Happy New Year! Are you ready for 2017?

Mike Ghouse January 10, 2017 Comments Off

At least three things should bring you relief and happiness in 2017, and I wish you the very best in your life for making an effort to shape your life. I. Family & Friends

Nothing will come to you on a platter unless you are a baby. You have to earn everything in life, and your results will be directly proportional to your efforts. Learn to walk away for a while if you have to, it takes time to heal, but don’t let anyone hurt you nor should you hurt anyone. Let go of it.

Work on building the relationships with family members. If you cannot make it better, don’t make a mess either. Listen to others; listen intently so you don’t have to hear it again.

Spend the time with each one of them, it is worth it. Learn to forgive. Humility builds bridges and arrogance kills the relationships.

II. Work & Finances

Nothing will come to you if you don’t work at it; you have zero chances of winning the Jackpot if you don’t buy the ticket. If you do win, just remember to share with me! Do more work but don’t expect gratitude, do it for your own joy.

Buy the lottery ticket.

III. Volunteerism The greatest joy comes from volunteering at least 2 hours a week.

Volunteer your services to people whom you don’t know.

If you want real joy, serve those towards against whom you are biased.

If you volunteer it for show, you lose the joy of serving others.

Nothing in the world has ever happened without the work of volunteers, you and I are the beneficiaries of the work done by someone else at a hospital, school, roads, public office, place of worship and the list is endless. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) had said that a good deed is like planting a sapling or a seed knowing full well that you will not be the beneficiary when the tree starts giving fruit and shade. Let’s not get stuck on the receiver of good, but also become a giver. The least of which is a kind smile or speaking up for the underdog. It brings balance in life, and balance is a major source of stability in life.

You can make your life purposeful, meaningful and enjoyable, and can choose to be the driver of your life or be driven by circumstance and others. The choice, as well as the excuse, is yours. I pray that we retain the ability to choose what we want in our lives.

You and I, like everyone else, spends considerable amount of time doing things for others, sometimes out of joy and sometimes reluctantly. We also spend time watching TV or just chatting with someone aimlessly, and sometimes we regret, oh what a waste of time.

What is Success?

Success is living the life you want to live with or without things. Success is not necessarily having a luxury home, yacht, or making a six-figure income. It is not about doing better than your friends, classmates, siblings or parents either but it is about living the life you set yourselves to live.

On the New Year’s eve and on the New Year’s thousands will die, in fact the Department of Highways predicts the number of deaths, not necessarily because of their fault but simply the circumstances. Just be careful.

A simple note about what should be done with your assets, insurance, burial, belongings and body parts should you be in an unfortunate situation. Who can make decisions for you, should you remain alive but cannot make a decision. What a relief it is! Scribble a note before you get out of the house, and email to a friend and stick on your refrigerator. It is your will.

Don’t forget to forgive all those who have hurt you – it will set you free!

Nothing in life is more important than knowing yourselves, who you are, what is it that you want, and how do you get it. Remember, no one knows you better than you.

I am pleased to share my experience with you, hoping that you can relate with it.

Once upon a time, I was an ambitious guy and was driven to conquer the world, and simply did not have the patience with people who lacked ambition. A divorce and the death of my mother had humbled me down, as other things have humbled others. I started understanding the varying ambition levels in people and decided that there was no need to drive oneself nuts. I have learned to respect the otherness of others and have accepted the God-given uniqueness of each one of us. This has brought peace, tranquility and happiness to me.

Today, I do what I want to do, it is my passion. Thanks to Steve Jobs for saying those words that have stuck to me.

Goethe’s words are etched in my heart, “Until one is committed, there is hesitancy… Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred.… Whatever you can do or dream that you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.”

And Ray Bradbury’s words, “If we listened to our intellect, we’d never have a love affair. We’d never have a friendship. We’d never go into business, because we’d be cynical. Well, that’s nonsense. You’ve got to jump off cliffs all the time and build your wings on the way down.”

Dr. Abdul Hamid Abusulayman, “There is a clear distinction between doubts and problems. Doubts provoke obstruction, frustration and discouragement, where as problems inspire motivation, action and diligence.

Mike Ghouse, “Whatever you do in life, do it wholeheartedly, there is joy in it for everyone around including ourselves.”

Personally, I am committed to promoting goodwill amongst people, I believe knowledge leads to understanding, and understanding to acceptance and appreciation of a different point of view. If we can learn to respect the otherness of others, and accept the God given uniqueness of each one of the 7 billion of us, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge.

I urge you to consider spending an hour with yourselves in creating a purposeful blueprint for 2017. Here are some clues: https://theghousediary.com/happy-birthday-to-you/ God bless you!

Mike Ghouse – everything about me is in 65 links at www.MikeGhouse.net and the work I do is at www.CenterforPluralism.com

America Will Always Be A Great Nation

Mike Ghouse January 10, 2017 Comments Off

A few pictures from the event: https://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeghouse/sets/72157674321116443/show

America is going through a major crisis at this point in history, and each one of the 325 million of us is stressed out. There is always the silver lining to such crises. Throughout our history, whenever we were pit one against the other; we chose to come together and found solutions to live with each other.

Right now, the White Americans are concerned about erosion of the values they hold dear with the influx of immigrants from different cultures, races and religions. They are worried about their place and role in the future of America. The African Americans are equally apprehensive with apathy of fellow Americans. Instead of understanding it as a movement to protest against the violation of their civil rights, the Black Lives Matter is attacked antagonizing the situation further. The undocumented aliens are worried about the possibility of their families being torn apart; they are concerned about doubling down of the wrong to correct the first wrong.

The woman’s right to decide about her body is under risk of being yanked out. The LGBT community is concerned with the State attempting to resurrect old disdainful attitudes towards fellow Americans. The rise of Anti-Semitism is deeply troubling and an increase of 9% in such hatred is severely affecting the fabric of our society. Muslims are worried sick about the dumb idea about Muslim registry, there again this year has recorded 67% surge in Islamophobia. It appears that no American is spared from bias from someone or the other.

Even the Native American’s inalienable right to water is jeopardized now. Dr. Harbans Lal of Arlington, Texas adds, “They were in a similar position as the White American now, when the migrants from Europe destroyed the Native American culture two centuries ago.”

We are a divided nation at this juncture, and we are committed to change it.

The divisiveness has caused us to lose trust in each other to function effectively as a nation. A nation’s strength to achieve peace, safety and sustain its prosperity hinges on two strong legs; the economic structure that puts food on the table of every American, and the social structure that maintains the cohesiveness of America.

Thanks to President Obama for leaving behind a strong economic structure, we have the lowest unemployment and highest degree of consumer confidence. However, the pre-election rhetoric has severely damaged the social structure of our nation. Whether you are on the right, left or the center, you are concerned about your liberties and freedoms, thus all Americans are living in anxieties.

Shall we wait for President Trump to put the derailed train back on the tracks? I would say, let the government stay out of our lives. If it cannot make our lives better, it should not mess it either. It is our responsibility to see that we get along with each other and preserve the social structure of America. Together we can bring stability in our lives.

Here is what we can to do to restore America where everyone feels included in the nation building. This is a pluralistic model of inclusiveness to restore faith in each other and rededicate our commitment to one America and one nation with liberty and justice for all.

We are Americans first with our own unique beliefs, cultures, ethnicities, abilities, sexual orientations, languages, traditions and other uniquenesses. All we have to do is come together as Americans, recognize and validate each other’s life.

We came together; a handful of volunteers took the bold initiative to set the model for a cohesive America in the years to come. The event was inaugurated by Rabbi Jack Moline, one of the most influential rabbis in America. He has served in numerous leadership positions for Jewish, interfaith, and community organizations, and has advised key religious and political leaders of the United States on issues of religion and values.

Each one of the following American Faiths was celebrated and or mentioned including but not limited to Atheism, Bahá’í, Buddhism, Christianity, Dao, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Native Americans, Paganism, Scientology, Shinto, Sikhism, Tao, Unitarian, Wicca and Zoroastrian traditions.

When we live as neighbors, fellow workers, students, players, activists and inhabitants of the same city and same neighborhood, it behooves for us to learn about each other’s moments of celebrations and commemorations.

The more we know about the other, the less mythical they would become. Knowing in this instance implies knowing them personally and not hearing from those who have gains to be had by pitting one against the other or presenting false information about the other. One of the best ways to sustain America’s greatness is stick to our creed, “that all men are created equal” and that everyone’s right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness must be protected.

My safety and well being hinges on the safety and well being of others around me. It behooves for each one of us to work towards that goal, at the end every one of us would be better off.

Festival of Faiths was born out of a necessity. The apprehension that we see in each American about the other is not healthy for America’s harmony, peace and prosperity. As Americans, we are determined to go past the doom and gloom, and celebrate America.

American will always remain a great nation and a beacon of hope to the world; we are the lead civilization where we are working on respecting the otherness of others and accepting the God given uniqueness of each one of us.

God Bless America and you can count on this event next year. We would expect to gather hundreds of Americans of from different races, religions, ethnicities and political spectrums to come together and celebrate the Festival of Faiths and Celebrate America.

Mike Ghouse is a community consultant and is committed to building a cohesive America. He offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. All about him is captured in 65 links at www.MikeGhouse.net

Jewish Muslim Relationship gets a big boost in Washington, DC.

Mike Ghouse January 10, 2017 Comments Off

December 11, 2016, Washington, DC — The 3rd Annual Summit of Rabbis and Imams was held today at Tifereth Israel Congregation in Washington, DC. The theme of the summit was standing up for each other and building enduring relationships to contribute towards the cohesiveness of America, an America where no one has to live in apprehension or fear of the other.

Story after story was shared. A seven year old boy asks his father on the next morning after the elections, “Dad, are we going to be kicked out of America now?” Another six year old girl asks the same question to her father and follows it up with, is any one in our family going to be deported?” A woman with a stroller and the baby was stopped by a guy driving the truck, who did not want her to cross the road. Swastikas were painted on some Jewish homes and synagogues and anti-Jewish statements have been made. A dramatic rise in Anti-Semitism /Islamophobia in particular and other phobias in general have caused a great deal of concern.

Collectively, mistakes have been made over the years, we have talked extensively about the issues facing Women, African Americans, Jews, LGBT, Muslims, Mexicans and all others except one group, the unemployed/ underemployed rural white Americans who were affected equally like all others.

Hillary Clinton did not extend a ‘specific’ hand of friendship towards them, had she done that, the story would have been different. This neglect has caused a severe damage to the social fabric of our nation; everyone is apprehensive and has lost trust in each other to function effectively. At least from here on we must include everyone in the dialogue, and as an individual my efforts would be directed towards reaching the disaffected ones. We cannot exclude anyone from our conversations. Our first priority ought to be making peace with those who are perceived to be polarized; without them, we remain polarized.

The first part of the summit was organized as round table talks – A Rabbi, Muslim and others were seated alternately around the table with a given set of questions to identify the problems and offer solutions over the fabulous lunch.

Walter Ruby, Muslim-Jewish program Director, Foundation for Ethnic Understanding said, “The main issue at the Summit will be how to respond to the election and how Jews and Muslims can work together in support of each other if either community is demonized, discriminated against or the victims of hate crimes or government repression.”

If Muslims were to run into a dire situation, most Americans will stand up for Muslims out of a sense of fairness and justice, and we know darn well that Muslims will reciprocate it wholeheartedly out of a sense of gratitude and inherent caring for fellow beings.

The group then moved to the sanctuary to watch a sampler of a play about what transpired during the City council hearings when Muslims of Naperville applied for a permit to convert a dilapidated building into a Mosque. This was a play on the real story about the Ground Zero Mosque and was performed well. I was involved in it from day one when all that happened: Pamela Geller was out on the street protesting and on that day Sean Hannity pitted me against her on his radio show. A whole blog is dedicated to the issue. http://groundzeromosque.blogspot.com/

The initial message from the organizers stated, “At a moment of heightened bigotry and increased demonization of Muslims, Jews and other faith communities, rabbis and imams will affirm our commitment to stand up for each other and for religious freedom, pluralism and democracy.”

Jonathan Greenblatt, director of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which campaigns against anti-Semitism and other bigotry, said he would register as Muslim if the database is created because of “painful memories” from when Jews were “identified, registered and tagged”. That sentiment was echoed by virtually every Rabbi and laity present in the sanctuary.

A few remarks from the organizers:

Daniel Spiro, Coordinator, Jewish-Islamic Dialogue Society of Washington (JIDS), “The most important theme I tried to convey in my remarks is that there are so many synergies that arise when Jews and Muslims engage with each other. We can grow theologically, learn from each other’s experiences as misunderstood minorities, and become true peacemakers. Muslim-Jewish engagement is a must.”

Steve Sawmelle, “The most valuable part of the program was the culminating plenary session where concerns, and then suggestions, were expressed by Summit attendees. There was a palpable feeling of unity in the room as we discussed concrete action steps to take.”

Andra Baylus, lead coordinate of the Greater Washington Muslim-Jewish forum. “”The challenges we face today are huge, for they touch upon the core of humankind’s inability to accept our differences, whether it be ethnic or religious. This Summit today is about Imams and Rabbis rising above these multifaceted differences given to us by our Creator, to teach their respective communities to strive to see the Light of God shining in the face of the “other”, recognizing that we are all beloved brothers and sisters in the Family of Humanity, who are guided by the values embodied in our religions, destined to transform dissonance into harmony, indifference into compassion and, most important of all, mistrust and hate…. into love.”

My roaring thoughts were, how do we get this message to the world around us? As an American and a Muslim committed to building a cohesive America, where no American feels excluded or alienated, this event was uplifting and this good news must reach all Americans.

Unless we stand up for each other, the world would not be a better place to live. America’s greatness lies in the spirit of standing up for each other. My peace hinges on peace of people around me no matter who they are, my security depends on the security of people around me no matter what political, religious or social affiliation they espouse.

Here is another great opportunity for Muslims and Jews to come together to strengthen the bonds. Our issues are not Muslim, Jewish, Christian, Hindu, Sikh, Bahá’í or the other. They are American issues as they affect us all in functioning effectively, and together as Americans we have to find solutions. No American has to live with the feeling of alienation or apprehension or fear of the other. We are all in this together and stand with fellow Americans for the common good of every American.

No good is sustainable unless it is good for all. Imbalance or injustice leads to more of it.

Ask not what the President can do for you.

Mike Ghouse January 9, 2017 Comments Off

Whether you are on the right, left or the center, religious or not, you are concerned about the liberties and freedoms of Americans. No one is spared from the apprehensions.

Collectively, we have made several mistakes over the years, we have talked extensively about the issues facing Women, African Americans, Jews, LGBT, Muslims, Mexicans and all others except one group; the unemployed/ underemployed and the rural white Americans who were equally affected like all others.

Hillary Clinton did not extend a ‘specific’ hand of friendship towards them, had she done that, the story would have been different. This neglect has caused severe damage to the social fabric of our nation; everyone is apprehensive and has lost trust in each other to function effectively. At least from here on we must include everyone in the dialogue, and as an individual my efforts would be directed towards reaching the disaffected ones. We cannot exclude anyone from our conversations; our first priority ought to be making peace with those who are perceived to be polarized, without them, we remain polarized. We cannot let this continue. We have to restore America where no American feels left out and takes immense pride in being included in nation building.

So, what can we do?

President John Kennedy had famously urged us, “Ask not what the country can do – ask what you can do for your country.” and Professor William James had written that our actions can change the moods. We are Americans, and to be an American is to take the responsibility to shape our destiny. We don’t wait for the government or the president, but instead we take the necessary steps to bring about the change that is good for Americans.

What can we do about it? The most important thing we can do is come together as Americans and re-dedicate ourselves to one nation with liberty and justice for all. It may be a small step now, but a giant leap of faith for Americans.

We hope to reach out to every American, and ask each one, particularly the Americans who lost faith in the government and fellow Americans, to join us at Jefferson Memorial in Washington, DC to stand shoulder to shoulder with fellow Americans. We are seeking the help of the entire spectrum of religious and non-religious organizations to come together in making this event successful. I am also counting on our Media friends to lend us a hand.

Let’s close 2016 on a positive note, let’s come together as Americans, and celebrate our collective Festivals of Hanukkah, Christmas, Milad, Kwanza, Janamashtami, Gurpurab and the festivities of Native Americans, and other traditions including Atheist/Humanist. Each group will get to sing honoring their faith tradition.

Celebrating America – The Festival of Faiths

Americans will come together on Sunday, December 18, 2016 between 12:00 and 2:00 PM at Jefferson Memorial in Washington, DC 20242. They will be celebrating their tradition. Details at www.CenterforPluralism.com

I hope small efforts like this will make our nation a secure home for each one of us. We have too many good people not to let our nation slip and slide. We fully understand and acknowledge the celebrations are done at different times of the year, but this event is geared for celebration of each faith, and not necessarily a specific festivity. It is Americans coming together to celebrate what is common to them all: Love of America.

Our intention is to include every one, and with the limited time we have, we won’t be able to reach out to everyone. However, we hope you would take the responsibility to invite everyone you know and, people of other faiths that you know to come aboard.

Every religious and non-religious group is welcome to share their joy of celebrating any one of their festivals, please register with us before December 13th to accommodate you in the schedule. The song has to be a group song comprising at least three people.

“Festivals of the World” is an educational series written by Mike Ghouse in 1993. When we live as neighbors, fellow workers, students, players, activists and inhabitants of the same city, it behooves us to learn about each other’s moments of celebrations or commemorations. The more we know about the other, the less mythical they would become, knowing implies knowing them personally and not hearing from those who have gains to be had by pitting one against the other. One of the best ways to build one nation with liberty and justice for all is to come together on all such occasions where we see the others as fellow humans.

Article by Mike Ghouse

Mission Accomplished with American Muslim Institution

Mike Ghouse December 31, 2016 Comments Off

WHAT’S NEXT AFTER AMI?

In July 2015 I undertook the responsibility to functionally establish the American Muslim Institution from scratch and a clean slate. Today, AMI is a full fledged, well recognized organization brimming with programs and activities to change perceptions about Muslims. I am pleased to accomplish the mission and turn the business over to the Board Members.

The Mission accomplished details will follow my notes.

In March 2017, I will disappear in to woods and finish working on my two books; “Standing up for others” and “Mistakes American Muslims have made.” God willing the books will be promoted by my friend Sean Hannity at Fox News.

In April, I will undertake the work of establishing the organizational structure for the Center for Pluralism and invite qualified members to join the board as well as trustees. This would be our legacy to leave behind.

Our advisory board members will include a representative each from Atheist, Bahai, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Humanist, Jain, Jewish, Muslim, Native American, New age, Pagan, Shinto, Sikh, Unitarians, Wicca, Zoroastrian and others such as LGBT community. It is about inclusion, no one who is willing to be a part of the whole should be left behind.

Pluralism is my life time commitment and passion, and it runs through my veins. This is all I want to do in my life of whatever is left. I could have made a lot of money going back into home building or business consulting like every one else, but I chose to do where my passion led me to, where there a lot of fulfillment in life. What is life for if don’t live the life you want to live?

Islam will remain an equal part of the family of faiths in Pluralism. Islam is about pluralism and vice versa, more and more Muslims are re-embracing Pluralism, this was the way of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). God willing, I will be following his model of conflict mitigation and goodwill nurturence.

We invite people of all faiths to head the department of their respective religions, there will be rigorous tests to make sure one has the aptitude, inclination and willingness to respect the otherness of others. It means you simply cannot denigrate faiths of other people, they are as dear to them as your faith is to you. We have to bring the change, what is point in running the run of the mill operation?

If you seriously believe in Pluralism, kindly visit www.Centerforpluralism.com to learn about us. This Organization is well built up in the last 20 years with incredible amount of activities, accomplishments, write ups and TV Presence. Now we are ready to take off and bring positive results to America.

Program such as the Unity Day USA (13^th year), Holocaust and Genocides (12^th year), Thanksgiving Celebrations (19^th year), workshops on understanding Religions (3^rd year), Festival of Faiths and many more. The complete list is at http://centerforpluralism.com/program/

Farooq Wazir Ali has supported “Understanding Religion, all the beautiful religions” twice before and hope he will continue to do that. Dr. Basheer Ahmed and Dr. Nauman Anwar have supported events dealing with Quran Burning Pastor Jones, and Quran bashing pastor Robert Jeffress, Unity Day and other events, there are a few others who have supported individual events.

Supporting our pluralism workshops, radio talk shows, and events are: Dr. Harbans Lal (Sikhism), Rev. Bill Matthews (Methodist), Pastor Frederick (Baptist), Rabbi Haas (Judaism), Dr. Pradeep Shah and Kirit Daftary (Jainism), Kambiz and Regina Rafraf (Bahai), Dana House-Elf (Wicca), Amy Moonlady (Dao), Mary Ann Thompson-Frenk and Peggy Larney (Native American) and many more in A-Z religious traditions including Atheism. We are looking to begin Pluralism Radio Talk show in Washington DC by July this year, if I have the funds, it will start tomorrow.

I will continue to work on mitigating Islamophobia and facilitating mainstreaming of Muslims. We will intensify our relationships with the media and policy makers in having them see the overwhelming majority of us who stand shoulder to shoulder with fellow Americans in keeping America safe, secure and prosperous. We hope to persuade them (Media and Policy Makers) to discount the opinions of 1/10th of 1% among us who do not represent Muslims or the American values.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Contribute to turn America Around
https://www.paypal.me/AmericansTogether
# # #

ACHIEVEMENTS AT AMERICAN MUSLIM INSTITUTION

All our activities, talks, write-ups, discussions and acts were geared to accomplish our goals expressed in our vision and mission statements. It is like running with the ball despite the hurdles and getting an additional yard even when we stumble. We all have to uplift and listen to each other if we want to succeed as a group.

A 20 minutes video Summary was made at the end of one year, it is worth watching as this is our business. The video is on our home page at www.AmericanMuslimInstitution.org

GOOGLE | BING | YAHOO

Bing.com shows 13,500 entries for “AmericanMuslimInstituion” – in quotes is the right search mechanism, but an average person will give space in between the three words and it jumps to over 8 Million entries.

Google shows 16 Million entries for American Muslim Institution but if you narrow down to specifics “American Muslim Institution” it gives 3,690 – The growth will be organic.. It’s an average 237 entries a month. Yahoo did not give the statistics.

We have made sure that we have a strong presence on the net and we will continue to multiply our presence. It takes a lot of effort and time to accomplish this with a single staff.

PRESS RELEASES

28 press releases were sent out, averaging 2/month. Each one of the press releases has made it to over 80 news papers around the nation giving us a tremendous presence on the national scene and flooding search engines. We used a service that rarely any other Muslim organization has used. We remain pro-active in whatever we do.

ARTICLES

126 Items were posted on our website, averaging 8 pieces/month – some of the articles have multiplied many times by posting on other sites. Again, those items have multiplied by 30 times empowering AMI on the internet. Someone or the other is quoting us somewhere or replicating our pieces on the net.

YOU TUBE:

174 entries are shown – where as we actually have about 30 videos, the numbers will continue to increase if others copy and post a part or full video. We have our own channel.

FLICKR:

7 Photo Albums

FACEBOOK

As of now we have 2,338 Likes. That is an average of 142 Like/month – we hope to increase this number to about 200/month. The average was 123 a month ago

EMAILS

We are averaging sending over 2000 emails a month

MEDIA PRESENCE

We have averaged 1 TV presence/a month and 2 Radio presences and over a dozen print media and the internet media.

AMI’S PUBLIC PRESENCE

We are everywhere, and on an average we are attending about a dozen events a month, including Brookings, Cato, Heritage, National Press Club, International religious freedom, Freedom Institute, and other think tanks in addition to the Interfaith and Muslim events. In every place, we are making our presence felt by sharing a one minute announcement or a short talk about what we do.

AMI’S EVENTS

8 events : The “State of Muslims in America” is a monthly conversational program where we bring experts from the public, faith communities and the Departments of State, Homeland Security, Justice and Defense to discuss the state of affairs of Muslims and the other vulnerable communities and offer pluralistic solutions. We are guided by the First Amendment and stick within the parameters of our constitution.

SPEAKER’S TRAINING

This program contributes the most towards our long term objective. If Muslims don’t tell what Islam is, then others will continue to present the distorted version of Islam to their audience and the media.” This course is for every American who wants to learn and share correct information about Islam – so we all can drop misgivings and start living as neighbors and friends, understand each other and build safe communities. We particularly urge the youth to participate, as it is they who have to live in the world, and they had better shape the world they want it to be to live in peace and prosperity with fellow Americans. We hope to produce 100 such speakers by the end of 2017 with 25 ready to go by January 2017.

SYMPOSIUMS | EVENTS

The following events were organized by AMI –

Press launch
1. Opening- https://youtu.be/A3T0Y2pY_J0
2. Q&A – https://youtu.be/egGb5I4TGa4
3. Feedback – https://youtu.be/liqqkrusbUI
Speaker’s training – No video was taken
1. Pictures- Session I https://www.flickr.com/photos/135856392@N06/albums/72157675867115636
2. Pictures – Session II https://www.flickr.com/photos/135856392@N06/albums/72157673447190123
Anti-ISIS Rally
1. https://vimeo.com/149198416
2. Fox News https://youtu.be/Lh2CVkr6iwY
Season of Peace https://vimeo.com/150623951
Website Launch (Content writing)
Memorial Day – https://youtu.be/KUCHWggiwqw
Countering Violent Extremism – https://youtu.be/utwAyiikeyM
Co-existence Challenges – https://youtu.be/hDk6QmY_BDQ
Veterans’ day – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoWLyVXH6Ek&t=48s
Speaker’s training
Reaching out to Congress – https://youtu.be/if1cjK1ABXw
March for America (not our event)
1. https://youtu.be/WIGDvC2LWbU
2. https://youtu.be/lU5ryyEl1n0
3. Interfaith Greetings https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jUSJWpYE_g

INTERFAITH RELATIONS

We have built strong coalitions with Christian and Jewish organizations and working on Baha’i, Buddhist, Hindu, Jain, Native Americans, Sikh and other traditions. We can develop relationships with Atheist, Pagan, Wicca, LGBT and other communities. We have built up good relationships with the Christian and Jewish communities to hold joint events.

INTRAFAITH RELATIONS

We have been attending Intrafaith events, and have attended Shia and Ahmadiyya events and looking forward to be a part of Bohra, Ismaili and other denominations. We have good working relationships with several mosques and they are all willing to do joint programs.

A LOT MORE CAN BE ACHIEVED

I cannot do more than what is done. If we put some math into the time it takes to achieve what we have achieved with one man staff we will see that it takes at least three staff members. When we can afford a full time assistant, we can focus on other critical things – we have uplifted AMI and established, now, it is time to grow.

Ideally my time should be spent on research, speaking, relationships, initiatives, development and fund raising. This is my passion and I am willing put in whatever time it takes to get the job done and this will remain my contribution in establishing AMI with all the humility.

# # #
2017 IS THE YEAR OF GREAT AMERICAN INTEGRATION

2017 is the year of Great American Integration

THE MUSLIM GUY IS COMMITTED TO RESTORE AMERICA’S HARMONY

The Muslim Guy is committed to restore America’s Harmony

America Will Always Be A Great Nation

Mike Ghouse December 26, 2016 Comments Off

On Sunday, December 18, 2016; a model for a cohesive America was unveiled with a handful of volunteers at the Thomas Jefferson Memorial in Washington, DC, the nation’s capitol. Eventually this model can become an anti-dote to prejudices against people of different faiths, races, cultures and ethnicities.

A few pictures from the event: https://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeghouse/sets/72157674321116443/show

We are a divided nation at this juncture, and we are committed to change it.

My safety and well being hinges on the safety and well being of others around me. It behooves for each one of us to work towards that goal, at the end every one of us would be better off.

Jewish Muslim Relationship

Mike Ghouse December 26, 2016 Comments Off

A few remarks from the organizers:

No good is sustainable unless it is good for all. Imbalance or injustice leads to more of it.

America stands on solid rock

Mike Ghouse December 19, 2016 Comments Off

We are indeed the land of the free and the brave and this is what makes America great. This freedom has given us a sustainable government for 240 years and will continue through eternity.

Our constitution is embedded in our enduring values, it is in our psyche and it is in our attitudes and it is natural. Every now and then, we will “react” to dire situations and take wild detours, but in the long haul we will stick to our values.

It is in our (every American’s) interests to stick to the core values of our constitution. This will minimize phobias like “What will happen to our culture and our way of life” as we all would be on the same page. Each one of us need to assure each other that we stand for the same America, and that we need not fear about the future, and instead join together and build on our enduring values of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness.

Thanks to the wisdom of Jewish community, their experience has endowed them with a built-in radar to sense the problems miles away, and they proactively work on immunizing us (all Americans) from such viruses. They have taken the lead in countering on one such flawed idea; Muslim registry.

Just about every Rabbi and Jewish leader has taken a bold stand against the registry, which I have mentioned in my article at Huffington post .

As an individual, I cherish these values of America and am committed to preserve them – that means I am making a serious commitment to stand up for the rights of every American. If I don’t stand up for others, why should anyone stand up for me?

The following item in Huffington post was heart warming;

“More than 200 employees of technology companies including Alphabet Inc’s (GOOGL.O) Google, Twitter Inc (TWTR.N) and Sales force pledged on Tuesday to not help U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s administration build a data registry to track people based on their religion or assist in mass deportations.”

“Alphabet Chief Executive Officer Larry Page, Apple Inc (AAPL.O) CEO Tim Cook, Facebook Inc (FB.O) Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg and Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) CEO Jeff Bezos and Oracle Corp (ORCL.N) CEO Safra Catz are among those expected to attend the summit with Trump’s transition team, according to two technology industry sources.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/tech-employees-promise-never-to-help-trump-build-a-muslim-registry_us_58519b0ce4b092f08686dac3?

This is laudable! Why should these people stand up for Muslims? Ultimately, my safety hinges on safety of people around me, isn’t it?

Dr. Mike Ghouse is a community consultant, social scientist, thinker, writer, news maker, Interfaith Wedding officiant, and a speaker on Pluralism, Interfaith, Islam, politics, terrorism, human rights, India, Israel-Palestine, motivation, and foreign policy. He is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. All about him in 65 links at www.MikeGhouse.net

What is Buddhism?

Mike Ghouse December 4, 2016 Comments Off

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Learn the essence of Buddhism in this 2 ½ hour seminar, “Understanding the essence of Buddhism.” You’ll lean its values and how it contributes to the effective functioning of the society. It is a part of 13 seminars for 13 religions in 13 months organized by the Center for Pluralism.

Program: Understanding Buddhism
Date: Thursday, December 22, 2016
Time: 1:00 – 3:30 PM
Venue: The Church of Scientology National Affairs Office,
Address: 1701, 20th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
Refreshments will be provided

Teacher: Matthew Regan*
Hosted by: Church of Scientology National Affairs Office, Washington, DC
Presented by: Center for Pluralism, Washington, DC

RSVP – https://www.eventbrite.com/e/what-is-buddhism-understanding-the-essence-of-buddhism-tickets-29718796721

Buddhism

Buddhism is based on Four Noble Truths or four realities which are understood by those who have attained freedom from anxiety, grief, apprehensions and tensions; it can also be called Nirvana.

Some of us make the mistake of learning about other faiths from hearsay or third parties who may not have a genuine interest or knowledge in presenting the ‘other faith’ with full integrity. It is time for us to hear about the given faith directly from its practitioners. Indeed, there are people out there whose integrity is beyond reproach. If they are Jewish and tell you about Islam, it is with full honesty as though a Muslim would tell it, and there are Muslims who would tell about Hinduism as though a Hindu is narrating to you. None of these good people will resort to discounting other faiths to elevate their own.

Given that, the practitioner of Buddhism will present the faith in the simplest form with an idea that Mr. Spock is our audience. The audience is not conditioned with any religion and is open to understanding the concepts and how this particular faith contributes towards creating cohesive societies where people respect the otherness of others, and live their lives and let others live theirs.

As a pluralist I (Mike Ghouse) believe that every faith is embedded with full of wisdom to live a good life in harmony with oneself and with others. I request the teacher of Buddhism to talk about his faith as eloquently as he can, but never, decimate or belittle other faiths in any fashion; subtle or blatant.

Our goal is to prepare a group of people to understand the essence of each faith and be able to bring about a change to the religious landscape of America.

We hope each one of the attendees would walk in with an open mind and an open heart towards understanding other faiths, and walk out feeling connected with fellow beings who believe differently. No matter what faith we believe, we have to live with people of other faiths, and as responsible citizens we have to create an environment for each one of us to live without apprehension.

We believe knowledge leads to understanding and understanding to acceptance and appreciation of another point of view.

By the end of 2020, there will not be a major city in America, and perhaps in the world, where you will not find people of different faiths, cultures, ethnicities, races, nationalities and social backgrounds working, eating, playing, marrying, and doing things together. This is bound to create conflicts.

As peacemakers and faith leaders, it is our duty to prepare fellow humans to deal with those eventualities to prevent possible conflicts, and lay a good foundation for nurturing goodwill and effective functioning of the societies.

Exclusive communities will become a thing of the past. If you live amidst others, you must also respect the otherness of others, as you expect them to do the same for you. Our goal is to bring people of different faiths together and provide a platform for them to share about their beliefs, their systems and rituals, while expanding the knowledge zone of each group.

The goal is to bring people of different faiths together and provide a platform for them to share about their beliefs, their systems and rituals, while expanding the knowledge zone of each group.

You are who you are, and I am who I am. As long as we don’t mess with each other’s space, sustenance and nurturance, and mind our own business, we all will do well. If we can learn to respect the otherness of other and accept the God-given uniqueness of each one of the seven billion of us, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge.

The Center for Pluralism is committed to promoting understanding between peoples of different religious affiliations. We would like to thank the Church of Scientology National Affairs Office for hosting the series of events. In support of Article 18 of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, knowledge leads to understanding and understanding to acceptance and appreciation of another faith. If we can learn to respect the otherness of others and accept the genetic uniqueness of each one of us, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge.

* About Matthew Regan

Details at www.Centerforpluralism.com/Workshops

Program designed by Dr. Mike Ghouse

What kind of America do you want?

Mike Ghouse November 3, 2016 Comments Off

There is an old saying, “Encourage what is good and discourage what is bad.” When we encourage goodness it tends to be infectious, more people will catch it, and the world around us gets better by day and at the end everyone is better off.

what-kind-of-america-do-we-want-jpg On the other hand, if you do not discourage what is bad, the bad guys assume that you have given them the permission to continue to be a bad guy. Did we? Do we want bad guys to run our lives?

Aren’t we concerned with the loose characters that have no qualms in using abusive language, the kind we don’t use in front of our children or respectful women and men?

Men supporters of Trump will be the first ones screwed. If Trump becomes President, he may place bans on Muslim nations, 56 of them purchase our defense products and sustain 18% of American Jobs, instead of begging and getting humiliated, they will go to Russia to buy the same, and even China will invest in Airplane manufacturing and screw us out. There will be massive unemployment and that will affect the manufacturing workers or the Trump supporters the most.

Do women supporters of Trump want him to grab them by their genitals? No self respecting woman will tolerate that behavior. If you do not measure up to Trumps idea of beauty and are above 35, you may not want to worry; he wouldn’t even look at you – how demeaning! But if you are below 35 and score 7 out of ten, the creep may want to feel you out, as he thinks he is entitle to you.

If you vote for the third party candidates, you might as well flush it down the toilet, if that is what it is worth it to you. By not choosing the safer candidate, you are choosing the wrong one by default.

Hillary is equally bad – but at least our country will remain civil. She will not mess up the country, let’s give her four years and take back if she does not add anything to the prosperity. If you give it to trump, the disaster is waiting to happen and it would be difficult to recover – remember what Bush had left in 2008, do we want another Bush? At least Bush had clean morals, Trump does not.

I am an independent voter, and not bound to any candidate, my loyalty is to America and not the party. My choice is safety and sailing for another four years without messing it up – and my vote went to Hillary.

The choice is yours.
Mike Ghouse