Muslims Honor Veterans on Memorial Day

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May 29. 2016, Louisville, Ky — Memorial Day resonates with American Muslims, and a group of Muslims have joined in the tradition of honoring our Veterans on this Memorial day by visiting the Louisville Veteran’s Cemetery for a short prayer.

Place: 4701 Brownsboro Road, Louisville, KY 40207
Date: Monday, May 30, 2016 | 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
If you wish to join us, please let me know (214) 325-1916
We urge you to hold a short prayer in your town.

The freedom that we cherish today did not come to us on a platter, and was not a given thing either. It was earned for us through the sacrifices of our men and women right from George Washington down to the soldiers fighting for us currently.  We owe our gratitude to our veterans.

One of the greatest values about American culture is the amount of reverence given to the final resting place of our veterans. Expression of gratitude is one of the many things that bring serene happiness to the soul.

God Bless our Veterans and God Bless America!

The full article at Muslims on Memorial Day
http://centerforpluralism.com/memorial-day-and-muslims/

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2Muslims-at-Arlington-Cemetery 3Soldier-prayingfortheLovedones.

Every Memorial Day the soldiers of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) plant a flag in front of each grave marker in Arlington National Cemetery, Va. The flags represent our thanks for their service to our nation, the sacrifices they made and the blood they shed, regardless of their own backgrounds or faiths. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Jose A. Torres Jr.)

Every Memorial Day the soldiers of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) plant a flag in front of each grave marker in Arlington National Cemetery, Va. The flags represent our thanks for their service to our nation, the sacrifices they made and the blood they shed, regardless of their own backgrounds or faiths. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Jose A. Torres Jr.)

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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. All  his writings are at: www.TheGhousediary.com 

Kudos to Marcie West at Washington DC Motor Vehicles Dept

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Washington, DC, May 26, 2016 – I walked in to the Department of Motor Vehicles in Washington DC to get my Driver’s license, as I have moved out of Texas for good,  from there I was to go straight to Louisville, Kentucky.  It did not happen.

There were way too many people processing their licenses in DC – a lot of people are moving here. I thought I will be in and out!  In I was at 9:56 and out at 2:30 – that is 4.5 hours of sitting in at the open hall with 500 other people…. of course there was a fire drill and we all had to be out for 30 some minutes. I cannot wish there were less people, because I am one of them.

The Government offices in DC are incredibly efficient, but this office is super efficient.  Operations Management is natural to me and I am inclined to observe things.  When I drive through McDonald’s for my coffee,  I multiply the number of cars ahead of me by 2 Minutes and decide to stay or not, when I go to the Banks I watch the processing time – they are way too slow here in DC– 8 minutes per transaction, and PNC is the only bank here that takes less than 2 minutes, Wells Fargo takes 10 minutes and Bank of America takes 6 minutes.

So, here at DMV, they were averaging 7 minutes per person as I keep track of the numbers on the screen with the time, when my turn came – it was C056 at Window 12.
MarcieWest-DMV-WashingtonDC

Marcie West was the agent, what an efficient processor she was, and what a delight it was to talk with her. She took 5 minutes and I had everything ready – bank statements, social security card, passport, and Texas driver’s license. She did not stare at the screen un-purposefully as some do, and she did not search for the keys on the key board to type. She was a pleasant precision machine. So good to see efficient people!

I wish more people in public serve like her. You’ll find me writing about extraordinary people on my blog and face book at least once a month.

Marcie, I salute you, you are a great employee, keep it up.

Note:  Don’t forget to check if you are an Organ Donor and don’t forget to be a registered Voter. I am registered as an independent voter now. I am neither a Republican or a Democrat but a patriot American and choose the candidates that are good for my country.

MikeGhouse-DMV-WashingtonDC

Rockville, MD – Interfaith Meeting on how to deal with violent crimes

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As a Muslim I don’t want sympathies, what I want is what everyone wants, a sense of security and letting me live my life as others live theirs. Throw me in a jail for the crimes I commit, but don’t blame me or my religion for the acts someone else commits. As fellow Americans this is what you can do for the other members of the family of faiths, and become a consistent voice to propagate the following narratives…. in the text below. Mike Ghouse
# # #
May 12, 2016, Rockville, MD – The Faith Leaders response team of Montgomery County’s Faith community working group held their monthly interfaith meeting at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Rockville.
The MCPD Asst. Chief Darryl McSwain and Asst. Chief Luther Reynolds, and MC Fire Chief, Scott Goldstein shared their perspectives in developing safe communities.  Both the departments offer facility orientation programs, that is,  training and preparing the members of worship places to ‘what if’ scenarios in case of a gunman walking in,  a fire breaks out or any other untowardly events.
Response Team Portrait
Montgomery County Faith Leaders – Photo Courtesy: Chuck Lee
Rev. Dr. Carol Flett facilitated the meeting attended by nearly 30 individuals representing many faith communities.
A member from each table shared the general conversation of his or her given table.  From our table, we shared the needs of various communities. Imam Hadji Sall from Silver Springs Mosque talked about the space needs for his Mosque, he and I have agreed to have a discussion and present the possible solutions to the group. There was an acknowledgement needed for bullying that goes on with Hindu kids along with Muslim and Sikh kids, Richa from the Chinmaya Mission shared that information.
Rabbi Gerry Serotta, Executive director of interfaith council of Washington shared about the upcoming Interfaith Bridge Builders Awards on June 2, event as a head of the Interfaith council of Metropolitan Washington, one of the pastors shared that they pray for the both the victims and the offenders in case of crises.  Of course, Scott Goldstein shared what the Fire Department does in case of crises, he made it little humorous about catching the animals.
I found the following powerful quote from the signature line of Rev. Dr. Carol Flett worth sharing, as it resonated with the theme of the verse 49:13 from Quran that I have been elaborating on for over 15 years. It is a Martin Luther King Quote, “”…I am convinced that men hate each other because they fear each other. They fear each other because they don’t know each other, and they don’t know each other because they don’t communicate with each other, and they don’t communicate with each other because they are separated from each other.”
AjaibSinghSiddhu-MikeGhouse ImamHodji-MikeGhouse
It was a joy to meet with Dr. Ajaib Singh Siddhu and his wife Hema, who are also friends with Dr. Harbans Lal since their college days. Hema said she and Harbans graduated from the same college same year one got the PhD and the other D. Lit.  Dr. Lal is a father figure to me, and I have always admired him and continue to seek his wisdom from time to time.
Great food, the families brought in so many varieties of vegetarian food that I have enjoyed at the Jain Temples in the past.
PROPOSAL TO THE GROUP
I am pleased to propose to the group, that in one of the upcoming meetings, we can facilitate a talk on the First Amendment; we will also hold a workshop on First Amendment at our facility at the United Methodist building soon. There is a continual need to understand the first amendment on a regular basis.  Please let me know the first time slot available to do this.
The discussion on how we are dealing with the recent violent incidents in Paris, Brussels, Lahore and our County, with members of our congregations. Let’s discuss practical ways we can reduce anxiety and xenophobia in our own communities, and continue to build a socially cohesive and compassionate county.
I am pleased to share my write up.
 
Dealing with violent incidents in Paris, Brussels, Lahore and here in the United States
The bottom line of every religion, government and the society is to create cohesive societies that function well, where rule of law is the norm, and where no one has to live in fear, or apprehension of the fellow beings.
It is our duty to keep law and order and faithfully guard the safety of every citizen. Hate is one of the many sources of disrupting peace in a society, and it is our responsibility to track down the source of such hate and work on mitigating it.  Ultimately, my safety hinges on safety of others around me.
There is wisdom in the saying, “Sin is the problem and not the sinner” when we focus on the sin, there is a chance to redeem the individual from the sin, where as if we attack the sinner, we will kill the chances of redemption. The idea is to single out the cause for the situation and work on finding solutions.
Similarly, we single out the criminal responsible for the crime,  and not  blame his or her spouse, parents, siblings, kids, family members, rabbi, imam, pastor, Pundit or religious leader, mayor of the town, governor of the state, president of the country or the religion.
If a rapist is running around in our neighborhood, everyone gets apprehensive and makes sure the doors are locked, alarm is set and family members are guarded. The moment that creep is caught, everyone sighs and takes a deep breath of relief.
What’s happened here is,  the “trust” is restored in the community; people feel safe and start living their normal life again.  There is nothing like feeling secure.  Indeed, Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) work was to build secure societies and he likened the sense of security to mother’s lap where the child feels secure. No matter what is happening to him/her, the child knows he or she is safe in her mother’s lap, the child knows mother will take care of him/her.  Mother is one’s security and trust is the key.
The Prophet vision of a civilized society was when a single woman loaded with Jewelry and fine clothing could go from the City of Madinah to the City of Damascus and return without being harassed, chased or robbed of her dignity. That was the kind of civility he had envisaged.   A majority of Muslims got that message right and have become the source of such civility; however a few did not get it and we have to work with them.
Those who did not get their religion right, no matter what religion, region or race they belong to cause death and destruction. The list is endless; Brussels, Paris, Grand Bassam, Ankara, Gaza, Mumbai, Bali, Abu Ghraib, Afghanistan, Iraq and several more across the globe including the latest rampages of ISIS.   Here at home we have San Bernardino along 354 Mass murders in 2015.   Individuals wear suicide vests and hurt others, while nations wrap mega ton bombs to their fighter jets and destroy nations and cities.  All of us should reflect on the ugliness embedded in a few men from each one of our faiths.
There is not a religion out there that preaches discrimination or hatred for others.  Isn’t that the case with Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism or any faith?  Religion doesn’t teach, but the Guardians make a villain out of God towards others. God is not a villain, he/she/ it is about justness, fairness, equity and kindness to the entire creation.
What can we do to cut down the fear mongering and pitting every one against Muslims?
As a Muslim I don’t want sympathies, what I want is what everyone wants, a sense of security and letting me live my life as others live theirs. Throw me in a jail for the crimes I commit, but don’t blame me or my religion for the acts someone else commits.
As fellow Americans this is what you can do for members of the family of faiths, and become  a consistent voice to propagate the following narratives;
  1. Individuals or cult leaders are responsible for their crimes and not anyone else.  Let’s not even blame their parents, pastors, mayors, or their religion or their nation.
  2. We bring justice by punishing the criminals and restore trust in the society, no one but the criminal is responsible for his or her acts.
  3. Religion is like the Nuclear power, in the right hands it is beneficial to the mankind, but in the wrong hands, it brings death and destruction.   Neither religion is bad nor the nuclear power; it is the users and abusers who are good or bad.
  4. We absolve religion from any blame, as religion is an intangible entity which you cannot kill, kick, murder, slaughter, hang, shoot or bury. Trust cannot be restored in the society by barking aimlessly in the dark.
  5. War on terror is a dumb idea; it should be war on ignorance through education and knowledge.
References:
 

Dr. Mike Ghouse is the Executive Director of American Muslim institution and 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.TheGhousediary.com

Happy Mother’s day!

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Mother is the ultimate definition of selflessness! No matter what happens to the world or even her, she is there for you in your need; she recognizes your need much before you know it. Of course Mothersday-MikeGhouseevery day is Mother’s day, and each one of us honors her in a variety of ways. From simple caring to doing things for her that makes her happy. Mothers don’t need a whole lot; they just need to know that you care. Remember you were showered by her attention when you needed it.

Mother is our home, and what is a home? Prophet Muhammad had said, home is like a mother’s lap, where the child feels safe and secure. No matter what is happening around, or what is happening to him/her, the child knows it is safe in her laps, the child knows mother will take care of him/her. Mother is one’s security!

Different people have a different ways of celebrating Mother, and in my case, I get up in the morning, meditate and pray for her and then write something about her, or revisit what I have written before as I am doing it today.

My sympathies to those who did not have good relations with their mother, it’s unfortunate and all I can say is you have the ability to give that affection and caring to others, related to you or not. I am sorry, you missed it or were abused. Let’s pray that it won’t happen to others and hopefully that restores the inner balance in you. You can be a good mother (men can be mothers) by caring for others who need care, related to you or not.

Every religious tradition has elevated mother to nearly the status of God, because she possess many a qualities of God; kind, merciful, beneficent and caring among thousand other qualities.  Mother is the reason for our existence; sustenance, nurturence and shaping who we are. I dedicate this write-up to my Mother, and all Mothers out there.

Although every person adores respects and nearly worships his or her mother on a daily basis, the mother’s day is a special day to honor one’s mother. Thanks to this beautiful tradition of America, a day to honor Mother. No mother should be alone today some one or the other must give her a call.

About fifteen years ago, my Mother passed away in one of the most beautiful manners one could embark on the eternal journey; a clean slate with no loose ends.

A week prior to her death she had called every one she knew, and she knew a lot of people on her own, she had people from every walk of life and every religious background. They would sit down with her and chat; I remember a Zoroastrian lady Mrs. Bahramjee, our “Parsi-amma” she visited my mother every week when she came to visit the town; there were two Brahmin ladies who were her friends and recited Bhagvad Gita upon my mothers passing; there was Swaran Latha in whose house I spent Christmas evenings and I got to see her and her husband Roberts at the funeral; there was Durga Aaapa and her brother Bhaskar who literally baby sat me so was Fazloon Aaapa;  My mother organizaed Halaqa’s, that is gathering of Muslim women for religious discourse; my neighbors were Jains and Mrs. Sugalchand and her daughter were fond of my Mom. Additionally my Dad was the Mayor of the town way back in the fifties and she had another crew there.

She was amazing and thrilled me to no end when she decided to learn a few words in English to communicate with her Grand son and daughter, she did learn a few words and thank God I was able to get my kids to see her.

I guess, all of us kids and her grand kids turned out that way; boundless. No barriers between us and another soul and our relationships have always been multi-cultural and multi-religious.  Thank you Mom for inculcating those values.

She was incredible; she tied all the loose ends before she took her last breath, she called every one and cleared the air and said goodbye.

She even had her funeral prayers done a day prior, one of my cousins is a Muslim missionary and he delivers beautiful sermons and my mother had asked him to do that and he complied and he also did the last prayer rites prior to burial.

I reached 4 hours after she had taken her last breath and I sat by her… not knowing what to do; there was admiration for her to have lived a clean life, she had tied all the loose ends, and on the other hand I do not have any one to call Mom ever again.  I chose to smile along and had the whole family turn around on that, admiring her teachings. To me I was celebrating her life.

After burial we came home, I had another pleasant surprise from her; she had left a note, monies and things she had given to one of her daughters in law to safe keep it to be opened on Sunday. Sure enough on Sunday after burial, we opened it. There it was; a clear good bye note and funds for her burial, funds for education for an orphan… etc, She left the world in peace with nothing left to be done.

She pulled another one on me; she was a pluralist. My youngest brother Farooq runs a real estate business in Bangalore, and his manager had hung the picture of Lord Krishna in the office; my brother asked my Mother about it, she was blunt and asked him, do you have Islamic religious symbols hung on the wall? He said, yes, and she said, let him have his symbol. I salute you Mother and I am proud of you.

RELIGIONS ON MOTHERS:

Christianity and Judaism: “Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the LORD your God will give you.

Hinduism: Hindu idea of Shakti, all the many mother goddesses is viewed as being the embodiment of one singular deity.

“Diverse images of what are believed to be Mother Goddesses also have been discovered that date from the Neolithic period, the New Stone Age, which ranges from approximately 10,000 BCE when the use of wild cereals led to the beginning of farming, and eventually, to agriculture.” Wiki.

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was asked by his followers, who is the most important person on the earth, he responds, “Mother” and then they ask again, who is the second most important person, he repeats, “Mother” and he repeats it again for the third time, “Mother”.

The top three women Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) glorified are; Mother Mary, Mother Asiya (the one who raised Moses) and Fatima, his daughter. The list can be expanded to five or seven, but what do these women have in common? They were the pioneers, social reformers and stood up against the social norms. They paved the way for acceptance and dignity of women. None of them were conformists, think about it.

“Paradise is under the feet of your mother” is the mantra probably every Muslim recites and it is part of our Hindu culture as well. The idea is of gratitude, if you are grateful to you mother, then you would be grateful to the creator and other benefactors around you.

Here is how Mom is called in different language,
please add yours….

I called my mother, ” Amma” and at times “Ammi”

LANGUAGE – MOTHER
Afrikaans – Moeder, Ma
Albanian – Nënë, Mëmë
Arabic – Ahm, umm
Aragones – Mai
Asturian – Ma
Aymara – Taica
Azeri (Latin Script) – Ana
Basque – Ama
Belarusan -Matka
Bergamasco – Màder
Bolognese – Mèder
Bosnian- Majka
Brazilian Portuguese- Mãe
Bresciano- Madèr
Breton – Mamm
Bulgarian – Majka
Byelorussian – Macii
Calabrese – Matre, Mamma
Caló – Bata, Dai
Catalan – Mare
Cebuano – Inahan, Nanay
Chechen – Nana
Croatian- Mati, Majka
Czech- Abatyse
Danish – Mor
Dutch – Moeder, Moer
Dzoratâi – Mére
English- Mother, Mama, Mom
Esperanto- Patrino, Panjo
Estonian- Ema
Faeroese- Móðir
Finnish- Äiti
Flemish- Moeder
French- Mère, Maman
Frisian- Emo, Emä, Kantaäiti, Äiti
Furlan- Mari
Galician- Nai
German – Mutter
Greek – Màna
Griko – Salentino, Mána
Hawaiian – Makuahine
Hindi – Ma, Maji, Mata
Hungarian – Anya, Fu
Icelandic – Móðir
Ilongo – Iloy, Nanay, Nay
Indonesian – Induk, Ibu, Biang, Nyokap
Irish – Máthair
Italian – Madre, Mamma
Japanese – Okaasan, Haha
Judeo Spanish- Madre
Kannada -Amma
Kurdish Kurmanji – Daya
Ladino – Uma
Latin – Mater
Leonese – Mai
Ligurian- Maire
Limburgian – Moder, Mojer, Mam
Lingala- Mama
Lithuanian- Motina
Lombardo- Occidentale Madar
Lunfardo- Vieja
Macedonian – Majka
Malagasy- Reny
Malay- Emak
Maltese- Omm
Mantuan- Madar
Maori- Ewe, Haakui
Mapunzugun – Ñuke, Ñuque
Marathi – Aayi
Mongolian – `eh
Mudnés- Medra, mama
Neapolitan – Mamma
Norwegian- Madre
Occitan – Maire
Old Greek – Mytyr
Parmigiano- Mädra
Persian- Madr, Maman
Piemontese – Mare
Polish- Matka, Mama
Portuguese – Mãe
Punjabi – Mai, Mataji, Pabo
Quechua- Mama
Rapanui -Matu’a Vahine
Reggiano – Mèdra
Romagnolo – Mèder
Romanian – Mama, Maica
Romansh – Mamma
Russian -Mat’
Saami -Eadni
Samoan – Tina
Sardinian- (Limba Sarda Unificada) Mama
Sardinian -Campidanesu mamai
Sardinian- Logudoresu Madre, Mamma
Serbian – Majka
Shona – Amai
Sicilian – Matri
Slovak – Mama, Matka
Slovenian- Máti
Spanish – Madre, Mamá, Mami
Swahili– Mama, Mzazi, Mzaa
Swedish Mamma, Mor, Morsa
Swiss German -Mueter
Telegu- Amma
Triestino – Mare
Turkish – Anne, Ana, Valide
Turkmen -Eje
Ukrainian – Mati
Urdu -Ammee, Maa, Amma
Valencian – Mare
Venetian – Mare
Viestano – Mamm’
Vietnamese- me
Wallon -Mére
Welsh – Mam
Yiddish -Muter
Zeneize -Moæ

Years ago, on my Radio show we spent three hours taking about “Mother” and every one was crying on the air, beautiful expressions were relayed that day. Hey, I cried too and it felt good. My Mom is no more and I find a tear in my eye and will end here before I cry. Hell, I am letting myself loose.. I will end it here. Darn… thank you Mom.

Here is my favorite Indian songs admiring Mother, singer equates mother with God in the essence of kindness, caring and beneficence. I got up from sleep and wrote this and dediccate this song to all mothers. If you know Urdu/Hindi you are most likely to play it … this is my 5th time.. while writing this.  Happy Mothers day!

Here is that wonderful song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XquVaTHY6nY&feature=related
My friend Rajiv Chakaravarthy, a Urdu Poet of Dallas has translated it beautifully:

We have never seen HIM…,
but what is the need for this?
O Mother, O Mother, how different
can HIS face be from your own?

Why talk of mere humans, even Gods
have grown up in your bosom
Heaven is nowhere but on Earth,
right under the shadow of your feet!
The affection that emanates from your eyes,
Which Idol can take its place?
O Mother …

Why would the heat of suffering burn me?
Why would storms of sorrow affect me?
These hands which raise to prayer of yours
Come and rest permanently on my head
When you are my guide in the dark roads of life,
What would I even need the Sun for?
O Mother …

It is said that no words suffice
to describe your greatness
Even God does not have enough wealth
that constitutes your price
All I know is that, in this World
There is no fortune that exceeds YOU!
O Mother …

—

Lyrics in Devnagiri and other formats:
http://aczoom.homeip.net:8080/cgi/tmp/it08112-46F63B7A-1/done1495.html

Mike Ghouse

http://www.mikeghouse.net/

London’s New Mayor – Fox News’ Charles Payne and Mike Ghouse

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Congratulations to Sadiq Khan, the new Mayor of London.

Hours before the votes were counted, I was I was on Fox News with Charles Payne and Zuhdi Jasser about Sadiq Khan’s possible victory.  Zuhdi was opposed and expressed his concerns, whereas I supported and cheered the democratic process and stood by my decision. Those of you who are moderates and or to the left, please respect Zuhdi’s point of view without having to agree with him, an Islamic tradition in case you have forgotten it.   We have to be respectful to others point of view that is the highest form of democracy.

Here is the link to Fox news: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYhOqT18RBQ

Thursday, May 5, 2016 – 6:10 PM Live

SADIQ-KHAN-1Mike Ghouse’ talking points with Charles Payne on Fox News.

Tonight is one of the biggest nights for Democracy!

It is historical and even more important that it is happening in the United Kingdom, a nation of aristocrats, who have risen above it to possibly elect Sadiq Khan, the son of a bus driver, and belonging to a minority community; Muslims.

I will probably cry with joy, it is not only me, but the entire world will join me in doing that, not because he is a Muslim, but because United Kingdom has finally joined the civilized world led by America, where your race, religion don’t matter, but your capabilities do matter.

When Barak Obama was elected president on November 4, 2008 – who did not cry? By electing Obama, Americans proved once for all, that we are a nation of righteousness and we are not petty

We have a few great examples from history – when Prophet Muhammad anointed a freed slave – Hazrat Bilal to be prayer caller – Muezzin, at that time on the higher spiritual pedestal, and whose Arabic was not up to the mark, but the Prophet laid the foundation of knocking out arrogance and establishing ability as the criteria.

I am proud our democracy and now, the democracy of the United Kingdom for giving value for the one who deserves.

Trump can turn the tide around, and build a cohesive America where no American has to live in apprehension or fear of the other. I will be happy to guide him through. I am a genuine pluralist, and pluralism runs through my veins.
Mike Ghouse is a speaker thinker and a writer with the Center for Pluralism aka America Together Foundation.

LondonMayor.foxNews.Payne.Jasser.MikeGhouse

References:

Daily Telegraph: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/05/06/uk-elections-2016—results-in-full-map-and-find-out-who-won-in/

Obama Choked me:  http://mikeghouseforamerica.blogspot.com/2008/11/president-obama-choked-me-with-tears.html

A great statement by Sadiq Khan, “I am the west….” I hope we expand on this, and I certainly will
https://www.facebook.com/Channel4News/videos/10153731400966939/?fref=nf


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.TheGhousediary.com

California Text Books, History, Hinduism and Islam

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Every group has a right to defend their heritage,  and we all should support each other in putting the history aside and look forward to a new beginning where we don’t sow hatred and ill-will in the hearts of our children.

Within a decade,  there will not be a school, playground, college, restaurant, theater or a work place where people of different faiths, races, ethnicities and national origins work, interact, play, live and marry together.

Given that possibility, we need to coach the next generation to respect the otherness of others ‘as they are’ and not ‘as their ancestors were’.  These kids will be working together in teams and co-workers, if we poison their minds towards each other, they will have difficult times enjoying their life, and perhaps go home bitching about their fellow workers. That is not the life we want to advance.

History is an important part of every one’s heritage, however if that history creates and causes bias towards others, as a responsible society, we need to consider its value in education.

I was in two conferences about education recently, and if I get the time, I may, or you may come up with the recommendation to the United Nations to form a commission to study school books around the world. It is a shame what the kids are taught – the Kids around the world are subtly taught to look down upon others.

A study conducted by Lantos foundation showed that some Pakistani text books subtly denigrate Indians and Hindus, and as of now, I don’t know if Indian text books teach the same to Indian kids.  How do you expect those kids to behave towards each other when they grow up as adults? Respecting each other?

The California School text books controversy came to my mind, which more or less does the same. The fellow American kids may look down upon their school mates with Indian origins. I was in Israel, the story is same – the Palestinians and Israelis poison their kids against each other, and blame their religions for it, instead of blaming themselves for uploading ill-will in the hearts and minds of their innocent children.  I did meet with an Israeli educator who was going to study the text books and see if she can do something about it.

I am proud of the curriculum of my Middle school’s social studies book in the mid fifties; the medium of instruction was in the Urdu language. My social studies book had two pages dedicated to each one of the religious leaders; Krishna, Buddha, Mahavir, Jesus, Moses, Nanak, Muhammad that I can remember. My nephew told me a month ago, that the same books are taught in Urdu schools even today, and I said thank God for that. We also studied a bit about each religion. I am sure the curriculum was similar in Kannada and other language schools in my state Karnataka.  Almost all of my Hindus friends are like me; respectful of other people.

Next time I visit India; I will go to the RSS Schools and the Madrasas and see what they teach to produce hateful men and women. We don’t need to poison our kids, and we cannot leave a legacy of apprehension to the next generation, let them enjoy their lives working together without apprehension of each other.

I am for scraping any teaching that creates bias towards fellow beings, what the fallible men did in the past should not be dumped on you and me and our kids.

We must support what the Hindus groups are doing in California and I have written about it year ago. No child should face embarrassing moments.

I posted the above note at my group Dallas Indians group this afternoon, and in the evening I received the following shocker from Khalid Azam, a friend.

The Hindu America Foundation should defend their heritage, but not denigrate others.  Promoting hatred towards others does not gain them any brownie points or even make them look good. Of course the Moderate Hindus may not support such ventures.

The next round of fixing the text books happens in the next five or six years, and I urge the Muslims in the next round to work for the common goodness of all Americans. Let’s stand up against any education that builds ill-will towards another human being.

Here is a note from Khalid Azam, and I commit today, God willing to work on the next revision cycle and I welcome all the volunteers from all faiths. We cannot let any faith be denigrated.

# # #

Last year, IAMC, IMRC and other Indian Muslim leaders in SF Bay Area tried to bring awareness to the dangers of supporting the efforts of a Hindu nationalist group called the Hindu American Foundation (HAF). HAF was seeking support from Muslim groups for their agenda of changing California School Textbooks under the pretext that “Hindu kids have low self esteem due to the characterization of Hinduism” which according to them was not at parity with Abrahamic religions. Despite the note of caution from Indian Muslims on the nefarious intentions of HAF, some Muslim organizations and individuals went ahead and endorsed the HAF petition.

Now the results are in. Not only have the HAF and its affiliated “Hindu coalition” organizations (Uberoi Foundation from which HAF received $30,000 for lobbying on the textbooks and Hindu Education Foundation, a long term ally of HAF)  managed to push for an upper caste, elitist version of Hinduism in the textbooks, but they have also pushed more Islamophobia into these school texts that our kids in California will be studying for the next 6-7 years. From the hundreds of edits that were submitted, below is a sampling of Islamophobic edits that HAF and allies attempted to push into the history school syllabus.

Besides these HAF led edits, numerous other organizations and individuals had a field day in submitting Islamophobic edits to the middle school history syllabus and unfortunately, not a single Muslim organization or individual was part of this review process to vouch for an accurate and decent representation of Islam and Muslims [at least as per the submission of 2,000+ edits I was able to review for the South Asian history]. Hopefully, six years down the line when the next review is scheduled, the community will be better organized and there will be a robust representation from the Muslim community during the review process.

SAMPLE OF HINDU AMERICAN FOUNDATION LED ISLAMOPHOBIC EDITS

Uberoi Foundation suggested change:

“Page 256, lines 511-516:

 Current text: “These were the foundation for the Shariah, the religious laws governing moral, social, and economic life. Islamic law, for example, rejected the older Arabian view of women as “family property,” declaring that all women and men are entitled to respect and moral self-governance, even though Muslim society, like all agrarian societies of that era, remained patriarchal, that is, dominated politically, socially, and culturally by men.”

 Suggested change: add the following, “Muslim people were divided into social groups based on power and wealth. At the top were government leaders, landowners, and traders. Below them were artisans, farmers, and workers. The lowest group were enslaved people. As in other civilizations, slavery was widespread. Because Muslims could not be enslaved, traders brought enslaved people from non-Muslim areas. Many of these people were prisoners of war.””

 “Page 257, lines 525-527:

 Current text: “Muslims did not force Christians or Jews, “people of the book,” to convert, but people of other religions were sometimes forced to convert.”

 Suggested change: “Muslims did not force Christians or Jews, “people of the book,” to convert, but people of other religions were forced to convert most of the time in India as well as in other countries such as in central Asia.””

 Hindu Education Foundation suggested changes:

 “Page 267, lines 750-753:

 Current text: “Islam became firmly established politically in the north as well as in some coastal towns and parts of the Deccan Plateau, although the majority of the population of South Asia remained Hindu.”

 Suggested change: add the following: “In southern India, the Hindu Vijayanagara empire dominated the scene for about 250 years and ushered in a period of cultural revival, the highlights of which were classic literature in the Sanskrit, Telugu and Kannada languages. Its prosperous capital, Hampi (which was described by many European and Middle Eastern chroniclers), was the site of magnificent temples before being plundered by armies of the neighboring sultanates. Its ruins are a UNESCO world heritage site.””

 “Page 307, lines 1560-1562:

 Current text: “Other Mughal rulers, most notably Akbar, encouraged and accelerated the blending of Hindu and Islamic beliefs as well as architectural and artistic forms.”

 Suggested change: add the following, “During this period, the Central and Southern parts of India saw the emergence of native empires that offered resistance to the hegemony and persecution of the Mughal rulers. Prominent among them was the Maratha empire established in 1618 CE by Shivaji Maharaj, which saw a resurgence of Hindu culture and traditions.””

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) atwww.TheGhousediary.com

American Muslims Rally for Hillary Clinton

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April 24, 2016, Washington, DC –- Hundreds of Muslims from Maryland, District of Columbia and Virginia gathered at the Shady Grove Campus of University of Maryland in Rockville, and  were joined by fellow citizens who were Hindus, Jews, Christians, Sikhs  and others  for the “American Muslims for Hillary” rally.  What a rally it was!  510 people participated in the event given the short notice and the event competing with beautiful outdoor weather.

Muslims came to show their support.  Some of them were Republicans and some were supporters of Bernie, and some were independent, but together they came for a higher purpose; to support the idea of an inclusive America.

Some of us will certainly do the same for Bernie Sanders, and some would do this for Trump, if he were to pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all, with an emphasis on liberty and justice for all.

The American Muslims have made a commitment to begin all their civic programs with the Pledge of Allegiance and National Anthem.  To make it even better, the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts honored the event with the color guard and the pledge of allegiance.  The Scouts and Zaynab Girls singing ensemble are non partisan, and did this as a service to the community.

The Key note speaker, Congressman Elijah Cumming’s opening statement was, “When I saw those Muslim girls in Hijab take the Pledge of Allegiance, Salute the Flag and Sing the National Anthem, a chill ran through my body” and he wished whole of America could see this heartwarming sight.

Congressman Cummings emphasized the importance of getting out and vote; this is a critical election to elect the right leader to lead the nation at this juncture.

Hon. John Podesta, Chairman of the committee to elect Hillary Clinton for President focused on inclusive polices of her.  He narrated the story, when President Bill Clinton was visiting the 9/11 site in a morning, and a man standing nearby was crying, when the President approached him the man identified himself an Egyptian American Muslim, and was crying and praying over the loss of lives of 2998 Americans, and Mr. Podesta said, the President wished that fellow Americans saw this.  Indeed, we are all in this together in our suffering and in our joys.

Tom Perez started out with a powerful story telling one of the many times he experienced the ‘Best’ as well as the ‘Worst’ in America.  He said President Obama dispatched him to visit the construction site of the Mosque in Murfreesboro Tennessee where fellow Americans were protesting against building a Mosque, and to make sure no laws were violated.  The story ends with the ‘Best’ action in America when the Mosque was finally built and opened to the public; the Rabbis, Pastors and clergy from other faiths welcomed it by attending the opening ceremonies.

This was an initiative of Muslim leadership led by Dr. Islam Siddiqui and Mr. Tufail Ahmed, and was made possible with the help of Terry Lierman, former chairman of the Democratic party of Maryland.

Tufail Ahmed, the Muslim Community leader said, “His (Mr. Lierman) magnificent effort to bring three major speakers in one place is appreciated by the Muslim community, indeed, it was a good team effort.”

Sultan Chowdhury adds, “We achieved our objective of making a foot-print for the Muslims in the political process.  Muslims of all diverse background were in the audience.  We’re on the radar, and have to move on!”

Tariq Hussain observes, “how proud he felt when he saw those self confident, Hijab wearing teens took the Pledge of Allegiance, salute the Flag and sang the National Anthem.”

As an independent voter, I attended the rally and am pleased with the outcome; there is support for inclusive attitudes.

A few months ago, my interfaith friend, Mr. Gary Sampliner asked us in a meeting, what can we do to ease the tension for Muslims created by the current political rhetoric? I cannot tell you how good it felt, and how much hope it gave.  Indeed, it restores trust in humanity and the promise of America that we are all created equal. The most important thing for Muslims at this time is an acknowledgement that each one of us has the same aspirations and dreams, and the same need for a safe and a secure environment to live and let live. What the bad guys do should not reflect on Muslims or anyone who has not committed a crime.

If we punish the wrong doer, justice and trust is restored in the society.  That is the right thing to do.  On the other hand if you blame the religion, what happens? Not a thing! You cannot beat, kill, hang, shoot, kick or bury the religion, it is intangible for God’s sake.  No justice or relief is restored for the society, and people would remain apprehensive.

In today’s rally – Muslims got that acknowledgement from Congressman Elijah Cummings, Hon. John Podesta and the Labor Secretary Tom Perez. They stood in front of the banner that said, “American Muslims for Hillary” and the room was festive with Patriotic Songs played continuously starting with Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the USA

Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism and interfaith matters, and is committed to building a cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day.

Mike Ghouse reacts to Osama Bin Laden’s death

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Mike Ghouse reacts to Osama Bin Laden’s death and urges President Bush to repent.

On Monday, May 9, 2016 we will be celebrating end of darkness, as it marks the 5th anniversary of the death of Osama Bin Laden, the most wanted terrorist in the world in our recent history. He was caught, shot and slipped into the open ocean so no one can trace him ever.

This has special significance to Mike Ghouse; a Muslim American committed to building cohesive societies and had made commitment on the day of 9/11/2001.   His reaction was captured by Fox News’ Melissa Cutler.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXBmmuGLxYY&feature=youtu.be

MikeGhouse-on-Osama-bin-Laden's-death

Five years ago, the most wanted terrorist in the world was brought to an end; he was shot and his body was let go in the wide open ocean.

This brought a major closure to the families of 2998 fellow Americans killed in the 9/11 terrorist act. They know now that the terrorist murderer is gone.

It brought closure for me personally as well.  The story began on 9/11/2001 on the day of 9/11, I was on the radio all day long trying to bring some coherence to public out of the chaos created with 9/11, got the local mayors, religious and civic leaders on the air.  By the end of the day, the public did what we suggested – Donate blood, Fund raisers for the men and women in the uniform, and interfaith prayers and the clarity that we have an individual who is responsible and we were going to get him.

Thanks to President Obama and his team for bringing closure to this anguish, and thanks to him for restoring the rule of law that was shamelessly violated. Osama Bin Laden was the fountain head of terrorism and he was taken out with no ‘collateral damage.’

The rule of law is;  you punish the criminal, and not his spouse, siblings, kids, family members, friends, religion, clergy, mayor of your town or the nation. We terrorized two nations and harassed innocent people around the world, we created unwanted anxiety in the hearts and minds of fellow Americans. We owe an apology to the people of Afghanistan and Iraq and bring a closure to our untapped guilt and at least find peace within.

I urge President Bush to be man enough to repent for the deliberate destruction and deaths of innocent people on his watch, thousands of them if not a million. The world will forgive him if the gathers up the courage and listens to Jesus and becomes a peace maker as repentance.

Salvation to each one of us comes through repentance, forgiveness and or punishment.

Mike Ghouse

My personal story of 9/11 and its many variations is read over endlessly.
 https://theghousediary.com/2014/09/11/911-my-personal-journey-from-2001/

 

 

We’ll encourage inter-faith marriages: Siddaramaiah

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This is incredible news, and makes me proud of the state where I was born; Karnataka, India. The Chief Minister of the State Mr. Siddaramaiah ought to be congratulated for offering support and security for interfaith and inter-caste marriages.

Mr. SidInterfaith-Marriages-ChiefMinister-Siddaramiahdaramaiah believes that the caste and faith biases will be mitigated with interfaith marriages. He has a point, at least respect those who fall in love with each other and marry, and not be a villain to them. He has taken a good step in the right direction in transforming India where being Indian matters, while strongly retaining your religious heritage.

Given the erosion of India’s pluralistic ethos in the last few years, and a handful of extremists going on an all out war against interfaith marriages, this is indeed good news. The question of ‘toleration’ is out of question now, the head of the state is encouraging it. As an Indian American committed to Pluralism, which is respecting the otherness of others and accepting the God-given uniqueness of each one of us, I welcome Mr. Siddaramaiah’s support for an integrated India.

We have to take cautious steps though to keep the society moving forward. If the couple wants one among the two to convert the other to his or her religion, that should be entirely their choice. The Hindus, Muslims and Christians should not have a problem with that. The saner people can ask them to worry about their own life and not spend time on other people’s matters. After all, they are Indians and their Indianness will not disappear.

Thank you Mr. Siddaramiaiah!

Mike Ghouse
www.TheGhouseDiary.com
# # #

Here is the report from The Hindu Newspaper.

While condemning the recent incidents of honour killing in Mysuru and Mandya districts, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday said the government would encourage inter-faith and inter-caste marriages and extend monetary help to newly married couples.

Speaking after inaugurating a workshop on ‘Women, women laws and human rights — a perspective’, organised jointly by the Karnataka State Women’s Commission and the University of Mysore here, he said the disturbing trend of honour killings must end and the deep-rooted caste system, said to be the cause for such killings, must be eradicated from society. More inter-caste and inter-religious weddings could be one of the solutions to eradicate the caste system, he said, adding that the government would continue to encourage inter-caste marriages and extend financial support to such couples. The Chief Minister felt violence against women would decline if they were made financially and socially strong. Many financial schemes had been launched for their empowerment, besides offering them free education. Saying the government was committed to empowering women, he expressed concern over the skewed sex ratio. A serious view had to be taken to address problems such as female foeticide, and violence against women and children, he said.

The disturbing trend of honour killings must end and deep-rooted caste system must be eradicated from society – Siddaramaiah, Chief Minister

We (Islam) gave equal rights to women – Muslims beware!

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I am sure you have heard this sentence time and again from Mimbars of the Mosques, or at public lectures coming out of the mouths of traditional Muslim men. Of course traditional men in all faiths have not had the chance to learn sensitivity, civility and equality.

MimbarWhat we need is learning civility in dialogue before we utter such sentences in general public and particularly with our own youth. They are born and raised in a society where the norm at work place, schools or homes is equality. The sentence, “We (Islam) gave equal rights to women” shocks them all. If you sit among the youth during those lectures and see how they make their faces and tune off the lecture, you will understand why they resort to their cell phones during sermons. Indeed, these sentences cause alienation among youth.

‘We (Muslims) gave rights to the women’ would most certainly work in Saudi, Iran, Pakistan, India, Egypt, Indonesia, Sudan, Bangladesh and elsewhere due to the prevalence of higher degree of misogyny. However, the level of misogyny among the American and Canadian youth is very low and that sentence does not go well with them. It turns them off.

A decade ago, I brought this to the attention of a handful of Muslim men who speak in public.  It did not register with them at all.

I said, “You did not give the rights to women, you cannot give what is not yours – they were the God given inalienable rights that men had usurped from women and the Prophet (pbuh) restored it to them. However, men are men, no matter what religion, region or race they belong to, they are still trying to get out of misogynistic attitudes, and Muslims are no exception.”  What Prophet did was the right thing and what Muslims practice is yet to match it.

That sentence sounds like it came from a dictator, who gives the rights to women who were begging for it.  The speaker is not conscious of what he (usually he, it is rarely she) is saying, or does not understand the implications of that sentence.

The following video inspired me to write this article. The African lady uses exactly the same words in this video and it is worth watching.  The dominant forces in a society ought to learn from this. This is a powerful argument. Of course, the White lady did not speak right, and that was her limitation. But Muslim men in clergy positions should be sensitive.
https://www.facebook.com/830391263744952/videos/923468007770610/

Not all, but most Christian Churches have gotten away from “hell fire and brimstone” sermons as they started losing their flock. It is time for Muslims to learn to keep the sermons away from hell fire, very few American Muslims will go to hell, this is an honest country and most people are good human beings, we all have done enough good to offset the minor infractions we may have had.  The talk of hell fire turns off many, and that kind of talk does not encourage the youth, they don’t believe the parents of their good friends who are Hindus, Jews, Christians, Sikhs and others will go to hell, so they opt out of going to hear those sermons. We need to move away from words to essence of the words.

Sura Kafirun is one of the greatest Sura’s to learn how to conduct a civil dialogue. Of the all the six verses, not a single verse says that your faith is superior or inferior to the other, the beauty of that Sura is it puts the other on an equal footing and that is the condition of a true dialogue. Check this out – http://quraan-today.blogspot.com/2008/07/sura-kafirun-un-believers.html

Mike Ghouse