Changing the mood in Washington, DC

At this point in history, we are going through difficult times.  Whether you are on the right, left or the center, you are concerned about the liberties and freedoms of all Americans.  The divisiveness, even though temporary, has caused us to lose trust in each other to function effectively as a nation.

So what can we do?

Our President John Kennedy had famously urged us, “Ask not what the country can do - ask what you can do for your country.” and Professor William James had written that our actions can change the moods.

Here is what we can to do to restore America where no Americans feels left out, but feels included in nation building.

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

When we are together, it is uplifting!
We can change our moods! 

The following video has clips from Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, Milad, Janamashtami and other great celebrations.  On the actual day of Festival of Faiths, Americans Together will celebrate their traditions.  

1. Video   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjhbRkN7soQ 
2. Details   http://centerforpluralism.com/festival-of-faiths/
3. Attend  RSVP – Eventbrite
4.  Sing?   If your group likes to sing Register@Centerforpluralism.com    
5. List?     Please send an email to   Register@Centerforpluralism.com   
6. Op-Ed  Ask not what the President can do for us?” will be released soon
7. More     http://Centerforpluralism.com/Workshops
8. Browse Tabs at  www.Centerforpluralism.com
9.  Event   Celebrating America –Festival of Faiths on Sunday, 12/18 – 12 to 2 PM
10. Where   Jefferson Memorial, Washington, DC 

***** 

Dr. Mike Ghouse is founder and president of Center for Pluralism aka Americans Together. He is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. All about him in 65 links at www.MikeGhouse.net

Human Rights are more important than the sovereignty of nations

What it means is, that a nations’ sovereignty is inferior to the sovereignty of human rights. Human rights are more important than nations or religious rights.

What it means for Saudi Arabia is, that they have to honor the inalienable rights of individuals over the laws of the nation or religion, any religion for that matter. Nothing is greater than the inalienable rights of individuals.

In our land, we have come a long way, but more to go. Little men like Trump attempt to mess it, but all of them come and go, and our constitution remains an enduring value for ages to come, and we have to defend it no matter what sacrifices we have to make. Mike Ghouse

Our Immortal declaration of Independence

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed."

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. 

War on Terror is the dumbest idea ever floated, there is another way to rid terrorism

Indeed, war on Terror is the dumbest idea ever floated, there is another way to handle it; the Islamic way

If a thief breaks into your home, would you ask him his religion? And if he were to says, he belongs to your faith; would you let him get away?

When a terrorist attacks and claims to be a Muslim who follows Islam, would you be gullible to buy his alibi, and look for faults with his religion rather than nailing him for his acts?

Shouldn’t your attitude be, “Don’t give me that crap, I know your religion; it does not teach you to kill a single soul, let alone yourselves, I have read that myself. Shame on you to attempt to pass the buck to your religion, I am not buying it either! You committed the crime, you disturbed the peace, and you are going to pay for it.

God has created everything in balance and has given us the responsibility and a brain to preserve that balance between various elements of nature for our own good. The universe (planets, trees etc.) runs obediently and precisely as programmed (55:6) within the bounds of the universe (55:7), and he advises us to learn from nature, and not transgress (55:8). We have to act and preserve the balance, and avoid the short cuts (55:9). Mind you, the earth is for all living beings, and for each one of the 7 billion of us (55:10).

Your act of murdering fellow humans is not an act of people who follow the Quran. Your claim to follow Quran is false and baseless. Quran 5:32 says, “If anyone slays a person, it would be as if he slew the whole people: and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people.”

God advises how to deal with you; “Enjoin doing what is right and forbid doing what is wrong,” Quran 9:71. The wisdom is simple – God created everything in harmony and you have messed it up. And it is our responsibility to forbid you from doing that, and to restore harmony and cohesiveness of Allah’s creation.

We are not going to kill you blindly; we will give you ample notice to stop destroying Allah’s planet and his creation, and if you do not heed it, we will find you wherever you hide, ambush and kill you. However, Allah advises in the next verse to be kinder and gentler towards you if you reconsider and surrender.

If you repent and bow down toward Allah’s guidance to preserve the balance, and harmony of the world around you, and enjoin doing what is right and forbid the doing of what is wrong, and keep within the bounds (respect all of his creation) set by Allah. He promises glad tidings to “all” believers (9:112), and we hope you would become a believer in the Quran that you claim.

This will put an end to the recruitment efforts of the ISIS or Al-Qaeda and cut into the roots of terrorism. Misintpretation and mistranslations of God’s word have to be brought to an end. God is not a villain and he loves every one of his creation, period. God does not favor a single soul who is not good to his creation; life and environment.We will gas you guys, not to hurt you, but to capture you and put you on trial and ask you to give up the false claims you are making about Islam. We will give you copies of the Quran and ask you to read and explain – not what is dished out to you by the Ulema (Scholars) of the past, but what the God-given common sense has allowed to you. We will give you a formula to study the Quran, don’t you read a singular verse, but study three before and three after the given verse to understand Quran’s wisdom to build cohesive societies. After all, Islam is about common sense and a faith of nature.

By the way, you don’t own Allah, the Prophet, Islam or the Quran. It is the book of wisdom for the whole humanity and I am not going to let you claim exclusive ownership of it. (Huffington Post -Quran is not for Muslims ).

Blaming the religion is the dumbest thing to do, because you cannot beat, kick, hack, shoot, hang, kill or bury a religion, it’s an intangible thing my friend! You cannot do a thing about it.

War on Islam in the guise of war on terrorism is a stupid pursuit.

When God created animals and humans, he gave horns, fangs and paws to the animals to resolve their disputes, but what did he give to humans? He gave us the ability to dialogue to resolve the conflicts. War should be the very last resort and should not be a sadistic venture.

If our objective is to punish the criminal (s), and cut down on more acts of terrorism, then blame the bloody individuals and make them pay for it. Obama did the right thing by nailing Bin Laden

Restoring peace and sanity should be our goal and not bombing and creating more chaos and terror in the name of busting terror.

Dr. Mike Ghouse is a community consultant, social scientist, thinker, writer, news maker, and a speaker on Pluralism, Interfaith, Islam, politics, human rights, India, Israel-Palestine Terrorism and foreign policy. Over 3000 Articles have been published on the subjects. He 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 bulk of his writings are at TheGhousediary.com  

# Terrorism - Islamic way of dealing with Terrorism

Washington, DC, November 17, 2015 -- We have tried the Bush way and Obama way of handling terrorism, neither has worked, the first one created more of it, and second one has not mitigated it either.   As a moderate Muslim, I offer the Islamic way of handling terrorism. 

Here is the plan.

After due preparations and consultations, in behalf of the United Nations, President Obama is requested to deliver a three days notice to Mr. Baghdadi and his deputies;

“Mr. Baghdadi, you have three days to stop killing innocent people and destroying Allah’s creation; life and environment.  If you do not heed the warning, we will hunt you down and ambush wherever you hide.  If not,  we will gas you guys, few square miles at a time,  not to hurt you, but to capture and put you on trial and ask you to give up the false claims you are making about your religion.  Mind you, the Muslims soldiers from around the world will be in the front line against you.”

President to continue , “ We will give you copies of the Quran and make you read and understand until you get that right - not what is dished out to you by the Ulema (Scholars) of the past, but what God tells you in the Quran.”

The Quran tells you in 5:32, "If anyone slays a person, it would be as if he slew the whole people: and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people." And “Enjoin doing what is right and forbid what is wrong,” Quran 9:71. The wisdom is simple – God created everything in harmony (55:06-55:10) and you have messed it up big time. And it is our responsibility as fellow humans to forbid you from doing that, and restore harmony and cohesiveness of Allah’s creation. 

You know, Allah advises us to be kinder and gentler towards you if you reconsider and surrender. If you repent and bow down toward Allah’s guidance to preserve the balance and harmony of the world around you, we will be lenient. He promises glad tidings to "all" believers (9:112), and we hope you would become a believer in the Quran that you claim to be.

By the way, you don’t own Allah, the Prophet, Islam or the Quran.  It is the book of wisdom for the whole humanity and you cannot claim exclusive ownership of it. (Huffington Post). 

Insha Allah, we will be restoring peace and sanity to the planet.

The President concludes with this, “Blaming the religion is the dumbest thing to do, because we cannot beat, kick, hack, shoot, hang, kill or bury a religion, it’s an intangible thing my fellow Americans!  We can blame the individuals and restore trust and harmony back in the society. “

God bless America.

Dr. Mike Ghouse is a community consultant, social scientist, thinker, writer, news maker, and a speaker on Pluralism, Interfaith, Islam, politics, human rights, India, Israel-Palestine and foreign policy. He 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 bulk of his writings are at TheGhousediary.com  

Peter King owes an apology to Muslims for his irresponsible statements; this kind of language has to come to an end.

Peter King owes an Apology | www.AmericansTogether.org

Dallas, Texas, July 7, 2015 – In a Radio address, Congressman Peter King called on fellow Americans to do this, “During the July 4th holidays, if you find any gathering of Americans by the pool, lake, park, or downtown, tell up the police.” I am appalled with such an irresponsible statement.

What if an innocent Sikh family is visiting New York and taking pictures? What if it is a Hispanic family? What if a Christian Lebanese or even Brigitte Gabriel is videotaping the parade?  Could it be a Jewish family from Israel with an accent visiting the park to see what is going on? Is this racism in disguise? This is not a Muslim issue, this is an American issue.    

 This kind of fear mongering and pitting one American against the other can create chaos and destroy the social fabric of America. Is this what we want as Americans? If he is pandering to some group, as a responsible citizen he should tell them that it would be wrong to create chaos; it is not good for anyone in the long haul. 

His exact words are, “... To a large extent, to the Muslim community in this region, because there is a threat, there is going to be something happening, it’s going to come from the Muslim community.  So they among all others should, should they see something, if they see someone who is new to the neighborhood, who they don’t belong there or its unusual for him to be there, hard to be there, if they hear of any talk of anything happening, if they see different groups, gathering, tell up the police….” 

Thank God he fell flat on his face, as he did that once before when he investigated Mosques in New York and did not find any material evidence.  Indeed, most of the arrests of suspects by the FBI in recent years have been reported by American Muslim. 

We want Representative King to know this clearly – American Muslims are heck of a lot more loyal to America than the average Joe, the freedom they cherish must be praised and appreciated.  They have suffered more by the damned terrorist than any other group.  In fact, they get it both ways – accusation for the acts they did not commit, and the brunt of the hate mongering that such irresponsible statements create.  To know more about American Muslims, we urge Rep. Peter King to read our press release in the Op-ed News entitled “ Muslims and Americans: a shared heritage since July 4, 1776. ”

Representative King has violated two principles – innocent until proven guilty and pitting one American against the other. 

Of course, it is the duty of all citizens to maintain law and order and protect the homeland. Hate is one of the many sources of disrupting the peace in a society and it is our duty to track down the source of such hate and work hard on mitigating it. Congressman Peter King knowingly or unknowingly appears to have become a source of racism and hate speech.  We appeal to his civility as a good American and an elected official to apologize. 

This is an American issue and we need to put an end to this kind of rhetoric from the elected officials.  My safety and security hinges on ensuring the same for others around me.   No American needs to live in apprehension or fear of the other. An apology by Rep. Peter King is the right thing to do in order to promote civic and racial harmony in America.

Quote1: "As Americans we demand an apology from Representative Peter King for recklessly pitting one American against the others. We will take a stand against all those whose mouths run loose." Mike Ghouse

Quote2: "African American and Jewish bashing is officially gone, now it is time to rid GLBT, Mexicans and Muslims bashing.  Peter King’s language is not acceptable." Mike Ghouse

Mike is president of America Together Foundation; he is a speaker, thinker, writer, pluralist, TV-Radio commentator and a human rights activist committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. His info in 63 links at MikeGhouse.net and writings at TheGhouseDiary.com

References:

1. Radio Message - https://org2.salsalabs.com/o/5800/p/salsa/donation/common/public/?donate_page_KEY=12853
2. Global Research -  http://www.globalresearch.ca/non-muslims-carried-out-more-than-90-of-all-terrorist-attacks-in-america/5333619
3. Muslims and Americans: a shared heritage since July 4, 1776.  http://www.opednews.com/articles/Muslims-and-Americans-a-s-by-Mike-Ghouse-American-History_American-Muslims_Declaration-Of-Independence_Democracy-150702-786.html

Supreme Court extends same-sex marriage nationwide - indeed, America is for freedom

Every human has a God given right to eat, drink, wear and believe whatever he or she wants, and marry whoever he or she wants. Some among us may not agree with the idea of same sex marriage, but that is the ultimate freedom.  Freedom guaranteed to one is freedom guaranteed to all.

When God gave the options to Adam and Eve and explained the consequences of eating the forbidden fruit, and yet they chose to eat it, God did not stop them or slapped them for the wrong doing (at that time), instead God lived up to his word. That is when the freedom took seed and it is God given.

Freedom is a God given gift that we should cherish! God could have stopped Lucifer from tempting Adam and Eve, he could have stopped Adam from consuming the forbidden fruit, and he could have prevented Jesus from the crucifix, Moses did not have to speak up against Pharaoh, Muhammad (pbuh) did not have to endure persecution. God Almighty could have stopped everyone in the tract, but he did not, he gave us the freedom to choose how we deal with conflicts and restore harmony.

If Hilary gets elected as President, America would have achieved the ideals laid out by the founding fathers - that we are all created equal. Indeed, each one of us should have the equal opportunities and equal access to everything.

Congratulations to the GLBT community, now they can live freely without apprehension.  I hope the Evangelical Imams don't issue any Fatwas against this or blame this SC decision for the water crisis in California.

Once again, we appreciate President Obama to open the first official door.

Dr. Omid Safi reflects on Same-sex Marriage :
................................................................................
Let me pause, though, and say a word about what I have witnessed in the last few days about the Muslim public discourse regarding same-sex marriage and the Supreme Court ruling. I have been impressed by what I see as increased nuance in our public discourse from many people, including many who are personally and religiously opposed to homosexuality but recognize the importance of the state not imposing exclusionary practices on citizens.

However, there is one item that I am concerned about, and I would add, disappointed in regarding a number of these public statements. I have seen quite a few Muslim leaders articulate something along the lines of "From the perspective of mainstream, normative Islamic law, any type of sexual union outside of marriage is unethical and immoral."

If that is what we are going to state publicly, then let us be honest and transparent and state that this normative Islamic law also included--and includes--the possibility of concubines and polygamy.

Both are sanctioned in the Qur'an, and in Islamic law. Neither is likely to be viewed with great favor in the public discourse, which is why I suspect Muslims leave them off of our discussion.

Naturally, I have no interest in advocating for concubinage or polygamy: in the case of the first a hierarchical institution and in the case of second one that is open to many kinds of abuse (though I recognize there are times that it may work for some, and God knows better than I do.).

But yes, if our appeal is going to be to existing, historical "mainstream, normative law", then we have to be willing to publicly defend and stand by concubinage and polygamy. To leave them off and pretend that "traditional" sanctioned models of Islamic marriage only include that between one man and one woman united in marriage is at best intellectually weak and at worst dishonest. The same thing goes, of course for others who present a "Biblical" model of marriage.

................................................................................

Thank you,
Mike Ghouse
AmericansTogether.org
(214) 325-1916

Mike is a speaker, thinker, writer, pluralist, TV-Radio commentator and a human rights activist committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. His info in 63 links atMikeGhouse.net and writings at TheGhouseDiary.com 

# # #

Supreme Court extends same-sex marriage nationwide

http://cjonline.com/news/2015-06-26/latest-supreme-court-extends-same-sex-marriage-nationwide

Police Brutality in McKinney is not acceptable, we demand investigation

PRESS RELEASE

 Contact:
Mike Ghouse, President
America Together Foundation
Dallas, TX | Washington DC
(214) 325-1916
MikeGhouse@aol.com
www.AmericansTogether.org

Given the unprecedented police brutality, we have to stand up firmly and say no to this.  No American needs to live in fear or apprehension of the other. Police tyranny of youth must end. We all need to be in this together.

Police Brutality in McKinney, Texas is not acceptable,
we demand investigation

June 7, 2015, Dallas, Texas; Mike Ghouse, president of Americans Together strongly denounced the mistreatment of fellow Americans who are Black by a police officer in McKinney. In a civilized society, this is not acceptable to either God or us. It will create distrust in the society, which will lead to anarchy and chaos. None of us want this to happen.   

Here is that unfortunate video- http://photographyisnotacrime.com/2015/06/texas-cop-goes-on-violent-rampage-at-pool-party/

 
A few in McKinney police department lack sensitivity. There was no need for the police officer to use the foul language to show off his authority, was he trained to stereotype the Blacks, that they will understand foul language? There is discipline and there is an abuse, a police officer is a protector of the safety of our citizens and not an abuser of those who look different. All of this needs to be addressed and investigated thoroughly. 

We have come a long way in learning to respect the otherness of others. Our founding fathers laid it out in our immortal declaration of independence that we were all created equal, indeed we are. That declaration pays the highest tribute to God, that he created all of us with his will. God is a good guy and we need to accept his will for each one of us to be different. 

To those men and women who are biased towards the others, please wake up, and don’t live in fear and pass that on to your children. Don’t mess with their future, and don’t make them unfits to live in a pluralistic society. Very soon, you will find people of different faiths, cultures, ethnicities, races, nationalities and social backgrounds working, eating, playing, marrying, and doing things together. Prepare them for it, rather than prison them in your own tiny silos. 

We need to prepare ourselves for those eventualities to prevent possible conflicts, and lay a good foundation for nurturing goodwill and effective functioning of the societies. Exclusive communities will become a thing of the past. If you live amidst others, you must also respect the otherness of others, as you expect them to do the same for you.

Let’s be brave and free and learn to live and let live. 

Please consider signing this petition.

 https://secure.avaaz.org/en/petition/McKinney_Texas_Mayor_Brian_Loughmiller_McKinney_Police_to_be_investigated_for_training/?nyAtaab

Letter to Mayor Brian Loughmiller of McKinney, Texas about police brutality.

June 7th, 2015

Mayor Brian Loughmiller and council Members 

City of McKinney, Texas

Honorable Mayor Loughmiller,

In reference to the mistreatment of fellow Americans by your police force,  We hope you will do the right thing. Indeed, you will have the benefit of doubt until you fix the problem.

The mistreatment of fellow men and women who are Black amounts to slapping God for creating us in so many tribes, communities, races, ethnicities and faiths. If God is not in your equation, that is your choice, you have your freedom, but it will create distrust in the society, which will lead to anarchy and chaos. None of us want that to happen. 

Video- http://photographyisnotacrime.com/2015/06/texas-cop-goes-on-violent-rampage-at-pool-party/

........
A few in your police force lack sensitivity and as a civil society that is not acceptable, not at all. There was no need to use the foul language to show off his authority, was he trained to stereotype the Blacks, that they will understand foul language? There is discipline and there is an abuse, a police officer is a protector of the safety of our citizens and not an abuser towards those who look different. All of this needs to be addressed and investigated thoroughly. 

We have come a long way in learning to respect the otherness of others. Our founding fathers laid it out in our immortal declaration of independence that we were all created equal, indeed we are. That declaration pays the highest tribute to God, that he created all of us with his will. God is a good guy and we need to accept his will for each one of us to be different. 

To those men and women who are biased towards the others, please wake up, and don’t live in fear and pass that on to your children. Don’t mess with their future, and don’t make them unfits to live in a pluralistic society. Very soon, you will find people of different faiths, cultures, ethnicities, races, nationalities and social backgrounds working, eating, playing, marrying, and doing things together. Prepare them for it, rather than prison them in your own tiny silos. 

We need to prepare ourselves for those eventualities to prevent possible conflicts, and lay a good foundation for nurturing goodwill and effective functioning of the societies. Exclusive communities will become a thing of the past. If you live amidst others, you must also respect the otherness of others, as you expect them to do the same for you.

Let’s be brave and free and learn to live and let live.

If you agree, please sign and share this petition
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/petition/McKinney_Texas_Mayor_Brian_Loughmiller_McKinney_Police_to_be_investigated_for_training/?nyAtaab

Mike Ghouse
American Together Foundation

www.AmericansTogether.org 2665 Villa Creek Dr
Dallas, Texas 75234
(214) 325-1916
MikeGhouse@aol.com 

Please leave your name below in the comment section as a signatory.

American Genocides, Holocaust and Gujarat Massacre event in Dallas, Texas

Holocaust and the Muslim Guy

Frequently, I am introduced in the following manner, "He is the first Muslim guy to commemorate Holocaust, and perhaps the first non-Jewish person to commemorate the Holocaust as well."  Of all the people on the earth, my mother would be pleased to know that I am doing what it takes to be a "good Muslim," to respect, honor and protect the sanctity of life.
As a Muslim committed to building cohesive societies, it was an honor to step up to the plate. Quran 3:133, "And vie with one another to attain to your Sustainer's forgiveness and to a paradise as vast as the heavens and the earth, which has been readied for the God-conscious." I am not driven by paradise, nor do I seek rewards. But it does mean building a cohesive world where no one has to live in apprehension or fear of the other. God-conscious simply means being caring and sensitive to all of God's creation; life and matter.

Of all the people on the earth, my mother would be pleased to know I am doing what it takes to be a "good Muslim," to respect, honor and protect the sanctity of life. 

I have always believed, and I read the assessments of some of the best brains that if we can resolve the Jewish-Palestinian conflict, i.e., security to Jews and justice to the Palestinians, most of the world issues will collapse and a period of peace on earth will begin. 


Commemorating Holocaust and Genocides for seven years is a fulfillment of a lifelong desire. 

Continued at Huffington post - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/holocaust-and-the-muslim-_b_4629509.html#es_share_ended

 # # #

Mike Ghouse to FBI on Fox News - Robert Mueller, take that poster down

Mike Ghouse on O'Reilly Factor,  Fox News tonight with Laura Ingram at 8:00 PM EST about the offensive poster. ‘Offensive to Muslims’: Mike Ghouse and Dem congressman Jim McDermott calls on FBI to take down photos of terrorists.

Mike Ghouse to FBI on Fox News -  "Robert Mueller, take that poster down"

Fox News Video: http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/oreilly/index.html#http://video.foxnews.com/v/2499144942001/poster-of-terrorists-under-scrutiny/?playlist_id=86923

The O'Reilly Factor - Laura Ingraham - Mike Ghouse 6/21/2013

First of all, as a society, we have a responsibility to keep law and order and faithfully guard the safety of every citizen. Hate is one of the many sources of disrupting the peace in a society and it is our duty to track down the source of such hate and mitigate the conflicts and nurture goodwill.  

FBI routinely posts the pictures of  the wanted terrorists in the post offices and public places, and even displayed on TV networks – so, if people spot them, they can report. 

Look at the stupidity of FBI – these terrorists are not in America, how will an American ever spot these dudes? That ad should be posted in Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan, not here in America. That is waste of tax payer dollars.

Poster on Seattle Bus- needs to come down

The 2^nd Mistake is. Terrorists come in all colors, religions and races – to place the Muslim ones exclusively is damn stereotyping and a cause of hatred and disruption. This ad has got to go.

No American has to live in tension, apprehensions and fear of the other, that is the kind of cohesive America we want to build. 

I had warned Fox news right here on September 23 and again on October 8,  in two different appearances (http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/story/19631912/2012/09/25/controversial-anti-muslim-ad)  that the posters in the New York subway by Pamela Geller was dangerous to fellow Americans, particularly Muslim women wearing a scarf, Catholic women coming from a Church, Sikh Women, the older Hindu women with part of the Saree covering their head, the Non-Muslim women from Africa donning their cultural headdress. Does the city have a role in imbuing a sense of security in her people, or each citizen is on his or her own? Did you know a Hindu man was killed on the subway on mistaken Identity, is the security of that person means nothing? Who is responsible for the death of that individual? 

I am proud of Congressman, Jim McDermott from Washington State to work against stereotyping any one. The Daily Caller reports the following:

McDermott, a Democrat from Washington state, voiced his “deep concern” about the ad, which shows mug shots of international terrorists, and asked the FBI chief to “reconsider publicizing” it.

 According to McDermott, the “ad featuring sixteen photos of wanted terrorists is not only offensive to Muslims and ethnic minorities, but it encourages racial and religious profiling.”

 McDermott continued, “Representing terrorists, however, from only one ethnic or religious group, promotes stereotypes and ignores other forms of extremism. The FBI’s ‘Most Wanted Terrorists List‘ includes individuals of other races and associated with other religions and causes, but their faces are missing from this campaign.”

My previous appearance on The O'Reilly factor -  http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2013/06/ghouse-on-bill-oreilly-about-indonesian.html

--
Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, peace, Islam, Israel,India, interfaith, and cohesion at work place. He is committed to building a Cohesive Americaand offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. He believes in Standing up for others and has done that throughout his life as an activist. Mike has a presence on national and local TV, Radio and Print Media. He is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News; fortnightly at Huffington post; and several other periodicals across the world. His personal site www.MikeGhouse.net indexes all his work through many links.

Mike Ghouse' Committement to Pluralism

Tracing the roots of my quest for Pluralism. 

I am an Indian American, and take immense pride in the pluralistic ethos of India.  Indeed, I have made a commitment to nurturing those values, and share them with fellow Americans in my talks, articles and media appearances.   Let me be clear; everything is not hunky dory,  India has deep scars and wounds that need healing, these wounds** if not treated, will continue to be a drain on nation's spiritual health. At times, the frustrations can reach the tipping point leading into riots, massacres and Genocides, in the process hurting every one. 

Collectively, as Indian Americans, we contribute to the richness of America in the fields of medicine, science, engineering, biology, politics, religion, information technology and smart corporate management. However, the time has come for us to give fullness to our participation by contributing in social sciences.

As a social scientist, my contribution would be sharing my motherland's pluralistic heritage with my homeland as a gift to America.  By the way, India was one of the first three nations on the earth to recognize American independence in 1776, it was Tippu Sultan, the head of the state of Mysore (Karnataka) then along with Morocco and France.

Two decades of research work on Pluralism

In the last twenty years, through Asian News Magazine (1993-2001), Asian News Radio (1996-2001), Desi TV (1996), Yahoogroups (2003 -now), and various blogs like Mike Ghouse for India, Sulekha (1999 - now) and several (30) sites for each topic, I have shared our pluralistic heritage.

The Asian News Magazine featured the essence of every religion, and the multi-cultural aspect of India and its inclusiveness, the Asian News Radio featured weekly hour dedicated to presenting the essence of religious festivals so we can learn about each other. We also produced more than 500 hours of talk show radio on religion, every beautiful religion, Pundits, Pastors, Imams, Rabbis, Shamans and Religious clergy from each faith joined me daily to share the wisdom of his or her religion, indeed, Atheism and pluralism had its own slot. 

There is not a public forum where I have not been inclusive. A few years ago, one of the business radio stations (AM 1360) in Dallas was doing a show about ‘giving’ during Christmas season. They invited a Rabbi and a Pastor and wanted me to fill in for Islam, and I did with a condition that I am allowed to acknowledge and mention charity in every faith including Hinduism, Baha'i, Sikhism, Jainism, Buddhism and other traditions. 

For two years we conducted two sets of workshops called Understanding Religion, all the beautiful religions (Atheism was part of the learning). We had a Rabbi, Pastor, Pundit, Imam, Shaman and respective religious ministers joined  in presenting a three hour workshop - on each faith. Funds permitting, I hope to recommence the workshops, and create a replicable model. The idea was to demystify the myths about each faith. Two of the most misunderstood faiths are Hinduism and Islam, and we cannot let people rot in mis-information, we have to do our share of the work in creating a bettter world. Of course, finding the truth is our own individual responsibility.

Each one of us is capable of standing up for others, when we do that; all of us would be safe. We cannot demand peace, when we are not peaceful within, we cannot ask others to be hateful, when we are full of it. 

Media Presence

As President of the Foundation for Pluralism, I contribute an article a week to the Texas Faith column at Dallas Morning News for over two years, and just about every piece weaves through several religions. The articles appear regularly at Huffington Post, and occasionally at Washington post. Heck, when I wrote a tribute about my late wife, father and mother, I found them reflecting the values of most religions, if not all.

The TV, Radio, Print, Web and Social Media has been good to me, giving me a strong national and local presence including Sean Hannity’s Show on Fox News (over 50 appearances), and many nationally syndicated Radio shows.

Over 1500 articles on the topic of Pluralism, Interfaith, Politics, India, Israel, Middle East, Islam, Human rights and conflict mitigation have been published. Major news papers in the United States and across the world, including Iran, Somalia, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, European and other Asian Nations have carried them. I have not checked if Timbuktu news papers have carried them as well.

The international forums including the Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions in Melbourne, Australia; the Middle East Peace Initiative in Jerusalem; and the International Leadership Conference in Hawaii, Chicago and Washington have also provided me the platform to speak about Pluralism. 

It is a blessing to have served as a commissioner for the City of Carrollton and president of many a organizations including Home Owners Association, North Texas Cricket Association, and a board member of several non-profits such as the Dallas Peace Center.

No matter where I go, my identity is Indian.

Indian democracy

We are the original Pluralistic Democracy in the world, and can serve as a model to nations where they are experiencing co-emergence of multiple religious people in work place, schools, dining, playground and different aspects of living. They all can look up to India about moving forward despite the difficulties, India's diverse population has successfully co-existed for centuries in relative harmony. Thanks to the founding fathers for embracing that tradition and opting for a Secular democracy upon Indepedence in 1947. Where else on the earth, can you have personal conflicts resolved through your own religious guidance? Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Zoroastrians, Buddhists, Jains and others have their personal laws to square with the personal and family issues as an option. America can benefit from such practices. 

Unresolved Issues

I am glad; we are a pluralistic democracy rather than an autocratic, monarchic or dictatorial system where critical issues take time to resolve through consensus, rather than imposition.  Because of the nature of our governance, we have piled up unresolved conflicts that will take time to heal. Among them are; Sikh Massacre, Babri Masjid-Ram JanamBhoomi, Kashmiri Pundits, Gujarat Massacre, misogyny,  and discrimination against the minorities. There are other issues, but my focus is social issues.

We should not dump these issues onto the next generation, we are conquering the space, we can conquer our prejudices too, that is the greater Jihad (inner struggle) Lord Krishna and Prophet Muhammad had called for. The nation is moving forward despite the issues, and we need to take the initiative and bring closure to them in our life time. They will not go away by burying our heads in the sand.
Standing up for others

Standing up for others is the right thing to do, every human goes through a period of invincibility to vulnerability, if we don't stand up for those who are vulnerable, then who will stand up for us when we are vulnerable? 

The idea of alms, charity, taking care of the elderly, weak, sick and the children is a common theme in every religious tradition. It is indeed the insurance for every one's well being. I cannot be at peace when others around me aren't, and hence it behooves me to take care of the ones who need assistance.  

It’s been my life time honor to stand up for everyone from Atheists to Zoroastrians and every one in between (www.StandingupforOthers.com ).  

Inclusive attitudes are cultivated

Our sense of responsibility is akin to wearing the seat belt. If you live in America, and don't wear the seat belt in the car while you drive, not only you feel guilty, but certainly uncomfortable. It was not the case before the seat belt was made mandatory for the driver and the front seat passenger. It is indeed a consciously learned behavior. I feel the same sense of discomfort, when I get to the podium and not mention or include different religions in the speech. My only fear is excluding others in the public square even by mistake.  To allay that fear; I have learned to start my speeches with Pluralism greetings and prayers that are inclusive of every one including my Atheist friends (Pluralism Speaker).

Thanks to my father, mother, and grandfather who lived their lives as an example inculcating Islamic pluralism in my brothers and the sister, like millions of Muslim parents whom you may have not met.  In my talks, I share small examples and incidents where small things do matter. We learned the Islamic version of Vasudaiva Kutumbukum; the whole world is one family.  

Indeed, Pluralism flows in my veins, and that is respecting the otherness of others and accepting the God-given uniqueness of each one of the 7 billion of us.

Boldly changing the course of history

My father was a Mayor of the town of Yelahanka in the fifties, and we always had construction work at our apartments or remodeling at our historic house, originally owned by the founder of Bangalore, Hon. Kempe Gowda in the 16th century. My father was a maverick, and dared challenging the abusive but prevalent norms of the society, he had the Dalits (shameful word: Untouchables) work at our place, my mother would make them tea or give them food in the plates and cups we used, it was a big no-no in the society at that time, you ‘kept them' away from your house, just as it was for the Blacks in America then. I am proud of my father, and my mother for supporting him in breaking the uncouth norms. He was constantly called on to quit, and at times threatened, but the dare devil held on to his ground firmly and the town loved him dearly and gradually followed his example.

I saw humiliation in the eyes of men, women and children, who came to collect water from the public tap on each corner of the street, the upper caste person would wash the tap three times before he or she collected the water. It was difficult for me, and I played out my share of the drama and mumbling in protest. Despite the significant progress made, we have a long way to go in the housing discrimination, indeed, even in America we have ways to go, but we are all going forward. 

As I am writing this, I grudgingly acknowledge that I have learned nothing new; my father did everything that I am doing now, Gee, a drop of tear rolls down my cheek in reverence to Mahatma Gandhi for becoming a catalyst in uplifting the down trodden and restoring their God-given dignity to them. I just have to pray for the Mahatma for saving the Indian souls by getting rid of guilt from ours minds, by having us open our hearts and minds toward the fellow beings, just as MLK did in America.  

Early influences of Pluralism

Early on in my life, even though I had chosen to be an atheist, and I stayed the course for the next thirty years, but never looked down on any faith like a few of my fanatic Atheist friends do. I have had the opportunity to know and learn about different faiths and sub-cultures. I went to Mahabodhi (Buddhist) Society on Thursdays, Mosque (Muslim) on Fridays, and Bhajan Mandir (Hindu) on Saturday nights. The Interaction with my Jain neighbors and friends, and my mother’s Zoroastrian friend was productive. 

The Saturday afternoon discourse between the Shia Scholar and my Sunni maternal Grandfather and my father laid the foundation of civil dialogue for me. Then, I enjoyed the interaction with Sikhs, Adivasis, Tribals, Khandaris and Banjarans at our mill where we grounded their grain in to flour. The Sikhs were in the Air force and the Tribals were breaking the nearby hills into crushed stone manually, I felt connected with all of them, and did not feel a barrier between me and them.

In the first few years of my childhood I spent Christmas evenings with our neighbors, and I was also dressed up as Krishna with the Makhan (butter) when I was a baby. In my college days, I had serious dialogue with my English Teacher Ramachandran, a Saibaba devotee and my weaver friend Mohamed Fakhru, an Islamic scholar in his own right.

The only religious group I did not interact in India was the Jewish community, but learned about Eishman, the killer of six million Jews, the book was in Urdu language, and my mother prevented me from reading, as she was concerned about her child’s well being, but it created a sense of incompleteness in me for not reading the forbidden book. The completeness to my life came when I organized the first Holocaust commemoration event in 2006 in Dallas. It was the first such event in history, by non-Jewish people. It is our moral duty to understand the atrocities we humans have inflicted upon each other and educate others to say no to such tragic events from even seeding. 

I have spent a lot of time reading, I was always in the library and I enjoy going to the Libaray to this day. Some of my early influencers were Mahatma Gandhi, Jiddu Krishnamurthy, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Swami Vivekananda, Allama Iqbal, Buddha, Abraham Kavoor, Dale Carnegie and a German Scholar who wrote about comparative religions.

It is a blessing to have seen Mahatma Gandhi twice in my dreams in the early 70’s with Bangalore University’s Vice Chancellor Narsimaiah, and the next time in early part of 2000. In both instances, all he said was, son you have work to do and patted on my back, and that has been my inspiration all along to commit to pluralism. It was Gandhi for me.

Gender Pluralism
 
We grew up with Gender equality, the four brothers and the sister were equals in every aspect of life. My father never treated my mother any less, he always consulted her and regretted when he did not. I would have been a farmer or a politician in India, had my mother not insisted, and my father listened to her, here I am today. The images we grew up with were of gender equality, treating men and women the same. The four of us brothers and our sister have all agreed to share the proceeds of the sale of the property of our parents equally. We never questioned it and never thought there could be difference in inheritance laws. 

In the early sixties, we had our first woman mayor in my town Yelahanka, and nearly twenty years later when I visited San Francisco, celebrations were on for electing the first woman mayor in America; Diane Feinstein! I said wow!  
Communal riots

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

During the communal riots in Jabalpur (India) in the early sixties, both Muslims and Hindus were killed in the mayhem, as it happens every time. I wish every father in India, America and elsewhere teaches this lesson to his kids. He was crystal clear on his take; He told us the "individuals" are responsible for the bloodshed and not the religions. If we get the guy who started the conflict and punish him for disturbing peace, rather than calling it a religious issue for the communities to jump in and aggravate it further, we would have saved many lives. He would emphasize that you cannot blame the intangible religion and expect justice, we must blame the individuals who caused it and punish them accordingly for disturbing the peace and thus bring a resolution to the conflict by serving justice. He said you cannot annihilate, kill, hang or beat the religion, then why bark at it?

What is pluralism?

Simply put, it is respecting the otherness of the other and accepting the uniqueness of each one of us. In cultural terms, it is recognizing your culture as a beautiful expression of life to you, as my own is to me. When it comes to food, it is appreciating the Rice you enjoy over the Naan I delight, or vice-versa. For Americans, it is medium rare stake versus the well done. In religious terms, it is learning to honor the way your worship or bow to the creator in gratitude, is as divine as my own. 

Our future is Pluralism. 

By the end of 2020, there will not be a major work place America or India and other places, where you will not find people of different faiths, cultures, ethnicities, races, nationalities and social backgrounds working, eating, playing, marrying, and doing things together.

We need to prepare ourselves for those eventualities to prevent possible conflicts and lay a good foundation for nurturing goodwill and effective functioning of the societies.  Exclusive communities will become a thing of the past. (Foundation for Pluralism, Pluralism Center)

Being a Muslim, I am deeply committed to nurturing the pluralistic values embedded in Islam (World Muslim congress). The role of a Muslim is to mitigate conflicts and nurture goodwill, most people get that, a few don’t, just as with any other religious group. 

Pluralism is our future, and as a futurist, based on the trends, I foresee, that two generations from now, we would be comfortable in saying, my religion, culture or life style is one of the many choices, and further down the road, a significant number will proclaim that my way of life is not superior or inferior to any.

They will consider ‘claiming superiority’ would be sheer arrogance and religion (a major part of life to many) is believed to imbue humility that builds societies, communities and nations in creating that elusive kingdom of heaven where all of us can live  without apprehension or fear of the other.

We are one nation

We are one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. We are represented by every race, nationality, ethnicity, language, culture and religion. We see God as one, none and many and in every form; male, female, genderless and non-existent, being and non-being, nameless and with innumerable names. Indeed, we must preserve the pluralistic heritage of America.

About India
We are Adivasis, Atheists, Baha’is, Bos, Buddhists, Christians, Dalits, Hindus, Jains, Jewish, Muslim, Sikhs, Tribals, Zoroastrians and every possible grouping. We are Brown, Black, White, Yellow and green with envy and phir bhi dil hai Hindustani (My heart is Indian).

Our Motherland is represented by every race, nationality, ethnicity, language, culture and religion. We see God as one, none and many; and in every form; male, female, genderless and non-existent, being and non-being, nameless and with innumerable names. 

We are proud of our heritage - a multi-faith, multi-cultural, multi-regional and multi-linguistic society, where we have come to accept and respect every which way people have lived their lives. For over 5000 years, India has been a beacon of pluralism - it has embraced Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Baha'i and Zoroastrianism to include in the array of the indigenous religions; Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism.  

What we need to do

We may want to consciously start thinking and acting as one people, one people within a nation and a community and one people globally. It's like home when we are conflict free.  I do hope each one of us purges any bias towards the other, there is joy in being free from ill-will. Try to be free from it this day forward… free from anything that prevents you from being a part of the parts or the whole.  

Our combined philosophies believe in one world ; Hinduism describes the world as Vasudaiva Kutumbukum, the whole world is one family, the idea of Ek Onkar(one) in Sikhism, you are all created from the same couple as Quraan puts it and Jesus embraced every one regardless of who any one is... similar philosophies are grounded in all our religions.  

The book and the Movie

Insha Allah, my book, The American Pluralist will be released shortly, it is a chronicle of how things work in bringing the communities together, it is dedicated to India’s pluralistic heritage; India’s gift to America.   

The movie is about building a cohesive America, where no American has to live with anxiety, apprehension, discomfort or fear of the other. One must be free to live his or her life to the fullest in pursuit of happiness.

I believe the civility of a nation is determined by how it treats its weak, economically backward, the men and women in ditches, the voiceless, its women and the minorities.


A few links referred to in the writing are: 

1. The Ghouse diary . www.TheGhouseDiary.com
2. My profile -  http://www.mikeghouse.net/Profile.asp
3. Mike Ghouse for India - http://MikeGhouseforIndia.blogspot.com
4. My Real name - http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2010/01/my-name-is-mike-ghouse.html
5. Pluralism Speaker -http://www.mikeghouse.net/InterfaithSpeaker_MikeGhouse.asp
6. Muslim Speaker - http://mikeghouse.net/MuslimSpeaker.MikeGhouse.asp
7. Curriculum Vitae - http://www.mikeghouse.net/MikeGhouse-CV-09192012.pdf
8. Linked in profile -  http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=3451402&trk=tab_pro
9. Foundation for Pluralism - www.FoundationforPluralism.com
10. World Muslim Congress - www.WorldMuslimCongress.com
11. Quraan Conference - www.QuraanConference.com
12. America together Foundation - www.AmericaTogetherFoundation.com
13. Standing up for others - www.Standingupforothers.com
14. Reflections Annual Holocaust and Genocides -www.HolocaustandGenocides.com
15. Unity Day USA - www.UnitydayUSA.com 
16. 30 Blogs - http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2012/11/mike-ghouse-list-of-sites-and-blogs.html
17. Video- Trailer Americans Together - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMXsTo4VYh8
18. Video- My story, Part I -  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLiQeOo9oEs
19. Video- My story, Part II - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLiQeOo9oEs
20. Video - My latest talk at Gurdwara - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNxrf8fFU0I
21. Video-  July4th Tippu Sultan - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXNS365UEw4
22. Video - Quraan Translation/Bhagvad Gita - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZOFLQSAOhA
23. Video - Immigration Rally - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrjU0KULv-Y
24. Video- Pluralism Prayers - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mc9D9guPMY
25. Video- Pluralism greetings, Chicago - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eo3a8wX6SXQ
26. Video - There are over 200 links on the YouTube.

** There are many such issues, that no one has dared to bring a resolution, for example; the atrocities committed by some of the kings from the Mughal era havedeeply wounded the psyche of our Population, Hindus among us are hurt and are subconsciously enslaved to the idea of getting even with Muslims, who have nothing to do with what those kings did, and Muslims on the other hand have not washed their hands completely off the Moghuls, as if they were our relatives. The Sikh Genocide of 1984, the Gujarat Genocide of Muslims, the abusive treatment of Dalits (the misclassified lower rung of the society), and the unchecked reservations system has boomeranged discriminating the well qualified because they are not classified in the lower rung. These will not go away, the simmer inside and act out in denyingsimple opportunties of life to another Indian. Shame on all of us, that we have not let a fellow Indian feel secure in the pursuit of his or her happiness.We should not let economic problems

Jai Hind

Mike Ghouse
In Summary; 
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Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, peace, Islam,Israel, India, interfaith, and cohesion at work place and standing up for others as an activist. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. Mike has a presence on national and local TV, Radio and Print Media. He is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News, fortnightly at Huffington post, and several other periodicals across the world. His personal sitewww.MikeGhouse.net indexes everything you want to know about him.