Sunni Muslim, is that who I am?

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Farrukh wrote, “This is a warning to all Muslims in this forum that Mike Ghouse’s religion is not Islam, he is Ismaili, and he is misguided person. If anyone needs more info about his religion, please let me know.”  

Really?

There are a few out there who do not even have the inclination to verify any information but pass it on as their authoritative information.   I wish he had written, “Mike Ghouse is a Muslim, and I am not sure which denomination he belongs to as I have not verified it,  but it appears that he fits in with everyone from Shia, Sunni, Bohra, Ahmadiyya, Ismaili, Alawite or what not.” And, “If anyone wants/need more information about his religion, visit the following sites.

Am-I-a-Sunni-Muslim www.MuslimSpeaker.com, www.WorldMuslimCongress.com ,www.QuraanToday.com, www.QuraanConference.com ,www.RamadanExclusive.com , www.ShariaLaws.com, and a whole lot more sites including www.TheGhousediary.com and the following video at Youtube; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZQ-FT8GfiQ

First of all, Prophet Muhammad knew only one group of people; Muslims! Prefixes like Sunni, Shia, Ahmadiyya, Bohra, Ismaili, WD Muhammad, Alawite, Deobandi, Barelvi, Ahl-e-Hadith, Ahl-e-bait etc., were not in his vocabulary nor can anyone ascribe these words to him – he did not use them.  

Secondly,  

All the Madhabs or denominations are natural outcomes of the society. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) understood human nature and rightfully predicted the singular faith he taught will split, re-split and will continue to split and he chose the metaphorical number 72 do denote an infinite number.

He planted that seed, so we can learn to live with each other with our differences, we have to race in doing good things but not claim to be self righteousness and denigrate others, as that amounts to arrogance and God does not like those who are arrogant.  Only God knows who would be rank #1, #2, and #3,  and who would score A, B, C or D grades. Even if you are a sinner,  God may forgive you if you do one simple act of kindness towards other living beings like giving water to a thirsty cat, but most certainly fellow humans. Only God knows the full impact of our actions to his creation to bestow his grace.

My understanding is, you have to be a good human being who cares for his fellow beings and environment (that God has created). Wont’ you be happy and sing songs of your guests in your home if they meticulously take care of your property?  Or your employees who make sure your business is intact and taken care of?  Do you worry if the employee is Jewish, Hindu, Muslim, Christian or whoever, as long as he or she cares for your business? God does not worry how you worship him or what your religion is,  he appreciates it if you contribute towards preserving his creation,  and it comes through justness, fairness and kindness.

God does not discriminate one from the other, his criteria or question to us is, “Are you good to your fellow beings (humans and animals) and environment?”

[2:136] Say, “We believe in GOD, and in what was sent down to us, and in what was sent down to Abraham, Ismail, Isaac, Jacob, and the Patriarchs; and in what was given to Moses and Jesus, and all the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction among any of them. To Him alone we are submitters.”

[4:152] As for those who believe in GOD and His messengers, and make no distinction among them, He will grant them their recompense. GOD is Forgiver, Most Merciful.

God loves us all, after all we are his creation, and because he cares about us, he offers guidance, and he sends a peace maker (call a messenger, prophet or any other word) to each community and each group to show them how to live in peace and harmony. Bhagvad Gita phrases it in another fashion, every time there is chaos in the society, someone from among you will emerge to restore righteousness. It could be a Shaman in the remote jungles of Amazon or a Prophet like Abraham, make no distinction, they serve God by preserving harmony, peace and justice in the community they live in.

Islam has always emphasized on serving fellow beings, God assures every one, yes every one, not to worry about the future, as long as you take care of his creation comprising life and and matter, he will take care of you.

[2:62] Surely, those who believe, those who are Jewish, the Christians, and the converts; anyone who (1) believes in GOD, and (2) believes in the Last Day, and (3) leads a righteous life, will receive their recompense from their Lord. They have nothing to fear, nor will they grieve.

[22:17] Those who believe, those who are Jewish, the converts, the Christians, the Zoroastrians, and the idol worshipers, GOD is the One who will judge among them on the Day of Resurrection. GOD witnesses all things.

[43:17] He also said, he made us into many tribes, races, nations and by extension religions and communities and the best ones among us are those who learn about each other, and when we do that, conflicts fade and solutions emerge.

The division

Quran remains the word of God; however, what God meant has been understood differently by different people. No one, including the great Imams of the time can ever claim that his understanding is the right one.  Remember, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) did not assign any one to be the sole interpreter of Quran, he said, I am leaving this book to you, for you to understand. Please note, the Shia tradition differs on this issue, and the other traditions have to respect their understanding. If God is kind, just, merciful and fair, and Prophet is a mercy to mankind, then everything we will see in Quran would be nothing but common sense for common goodness, it is non-stop universalism! You are welcome to differ, Islam is too big of a religion (aalameen) to exclude any one.  

In the beginning, there was one singular interpretation for Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Islam and other faiths for many years.

In the last millennium,  Christianity split into Protestant and its many variations, each faith has followed the same natural path of amoeba, divide itself and keep dividing.

In case of Islam, Prophet Muhammad knew only one thing; what he preached; One Islam. He did not even know that there was a Sunni Islam let alone Shia. I would say the same about all other prophets, Jesus did not even use the word Christian, let along Catholics or Protestants, Mormons or Evangelicals.

Then we reluctantly accepted the split of Shia and Sunni traditions, then came the 6 six schools of thoughts, we accepted that diversity as well, and now Islam has many traditions within, and we have accepted them with humility. Pluralism is an attitude of respecting the otherness of others. 

Allahu Akbar! (Check out Huffington Post – http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/allahu-akbar-abused_b_860221.html ) it means humility, we are small, hence all of us small ones are on par.  A few among us are arrogant about our traditions and denigrate others.  What a shame, they assign themselves to play the role of a deputy of God or decider for him and pass judgments about others. That is shirk (diluting the dominion of God)  and it creates problem hence declared as the ugliest of all sins. That is we cannot judge other’s faith.

I have chosen to remain denomination less, but if you want to know what I pray like and sound like, it is reflective of Sunni tradition, only because I was raised with those values and it don’t mean superior or inferior, it is just my tuning.  If my parents had programmed me to be a Shia or an Ahmadiyya, I would have followed that path. We need to learn to respect each path, each one means dearly to the believer, as they say, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, faith is in the heart of the believer.  My mother is dear to me as your mother is dear to you and Quran says, to you is your faith and to me is my faith (109.6 – that is not a radio station, but the Verse from the Quran) .

Heavens, I am comfortable with every which tradition a Muslim prays and I have been to every Mosque of almost all denominations including the three most revered ones in Mecca, Madinah and Jerusalem. (Check out http://www.RamadanExclusive.com)  Ironically, it would have been a bidda, an invention if someone had called himself or herself a Shia or a Sunni during the life of the Prophet.  So, why should I call myself a Sunni?  I fully respect other people’s choices to belong to sub-groups and all are welcome. I am a Muslim, period! I have no walls between me and another Muslim, and no wall between me and another human. 

Indeed, the World Muslim congress was formed with that express purpose to create space for every Muslim, and the www.FoundationforPluralism.com was created for all humanity.  In the search box, you can plug in the name of any denomination, and you will find the articles, you can plug in the name of any commemoration or festival, you will find the information. It took me a lot of time and effort to make that happen, and that is my commitment to create a world where all humanity can get along by knowing each other. 

The role of Muslims is to contribute towards the well being of humanity, and to be the conflict mitigaters and goodwill nurturers. Our goal is to build a secure world for every human, our Jewish friends can understand that, as they believe in Tikkun Olam. Please read the mission statement –http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2012/01/mission-of-world-muslim-congress.html

This group is about Muslims and their civic responsibilities in creating a dignified religious, social and civic space for themselves in the community of faiths. We do not distinguish between a Sunni, Shia, Ahmadiyya, WD Muhammad, Ismaili, Bohra or the subsets of each group, all believe in God, the Prophet and the accountability of their actions and whoever calls himself or herself a Muslim is a Muslim to us. Currently we are blessed to have our Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Baha’i, Sikh and Buddhist friends among us to learn and share their perspective. This is our world and our God collectively.

The  WorldMuslimCongress@yahoogroups.com with  1700 members from around the world, and it is denomination-less, it is for all Muslims with full and equal respect to all denominations.
Our focus is not the tiny differences, but the larger commonality.

World Muslim Congress is a think tank, all are welcome to participate in the discussions, and our scope is limited and defined in our mission statement. Currently, we have 1700 Members worldwide with no membership fee.

To join the group that has been around since 2004, and prior to that it was called the Muslim Agenda from 2002 onwards, send an email to: WorldMuslimCongress-Subscribe@yahoogroups.com

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.

International Women’s day, what can you do?

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INTERNATIONAL WOMENS -WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Let’s shed our stinky attitude of discounting “what does she know” or assuming you have to step in to the situation because you are the male needs to go. That you should speak first and give the women a ‘chance’ is dumb and stupid. Even a sentence like “we will give women their fair share” is dumb, who the hell are we to ‘give’, it is as much theirs as ours.
On this day, if we, the men, can act, talk, and feel equal with women, we would achieve a new level of civility, and we would have advanced the civilization further. The true happiness comes to each one of us when we shed our arrogance and treat women on par.
What else can you add to this?

Three most dangerous Presidents in America on Day one

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Cruz, Rubio and Trump are the three most dangerous men whom America has ever given birth to, and they are set to ruin the American economy and the American way of life.

On Day #1 – they want to repeal Obama care. Forget their hatred for the President, but look at their political meanness to deprive 22 Million Americans of their health insurance. Many of those Americans may be facing life threatening ailments, when they repeal Obama-care on Day # 1, a number of them may die for lack of access to the necessary health care. Does life of Americans matter to them?

For the first time in American history, the U.S. Government has put the money to right use, to care for Americans rather than blow it on destroying other nations like Iraq and Afghanistan. For the first time pre-existing conditions were covered by health insurance, it is important to know that many American lives have been saved and will continue to be saved.  These three men care less about ordinary Americans. While they can afford to buy any insurance, the average Americans living from pay check to pay check cannot.

Our country needs a strong defense system to fight off external aggressions as well as internal health aggressions. The three should be grateful to Obama for having implemented the measures and means of paving the way for a healthier America and saving American lives.

Furthermore, on Day #1 – they also want to tear up the Iran deal.  That would certainly appease Netanyahu, but completely disregards the long term security of Israel, and as a consequence it would free Iran to pursue the Nuclear Weapons program which brings uncertainty and instability to the region. President Obama has removed a potential threat to Israel with this deal; and the American Jews have the wisdom to recognize this and support it.

President Carter, the architect and the facilitator of a permanent Peace Treaty between Israel and its onetime arch enemy Egypt brought relief, after that Israel had one less enemy to worry and thus saved tension, tanks and lives.   I am sure the thoughtful American Jewry will express their gratitude to President Carter. Indeed, Israel should install a statue of President Carter at the Ben Gurion Airport to express their gratitude to him.

President Clinton on the other hand took out another enemy on the east; Jordan, and President Obama has given the iron dome to Israel and has removed another enemy; Iran.

Tearing up the Iran Deal would be one of the gravest blunders in the US Foreign policy. It would amount to recklessly rejecting Iran’s partnership treaty with Russia, China, UK, Germany, France and the United States.  How do you build coalitions if you are disrespectful to nations that work with us on common goals of reducing conflicts and focusing on economic development?  If we mess with this deal; Iran is likely to become another Rogue Nuclear nation like North Korea and pose a direct and greater threat to Israel.

For the first time in fifty years, a U.S., President has done the right thing, a conservative thing to develop and implement a foreign policy based on friendship and treaties rather than animosity and hostilities.

We may destroy Iran, but we will also destroy ourselves much more.  Gas prices will go up for millions of servicemen/repairmen to make service calls, as it happened towards the end of the Bush era. Small businesses will fold, divorces will become routine, home foreclosures will be back, loss of lives of our men and women, and a few more trillion dollars of deficit will be added to our budget.

Why is little Rubio screaming in every sentence to save our ally Israel? Israel does not need friends like him who will ruin their long term security. Israel needs prudent, wise and visionaries like Obama, Clinton and Carter who will bring long term peace and security to them by turning enemies into friends and partners in peace and cooperation.

The things Rubio has been clinging on to are repeal Obama-care, tearing up the Iran Deal and supporting Israel’s paranoia.

Every sentence he utters is about supporting Israel, and I am sure Trump supporters resent that, because they want America first and not Israel.  Rubio’s non-sensual rhetoric may increase Anti-Semitism in the form of resentment. He and Cruz are not good for Israel’s security but also to those five nations (Russia, China, UK, France and Germany) whose nuclear contracts with Iran they plan to trash, and it amounts to spitting in their faces.  The costs of the idiotic behavior of Rubio will be borne by the average American. He does not give a crap about the 22 Million Americans’ health care or our economy. He has a serious character flaw.

Ted Cruz, the blood thirsty war monger will carpet bomb other nations like Bush did,  and he will add a few more trillion dollars of deficit to the budget, and shoot the unemployment rate through the roof to go up to 12%, more divorces will follow, home foreclosures will rise, and businesses will start closing down.  Yes, Cruz does not want to care what happens to America. He and some of his macho men may draw sadistic pleasure from destroying other nations, but we the people do not want destruction, for which we end up paying again.

Furthermore, Cruz has been disrespectful towards the Supreme Court Justices and their decisions.  Is he above the law to use such vulgar language about them?  He does not seem care, he would let our government shut down and ruin our credit ratings, and he does not give a rat’s ass about the 22 Million Americans’ health care either. Voting for Cruz is regressing to the big bad times of Bush Administration.

Trump will turn his back on nuclear Non-proliferation Deals and peace negotiations just to advance his own agenda, and not necessarily what is good for America. Foreign leaders are not his employees whom he fire at his whim; instead they will turn around and tell him to take a hike. The Muslim nations, some 56 of them would not want to be humiliated by these men and will turn to Russia or the UK to purchase their military hardware. Who will be the losers? The men and women employed in our export and defense industry. That is a large number of people and it may hurt our economy severely.  These three men, Rubio, Cruz and Trump are wrecking balls, and we will be screwed on Day # 1 if we were to elect them as our President.

These three men, Rubio, Cruz and Trump are wrecking balls, and we will be screwed on Day # 1 if we were to elect them as our President. It is time to redefine conservatism; none of the three loose mouths are conservatives in my books.

Dr. Mike Ghouse is a community consultant, social scientist, thinker, writer, news maker, and a speaker on Pluralism, Interfaith, Islam, politics, terrorism, human rights, India, Israel-Palestine and foreign policy. He is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. Visit his\ 63 links at www.MikeGhouse.net

Republican Party will not be the same

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Presidents do change the character of the party. Bill Clinton brought the Democratic Party to the center; Obama took it a tad to the left. Bush took further to the right, and now Trump will bring it ‘towards’ the center. Most Republicans are conformists and are willing to surrender their freedom for the party, and when an Authoritarian like Trump is at the helm of affairs, all will start bowing to him, one by one. It was embarrassing to watch Chris Christie kiss ass Trump, and others will follow the suit.
Trump said that he will work with Paul Ryan, the speaker of the house, but if he is not willing he is going to pay a price, a heavy price. This is how Trump will make others kneel to him and of course, the Republicans will do that, they love authority figures.
Trump will change the character of the Republican Party. More about Trump in an article “The rise of American Authoritarianism,” atwww.CenterforAmericanPolitics.com
Relax, no need to be tense, Hillary Clinton will be the 45th President of the United States of America, and not Trump and she will set the country on a moderate course, which is reflective of most Americans.
 Thank you


Mike Ghouse
(214) 325-1916 talk/text

Dr. Mike Ghouse is a community consultant, social scientist, thinker, writer, news maker, and a speaker on Pluralism, Interfaith, Islam, politics,terrorism, human rights, India, Israel-Palestine and foreign policy. He is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. Visit him in 63 links at www.MikeGhouse.net for his writings at TheGhousediary.com and several blogs listed there in. 

Adam, freedom and conservatism

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ADAM, FREEDOM AND CONSERVATISM | TheGhouseDiary.com

As our founding fathers have laid it out; life liberty and pursuit of happiness
are our inalienable rights.  The freedom
to speak, think, act and assemble is our inalienable right; this right was
given by the creator to us upon birth, and it is as much a part of our life as
brain, heart, kidneys, blood and other elements of the body are.  

I don’t have the full
knowledge of genesis of creation in Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, Zoroastrian, Sikh, Baha’i,
Wicca, Native and other traditions, but it is embedded in the Abrahimic
Traditions.

Adam’s story makes a
point that is so relevant today; he was offered a choice to be a conservative
or a progressive. He was told, if you do nothing, status quo will not change,
you’ll continue to live in your comfort zone (conservative) in the heaven here
with me. Or if chose to eat the forbidden fruit, you’ll bear the consequences, a
change (progress) will dawn upon you,  that
you don’t know what to do with it, your body system will produce crap and
you’ll have to find a place to dump it. I don’t like the smell of it, and will
throw you out of here.

Adam deliberated on it, there was a challenge for him and consequences for the
choices he would make, do I want to remain a conservative or a progressive? He
took the bold step, he ate the forbidden fruit.

What did God do? He could have slapped Adam to behave and be obedient, but he
chose to keep his word and set an example. 
He gave Adam complete freedom to choose and Adam chose to live with the
temptation.  

Thank God for giving
us the inalienable right to be free, right to choose and the right to act
freely. Thanks to Adam for choosing to be a progressive, otherwise we would not
have experienced anything all, we might as well have been dead creatures living
in that garden called paradise doing nothing, speaking nothing, eating nothing.
What a bore!

The creator or the process of evolution would not have endowed us with the
ability to talk, if it was not meant for us to use.  This is all God’s plan. We must honor free
speech no matter how difficult it is and we must be progressive to see and
experience the world, and conservative enough not to fall of the stratosphere
in taking bold risks.
 

Thank
you

Mike Ghouse
(214) 325-1916 talk/text

Dr. Mike Ghouse is a
community consultant, social scientist, thinker, writer, news maker, and a
speaker on Pluralism, Interfaith, Islam, politics, terrorism, human rights, India, Israel-Palestine and foreign
policy. He is committed to building cohesive societies and offers
pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. Visit him in 63 links at
www.MikeGhouse.net for his writings at TheGhousediary.com and several blogs
listed there in. 

Can Muslims and Christians co-exist – Report 1 of 2

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Can Muslims and Christians
co-exist – Symposium report 1 of 2
San Antonio, TX, Saturday, February 27, 2916 — Pastor Charles Flowers
of Faith outreach center called on Christians and Muslims to share their perspectives
on the subject matter in a symposium organized on Friday and Saturday.

 

No matter how difficult these conversations are, they are
necessary to understand and learn about each other. God almighty in Quran says,
the best ones among you are those who take the time to learn about each other,
when we learn about each other conflicts fade and solutions emerge.     God has created everything in order and in
balance, and human greed and insecurities knock this balance off, and God advises
us to restore it for our own good.  The
act of restoration is indeed a religious inspiration. 
Every religion is beautiful and each one is designed to
bring peace, tranquility and salvation to oneself, one learns to live in peace
with himself or herself and with others. 
There is a shortage of Pastors, Rabbis, Imams, Pundits and religious men
and women who have the integrity to say that others religions must be equally beautiful.
 My daughter said when she was around 10, “Dad, if the
pastor tells the truth that all religions are beautiful, why would any one flock to his church?”  The minute one feels or claims that
his faith is the truth (and others are not),  and is superior, it is religion no more, politics and
greed have taken over the soul. To sell religion and have larger congregations,
one has to lie about other faiths, what a shame!

Thanks to Pastor Flowers and Mrs. Janice Flowers for organizing this event, we were
able to clarify a few misunderstandings, but a whole lot more needs to be done.
God willing we will continue to strive to create heaven on the earth, where no
one has to live in fear of the other. Pastor Flowers is a genuine guy, as he moderated the event with utmost sincerity and honesty, I applaud him for that.
Misinformation about Allah, Islam, Quran and the Prophet was
painful to sit through and listen, particularly coming from my brothers who
were former Muslims. May God bless them, and give them the knowledge to see
that God is God of all humanity despite how we perceive him, her or it is one
and the same.  
On the other hand, we (Muslims) have failed to question the authenticity of the Hadiths, Ibn Hisham’s Seerah, the Sharia and the exegesis by Tamiya, Katheer, Maududi, Banna and others.  Some of us have put these books on par with Quran, which we should have never done. In the next few yeas, we will be ready to sign a joint declaration that Quran is the only book for Islam – and the only quotes from Quran about Islam will be considered authentic.

We have to fix some of the Hadiths and Sharia books to be authentic and reflect Prophet Muhammad’s character who was a mercy to mankind. I don’t blame some of our friends from other faiths for being scared of what they read, and most of the time, they quote from these doubtful books, sincerely believing that it is Islam.  As a Muslim, Quran is the only book for me, the material in other book will be authentic,  only if it contributes to building peaceful cohesive societies. (Two Islams) 

The format of the symposium did not allow me to present another point of view except shaking my
head in disagreement when I heard things were way off.  I was tempted to walk out a few times, instead I started scribbling Jesus’ mantra to turn the other cheek, meaning
don’t do or say anything to aggravate the situation and started
praying like them, asking the lord to forgive them, for they know not.   

We cannot blame others for
misunderstanding us without clarifying such misunderstandings, and making an
effort to know others’ perspective. We have a lot of work to do. As Muslims, we have the responsibility to create a better world for all humanity.
The speakers included three former Muslims; Daniel Akbari, Kamal
Saleem and Taufiq, and two practicing Muslims Raheel Reza and Mike Ghouse. Lt.
Col. Roy White, and Joe Carey,   both Christian Activists laid out the
programs to counter Jihadis. 
The social issues were addressed by four different speakers.
Bishop Harry Jackson offered three lenses to look at the presidential
candidates and I applaud him for his inclusivity, he responded positively if
the candidate were a Muslim or a Hindu, if he or she would be qualified to
serve.  What a joy it was to hear him
out.
Mrs. Alice Patterson presented how the primaries and precincts
work. Her story of overcoming bias is worth listening to, and I have fought
with myself not to have any bias towards another human and related with her
story. Indeed she played a major role in organizing prayers when a Blackman Alfred Wright was dragged to death in Jasper, Texas in
2013.
 Dr. Fernando Cabrera’s talk
on education resonated with me, indeed, his parents told him exactly what my
parents did – get education!

Gilbert Hernandez’s presentation was a big hit for me, and I hope to dedicate
time for his project.  So many young men and
women are lost to the vultures form Gangs and Drug cartels. Muslim Youth are
also facing similar problems, as a community we are deeply concerned and want
to do everything to safeguard our kids from being recruited by the
extremists.   Gilbert’s passion to save
our youth is admirable and I hope to connect him with Muslim organizations,
they have a good system down to address this sorry state of affairs.

Blessed are the peacemakers, said Jesus on Mount Beatitude, which
Prophet Muhammad practiced, and became a mercy to the universe. Following in
their footsteps, unwaveringly, I hung on to their wisdom and remained a
conflict mitigater and a goodwill nurturer.
Raheel Raza and I gave our presentations on Friday night, which
were received very well. I have full written up on my presentation, and
will be available under the title of “My speech at San Antonio interfaith
symposium about Muslims and Christians” at www.TheGhousediary.com

My commentary on the presentations of Kamal Saleem, Daniel Akbari, Lt. Col. Roy
White, and Joe Carey will be finalized after the video or audio presentation
becomes available to make sure I can quote them verbatim.

Pastor Charles Flowers concluded each segment with a summary and a
graceful prayer. Fortunately, he chose to advance my calling that finding the
truth is one’s own responsibility. 
My last offering towards the very end of the program was that I
will review each item and share my comments and suggestions about the program
and publish it.  Those who want to see another perspective are welcome to
it. 
My responsibility is to address the phobias and allay the fears;
no American has to live in apprehensions or fear of fellow Americans.  My
role is to build bridges and free my friends from ill-will and malice.
Yes, Muslims and Christians have coexisted and will continue to do
so, despite the shortcomings on both sides that mess up the relationships. I’ll
summarize the historical, theological and social perspectives at a newspaper
and then at the websites American Muslim Institution and ATF. 
This is one of the rarest conferences I have attended where the
host has set the highest standards of hospitality.  How many people can I thank? Rosalie Astran,
Zulmarie Santiago,  Abraham Martinez and
of course,

Twenty years from now our pastors, imams, rabbis, pundits, shamans
and all the religious clergy will be telling the truth – that faith is in the heart
of the believer just as beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.

My faith is Islam and it is not superior to any religion, nor is any religion
superior to Islam, claiming superiority is arrogance, and God in Islam does not
favor arrogance, as it is the root cause of all evil and conflicts. Most
Muslims get that right and a few don’t, just as with all other religions.

May God bring humility to us.

Thank you,
Mike Ghouse, 
(214) 325-1916
Washington, DC 
Dr. Mike Ghouse is a community consultant, social scientist,
thinker, writer, newsmaker and a professional speaker on Pluralism, Interfaith, Islam,  politics, human
rights, and foreign policy.  Mike is
committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. More
about him in 63 links at www.MikeGhouse.net and his writings are at TheGhousediary.com 

=

#Super Tuesday Politics

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# REPUBLICANS WILL HAVE TO LIVE WITH TRUMP,
DUMP HIM THEY’LL LOSE,
KEEP HIM
THEY’LL LOSE TO HILLARY

FIRST HE CAME FOR MEXICANS, CRUZ WAS SILENT
THEN HE CAME FOR
MUSLIMS, RUBIO WAS SILENT
THE CUNNING MEN ARE NOW JUMPING UP AND DOWN

A BUNCH OF CHAMELEONS AND LOSERS!
IF YOU ARE JUST TO ALL AMERICANS, YOU CAN’T LOSE 

Thank
you

Mike Ghouse
(214) 325-1916 talk/text

Dr. Mike Ghouse is a
community consultant, social scientist, thinker, writer, news maker, and a
speaker on Pluralism, Interfaith, Islam, politics, terrorism, human rights, India, Israel-Palestine and foreign
policy. He is committed to building cohesive societies and offers
pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. Visit him in 63 links at
www.MikeGhouse.net for his writings at TheGhousediary.com and several blogs
listed there in.

Can Muslims and Christians Co-Exist?

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CAN MUSLIMS AND CHRISTIANS CO-EXIST? | Interfaithspeaker.com

Yes, an overwhelming majority of Muslims and Christians have co-existed for nearly 1400 years, and will continue to do so. However a few among each one of them (less than 1/10th of 1%) are intolerant, not because of religion, but because they did not get their religion right.

There will always be rogues no matter what religion they wear, we have a choice to be dumb and blame the religion or be smart and blame the bad guys and punish them and restore trust in the society.  Barking at religion is useless – you cannot kill, beat, kick, slaughter, shoot, behead, hang of bury the religion, why bark at it?  

Mike Ghouse and Karen Hollie baptized at Baptismal site
What does this mean?  
Historical Event – Christmas and Milad celebrated for the first time in world history
by American Muslim Institution. 


Mike Ghouse praying at Jesus’ Grave
This flag was used by Egyptian Muslims and Christians in the early 20th century to signify their unity against the occupying British forces. It continues to symbolize Muslim-Christian unity.
Good religious people want the world to be a peace, want to get along with all – that is what kingdom of peace on earth means. Half-ass religious leaders are dividers, like the devil in the center of the two towers.

90% of people of any group are moderates, and do get along with others. 4.5% each is liberal and conservative, then there is 10th of 1% who are intolerant. No religion or group of people are free from that tiny group of people.

Mike Ghouse
Text or Talk at (214) 325-1916

Dr. Mike Ghouse is a community consultant, social scientist, thinker, writer, news maker, and a speaker on Pluralism, Interfaith, Islam, politics, terrorism, human rights, India, Israel-Palestine and foreign policy. He is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. Visit him in 63 links at www.MikeGhouse.net for his writings at TheGhousediary.com and several blogs listed there in. 

# Ted Cruz Screwed

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Bad News for Cruz, he may screw himself. | The Ghouse Diary.com
If the Circuit Court of Chicago decides Cruz is not eligible to run for President, and when it goes to supreme court, and if they go 4/4 – then lower court’s decision is upheld, Cruz would be screwed, it’s his own doing. 
 
 
Mike
Ghouse
Text or Talk at (214) 325-1916

Dr. Mike Ghouse is a community
consultant, social scientist, thinker, writer, news maker, and a speaker on Pluralism, Interfaith, Islam, politics, terrorism, human rights, India, Israel-Palestine and foreign
policy. He is committed to building cohesive societies and offers
pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. Visit him in 63 links at
www.MikeGhouse.net for his writings at TheGhousediary.com 

Texas Faith – Commander in Chief or Preacher in Chief

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Is God a villain of Jeb Bush, Carson, Kasich, Fiorina, Paul,
Huckabee, Santorum and others? Is God a friend of Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio?
Here is my write up at Dallas Morning News  published February 16, 2016.
MIKE GHOUSE, Foundation for Pluralism
My father’s words jumped at me when I read the phrase, “outward
professions of faith.”
He was a mayor as well as a respected uncle of the town, and
everyone came to him with their problems for solutions. It was a small town
called Yelahanka, a suburb of Bengaluru, India. Obviously the majority was
Hindus, but we had Muslims, Sikhs, Zoroastrians, Jains, Christians and the
Dalits.
Every time someone came and said, “Believe me, I am a good
Christian, Hindu, Muslim or a ….” My father’s ears would perk up, and he would
become extra vigilant. After the individual left the house, he would tell my
mother, “I am still waiting for an individual who would say, I am an honest guy
and I have this problem with the other person. He would add I rather believe
the person who does not profess “outward professions of faith”; Why does he
need to use God or a religious shield?
Indeed, my ears perk up when I encounter those who wear their
religion on their sleeve. In fact, a handful of imams, rabbis, priests, and
pastors have not failed me in my caution, no one has robbed me, but they have
not been truthful to their congregations in my interfaith interactions with
them.
When Ted Cruz said, “Let me first of all say, to God be the glory”
and Marco Rubio uttered “my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” Is God favoring
these two over others? Is God a villain of Jeb Bush, Carson, Kasich, Fiorina,
Paul, Huckabee, Santorum and others?
God expression should be personal and not for public consumption.
God loves each one of us equally and does not favor one over the other. If he
does, we don’t need a prejudiced, discriminatory God like that. Would God place
an individual in the White House to carpet-bomb civilians elsewhere or bomb the
nations to the ground? Heavens no, God is not in the business of bombing
people. He has given us the discretion: Some get it, and some don’t. We the
people need to elect those who are determined to preserve harmony of the
creation be it among individuals, between nations and the environment.
When God created animals, he gave them horns, fangs and paws to
settle their disputes with an attitude of you survive or I. But when he created
humans, he did not give us fangs, paws or horns to fight, but a tongue to talk
and resolve our disputes. Anyone who wants to bypass talks need not be our
president.
Cruz and Rubio (and others) are running for public office and not
the pulpit. I have seen politicians of all religions deliberately use God in
their language. It may be a part of their nature to make God expressions, but
when they say it in public, making it obvious for the camera, I question their
sincerity. Maybe God is all that’s left to rescue them rather than their record
or their abilities. Should I trust a candidate because he or she invokes God or
because he or she is capable?
Please don’t invoke God in the public for the purpose of show,
unless you are God deficit and need God to side with you to hurt others.
# # #
Mike
Ghouse
Text or Talk at (214) 325-1916

Dr. Mike Ghouse is a community
consultant, social scientist, thinker, writer, news maker, and a speaker on Pluralism, Interfaith, Islam, politics, terrorism, human rights, India, Israel-Palestine and foreign
policy. He is committed to building cohesive societies and offers
pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. Visit him in 63 links at
www.MikeGhouse.net for his writings at TheGhousediary.com