Daily Blog - The Ghouse Diary

American Muslim Agenda: A New Beginning for Muslim Americans This July 4

Mike Ghouse September 22, 2020 Comments Off

This article was first Published on 06/27/2014 12:54 pm ET at – : https://www.huffpost.com/entry/american-muslim-agenda-a-_b_5528706

Ramadan is an auspicious month for Muslims, and it was during this month that the Quran was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) setting the tone for a new beginning for people of the land. On the other hand, July 4 set the tone for a new beginning for America. Both events were springboards for the mankind in social and political developments.

Perhaps this is the first time in American History that Muslims will be celebrating July 4 during the month of Ramadan fully conscious of being Americans. Of course Ramadan and July 4 have crossed in 1981, and every 33-34 years before that, but without public awareness.

Let this July 4 of 2014 be a historic beginning for American Muslims, where they will put together a clear agenda to be participants and contributors towards the well being of America.

To be a Muslim is to be a peace maker, one who seeks to mitigate conflicts and nurtures goodwill for peaceful co-existence of humanity. Just about every activity of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was powered by this dual element.

Our Mission is to work for a world of co-existence through inclusiveness and participation. As a member of diverse family of faiths, our efforts will be directed towards justice and equity to attain peace for the humankind with a firm grounding in commonly held values. We cannot have advantages at the cost of others. Such benefits are temporary and deleterious to lasting peace. We believe what is good for Muslims has got to be good for America, and vice versa, for the goodness to sustain.

God created an integrated and interconnected world in harmony and balance, and all he wants from us is to maintain that balance. That is simply the God’s will.

The World Muslim Congress, a 12-year-old think tank, has worked on presenting an “initial agenda” for Muslims in America based on Quran and Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) guidance. We hope this will spur debates, followed by discussions and emergence of a Muslim agenda within the framework of American Agenda.

Due to the length of the plan, it is presented in three installments.

AMERICAN MUSLIM AGENDA | ITEM # 1 : AMIN

This 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, trust is the glue that binds and ensures smooth running of the societies. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was divinely guided to set up the model of Amin based on this principle. Amins is the one who is trustworthy, tells the truth, has immense patience, who is just, and whose presence makes others feel secure. Thus he was called Amin by the Jews, Christians, Pagans and others during his life time.

What does this mean for Muslim Americans? It simply means we have to become Amins of the society, and have to be there for our neighbors in their crises, deaths, marriages, birthdays and other celebrations and commemorations. Islam does not shut us down, it frees us up. There are over 18 verses in Quran where God consistently talks about taking care of fellow humans. Indeed the Prophet (pbuh) had said it in so many different ways that an irreligious guy who takes care of his neighbor earns God’s grace over the guy who is relentlessly praying. For example, “None of you is a believer if he eats his full meal while his neighbor hasn’t anything.” (Musnad) and, “None of you have faith until you love for your neighbor what you love for yourself” (Sahih Muslim).

Here is the bottom line. We need to have comfortable working relationships with everyone from Atheists to Baha’i, Buddhist, Christians, Hindus, Jains, Jewish, Native Americans, Pagans, Sikh, Wiccan, Zoroastrians and every one in between including fellow Muslims of different denominations. We should not be dumbfounded when it comes to the right knowledge about others, preferably as they express it and not what is dished out about them. We ought to take pride in knowing all of God’s creation expressed in different faiths and traditions.

Quran 49:13 says that God has created us into different tribes, communities and nations, and expects us to have conflicts, and then says, the best among you are the ones who know each other, indeed, knowledge leads to understanding and understanding to acceptance and appreciation of God given uniqueness of each one of us, and when that happens conflicts fade and solutions emerge.

The very first guidance from God was to learn! Prophet Muhammad beefed it up by saying, learning is a primary duty, and if you have to go to a far-off land (China) to learn, go for it.

Can we be the Amins? Yes, we can, indeed we cannot be a Muslim without being the Amin.

What does it take? We don’t have to go to far-off lands, we can learn it in our Friday Sermons, we should pound on this message, and the board members of the Mosques be required to serve in public non-Muslim and non-profit organizations to understand this model of the Prophet.

These organizations ought to focus on building the value of Amin and hold “Amin competitions” in their annual conferences rather than Qirat (Quran recitation) competitions. This should be our #1 priority to be fully participating members of the society to create a cohesive America for us and our future generations.

We should go with a 10-year plan, at the end of which, when a Muslim in a public square says “Allahu Akbar” it should not cause panic, instead people should gather around him, because he is expressing humility and not a shout to kill someone. When a bearded man boards the plane, people ought to greet him because they know he is Amin trust worthy, kind and gentle. When we become Amins first, our prayers, our beards or ethnic clothing in public will not frighten anyone.

This is an opportunity for Muslims to contribute towards a cohesive America.

AMERICAN MUSLIM AGENDA | ITEM # 2: STANDING UP FOR OTHERS

If we don’t stand up for others, why should anyone stand up for us? Prophet Muhammad was clear — when you see injustice to fellow humans, the least you can do is to speak up. There is a lot of wisdom in those words and clearly goes towards building a cohesive America. Let’s believe in our own words, Prophet Muhammad was not for Muslims exclusively, he was for the whole humanity and let our actions match our words.

In 1776, Thomas Jefferson wrote the opening of the United States Declaration of Independence, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. …”

Way back in the year 632, Prophet Muhammad delivered his last sermon, “All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over black nor does a black have any superiority over white except by piety and good action.” Indeed, there is no compulsion in matters of faith” (Q2:256) one is free to believe in the pursuit of his happiness.

Prophet Muhammad was perhaps one of the first significant leaders in the world, to have stood up and spelled out the rights of women from initiating marriage, and divorce to owning her own property and business, this was unprecedented liberation of women. She was even given the freedom to even disobey and divorce her husband if he were to compel her to believe otherwise.

Of course, a majority of Muslims believe in that, but need to stand up against the blatant violations against women’s rights including respectful space for women in the Mosque and civic organizations.

We must publicize our corrected stand on the Quranic verse 4:34, which has been misinterpreted by misogynic scholars of the past to “beat the wife” to “separation” when there are disagreements. Of course it is a men thing, but it should not be religiously sanctioned thing and it is not.

To ensure that all men (men and women) are equal, we have to stand up for the basic human rights of fellow citizens, regardless of their race, religion or sexual orientation. If some on violates the rights of Jews, Christians, African Americans, White, Black, Atheist, GLBT, Native Americans we need to stand up for their rights. The least we can do is to speak up. When we stand up for the rights of each other, all of us would be contributing towards building a cohesive America, where each one of us will feel safe. For Muslims it is a fulfillment of dual duty to the Founding fathers of our nation and teachings of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

AMERICAN MUSLIM AGENDA # 3 | REMOVING APPREHENSIONS

There are still a few people around us in our neighborhoods who are afraid of Muslims. Let’s do our dharma and assure fellow Americans that our agenda is same as theirs, and that is to build a secure, safe and prosperous America.

Unfortunately, a handful of Muslims among us have gotten us a bad name. Every time someone does some wrong, we sigh, and some of us even pray that the wrong doer was not a Muslim. We need to get out of that mode of being apologetic for the acts of criminals; they are our common enemies (Boston-Huffpost). Whoever hurts any one of us Americans, it is as if he has hurt us all, and this ought to be communicated. Indeed, “Let this be clear, together as Americans, we stand against extremism, violence and terrorism.”

American Muslims and Muslims around the world are sick of the misguided Al-Qaeda, and Brotherhood types of groups, and they will be the first ones to report any inkling of such men in our midst, indeed per the FBI bulk of those bad guys were turned in by Muslims. The American Muslims have no sympathy for cold blooded murderers and maligners of Islam.

Sharia Phobia — It is indeed a phobia, because it is perceived as a threat to our lives.
Let it be also known that American Muslims stand opposed to the kind of Sharia “that is prevalent in a handful of Muslim majority nations across the globe”. No Muslim organization in America has asked for it, none whatsoever.

There is a dire need to communicate the difference between Public and Personal Sharia; personal Sharia is a relationship between God and individual and all Muslims live by it. Fellow Americans need to understand it as well. I will be the first one, to stand up against “Public Sharia”, which needs to be fixed elsewhere, and does not exist in America, nor is it sought. Sharia for personal use to square off personal conflicts must be a personal choice, just as Jewish Sharia exists to settle marital and moral conflicts among Jews.

Let it be known that Americans Muslims have placed their trust in American Justice system and will continue to seek justice though it as every American does, and the law of the land is our law. There is no substitute for it.

In the next article, we will cover July 4th, Engagement, Celebrations, and Pluralism. The last article will conclude with Volunteerism, Leadership and gear up to building One Nation.

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Mike Ghouse is a Muslim speaker, thinker and a writer, and presides over the World Muslim congress, a think tank, and a forum with the express goals of nurturing pluralistic values embedded in Islam to build cohesive societies.

Referenced articles:

Allahu Akbar – http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/allahu-akbar-abused_b_860221.html

Boston Terrorist – http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/what-if-boston-terrorist-is-muslim_b_3108305.html

Public Sharia – http://sharialaws.blogspot.com/2013/02/genesis-of-sharia-law.html

Sharia Law not in America – http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/sharia-law-not-in-america_b_653250.html

Fixing Sharia Law – http://www.opednews.com/articles/Fixing-Sharia-Laws-by-Mike-Ghouse-Apostasy_Blasphemy_DNA-Rape-Kit_Divorce-140115-276.html

Happy Khushali: A Celebration of 57 Years of Imamat (Religious Leadership) of His Highness, the Aga Khan.

Mike Ghouse September 22, 2020 Comments Off

This article was first Published on January 13, 2019 at – : https://www.huffpost.com/entry/happy-khushali-a-ramadan_b_5577420

HH Aga Khan is ceremoniously addressed as, “Mawlana Hazar Imam Shah Karim al Hussaini, His Highness Prince Aga Khan” by the Ismaili Muslims around the world. The Imamat was passed on to him by his Grandfather Sir Sultan Mohamed Shah Aga Khan III on July 11, 1957. HH Aga Khan is the 49th Imam of the religious office of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslim Community, also known as Ismaili Muslims. Per the Ismaili Muslim tradition, HH Aga Khan, is a direct lineal descendant of Prophet (pbuh) through Hazrat Ali (RA) and Hazrat Fatima (RA).

As a Muslim Pluralist myself, I have come to admire HH Aga Khan for reviving a few of the core values of Islam; Pluralism, and the second most important value called — Huqooqul Ibad — the obligatory duties to fellow beings.

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and Hazrat Ali (ra) had continuously advocated living in moderation; it’s a mid path between the worldly and spiritual needs. The Aga Khan has fine tuned that balance between material and spiritual life.

Aga Khan on Shia Ismaili Tradition

He performs his religious duties by interpreting Qur’an to his 15 million plus followers spread out across the world, fulfilling his role as the spiritual leader of the Ismaili Muslim community.

In his speech to the Parliament of Canada on February 27, 2014, he explains the Shia-Sunni and Ismaili tradition, “The Ismaili Imamat is a supra-national entity, representing the succession of Imams since the time of the Prophet. But let me clarify something more about the history of that role, in both the Sunni and Shia interpretations of the Muslim faith. The Sunni position is that the Prophet nominated no successor, and that spiritual-moral authority belongs to those who are learned in matters of religious law. As a result, there are many Sunni imams in a given time and place. But others believed that the Prophet had designated his cousin and son-in-law, Ali, as his successor. From that early division, a host of further distinctions grew up — but the question of rightful leadership remains central. In time, the Shia were also sub-divided over this question, so that today the Ismailis are the only Shia community who, throughout history, have been led by a living, hereditary Imam in direct descent from the Prophet. “

On the other hand he is guiding the community to prosperity and living a responsible life in the societies they live.

He founded the Aga Khan Development Network that is committed to serving the humanity without regard to faith, origin or gender. I believe AKDN is one of the largest Non Governmental bodies serving humanity to learn to stand on their own feet.

Every child, teen and an adult has someone he or she looks up to, and wants to-be-like that person and eventually becomes one. Good role models are a key to the success of a civil society, and indeed, HH Aga Khan is a great role model for Muslims to look up to.

In gratitude for his continued guidance, the Ismaili Muslims celebrate this week honoring him and reaffirming his leadership with a renewed commitment to serving the humanity.

Pluralism

Islam is about restoring and sustaining the harmony within an individual and with what surrounds him; life and environment. From the very first sentence of the first chapter, and the last chapter and throughout Qur’an, God is “Sustainer of all the worlds” (1:2) and “Cherisher of Mankind” (114:1) — The message is universal and inclusive of humanity and not a particular group of people.

At present, he is one of the few Muslims in the world who has truly understood the pluralistic message of Quran. He firmly believes in pluralism and has opened an institution to propagate those ideals. Please visit the Global Center for Pluralism in Canada. At the Foundation for Pluralism, we have crystallized the definition of pluralism as “Respecting the otherness of others” based on many verses from Qur’an, but particularly verse 109:6 translation by Yusuf Ali, “To you be your Way, and to me mine.”

Aga Khan delivered the following statement at the Inauguration Ceremony of Aga Khan University in Karachi on November 11, 1985, “The divine intellect Aql-i Kull, both transcends and informs the human intellect. It is this intellect which enables man to strive towards two aims dedicated by the Faith: that he should reflect upon the environment Allah has given and that he should know himself. It is the light of intellect which distinguishes the complete human being from the human animal and developing that intellect requires free enquiry. The man of Faith who fails to pursue intellectual search is likely to have only a limited comprehension of Allah’s creation. Indeed, it is man’s intellect that enables him to expand his vision of that creation.”

Caring for Neighbors

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) had said the best among you is the one who sees to it that his neighbor is fed and cared for. Imam Hazrat Ali (ra), the 4th rightly guided Caliph after Prophet Muhammad in providing the leadership to the Muslim community says, “The best man is he who is most serviceable to fellow humans.” There are over 18 verses in Qur’an where God consistently talks about taking care of fellow humans. Indeed the Prophet (pbuh) expressed it in so many different ways to high light the duty to fellow beings. He he said, that an irreligious guy who takes care of his neighbor earns God’s grace over a guy who is relentlessly praying.

Ismaili Muslims participate and contribute in building relationships

Indeed, the beneficence of Aga Khan’s Pluralism discourse can be witnessed everywhere in the world including Dallas, Texas.

Arman Rupani and his father Mr. Amir Ali Rupani, a respected philanthropist of Dallas, set in motion a historic event; Iftar Dinner with Hon. Mayor Mike Rawlings of City of Dallas. This is the first public Iftar event in Dallas area hosted by the City with it’s Muslim residents.

Picture: Mayor Rawlings, Arman Rupani, Amir Rupani, Dy Mayor Pro Tem Alonzo | Photo courtesy Surajart

The Mayor delivered an inclusive key note address; he was all for building relations with each community in the City. He said, there are about 120,000 Muslims in the area and around 40,000 of them reside in City of Dallas. He was excited to initiate this tradition and expects wants it to continue every year. By the way, his praise for Arman was touching, and the words he had for Amir Rupani for raising a public service son made every one pause and praise this father son duo.

Thanks to Arman Rupani, Amir Ali Rupani and Akram Syed for co-hosting the event, and building relationships between the Mayor’s office and the Muslims of Dallas.

The honored guests included; Mayor Mike Rawlings of Dallas, Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Monica R. Alonzo of Dallas, former Mayor Dr. Arjumad Hashmi of Paris, Texas, Council Member Dr. Shahid Shafi of South Lake and most of the Imams of Shia and Sunni traditions, and some of the most active Muslims of Dallas Fort Worth.

Purpose of Religion

The purpose of every religion and the work of every prophet, messenger or peacemaker was to build cohesive societies, where no human had to live in apprehension or fear of the other. Indeed the ultimate goal of Islam as I understand is to bring harmony and peace to the societies achieved by knowing each other and building relationships.

Indeed God has created us into different tribes, communities and nations (Quran 49:13). It was indeed his choice to create each one of us to be unique with our own thumbprint, eye print, DNA, color and taste buds. Yet, the whole creation was put together in perfect balance and harmony (Q55:7); Planets and plants were programmed to operate with precision (Q55:5) year after year, and humans were given the free will with a responsibility to maintain that balance for their own good or perish like the earlier species through climate changes or conflicts.

God knew such diversity is bound to create conflict and mess up the delicate balance, so he encourages us in the same verse 49:13, that the best among you are the ones who know each other. Indeed, knowledge leads to understanding and understanding to acceptance and appreciation of the God given uniqueness of each one of us, and with that conflicts fade and solutions emerge.

One shining example that stands out is His Highness Aga Khan, who has struck a perfect balance between the life here, and life hereafter.

One shining example that stands out is His Highness Aga Khan, who has struck a perfect balance between the life here, and life hereafter.We wish a very happy Imamat day and Khushali to the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims and blessing of long life to the Hazar Imam HH Karim Aga Khan. Amen!

This writer was a former commissioner at City of Carrollton.

Ramadan Related Articles:

American Muslim Agenda-I at Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/american-muslim-agenda-a-_b_5528706.html

American Muslim Agenda-II at World Muslim Congress: http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2014/07/july-4th-celebrations-muslims-and.html

Ramadan’s Pluralism Message at Ramadan Exclusive: http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2014/06/ramadans-pluralism-message-intrafaith.html

Ramadan’s spiritual Discipline at faith Street: http://www.faithstreet.com/onfaith/2009/08/21/ramadans-spiritual-discipline/8124

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Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism,Peace, Islam, Israel, India, interfaith, cohesive work place. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com and www.MikeGhouse.net

Muslims to Dedicate Friday Sermons for the Safety of Christians, Yazidis, Shia and Other Minorities

Mike Ghouse September 22, 2020 Comments Off

This article was first Published on 08/15/2014 12:10 pm ET at – : https://www.huffpost.com/entry/muslims-to-dedicate-frida_b_5679118

Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi is on a killing spree of Christians, Yazidis, Shia and other Minorities in Iraq and Syria. We urge Muslims to pray for Sanity to prevail, and urge the World powers to give a final warning to Al-Baghdadi to surrender or face the drones.

In behalf of Muslims, I strongly condemn the evil acts of Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi for terrorizing Christians, Yazidis, Shia and other minorities in Iraq. He is an evil man and must be caught and processed for his crimes against humanity, there is Genocide in making, and I recommend a bounty be posted to get him dead or alive.

Key suggestions:

1. We urge Muslims around the world to dedicate their congregational Sermon on Friday, August 15, 2014 and or August 22, 2014 for the safety of Christians, Yazidis, Shia and others in Iraq and Syria, and restore law and order, and safety to the victims of oppression.

2. Christians are fleeing Iraq, and their population is dwindling from a Million down to 400,000, it needs to be stopped at once. No human should be thrown and forced out of his or her home, and thanks to the US initiative to rescue the Yazidis.

3. The Gang leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi has given a despicable ultimatum to the Christians, “We offer them three choices: Islam; the dhimma contract – involving payment of Jiziyah; if they refuse this they will have nothing but the sword.”

4. No one should have the right to chase any one out of their own homes. Quran recommends severe punishment to the oppressors and suggests hunting them down where ever they can be found and punish them accordingly, unless they sincerely repent and back off. It’s time to apply the Quranic rule to these criminals.

5. We urge the European Union to drone the terrorists individually without hurting the innocent civilians to prevent Genocide. The United States does not have a moral ground to stand on, as we have justified bombing civilians in the Gaza crisis, shame on us, our Senators and Congresspersons.

6. The terrorists who call themselves religious and carry the labels of Islam, (ISIL or ISIS) have beheaded hundreds of innocent people, crucified former Muslims who freely chose to follow Jesus Christ, destroyed dozens of Christian churches, burned sacred manuscripts and sacred art, and sent hundreds of thousands of Christians and other religious minorities fleeing for their lives in a reign of bloodshed and terror (Catholic.org)

7. We urge the media to call them anything under the sun but caliph, Caliphate, or Islamic State. There is no need to give a semblance of legitimacy to Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi and his gang. We have to reject his evil claims of his acts as Islamic. Our attitude should be, “You are the murderer and not your religion, and you are going to pay a price for it, either surrender or face the drones”.

8. If there were a certificate given to an organization to operate as an Islamic entity, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi and his gang’s application will be rejected for the gross violations of Islam, a few are addressed here;

a. There is no compulsion in Islam — no one can be forced to believe against his or her will (2:256) — how dare they make the despicable statement to the Christians of Iraq to convert or run.

b. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)’s covenant states, “It is not permitted to remove a bishop from his bishopric or a Christian from his Christianity, a monk from his monastic life or a pilgrim from his pilgrimage or a hermit monk from his tower. Nor is it permitted to destroy any part of their churches, to take parts of their buildings to construct mosques or the homes of Muslims. Whoever does such a thing will have violated the pact of Allah, disobeyed his Messenger, and betrayed the Divine Alliance.”

c. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)’s covenant states, “No Christian will be made Muslim by force: And dispute ye not with the People of the Book, except with means better [29:46].

d. In another Hadith (Prophet’s sayings) quoted by Abu Dawud, Prophet in essence says, if you are unjust to a Christian or a Jew, by God, on the Day of Judgment, I will stand up against you. Here is the quote, “Be aware, that whoever oppressed one who has a treaty with us, or belittled him, or burdened him with more than he is capable of, or took something from him forcibly with him being displeased, then I will be his plaintiff (will argue against him) on the Day of Judgment.”

9. Please feel free to visit www.WorldMuslimCongress.com for updates and related reports on the subject.

To be a Muslim is to be a peace maker who seeks to mitigate conflicts and nurtures goodwill for peaceful co-existence of humanity. Our work at is geared towards building a cohesive society where no human has to live in apprehension or fear of the other. World Muslim congress is a think tank and a forum with the express goal of nurturing pluralistic values embedded in Islam to build cohesive societies. If we can learn to respect the otherness of others and accept each other’s uniqueness, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge. Mike Ghouse is a Muslim Speaker thinker and a writer.

Two Islams — The Mangled-up and the Pristine

Mike Ghouse September 22, 2020 Comments Off

This article was first Published on 09/03/2014 11:58 am ET at – : https://www.huffpost.com/entry/two-islams-the-mangledup-_b_5748280

Nearly a decade ago, I argued with the Islamophobes that there is only one Islam, period. But today, I see two Islams; mangled and the pristine one.

The intention of this essay is to create constructive discussions to get us out of the nasty quagmire.

The Islam that I have studied is based on the belief that God has created the entire universe in balance and harmony (Quran 55:4-13), and that each one of us has the responsibility to manage that balance between life and environment, and the balance within (physical and spiritual) through moderation, and balance with others (religious guidance and or civil laws). Anytime that balance is off, we will witness difficulties with our body, family, society and the environment.

The Islam that I continue to learn is about respecting God and his creation, indeed, the diversity is purposeful. God has made everything to be unique with its own sustainable equilibrium. He says he has created all of us from the same couple, and has made us into many tribes, nations, faiths, races and other distinctions. He tells us that the best ones among us are those who help rather than hinder others in all that is good. He expects us to respect the otherness of others and accept the given uniqueness to each one of us; Pluralism is the word.

He wisely guides us not to compel others to think and act likes us, then says, had he wanted, he would have created all of us alike.

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

This is another expression of Islam from Muhammad Yunus, and Islamic scholar, “The essence of Islamic message lies in deeds, righteousness, moral awareness, community service, attaining excellence in lawful pursuit, dealing justly with all, forgiving the past enemies, and so forth.”
The Islam that I have come to admire is the humility and sense of parity it imparts through its rituals. I salute God when he says, and Muhammad (pbuh) reiterates, that no prophet is above the other and no human is above the other. That alone is good for me to be a Muslim, remember arrogance kills the relationships and humility builds it. Arrogance is the root cause of all conflicts, and hence God gives a Zero to the arrogant ones until they become humble.

This concept may be difficult for Muslims, Christians, Jews, Hindus and others alike, but we have start somewhere, and as a Muslim, I humbly submit that my religion is not superior to any religion, and all the pathways to God are beautiful and help each believer earn his grace, balance and equilibrium through it.

Mangled up Islam.

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

Where did we go wrong?

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

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

The authoritarian circumstances created a need to interpret the faith to suit them – a phenomenon that is intrinsic to all faiths. Scholars like Ibn Tamiyah, Ibn Kathir at the time of great violence like the Crusades and Mongol attacks and other social and political upheavals gave their personal views on civil, political and military aspects of the era. The mistake we have made is to give their word a near equivalence of Quran and the Prophet; we can judge them against historical relativism but should not regard their work as integral component of Islamic teachings. All said, we must admit that whatever their intentions might have been, the medieval scholars messed up the interpretation of Quran. Instead of building cohesive societies, they were inclined to forge exclusive authoritarian societies. A lot of their work is good, but it takes only a single drop of poison to endanger a pot full of water.

The sad interpretations

‘Islam is the only way acceptable to God’, while negating God’s repeated guarantees that no matter what faith you follow, if you are good to your fellow beings, you’ll earn his grace. ‘Don’t make friends with Jews and Christians’ was such a blunderous interpretation, and goes against prophet’s practices when he married a Jewish and a Christian woman without converting them. ‘Death to anyone (apostate) who abandons Islam’ goes against the very essence of Islam; that there is no compulsion in faith. There is a lot more that is not in Quran and Prophets Practices, but has crept in through a few wrong Sharia laws crippling the inclusive nature and giving birth to political Islam.

We addressed 10 out o 60 such verses in a conference that have been misinterpreted by Christian and Muslims scholars, sadly a few Muslims believe in the exclusive interpretations.

The Neocons feast on those verses, and most certainly they have not pulled the ‘hateful citations’ out of thin air, they are quoting the interpretations of men like ibn Wahhab, Maududi, Banna and others. Each one of them was a product of history, in some cases they were control freaks, and ignored the Quranic teachings of no compulsion, but advocated authoritarianism, they did not believe in individual’s God-given rights, and suggested the state to kill those who differed. This is another instance we have gone wrong by not denouncing their misinterpretations.

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

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

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

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

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

Well, what Bush did is not the issue, but what are Muslims going to do about it — fix it, or keep blaming? Let’s fix it. I invite research articles for publications at www.WorldMuslimCongress.com. Insha Allah, we plan to hold a conference based on the theme that “Muslims should be inclusive universal beings (Mukhlooqul Aalameen) to honor God’s word in Q49:13. This is based on Quran that God is God of all humanity (Rabbul Aalameen), Prophet is a mercy to mankind (Rahmatul Aalameen) and it follows that we have to embrace full humanity with its God given diversity. We have to build cohesive well functioning societies that are good for Muslims and good for the world.

To be a Muslim is to be a peace-maker who seeks to mitigate conflicts and nurtures goodwill for peaceful co-existence of humanity. World Muslim congress is a think tank and a forum with the express goal of nurturing pluralistic values embedded in Islam to build cohesive societies. If we can learn to respect the otherness of others and accept each other’s uniqueness, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge. Mike Ghouse is a Muslim Speaker thinker, writer, organizer and an activist.

President Obama, Go Ahead ‘Degrade and Destroy’ ISIS

Mike Ghouse September 22, 2020 Comments Off

This article was first Published on 09/04/2014 05:36 pm ET at – : https://www.huffpost.com/entry/president-obama-go-ahead-_b_5765264

President Obama, I admire your unusual courage, you have been a hero, and a sane man in my books, and a coward a few times.

2014-09-04-PresidentObama.goahead.degradeanddestory.ISIS.jpg

On behalf of Muslims, I strongly condemn the evil acts of Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi for terrorizing Christians, Yazidis, Shiites and other minorities in Iraq. He is an evil man and must be caught and processed for his crimes against humanity, there is genocide in making, and I recommend a bounty be posted to get him dead or alive.

His ultimatum to the Christians is despicable, “We offer them three choices: Islam; the dhimma contract — involving payment of Jiziyah; if they refuse this they will have nothing but the sword.”

As I wrote previously, no one should have the right to chase any one out of their own homes. The Quran recommends severe punishment to the oppressors and suggests hunting them down where ever they can be found and punishing them accordingly, unless they sincerely repent and back off, and if they do back off and surrender, they go to Guantanamo for a full orderly trial that US law permits. If those specific individuals don’t surrender, drone them! Go ahead, degrade and destroy them.

However, we should never lose civility in our dealings with these men, and should not produce excuses in making innocent civilians a collateral damage, a shameful word in history of civilizations.

Muslims have been praying for the safety of Christians, Yazidis, Shiites and other minorities who are victimized by these nuts, and they are sick of these rogues and will pray for you if you get rid of these men.

I trust you in getting those ugly ISIS guys without destroying innocent people, as you did with bin Laden. You removed him from the face of earth without being a destructive man and with least collateral damage, as a nation we thank you.

You have been one of the best foreign policy presidents we ever had; you rightly sided with the people of Egypt instead of the dictator Mubarak, and did the right thing with Iran. The neocons want nothing but destruction; a majority of humanity wants peace.

Your only failure is cowering to Netanyahu and sliding America from our higher moral grounds. You made us lose it by justifying the killing of nearly 2,000 Palestinians. You owe an apology to the Palestinians who want us to be a just people. They cannot look up to any one for justice. I am reminded of the Holocaust victims who silently faced the persecution while the world looked on.

We should continue to stand up for Israel, but not at the cost of justice to the Palestinians. Injustice to one is injustice to all. Be a moral president. You are a peace maker and hope you continue to earn your Nobel Prize.

Now, go ahead, and make our day. Give the ISIS guys a three days’ notice: either back off, repent, surrender or face the drones.

Mike Ghouse is a public speaker, thinker, writer and a commentator on Pluralism at work place, politics, religion, society, gender, race, culture, ethnicity, food and foreign policy. All about him is listed in several links at www.MikeGhouse.net and his writings are at www.TheGhousediary.com and 10 other blogs. He is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day.

Let Bill Maher Speak — Islam Supports Free Speech

Mike Ghouse September 22, 2020 Comments Off

This article was first Published on 11/07/2014 04:00 pm ET at – : https://www.huffpost.com/entry/let-bill-maher-speak-isla_b_6103066

Freedom of speech should not be subjected to the discretion of any one, any time we introduce an element of partiality, we will invariably trip and accept bias of the left or the right.

One such slip happened by my conservative friend Sean Hannity on September 30, 2014 on his Fox News show with Pamela Geller and me as the guests. It was disappointing when he was advocating banning the speech of the Tunisian Scholar Sheikh Rachid Al-Ghannouchi from speaking at Yale Law School, because he had spoken against America.

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Freedom of speech is the most enduring, stabilizing, sustainable value of a free society. Ultimately freedom should prevail over everything else. That is about the only thing I would defend and die for.

We have to be consistent in upholding free speech. Ghannouchi had called for destruction of American properties and of course, I did not like it, but I had defended his right to speak.

Ironically, I have defended Pamela Geller’s right to speak in London when they banned her from speaking, on Hannity she was against Gannouchi. I have defended Terry Jones’ right to burn copies of Qurans, and indeed we are making a film about the freedom of speech. I have defended Fred Phelps right to be ugly with this anti-Jewish, anti-GLBT and anti-immigrant demonstrations but stood firmly with the Jewish, GLBT and immigrant communities. I have opposed Arab League’s proposal at the United Nations to curb freedom of speech about religious heads, and without any doubt Professor Ghannouchi should speak freely, and so should Bill Maher.

Freedom should be the ultimate winner. Indeed it is to our advantage to hear him out, understand where he is coming from and what he is going to lay it out. We should hear him, disagree with him and counter him with good stuff, but ban him not.

Bill Maher should not be stopped from speaking either; I will equally defend his right to free speech. I am speaking up in particular because the people opposing his freedom are Muslims, fellow members of my faith.

Here is what Quran says, there are numerous verses to support free speech, but for now, I will quote three;

41:34 – Repel evil with whatever is better; there is chance that evil may mellow down, if you repel evil with evil, the conflict flares up and both sides will dig in their heels.

2:256 – There shall be no compulsion for others to believe what you believe

109:6 – To you be your Way, and to me mine.

Saudi Arabia or Iran may not support free speech that is their problem and not Islam’s problem. Islam does not have a problem in case the right wing nuts want to make it.

My strongest argument with Hannity and Geller was — I do not want America to change for Ghannouchi, I do not want our constitution be compromised for Ghannouchi, and I do not want our character to change for Ghannouchi.

We don’t want to ban Maher because he says unpalatable things.

If the School has guidelines as to who they can or cannot bring, then they are perfectly in place to reject him. But no one should be denied their right to speak, as long as others have the same right. We cannot have a society that places restrictions on free speech. We cannot be hypocrites, and ban free speech for one and allow it for others.

Freedom of speech is a birth right, that is one simple thing that separates animals from humans, and we should not compromise.

Freedom of speech is an exceptional American value, indeed, that is what separates us from the rest of the world. I urge the University not to ban free speech, let Bill Maher speak, and let students bring Reza Aslan or myself to speak against Bill Maher’s non-sense talk.

Mike Ghouse is a frequent guest on Hannity Show and a defender of free speech. His information is at www.MikeGhouse.net

Angela Merkel Can Prevent Another Charlie Hebdo

Mike Ghouse September 22, 2020 Comments Off

This article was first Published on 01/15/2015 03:15 pm at – : https://www.huffpost.com/entry/angela-merkel-can-prevent_b_6470140

In a divisive world where the leaders are sacrificing the long term safety of a nation for the short term political gains, and putting the nation on a destructive path of exclusion of those who differ, Merkel has done the right thing; choosing inclusion.

Reuter’s reports that German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Monday, ‘Islam belongs to Germany,” in a clear repudiation of anti-immigration protesters gathering in Dresden and other cities. Merkel said her government was doing everything it could to ensure migrants were being successfully integrated into German society regardless of their religion.

I salute Merkel for taking the wisdom road in building a cohesive Germany, where no German has to live in apprehension or fear of the other, and instead focus on prosperity, peace and security for every German. Not only is this good for Germany but will become a model for other nations to emulate. Indeed, “Islam belongs to Germany”.

It is tempting to fall prey to the vociferous bunch who claps endlessly when a short-sighted leader talks about pushing “the other’” to the corner, and or forcing “them” in to obedience. They assume that the world is with them, but they fail to see an eternal battle of rights in the making.

Out of the chaotic conservatives, she emerges like the morning star, demonstrating what a genuine conservative patriotic leadership is all about; a nation builder.

Let me share recent parallels that shaped major events.

President Obama made a bold statement about accepting the same sex marriage – that one single courageous act changed the nation. The antagonists suddenly found themselves going along with it, and state by state the same sex marriage is becoming the law of the nation. We still got ways to go, but it was his singular stance that eliminated the apprehensions and fears of fellow Americans who are Gays, Lesbians Transgender and bisexual men and women.

For the first time in the history of mankind, a religious leader took the bold step of including Gays, Lesbians, Lesbians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus and Atheists as God’s children. In one single stroke he fell many barriers between the people.

Every human wants to be included, and when that Jesus’s embrace wraps every one, the nations will become stronger, secure and will function effectively.

What Merkel has done will pave the way for positive acceptance of Muslims in Germany. Removing tensions and letting people feel welcome and become contributions towards nation building.

Here is a lesson for Netanyahu, Modi, Sharif, and other leaders who fall prey to the claps and sacrifice the long term goodness of the nation for the short term pleasures of praises. May God guide everyone to see the goodness in inclusion, aka Pluralism! Pluralism is simply an attitude of learning to respect the otherness of others and accepting the God given uniqueness of each one of us, and when we do that conflicts fade and solutions emerge.

Mike Ghouse is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day.

Is Obama’s Wisdom Good for America?

Mike Ghouse September 22, 2020 Comments Off

This article was first Published on 02/27/2015 01:39 pm at – : https://www.huffpost.com/entry/is-obamas-wisdom-good-for_b_6749002

Let’s put our biases aside, and review if President Obama’s words and actions represent what is a moral and astute policy, and also if it is good for the United States of America. Let us examine his choice of words at the “Summit on Countering Violent Extremism” and his reminder at the National Prayer Breakfast to be humble and cognizant of our own historical record.

“No religion is responsible for terrorism — people are responsible for violence and terrorism,” Obama told delegates at the White House Summit on Countering Violent Extremism.

There is a tremendous wisdom in that statement. Way back in 1961, there was serious conflict between Hindus and Muslims in Jabalpur, India where 55 people died in the clashes, and we were all nervous about it. My father got our family together and explained that the fight started between a “Kumar” and an “Abdul” over a business transaction, as the crowd gathered over the heated arguments, as it often happens in India, the people paid no attention to the facts and sided with coreligionists (Hindus and Muslims) by default, and it acquired a religious tone as it usually does. Soon soda bottles started flying at each other killing 55 innocent bystanders. He asked us, if the radio, police and others had not called it religious, what would it have been? We said in a chorus, fight between Kumar and Abdul. That was all there to it.

My father did not want us to believe and blame the Hindus (usually meaning al Hindus) and I am sure several Hindu parents would have done the same with their kids. This is how you mitigate conflicts and nurture goodwill, and lay the foundation for cohesive societies – Blame the individual and not his spouse, parents, siblings, clergy, mayor of his town or the whole nation or religion.

If a rapist is running around in your neighborhood, everyone gets tensed up, and takes extraordinary precautions to secure the house, and become extra careful entering or leaving the house or walking in the neighborhood. When that criminal is caught there is a huge sigh of relief, and a sense of safety is restored in the society and normal life returns to the neighborhood.

Similarly in case of terrorism, if you choose to blame the religion instead of the terrorists, you cannot do anything to it; religion is intangible. You cannot shoot, hang, kick, beat, slaughter, drag or bury the religion, nor can you restore trust in the society by blaming it, then why bark at it?

Mirza A. Beg, my fellow director at World Muslim Congress says, “ISIS has killed more Muslims than minorities in its short existence. We are already bombing ISIS. If we can do more we will. The Muslim nations in the region — Turkey, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Iraqi Shia, Kurds and even Sunnis have already joined us. By vicariously blaming the religion we will simply do the bidding of ISIS and help them in their propaganda battle to paint the west as enemy of Islam.”

Mr. Beg further adds, “ISIS terrorist are milking the propaganda of the FOX news for their own designs. It plays well internationally to remind the gullible Muslims that US is at war with Islam. What needs to be done is to drive the point home to ISIS as well as average Muslims that ISIS is criminal gang with Muslim Blood on their hands, and we are helping Muslim countries to bring ISIS to justice.”

President Obama summed it well, “They try to portray themselves as religious leaders, holy warriors in defense of Islam,” he said. “We must never accept the premise that they put forward because it is a lie. Nor should we grant these terrorists the religious legitimacy that they seek. They are not religious leaders. They are terrorists.”

At the National prayer breakfast, on February 5, he said, “And lest we get on our high horse and think this is unique to some other place, remember that during the Crusades and the Inquisition, people committed terrible deeds in the name of Christ. In our home country, slavery and Jim Crow all too often was justified in the name of Christ. “

None amongst us is without sin; a few among us tend to misuse the power of religion on the minds of the followers. The problem was not with the religion, it was with the ones who did not get their religion right.

Remember nuclear power? It is beneficent in the hands of good engineers and terror in the hands of the wrong people. Do we blame the abusers or the nuclear power? How can we forget Holocaust and the genocides in the last 70 years? Where the abusers of religions were hell bent on annihilating the other? We rightfully did not blame the religion in those instances, and we should not blame Islam for the acts of ISIS. That is the right thing to do.

It’s easy to go nuts and destroy everything in sight, it may give the momentous sickening pleasure, but to hold on to your temptations and do the right thing will bring and enduring value of safety and peace to all.

The right thing to do is to hold the criminals accountable and punish them accordingly. We haul your heinie for the crimes you do, and not mess with any one affiliated or related to you. That is the precise message of Obama and I hope the world sees it, that it restores sanity in the world.

Thanks to Obama, he is the right man at the right time delivering the right message.

Mike Ghouse is a public speaker, thinker, writer and a commentator on Pluralism, Islam, India, Israel-Palestine, Politics and other issues of the day. He is a human rights activist, and his book standing up for others will be out soon | He is producing a full feature film “ Sacred” to be released on 9/11 and a documentary “Americans together” for a July 4 release.

The Model Mosque of America; Adams Center

Mike Ghouse September 22, 2020 Comments Off

This article was first Published on 06/29/2016 07:29 am at – : https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-model-mosque-of-america-adams-center_b_57737840e4b0d24f8fb51952

What do American Muslims want in a Mosque?

An overwhelming majority of American Muslims want an integrated community center where people of different faiths, races and ethnicities can come together and learn about each other to build a cohesive America, where no American has to live in apprehension or fear of the other.

What a joy it was to attend the Iftaar at Adams Center on June 26, 2016 in Sterling, Virginia. I am writing this essay to make a point, and the point is, Adams Center is a dream come true Mosque for Muslims. It is modeled after Prophet Muhammad’s first mosque, Masjid e Nabwi; a genuine community Center where Jews, Christians and others were invited for an interfaith Dialogue to learn about each other.

I must congratulate the leadership of this Mosque for leading the community in the right direction; becoming one with fellow Americans. Their initiatives will build bridges between people of different communities, and believe me it is not easy to do the right thing.

Just like many other places of worship, social or political groups, the Mosques also have individual influential donors or loud men who dictate an agenda of exclusivism to which people yield reluctantly.

Among all the men and women I have seen over a period of three decades, Rizwan Jaka stands out as one of the most authentic interfaith leaders. Jaka is the Chairman of the Adams Center and I am glad the board members, trustees and the executive officers of that organization have given him the freedom to do the right thing.

Many a places invite other faith leaders as a token representation, and not a genuine invitation. It happens with all communities. But Rizwan is about inclusion and I have listened to him for nearly a year, he is a genuine inclusionist or Pluralist in my language.

I must also congratulate Ms. Rabia Baig who emceed a part of the program. Indeed, the Adams Center stands tall for giving women key roles in the affairs of the Mosque. This young lady was confident, graceful, and eloquent and knew exactly what to say and how to deliver it. We have to trust the youth, and thanks to the leadership of Adams center for giving her the responsibility, which she fulfilled perfectly.

The All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS) is one of the largest Muslim communities/mosques in the DC Metro Area and in the United States. It is a non-profit 501c (3) Organization that serves over 6000 families (25,000 people) with 11 branches in Virginia/DC – Ashburn, Crystal City, Fairfax, Greater Gainesville, North Reston, South Riding, Sterling/Herndon, Sully/Chantilly, Tysons Corner, and Washington DC. ADAMS is governed by a 13-member democratically elected Board of Trustees that includes both men and women.

ADAMS Provides Religious services & education and social activities to several thousand people a week. ADAMS engages in regular interfaith, government relations, social services and community service, and has one of the largest Cub Scout, Boy Scout and Girl Scout programs in the DC Metro area. ADAMS Coordinates 24 Friday Prayers at 11 Locations. ADAMS Eid Prayers are attended by 15,000 to 25,000 People at 6 ADAMS Eid Holiday Locations. ADAMS hosts the Adams Compassionate Healthcare Network (ACHN) Clinic in partnership with ML Social Vision, Doctors, and Volunteers.

They made my day, when Mr. Jaka called on the Adams Choir made up of boys and girls to sing the Nasheeds (songs in praise of Prophet Muhammad –like the Christmas Carols) and America the Beautiful. I was in high heaven, this is what we need, and these are the shared values with fellow Americans. The more we do these things, the fewer the differences and greater the integration. The two gentlemen from the Mormon Church could not resist getting up and giving a standing ovation to the choir. Indeed, they also have one of the best choirs out there.

This was a dream come true for me, this is the kind of Muslim organizations that advance social integration and contribute to a safe and a secure America. We have to learn to respect the otherness of others and accept the God given uniqueness of each one of us, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge.

Adams center has become a beacon of national integration and a model Mosque for the nation. They have it all together!

What does God want?

He created everything in balance and simply wants us to maintain that harmony between its elements, just as all the organs of our body have to work cohesively for us to function normally. (Quran 55:5-11). As a business owner, you want your employees to care for your property, your customers and your revenues. God further says (Quran 2:62, 5:69) these very specific words, whether you are a Jew, Christian or the other, you need not worry, you will receive your recompense for the Lord, if you are good to your fellow beings, life and matter.

The program was held outdoors in their brand new pavilion, absolutely beautiful place backing to big trees laden with a vegetable garden. Many political and interfaith leaders spoke, and among them were Congresswoman Barbara Comstock, Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring and several delegates from the state and elected officials, and of course the interfaith community – the nation builders.

Adams Center is a model place of worship, and I hope someday, UPF or someone else will make a documentary about it and sets the tone for other new and upcoming Mosques, Churches, Synagogues, Temples, Gurdwaras and other places of worship. I will be happy to write the script and screen play if needed, it is my own vision that Adams is fulfilling, and I am sure those Muslims who study this Mosques will feel the same.

Congratulations to the board, trustees and executive committee of Adams. May God continue to keep you as a beacon of hope and model of integration, Amen!

Ghazala responds to Trump’s half-ass knowledge about Muslims

Mike Ghouse September 22, 2020 Comments Off

This article was first Published on 08/01/2016 12:54 pm at – : https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ghazala-responds-to-trumps-half-ass-knowledge-about_b_579f7a4be4b004301c51a523

Mr. Trump thought he found a loophole in the Khizr Khan’s presentation. He looked at Mr. Khan’s wife who stood quietly next to the podium at Democratic Convention while Mr. Khan Spoke. Trump assumed that she is a Hijab wearing Muslim woman and was ‘made’ to stand with her husband like an imbecile wife, so what does she know, ha? He imagined his own misogyny and jumped the gun to attack Muslims, particularly Men.

Ghazala Khan responded exceptionally well, she said, “If he studied the real Islam and Koran, all the ideas he gets from terrorists would change, because terrorism is a different religion.” She is so right; terrorism is indeed a different religion.

In this short essay, my approach is condemning the sin and not the sinner. Trump does not have complete information about Muslims or Islam, and he is going by what he has learned from the bad guys. Trump is indeed redeemable and we can prevent him from his sins. I believe the Khan’s took a similar approach towards Republicans. Attacking the GOP would have made me cringe, as it would amount to the same thing as attacking Muslims for the acts of a few, they did the right thing by attacking the GOP’s inaction towards Trump’s awful rhetoric.

To paraphrase Edmund Burke, evil persists because good men do nothing about it. It is time for GOP to speak up. I guess freedom is anathema to the conservatives while conformity is cherished.

Good people are to be blamed when they choose to let bad things continue to happen.

The source of Mr.Trump is wrong and baseless just as some of the other candidates. When I met Dr. Ben Carson, I asked him, “Dr. Carson, whatever you said about Muslims is your choice and your right, but you must have read that some place or heard from someone, did you verify it? He backed off, then I offered, “If you have any questions about Islam or Muslims, please call me, at least you will have a cover, you can always say, a Muslim told you that, and this Muslim is fairly well known. You cannot go wrong with him, and you don’t have to alienate your potential voters.” He took my card, but then he went into oblivion.

Chuck Todd was going to follow up with Ben Carson, but the need never arose.

Mr. Trump may be innocent, and he has fallen into the same trap. He does not have full information or full picture of Muslims to make a statement about them. What he has learned is from the Terrorists as Mrs. Ghazala Khan said so precisely. I am here to help him if he needs. As a potential president of the United States, I would like him to make decisions based on facts and verifications. If he speaks about Islam or Muslims with advisement from me, he cannot go wrong, and that is one less battle he has to fight.

Mr. Trump needs the right information,and if and when he delivers that no Muslim will cringe and he needs extend the same courtesy to the Blacks, Mexicans, LGBT, Women and Veteran Americans. Why make any one cringe?

Mr. Trump assumed that Muslim women are oppressed and yield to their husbands and don’t have a voice of their own. This is indeed how Muslim women are “perceived” and Trump jumped the gun and questioned Ghazala Khan, why she did not speak? Little did he know that it will backfire.

The more the Pied Piper Trump criticizes, the more he is digging his own grave. He is better off backing down from insulting the Veterans and their Gold Parents.

MYTH ABOUT MUSLIMS

Donald Trump got the Republicans to obey him, including the free thinking Ayn Rand’s follower Paul Ryan. He assumed Muslims are like him towards women. Indeed, he does not know that a majority of Muslim families respect each other’s spouses equally. The misogyny runs in all races, nations and religions – a tiny small percent of men behave the same no matter what faith they belong to or what nation they live in.

The following is a lesson for Mr. Trump about Muslims; this is an abstract from my sermons I deliver at the interfaith marriages.

The Quran says, “Husband and wife are each other’s garments” simply meaning Husband and wife are each other’s covers, clothes, protectors, defenders, listeners, and friends.

It means that husband and wife need mutual support, mutual comfort, and mutual protection. It is also a reference to the fact that spouses are each other’s sanctuary insofar as each covers the others’ shortcomings and preserves his or her privacy; hence the tranquility and harmony.

In Islam, Men and women are deemed full and equitable partners of each other. Love, tranquility, mercy, equity, and kindness are the hallmarks of an ideal marriage.

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

Once you enjoy the harmony and connection between the two, and when you feel each other’s joy, each other’s pain and apprehension, then neither of you feels alone.

Indeed, when husband and wife are well connected, they speak for each other, and that’s what Khizr Khan did, spoke for Ghazala and Ghazala can equally speak for Khizr Khan, that is not only the culture of Muslims, but of entire humanity.

Mike Ghouse