be Rahmatul Aalameen (Mercy to mankind) (21:107). To be a Rahmat (Mercy) to fellow beings who are Atheist, Baha’i, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jain, Jewish, Sikh, Wicca, Natives, Zoroastrians and others, including Gays and Lesbians. We must be kind to them, no one should be afraid or apprehensive of Muslims. Should anyone be afraid of a Muslim? Do you think that Muslim is following the Prophet’s example?

The Pakistani, Iranian, Afghan and Saudi governments (not the people) have screwed up this sunnah badly. Asiya Bibi, a Christian lady, is harassed for taking the water from a well for her sick child, because a few Muslims wanted her to wait until they get their water first. So, Asiya Bibi may have said terrible things about Muslim and their Prophet, Muhammad. If Hazrat Umar were the Judge in Pakistan today, he would punish the Muslims for causing Asiya Bibi to say bad things, that is justice, and that is Islam. Iran has Pastor Nadarkhani languishing in Jails, and if Hazrat Ali were the boss in Iran, he would have said, “Salaam to you Pastor Nadarkhani, to you is your faith and to me is mine.” And Allah says there is no compulsion in faith and I welcome you as my brother. Both Umar and Ali believed in God and the prophet, and were secure in their faith (More in Chapter Fixing Sharia).

This is Islam’s foundation. The outward appearances of being a Muslim like a beard, Cap and Burqa (are the visible part of the home, the roof) does not make you a confident Muslim unless you are an Amin first.

All other Sunna emanates from the above two necessary steps, clearly and unambiguously corroborated by the Qur’an (81:21, 21:107). Please read three verses before, and three after a given sentence to get the fuller meaning of the words of Quran.

We cannot compromise on free speech, however much a few may abuse it, but free speech is an enduring value and the hallmark of civilization. I believe in free speech, and that is the only way societies will grow. As Muslims, we need to consider the gains Muslims have had that far outweigh the tensions given by a handful of loonies.

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was committed to peaceful societies, and he knew one cannot build peace in a vacuum, one has to earn the trust of the community, one has to be truthful, reliable, and trustworthy and around whom others have to be safe and secure. So, he lived his life by example and earned the title of Amin from the Jewish, Christian and Pagan and other tribes. Shouldn’t we do the same?

The Muslims were blessed with this model of Amin, and we at the Center for Pluralism and www.WorldMuslimCongress.org are pleased to resurrect this model and encourage individuals to earn respect and trust of fellow Americans.

What does it take to be the AMIN?

Every Muslim should develop comfortable working relationships with all humanity without any prejudice, including Muslims of different denominations.

We have to understand Islam in its full glory. We recite that God is Rabbul Aalameen, (Creator of the Universe) and Prophet Muhammad is Rahmtul Aalameen, that is the blessing to the whole of humanity. That makes us a human for the goodness of all humans.

Simply put, a Muslim is someone who embraces the whole of humanity, someone who drops all racial, religious, ethnic, gender orientation and other barriers and respects the otherness of others.

If we place barriers between us and people from other faiths, races, ethnicities and other uniqueness, then there is something missing in us from becoming a full human, a Rahmat to the Aalameen (a blessing to the universe) in the footsteps of the Prophet, is it not?

Would you accept a partial God who favors others and not you or vice-versa? Would you take a God that makes a deal with you behind other’s backs or vice-versa? Would you limit Prophet’s mercy to part of the humanity or would you ‘allow’ it to embrace all humanity?

What holds us?

We have been misled by a few scholars from the middle ages that we cannot make friends with Jews, Christians, and Pagans. God did not say anything like that. It is time to fix our understanding of God. It is time to understand God’s words to embrace the whole of humanity, the Aalameen. God is about justice, balance, harmony, and kindness and does not take sides with any group, he does not stereotype any group that he has created, he is about dealing with each individual on an individual basis.

Quran 3:104 (Asad) “And that there might grow out of you a community [of people] who invite unto all that is good, and enjoin the doing of what is right and forbid the doing of what is wrong: and it is they, they who shall attain to a happy state!

We are precisely committed to doing that.

The American Amin Award

Let’s encourage Muslims to build safe and secure communities for the common good of humanity

The American Amin Award is being instituted to recognize and encourage individuals who follow the Amin model of the prophet. There are two national awards, one is qualitative and the other is quantitative.

While the traditional Muslim organizations like ISNA, ICNA, MANA, MSA, MANA focus on Qiraat competitions (recitation of the Quran), the American Muslim Agenda group can focus on recognizing Muslims who follow the foundational value of Islam. Amin, as Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), was called, i.e., an Individual who reaches out to every human regardless of his or her religion, race, region or other uniqueness for the common good of humanity.

The First ‘American Amin Award’ is qualitative in nature and goes to a Muslim who has made every effort to reach out to fellow Americans from different faiths, at least four or more to prevent ganging up together with the Abrahamic faiths. He or she has consistently served fellow humans without regard to the God-given uniqueness of the individual.

The Second ‘American Amin Award is quantitative, that is a Muslim knows at least one person from Atheist to Zoroastrians including the Native American and LGBTQ Communities. As we become Amins, we can increase that number.

God has created everything in balance and harmony and says the best ones among you are those who preserve harmony by knowing and removing the myths about each other.

God rewards for all the good we (all humanity, not just Muslims) do, and as a society, we must recognize and appreciate the people who make a difference in the communities we live in.

Prophet Muhammad ‘s daughter Fatima asked him once, “Dad, am I going to the Paradise straight?” The Prophet says, “No.” She inquires again, “but I am the daughter of the Prophet.” He says, “You have to earn it, deed by deed” and there is no automatic privilege in Islam. A good deed is something you do for the other without expecting anything in return. In another verse (5:69) he communicated that, whether you are a Jew, Christian or a Pagan, you need not worry, as long as you take care for fellow beings.

Trust is the glue that binds and ensures the smooth running of the societies, and Amin is the foundational value of Islam, the very first step in creating cohesive societies where no one has to live in apprehension or fear of the other.

What does this mean for American Muslims? It merely means we have to become Amins of the society and have to be there for our neighbors in their crises, deaths, marriages, births and other celebrations and commemorations. Mind you, neighbors are neighbors. There are many verses in the Quran where God consistently talks about caring for fellow beings, his creation.

Here is the bottom line.

Since it is a premier award, we felt Rizwan Jaka, Chairman of the Adams Center is the right individual to begin the process and start the annual Awards. He is one of the sincerest guys with least bias towards fellow humans. I have watched him throughout 18 months, he does not fake welcomes to people of other faiths. His interfaith reach-out is genuine, and he is sincere. Congratulations Rizwan! I take my hats off for you. (http://centerforpluralism.com/american-amin-award/ ).

Next year, God willing subject to Muslims funding, it will be one of the most significant events of the year by and we hope to highlight 50 Muslims from 50 states but will recognize one based on his or her work and the public vote. It is a big responsibility, we are willing to handle.

If we do this, there is no reason why fellow American will not readjust their perceptions about Muslims.

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Islamic Value – Tauheed

Mike Ghouse October 19, 2020 Comments Off

Taken from the book American Muslim Agenda by Dr. Mike Ghouse

Chapter 16: Islamic Value No. 2

Tauheed, the Oneness of God

It does not matter to me if you believe in one God, two Gods, many Gods or no God, but if you think you are accountable to someone or other, your behavior towards fellow beings will change in creating a peaceful world. That someone or the other could be your conscience or God.

I must acknowledge here, that as of today, among all the living humans that I know in the whole wide world, Pope Francis is one of the most inclusive of all human beings. He is indeed a God’s man, and he has the inclusive vision. Like Jesus, he has embraced all humanity without discrimination. I have written an article calling him my Imam. I was looking up at Dalai Lama and Double Sri Ravi Shankar, both have failed miserably with their built-in prejudices against fellow humans. A man of God cannot be prejudiced.

The following Islamic value is for those who want to understand the oneness of God, that is Tauheed in Quran. By the way, the Bahai tradition has the most convincing explanations about Tauheed. I learned about it explaining to my Radio audiences when the Bahai representative could not make it to my Radio show.

How does Tauheed affect our attitude and contributes to building cohesive societies?

The purpose of oneness was the first step towards building a cohesive society. Subscription to the notion of one ultimate universal God was the need of the day.

One represents accountability and responsibility to get things done. We have one President, one CEO, one boss, one man or woman of the house. There is always one!

Hinduism calls it Vasudhaiva Kutumbukum – the whole world is one. What a relief it was, it freed the men from the blame games and mitigated the mundane conflicts. The wisdom was a panacea to the conflicts among people.

A cohesive society is the dream of all humanity, where each human has a right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Going back in time to Mecca, we find each merchant had his own icon representing “his” values, and when the conflicts arose between two merchants, it was their “personal God-Icon” who rescued or won them their battle in business. The conflicts remained a daily routine, sort of the Wild West. It was sheer arrogance to believe that my God was invincible and others were vulnerable.

It was a time period when an individual’s greed and his drive to control the resources, wealth and women turned him into pitting his version of God against the others. That was not only in Mecca, but that was the case all around the world, and it is no different now. That God is Oil today; at one time it was Sugar, Cotton, Tobacco, Silk, and Spices.

Subscribing to one universal God, with all the non-conflicting attributes packed into one was emerging. An abstract idea of God which everyone could relate to was the need of the day. Thus, the concept of the oneness of God and oneness of humanity was evolving to be a source of healing and bringing unity to the given diversity in Mecca.

Think about this for fun – A few comedians including General Boykin had said that his Christian God is mightier than the Muslim God. Imagine that there is a Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu (they got many) and other Gods who want to gain control and start fighting, I am sure, one will win the battle and others will be absorbed into one mighty God. That is the God we have now, the winner who took it all. Boykin may be from another planet with his own God, we invite his God to come and fight with ours. If he wins, we will surrender to him, but let him show up.

Collapsing all the different Gods into one universal God, with all the non-conflicting attributes packed into one, an abstract idea of God, a common denominator God which everyone could relate to was the need of the day. The concept of the oneness of humanity was a source of healing and bringing unity to the given diversity.

Muhammad (PBUH) spent a considerable amount of time in the cave, a place where there was no TV, Music and other distractions. That is all they had then, almost all religious men seek that to reflect on life.

He received revelations about the oneness of God, and commonness of humanity despite the differences. He understood that when he recited God’s words (Quran 49:13) that we were born to a single couple and made into different tribes, communities, nations, and faiths. And with that uniqueness conflicts are bound to happen, and the way to move ahead is to know each other when we know each other conflicts fade and solutions emerge.

Muhammad revealed this to his family and friends, and they started seeing the value in the conflict-lessness of “Your God” versus “My God” and moving on to “our God” – a common denominator God. Thus, the word subscribing to the idea of one supreme* God came into being, the Arabic word for submission for peace was “Islam” and the one who submits to the idea of oneness, and conflict-lessness was a Muslim, a submitter to harmony.

That is indeed the pledge Muslims take that there is one and only God, who is God of all. It is also a declaration that we don’t own this God and belongs to all of us. He is not mine or yours to have a conflict and let us live cohesively as one nation under God with liberty and justice for all.

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Setting the Standards for electing Indian-Americans to U.S., Congress.

Mike Ghouse October 16, 2020 Comments Off

Mike Ghouse

Why should we support or pull down the Indian Americans running for US Congress or Senate?

The answer is simple, almost all Indian Americans have families back in our motherland, and we must support and elect candidates who subscribe to American values. You and I came to America and have cherished this nation for its values of freedom, equal opportunities, equal justice, equal dignity, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We should wish the same for our fellow Indians back home or any people anywhere.

We must reject those candidates who do not want the same values as the Indians living in India and certainly pull the hypocrites down if they support the fascist Modi regime in India that is lynching, harassing, raping, and killing fellow Indians. We cannot let our motherland go down the drain with such individuals.

Law Makers Ro Khanna, Pramila Jaypal, and Kamala Harris have proved to be patriotic Americans fully subscribing to American Values. However, we have to make a critical decision about new candidates running for the legislatures. The questionable man is Sri Preston Kulkarni, a controversial person running for the US Congress from Congressional District 22 from Houston, Texas.

He is accused of taking donations from the people who run the RSS organization in India. RSS is a paramilitary organization like the Nazis, ISIS, and KKK, which runs the Indian government and believes that the Christians (30 Million) and Muslims (200 Million) who have lived in India from the 2nd Century and 8th Century respectively do not belong in India. Through his minions, Prime Minister Modi, who has similarities with Hitler has given them three choices– convert to Hinduism, live as 2nd class citizens or disappear.

Mr. Kulkarni is not willing to condemn this ideology, and hence his integrity is questionable.

The ideology of RSS is dangerous to the social fabric of India and detrimental to India’s economic stability and prosperity. Now, it is creeping into America, and we need to stop it.

I have texted Mr. Kulkarni thrice to answer simple questions. He turned it over to Jack, his field director; both have promised to respond in vain for almost a month.

Here are few of the several questions I have asked Kulkarni.

1. If elected, would you initiate a bill in the house about equal rights, equal pay for women and equal justice for all citizens?

2. If elected, would you support a bill that would require the Indian Government to treat the Dalits, Muslims, and Christians as equal citizens with equal rights and equal justice for all?

3. If elected, would you support a bill to restore the full freedoms to the People of Kashmir?

4. If elected, would you encourage the RSS to renounce its extremist ideology and accept Indian Dalits, Muslims, Sikhs, Jews, and Christians as Indians and have equal rights with all citizens?

5. Should a conflict arise between India and the United States, and Congress is short of one vote for passing the bill, what would be your position?

Would Kulkarni make the following statements?

“I am concerned about the violations of religious freedoms in India, particularly against minorities. Being a minority myself, I will not tolerate minorities to be treated like that in any country. I am appalled to hear the statements like Muslims are termites, and, I will throw the immigrants into the Bay of Bengal is ascribed to the Home Minister of India Mr. Amit Shah a close confidant of Mr. Modi the Prime Minister.”

“I support the request of the US Government to the Government of India to issue visas to the commissioners of the USCIRF to investigate the human rights violations and earn a clean certificate and or fix the problems and earn a clean certificate – clean chit as they call it in India.”

“I do not support the exclusionary policies of the RSS, that advocate Indian Christians and Muslims to disappear from India, live as 2nd class citizens or convert to Hinduism. Indeed, I oppose that policy and urge India to have a place among civilized nations.”

“I urge the Government of India to withdraw the unnecessary citizenship laws like the CAA** – Citizens Amendment Act. It will stop the protests and restore political stability and social unrest. As Americans, we want a stable India to invest and build a healthy relationship.”

“America is my home and my motherland, and I pledge to defend her constitution.”

Lastly, talks are going on quietly about booting the Indians out of America if they boot Christians from India.

Given the unilateral decisions Trump has taken, disregarding the societal norms, and if the White Supremacists take over the governance, all of the Indians may be kicked out of the nation.

If we don’t correct the rogues who run the Government of India, we deserve to be kicked out. Modi was not allowed to come to the United States; it may happen again once Trump is gone. Modi should not bring shame to India.

I love my India and hate to see the RSS extremists destroying her; as an Individual, I will do my share of the work to save my motherland from the men hell-bent on destroying her. All those who are supporting Modi now will come to regret. One by one, he will push the South Indians, then the Bengalis, Marathas, and finally you. All he wants is power. Modi is a power-hungry man. If the country is destroyed, he will walk away with his jhola (shoulder bag) as if nothing has happened; he does not care about Indians.

Mike Ghouse is the founder and president of the Center for Pluralism in Washington, DC, and offers pluralistic solutions to the media and policymakers on issues of the day. Everything about him at www.TheGhouseDiary.com

Does Trump have a Deal with China?

Mike Ghouse October 11, 2020 Comments Off

Trump’s destructive policies will challenge China to build military equipment and the Airplanes, undermining American advantage in the defense industry.

He may have a deal with China to pass on American hegemony to China. If he is re-elected, the Headquarters for manufacturing fighter jets, defense products, warships, and Missiles will become China’s domain. If it is so, Americans are screwed. Does he care? Hell no, you are just a useful idiot in voting for him.

If he threatens other nations, they have no option but to go into the Chinese ambit. India will not be a good ally at this time, its social fabric is torn apart and will further deteriorate. However, like all good things, good governance will return after the 2024 elections in India.

Trump is dangerous to the United State economy, everyone working in the defense, weapons manufacturing, and aerospace industry will be losing jobs leading to divorces and foreclosures and putting them on welfare programs. It happened with Bush’s bad decisions.

Save America, don’t vote for Trump

Check this video https://www.facebook.com/MikeGhouse/videos/927660057761994/

YOUR COMMENTS ARE APPRECIATED AT

www.facebook.com/MikeGhouse

Thank you.

Mike

Shaping America’s Future on Zoom

Mike Ghouse October 10, 2020 Comments Off

Dr. Mike Ghouse presents the following two workshops,
details at https://centerforpluralism.com/shaping-americas-future-on-zoom/

Saturday, October 17, 2020 – 6:00-7:30 PM CST by College of Complexes
ON SHAPING AMERICA’S FUTURE
Zoom:

Saturday, October 24, 2020 – 2L00 PM – 3:30 PM EST by MCC Seniors
AS MUSLIMS HOW DO WE BUILD A COHESIVE AMERICA?
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87633298939?pwd=UjIxZ2Vna3ZxRHh5V1NTUHdhSWVudz09

College of Complexes, Dallas, Presents
On Shaping America’s Future
Saturday, October 17, 2020 | 6:00 PM CST | 7:00 PM EST
Zoom Link –

Dr. Mike Ghouse, a Public Speaker, pluralist, thinker, author, organizer, business and community consultant, newsmaker, and an interfaith wedding officiant, also the founder and president of the Center for Pluralism in Washington, DC, will discuss how each of us worries about the future, particularly about our way of life, jobs, retirement, children, and grandchildren’s future.

We want to feel secure about who we are religiously, politically, socially, racially, sexually, or other uniqueness. All we need is to live the way we want to live comfortably in a hassle-free environment. Yet, Mike asserts that the Trump administration is sowing the seeds of discord, division, and pitting one American against the other, including policies that are resulting in Black lives matter, the White supremacist, and other uprisings creating tensions.

He argues that we have a choice to reluctantly accept what comes our way, or choose to shape the future we want. Mike concludes that we are against the current administration’s policies and need to correct the course to put America back again on the road of secure living for every American, and shape America’s future to be a nation where every American feels secure about his/her way of life.

NOTE: His latest book, “American Muslim Agenda”, is a primer, a road map, and a Blueprint for Muslims to build a cohesive America. Three more books are on the horizon. America’s Future, Future of Interfaith, Pluralism, and Standing up for others. See also http://www.TheGhouseDiary.com

Contact: Tom Berry (214) 738-3386
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MCC Seniors Committee, presents
“As Muslims how do we build a Cohesive America?”
Saturday, October 24, 2020 | 2:00 – 3:30 PM EST

Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87633298939?pwd=UjIxZ2Vna3ZxRHh5V1NTUHdhSWVudz09

Meeting ID: 876 3329 8939 | Passcode: 532643

Dr. Mike Ghouse is a Public Speaker, pluralist, thinker, author, organizer, business and community consultant, newsmaker, and an interfaith wedding officiant. He has appeared in over 300 national television appearances and over 150 talk show radio discussions nationally.

Dealing with Fox News has produced two positive results; Sean Hannity has stopped bashing about the Quran, and Stuart Varney has stopped using the phrase Muslim terrorism and Islamic terrorism.

Mike is the founder and president of the Center for Pluralism, and a fellow at the World Muslim Congress, a think tank in Washington DC.

He argues that we choose to reluctantly accept what comes our way or choose to shape the future we want. As Muslim Americans, we can shape the future we want for us in our retirement and our children and grandchildren to live without apprehensions.

NOTE: His latest book, “American Muslim Agenda,” is a primer, a road map, and a Blueprint for Muslims to build a cohesive America. Four more books are on the horizon. America’s Future, Future of Interfaith, Pluralism, and Standing up for others. See also http://www.TheGhouseDiary.com

What is a Cohesive America? List on the following pages.
Contact: Zmirza44@gmail.com | (301) 384-3454

What is a Cohesive America?

What is a cohesive America? Briefly, it is an America where each of the 330 Million Americans feels secure about our uniqueness, be it our faith, ethnicity, race, culture, or any other distinction.

Each of us worries about the future, particularly about our way of life, retirement life, children, and grandchildren’s future. All we want is to live without apprehension and to live comfortably in a hassle-free environment.

The current environment sows the seeds of discord, division, and pitting one American against the other. Their policies are resulting in Black lives matter, the White supremacist, and other uprisings creating tensions.

What we have not done is prepare to deal with the conflicts emerging from social interactions from the diversity of people. It is how we deal with each other and treat each other’s otherness that determines the future where we all can live a secure life with the least tensions.

We have a choice to reluctantly accept what comes our way, or choose to shape the future we want. Most of us plan our lives about our incomes, family, home, retirement, and our kids and grandchildren’s future. We also prepare our businesses to deal with the economic vagaries to sustain and grow.

One of the significant sources of conflict comes from our interactions with fellow Americans. It is how we deal with each other and treat each other’s otherness that determines the future where we all can live a secure life with the least tensions.

Wherever you go, be it a place of work, worship, playground, school, restaurant, theater, or other public gatherings, you will find a display of diversity in every which way. You will also see people of different faiths, races, and ethnicities interacting, working, studying, intermingling, playing, and even marrying each other.

These interactions are bound to create conflicts. We have to prevent such conflicts, so each member of the society can live securely with their faith, culture, gender, race, sexual orientation, or ethnicity.

We have already witnessed how old citizens feel about new citizens, immigrants, or new members of any society. It is not a phobia, but a natural feeling of losing one’s way of life, control, and world.

Much of the phobia is learned from observing our parent’s attitudes towards others, learning from our friends, sermons from our clergy, and of course, the news media, social media, teachers, and politicians. Because we trust them, we instantly form opinions about others without even knowing them. As responsible individuals, we must strive to strip stereotyping and build pathways to ensure our society functions smoothly, whether it is the workplace or our neighborhoods.

We need to reassure each other that together as Americans, we are committed to safeguarding the American way of life. No American needs to worry about losing his or her way of life. Together as Americans, we uphold, protect, defend, and celebrate the values enshrined in our Constitution, a guarantor of our political and social structures that each one of us wants.

Let me state this clearly, “My peace and tranquility hinges on the peace of people around me,” and “My safety is tied to the security of people around me.” It behooves me to build societies where everyone feels secure; it guarantees my security and my tension free life.

America is God’s own county and is blessed with everything in the world from every race, faith, ethnicity, nationality, and all the seasons and topography and much more. We are a world in ourselves.

The Center for Pluralism will continue to bring non-stop actions in bringing Americans together from different faiths, political affiliations, societies, and cultures and be a catalyst for a safe and secure America for each of us as we move through this transition.

What can you do to build a cohesive America? You will walk away today with a few easy to do things to contribute towards building a cohesive America.

More at www.CenterforPluralism.com

Mike Pence v Kamala Harris debate

Mike Ghouse October 8, 2020 Comments Off

CIVIL DEBATE BY VP CANDIDATES

Both the VP Candidates are carrying civil dialogue, it is refreshing.

Kamala is winning the debate. Pence is not listening, and unable to finish in time, so far about 15 times the moderator repeated at least three times to warp it up each time.

It’s a shame Pence had to be told to follow the rules, his boss and him don’t follow the rules.

I wrote about Kamala’s credibility a year ago in the link to India Abroad is listed.

By the way, I have a crush on Kamala, her smile and responses are so much like my dear late wife.

https://www.indiaabroad.com/blogs/tulsi-or-kamala-the-choice-before-us/article_cb88f95c-2293-11e9-828a-6ff1ac4c3995.html

Thank you,

Mike Ghouse
Washington DC

Truthfulness V. Taqiya – Islamic Value 4 in the book American Muslim Agenda

Mike Ghouse October 6, 2020 Comments Off

This article was first Published on October 6, 2020 at – : https://worldmuslimcongress.org/truthfulness-v-taqiya-islamic-value-4-in-the-book-american-muslim-agenda/

Extracted from the Book American Muslim Agenda by Dr. Mike Ghouse

Truth is the most sacred value in Islam; indeed, it is the most enduring value of every religion and social system and governance.

All the good things in a given society are sustained by truth and truth alone. Fact is the solid foundation upon which secure societies are built.

God does not authorize anyone to lie, and on his behalf, an assertion is made that no societies permit lies. Individuals do.

India’s emblem includes this phrase, “Satyameva Jayate.” Mahatma Gandhi translated it as Truth Triumphs. It is like our emblem, “e Pluribus Unum.”

A society functions well when everyone tells the truth, you can always deal with the reality; you know where each one stands. Islam emphasizes being truthful; Truth is the only thing that ensures justice and sustenance of safe and secure societies. It is un-Islamic to lie.

There is no 5th in Islam.

Our constitution gives every individual a right to remain silent if his speech and words incriminate him or her. The burden to find the truth is on the accuser. You are innocent until you are proven guilty. It is called taking the fifth.

Islam does not have that provision for a good reason. It is to give relief to the individual who tells the truth. So many people live with pain, guilt, and grief for eternity, and it clouds their interactions and decisions for a lifetime. There is a saying in Urdu/Hindi language if we shout “Chor, Chor” that is “Thief.” The guy who is guilty always looks over his shoulder.

Once, I had an expired inspection sticker on my car, there was a police car chasing someone, and I pulled over assuming it was for me. My friends in the car were screaming, that it was not for me. The cop came around and asked why I stopped? The guilt was written all over my face, he read it and found my sticker had expired and gave a ticket.

Ashley Kavanaugh may ask her husband in the most intimate moment; did he assault Dr. Ford? His pals at the supreme court may ask when they have a bottle of Beer with him. Kavanaugh claims to be a good Christian, and he knows the Lord forgives those who seek. Truth brings freedom.

This is the reason, taking the fifth is not allowed in Islam. It is to minimize the scoundrels from getting away with murder for the lack of proof, and so many do. I am not sure if our Supreme court Justice Kavanaugh got away from the assault on Dr. Christine Ford for lack of evidence. Of course, he did not take the fifth but denied it. God only knows the truth.

God forgives those who seek forgiveness and repentance. Forgiveness is the safety valve for one to live freely.

We have to go to the far ends of the world, turn every stone upside down to find the truth. You have, to tell the truth, for truth alone gives hope to the person wronged, it sustains the trustworthiness in the society.

Truth alone triumphs!

Here are a few of the 852 verses from Quran that emphasize on being truthful. It is just no Islam, it is in all religions, and it is the cornerstone of a civilized society.

852 Verses about Truth

Quran 4:135 – O you who believe, you shall be entirely equitable, and observe GOD, when you serve as witnesses, even against yourselves, or your parents, or your relatives. Whether the accused is rich or poor, GOD takes care of both. Therefore, do not be biased by your personal wishes. If you deviate or disregard (this commandment), then GOD is fully Cognizant of everything you do.

Quran 2:42 – And do not overlay the truth with falsehood, and do not knowingly suppress the truth;

Quran 5:119 God will say: “Today, their truthfulness shall benefit all who have been true to their word: theirs shall be gardens through which running waters flow, therein to abide beyond the count of time; well-pleased is God with them, and well-pleased are they with Him: this is the triumph supreme.”

I usually don’t lean on Hadiths. Some of them are fabricated as sayings of the Prophet, those that are manufactured tend to be misogynistic or do not paint God or the Prophet as merciful. However, an authentic hadith syncs in with the principle of building cohesive societies, here are a few:

Sahih Muslim, “I order you to be truthful, for indeed truthfulness leads to righteousness, and indeed righteousness leads to Paradise (You can take it as peace of mind). A man continues to be truthful and strives for truthfulness until he is written as a truthful person with God. And beware of falsehood, for indeed falsehood leads to sinning, and indeed sinning leads to the Fire. A man continues to tell lies and strives upon falsehood until he is written as a liar with God.”

“Guarantee for me six things, and I will guarantee Paradise for you: tell the truth when you speak, fulfill your promises, be faithful when you are trusted, safeguard your private parts, lower your gaze, and withhold your hands (from harming others).” Reported by Obadiah, in As-Saheehah.

Quran 33:24, “So that God may reward the truthful for having been true to their word, and cause the hypocrites to suffer – if that be His will – or [if they repent,] accept their repentance: for, verily, God is indeed much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace!”

Quran 34:49, Say, “The truth has come; while falsehood can neither initiate anything nor repeat it.”

Quran 25:72, They do not bear false witness. When they encounter vain talk, they ignore it.

Quran 2:160, “Excepted, however, shall be they that repent, and put themselves to rights, and make known the TRUTH: and it is they whose repentance I shall accept-for I alone am the Acceptor of Repentance, the Dispenser of Grace.”

Quran 2:209, “And if you should stumble after all evidence of the TRUTH has come unto you, then know that, verily, God is almighty, wise.”

Quran 2:98, “whosoever is an enemy of God and His angels and His message-bearers, including Gabriel and Michael, [should know that,] verily, God is the enemy of all who denies the Truth.”

Quran 2:99, “For, clear messages indeed have We bestowed upon thee from on high, and none denies their Truth save the iniquitous.”

Quran 2:104, O YOU who have attained to faith! Do not say [to the Prophet], “Listen to us,” but rather say, “Have patience with us,” and listen [unto him], since grievous suffering awaits those who deny the TRUTH.

Quran 2:121, Those unto whom We have vouchsafed the divine writ [and who] follow it as it ought to be observed -it is they who [honestly] believe in it; whereas all who choose to deny its TRUTH -it is they, they who are the losers!

What is Taqiya?

Individuals like Robert Spencer, Pamela Geller, and Brigitte Gabriel and a host of others harp on the word Taqiyya. Because I was a regular on Hannity, and since they could not argue, they conveniently slapped that label on me. Their base is limited to a few hundred, and each one of them passionately jumps in and write his or her comment. There are plenty of articles on the net about Taqiyya with my name tagged to it. Of course, a majority of Muslim have not even heard of this word.

I admire Dr. Khawaja Nauman Anwar, my friend for his persistence on calling Hannity Show and giving me encouragement to write this article on Taqiyya. I had promised Anila Ali and Soraya Deen that I will write about it. It took me a lot of time to keep it even and balanced. I have no problem condemning evil and praising what is right, that is what we have to do, and that is a part of pluralism work.

Taqiya, i.e., hiding one’s religious identity to save one’s life, and it was practiced by a handful of persecuted Jews, Christians, Muslims, Hindus and people of other faiths. Their religions did not teach them to lie, they did it on their own.

Even though the Taqiya Bombs have been hurled at Muslims, they know the difference between the truth and falsehood. But they choose the latter as it benefits them. When Spence talks about verses from Sura Tauba, chapter 9, he hides the following and preceding verses as they nullify his arguments.

No Muslim has ever believed that lying is permitted, and no Islamic school has ever taught anyone to lie. Truth is the most sacred value in Islam; indeed, it is the most enduring value of every religion and social system and governance.

Individuals under intense pressure and life-threatening situations have lied to save their tails. The lies are not specific to any particular group; you will find them in every group of people including our Presidents, Generals, Preachers, and even Judges.

Jewish Taqiya

Esther, the Jewish heroine of the book of Esther also practiced Taqiya by hiding her Jewish identity during crises, and you can find similar stories in just about every religion, region and race. However, Neither Judaism nor Islam or any religion for that matter has advocated one to lie.

One of the most central questions concerning Esther is why Esther keeps her national and ethnic identity a secret – or, more accurately, why Mordechai commands her to do so. The importance of the question arises from the fact that this matter is mentioned twice in the Megillah.

“Esther did not reveal her nationality and her descent, for Mordechai had commanded her not to tell.” (2:10)

“Esther would not reveal her descent and her nationality, as Mordechai had commanded her.” (2:20)

Reference: The Israel Kochitsky Virtual Beit Midrash

Muslim Taqiya

The hostile Kings and dictators with Sunni labels had made the life of Shia Muslims a living hell. Taqiya was reluctantly practiced by the Shia until the Safavids came along to put an end to that oppression.

Ibn Kathir, one of the explainers of the Quran has made references about Sunni Muslims. Unfortunately, he has added his own opinions as a reaction to current situations, leading many Muslims to believe that they are Islamic thoughts. They are not Islamic by any stretch of the imagination as you see the strongly worded verses from Quran to nullify him. Maybe it was not his problem but ours. Sadly, very few Muslims are willing to say that Ibn-Kathir was wrong. Muslims ought to know, nothing supersedes Quran, and that is the only truth for Muslims, all else is questionable.

Christian Taqiya

Paul defended a lie because it ‘glorifies God’ and he wondered why he was judged a sinner, Romans 3:7. He was caught lying and tried to wriggle out of it with a song and dance. He doesn’t seem to grasp that a lie is a lie, and never does it glorify Yahweh. Why does Paul keep insisting he’s not deceitful and does not lie? Romans 9:1, II Corinthians 11:31, Galatians 1:20, Philippians 1:18, I Thessalonians 2:1-12, I Timothy 2:7. Why are the real apostles not accused of lying as Paul is?

You will find similar stories in all religions and groups of people. Sick people are in every religion with no exception.

The Truth is the most exalted value on the earth.

Indeed, the truth is one of the most extolled virtues in all religions. Hindus laud Satya Harishchandra as an icon of absolute truth, and most of you are familiar with the name Satya Sai Baba – Satya means truth. The Bible declares, “The truth will set you free.” Prophet Muhammad was called the “Amin” by his people made up of Jews, Christians, and Pagans, meaning someone who is truthful, trustworthy, and reliable and gives a sense of security to others around him. Truth is the only thing that can restore the trust, and thus safety of the individuals in a given society hinges on truth.

Dr. Mike Ghouse is the founder and president of the Center for Pluralism. He is a speaker, thinker, author, community consultant, pluralist, activist, newsmaker, and an interfaith wedding officiant. Mike is deeply committed to Free speech, Human Rights, and Pluralism in Religion, Politics, Societies, and the workplace. He is the founder and president of the Center for Pluralism and a fellow at the World Muslim Congress, a think Tank. He has dedicated his life to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions to the media and the policymakers. More about him at www.TheGhousediary.com.

Protecting Pakistan’s Hindus

Mike Ghouse October 6, 2020 Comments Off

This article was first Published on Friday, April 11, 2008 at – :

http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2008/04/protecting-pakistans-hindus.html

Article follows my comments:

Let me begin with the oft quoted statement “all it takes for the evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing”. I believe the majority of either a religion or a nation is good people. What is missing is action on the part of these good people. They do nothing until crises reaches to a point of destruction.

The only thing we need to do – is to stoke the good people to speak up against bigotry and take a stand against injustice. It is in every one’s interest in the long run.

Articles like the one by Ali Eteraz and the ones at World Muslim Congress aspire to evoke the goodness in us and get the majority to take action, not to control, but to serve justly and equitable to all. I cannot expect goodness and peace to surround me, when I am not; it has to start with me, the one who is reading.

I am sure there are flaws in the article, but unless we speak out and defend the rights of every neighbor and every human, we cannot look for peace. I hope more of the people speak out about the injustices to every human on every corner of the earth.

Let every Pakistani speak up and be a defender of other Pakistani, be it a Hindu, Ahmadiyya, Christian, Jew, Zoroastrian, Shia, Bohra, Ismaili or a Sunni. We need more voices to make this work. May God give us the passion to speak out and do the right thing. Amen!

Mike Ghouse
http://www.mikeghouse.net/
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Protecting Pakistan’s Hindus
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/ali_eteraz/2008/04/protecting_pakistans_hindus.html

The cultural and institutional marginalisation of Hindus in Pakistan is a travesty of human dignity and freedom Hindus in Pakistan have suffered grievously since the founding of the nation in 1947. Recently, in the southern province of Sindh, a Hindu man was accused of blasphemy and beaten to death by his co-workers. This comes at the heels of the abduction and dismemberment of a Hindu engineer.

A little while earlier, the military removed 70 Hindu families from lands where they had been living since the 19th century. To this day the temples that Pakistanis destroyed in 1992 in response to the destruction of the Babri mosque in India have not been restored.

Pakistan, according to many accounts, was founded as a way to protect the rights and existence of the minority Muslim population of Colonial India in the face of the larger Hindu majority. Pakistan’s founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, is reported to have said in 1947: “In due course of time Hindus will cease to be Hindus and Muslims will cease to be Muslims – not in a religious sense for that is the personal faith of an individual- but in a political sense as citizens of one state.” It is therefore a travesty of Pakistan’s own founding principles that its Hindus – and not to exclude Christians and Ahmadis – have suffered so grossly.

There are two levels of prejudice in Pakistan with respect to Hindus – the cultural and the legal.
While it is difficult to say which one is more pernicious, cultural prejudice is certainly more difficult to uproot because it is perpetuated by religious supremacism, nationalism, stories, myth, lies, families, media, schooling and bigotry.

Cultural prejudice has become part and parcel of language itself. Hindus are referred to as “na pak.” Na means “un” and pak means “pure.” So, Hindus are turned into the impure, or unclean. Given that the word “pak” is part of the word “Pakistan” – which means Land of the Pure – somebody’s impurity suggests that they are not really Pakistani.

To make matters even worse, Pakistani mullahs teach a very supremacist version of the Islamic creed, the kalima. Usually, the kalima reads simply: “There is no god but God and Muhammad is His final messenger.” The version that children are taught, however, reads as follows: “The first kalima is Tayyab; Tayyab means Pak (Pure); There is no god but God and Muhammad is His final Messenger.”

Do you see how the word “Pak” – which denotes both purity and connects to citizenship in Pakistan – is smuggled into the Islamic creed? Since in Urdu this little ditty rhymes very effectively, this is the version of religiosity that most children repeat their entire lives. As a result, while they grow up, they psychologically equate Hindus with impurity, with uncleanliness, as not Pakistani, and therefore less than, both Islamically and as citizens. The only two parties that can begin to bring some change in this arena are the state and the liberal clerics.

Last year Pakistan’s prime minister did greet Hindus during Diwali and a prominent Hindu nationalist leader – who had to quit his party because of his outreach – that was born in Karachi did come back and pay respects to his birth-city.

Cricket diplomacy, which began in 2004, helped a little (but not really, because the focus was on cricket and not on religion). Also, there are a few prominent Hindus here and there – one is a justice of the Supreme Court and one is the leading leg-spinner for the cricket team. Yet, as the Pakistani exile Tarek Fatah points out, Justice Bhagwandas had to take the oath on the Quran. Meanwhile, Kaneria is regularly excluded from the Pakistani cricket team’s congregational Islamic prayer.

As bad as the cultural prejudice is, legal prejudice is the one that must be more urgently dealt with, because it is what allows cultural prejudice to acquire institutional power. Two laws in particular have been very problematic for the Hindu community.

The first one was promulgated under the 1973 constitution which made Islam the state religion of Pakistan and established a separate electorate for Muslims and non-Muslims so that Hindus could only vote for Hindu candidates. Musharraf abolished this in 2002. I think Muslims who support the idea of Islamic states around the world really need to stop and think about this for a second. It took an American-backed dictator in the year 2002 for a Muslim state to abolish unequal voting? As a wise man once said: are you kidding me? This is a deplorable commentary on the state of equality in today’s Islam.

The second law is the infamous blasphemy law passed under Islamist dictator Zia ul Haq in the 1980s. Designed specifically to punish the Ahmadi minority, the blasphemy law now provides convenient protection to anyone who ever wants to kill, murder, maim, beat up, mug, abduct, or punish any religious minority. All you really have to do is carry out your brutality and then point at the victim and say that he was blasphemous.

This law needs to be repealed immediately: no reform, no fixing, no tweaking, but total abolishment. Efforts to repeal it under Musharraf failed in the Senate. The secular parliament in session now is probably not going to touch it unless it is told to do so by international groups (who frankly aren’t really interested). The UN, EU, US, and International Council of Jurists must make some noise about repealing Pakistan’s heinous blasphemy law.

There are little more than three million Hindus in Pakistan (a nation of 160 million). They are still part of Pakistani life and need to be treated with respect and dignity. According to some sources, at the founding of Pakistan, Hindus comprised nearly 15% of the country’s population and now number barely 2%. Many have left, many have been killed, and many have converted to other religions to protect themselves. All in all, a travesty for a state that was created with the intended purpose of protecting minorities.

A FEW COMMENTS:
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Here Here, Ali – well said, Bhai.
I too am a Muslim of South Asian extraction, and what I find most depressing is the way in which communities that once lived side-by-side for many 100s of years, suddenly began to loathe each other.
How the frig did this happen??
All us who feel abhored by interpretations of Islam that sanction the abuse of others, now have to take a stand. But it must be stated that religiously inspired hatred of others in South Asia, is mutual. Here’s a verbatim Q from an elementary maths exam, in India:
If one ‘kar sevak’, (a kar sevak being a Hindu religious worker), can destroy 4 mosques. How many kar sevaks will be required to destroy 20 mosques?
That doesn’t absolve us though, from sorting out our own house. We have to challenge any Muslim who believes he can kill/abuse/mistreat/insult anyone, just cause they’re non-Muslim.
Following communal riots in Karachi during Partition, Jinnah went to the site and declared himself the protector of Pakistani Hindus. Someone else now needs to take his place.
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Thank you for that.
Refreshing to see a Muslim Blogger outside the box. Inny wrote another piece different from the usual topics that most are sick of.
It is wise to see the shit in ones own house before complaining about it in an-others.
In the game of purity, Indians are the masters. Indians are obsessed with it for all the wrong reasons.
When the Dalit chief Justice of the UP court was replaced by a high caste judge, elaborate purification ceremonies were enacted to purge the impurities from chambers.
Some schools in Rajasthan, have 2 dispensers of drinking water, one for low castes, so they don’t pollute the purer Indians higher up the caste ladder.
Sounds absurd, but people may die over such identifications, which is also absurd. Prejudices, simply make people feel superior, and caste is wonderful in achieving this.
Even those who converted to Christianity centuries ago, kept their caste, and every Sunday in Church in Goa, the rigid caste system allows Brahmins their seats in the front pews, and Christian untouchables stand at the back.
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Maleeha
I disagree with you about the causes of the prejudice against Hindus in Pakistan. Certainly any prejudice against that minority (as against any other) should be condemned, but its a stretch to say that “mullahs” teach a “very supremacist version of the Islamic creed” to characterize Hindus as evil. Seems a bit histrionic.

The prejudice comes not from some mass conspiratorial brainwashing of children by the Big Bad Bearded Men but from a contentious history, where the generation that had lost family and property during the Partition is still alive. That bitterness gets taught to children through the prejudices of parents. It is not about religion.

I do think that things are getting better as we get further from ’47 and the other two wars between India and Pakistan. Cricket diplomacy is good precisely BECAUSE its premise is not religion, and increased collaboration in movies and other artistic endeavors will hopefully further bring the peoples together.

A major issue ofcourse is seeing the Pakistani Hindus as truly Pakistani and not agents of a hostile India. Better relations with India would mean less harassment for the Hindus of Pakistan, even if they are still seen as “Indians” because of their religion.
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There is no doubt in my mind that just like Ordinance XX, the blasphemy laws were specifically passed to persecute the Ahmadiyya community. Christians and Hindus in this case are just innocent bystanders. If you read the rhetoric of extremist religious groups as reported by the vernacular newspapers in Pakistan, you will see the words blasphemy and Qadiani (derogatory term of Ahmadi) used in the same context. Governements are warned not to touch these laws or the whole country will go up in flames. These are not empty threats.. Events of 1953 and 1974 are a proof of the potency of street power Mullah posesses in Pakistan. The main victims of the blasphemy laws in Pakistan are Ahmadis. If an Ahmadi recites the Kalima, according to the straight forward interpretation of the law, he is guilty of blasphemy.
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Ali….Thank you for such important exposure and thank for being so precise in categorising human’s prejudice in Pakistan and other so-called Muslims’ countries. This delusion of been superior to other religions is a plague struck Islam by the most ignorant people “the mullahs” who continually brainwashing the general public to feel superior; you find that happening in Egypt, somalia, Saudi Arabia…etc where those mullahs teaching young children that Koran mentions how the Jews are related to pigs and apes and black non-mulsims are inferior to Muslims.

Islamists V. Anti-Islamists

Mike Ghouse October 6, 2020 Comments Off

This article was first Published on Friday, April 11, 2008 at – :

http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2008/04/islamists-v-anti-islamists-muslims.html

I wholeheartedly welcome the debate between Imam Al-Darsani and Zuhdi Jasser in the tradition of Prophet Muhammad to understand one’s faith back and forth. If some one claims righteousness of his belief, he or she must be willing to withstand the onslaught of questions and bring wisdom, rather than the circular logic to the debate.

Prior to the debate, I was not sure about the scope of it, however, it appeared that Jasser was blinded and was going to deepen the chasm rather than drive towards the intended solutions.

It is true that the establishment, be it Muslim or otherwise is usually short-sighted or perhaps overloaded with the issues and is inclined to ignore the unproven, un-established mavericks; Zuhdi is beyond that now. ISNA offers the platform to express one’s ideas in their legendary three day annual conferences. You have to be one of the many to be a presenter.

Most of the Muslims are opposed to extremist’s ideas, just like the majorities in every faith. However, Zuhdi’s approach may create a chasm rather than understand it, it may actually make each side to dig in their heels. You cannot push an idea onto others. Our effort is to bring about an understanding from Qur’aan, which is about Pluralism and co-existence. Qur’an, Al-Hujurat, Surah 49:13: “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.” In fact our mission statement is driven by that verse.

It is the tiny weenie minority within each group that tends to be extremist, I believe they are 1/10th of 1% of each group. They are known as Neocons, Islamist, Zionists and Hindutvadis, they may be genuinely afraid of imaginary enemies and express that as the truth and proclaim a clear and present danger. Unfortunately for the World, but fortunately for them, they evoke enough passion to bring their respective groups to band together and are well funded for the wrong purpose. They are the most cohesive groups in the world; they are passionate about their fiction and go about making it happen. They are even willing to pre-empt God and bring about Armageddon.

Every war, genocide and killing of human beings is their work. They may adopt different methods, but killing, genocide and creating chaos is common to all of them. They just cannot sit quite and let there be peace. They feed off each other.

Our goal is to invoke a similar passion in the moderate people who are the majority and let them speak out sense and assure the Quad that if they put in the time to work on peace, their nightmares may vanish and bring some peace to them. We have to guard ourselves with our words and actions to cause peace, mitigate conflicts and nurture goodwill.

Let us re-assure the world that the grand ideas of Muslims dominating the world are a fiction. There are enough Muslims to kill it even before it germinates. In the United States itself, Zuhdi Jasser, myself and millions of Muslims are out there who prefer nothing but a pluralistic Democracy. No, let me shoot it straight, we do not want any religious governance, let alone Islamic. Islam is a religion like other religions that helps one achieve peace for the individual and what surrounds him or her. To be religious is to be a peacemaker, one who constantly seeks to mitigate conflicts and nurtures goodwill for peaceful co-existence. God wants us to live in peace and harmony with his creation; life and mater. Indeed, that is the purpose of religion, any religion.

Zuhdi needs to substantiate his claims, “These elusive Islamists include a host of “political imams” (imams who use their pulpit to preach an Islamist domestic and foreign policy agenda) who are apparently a majority of imams in mosques around the U.S. Not only are political imams in the majority of mosques but the salafist orientation seems to predominate mosques also.”
This evokes an imaginary discomfort among all Americans. This is not the truth. He needs to prove it by statistics, at least drop the word majority from his statements. Opposing Islamism is one thing, frightening the public is another.

Zuhdi Jasser states, “This is augmented in the public place with their supporting and collaborating Islamist organizations which include ISNA (Islamic Society of North America), CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations), MAS (Muslim American Society), ICNA (Islamic Circle of North America), MSA (Muslim Students Association), the North American…”
Labeling an organization as Islamist is the work of keyboard or the mouth. Zuhdi needs to substantiate it. From what I know of ISNA and CAIR, they are working for co-existence, peace and harmony. Apparently a CAIR Executive made a statement that Islam is here to dominate, he denied ever saying such a statement, and the journalist did not have anything to prove that the executive said something to that effect. An accusation of that magnitude without proof is dangerous to our society. Did CAIR founder say Islam to rule America?

“In fact, statistics would show that only a small minority of American Muslims maintain membership in any “Muslim” organizations.” Indeed, that is the case with most immigrant communities; be it a German-American association, or Czech-American, or Filipino American Association. Although it sounds right, I hope there is statistics available for it.

Zuhdi is not in touch with what is going on in the world when he states, “Wahhabism to salafism to deobandism to militant Islamism and its terror, we will be able to effectuate and progress a global anti-Islamist movement.” On March 10th, the Deoband Seminary held a conference in India gathering 10,000 Clerics who made a declaration condemning terrorism. Then similar declarations were made by Muslim organizations around the world.

http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2008/03/muslim-nations-condemn-terrorism.html

Mike Ghouse is the founder of the World Muslim Congress, a group committed to building bridges and nurturing a world of co-existence. He also heads the foundation for pluralism, an organization committed to study religious pluralism and pluralistic governance. His articles can be found at http://www.worldmuslimcongress.com/ and its five blogs, the http://www.foundationforpluralism.com/ and its blogs and http://www.mikeghouse.net/