Daily Blog - The Ghouse Diary

Religious freedom wins in Malaysia – Islam and Christianity win

Mike Ghouse July 9, 2016 Comments Off

World Muslim Congress
Contact: Mike Ghouse (214) 325-1916
www.WorldMuslimCongress.com
MikeGhouse@aol.com

Religious freedom wins in Malaysia, re-conversion to Christianity is a landmark ruling.

Washington, D.C., April 6, 2016 — The World Muslim Congress welcomes the landmark ruling by a High Court in Malaysia that recognized the freedom of religion is a fundamental human right.

The right to follow one’s conscience is the God given right of every human. When Adam was given the choice to eat or not eat the forbidden fruit with the given set of consequences, Adam ‘chose’ to eat the fruit. God could have stopped him, but God wanted to set an example of living up his own word and what freedom should mean until the human race lives on.

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The court struck down a decades-long government policy that had made it tough for Christian converts to renounce their former Islamic faith without the consent of an Islamic court. The had another great judgment in the case of Lina Joy.

The Association of Churches in Sarawak praised the decision “as a ratification of the fundamental right to freedom of religion in Malaysia,” Herald Malaysia andChristian Today reported.

“This judgment reaffirms the supremacy of the Federal Constitution, which under Article 11 defends every Malaysian citizen’s right to freedom of religion,” the group said.

High Court judge Yew Jen Kie of the Kuching High Court, Sarawak state granted the petition of Rooney Rebit asking judicial authorities to declare that his belief in Jesus Christ was a fundamental human right.

Rebit, 41, from a village in Sarawak, was born a Christian but was converted to Islam by his parents when he was about 10 years old and renamed Azmi Mohamad Azam.

Judge Yew ruled that Rebit is “free to exercise his right to freedom of religion and he chose Christianity.”

Indeed, Mr. Rebit is free to exercise his right to freedom; the Quran says 2:256, “… Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error …” This is Islam’s unambiguous affirmation of freedom of faith, which also applies to changing of faith. The Qur’an illuminates before the humanity the two highways [90:10], one of which leads to salvation. Islam is an invitation to the highway toward salvation, but it is based on FREEDOM OF CHOICE (http://apostasyandislam.blogspot.com/).”

We applaud the ruling as it clarifies the propaganda that Muslims compel others to stay in their fold through coercion and compulsion, which was never true or Islamic, even though it was practiced by a few Muslims.

We appreciate the efforts of the Government of Malaysia to uphold the inalienable rights of her citizens, which are God given and inherently Islamic. We seek God’s guidance in helping us restore the pristine Islam of freedom, justice and mercy to mankind. Amen!

Dr. Mike Ghouse is a fellow at World Muslim Congress, a think tank committed to removing the dust Islamic practices has gathered over a period of time. To be a Muslim is to be a peace maker, who seeks to mitigate conflicts and nurtures goodwill for peaceful existence of humanity.

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Bad People are bad people, common sense cards

Mike Ghouse July 9, 2016 Comments Off

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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. Visit him (63 links) at www.MikeGhouse.net andwww.TheGhousediary.com for his exclusive writings.

God fearing or God caring

Mike Ghouse July 9, 2016 Comments Off

The phrase God-fearing has come to mean fearing God. Why do you want to be afraid of God, he is not a devil, criminal or a villain who is hell bent on punishing us at the drop of the hat. What it really means is – fearing our own weaknesses, fearing doing things that will hurt others and harm others, and in-turn saps our positive energy with guilt, conscious or subconscious.

God loves us all without conditions; after all, we are his creation, or a product of his system. However the idea of rewards, grace and punishment is human and is necessary to build cohesive society and faithfully guard the safety of every fellow human. All of us want a fair, just and a caring society.

God Caring may be a better phrase.

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This was in response to my friend Mary Ann Thompson’s note:
“I get tired of people saying so and so is a ‘God-Fearing’ person, like that’s a good thing. Personally, I don’t fear God. Nor do I want to. I’m in love with God.”

So no, I am not a ‘God-Fearing’ person. I am a ‘God-Loving’ person, and I respect Creator with a heart that is sublimely in Love, not one out of forced respect based on fear. We often talk about Creator as father, as mother, but Creator is also our first and final Love.

Embrace Creator, however you define Spirit, and your heart will feel the deepest joy in the communion.”

Mike Ghouse
www.InterfaithSpeaker.com

Church of Scientology and Pluralism

Mike Ghouse July 9, 2016 Comments Off

Church and Pluralism | www.InterfaithSpeaker.com

My message: You are wrong and not your religion.

April 21, 2016, Washington, DC — Today, I am pleased to have learned a bit about the Church of Scientology. Way back in 1979, I visited their office in Los Angeles and was impressed by their work, and had read the fascinating book “Dianetics” by L. Ron Hubbard. More about the church athttp://www.scientology.org/Rev. Susan Taylor of Church of Scientology explained everything an individual needs to know about her church and have brought a lot of material to read. We discussed various things today and it was good to hear firsthand about the Church of Scientology. As we walked around the building, what I saw on the walls was fascinating reading. It is amazing how much there is to learn, here are ‘some’ of the pearls of wisdom in no particular order that I felt connected with.

The creed of the Church of the Scientology

· That all men of whatever race, color or creed were created with equal rights

· That all men have inalienable rights to their own religious practices

· That all men have inalienable rights to their sanity

· That all men have inalienable right to think freely, talk freely….

· And that no agency less than God have the power to suspend or set aside these rights, overtly or covertly.

· That man is basically good.

· Never regret yesterday. Life is in you today and you make your tomorrow.

· Be true to your own goals

Susan and I talked about what we can do to mitigate the conflicts we all have with each other and nurture good will. I am considering a monthly workshop series on wisdom of religion, all the beautiful religions that that I had organized in Dallas. Would you be interested in it, if we broadcast it?

By the way, the courts have cleared some of the false allegations against the Church of Scientology. I am familiar with the insecure men with established churches (nay, not the churches, but the individual men who run it) have always made a point to denigrate the new comer. They are afraid of losing their customers and the donations that go with them. They have ganged up against all new groups including Mormon, Reformed Church, and Unificationist Church etc.

I have been associated with Rev. Moon’s Unificationist Church as well. I have seen the ministers make fun of it, and he was accused of so many false things. There was a time people of other faiths denigrated his ministry… I found it to be otherwise. Rev. Moon has a great message to humanity about being one with God (he calls is God’s lineage).

Individuals err, not religions. However, if we are sincere about seeking the truth, we need to study a faith that is maligned. Finding the truth is our own responsibility, even if the clergy or scholar of the faith tells you what his or her faith is; don’t believe until you read it yourselves. Keep studying until your bias is gone, if it does not, then you did not get the message.

As a pluralist, meaning, an individual who embraces humanity with no prejudice, and finds himself in the same tent as all others, I am blessed to have relationships with everyone I could possibly know from Atheists to Zoroastrians and every one in between. I will continue to be a part of the 7.2 billion people on this planet. Jesus is one of my mentors and following him means to be like him – a pluralist.

When I visit or hear sermons from different faiths*, what I hear is not the literal words, but their essence. How following their ideas-sans-rituals will contribute towards creating a cohesive society and my interest is in the bottom line of all religions – and i.e., do they bring comfort, comport and balance to an individual and with what surrounds him. Indeed, all religions do that with a few exceptions.When you hear an ugly sermon in a Church, Synagogue, Mosque, Temple or any place of worship, it is not God’s words they are speaking, but their understanding of those words. God is not a bloody villain of his own creation, God loves us all, but a few men from the pulpit spew their hatred and ill-will towards others in the name of God, what a shame!

Is there a minister out there, who has the confidence, faith, and is secure to say that other faiths’ are equally good? And never in their language would they express that theirs is superior. If you know someone, please let me know, we need people like that. They are the true religious people and want to give them the megaphone.

Religion is about living in peace within and with others. If you are not at peace and malignant towards others, they you did not get your religion right. You are wrong and not your religion.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. Visit him (63 links) at www.MikeGhouse.net andwww.TheGhousediary.com for his exclusive writings.

Interfaith Happiness

Mike Ghouse July 9, 2016 Comments Off

I began writing a series called Festivals of the world in 1993 – first it was in my newspaper in Dallas, then it was broadcasted on my weekly radio show from 1996-2001, and has continued on social media, blogs and facebook.

This morning Google notified an entry with my name, and I clicked it, there it was an image of Hanukkah Menorah with the title of my theme. Hanukkah is not today, but someone had posted my work at: http://digitalmindsoft.org/hanukkah-2015.htmland is the link to that piece in Huffington post http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/festivals-of-the-world-es_b_4349512.html

Deva Ramsaroop had once called me a Honorary Hindu or some such thing people also thought I was a Christian, Baha’i, Buddhist and even Jewish, while I was a humanist at that time. It’s genuine interfaith happiness to me.
Being a pluralist does not mean you follow a mixture of religions, being pluralist simply means you expand your wings to accommodate everyone in your fold, you become a part of the whole and yet remain who you are and I am a Muslim and a pluralist. You have to feel secure enough to tell that all religions are beautiful, by acknowledging the goodness in other faiths; your faith does not depreciate even by an ounce. I respect every religion as much as I respect my own, no religion is anything less or more than mine, all are beautiful paths to its followers.

“Festivals of the World” is an educational series by Mike Ghouse developed in 1993. When we live as neighbors and in the same communities, we might as well learn about each other. The best way to build cohesive societies is for members to participate in festivities as well as commemorations of each other, or at least understand each other’s joys and sorrows. Please note, the simplicity in writing is designed for people of other faiths to learn and to know, so we can function cohesively.

Dallas Shooting: None of us will be safe.

Mike Ghouse July 8, 2016 Comments Off

Justice is the key to peaceful societies. The other word for Justice is Balance, and if the balance is lost even a tiny bit, it starts multiplying. It is in our best interests to restore the balance and not aggravate it.

This time, the balance was disturbed by the officers involved in shooting two innocent African Americans in Louisiana and Minnesota. The rightful and instant response from the police department should have been to apologize, yes apologize, as they are assigned with the responsibility to keep our neighborhoods safe, and in the next breath they should have announced that an investigation will be carried and the officers will be suspended subject to investigation.

Dallas people scared and running helter skelter

That doesn’t bring back the dead but it gives some respite to the grieving communities. It would have offered a sense of justice and trust, and possibly prevented protests.

No American will feel safe and secure, unless everyone around him ‘feels’ safe and secure. It behooves for us to ensure everyone is safe and Justice is the only thing that will bring safety.
The Good news is a majority of us, however we are classified by religion or race are law abiding citizens. It’s the fringe in every section that takes the law in their own hands, when they see or perceive injustice to them and their kind, both Black and White, and that causes ripples and leads demonstrations.

Demonstrations are necessary to make a point, and for the voiceless and the weak, that is the only available medium. Indeed, it is the corner stone of our democracy.

Those who felt a sense of injustice took things in their own hands to rectify it with a possible belief that Justice will not be served to them. They targeted the very officers who were there to protect them.

Way back in the 90’s in Dallas, my home town, the white folks started moving north to move away from the Blacks. I am sorry, I did not write then, I should have screamed, how far north will you go? Instead of running, and there is no end to running, we all should have learned to live with each other and that guarantees safety of every one.

Blaming each other is easy and unfortunately a trend these days. Reaching out and understanding the grievances of our fellow countrymen could be a trend too if we just give it some effort. No law or police force can provide the kind of safety that a flexible and cohesive society can provide to itself.

When we all start living, eating, playing, working and marrying together, safer and durable societies will emerge.

Gov. Abbot’s call is the right call, “In times like this we must remember ― and emphasize ― the importance of uniting as Americans.”

I echo President Obama’s statement, “We are horrified over these events and we stand united with the people and police department in Dallas.”

As Martin Luther King had revealed, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” We need a continuous ongoing dialogue to prevent injustice every step of the way.

It is our duty to keep law and order and faithfully guard the safety of every citizen. Injustice, real and perceived is one of the many sources of disrupting the peace in a society and it is our duty to track down the source of such injustice and work on mitigating it. We have an obligation to maintain a balance in the society.

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July 4th – Muslims Celebrate July 4th with their heart, mind and soul!

Mike Ghouse July 2, 2016 Comments Off

On July 4^th, 2016 we will be celebrating the 240^th birthday celebration of America, we have to take the time to reflect upon our fascinating journey from the immortal declaration of independence on July 4^th, 1776 to July 4^th, 2016.

Full Article at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/july-4th-muslims-celebrate-july-4th-with-their-heart_us_5777c06de4b0ad1e7bfede95

My friends are good, bad and Ugly

Mike Ghouse June 26, 2016 Comments Off

At times it is difficult for some of my friends to see me with ‘some’ people, and then they judge me by my company. I am blessed to have friends from every walk of life from left to the right and every one in between, from Atheists to Zoroastrians and every one in between, and from Republicans to Democrats and every one in between. I have chosen to fall the barriers between me and another human and there is a joy in it and there is peace in it.

MikeGhouse.Arapaho.George
Do I agree with every one? Hell no! Do I disagree? Hell yes!
But can I get along with every one? Yes!

Some people did not want to invite me to speak or join them in their parties, because they thought I was a right wing guy – just because I am on Fox News and with Hannity, they have never seen the shows and seen what I tell on the show yet judge me by who I am with.

A few did not include me in their circles because they thought I was a Republican, and a few Republicans think I am a Democrat because of my humanitarian take on issues.

Back in Dallas, many a Muslims thought I was a Hindu just because I have been writing about Festivals of the world for nearly 20 years (of all religions), and there are more festivals that Hindus celebrate than any other group of people and I have written about them. In fact the then Hindu Temple President Dr. Phillip Ramsaroop had called me an honorary Hindu. The funniest moment came in July 1996, when the trustees of the Mosque advised Imam Kavakci, who was my friend, and was on my Radio show, not to officiate the Nikah with my late wife if I did not convert.

In 2009, I organized a conference for Muslims for peace and Justice, of which, I am still a member along with Edip Yuskel, the modern translator of the Quran. One of the attendees was from Egypt, he made a big deal about meeting with me, he said, he routinely translates my articles into Arabic and posts them in sites in Egypt and Saudi Arabia. He uncontainable with his happiness, and finally said something funny – “it is Jewish brothers like you who have understood Islam thoroughly” I looked behind me to see who he was referring to, he said you. Then I said, I am happy to hear that, but I happen to be a Muslim. He looked puzzled, and said, really?

On my Radio show, I did talk about every faith with no exception, that is 700 hours of talk shows just on understanding each faith. However, the Buddhist and Bahai’s were few and at times did not make it to the studio, so I gave a talk on Buddhism and Baha’i, as I know enough about them to teach. Many of my late wife’s friends thought I was a Buddhist, indeed, they had congratulated her for converting me to Islam.

A majority of Christians thought I was a Baha’i as I talk like a Baha’i and act like a Baha’i.

In one of the commemorations where a Jewish school was destroyed in Bombay, India – the India Association held the vigil on a Saturday was against my suggestion, and I could not get any Jewish friend to attend for the interfaith prayers, but they asked me to go ahead and recite the prayers I had recited a few years ago. When my turn came, I read the Jewish prayer… the gossip started immediately, “See, I told you, he is a Jew”.

I have attended Gay and Lesbian Marches, dinners and fund raisers, and in one of the events at Love Field in Dallas; perhaps I was one of the few straight guys there. I saw an Indian, hiding and running away from me as if I am going to announce his identity to other Indians. I walked up to him to his discomfort, and he asked me if I was a gay, I said no, but I am here for my friends and I have no desire to tell any one about it, it is not my business. If he is gay, he is gay, so what? I left him pondering about his need to live his life openly.

I am truly blessed to have friends from most walks of life and when I meet people, I do not look to them with stereotyped lenses, they are individuals like me. But when I learn about them as individuals, either I will continue or cool off with them, if there is no way to carry a dialogue or if they are cast in stone.

Fortunately, with a few exceptions, no one has kept me away because I am a Muslim and no one’s religion or practice has been a barrier to me. I respect the otherness of others and accept the God given uniqueness of each one of us. I am comfortable with every group of people and I am at home wherever I am. Is this difficult? No, it is rather easy – all you have to do is remove all prejudices you may have towards others based on the group, based on bad experience, you can ignore the individual. One of the greatest lessons of my life is – Jesus’ wisdom; don’t condemn the sinner, condemn his sin and that is the basis of my ease with every human being.

brigite Gabriel-MikeGhouse

I am friends with and get along with every one. There is not a soul I would not reach out to, particularly those who appear to be polarized. This picture is with Brigitte Gabrielle, I disagree with her take, but have no problem being with her, Pamela Geller, Peter King and the whole list of them. I have met them all. They are like me and you, and go by the information they have received, which is incomplete. I will do my best to communicate to them what I know. If they get it fine, and if they don’t, I need to let that go.

Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) is one of my 10 mentors* and once he was frustrated that people were not getting his message and calls on God to seek his advice. God tells him to do his duty to teach the righteousness, and it is up to the people to accept it or not, and he may choose to guide them, but don’t look for instant results. Indeed, that is what Krishna tells Arjuna, do the dharma and let the lord decide upon the fruit. That is very comforting to me and I do my dharma.

I believe, every one acts and talks based on the information he or she has, most of us are knowledge deficient about others and become judgmental about them. We all have to take the time to question our biases and prejudices about others, and when we free ourselves from it, we would be truly free. This is precisely what Prophet Muhammad meant when he called for Jihad, which a few among Muslims have erroneously understood to wage a war against others. We have to reign in our temptations to have ill-will, hatred, bias and malice towards others; it will bring serene sustainable happiness to us.

May you be blessed and don’t judge others without knowing them personally, there is a lot of good in it for you. Amen!

My relations with each people from Atheist to Zoroastrians is marked by great experiences and one of these days, I will update this with all the experiences being with people of different faiths, races and regions.

So, please don’t judge me if you see me with scum (to others) of the earth or a great human like Pope Frances, I remain me.

* My peace maker mentors are: Muhammad, Jesus, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr, Mother Teresa, Pope Frances, Barack Obama, My parents and probably Muhammad Ali (still learning about them) and Abraham Joshua Heschell. They are all pluralists.

Dr. Mike Ghouse is a speaker on Pluralism, Interfaith, Islam, politics, terrorism, human rights, India, Israel-Palestine,motivation, and foreign policy. A community consultant, pluralist, social scientist, thinker, writer, activist, news maker and anInterfaith Wedding officiant . He is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. Most of the words are linked to his work, and please visit him at www.TheGhousediary.com and www.MikeGhouse.net

What makes America Great? It’s the inclusiveness!

Mike Ghouse June 23, 2016 Comments Off

The marquis behind me is in front of the United Methodist Building next to the Supreme Court of US, my office is next door. I admire them for taking the stand, not just quietly accepting the LGBT community, but seeking others to accept as well, and this is what makes America great – standing up for the other, as we all need, and needed someone to stand up for each one of us to create a safe and secure world for all of us. UnitedMethodistChurch.Marqui-LGBTSupport-MikeGhouse

America will continue to lead the world in truly accepting the otherness of others, as it has in all endeavors of life. Only if you knew what it is like in other nations, you will appreciate my country.
America is indeed the land of the brave and the free. What does it mean? It simply means we can dream of big things or small things, and make that come true; no one will stop you from being who you are. We can dream of going to the moon, and we went, when we commit to find a cure to an ailment, we will find the cure, and when we say we will build automobiles that can give 40 Miles to a Gallon, we built those.

The can do attitude has something to do with the attitude of ‘accepting the otherness of others.’ Our nation was built by immigrants, except the native Americans, almost all of us have come from somewhere and we have learned that there is nothing set in concrete, the more the immigrants, the more inclusiveness has developed. Thanks to our founding fathers, they were way ahead of all of us intellectually to have versioned an America to be the land of the free, and that all are created equal.

It is this value of America we need to export to other nations, and not military equipment – that will make killers of each other and also turn their guns towards us.

Thanks to Native Americans for not building a wall and keeping every one of the foreigners outside the wall. Thanks to Mexico for not building a wall around California, Arizona and Texas, if not nearly 1/4th of American would have remained in Mexico.

I am a moderate politically, religiously, socially and any way you can cut it. I am gradually working towards building up a movement called pluralism, which is an attitude of respecting the otherness of others and accepting the God given uniqueness of each one of us. Would you join me?

Dr. Mike Ghouse is a speaker on Pluralism, Interfaith, Islam, politics, terrorism, human rights, India, Israel-Palestine, motivation, and foreign policy. A community consultant, pluralist, social scientist, thinker, writer, activist, news maker and an Interfaith Wedding officiant . He is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. Most of the words are linked to his work, and please visit him at www.TheGhousediary.com

Happy Father’s day

Mike Ghouse June 18, 2016 Comments Off

By Mike Ghouse
www.CenterforPluralism.com | The Ghouse Diary.com

HappyFathersday.AbdulRahman.MikeGhouse Gratitude, repentance, and forgiveness are the most important elements in restoring one’s life and sustaining one’s tranquility and happiness.

On this father’s day, I will be dedicating half an hour to reflect on my father; M. Abdul Rahman. He is one of my mentors, and an affectionate and caring father who opened many windows of knowledge for me. I will also spend moments reflecting and honoring Mr. Everett Blauvelt, my father figure who was instrumental in giving me a start in these United States.

An individual who expresses his gratitude to those who gave him a break in life, who were his or her role model, protector, defender and a cheer leader, will always lives a happier life.

My heart goes out to those who did not have a good relationship with their fathers. Despite their abusive fathers, they have survived, and they can give that affection to their off springs and others. Father’s day is a difficult day for them, while others are cherishing their fathers; they are struggling with mixed feelings to the feelings of hate. It’s not easy, and there is no quick fix to it, other than reflecting on it, and taking the responsibility to your own life. Life is given to each one of us as a trust, and at least we can live up to it.

If you are the one, I urge you to make a sincere effort in forgiving your father, it releases you from the pain, not forgiving them keeps you in eternal resentment and grief, and takes away your moments of from your life. You can be a good parent to your kids or be a big brother or a friend to others and fulfill what is missing in your life.

If I am a pluralist today, and if I respect the otherness of others and have no prejudice towards others, it was my father’s teaching; living by example. his stand on equality in thoughts, acts and talks makes a whole lot of sense.

If you are one of the parents who teach your children to look down on people other than your own kind, you are essentially running a sewer in their body system and messing them up for a life time. It would be difficult for them to live with people who are different than them. You can save your child from misery, by learning to respect the otherness of others and accepting the God given uniqueness of each one of his creation. You can look up www.CenterforPluralism.com for the courses and programs to open your heart and mind towards fellow beings.

My parents told us (me and my siblings) that we are all one family, from Adam and Eve and that we will have differences and have to learn to live with each other. They often quoted the verse from Quran, to respect the otherness of others.

I miss them both today. I also appreciate my friends who are father figures to me – DD Maini, Bill Matthews and Dr. Harbans Lal.

Life is all about expressions and completing transactions. Every emotion, thought, action or a change creates a new debt or a favor that needs to be re-balanced. Obviously we cannot reciprocate the favors in full, but we have been able to do that with a thank you in the most simplistic way and that is good enough.

My father is my hero and opened the doors of wisdom to us. Pluralism indeed runs in my family. He taught one of the biggest lessons of my life in social cohesiveness and dealing with extremism that I continue to reflect in my talks, acts and write ups.

He treated all of us kids with dignity and I am pleased I got to be disciplined at least once in my life. I guess I replicated that with my children to the point my kids would actually say, Dad, you should have disciplined us. I did not see the need for it. I am fine and they are fine too. I gave them the cold shoulder that my father had given me to straighten me out, and it worked both ways, although my daughter was a tough cookie, she would not budge.

I was about ten years old and watched a man fall off his bicycle with his big bag of rice and was struggling to get back on it, and I wasn’t going to help him, instead I was laughing at him. I saw my father about 100 feet away and the way he sped towards me, which got me frightened for the first time, I dashed inside the home and a few minutes later after helping the guy, he came in dashing… I climbed on top of the paddy bags in a corner of the house, I thought he could not get me there, so he goes outside and plucks a long branch off the mulberry tree and gives me a few good ones. “My son will never do that” after that conditioning, I have developed the habit of stopping for everyone who needs help. I dare not watch and not do something about it.

To those who have not had a father or had a negative experience, God has offered guidance through the instrument of forgiveness to release you from the pain. Just do it. I will be happy to be a big brother or even a father figure in the moment of your need. It’s an open offer to call me at (214) 325-1916, let’s keep it to 5 minutes.

God bless us all, Amen!

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 his writings are at: www.TheGhousediary.com