American Muslim Agenda - What is it?

What is that Americans Muslims want? How close are they to what you want? What can they do about it? What are your issues with each other? If you are a conservative, grudgingly, you'll see the value in this book, and if you are a moderate, you'll dance and sing along with joy.

You and I have a responsibility to create a world where, you, me, and our grandchildren can live without apprehensions. No matter we go, we should feel secure about faith, race, ethnicity, culture and our political and sexual orientation.

Would the book American Muslim Agenda bring attitudinal change among Muslims?  Yes, it will, it’s akin to planting seeds and nurturing it to give the beneficence to the next generation. I know most American Muslims will wholeheartedly subscribe to the refreshed understanding of Islam, we need to expand it to more Americans.

Some of the reservations we have about Muslims and Islam are based on what we have heard from our parents, teachers, clergy, favorite media people and others.  We need to find the truth on our own and find freedom from misunderstandings. It is a blessing to be free.

Muslims have shied away from confronting difficult issues about their faith, and most of them don't even have a clue about the essence of Islam, it was never articulated before in the history of Islam. 

A few medieval scholars have reduced Islam to rituals, five pillars, dhimmi, jizya, sharia, externalities, and enforcement of your rules on to others. That is not Islam, and most Muslims can recite verses that Islam is about free will. God uploaded free will into Adam’s DNA, and emphasized it in the Quran, the prophet practiced ‘freewill’ and established examples for it. Sadly, Muslims know the truth but were bullied into silence with fatwa bombs. All I have done is articulated what Muslims believe, but dared not say it. The book is the voice of the majority of ‘American’ Muslims.

This book is a product of twenty years of research and thousands of discussions in which Muslims, non-Muslims, and “Islamophobes” have participated in it, including debates on Fox News with Sean Hannity, Stuart Varney, Pamela Geller, Brigitte Gabrielle, Robert Spencer, Jamie Glazov, Raymond Ibrahim, Walid Shoebat, Wafa Sultan, and several others.  

Islam is about living your life and letting others live theirs. Islam is about building cohesive societies where all of God's creation lives with dignity and freedom. In God’s universe, we are merely a speck, and no one is more privileged than the other. If you are a moderate individual of any faith, you will find the book in tune with you.

It is time to go beyond the five pillars of Islam, and I hope the Imams and Muslim scholars who are free thinkers would appreciate the contents of the book. This book may indeed become a reference manual for teaching Islamic values that contribute to creating a better world for all humanity.

The American Muslim Agenda offers guidance to Muslims to be one with all, and it voices what Muslims believe and live with and empowers them to live their lives and let others live with free will.  The book opens the door to people of other faiths to shed their biases and join hands in creating a world of safety, security, and harmony for all humanity.

Islam is a public religion, and Muslims don't own it exclusively. You are invited to participate in discussions, including your faith.  The book is expected to initiate conversations about the nature of Islam and fellow humans. I welcome your criticism (after reading the book).

You can get the book by calling 1-888-795-4274 x 4528 or get it from Amazon online or a book store. You can find the talking points at www.AmericanMuslimAgenda.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” is about everything you wanted to know about Muslims. The book is available at Xlibris and Amazon. 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/

Holocaust and Genocides

14^th Annual Reflections on Holocaust and Genocides

Approx. 3:30 PM Sunday, January 27, 2019, | First Event at 2:00 PM
Jewish Muslim Perspectives on Mysticism at Islamic Society of the Washington Area
2701 Briggs Chaney Rd., Silver Spring, MD 20905 

CLICK FOR:   RSVP | INFO | ABOUT

 

The Center for Pluralism and the World Muslim Congress are deeply committed to education and regularly bring Americans together to learn about each other’s joys and suffering. It is an initiative to build responsible civic societies, where justice and co-existence are our values.

The 14th Annual Holocaust and Genocides event is an effort to stand with all the men, women and children who have endured the apprehension of Holocaust, genocides, massacres, bombs, annihilation, land mines, hunger, rape, torture, occupation, and inhuman brutality.

The least we can do in the process of healing is to acknowledge everyone's pain in one voice. We have begun the process of coming together as one people and stand with each other, we are indeed one world and only humanity, and caring for each other bring safety and peace to all of us. I cannot be safe if the people around me are not, and I will not have peace if people around me don't. It is in my interest to seek a peaceful world for one and all.

There is a shameless cruelty in us, either we shy away from facing or refuse to acknowledge the sufferings of others, worrying that it will devalue our own or somehow it amounts to infidelity to our cause. We cannot justify massacres arrogantly believing that the victims deserved it or asked for it.

We have to learn and to acknowledge and reflect upon the terrible things we have inflicted upon each other and have to commit to ourselves to resist the temptations to be prejudiced and stereotype others. We cannot demand peace unless we are peaceful ourselves.

This particular date was adopted by the sixtieth session of the United Nations on November 21, 2005, “Resolves that the United Nations will designate 27 January as an annual International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust.”  Our events are scheduled on Sundays to accommodate the Jewish community’s presence.

Our safety hinges on the safety of others around us, and it behooves us to work for the safety and security of others on this little planet. We have to be continuously aware of the Holocaust and Genocides and prepare us to avert such tragedies.

We are working on initiating a course on tolerance education, so one day; we all can learn to have a heart that opens to the pain of every human, yes, we can do that.

Bringing people to understand the suffering of people has been my drive, I must say that through this program, many non-Jewish people have come to know about the Holocaust for the first time. You can see pictures people from Atheist to Zoroastrians and everyone in between has been a part of this event. Moreover, everyone has shared a prayer in the past commemorations. We have to create the awareness to get people to become activists and speak up and Never say again.

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FIRST EVENT AT 2:00 PM
Program: Getting Closer to God: Jewish and Muslim Perspectives on Mysticism

Gabrial Abasi will speak on Selfless service and commitment to mysticism
Herb Levy is a teacher of Kabbalah
Andra Baylus will speak on the Sufi-inspired spiritual leader Meher Baba

Organized by: Jewish Islamic Dialogue Society
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SECOND EVENT AT - Approx 3:30 PM
Program: 14th Annual Reflections on Holocaust and Genocides

Holocaust
Syrian Refugee Crisis
Rohingya Ethnic Cleansing - Bob Marro,
Uyghur Chinese Muslims - Omer Kanat
Crimean Tartars - Walter Ruby

Organized by the Center for Pluralism

Supporting Organizations:

1. Jewish Islamic Dialogue Society- http://Jids.org
2. Islamic Society of the Washington Area - http://iswamd.org/
3. World Muslim Congress - http://worldmuslimcongress.org/
4. JAMAAT - Jews Muslims and Allies acting together
5. Foundation for Ethnic Understanding

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The Center for Pluralism and the World Muslim Congress are deeply committed to education and relentlessly pursue building cohesive societies where no human has to live in apprehension and fear of the other.

RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/holocaust-and-genocides-event-tickets-54157371155

INFO: https://holocaustandgenocides.blogspot.com/2018/12/14th-annual-reflections-on-holocaust.html

ABOUT US: http://centerforpluralism.com/mission-accomplished-at-the-center-for-pluralism/

Mike Ghouse
(214) 325-1916
http://holocaustandgenocides.blogspot.com  

http://www.CenterforPluralism.com

Dr. Mike Ghouse is a public speaker, author, interfaith wedding officiant, executive director of the Center for Pluralism in Washington, DC. He is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day.  More at https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeghouse/

#Muslim Rally against ISIS on the steps of Lincoln Center

PRESS RELEASE

Mike Ghouse (214) 325-1916
Mike@AmericanMuslimInstitution.org
website: www.AmericanMuslimInstitution.org

American Muslims against ISIS gather up on the steps of Lincoln Memorial

Washington, DC, November 19, 2015 – Muslims around the world and particularly Americans Muslims have been sick of the terrorists, particularly the ISIS and the Al-Qaeda guys ever since they started terrorizing the lives of innocent people. We mourn the loss of lives in France, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Nigeria and elsewhere in the world and firmly stand against the terrorists.

Given the short notice prior to the Thanksgiving weekend, the Muslims of Washington, DC have organized a gathering of Americans of different faiths to come together on the steps of Lincoln Memorial and make the statements of condemnations.We hope this event effectively conveys a message to the terrorists that the world is against them, and that we are all in this together; opposing terrorism and condemning ISIS.  

You are all invited to join us on the steps of Lincoln Memorial:

• Date: 11/20/15
• Day: Friday |
• Time: 3:00 -4:30 PM 
• Place: On the steps of Lincoln Memorial, Washington, DC
• Website: www.AmericanMuslimInstitution.org

The purpose of this gathering is to send a clear message to the ISIS and their ilk, that American Muslims are angry about their actions. They are to be charged for the violations of human rights, forcing women into slavery, conversions at gun point, harassment of Christians, Yazidis, Shias, Jews, Sunnis and other minorities, and most certainly creating chaos and abusing the name of Islam. 

We cannot tolerate any of these acts and we urge our president to speak out in behalf of fellow humans,  and give them three days notice to back off, surrender, and repent for their actions or face the consequences.

We invite Americans of all faiths and no faiths to join us in standing up against ISIS.  Yes, we the Muslims are as angry as average American. Indeed, we are all in this together.

We pledge that we are one nation under the flag, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

Please join us on the steps of Lincoln Memorial.

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SUPPORTING ORGANIZATIONS 

We will be listing as many participating organizations as we can. Please send an email with the name of your organization, website and your phone number,  and we will add to the list below.

01. ADAMS Center, All Dulles Area Muslim Society
02. American Muslim Institution, Washington, DC
03. Washington Area Jews for Jewish Muslim Understanding
04. Geotrees, An Intercultural Crossroads for the History of the Future
05. Islamic Community Center of Potomac
06. Foundation for Pluralism
07. The world Organization for Resources development and Education.
08. Muslims for Peace, Justice and Progress 
09. United Maryland Muslim Council
10. Howard County Muslim Council
11. UMA Interfaith Alliance
12. Muslim Community Center of Maryland
13. Montgomery County Muslim Foundation
14. Islamic Center of Greater Toledo 
15. Islamic Center of Long Island
16. IMANA International Collaboration
17. UMMAA Broadcasting
18. Hillside Islamic Center New Hyde Park NY

We appreciate the PSA announcements from Stuart Varney and Jennie Lubart of Fox News and we invite them to cover this event. 

Ghouse on Fox News to defend Bikini ban by Indonesian Muslims in Miss World Pageant

SO WHAT IF IT IS A MUSLIMS PROTEST AGAINST BIKINI?
WE SHOULD APPRECIATE IT, IT IS A SIGN OF A HEALTHY DEMOCRACY.
  
Between Greg Gutfeld, sitting in for Bill O'Reilly at Fox News,  and Mike Ghouse, president of America Together Foundation about the Indonesian ban on bikini at Miss World Pageant. 

I have stood up for every race, ethnicity, culture and religion,  and this time I am standing up for Muslim sensitivities to ban Bikini.  We have to respect their sensitivities.What is good for the goose has got be good for the gander.  

Fox News Video: http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/oreilly/index.html#http://video.foxnews.com/v/2452301837001/bikini-ban-at-miss-world-pageant/?playlist_id=86923

More pictures:http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeghouse/sets/72157633996656491/show

URL - http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2013/06/ghouse-on-bill-oreilly-about-indonesian.html

We have to stand up for up for every one's right to be who they are. 

If we can learn to respect the otherness of others, and accept the God given uniqueness of each one of us, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge. 

That is exactly what the Miss World Pageant did, they agreed to respect the Indonesian culture, predominantly Muslim to address their concerns. When in Rome, do as Romans do.

In fact the chairwoman of the Miss World Organization, Julia Morley said, "Indonesia is designing for us a very beautiful one-piece beachwear, and I'm very happy with them," she told The Associated Press by phone from London, adding that the pageant will include a special beachwear fashion show.

"All of the 130 contestants will be required to wear Bali's traditional long sarongs instead of the sexy bikinis that are historically part of the competition," said Adjie S. Soeratmadjie of the RCTI, the official broadcaster and local organizer. 

As Americans, we are open to most things, but we have our own problems. We have protested against the sinful ugly war, Muslim protests against Bikini, so what?

Aren't we sensitive to the needs of our business?

Would a traditional Jewish family eat in a restaurant where the meat is not kosher? If the restaurant is predominantly in a Jewish community or Muslim community, it is in their business interest to serve Kosher/ Halal meat, is it not? 

So what if we are sensitive to the need of Muslims in a predominantly Muslim population? Why should we push our way on to them? Do they push their ways on us?


We should be proud of the demonstrators, it is a sign of democracy, if the Republicans do not protest, Obama will get away with many things. Protesting the democractic thing to do, and we must appreciate it. 

Forget the Jews, Muslims and Hindus; would you and I eat dog meat, if that is served in a restaurant? Did we not protest Horse meat in burgers?  What about McRib by McDonalds?  What do Jack in the box and McDonald's do? Hindus protested about beef ingredient in the French Fries as well.

Why do we need to piss people off? What is our gain?

 Dale Carnegie had once said, if you want to gather the honey, you don't kick the beehive. We need to be sensitive to the needs of the culture we operate in.


Opposing Bikini is not a Muslim thing to do, it is indeed a Cultural thing. Hindus have done, Muslims have done and Christians have done it. 

In 1996 the pageant was marked by violent protests in India - Mind you this was done by the Predominantly Hindi culture. The event was culture sensitive, the models danced to traditional Indian music and dance.

There is the business angle - 2 billion people watched it. 

When Tebow knelt on the field, how many Christian Americans loved it?

Bangalore was flooded by 10,000 para military troopers, water hoses, sniffer dogs… to protect from the protestors 
  
Shashikala, leader of Mahila Jagran Samiti (Forum for Awakening Women) which had promised the immolation protest, remained at large, police said. But an unemployed man in southern India died after setting himself ablaze in protest.  

The Miss World pageant was dogged for more than two months by demonstrations. Let the Muslims protest, it is their right to do and we have to admire their freedom.

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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. He is committed to building aCohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day atwww.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 his work through many links.

Interfaith Christmas: Boundless God

No matter what faith you profess, the interfaith Christmas can offer everything you had always wanted; to live in peace and harmony with fellow beings without apprehension or fear of the other.  I hope this essay shines a light on the larger idea of humanity, and gives you a sense of connection with fellow beings without being a Christian.  
Full article - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/interfaith-christmas-making-god-boundless_b_2347856.html

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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

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

Do Jews, Christians and Muslims better understand each other since 9/11?

TEXAS FAITH: Do Jews, Christians and Muslims better understand each other since 9/11?

Abstract: Jews need sincerity and not duplicity. Native Americans need an apology and there is a good amount of phobia embedded in Hindus about conversions. We believe in Jesus as a Prophet and not as a son of God. Unless we deal with tough issues about our differences, we will continue to fake being nice to each other and brood with ill-will within. There is indeed improved understanding among faiths since 9/11. But there also is deepening suspicion among them. One is spiritually motivated and the other is political. Please note, most of my writings are inclusive of all theist and atheists traditions, we all inhabit the earth and we need to figure how best to co-exist cohesively.

# # #

Since September 11, 2001, many conversations have taken place among Muslims, Jews and Christians. There are official interfaith conversations occurring all over the globe, where participants dig into each other's texts. And numerous personal dialogues have been established over the last decade. Many of us have learned more about the three Abrahamic faiths since September 11, 2001 than perhaps we knew before that day.

But here's this week's question, which is simple in its wording but not necessarily simple to answer: Do followers of the three Abrahamic faiths really understand each other better since 9/11?

Eight Texas Faith Panelists including Mike Ghouse weighs in at: http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/09/texas-faith-do-jews-christians.html

MIKE GHOUSE, President, Foundation for Pluralism, Dallas

There is indeed improved understanding among faiths since 9/11. But there also is deepening suspicion among them. One is spiritually motivated and the other is political.

We were better off when we knew very little about each other. But as we faced the hostage crisis in 1979, the evangelical foray into politics, the Baptist convention on harvesting poor souls and finally 9/11, religion moved on to center stage. It will get better when we know more about each other.

On September 11, 2001, I was on the radio in Dallas attempting to make sense out of the chaos of the day and pave the way for relevant actions. Interfaith-faith prayers, blood donation and fundraising for the men and women in uniform were all in place by evening. The fog was clearing up. Osama bin Laden was the bad guy and Muslim-Americans had nothing to do with his actions, nor did they authorize him to terrorize any one. Indeed, he placed a wedge between Americans that still needs to be undone.

Atheists, Baha'i, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Muslims, Jains, Jews, Native Americans, Pagans, Sikhs, Wicca and Zoroastrians along with area city mayors, FBI, police and fire chiefs and community leaders graced the first interfaith event in Frisco. Out of which a new tradition evolved called Unity Day. It continues year after year.

But while we are trying to know more about each other, more needs to be done. Here are a few examples;

* Mosques in Dallas/ Fort Worth area opened their doors right after the 9/11 incident. As Christians walked in, they were naively welcomed by yet-to-be trained volunteers who said, "We believe in Jesus as a Prophet and not as a son of God." However, the volunteers were trained to welcome without conflict the very next week.

Of course, back in the 8th Century, a Syrian bishop had declared that Islam was a false religion. That declaration has remained in the psyche of a few Christians forever.

Pastor Robert Jeffress of the First Baptist Church of Dallas reiterated the statement and added, "Quran is a false book written by a false prophet." He was asked to prove it but failed.

There are several verses in Quraan that are mistranslated for political gains. Steve Blow in Dallas Morning News quoted me, "In the Middle Ages, European leaders commissioned a hostile Quran translation to foster warfare against Muslim invaders. Later, Muslim leaders produced another translation to inflame Muslims against Christians and Jews."

One such difficult passage is "Kill the infidels wherever you find them." Ten such propaganda verses were read to separate the myths from reality. They were not read by Muslim clergy, but by Baptist, Mormon, Protestant, Catholic, Unitarian, Methodist, New Age, Unificationists, Sikhs, Hindu and others at the Quraan Conference

*Shamelessly, anti-Semitism continues to operate under the radar. The anti-circumcision bills in San Francisco and Santa Monica were irksome to some, but frightening to others. Indeed, there are still a few Christians out there who cannot shake off what Fred Phelps was demonstrating with reckless posters such as "Christ Killers."

The Judeo-Christian phrase was thrown around in the 40's to build relationships between Jews and Christians. A whole industry of opportunists was born from it. The support for Jews by Billy Graham, Richard Nixon, Pat Robertson, John Hagee, Glenn Beck and other chest thumpers have ulterior motives. They want to cash in on the name of Israel and perhaps convert them. Jews need sincerity and not duplicity to feel genuinely secure.

*Native Americans need an apology for the destruction of their religion and there is a good amount of phobia embedded in Hindus about conversions. Some of them feel that Governors Nikki Haley and Bobby Jindal made it in politics because they converted to Christianity.

*The spiritual balance in the community needs to be restored through observing and following the Golden Rule, which is treat others as you would like others to treat you. Although we have failed in the past, such as when the city of Plano rejected a permit to build a Hindu temple in the early 80's and Richardson did not permit a Muslim school to open there in the mid-1990s, we still have come a long way. Thank God, those are now history and the public in the metroplex welcomes diversity.

* Interfaith meetings are still social gatherings. Leaders from smaller groups are invited as tokens rather than to genuinely get to know each other. Unless we deal with tough issues about differences, we will continue to fake being nice to each other and brood with ill-will within. There is plenty of room for honesty to grow and mature.

If we can learn to respect the otherness of other people and accept the God-given uniqueness of each one of us, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge. One of these days we will get there. Meanwhile, I am pleased to invite you to the 7th Annual 9/11 Memorial, the Unity Day USA on Sunday September 11 at 5:00 PM at the Unity Church of Dallas on Forest Lane. Details are at www.UnitydayUSA.com

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References:
Steve Blow – Dallas Morning News: http://www.dallasnews.com/news/columnists/steve-blow/20100919-In-defense-of-Islam-pursuing-9397.ece

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List of difficult passages: http://quraan-today.blogspot.com/2010/12/difficult-passages-in-quraan.html

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Quraan Conference program sequence: http://quraanconference.blogspot.com/2010/12/quraan-conference-program-sequence.html

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Mike Ghouse is committed to building a cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day to the media and the public. He is a speaker thinker and a writer on the topics of pluralism, cohesive societies, Politics, Islam, interfaith, India and Peace. Over a thousand articles have been published on the topics and two of his books are poised to be released on Pluralism and Islam. Mike's work is reflected in 4 website's and 27 Blogs indexed at http://www.mikeghouse.net/ and you can find all of his current articles at www.TheGhousediary.com

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Mitt Romney, Huntsman, Mormonism and Elections 2012

All that Romney and Huntsman have to do is to understand the depth and meaning of the Pledge of Allegiance and show this understanding to Americans in their words and actions to earn their vote. Americans are willing to reward those who are inclusive and dump those who pit one American against the other for political gains.

Continued at: http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2011/06/texas-faith-how-should-huntsman-and.html

12 Opinions published at Dallas Morning News
http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/06/texas-faith-how-should-huntsma.html

Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker, writer and a frequent guest on Hannity show and nationally syndicated Radio shows and Dallas TV, Radio and Print Media. He presides America Together Foundation and is committed to building a cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. Over 1000 articles have been published on Pluralism, Interfaith, Islam, India and cohesive societies. Two of his books are poised to be released this fall on Pluralism and Islam. He is available to speak at your place of worship, work, school, college, seminars or conferences. His work is encapsulated in 27 blogs, four websites and several forums indexed at http://www.mikeghouse.net/