The Taqiya Bomb

      Comments Off on The Taqiya Bomb

This article was first Published on 08/10/2016 03:54 pm at – : https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-taqiya-bomb_b_57ab841ae4b091a07ef85e0c

An overwhelming majority of people get along with everyone and mind their own life, while a few will spend their energies on denigrating others. We can actually count and list those few. They are a part of every race, religion, region and culture. 

You will always find a few around you,  who are eager to believe that White men are racist,  Black men are violent, KKK  is Christianity,  Muslims are terrorists, Jews control the world,  and don’t trust ‘them’ whoever that ‘them’ might be.  To this non-sense, add one more item; Taqiya.  A few men and women attempt to plaster this label on Muslims, as if the modus operandi of Muslims is Taqiya. Stereotyping is an unfortunate part of life.   

What is Taqiya?

In essence it is lying to save one’s life. Wikipedia, “ Taqiya (literally “prudence, fear, caution”) is an Islamic term referring to precautionary dissimulation or denial of religious belief and practice in the face of persecution.”  

Wikipedia fails to distinguish between a religion and its followers, I will take this up with them and work on replacing the word Islamic with Muslim.  No religion teaches one to lie, but you will always find a few followers who don’t get it.  

Even though individuals like Robert Spencer, Pamela Geller, Brigitte Gabriel and many others have hurled Taqiya Bombs at Muslims, I chose not to respond to their accusations, as have many Muslims in public life.  No Muslim has ever believed that lying is permitted, and no Islamic school has ever taught anyone to lie.

When I met Anila Ali, a Muslim activist at APPNA conference in Washington, she mentioned the ‘Taqiya” she had to deal with.  So, I chose to write an essay and put an end to this non-sense. Thanks to the Imams who have reviewed this.   

Individuals under intense pressure and life threatening situations have lied to save their tails. The lies are not specific to Muslims; you will find them in every group of people including 0ur Presidents, Generals and Preachers.

What does Islam teach?

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.  Truth is the solid foundation upon which secure societies are built. 

God does not authorize anyone to lie, God simply does not do that, and Islam is God’s word, as are other faiths.

Taqiya, i.e., hiding one’s religious identity was practiced by a handful of persecuted Shias, Jews and people of other faiths.  The hostile kings and dictators with Sunni labels had made the life of Muslims with Shia labels a living hell.  Taqiya was reluctantly practiced until the Safavids came along to put an end to that oppression.  Likewise 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.   

Ibn Kathir, one of the explainers of Quran has made references about Sunni Muslims.    Unfortunately, he has added his own opinions as a reaction to prevailing situations, leading many a 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.   May be 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.   

What Quran says is the word of God for Muslims.

 
Quran 4:135  (Asad), “O YOU who have attained to faith! Be ever steadfast in upholding equity, bearing witness to the truth for the sake of God, even though it is against your own selves or your parents and kinsfolk. Whether the person concerned be rich or poor, God’s claim takes precedence over [the claims of] either of them*. Do not, then, follow your own desires, lest you swerve from justice: for if you distort [the truth], behold, God is indeed aware of all that you do! “  *i.e., “Do not allow the fact that a man is rich to prejudice you in his favour or against him, and do not, out of misplaced compassion, favour the poor man at the expense of the truth”


Islam emphasizes on being truthful; indeed, there is no 5th in Islam, i.e., the right NOT to tell the truth if it goes against you and your interests.  Truth is the only thing that ensures justice and sustenance of safe and secure societies.  It is un-Islamic to lie.

Whether it is Zarathustra, Moses, Krishna, Buddha, Mahavira, Confucius, Jesus, Muhammad, Nanak, Baha’u’llah or spiritual masters in native traditions, they all emphasized in being truthful, as they saw “Truth” is the panacea to the problems of the society. 

Indeed, truth is one of the most extolled virtues in all religions. Hindus laud Satya Harishchandra 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.

Mike Ghouse is a Muslim thinker, speaker and a writer, and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day.  www.MikeGhouse.net | www.MuslimSpeaker.comPopular in the Community

Reflections on India and Pakistan’s Independence Day

      Comments Off on Reflections on India and Pakistan’s Independence Day

This article was first Published on 08/13/2016 11:19 pm at – : https://theghousediary.com/?s=Reflections+on+India+and+Pakistan%E2%80%99s+Independence+Day

I wish a very Happy Independence day to the people of Pakistan and India, celebrating their independence on August 14th and 15th respectively. This essay calls on you to reflect on your relationship with each other.

As an American Citizen, I will do what is good for my country.  One of the things is to build relationships with India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and all the nations that America has relationships with. What if Hillary sends me as an Ambassador to one of these nations? What if it is you? The idea is to ready ourselves to handle a situation like that.  I have zero bias and I will do my job to keep America’s interests at my heart, indeed, Hillary has known to read my write ups on Pluralism in politics and religion over the last eight years, and I hope she continues to do so.

A few among us from India and Pakistan still carry the anti-neighbor bigotry; and yet shamelessly talk about the bigotry of others.  Somehow, America has not Americanized those few. It is time for them to see the beauty of freedom, and feel American and act American.

Your homeland will always hold the status of your mother. If you were born there, you have consumed her air, water and food along with its culture, you are shaped by her, and she runs in your veins.  You certainly owe your gratitude to her.  One’s loyalty to mother should always be cherished and the flag of each nation must be honored.   

America does it!

There is something magical about America that we all lovingly subscribe to, and that is an inexplicable pluralistic culture that America has evolved into. Back home, each one of us faced religious, caste, social, and linguistic and other silly barriers. When we start seeing fellow Americans treat every American with dignity and respect, we could not resist singing songs about America, how beautiful it is.

Look at our marriage customs and rituals, they are Americanized! Look at our daily living habits, they are Americanized. Look at our political leanings; they are either Republican or Democratic.  What is it about us that is not American?

My pilgrimage to America

I was never biased towards anyone, my parents raised me to respect every human. If I am disrespectful to another human, my Dad said, I would be disrespectful to God and the systems that created us all.  While in College, I read Lincoln’s statement, “With malice towards none” that did it to me.  Those words are etched on my heart and my mind forever.    

My first encounter with a Pakistani American was in 1993 in Dallas, Texas, it was Syed Talib, who invited me to his home for Eid celebrations. My first Eid “Seviyaan (vermicelli dish) ” in the United States was at his home.  We have remained friends since then.

In 1993,  I launched a news paper called Asian News. It had a page dedicated to news from BINPS; that is Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. It covered events of all the nations and wrote about the essence of Festivals, which I continue even today between Huffington Post, Dallas Morning news and The Ghouse Diary. 

Somewhere around that time Nadir Durrani started working with me and his wife Maliha Durrani became my sister.  For the first time in my life someone other than my parents brought me a set of new clothes to wear on the Eid, and that I remember it on every Eid. Today, I know at least three thousands Pakistanis in person and several thousand on the net.    

There was a resistance from a few Indians about writing positive things about Pakistan, a group actually approached me and offered money to bash Pakistan and assured me that my paper will make big time money.  I told them, I would rather shut down the paper than make the money on hate, and I did shut down the paper in 2000. There were a few Pakistani owned stores who trashed my paper as it carried the map of India, showing Kashmir as India’s territory, as an Indian that is the only map I have known.  Then there was a Muslim Yellow Pages directory that refused to place an ad because my paper carried pictures of different deities from different religions.  In all, there were 10 hateful Indians beyond redemption and 5 Pakistanis in the same boat in Dallas. I wish and pray that they find freedom from ill-will, and if they do, they will hang on to it.  There is nothing like freedom.

1996 saw the commencement of the first Desi commercial Radio called Asian News Radio and it was all an inclusive radio – perhaps it was the first Desi talk show radio in America, we had the BINPS (Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka) news, talked about every religious festival, and additionally I moderated 720 hours of talk on Religion, all the beautiful religions.

Each day my team shared a different aspect of the subcontinent from the cultural, geographic, ethnic, cuisine, clothing, cultural, singing to politics to national heroes of all the three nations with identical history. I had a great team to do the full hour of program with Sandhya doing shehar ka chakkar, Tamim doing the News, Gayathri focusing on literature and Najma reciting the poems and I did the talk show part of it and played Golden oldies and Golden melodies.

 
Patriotic August

One of the things I cherished most was our August program.  Every morning from August 1st through 15th we had a special program on the Subcontinent.  We talked about different cities, cultures, cuisines, history of the entire subcontinent. On August 14th, we played all the Pakistani National songs for two hours straight, and on the 15th we played all the Indian National songs.

Hear this out – on 14th, I called out on Indians to come on the air and sing Pakistani national songs and on the 15th, Pakistanis sang the Indian national songs.   That was the most joyous times of my life to see the spirit of being one; they dropped all the pettiness and celebrated each other’s Independence Day. What a joy it was to hear the goodwill sprouting from the lips of fellow Subcontinentians for each other.

The Partition was difficult and intense – with people moving from one land to the other and vice versa, perhaps it was the greatest human migration in a single month ever. Of course it came with massive suffering – people killing and butchering each other on both sides. Unless we both learn to acknowledge that the suffering and infliction of misery was mutual, we will continue to harbor ill-will and die with it.

The most important thing is listening.  I have listened to the tragic stories from several of my Pakistani friends, the torture and butchery they withstood during the partition, and have heard first hand from many of my Indian friends how their sisters and mothers were raped in front of them. The story is same on both sides, man becomes animal in distress, and religions don’t matter to the beast in those moments of insecurity. 


I urge my fellow Subcontinentians, whether they are Pakistani Americans, Indian Americans, or Bangladeshi Americans to acknowledge the suffering but never reduce or discount other’s suffering. Kindly hold the temptations to inject ill-will in the hearts of your children, let them live freely and aspire for better relations between the two nations.   

On my part, I am blessed to have so many friends in all spheres of life including Pakistanis, I am a life member of the Pakistan Society of North Texas, and almost joined the Pakistan American Association of Texas before I moved to Washington. I also run the Dallas Pakistanis yahoogroups for the last 14 years with nearly 1000 members.  Of course, I have done a lot more to my Indian community and have been a big part of it.  I am a life member of the India Association of North Texas, and a Life member of International Hindi Association. I manage the Dallas Indians yahoo groups with 1800 members.  After I moved to Washington, all of them are running on auto-pilot with occasional notes from me.

On this Independence Day, may I ask you to free yourselves from ill-will, malice and bias towards each other; at least don’t poison your children’s hearts.  That is indeed true freedom.  When our hearts are filled with goodwill, everything is possible.

I wish a very happy independence day to both the Pakistani and Indian friends.  

I invite you to consider joining or speaking at the Karachi Interfaith Conference for peace. The information is at Huffington Post at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/rekindling-pakistans-islamic-heritage_us_57acf2fbe4b0e7935e047a5a    

Dr. Mike Ghouse is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. More about him in 65 links at www.MikeGhouse.net

American Muslims and the 9/11 story

      Comments Off on American Muslims and the 9/11 story

This article was first Published on 09/11/2016 12:37 am at – : https://www.huffpost.com/entry/american-muslims-and-the-911-story_b_57d4db5ce4b0eb9a57b7ac81

On September 11, 2001, right after the first tower fell, I was called in to man AM Radio 1150. I have been known to handle chaotic situations and bring coherence to it through relevant actions.

I worked straight 6-7 hours without food or water and virtually got everyone in the town to call in. On the air were 10 area Mayors, Several Police and Fire Chiefs, FBI agents and almost all faith leaders from Atheists to Zoroastrians and every one in between including civic leaders. Every one read their press release and made a short statement.

By Mid afternoon, the fog was clearing up, and clarity was emerging. We asked the leaders to initiate Interfaith-faith prayers, individuals to donate blood and organizations to raise funds for the families of men and women in the uniform.

Indeed my late wife was driving around and calling in on the air, she was told by the Wadley Blood Center to stop announcing about blood donation, the lines were too big and they could not handle it. The real joy to us was the innumerable Muslims who went out to donate the blood.

The very next day, several places of worship held interfaith prayers, and some of us became a team and virtually attended every place.

Osama bin Laden was the bad guy and Muslim-Americans had nothing to do with his actions, nor did they authorize him to terrorize any one. The ugly man placed a wedge between Americans that still needs to be undone. Indeed, when he was killed, I had the first laugh. YouTube

I made a commitment that day, that from here forward, I will dedicate myself to America on 9/11 every year. In the first four years, we held a Radio talk show to understand its effects economically, politically, socially, globally and personally.

In 2005, we held the first Unity Day USA event in Frisco Convention Center in Texas. 650 plus people attended the event. No American was left, we invited people from different races, ethnicities and religions. Most of the Dallas civic, religious and elected Leadership was present at this event. Flickr Photos

Atheists, Baha’i, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Muslims, Jains, Jews, Native Americans, Pagans, Sikhs, Wicca and Zoroastrians along with area city mayors, FBI, police and fire chiefs and community leaders graced the first interfaith event in Frisco. Out of which a new tradition evolved called Unity Day. It continues year after year.

One of the Unity Day events was held in Mulberry, Florida as a counter to Pastor Jones burning of Qurans.

One of the articles I wrote about 9/11 was read two million times. Thanks to Sean Hannity for directing the traffic to this site. My Personal Journey on 9/11

9/11 Prompts Strong Muslim Commitment to America – Huffington Post

9/11 Quran Burning Story – World Muslim Congress

I have been writing about this every year since 9.11.2001. I did not do anything in 2015 and 2016 and hope to resume the program from 2017 after my assignment with American Muslim Institution is successfully accomplished.

We have come a long way.

There is indeed improved understanding among faiths since 9/11. But there also is deepening suspicion among them. One is spiritually motivated and the other is political.

Mike Ghouse is a Muslim Speaker based in Washington, DC and is committed to offering pluralistic solutions on issues of the day.

American Democracy at its best

      Comments Off on American Democracy at its best

This article was first Published on 10/07/2016 11:26 am at – : https://www.huffpost.com/entry/american-democracy-at-its-best_b_57f7bda6e4b0b665ad817dae

No matter how a political candidate behaves, acts and talks, American system offers an opportunity to be president to every American born to an American citizen.  This is democracy at work.

We should not feel embarrassed over what comes out of the mouths of the political candidates. Each one of them has a right to express the range of his or her ugliness and civility, but deep down, every individual in America and around the world wishes he or she had the opportunity to be who he or she wants to be. America offers that and that is what we are blessed with.

The moment one feels entitled to privileges over the others, or dis-entitles others to have the same privileges; he or she is short of understanding the in-alienable rights of others and how democracy works for the common good.

Democracy is the best form of governance that there is, as we the people decide what is good for us, it means we have to live with others despite our differences.

Tim Kaine’s conclusionary remarks in the vice-Presidential debate on October 4, 2016 exemplify democracy and political pluralism – when he said something to this effect, that as a Catholic he has difficulty with abortion and death penalty, but he will set aside his personal belief and follow the law. I applaud his honesty. Donald Trump also said if you don’t want me to take advantage of what is a lawful Tax deduction, change the laws.

Mark my words, the American majority is too good a people not to elect the best, just relax and enjoy the process. We have made mistakes in the past, and I hope we don’t make that mistake this time around. Our democracy is at its best.  All of us have a right to be whoever we want to be, at the end, we always elect the one who is most acceptable (not necessarily perfect) to all of us.

I trust our system and the checks and balances that go with it.  America will continue to be a beacon of hope,  a safe and a stable nation with liberty and justice for all. Not a thing will happen to any one of us, we have the laws that protect us.

What you and I need to do is not throw the most powerful thing we possess; Vote. Don’t flush it down the toilet as a protest vote. Vote for the one who does the least damage to the nation, vote your conscience that which cares for long term public good and not short term victory pleasure.

God bless America.

Mike Ghouse

Hillary’s last ditch effort – the final speech

      Comments Off on Hillary’s last ditch effort – the final speech

This article was first Published on 11/06/2016 03:29 pm at – : https://www.huffpost.com/entry/hillarys-last-ditch-effort-the-final-speech_b_581f90f8e4b0102262411963

“My priority is to reach out to my fellow Americans who had it good until the disaster from wars brought misery to them; the white Americans. We are going to find ways and means for them to recover from the difficult times they have endured while others Americans have prospered. “

The author of the following speech believes that Hillary Clinton needs to deliver this message in one fashion or the other on Monday, November 7, 2016.

My Fellow Americans, today is one of the most important days in American History. In the next 24 hours you will have the time to think through and decide which one of the two presidential candidates will shape the future of America. A huge responsibility rests on your shoulders and I am pleased to call on you to consider your choices.

You have two stark choices in front of you; one makes the decisions from the seat of his pants. He does not listen to any one, does not have the support of a single former President nor does he have the advisement of the sane voices. He can bankrupt the nation and walk away with no consequences, but you may be the one who gets stiffed. Your job and your life is an experiment to him, and the safety of our nation will be subjected to his whims. If you are a woman and do not measure up to his sense of beauty, you can forget about playing a role in his administration, even if you are a Republican. If you have a disabled family member, he sure will be mocked and the White House may become a locker room where raw language will become the norm.

The other choice is my candidacy, and I am asking each one of you to consider the following reasons to elect me.

I have always respected the vision of our founding fathers and the checks and balances they have created to ensure America remains a great nation, and thank God for the solid, stable government it has provided for the last 240 years. Listening to sane voices has earned me support from both the Republicans and Democrats, it is important that we work together and not go it alone, ours is not a dictatorship, ours is a Republic and we respect consensus and the choice Americans will make on November 8th.

Deep down, each one of us aspires to have a decent job and is fully committed to take care of our families, live a healthy life and retire peacefully. We want to get along with others, live our lives and let others live theirs. We are the happiest when we have the least conflicts with fellow beings. We are Americans and want our nation to be safe and secure and continue to be a beacon of hope to the world.

My priority is to reach out to my fellow Americans who had it good until the disaster from wars brought misery to them; the white Americans. We are going to find ways and means for them to recover from the difficult times they have endured while others Americans have prospered.

Believe me, the Black Americans, Jewish Americans, Muslim Americans, immigrant Americans, and all other Americans want each one of us to prosper, particularly the disaffected White Americans. Our prosperity hinges on the prosperity of people around us and prosperity of nations around us. None of us will succeed if some of us are left behind.

I am committed to restoring justice to my fellow Americans who lost their jobs in manufacturing, to fellow Americans who live on farms, to fellow Americans who do not have an education or technical skills, to men and women who are plumbers, electricians, repairmen, drivers, janitors and small business owners, and taking care of them is a priority of my administration. We will restore our glory days, and in the end, no American will be left out.

We are the pioneers, we discovered oil, produced automobiles, created mobility and we are still the lead manufacturer of planes, and dominate in the production of defense equipment creating jobs for millions of Americans. Now we will create another wave of innovation in energy industry, medicine, science and information technology to bring the glorious days back to Americans. No American will be left behind.

We will build strong relationships with other nations, particularly the 56 Muslim nations, whose purchase of our aviation and defense products sustains 1 out of 5 combined American jobs, hurting them will hurt us. We want to create more jobs by building stronger relationships, and we will maintain our technological advantage and continue to prosper.

Together, as Native Americans, Americans for generations, naturalized Americans and immigrant Americans, we want a safe and secure nation for each one of us to thrive. What is good for us has got to be good for fellow Americans to sustain it. We will live our lives and let others live theirs.

There is no country like ours. Indeed, we are God’s own country and our Republic is the model for the world to emulate. We are blessed with everything God has created; the seasons, mountains, deserts, rivers, and snow on the one hand, and on the other, we are represented by every race, nationality, ethnicity, language, culture and religion. We see God as one, none and many and in every form; male, female, genderless and non-existent, being and non-being, nameless and with innumerable names. Where else do we find such freedom? There is no country like ours.

If we can learn to respect the otherness of others and accept the God-given uniqueness of each one of us, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge. I believe knowledge leads to understanding and understanding to appreciation of a different point of view, and different way of expressing things. This attitude of inclusion will mitigate if not remove the conflicts among us and nurtures goodwill and respect for each other. Indeed, we are one nation under God and we are committed to liberty and Justice for all.

America is one of the greatest nations on the earth, and I am committed to preserve it. I request you to vote for me on the 8th, and you can count on a stable, safe and prosperous America.

God bless America!

Mike Ghouse is a community consultant committed to build a cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. He is an independent voter, and not bound to any candidate. His loyalty is to America and not any political party. His choice is safety of America at least for another four years without messing it up – and he voted Hillary and asks you consider doing the same.

Do you have information you want to share with HuffPost? Here’s how.

Hillary Did not listen, and her advisers had no clue

      Comments Off on Hillary Did not listen, and her advisers had no clue

This article was first Published on 11/09/2016 01:23 am at – : https://www.huffpost.com/entry/hillary-did-not-listen-and-her-advisers-had-no-clue_b_5822c03be4b044f827a794d5

Hillary did not listen, and her advisers had no clue.

My suggestions to Hillary were precise; her advisers did not understand the unfathomable loyalty Trump had earned from the disaffected Americans, and how to reach out to them and embrace.   I wrote two articles in Huffington post, the first one was written on 08/03/2016 11:18 pm ET and the second on was written two days before the election day emphasizing what Hillary needed to do.  Our founding fathers have laid a strong foundation of the checks and balances to ensure America remains a great nation, and thank God for the solid, stable government it has provided for the last 240 years and it will continue to be one. Individuals come and go, but the systems will sustain.  I trust our system, and no matter who the president is, America will remain America.

We have more work on our hands to build a cohesive America, and I am committed to assertively seek to build such a nation where no American has to live in apprehension or fear of the other. Thanks to Huffington Post for paving the way for such an America. Please join me in rebuilding America at www. Centerforpluralism.com Excerpts from both the articles are appended below with the links to the articles

Mike Ghouse

# # #

Understanding Trump, the Pied Piper – on August 3, 2016

Why do people fall for Trump?  If you look at the history of any minority, be it Black, Irish, Italians, Jews or Catholics in the recent past, and Muslims, Hindus, LGBT, Hispanics and other minorities now,  you see a common quest for recognition.

The LGBT, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs and members of other minorities love it when a Congressman, Senator or an actor speaks up kindly about them.   They love the leader and become his or her defenders and promoters.  Most leaders are genuine with a few exceptions.  John McCain was authentic when he corrected the woman, “No, Madam. Obama is good family man….” And so was General Powell, who said, “So what if he is a Muslim?” These are unforgettable moments that Muslims Cherish, likewise there are moments like this for every community.

Hillary needs to pay attention to this.  Those Americans, who have seen good times in the sixties through the 90’s with hiccups in the Mid-eighties, faced hard times after the economic collapse in 2006 brought in by Bush-Cheney’s reckless regime. 

The Job losses, business closures, massive budget deficits, unprecedented home foreclosures, divorces and deeply disturbed family lives made it difficult for Middle America. No one talked about them; they were simply not a part of the conversation.

I hope Hillary Clinton hears me out; I am not a Democrat but a Patriotic American who wants the good for my country.

It is time for Hillary to emphatically include the disenfranchised ones, as an American Muslim, who is deeply committed to build a cohesive America that is good for all Americans; I offer the following pluralistic solution. “Hillary, please care for my fellow Americans who are hurt, they are White Americans who are ignored. They are honest hard working people who have seen good times, and now when the immigrants are prospering it is painful for them to see their quality of life decline. You have to pay attention and fix this fix.  I know you are for all Americans, but it is time to reach out and embrace them, have a specific economic plan for them.  If you don’t do it, the Pied Piper will bring a disaster to them and that will hurt every one of us.

My prosperity hinges on the prosperity of others around me, and my safety depend on how safe people are around me. It behooves me, you, and all of us to ensure that we ride the train together, and make sure no one is left behind.

Full article at – http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/understanding-trump-the-pied-piper_us_57a2af83e4b0456cb7e17442

Hillary’s last ditch effort – the final speech

“My priority is to reach out to my fellow Americans who had it good until the disaster from wars brought misery to them; the white Americans. We are going to find ways and means for them to recover from the difficult times they have endured while others Americans have prospered. “

The author of the following speech believes that Hillary Clinton needs to deliver this message in one fashion or the other on Monday, November 7, 2016.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/hillarys-last-ditch-effort-the-final-speech_us_581f90f8e4b0102262411963

Congratulations Mr. Trump

      Comments Off on Congratulations Mr. Trump

This article was first Published on 11/09/2016 10:20 am at – : https://www.huffpost.com/entry/congratulations-mr-trump_b_58233e29e4b0102262411f78

Washington, D.C., November 9, 2016 – The America Together Foundation congratulates Mr. Donald Trump, the newly elected President of the United States of America. Honoring the great American tradition of welcoming the new president, we offer our support to our new elected President, Mr. Trump in taking the nation forward with liberty and justice for every American.”

We have a big task on our hands, our social cohesion is fractured and our nation is divided, and more than ever, we need to put our differences aside, and stand with the new president. We have to prepare ourselves and lay a good foundation for nurturing goodwill and effective functioning of America.

If we can learn to respect the otherness of other and accept the God-given uniqueness of each one of us, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge.

Our organization, the Center for Pluralism is committed to building cohesive societies, where no human has to live in apprehension, discomfort or fear of a fellow being.

Mike Ghouse, Center for Pluralism

Satan Fails Pitting Jews and Christians against Muslims

      Comments Off on Satan Fails Pitting Jews and Christians against Muslims

This article was first Published on 01/19/2017 09:54 pm at – : https://www.huffpost.com/entry/satan-fails-pitting-jews-and-christians-against-muslims_b_588179c5e4b0d96b98c1da68

MARIA ARITA, A RESPONSIBLE REPORTER

The word “Satan” is rarely used in my writings and that is a lot of writings – over 3000 articles! I am using the word Satan today to denote the dormant evil side in each one of us, but remains under control with a majority while messing up a few souls among us.

Those who fall for the Satan make it their business to pit one against the other. They manufacture hoaxes and place wedges between Jews and Muslims, Jews and Christians and invoke nativism. They forget that they were once strangers too. In India, these men place wedges between Hindus and Muslims. They are not happy with what they do, but keep doing it instead of getting out of it. Cohesion is a strong anecdote to division. Occasionally it makes sense to address one or two incidents to bring sanity to the situation.

The two opposite incidents I witnessed today caused me to write this essay.

What a joy it was meeting Rabbi Alana Suskin and Haytham Younis, a Jew and a Muslim who are planning to make short videos about strengthening Jewish-Muslim relationships. It was a reinforcement of the goodness I witnessed a few weeks ago where the Jews and Muslims came together for building a secure America for every American. Jewish Muslim Relationship get a big boost in Washington, DC.

But when I went home and opened the email, I saw an email from a friend who was beholden by the Satan. The evil in us continues to plot one group against the other; it started from the very beginning of mankind and will continue to happen. All we have to do is guard ourselves and not fall in to their trappings.

This man hates Muslims but poses to be a humanist. Most of my friends don’t even want to deal with this man, but I continue to deal with him hoping he would see the light. We can never give up on peace; it is worth the frustration, humiliation and the patience. The article reads “The Mayor of Dorval in Quebec refuses to remove pork from school cafeterias.” In a smart ass letter, that pleases the nativism in the sons of the soil, the Mayor asks the Muslims who demand removal of the pork, why did they come here? He exhorts them to have gone to the 56 other great Muslim Nations? He then admonishes them, “Don’t mess with us, you have to adapt to our ways and not the other way around or go back to where you came from.”

My instant reaction was this cannot be true, and it did turn out to be a hoax.

Way back in 2006 – Maria Arita of Fox News in Dallas called me up and wanted to know what to do with the News items she had just received. “France had banned teaching about Holocaust because French Muslims had demanded it.” I was stunned, here I am, organizing the first Holocaust Memorial event, first time in the world organized by a non-Jew and first time by a Muslim and first time in a non-Jewish space, and I had just fought off Ahmadinejad’s Holocaust denial in Dallas Morning News and thanks to nearly 30 Muslims who wrote to the Morning News that Ahmedinejad does not represent Muslims and his words are not to be taken seriously.

Maria gave me time till the evening to come up with a response. I dropped everything I was doing and called on my Jewish friend Bernie Mayoff and Late Elliott Dlin, the director of Holocaust Museum in Dallas, they found out it was a hoax. Maria thanked me and the item did not make it to the evening news.

Imagine the damage it would have done to the Dallas community? The ignorant among Jews would have bought the story and build up their hatred for Muslims. Likewise the ignorant among Muslims would have believed it was a victory for them. What a shameful thing it would have been for both the communities.

Around the same time, there was another hoax against Iran that they were persecuting Jews, Bahá’ís and Zoroastrians. We wrote petitions and someone found out from Jews living in Tehran that it was not true, it apparently came from a Jewish Member of Parliament in Iran.

Let me state this unequivocally, and most Muslims would agree with me on this. America is a great nation and we have to do everything to keep it that way including assuring the disaffected Americans that they need not worry; and that their culture and their way of life will not change due to immigrants or Muslims. We are all better off in making sure America remains America.

You are who you are and I am who I am; let’s learn to live with each other by respecting the otherness of other and accepting the God given uniqueness of each one of us. We should be on the same page and yes, we will make the right calls! We the people, the Muslims, love this country and we will keep it that way.

As American Muslims we uphold, protect, defend and celebrate the values enshrined in our constitution. Our faiths reinforce the idea of one nation with liberty and justice for all.

Let no one place a wedge between any two of us, together we can do a lot of good, against each other we both weaken. When politicians play Satan, they don’t see all of us as God’s children, and feel entitled to more privileges than the other. Hell no, we are all created equal, and the anti-dote to division is for us to come together as Americans more frequently than we have been doing now.

God Bless America!

Mike Ghouse is committed to build a cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day.

Are Muslims a part of the American story?

      Comments Off on Are Muslims a part of the American story?

This article was first Published on 01/19/2017 11:32 pm at – : https://www.huffpost.com/entry/are-muslims-a-part-of-the-american-story_b_58818eb3e4b0d96b98c1da86

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

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

Refreshing our identity

As good citizens, it is not only our right but it is our duty to be self critical. I hope that the conservatives among us will get beyond the self righteousness and value the freedom that we are endowed with to exercise with pride and care.

We must learn to re-examine our attitudes towards others and push the refresh button to understand the essence of Islam. We must fight against the temptations to reduce Islam to rituals, rituals are merely pathways, Islam is about living a wholesome life.

I don’t want to be identified as a Muslim by the externalities like beard, cap or clothes; I rather follow the most important Sunnah (practice) of the Prophet: Amin. That is someone who reaches out to every human regardless of his or her religion, race, region or other uniqueness for the common good of humanity. Amin is someone who tells the truth, someone who is just and kind, and around whom people feel safe and secure.

El-Farouk Khaki, a Gay Imam puts this succinctly, “To relegate an entire spiritual identity of a person into a religious cloth doesn’t make someone a good imam,” Khaki says. “The most important role I play is soul care-because the other stuff is ritual, which has no meaning in itself.”

Being a Muslim is volunteering one’s time and effort for the general well being of the society, and serving it with blinders. Prophet Muhammad said your responsibility is to yourselves, your family members and fellow humans. Neither he nor God advocate exclusion; a neighbor is a neighbor is a neighbor.

A Muslim is someone who is engaged in mitigating conflicts and nurturing goodwill amongst our neighbors and countrymen, to help create a just and more viable society for all. Indeed, Prophet Muhammad set that example earlier on in his life when he was called on to resolve a dispute between the conflicting tribes as to who should have the honor of restoring the fallen stone in the walls of Kaaba (the black cube in Mecca). They came to him because he had earned the reputation for being just and truthful. He could have chosen any one to do the honor to gain favors, he could have given it to his tribe and make himself look good, but he did not.

He believed in peaceful co-existence and saw the opportunity to mitigate conflicts between the tribes and nurture goodwill amongst them; he wanted to bring about a change. Indeed, he placed the fallen stone ‘Aswad’ on a sheet of cloth and had all the leaders together raise the sheet up in unison.

Imagine those men lifting the sheet and looking at each other, they were adversaries an hour ago and now they are participants. What must have gone through their minds? The probably saw the erosion of conflicts and emergence of goodwill. It is a model for Muslims to follow; to be just, fair and truthful and goodwill nurturers. He was called the Amin, the truthful and just, not by Muslims, but fellow humans who were Jews, Christians, Pagans and others during his life.

A Muslim respects the otherness of the others and understands the essence of Islam which is justice and peace. What does God want? In Sura Rahman he says he created the universe for us in a balance, and elsewhere he calls the humans Ashraful Makhlooqat –honored beings who are endowed with the ability to think and manage their own affairs. All that God wants us to do is keep the harmony and balance intact. Isn’t submitting to the will of God means working for a just society, and bringing equilibrium between living beings and the environment?

A majority of Muslims certainly practice this refreshed identity, but a few don’t and sadly they get the most coverage in the media, drowning the good. But vigorous effort to project our real identity has begun and we will succeed with a realization that what is good for Muslims has got to be good for the mankind and vice versa for it to sustain. We cannot have advantages over others, such benefits are deleterious and of temporary nature.

Where did we go wrong?

The average Mohammed and Amina have realized that to be a spiritual part of the society, we have to connect, we have to care and be cared for, and we have to be with the society emotionally as they would be with us. To feel a complete sense of feeling “at home” we have to live the essence American life, which is not different from the essence of Islamic life. Please don’t jump to conclusions, it does not mean you have to give up an ounce of your identity, it simply means the sense of difference “they” v “us” has to vanish from our thoughts and language, and “us” has to be ingrained in our feelings, language and actions. We are Americans and nothing but Americans.

We need to embrace other flocks, we need to look for permanent solutions of co-existence and honor every one’s God given space.

The Center for Pluralism is an initiative of American Muslims, but it is not a Muslim organization. However, it is committed to pave the way for Muslims to become a part of the American story just as it is committed to do the same for others religious groups. It simply means Muslims are a part of the normal conversation and not exotic talk. What does it take for Muslims to be a part of the society?

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

Please consider the following events this month.

Milad – http://centerforpluralism.com/milad-prophet-muhammads-birth-celebrations/

Amin – http://centerforpluralism.com/awards-the-american-amin-awards/

Holocaust – www.HolocaustandGenocides.com

Essence of Christianity – http://centerforpluralism.com/christianity-understand-the-essence-of-christianity/

Next issue: Do American Muslims want Sharia? Does Quran teach Violence?

The Quran is not about governing other people but living in harmony with all of God’s creation. In effect Quran tells you to mind your own business and let others mind theirs.

God Bless America!

Mike Ghouse is committed to build a cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day.

PROFESSOR SHERMAN JACKSON

Muslims At Trump’s Inauguration

      Comments Off on Muslims At Trump’s Inauguration

This article was first Published on 01/22/2017 11:44 pm at – : https://www.huffpost.com/entry/muslims-at-trumps-inauguration_b_58858713e4b0111ea60b980a

“God bless the folks at the National Cathedral for holding the interfaith prayers.”

President Trump extending his hand towards Imam Magid at the National Cathedral

Questions like, “Do you believe 14 percent of Muslims voted for Trump?” and, “Are you going to attend the Inauguration?” are amusing indeed! My follow-up question is “Do you believe all Muslims are alike?”

Not just Muslims, but every American representation is torn apart; some were belligerently opposed to attending, some even cursed the ones who attended, but the majority was fine with it.

My focus in this essay is Muslims, particularly because we are the most vulnerable community at this time along with the Hispanic community who are worried about families being torn apart.

God bless the folks at the National Cathedral for holding the interfaith prayers. As a pluralist it was a joy for me to watch Trump patiently absorbing what American diversity is all about. I hope and pray that he will eventually get it.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1158779824220242&extid=HLSlhSXfpO6yrlC3&t=0

I don’t read lips, but what I read was Trump was asking Melania and then Mike Pence, who this guy was when Imam Magid was walking towards the podium, and the gesture “I don’t know him” was obvious.

On the way out, President Trump stretched his hand towards Imam Magid, for a split second my heart started pounding, what will he do? I am glad Imam Magid extended his hand. In the Islamic context, if someone walks towards you to build a relationship, you run towards them.

That is leadership, he probably has a chance to be called by Trump or he can call Trump and have a meeting. Acquaintance leads to friendships and friendship to acceptance of the otherness of the other.

Imam Magid shared the following thoughts with Ali Salar Khawaja through face book.

The decision to participate in the National Cathedral’s Interfaith Inaugural Prayer Service on Friday was a difficult one. However, it was a decision in which the impact on the American Muslim community was at the forefront of my mind. I am deeply appreciative of all your kind words of encouragement and support.

Indeed we stand with you. You and I have an additional responsibility to impart the knowledge of Pluralism to fellow Muslims. We differ in on our understanding of Islam, but I am one of the few boldest speakers and writers on Islam and Muslims and one of the most confident Muslims around. We need to work together and do a seminar on Pluralism in Islam. We owe it to fellow Muslims.

A few Muslims had problems with me going to the inauguration and thanks to them for expressing it. However their criticism died down before I could respond. There were many others who felt it was the right thing to do. Unfortunately, I could not make it, as it required a lot of walking and I was not capable of doing that.

Now that we (the majority) chose Trump as our President, we have to work with him, give him a chance and if he violates the constitution, we have to take to the street and fight to defend our constitution.

The clock has stared ticking now. Let’s target the Congressmen and Senators who support the wrong doing and start finding a person to run against that individual. If they are threatened with denying them a re-election, they will straighten out, if not they need to be replaced through votes. Every wrong doer is vulnerable.

I gave short speeches to many groups out there and they were interested in our work at the Center for Pluralism and hope they volunteer, we are building a movement to restore harmony among Americans.

One after the other, TV cameras from Afghanistan, Iran, Indonesia and other places wanted to hear the Muslim perspective, let me clarify, this Muslims’ perspective.

Facebook video: Muslim Perspective

Peace is the ultimate goal of all societies. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is one of the greatest peace makers out there in the tradition of Jesus. He reached out to everyone, particularly his bitterest enemies. He did not say, “I am not going to talk to you.” He believed in peace and reached out to every one for the cause of peace. He saw the other point of view and respected it without agreeing to. As Muslims, we should reach out to Trump and work on creating a better America for all of us rather than bitching about it.

We don’t want to be left behind. We need to be a part of our system.

Jimmy Carter and Bob Dole have said the harshest things about Trump, yet they were there graciously attending the inauguration. President Obama whose legacy was going to be shred into pieces was there and of course Hillary and Bush were there too.

This is democracy at work. This is our system, a beautiful system and I am proud of our system. Now and then a bad dude slips in, but our system and our constitution is our safety, we may go through some traumatic times, but at the end our system wins.

How many countries around the world wished they had a respectable system like ours, particularly Muslim countries? The Muslims around the world crave for a system like ours, Islam is inherently Democratic in nature, but sadly with a few exceptions we have bloody dictators, monarchs and tyrants who don’t want to relinquish power.

Conflict is as human as consent, and like all people, not all Muslims agree on inauguration, we are not a monolithic lot. Indeed, no group is. We have to learn to respect the otherness of others.

Congressman John Lewis along with 50 other congresspersons chose not to attend the inaugural. He did not think Trump was legitimately elected and I agree with him and most people do. However he is elected and our system does not allow barring him, nor the system allows Obama to continue to hold on to power, we cannot even hold a new election – all these options create chaos. I rather live with a bad choice and hope for the best for the next two years than have a chaotic situation.

If President Trump violated the constitution we have many options to rectify it, and one of them is to call the Congressman to block any bill from passing, if not his or her reelection bid is on the line. Do give the Democrats a majority back in Senate to make sure checks and balances will carry us further.

We have a tiny chance of moving Trump away from his positions by reaching out to him than pushing him to dig in his heels. It is not easy to go to this Inauguration, it’s been painful. I realized some of my friends will unfriend me, some will malign me behind my back – and I accept that as a part of living and a part of freedom.

Perhaps, I was more vocal with my opposition to Trump, than most people, but I am willing to run towards him, if he walks toward me. We have to build a cohesive America and I am here to do whatever it takes to restore harmony.

God Bless America!

Mike Ghouse is committed to build a cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. More about him at the Center for Pluralism