Book Release - American Muslim Agenda

THE BOOK – American Muslim Agenda
Muslims Together Building a Cohesive America

• To order call:  1-888-795-4274 x 4528
• To order online –https://www.xlibris.com/Bookstore/BookDetail.aspx?Book=547287
• Softcover $19.99 / Hardcover $29.99
• If you would like to receive a signed copy, please send an email to AmericanMuslimAgenda@gmail.com
• What is the book about?
• What do the Scholars say about the book?
• Talking points
• Media Inquiries to AmericanMuslimAgenda@gmail.com

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 What is the book about?  

You will be pleased to see your vision of America resonate in the book. Even though the title is ”American Muslim Agenda,” it is for all Americans.

One of the purposes in naming the book is for my fellow Americans who have misunderstood Muslims to pick up the book and read, and my fellow Muslims who have misunderstood Islam to take a look the at the pristine Islam that they long for, it is not lost, we have to revive it. Islam is not about ruling or dictating others; it is about living your life and letting others live theirs, one of the 12 strongest values of Islam is freewill that Muslims have forgotten.   I have cited the Quran extensively with reinforcing practices of the prophet.

There are occasional references of wisdom drawn from Atheism to Zoroastrianism and every faith in between. You will see Jesus in Muhammad, Torah in Quran or Bhagavad Gita’s reflections or Buddhas Middle path or Nanak’s service to humanity.

You may like this note that Dr. Frank Islam has highlighted.

“I am intrigued by the book, particularly the chapter on the Essence of Islam. The great Talmudic sage Rabbi Hillel in the first century BC said, “What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. That is the whole Torah; the rest is the explanation of this—to study it!” Dr. Ghouse responds to Rabbi Hillel with a corollary on Islam, “God wants us to respect the otherness of the others and accept the uniqueness of each human. That is the whole Quran; the rest is the explanation of this—to study it!”

MUSLIMS TOGETHER BUILDING A COHESIVE AMERICA

This book, The American Muslim Agenda, is a primer, a blueprint, a road map for American Muslims to consider. A Muslim is someone who is a conflict mitigater and a goodwill nurturer, following the formula for peaceful societies practiced by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and guided by the Quran. As a community, American Muslims have not developed any concrete plans to extricate themselves out of the chaotic situations, hostility and incessant Islamophobic rhetoric we face. Each time a terrorist acts out, we start praying and wishing that the terrorist not be a Muslim. We are Americans, and we can do better than that. This book paves the way for us to own the mistakes we have made, remedy them, and become fully integrated Americans. There is only one America, and all of us are fully integrated parts of that nation. We need to learn to engage with those who are opposed to us, and I have some good success stories to share on that front. When we start defending America and American values we are in! We become an integral part of American Fabric.

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What do the Scholars say about the book?

Bob Roberts, Renowned Evangelical Pastor & Founder of Global.net Author Bold as Love

I’m so grateful for the work of Mike Ghouse and his desire to build bridges.  You will love this book, it’s about how Muslims in America think, and how we should all be connected regardless of faith.  For too long, we’ve ignored the divide between Muslims and Christians and the result is we are prone to believe the worst about one another.  Thanks, Mike for this important book.

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Bob Crane, first Muslim US Ambassador

Mike Ghouse’s path-breaking book, American Muslim Agenda, recommends a new agenda in the form of a paradigm shift from the negativism of attacking Islamophobia to the constructive support of America’s founding vision as a model of every world religion’s essence in compassionate justice. This is based on the interfaith search for transcendent truth from both scriptures and natural law in order to translate this wisdom into principles of both ethical value and jurisprudence.  These principles, in turn, are essential to guide the modern think-tanks that shape policy agendas, as well as to inform the voters and legislators who have the practical responsibility to translate the vision of compassionate justice into both societal and institutional reform.  This is what it has always meant to be an American.

Fi Aman Allah,

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Dr. Laleh Bakhtiar, first Muslim woman scholar to translate the Quran sensitively! 
Endorsement for The American Muslim Agenda by Mike Ghouse The author presents a challenge to American Muslims to lose their egos and integrate themselves into being fully Muslim, fully American. They have a Muslim example to follow and it is that of spiritual chivalry (javanmardi, futuwwah).

Spiritual chivalry is that the spiritual warrior constantly strives for the sake of others. It is not seeing yourself as superior to others, to be an enemy of your own soul for the sake of your Lord, to act justly without demanding justice for yourself. Spiritual chivalry is to manifest a beautiful character.

The spiritual warrior (fata or the feminine, fatat) is a person who has a sense of honor, is called ‘he who breaks the idol.’ God Most High has said [in the Quran], ‘We heard a spiritual warrior named Abraham speak of them [the idols Abraham broke]’ [21:20]. And He said, ‘And he (Abraham, the spiritual warrior) made them [the idols] fragments’ [21:60]. The idol of every person is his own ego, so in reality, whoever opposes his own passions is a ‘spiritual warrior’.

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 Dr. Tariq Cheema, Founder, World Congress of Muslim Philanthropists

“Bold and brilliant Mike Ghouse. He has not just drawn a roadmap for Muslim Americans to contribute to the society meaningfully but highlighted the unique value proposition of Muslims that mainstream America can bank upon to progress. In fragmented America today, the hope lies in the people of faith who believe in social justice and cohesion. This book is an open invitation and a call to action for all those men and women of conscience.”

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 Rabbi Gerald Serotta, Executive Director, Interfaith Conference of Washington

Dr. Mike Ghouse is a warrior for conflict resolution and a partisan for non-partisan dialogue. He aims to bring all voices to the table of religious pluralism that he sets with the “agenda” in this book.  He and I have shared presentations on panels where the perspective centers on covenantal pluralism, the idea that a God who can treasure one faith community must have the will and power to treasure all moral communities of whatever faith or of no faith.  May his efforts in articulating the agenda for his beloved Muslim community inspire other faith leaders to delve self-critically and responsibly into the resources within their own religions to move beyond tolerance to a loving and robust mutual appreciation.  Our times need his voice and need others to speak out as well.

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Dr. Harbans Lal, Emeritus Professor, and Chairman, 
Dept of Pharmacology & Neuroscience, UNT Health Science Center, Texas

It is only recently that many courageous scholars and public servants began to tell what the real Islam was. Guru Nanak wrote hundreds of hymns in the Sikh scripture on who is a good Muslim. I am glad to see the recent book by Mike Ghouse. Mike began nearly 15 years ago to set the stage right. He started with a radio show on the world’s religions. I remember my frequent participation there and answering Mike’s piercing questions. Then he contributed hundreds of columns in leading newspapers and magazines. Now, he came up with his book that elucidates the purpose of religion in general and the role of Islam in particular as a member of the community of faiths.  I recommend this book to the Muslim community and their neighbors who are the followers of other religions. In facts, the adherents of other religions might consider Mike’s approach in spreading the sacred words of the founders of their beliefs.

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Dr. Zia H Shah MD, Chief Editor of the Muslim Times International.

This beautiful, well-written book, is the next level thinking for the Muslims, many of whom still live in the medieval paradigm of ‘them’ versus ‘us.’ Mike Ghouse is the Messiah for pluralism to pull the Muslims out of a sectarian vision, to a genuine universal brotherhood and sisterhood, befitting our global village, for the 21st century.

It is a must read for every Muslim living in the West, who is desirous of genuine integration, to benefit from all the good that rational and democratic human societies have to offer.  By the same token, it is a must-read for every Westerner, who wants to grasp the genuine peaceful and inclusive vision of true Islam.

The book is a breath of fresh air, away from the political Islam of the Islamists or the Islamophobes, a futuristic vision of coexistence, where we not only tolerate our differences but celebrate them.

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 Dr. Frank Islam, Philanthropist, and a Scholar, Washington
I am intrigued by the book, particularly the chapter on the Essence of Islam.
The great Talmudic sage Rabbi Hillel in the first century BC said, “What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. That is the whole Torah; the rest is the explanation of this—to study it!” Dr. Ghouse responds to Rabbi Hillel with a corollary on Islam, “God has created us into different races, religions, sizes, colors and other uniqueness’s, respecting the otherness of the other and accepting the God-given uniqueness is the whole Quran and the rest is the explanation of this – to study it.”

* * * * *

Dr. Safi Kaskas, Modern translator of Quran, his translations have been referenced in the book.

Dr. Mike Ghouse is a courageous American Muslim. At a time when Muslims are under attack, he courageously stood tall and walked into the enemy’s camp to talk to them and to explain Islam as he knows it.

His book, American Muslim Agenda, is the summary of his experiences and vision for his Muslim community and America his country. I think we Muslims will be wise to listen to what he is saying and take steps away from our antiquated stands of us and them toward a new Quranic vision of competing in doing what is good.

The future of Muslims in America is what Muslims decide to make of it. In order to be successful, we need to think and really understand the environment in which we live. We also need to understand Islam with fresh eyes on the future, taking in consideration the need to find new solutions to the new problems we are facing without compromising our basic beliefs. This requires courage and resilience. It requires leadership coming from within the Muslim community, with the ability to unite and lead.

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 Talking points of the book

I have acknowledged the mistakes Muslims have made,  including an apology to Jews, Christians, and Hindus and have offered solutions to go forward.

Every question you have about “American Muslims” will be answered
in a book signing event, or a special meeting you may consider organizing.

1. Why I wrote the book?
2. Muslim Woman President of the United States in 2036
3. What does it take to run for public office?
4. What are the 12 Islamic Values to shape future societies?
5. Why is this book a reference Manual?
6. Are Muslims a part of the American story?
7. What does it take to be an Amin?
8. Spineless Muslim Leadership9. Mistakes Muslims have made and fixing them10. Rejecting public Sharia
11. Criticism of the Quran, Islam and the prophet
12. Dealing with conservatives
13. Pristine Islam
14. Extremism
15. More

Contact information:

Mike Ghouse
(214) 325-1916
Washington, DC
AmericanMuslimAgenda@gmail.com

Dr. Mike Ghouse is committed to building a cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. His new book, the “American Muslim Agenda” guides Muslims and non-Muslims alike to mitigate conflicts and nurture goodwill. The book will be available at the end of January 2019 in all the bookstores. Mike is a public speaker, author, interfaith wedding officiant, and the executive director of the Center for Pluralism in Washington, DC. More about him at https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeghouse/

McKinney Texas; police brutality is not acceptable, we demand an investigation.

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/ 

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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 

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and I

As a kid I learned things about him and did not relate with him at all, he was too divine and remote for me. All that changed when I read the book "Muhammad" by Karen Armstrong. She narrates his life from a non-religious point of view, as a civic leader of the society, a dimension that I appreciated it very much. Karen Armstrong's book is one of the five reasons I chose to become a Muslim after a lapse of nearly three decades. He was a man that I can relate with, making decisions that create trust, mutual respect and a sense of fairness among his people at that time. That was indeed the role of every prophet and peacemaker of the time. Mike Ghouse

How I Connect With Prophet Muhammad
Published by Huffington Post
On 01/25/2013 9:48 pm
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/how-i-connect-with-prophet-muhammad_b_2547782.html
 
 

How do I relate with the prophet? I don't wear clothes like him, eat like him or live like him. But when it comes to respecting fellow beings, nurturing goodwill, mitigating conflicts, forgiving others and building cohesive societies, I can relate.

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was born on 12th day of Rabi' al-Awwal, the third month of the Islamic calendar, and the year was 571 A.D. The birth celebrations will continue through this week, and if you wish to greet a Muslim, you can say, Milaad (birth) Greetings, Happy Maulood-an-Nabi, Maulood-an-Nabi Mubarak, happy Eid Milaad and Milaad's blessings to you.

First thing first, he took the larger view of the society and became a model of what it takes to be an exemplary citizen. The first requirement of any civil society is to trust each other in living their daily life safely and without fear of the other. He earned the trust of the society for being truthful, honest in his dealings, trustworthy and just. The Jews, Christians, pagans and others called him Amin, the trust worthy. That was indeed the first foundational Sunnah (prophet's example).

Wherever he saw conflicts between people, he found a way to mitigate and nurture goodwill amongst them. Indeed, he was committed to building a cohesive society, where no one feared the other, and he continuously built upon creating balance and harmony in the society. Blessed are the peacemakers, said Jesus! Indeed, Prophet Muhammad is my mentor.

Muslims celebrate his birthday in a variety of ways, including cooking the simplest food as an expression of humility. They sing the likes of Christmas carols, called Milaad, Nasheed, even Milaad Carols and other names. I have found it peaceful to think about his work and reflect on how I could relate with him, the ultimate peacemaker.

Do I forgive often? Do I stand up for the rights of others? Am I a blessing to fellow humans? Do others feel secure and safe around me? Today, I have concluded my day with a short prayer and a commitment and get on the road. God willing, I will follow him to the best of my ability.

As a kid I learned things about him and did not relate with him at all, he was too divine and remote for me. All that changed when I read the book "Muhammad" by Karen Armstrong. She narrates his life from a non-religious point of view, as a civic leader of the society, a dimension that I appreciated it very much. Karen Armstrong's book is one of the five reasons I chose to become a Muslim after a lapse of nearly three decades. He was a man that I can relate with, making decisions that create trust, mutual respect and a sense of fairness among his people at that time. That was indeed the role of every prophet and peacemaker of the time.

When someone hurts me, I think of the prophet, he advised against score keeping and piling revenge and aggravating each other, and I love the freedom it gives me, freedom from brooding and obsession to get even with the other.

When someone dialogues with me, prophet's words jump at me, to respect the otherness of other, without having to agree but respectfully differ and move on. Indeed, it is a big lesson in conducting civil dialogue.

When I am frustrated, I think of prophet's narration, God told him to do his work, and not worry if people don't get his message, give them the room to make up their own minds, and let me guide them, and you respect everyone's free will.

Every day, I think about the Prophet, how he would have found a solution to a given conflict, and all I see is the application of the principles of fairness and justice to every human, with goodness and inclusiveness.

My spiritual mentors are Muhammad (pbuh) and Jesus (pbuh), and my civic mentors are Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and Barack Obama.

When I think of getting even with someone who maligns me, I think of the advice of Prophet Muhammad and Jesus: The best thing we can do is to forgive the other; it brings relief and frees us from being possessed.

When I see injustice done to others, the prophets words ring again, the least you can do is to speak out against injustice. Injustice to one is injustice to the whole humanity.

When I see inequality in our society, our immortal declaration of independence kicks in for me, that all men are created equal. I think of prophet's last sermon, where he said no man is superior to the other and that all are equal.

Whenever I think of the liberation of women, I think of the prophet, he was perhaps the first women's libber; and he officially liberated women from the shackles of the bondages. He was a radical of his time, as Jesus was, and said women are free to marry or divorce, own their own business and property, separate from their husbands, and he introduced the idea of consent and free will in marriage. Let's not judge America by the Newtown, Aurora and Oak Creek murderers, and let's not judge Muslims by the misogynistic men among them either.

Whenever I feel judgmental toward others, the prophet's voice pulls me back, only God knows everything about the other, not me, then let me not judge anyone without the full knowledge.

When I think of standing up for others, I think of Gandhi and MLK, if we don't stand up for others, why should anyone stand up for us.

Whenever the idea of being better than others crosses my mind, I think of the prophet, who said, I am a human like you, and don't make a God out of me or paint my pictures and put me on the pedestal. He even said to his daughter, you earn your paradise through your good deeds, the good you do to the fellow beings and not because you are the Prophet's daughter.

Whenever arrogance attempts to creep in me, I hear the words of the prophet, "Treat all prophets the same, no human is above the other" -- instead of saying I am the greatest prophet and listen to me. Feeling and practicing equality is the way for creating peaceful societies.

I will be writing a full chapter on the prophet in my upcoming book, as to how I relate with him in my daily life, and I have learned to give a 20 minutes motivations talk on "Prophet the Peacemaker" and that is rejoicing.

Further reading:

• The Peacemaker
• Criticism of Islam

Milaad Mubarak!

 Follow Mike Ghouse on Twitter: www.twitter.com/MikeGhouse 

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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 strong 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 everything you want to know about him. 

HAPPY 2013: Commitment is the key to a successful life

The best thing you can do for yourselves is to spend an hour between today and tomorrow with a pen and a piece of paper or its equivalent to reflect on your life. The best place to go is your library or wherever you can find quietness.

Lay the foundation for your 2013. Your best investment for 2013 would be an hour invested in yourselves and your family. The best way to go about is, to have an attitude, whether you achieve or not, but you are going to have a blue print as a guidance, rather than a stick to beat yourselves up.

When you draw the outlines tonight, at least you know where you are going, because you wrote it down instead of “I know it-I know it- bullshit” – let’s bring some discipline in our lives.
Yasmeen and I will be doing this tonight and asking our family and friends, and the people we know to make that effort, we are asking you to do the same tonight or tomorrow.

Write 7 headlines and start filling bullets in to each item

1) Health: broad and narrow goals with possible contingencies

2) Family: Time for each other, family and friends – an approximation of time you will spend per day, week or year. You will find pleasant surprises.

3) Income: all the work, education, business, professional activities that add to your income

4) Volunteer: It would enrich your life, if you can give at least 1 hour a week, three hours a week would be ideal. You can double your joy if you serve others, that is volunteer at a school, hospital, city hall, shelter, goodwill, salvation army, soup kitchens, church, temple, synagogue or Mosque, and make sure you don’t belong to the group or faith you are serving. There should be nothing in return to be true service.

5) Spirituality – Time for reflection about life, God, religious and humanitarian services.

6) Self-improvement – Reading books, taking courses to make yourselves an all round person.

7) Questions – No matter what you are reading or hearing, including religious, business or political talk, unless you question and see another point of view, your life would be incomplete if you do not see another point of view.

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The next step is to review last year’s high and low points within each one of the headings, and if you don't like to see the low points again, write down, and if you want a few changes for 2013, make notes and then ponder how you can get there. There is nothing more peaceful than knowing yourselves, make the commitment and just do it.

Thanks for the friendship, and thanks for sharing your thoughts, ideas, likes, comments in 2012. For some of us, thank God 2012 is over and for some, it was a great year.

I hope you find the following message meaningful. If you have the space, please feel free to share on your facebook, twitter, like and comment.- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/charting-a-successful-life-in-2013-with-a-firm-commitment_b_2372394.html?utm_hp_ref=email_share

Wish you and your loved ones, the very best of 2013.

Please review the work we do at– www.americaTogetherfoundation.com and www.FoundationforPluralism.com and if you like what we are doing, please consider contributing $50, $100, $1000, $5000 or whatever your budget allows, we all can aspire to build a great society. Please Donate: www.AmericatogetherFoundation.com/donate



We are committed to build a cohesive America, where no one has to live in apprehension, discomfort or fear of the other.

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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 site www.MikeGhouse.net indexes everything you want to know about him.

Texas Faith: Why do we say grace over a meal, including at Thanksgiving?

http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2012/11/texas-faith-why-do-we-say-grace-over.html

Expression of gratitude is the ultimate balancing act in everyone’s life. We know from whom we receive the good and to whom we offer our gratitude. The absence of a simple “thank you” creates an imbalance in the relationship and spiritual energy while a simple “thank you” will tie the loose ends and restore the balance - Mike Ghouse

 
Texas Faith: Why do we say grace over a meal, including at Thanksgiving?

The Texas Faith blog is a discussion among formal and informal religious leaders whose faith traditions express a belief in a transcendent power – or the possibility of one. While all readers are invited to participate in this blog, by responding in the comments section, discussion leaders are those whose religion involves belief in a divine higher power or those who may not believe in a transcendent power but leave room for the possibility of one. Within this framework, moderators William McKenzie and Wayne Slater seek to bring a diversity of thinkers onto the Texas Faith panels.

But why do we say grace over a meal, including a traditional one like the Thanksgiving dinner?

MIKE GHOUSE, President, Foundation for Pluralism, Dallas

Life is a self-balancing act. Everything we do and say is spiritual as well as a real-life transaction that moves the needle from balance to imbalance, and back to balance.
 
The mechanism is built around forgiveness, repentance, service and gratitude. These values are a product of co-existence and inculcated through religious teachings. However, atheists would also achieve the same without invoking God.

The accountant chants that for every debit there is a credit. The physicist has proved that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. And the doctor declares that blood lost from the body of an individual must be replenished with an equal amount of blood to sustain life.
 
As a spiritualist I say, for every wrong we do, an equal amount of energy is drained from us. And for every good we do, energy is recouped. We are constantly receiving and giving energy. Intake and output must be equal to have a healthy living, or else we are thrown off balance.

For every hurt we hurl on others, an equal amount of burden gets dumped on us. Until we say “sorry” and repent genuinely, the energy balance within us deteriorates. The transaction remains incomplete.

Why do we say grace over a meal?

Expression of gratitude is the ultimate balancing act in everyone’s life. We know from whom we receive the good and to whom we offer our gratitude. The absence of a simple “thank you” creates an imbalance in the relationship and spiritual energy while a simple “thank you” will tie the loose ends and restore the balance.

When the giver is not identified, to whom do we give thanks? The accident we got out of safely, the job we did not lose or the meal we are able to have must be accounted for. 

For believers, that source is identified as God, and it behooves them to say grace over the meal. The transaction will be fully complete when we become considerate to those who do not have the same basic things in life as we do. Prophet Muhammad had said when you have nothing to give to others; the least you can give is hope, and a smile to let them know that we care.

Published in Dallas Morning News. Message from all contributors at:
http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/2012/11/texas-faith-why-do-we-say-grace-over-a-meal-including-at-thanksgiving.html/
 

 
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Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, peace making, foreign policy, Islam, Israel, India, Pakistan, interfaith, and cohesion at work place or social settings. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. Mike has a strong presence on national local TV, Radio and Print Media, and 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 everything you want to know about him.

Volatile Middle East - solutions by Mike Ghouse

Killing of Ambassador Stevens, Film on Muhammad and the attacks on our Embassy in Benghazi and Cairo messes up the average person. Indeed, there is a pluralistic solution available to the situation, it is much better than the show-off who can do most harm to each other. The solution is low cost, and is sustainable.

If there were a foreign policy or religious crises, Mike Ghouse is called in to offer pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. Part of the solution was taped in our Dallas offices by Bud Gillette of CBS News and shared it on the evening News, and due to President’s speech last night on Hannity, Mike’s offer to present a long term solution to the crises did not happen, and however, he intends to present some of the solutions in a paper, most likely to be published in Huffington Post, meanwhile he is available to offer solutions.

It started on 9/11/2001 when Mike was called in by Radio station AM1150 to take charge and make sense. For the next eight hours Mike got the community, civic and business leaders to get on the radio and bring some coherence to the chaotic situation of the day - at the end of the day, people were driven to donate blood, hold interfaith prayerss and raise funds for the victims.

Now Mike will write a full report at Huffington post, meanwhile, he will offer valuable solutions on Radio and TV networks about the value of freedom of expression, the film on Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), our foreign policy, bullying, war or long term solutions for the safety and security of America.

Quraan, Islam and Muslims defend the right of individuals; the acts of the rogues clearly violate the guidelines laid out by God, Prophet Muhammad and Islam. Muslims throughout the world have condemned this disgusting behavior of these men who killed our Ambassador and four of our officers serving us, and have scaled our embassy in Cairo.

The bully in us wants to bomb and annihilate the whole country of Libya and Egypt. We probably can do that, but remember two outcomes from it. Our violence generates more violence and will make us more vulnerable wherever we go. That is not the kind of life we want live. We are a free people and must preserve our freedom through wisdom, or the destruction of others will destroy us and our economy as we are living it now. The bully among those radicals has similar sentiments about us. How do we come out of it? Jesus and Muhammad both have taught us how to handle this.

As a society we can view these incidents from two different perspectives, and consider two different solutions. Blaming Islam is the useless thing to do. Islam did not authorize them do what they have done; they have done it on their own. Each one of the 312 Million Americans follows the same criminal laws; 99% of us obey them, where 1% doesn’t. We don’t blame our laws for those that don’t abide by them; we blame the bad guys and incarcerate them.

The bad guys went crazy upon the trailer of the film Mohammad. Did Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) authorize what they did? Did Quraan authorize what they did? Absolutely not, on the contrary Quraan is absolutely clear - if someone insults you, don’t carry on the conversations with them and adds, if you insult others, they will insult you.

The criminals are always good in blaming someone else - in this case Islam. We should not be gullible enough to buy their argument and start barking at religion instead of the criminals.

Freedom of speech and expression is the most sacred value of civilizations, and at no cost we need to compromise on them. What the dumb men did not realize is that they are actually promoting the movie by their violence. Had they chosen to follow the guidance of Quraan, to walk away from it, none of this would have happened.

The evil things we do are not Christian, Jewish, Islamic or Hindu in nature, they are our acts, and each one of us who violates the sanctity of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness of others need to be rounded up, instead of killing and getting killed and living in fear that is the responsible thing to do.

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Mike Ghouse is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. He is a professional speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, civic affairs, Islam, India,Israel, peace and justice. Mike is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity showon Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News and regularly atHuffington post, and several other periodicals across the world. The blogwww.TheGhousediary.com is updated daily. Talk/Text (214) 325-1916

TEXAS FAITH: Evangelical leaders finding an alternative to Romney

The Dallas Morning News' Wayne Slater and Texas Faith moderator Wayne Slater reported last week that a group of prominent conservative evangelical leaders are gathering at a Texas ranch this weekend to decide about a candidate they could unite behind as an alternative to Mitt Romney.

The invited include James Dobson of Focus on the Family, Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention, Christian Zionist pastor John Hagee, Kelly Shackelford of the Liberty Institute and Don Wildmon of the American Family Association. Southern Baptist leader Paul Pressler is hosting them. With that as the background, here is this week's question:

If you were invited to join other religious leaders in coalescing behind a candidate, would you attend? Ten Texas Faith panelists respond to the question in Dallas Morning News, here is my response:

MIKE GHOUSE, President, Foundation for Pluralism, Dallas

Yes, I would attend.

If they are considering endorsing a candidate for the presidency of the United States and possibly inviting me, it becomes my responsibility to attend and be a part of the decision making in agreeing with them or asserting a nay, regardless of the outcome.

To disengage ourselves from people we don’t agree with is to give them a tacit approval to go ahead with their plans; by refusing to attend we are giving them a reason to dig in their heels.

Can the Pastor of a Church publicly endorse a candidate without influencing or dividing his or her congregation? Is that a fine line that blurs the separation of Church and state?

The wise men have said it all along, bad things happen in the society not (exclusively) because of bad people, but because good people do nothing about it. I do not want to abdicate my responsibility of speaking up.

No American needs to beg for approval if he or she is qualified, I may or may not vote for Romney but I will stand up for his right to contest and the right to serve our nation. The qualifications and abilities of the candidate should matter to us and not his faith,

The evangelicals rightfully condemn the persecution of Christians in Egypt, Indonesia, Pakistan, Israel, China, India, Sudan and elsewhere, and as Americans we have rightfully condemned all of that plus the persecution of Baha’is, Zoroastrians, Jews, Hindus, Wicca, Sikhs, Buddhists, Pagans, Ahmadiyya, Shia and other Muslims in other parts of the world.

Should we not be ashamed of our duplicity towards Mormons, Muslims and Gay communities in America? What message are we sending to the bigoted nations out there? Do more of what they do? Are we worth emulating?

To push Romney aside for his faith is Anti-American, bigoted and unpatriotic, at least that seems to be the intention of the six individuals gathering up.

We need to be a part of the society and not let a whimsical few run our nation. Indeed, I will attend and speak up for a cohesive America where no American has to live in discomfort, apprehension or fear of the other.

Wasn’t that what Jesus wanted? Isn’t that what Americans want?

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To view all the 12 opinions, please visit Dallas Morning News link - http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2012/01/texas-faith-evangelical-leader.html

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Mike Ghouse is committed to building a cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. A writer, thinker and a speaker and is available to speak on pluralism, politics, Islam, peace, cohesive societies and a variety of topics. Check out 4 websites and 27 Blogs indexed at www.MikeGhouse.net. Current articles at www.TheGhousediary.com