WORKSHOPS - LECTURES - SEMINARS - CONFERENCES ON ISLAM
Our Mission is to work for a world of co-existence through
inclusiveness and participation. As a member of diverse family
of religions, our efforts will be directed towards justice and
equity to attain peace for the humankind with a firm grounding
in commonly held values. We believe what is good for Muslims has
got to be good for the world, and vice versa, to sustain it.
To
be a Muslim is to be a peace maker, one who seeks to mitigate
conflicts and nurtures goodwill for peaceful co-existence of
humanity. God wants us to live in peace and harmony with his
creation.
The Journal of Islamic Pluralism
STUDIES IN
ISLAMIC PLURALISM
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READ &
REFLECT
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No to Sharia Laws in America
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Support the Mosque on Ground Zero
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Parliament of World’s religions summit in 2014, what themes
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INTERFAITH?
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Draw Muhammad Day - A Muslim Cartoonist
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Evangelical Atheists?
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Imam Hussain- The epitome of justice and tolerance...
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Happy Imamat day to HH Aga Khan
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Islamic terror is real, as is Jewish and Christian...
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Is a mosque at Ground Zero religious freedom too f...
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Zoroaster, Prophet of Zoroastrianism
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Bottom line prayers (wishes)
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Muslim acts of heroism during Holocaust
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Standing up for Jews, Gays and Mexicans, why shoul...
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FOX TV, Sean Hannity and Mike Ghouse about NASA to...
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What Interfaith Means To Me
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July 4th - what does freedom mean to you?
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A good story on co-existence from Punjab, India
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Burqa Ban – Hannity, Gabrielle and Ghouse on Fox
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A good story on co-existence from Punjab, India
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Zakir Naik banned from Toronto conference
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HAGEES HATE SERMONS ON PBS
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Britain's May ban radical preacher Zakir Naik
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Many Faiths, One Truth by HH Dalai Lama
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Reflections on forgiveness
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Mosque Madness - Mike Ghouse on Hannity/Fox TV
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Hannity, Ghouse, Geller on Fox's Hannity show
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Islam and Human Rights
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Interfaith,
intra-faith, pluralism, religion & spirituality
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Religious discourse and the Parliament of Religion...
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How not to deal with Muslims in America
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TODAY IS NATIONAL PRAYER DAY Let’s pray, reflect
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Sunday Morning at Martin United Methodist
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Religious
Persecution in Japan
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Honoring Imam Dr. Yusuf Zia Kavakci today
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Islam for Ahmadiyya, Bohra,
Ismailia, Shia, Sunni, Warith
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Luncheon talks with 12 Arab Imams
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Fatwa against terrorism
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Religious Conversions or Recruitment
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Atheism on Rise
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Celibacy and Sex Scandals
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Women, Saints, Rabbis, Imams and clergymen
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Freedom of Religion in Japan
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Religious Conversions
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Doniger’s book on Hindu history
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Fatwa against terrorism
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Sleepless in Gaza and Jerusalem
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Is Harvard Prof Advocating Palestinian Genocide?
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Prophet Muhammad's birthday celebrations
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Muslim Condemn beheading of Sikhs by
Taliban
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Understanding religion's role worldwide
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Religion and the Making of U.S. Foreign
Policy
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Pictorial Report - Holocaust and
Genocides
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Good Muslim, Bad Muslim by Tariq Ramadan
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Carrollton Quilt 2010 representing
Carrolltonians
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The need for Native American Heritage
Day
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Valentines Day taking on universal
meaning
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Ancient Tribe Goes
extinct as last member dies
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Interfaith effort to bury the deceased
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Globalizing God - Welcome to the decade
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The Journal of Pluralism
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Avatar - a movie about harmony
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Mike Ghouse and Angie Buchanan on NPR
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An appeal to Indonesian Muslims
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Am I a Jew, Hindu, Muslim, Christian,
Pagan or a Maya?
__________________________________________________
Quraan and Global
Ethics
The Qur'an is meant as a spiritual and moral guidance
for mankind. The Qur'an calls itself Hudan an Nass
(2:185), a guide for humanity, and calls us to Dar as
Salaam (10:25), a life and state of Peace. A guide which
guides to peace can therefore never be used for
oppression and tyranny. Link:
http://quraan-today.blogspot.com/2010/02/quraan-and-global-ethics.html
Can
Women be Imams
Dr. Krausen’s
presentation evokes the God given intellect in us. She
demurs, “if this is a sign of a development towards a
more rational approach to the issue, or whether it is
merely an attempt to be politically correct.”, indeed,
It is my observation over the last 10 years of work,
debates and discussion forums, that it is a development.
- Link:
http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2010/02/can-women-be-imams.html
Holocaust, Genocides &
Massacres
People of many religious and ethnic backgrounds gathered
Sunday to exchange stories of genocide and war. The
event was held at the Center for Spiritual Living and
sponsored by the Foundation for Pluralism and the World
Muslim Congress. Link:
http://holocaustandgenocides.blogspot.com/2010/01/center-for-spiritual-living-hosts.html
Jerusalem syndrome
I have always admired the journalists whose integrity
remains intact, like that of the writer, she writes,
"six Indian journalists were guests of the Israeli
government " and yest, in the next para she exercise her
freedom, "that was part of Jordan till 1967 and is now
under illegal occupation of Israel," I was surprised
that they were the guest of Israel government, but
appreciated the critique the next moment. -
http://israel-palestine-dialogue.blogspot.com/
Mike
Ghouse and Angie Buchanan On National Public Radio
http://www.wpr.org/hereonearth/archive_091221k.cfm
An appeal to Indonesian Muslims
Friday, December 18, 2009 will be noted as a sad day in
the history of Indonesia. On this day, a group of people
on their way out from attending an Islamic New Year
parade attacked the Santo Albertus Church under
construction in Bekasi.
http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2009/12/appeal-to-indonesian-muslims.html
Copenhagen is about
Climate Justice
Climate Justice assures every one in the long
haul that one can continue living and breathing
regardless of being rich or poor. Protecting the
environment is the right thing to do; indeed it
is a sacred duty of every human. As an
individual or a nation we cannot shut ourselves
in a bubble; either we suffer the damage
together or save the environment for all. None
of us can live in silos.
Continued
Obama's Blunder on War
Only those who are incapable of a dialogue,
only those who are short sighted secure
their security through war because that is
the only instrument they can understand. I
am utterly disappointed in the president for
lowering himself to appease the Neocons.
Link
Mike Ghouse presents
holy scriptures and their intended
use at the Parliament of World's religions.
Link
Mike Ghouse nominated for Paul Carus Award
-
Link
Wish a very happy
Eid-al-Adha, a
festival that Muslims celebrate,
inculcating the spiritual values of sacrifices and
sharing one must make to make the world a better place.
I will be out in Australia through the 15th and will
update at my site and blogs listed at: http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/
The Holy
Scriptures and their Intended Use
presenter - Mike Ghouse at the Parliament of World's
religions in Melbourne on December 8, 2009
Abstract
: In every religion, the scriptures are
intended to guide human societies according to
universal laws. These scriptures, which are
transcribed by prophets, are usually considered to
be inspired by the Source of All Truth. However,
when these prophets depart...
continued
Thanksgiving, an expression of gratitude.
It is one of my favorite holidays; it is a day to
express gratitude to all those who have helped
shaped our lives. It is also a day to express
friendship and kindness to those who are struggling
with the difficulties of life, thanksgiving is a day
of sharing. Thank you for reading this note and
forwarding it to your friends.
continued
Fort Hood's
Allahu Akbar
Although, in religious conflicts, Christian, Hindus, Muslims and others
have made God’s name a battle cry, it should not be
used to shoot some one or slit someone's throat.
Allahu Akbar is meant to be used to show one’s
humility by admiring the creator, apparently Nidal
Hasan, the psycho did not know the difference.
Continued
Quraan and Pluralism
Prophet Muhammad was a Pluralist, as were Moses,
Jesus and other prophets in every religious or
non-religious* tradition. As a head of the state,
when Prophet initiated the Madinah pact, a document
of co-existence in governance, the Jews, Christians
and others objected to his signature, which affixed
Muhammad as the prophet of God, he listened to them
and understood their point of view, in essence he
respected the otherness of others and honoring their
request, he removed the phrase and signed the
document along with them.
Continued
Quraan : Freedom of Speech
Freedom should be valued and guarded. In the long
haul what triumphs is goodness and the truth.If
Muslims can follow the examples of prophet Muhammad
(pbuh) and not react to teasing, like the cartoons
and other non-sense, then there is no excitement for
the teasors to tease anymore.
Continued
The Dangerous Idea of
Protecting Religions
A good debate is warranted on the issue. Reference
is made to the stand taken by USCIRF (United States
Commission on International Religious Freedom)
listed below. Continued
Reflections; a day with
Maya and Toltec people
The members of the Memnosyne Foundation and a
few friends of the foundation took a trip to the
Mayan cultural center in the Yucatan Peninsula
Mexico between Nov 7th and 12th led by Mary Ann
Thompson-Frenk.
Continued
Psychology today on Fort Hood
- Why Did He Do It?
We are jumping to conclusions. At this point, of
course, we know very little, but that doesn't
prevent many commentators from speculating, and some
from jumping to conclusions.
Continued
Blaming Nidal's religion is
dumb.
In the very same town Killeen a decade ago, some
Looney like Major Nidal walked into Luby’s cafeteria
and randomly killed 23 people dining in peace, a
crazy opened the fire in McDonalds in San Diego and
I believe he killed 21 people. They were people with
real or imagined grievances against society who went
on indiscriminate rampages, but they were not
motivated by religion or any religious group.
Continued:
Towards a kind and just society
God wills for humanity to
strive for a balance; social, spiritual, biological,
physical, moral and environmental. When this elusive
equilibrium is achieved, where no one is afraid of the
other, oppression becomes a story, exploitation fades
away, and goodwill becomes the norm of the society.
Religion has achieved its goal; indeed, God is all about
peace and equilibrium
-
continue
Dr. Chandra Muzaffar on
Islam and Pluralism
I subscribe to Dr.
Muzaffar’s views and have taken up the initiative to
bring about a new dimension in our understanding of
Islam in the context of the ever universalizing world. A
few abstracts followed by the interview.
Continued
RAMADAN :
Traditions,
Spirit
and
Politics
We wish a very happy Eid Mubarak to Muslims around the world.
Rosh Hashanah,
Ramadan, Navaratri & Other Festivals
We
wish a happy
Ramadan, a peaceful and prosperous
Rosh Hashanah, and truth triumphing
Navaratri
and
other festivals in September this years. May these festivals
open our hearts and minds towards fellow beings.
Mike
Ghouse dedicates this day 9/11 to America
It was Tuesday, 9/11/2001 at about 10AM in
Dallas, whence two radio stations 1150 AM and 950 AM called me
to man the radio. I was on the air till 5:00 PM, talking with
the Public, area Mayors, community, religious and other civic
leaders of Dallas.
I was determined to make sense out of the non-sense, and bring
some sanity to the situation. I made a declaration that we
should get the ugliest guy on the earth and screamed names at
Bin Laden.
We the Americans, were shaken that morning, I wanted us to
reaffirm that we are one people and one nation and the ugly men
cannot shake us -
Continued
Washington post on
Ramadan
“I
urge you to write a comment at the end of the article. Let the
world see what the moderates think... if not the stick in the
muds will dominate in writing the comments, which is not
reflective of a majority of Muslims. -
Article
Qur'aan on Pluralism
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was a pluralist,
his goal was not to wipe out any of God’s creation, it rather was to
forge peace and co-existence. Look at his very first model where he
forged cooperation by mitigating conflicts and nurturing goodwill
among the conflicting tribes to place the Aswad Stone in its place.
Continued
Pluralism and Islam
Pluralism and Interfaith continues to be mis-understood, it is time
for us to refresh our minds and unload some of the ideas we have
carried forward against the idea of Interfaith and
Pluralism.Interfaith is about exploring common issues from each
religious point of view, whereas, Pluralism is about exploring
co-existence among theists and atheists.
Continued
Apostasy and Islam
Islam is about freedom; freedom from
clergy and freedom from fatwa noose hanging around our necks every
time some one sneezes. The Neocon Muslim are too insecure to accept
and absorb the freedom Islam offers, instead they eagerly throw the
noose and frighten you every time with Sharia rules; Islam is not
about frightening, it is about creating a world of co-existence with
justice resulting in peace. It is time we the moderate majority
speak up.
Continue
Defining words in Islam
as a moderate Muslim I seek divergent
opinions on any given subject at hand. One of the reasons we muslims
are divisive is our inability to accept another point of view, while
the majority of Muslims like all other majorities go on enjoying the
God given life getting along with every one - a tiny minority of
about 1% want to stick their understanding and their version of the
religion onto others, it is the same story with all religions,
cultures and systems.
Continue
Arlington Library bans
hate groups
Kudos to the management of Arlington
Libraray for putting a stop on hate mongering, enough of that has
ruined our economy and our morality. The poor suckers who open their
check books and get robbed by the O'Briens would really appreciate
it.
Continue
Nonie Darwish, an Islam
basher
Islam bashing is an industry well funded by those who seek chaos.
The greedy suckers like Nonie Darwish, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Wafa Sultan
and others fall for the money offers. -
continue
Muslims
Condemn action against Shah Rukh Khan
A few Muslims in Mumbai have
taken King Khans’ words out of context and have filed a case
against him alleging that he maligned the Prophet. We the
Muslims condemn the acts of the Aman group for initiating such
an irresponsible act, and it is time for Muslims to speak up
against pettiness like this. It is time for the world, not to
flaunt stuff like this, you'll find them in every group.
Continue
Hell fire, Non-Believer and Infidels
As a Muslim, the
phrase "hell fire" was interesting to me to study and think about
its implications. Every word starts out with a certain meaning, and
over a period of time, it gets narrowed or broadened. Then what the
hell the phrase “hell fire” really means? To a lot of people it
conjures up the image of real fire which is hot, unbearable and
painful. That is how Jewish, Christian, Islamic and Hindu
parishioners have put it out for consumption; Hell, Jahannam &
Naraka in English, Arabic and Sanskrit respectively.
Continue
Critical thinkers for Islamic reform
"Critical thinkers for Islamic reform" a collection of articles from
contemporary thinkers on Islam. Your friend is one of the 35 people
who have contributed towards the book.
Continue
Wife Beating - 4:34
Cultures determine one's behavior rather than the religion, indeed,
religions are the product of environment; God says in Bhagvad Gita,
"whenever unrighteousness takes over the society, I will emerge
among you and reset the society to righteousness" and the Qur'aan, "
to every nation, and to every tribe, there will be a messenger to
put them back on the path of righteousness" and that's precisely
what Jesus and Moses did; bring a sense of morality to the
deviousness that preceeded them.
Continue
Quraan and
the Big Bang
We have got to remember that God is neither a body nor a being.
Giving a shape or a descripion would amount to limiting the
unlimited and defining the undefinable. God is what one perceives
guided by different religious beliefs. God is the name to that which
causes, creates and sustains what we know
-
continued
II Annual
reflections on Holocaust and Genocides,
A Muslim initiative.
Our
Mission
is to encourage individuals to develop an open mind and an
open heart toward their follow beings. If we can learn to
accept and respect the God given uniqueness of each one of
the 7 billion of us, then conflicts fade and solutions
emerge. We believe that knowledge leads to
understanding and understanding to acceptance and
appreciation of a different point of view.
Scream Bloody Murder, reflections on Holocaust and
Genocides
You feel angry knowing that the world
stood by silently when the Jews were put on the train to
the gas chambers; you feel anger when the Bosnian
Muslims children were given chocolates and told not to
worry and go right behind and open gunfire and massacre
them; you feel anger when the Canadian general sends
faxes upon faxes to the United Nations to send help,
while the UN and USA did not want to get involved and
800,000 Rwandans were massacred, they were even
announcing on their radio how to torture pregnant women
to pull out the babies… It was a difficult documentary
to watch, but you must watch and face the world; you
have to do your share to clean your own slate of
conscience.
The Essence of Eid-al-Adha
Eid-al-Adha is also known as Hajj or Bakrid (variations
listed below) if you wish to greet Muslims on this day
you may say Happy Eid or Eid Mubarak. Eid is
pronounced as 'Eel' the fish but with a 'D'; it is Eed.
I would have preferred to write Eed, but it is popular
as Eid, so I will stick with it. Eid is festivity.
At the end of the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, known as
Hajj, Muslims throughout the world celebrate the holiday
of Eid-al-Adha (Festival of Sacrifice). This
year, Eid-al-Adha will be celebrated on Monday, December
8, 2008. During the Hajj, Muslims remember and
commemorate the trials and triumphs of Prophet Abraham.
The Essence
of thanksgiving
It is one of my favorite holidays; it is a day to
express gratitude to all those who have helped shape our
lives. It is also a day to express friendship and
kindness to those who are struggling with the
difficulties of life, Thanksgiving is a day of sharing.
It is just not you, ask Bill Gates, whom God has blessed
proportionately for his intelligence, he would answer,
not enough! Ask the Homeless the same question; the
answer is still the same, not enough. Who has enough
then?
Muslims Beware; Kaaba and the
Wikipedia Blunder
I cannot believe
Wikipedia is taken as a gospel by so many, every word in
it is taken as the ultimate truth. You will discover
it's danger in the following report. A statement is made
"While destroying each idol, Muhammad recited
[Qur'an 17:81]
which says "Truth has arrived and falsehood has perished for
falsehood is by its nature bound to perish."[28][29]
. A few of my Hindu friends have assumed that Terrorism
has it's origin in the above act, of course the very
same statement is a fodder to the Neocons, who rejoice
and pass it one to every one with a comment, "I told you
so, Islam is an intolerant religion".
Should Muslims play the Game? - The Wall Street Journal
“Muslims, you are puppets, and you will do exactly what we
want you to do, and not what your Prophet or God wants. You
will play our game” - No one has made this statement, but it
is understood to have been said.
Today’s WSJ: Professor Kalisch delivers a jolt; he thinks
it's likely that Prophet Muhammad Never Existed. Fellow
Muslims, Just let it go. No need to react, it will die down
on its own.
Jewish-Muslims Dialogue, a necessity
The Jewish Community Center in Dallas recently screened a
documentary “The Monster among us”, produced and directed
by Dallas filmmakers Allen and Cynthia Mondell. Watching this film
(as well as other films in the past) and listening to the
responses of the audience has confirmed my belief that one of the
primary obstacles to peace is simply inadequate communications
stemming from the unwillingness to see another point of view.
There are certainly rotten apples in the barrel, but focusing on
them to the exclusion of the positive only exacerbates the
problem. Muslims and Jews need to dialogue without keeping a
score or blaming the other.
Who Put hate in my Paper?
The majority of Americans and Israelis
are being duped by the Neocons. This group is bent on creating
chaos and have consistently messed up peace in the Middle East and
elsewhere. Imagine the world without them? Peace is not their
interests, peace does not give them a nice chunk of money, chaos
does. We need to ask this group to take a vacation and see how
much better the world would be without them.
Domestic Violence Resources for Muslim Community
It is not just the Muslim thing, it is a human thing, it
has nothing to do with the faith, race, ethnicity or
gender. Insecure individuals in general and men in
particular resort to violence to express their
in-capabilities. They find sources to justify their
behavior. No religion, including Islam permits such
behavior. Let's refrain from placing the blame on
intangibles like religion, it is not the religion,
instead let's work on bringing justice to individuals.
HOPE FOR MUSLIMS | HOPE FOR AMERICA
Here is a wake up call from Gen. Collin Powell to the
opportunists Republicans who have no shame in silently
watching hate take over and destroy our nation.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/27265490#27265490
Here is
Campbell Brown of CNN tearing the hate mongers apart
Your Comments on Hope for Muslims
Are Muslims Part of the American Story?
We are not connected enough with the mainstream society
for vast majority of Americans to stand up for us,
empathize with us or even understand the truth about us
that we are no different than them in our endeavors and
aspirations. We must however express our gratitude to
the millions of Americans who have stood up for us,
compelled by their sense of justness and fair play.
Justice alone will not carry us further.
The Spirit, rituals and politics of Ramadan
The Spiritual masters have captured the human gravity
for rituals and have molded it with the art and science
of self-discipline in their respective religion. The
noble purpose of each one of them was to bring a balance
in our lives and a balance with things that surround us;
life and environment. Every faith is composed of a set
of unique rituals to bring discipline and peace to human
life. Fasting is one of the five key rituals that
Muslims around the world observe.
Women
Led Muslim Prayers
Oppression of people and suppression of Ideas knocks off the
balance in any given society and both go against the fiber of
Islam; freedom and justice. Now comes, Dr. Amina Wadud, a Muslim
woman has led the Friday congregational prayers for mixed genders,
it is indeed a radical idea for those of us who are entrenched in
thousands of years of traditions. Muslim Men are no different in
their insecurities than Jews, Christians, Americans, Arabs, Zulus,
Mongolians or the Mayans. If your strip the dirt from the
religion, it boils down to "a men thing" rather than a Religious
issue.
Maldives Constitution must be
Questioned
As a Muslim, I question the amendment in the constitution of
Maldives. If we don't question it, we would be giving a pass to
exclusive ideologies around the world. . The noblest among you
is the one who cares for the neighbors, Qur'aan says. Shame on
the fanatic few in the Government of Maldives to get a law like
this passed, it is against the spirit of Qur'aan and against the
spirit of Prophet Muhammad's Madinah pact that protected the
rights of every individual to practice his or her faith. In
fact, even conversion of the spouse was not a requirement in a
marriage. This amendment is contrary to the spirit of Islam.
Shaping the
Tomorrow - The center for Interfaith inquiry
What kind of world will we leave our children? Informed
by the past, how will we consciously create our future?
With a preponderance of behavior that only considers
today’s pleasures and the rollout of the latest toys,
how do we shift our focus to creating a healthy future
history in a multi-religious multi-cultural world?
When spirituality is being overshadowed by fear, fear
and intolerance of the other, how do we not
merely tolerate the other, but see them as interesting?
Who cares? When turf consciousness is the overwhelming
manner of conduct, how can we maintain our own
individuality, yet at the same time, create a future
coexistence that is both sustainable and nonviolent?
You still can't write about Muhammad(pbuh)
Asra Nomani jolts a
few, causes the majority of Muslims to think and
certainly agitates the extremists. I do know one thing
though; the masters know how to play the game, they know
how the extremists react and tease them to play; and the
extremists simply fall for it without realizing that
they were had. The Dutch cartoon Masters tested the
mettle of the extremists, and succeeded in getting them
to do the intended thing, so they can move their next
pawn; that Muslims are extremists. They have several
moves planned, as long as the dumb extremists play the
game, the Masters will give them the exercise.
Propaganda against Qur'aan Challenged.
It is time to get over the propaganda been dished out over the years.
There is no such verse "that ignites violence against 'Kafirs' in
Qur'aan". If you have the list produce me one. Not what is handed down
to you, but the one you can point to? Remember, finding the truth is
one's own responsibility. You have an open challenge here. Let’s clean
the slates and live in peace, one person at a time.
Birmingham council bans Atheist websites.
Today it is Atheism, tomorrow
it would be Hinduism, and day after tomorrow it would be Baptists
or Mormons or Muslims, then it is every one they disagree with.
Where is the end? How insecure is the council? Are they afraid
that by looking at Atheists sites, one would give up his or her
faith? As a Muslim I protest it.
Rabbi Rosen on Saudi Interfaith Dialogue
Without skepticism, cynicism,
understanding and support, no initiative will ever be
comprehensive and it will not take off the ground without a
combination of these elements that temper the progress. What is
the loss if we believe in this initiative?
The Saudi Dialogue by Rabbi Michael Lerner
Rabbi Michael Lerner is editor
of
Tikkun magazine, chair of the
Network of Spiritual Progressives. He files an objective report
about the Saudi dialogue, his skepticism and good omen included.
For the
Sake of Biblical Prophecies
The
majority of each group does not subscribe to God’s plan to destroy his
own creation deliberately and for what? All brands are fashioned by
God, he would not favor one over the other as it amounts to injustice,
and God is about Justice
Jihadists; Facts and Fiction
Throughout the history of mankind, insecure men
have found their false security in rattling up others, they have
been wrong and will continue to err. You cannot have security when
others around you are not; neither can you have peace when others
can’t.
Interfaith Dialogue begins in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia is one of the most conservative religious
societies and I am pleased to see it opening up to people of other
faiths. The process began in 2005 when Saudi Emissaries started
branching out all over the world to explore interfaith. In Dallas per
the request of a Saudi minister, I had arranged for a 20 member
meeting from Jewish, Islamic and Christian groups as an initial step
towards including all faiths in the near future. Since then the Saudi
Kingdom has taken series of steps in this direction culminating in
interfaith dialogue series. First it was the same three groups;
Judaism, Christianity and Islam and now, I am pleased it has included
Hinduism and Buddhism.
A tribute
to Najma GhouseSunday, June 29, 2008 | 4:00 PM to 6:00
PM
Location information upon receipt
of your
email
The world is a better
place today because of the spirit of volunteerism in each one of
us. Every one is endowed with the gift of helping others and a
majority of us do receive boundless joy from caring about
others.
Picking things up for
some one who cannot, taking time to help a stranger and simply
doing good to others makes our heart smile, and we can do this
every day. Every thing we are enjoying today is due to the
spirit of volunteerism in others. When we receive a benefit, we
have to give it back as well to keep a running balance and a
living a happier life. It is as simple as that, that is the
secret to living a peaceful and happier life per the spiritual
masters.
Please join us and unleash the spirit of volunteerism in
you.
You may be pleased to
hear the Hymns in Chorus from several faiths and enjoy the
moments of affection, romance and pure goodness.
Send an email to :
Confirmattendance@Gmail.com
to confirm attendance and receive information
about the location.
More about Najma:
Najma was stoic, she had
prepared herself for this journey, she had jettisoned the
anxieties and the desires of worldly living. She was content
with the purposeful life she lived, and grateful to the creator
for enriching her with a full spectrum of life experiences from
serene bliss to utter sadness, loneliness to being loved. No
wonder she passed away with a smile on her face, as if saying, I
have successfully completed my life as an individual, a woman,
mother, sister, daughter, grand mother and a wife and now I need
to experience the eternal life.
Full information.
We thank your for
your kind comments
God's Grace - Najma Ghouse
I draw inspiration from all faiths and share this
beautiful precise expressive phrase from Jainism “ Michami
Dukadam”, the essence of which is, on this day, let’s forgive
and ask for forgiveness and start the next breath of life with a
clean slate, free from guilt, free from anxiety, free from hate,
malice, anger and all those enslaving emotions.
Is Dawah (Proselytising) Obligatory?
Dawah, an invitation to be a good human
being ought to be practiced by every one, and it
should not be a condition to one’s spirituality. God
reserves the right to shower his grace on whomever he
chooses, but he has guaranteed paradise to every good
human being regardless of their race, religion or any
other uniqueness.
Me without my Hijab
Here is an account of an Iraqi woman
removing her head covering and how she saw herself
without it. I am certain, most women, particularly
those who wore Hijab once may find in tune with this
article. I have written a few articles on the subject,
whose links are provided below the article.
Islamic State or State of Islam
In the book review below, Aisha Sherazi
has rightly pointed out the issues we have not dealt
with, Insha Allah; I will make an attempt to responds
to a few issues; She writes “Which brings me to my
initial point. If interpretation is everything in
faith, how do we know we are on the right track and
not being led astray?”
Prophecy and the fundamentalists Quest
I have admired the articles and work of
Farzana Hassan, president of the Muslim Canadian
Congress who has taken a firm stand on moderation in
approach that the Prophet taught, I hope and pray more
and more Muslims join her in her Jihad to keep Islam
pristine, simple, all embracing and peaceful
Makkah, interfaith dialogue
Praise the lord, Alhamdu Lillah, I am
pleased to read this realization of King Abdullah
“King Abdullah has realized that we Muslims have to
play a part in reducing tensions across the world. It
is a courageous decision.” For the last few years, we
have been making attempts to define the role of
Muslims in the world based in Qur'aan, and here is the
sentence that makes part of the logo of this blogsite.
"To be a Muslim is to be a peacemaker, one who
constantly seeks to mitigate conflicts and nurtures
goodwill for the peaceful co-existence, God wants to
live in peace and harmony with his creation."
Aga Khan - democracy and Pluralism
Where Hope Takes Root, a collection of
talks given over the past sixyears, the Aga Khan sets
out the principles that inform his vision of peaceful,
productive societies. He returns again and again to
the three cornerstones upon which his many years of
work in the developing world are based: democracy,
pluralism and civil society.
Dialogues - Jews, Christians and Muslims
First came an "Open Letter From Muslims
to Jews," signed by dozens of leading Muslim scholars
and intellectuals in the West, calling for "Peace,
Dialogue and Understanding Between Muslims and Jews."
Violence has no place in Islam
We can debate and argue with people who
are open to seeing another point of you in the least,
but truth in the most. Just about everything
circulating on the Media is propaganda and we simply
cannot fight it. We have to keep doing good and the
World will see it one day.
Is Tolerance Accepted in Islam
“The idea is that as Muslims we
should have no difficulty in developing an attitude of
tolerance towards some persons or some families, who
are not entirely like us. The paramount need is to
learn to co-exist.”
Hindu Muslim Dialogue
Muslims subtly condition themselves to
relate with Hindus based on their reference to God, as
one God. Although God is formless in both scriptures,
subconsciously most humans give a form and insist on
identifying with that One God, as though it is a
physical being. Given that, the efforts of Syed
Abdullah Tariq must be appreciated.
Critiquing Islamism and Maududi
I am glad to see Muslims unhesitatingly
critiquing the revered Muslims scholars of the past,
we need to sort out the truth from the bunk and there
is plenty of it, that is being unraveled now and Insha
Allah, in the next decade we must be able to take out
the additives by reverend Maududi, Qutub, Hilali and
their likes who sought political gains through
religion. Political Islam is a human endeavor to
dominate, influence and control others, possibly out
of fear of being run over or to cash in on the fear.
It is the same story with Zionism, Hindutva and
Neocons, agents of fear and war mongering.
God's Grace for Najma Ghouse
In the foot steps of Prophet Muhammad,
as a Muslim, I draw inspiration from all faiths and
share this beautiful precise expressive phrase from
Jainism “ Michami Dukadam”, the essence of which is,
on this day, let’s forgive and ask for forgiveness and
start the next breath of life with a clean slate, free
from guilt, free from anxiety, free from hate, malice,
anger and all those enslaving emotions. ..... The
Qur'aan says that God’s favorite person is the one,
who forgives and seeks forgiveness. It is also an idea
central to the teachings of Jesus Christ. I want to
thank every one who has participated and will
participate in this heart and mind purifying process
with Najma and I.
Islamic Etiquette
Besides the laws revealed by GOD that
were designed to govern our lives, the Quran has also
indicated a list of 'Etiquette' which we are advised
to maintain in our dealings with each other on this
planet.
The Rise and Fall of Islamic Empires
The slogans of political Islam remain
highly resonant, whether as a programme for peaceful
governance or an inspiration to wage war. Two new
books explain why
Islam's Muslim Women Scholars
One indicator of the development of a
society is its female literacy rate and, related to
this, the number of its female scholars. On both these
fronts, India's Muslims are among the lowest of all
the communities in the country.
MUSLIM MEDICAL CLINICS
The following article has touched upon the steps
in the growth of a community, starting out from
building the places of worship, and the other basic to
give the necessary education to retain the youth in
the faith and culture one was raised to the third
frontier; serving the community at large. One in 15
Americans cannot afford health insurance, the very
basic need for a healthy family. The entry of Muslim
community to take the responsibility to participate in
serving the community is a great welcome in building a
healthy nation by individual initiatives.
AHMADIYYA MUSLIMS, WHAT IS NEXT?
The real issue is not about who is a Muslim, but it is
about how the majorities treat their minorities.
Should the bad decisions of a few in the name of
Islam, reflect on the Muslim community at large? Now,
Indonesia is planning to ban the "heretical" Muslim
sect, should that reflect on Islam? The least we can
do is to speak up against the tyranny of one group of
people against the other. The easy option is to do
nothing and let the world believe that it is Islam,
and if we did that, we would lose our right to
complain that it is not us, well it is us. The actions
are not the work of a Looney brigade or some fringe
groups; it is the government of Indonesia succumbing
to please the few among them.
50 YEARS OF IMAMAT BY HH AGA KHAN
His Highness, Prince Karim Aga Khan completes 50 years
as the Imam of Shia Ismaili Muslim community.
Congratulations for leading the community to create a
better world through interaction with all of God’s
creation. During the 50 Golden years of Imamat, his
highness has dutifully followed Qur’aan, Prophet
Muhammad and Hazrat Ali.
ISLAMISTS V. ANTI-ISLAMISTS
If some one claims righteousness of his belief, he or
she must be willing to withstand the onslaught of
questions and bring wisdom, rather than the circular
logic to the debate. It is true that the
establishment, be it Muslim or otherwise is usually
short-sighted or perhaps overloaded with the issues
and is inclined to ignore the unproven, un-established
mavericks; Zuhdi is beyond that now. ISNA offers the
platform to express one’s ideas in their legendary
three day annual conferences. You have to be one of
the many to be a presenter.
MUSLIM MODERATION IN SHORT SUPPLY
Tavleen Singh states that Moderation is in short
supply among Muslims? In fact that is the only thing
in abundance with Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs
or any one for that matter. Most are moderate people
and they go on about their daily responsibilities of
earning a living and taking care of their families.
They do not wear their religion on their sleeves; one
may know some one is Muslim or a Hindu, but they don’t
wear a neon sign.
WHO SPEAKS FOR ISLAM
Who really speaks for Islam? Based on the largest and
most in-depth study of its kind, Who Speaks for Islam?
What a Billion Muslims Really Think presents the
remarkable findings of the Gallup Organization's
six-year poll of the Muslim world-the first ever
data-based analysis of the points of view of more than
90% of the global Muslim community, spanning nearly 40
countries and representing 1.3 Billion Muslims.
PROTECTING PAKISTANI HINDUS
Let me begin with the oft quoted statement “all it
takes for the evil to triumph is for good people to do
nothing". I believe the majority of either a religion
or a nation is good people. What is missing is action
on the part of these good people. They do nothing
until crises reaches to a point of destruction.
INDIAN MUSLIMS AGAINST TERRORISM
The image of Muslims is carved out by the media; TV,
Radio, Blogs, Webs and the Newspapers. Shamefully
their livelihood is dependent on creating a good guy
and a bad guy duel, in the US they have successfully
casted the Jews, the African Americans as the bad guys
and now they got Muslims staged for a few more years
until they find someone else, may be Mexicans or
Chinese. It is time that the Media resorts to being
truthful and more importantly, the Muslims need to
change that image as did the Jews and African
Americans.
33 TIPS TO PERSONAL JIHAD
This piece
is everything I have been wanting to write. What makes
one a
Muslim! Thanks to Ahumanb for sharing this article. I
have expressed similar sentiments over the years on
the World Muslim Congress forum. Subhan Allah, I ask
you, the reader to recognize articles like this and
rate them. Highest rating would be Alhamdu Lillah.
Please look at these two symbols and write to me which
one should be adopted - I will go by the votes for
each symbol, the one on the left is Calligraphic, and
the other is Geometric, both represent the phrase
"Alhamdu Lillah" Praise the Lord. - Send the email to
wmcArchives@gmail.com
Over the years I have been working on the definition
of a Muslim as " To be a Muslim is to be a peace
maker, one who constantly seeks to mitigate conflicts
and nurtures goodwill for peaceful co-existence, God
wants us to live in peace and harmony with his
creation; life and matter. That is the purpose of
religion".
Divorce, Sharia and Qur'aan.
Qur’aan talks about a
refined language that occurs in a civil dialogue. The
pitiful language used by the interlocutors “Divorce is
given only when husband gets angry with his wife due
to some act of hers lack civility.” This is a bad
language where the woman is treated less than the man.
Alhamdu Lillah, Qur’aan has expressly added the
language that Women can initiate a divorce for the
very same purpose – to believe in the equal rights of
men and women. The language of the Ulema should be
“Divorce is an outcome of misunderstanding between the
spouses” which is a language of the equals, which is
an expression of Justice.
The Islamic State and Khilafat
The mainstream Muslims do not aspire or have any thing
to do with "Is the Ideological Desire to Establish an
Islamic State a Clear and Present Danger to the U.S.?"
They have come to America to be free and not have
another lawless society in the name of any religion, be
it their own.
The main stream Muslim knows deeply in his hearts that,
democracy is the right form of governance. No doubt,
there are a few out there, who dream Islamic form of
government, which is about justice, but by no stretch of
imagination they are main stream.
Fitna documentary, Geert Wilders, Muslims and the Qur'aan.
Those 14 verses have not only been misquoted for
millennia, but were mis-translated with the intent of maligning
Islam in the middle ages to protect the European kings and their
kingdoms. I have placed the correct translations for him to take a
look and seriously think about becoming a peace maker and not a
provocateur.
Is Pope Benedict a peace maker or a Provocateur
Did Pope's conversion event on Easter, mitigate or
aggravate the conflict? With all due respect to his holiness, his
words have not been that of a peace maker. There have been three
incidents where his non-action or silence would have been better.
The revival of comments made by the Emperor Constantine he
delivered in Germany irritated his counterparts in Muslim world,
then revising the prayer that was not kosher and now this. What
was the need to make the conversion on Easter? Provoke?
First church opens in Qatar
DOHA (AFP) — Christians in Qatar opened their first church on
Friday, joining fellow believers in most other Gulf Arab states
who have long been able to worship in churches rather than homes
and other venues.
Islam and Free Speech
The only way to put the devil out of circulation is putting
goodness in circulation. I hope we can make a better movie to
offset the bad one...
Prince Karim Aga
Khan opens Ismaili Centre in Dubai March 26, 2008. Member of the
Shiite Muslim Ismaili sect welcome their spiritual leader, the
Agha Khan (C), during the opening ceremony of the Dubai Park. The
Aga Khan, spiritual leader of the world’s Shiite Ismaili Muslims,
on Wednesday inaugurated an Ismaili cultural centre in the Gulf
emirate of Dubai, the first of its kind in the Middle East.
Saudi, no respect for others?
The Shoura council of Saudi Arabia is utterly selfish group of
people, they do not care about Islam or Muslims. They want to live
in an Island where no one but them live. Let them call it a Saudi
Law and not paint Islam on their canvas. Respecting other
religions does not mean that you worship, accepting other faiths
simply means that you acknowledge their God given life.
Pope Baptizes a Muslim on Easter- March 23, 2008
Alhamdu Lillahi, praise the lord, (الْحَمْدُ للّهِ رَبِّ
الْعَالَمِينَ 1:2) he knows and he is aware of every thing we
do. He is the Malik-i-Yom-iddin, (مَـالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ 1:4)
master of the day of the judgment. Muslims have several choices
and need to evaluate the consequence of each choice.
A Catholic Church is Saudi Arabia- March 19. 2008
I have lost track of a Saudi minister who had
asked me to put together an interfaith meeting with about 20
people, comprising Jews, Christians and Muslims. I fought with
him to include all faiths, but finally agreed to work in stages,
from familiar to unfamiliar ones. It was some where around 2005.
I am pleased to see at least a dialogue is emerging between
Vatican and Saudi's. Neighboring Dubai has just opened up a mega
church this month.
Harvard University and Muslim Students - March
21, 2008
Most of the conflicts stem from a fear of loss,
or the fear that some one is taking advantage of the situation.
In this case, a few at Harvard University feel that Muslims
students are having privileges like the exclusive time given to
Muslim women at gym, or the Adhan, a prayer call. If these other
students ask for similar privileges and are denied, they have
every right to complaint, otherwise, the fear is baseless.
Terrorism is anti-Islamic, declares Islamic conference
of 10,000 Clerics
I am pleased to see this
statement aka Fatwa by one of the World's largest
Islamic learning centers. It is good to see the
establishment take action. I welcome this
wholeheartedly. Bush's war on terrorism is a dismal
failure because it does not target the individual
criminals who can be reached, accessed and punished.
Instead he blames the religion, which is intangible,
meaning cannot punish the religion, as it is not a
target, or gives birth to terrorists.
Yes, we can bring peace to Gaza:
Israel owes peace and security to her citizens and it is
directly dependent on the security and peace needs of the
Palestinians. You cannot live in peace, when your neighbor's
aren't. Finding a balance is the most difficult thing to do and
both the nations are trying and failing. No wonder the phrase
"love thy neighbor" plays such a crucial role in every society.
International women's day - Gender Equality Now:
Justice is the basis for peace, be it between spouses, family members,
business partners, stockholders and consumers, president and the
public, minorities and majorities, communities, nations or the globe.
Whenever one takes advantage of the other, the balance is lost and the
unit is crippled. In personal relationships, the disadvantaged ones
are waiting for the moment to get even or get justice. It is the hope
that keeps the life moving forward.
Islam and competing in doing Good -
As Muslims we
may have never confronted this issue of Pluralism
before, but we are going to be facing this every day
from here forward. We don't live in exclusive
enclaves; we do not live on Islands. Every street will
have people of different faiths; every work place will
have interaction between every faith, race, ethnicity
and other uniqueness. For Muslims, Qur’aan has all the
answers, like Bible for the Christians, Torah for the
Jews and Vedas for the Hindus.
Barack Obama, the Shepherd of our Nation -
This
is the first time in our nation's history; some one is speaking the
needs, wants and voices of a majority of the people. He is neither a
right winger extremist, nor a leftist but a moderate right down the
middle embracing and bringing every American together to participate
and contribute towards the success, safety and security of America.
(information about Rally on Sunday, March 4, 2008 between 4 and 7 Pm
is included)
Petition to Save Fawza Falih in Saudi Arabia -
Fawza Falih is a human being like every one
else and does not possess any such super-natural powers to affect the
lives of other human beings, let alone cause one to be impotent. As
Muslims, we believe that no one but God has such powers and he alone
is the master of the Day of Judgment. I appeal to His Excellency King
Abdullah to put an end to this by releasing Fawza Falih and offer her
state protection from any public harassment."
Bush Appoints Sada as an US Muslim envoy to OIC -
Congratulations to Mr. Sada Cumber for his appointment as a special
envoy to the Organization of Islamic Countries. Thanks to Jason Embry
for writing such a fine piece (appended below). Indeed, I was gunning
for that position and had sent a note to the state department about
it. I am pleased to see Mr. Sada Cumber has been appointed. He is he
right guy. At least in his last days, the President has done some
thing right, it is a good decision and Sada will deliver results. When
Barak takes over the office, Sada certainly can change the false
perception that the same President had manufactured ”they hate us"
without any substantiation and no Journalist ever asking him to prove.
Islam & Pluralism
-
Prophet Muhammad signed the
Madinah pact with Jews, Christians and others. He did not agree with
how others worshipped God, but as a head of the Government, he
initiated and signed the treaty with them all that they are free to
worship their faith, indeed, he offered the Christians to do their
prayers in his own mosque. He got up and kissed the Torah during a
Jewish procession. It is this attitude of the Prophet that is called
Pluralism.
Will John McCain have the decency to apologize
(2/8/08)
-
Senator
McCain in his lust for power looses the basic
American decency and courtesy to show respect for
his fellow Americans who number 6 Million and I am
one. It is an ironic number to remember.
Qur'aan, Hadith and women (2/1/08)
-
The more I learn about Qur’aan, the more
confidence I derive knowing that God is Just,
Equitable, Kind and Merciful. In this essay Dr.
Asghar Ali Engineer brings to the fore the Just
words of God with reference to Women. Muslims ought
to take pride that they are more equipped with
knowledge of Islam today than ever before in the
history of Islam.
Mistakes a few Muslims Make(1/31/08)
-
The following articles
(listed below) disingenuously compare Christianity with Islam ,
presenting Christianity in a negative way. I am posting here to share
another point of view knowing well that these articles are not
important to an overwhelming majority of Muslims, these issues are not
in their day to day life nor do they care.
Dar al-Islam and Dar al-Harb (1/30/08)
-
This article is enlightening to those who want to
understand the concept of Ijtihad, consultative understanding. How
different interpretations of the few words and their consequence are
well crystallized.
Muslim response to
Wilders on Qur'aan using Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) Model
-
Geert Wilders is appreciated for making this documentary,
the verses, as he has quoted certainly sound fascist.
However, these verses have been misquoted for millennia
with the intent of maligning Islam. Wilders is putting
this on the spot light, so we have an opportunity to
discuss and clarify them, hopefully for ever. Otherwise a
whole lot of people would have believed in the wrong
thing. Thank you my friend.
How Geert Wilders Anti-Qur'aan film
can be made to benefit Muslims.
Because
of Wilders’ determination to show this film one way or the other
by Friday, we have very little time to avoid having this turn
into another crisis with violent demonstrations and riots.
Any such possible reaction from the Muslim street anywhere in
the world will only add fuel to the fire that individuals like
Wilders are attempting to stoke.
Jews who were turned into apes
(1/21/08) As
a Muslim, it offends me to read this title, and I certainly
understand the pain the Jews must feel when they read this
quotation. Every one is busy with
their lives, rightfully so and consume the sound bites dished
out to them without even wondering the veracity of it. We have
seen that everywhere, facts simply don’t matter to our
administration even when a Million lives have been annihilated
based on wrong facts. Who has the time to find the truth?
Another bait for Muslims on Qur'aan from
Netherlands (1/20/08)
I
am writing this is in response to a ten minutes documentary made
by Geert Wilders; a Dutch lawmaker, and it is billed as “a
ten-minute film exposing the horrific passages of the Koran.”
This is expected to be aired on January 25th. All hell may
freeze over and may this day pass without any incidence.
Reform Qur'aan?
Imagine the nightmare in
America, if we were to remove the punishment aspect from the US
Constitution, our civil and criminal laws. Qur'aan certainly
talks about punishment and hell fire for those who violate the
rules of a smooth functioning society. If there were no
punishment chaos will be the order of the day.
Anger
like Jews or went astray like Christians 1:7
-
The Way of
those on whom You have bestowed Your Grace , not (the way) of
those who earned Your Anger (such as the Jews), nor of those who
went astray (such as the Christians).
Slay the Idolaters, where ever you find
them 9:5 -
Finding the truth is one's own responsibility, it gives clarity
and peace of mind knowing that the causer of life, the creator
God is kind and merciful. We have captured various attempts to
understand this verse from Qur'aan in its entirety, courtesy of
www.islamicity.com and other translation
sources. We hope to clarify each such verse that is
misunderstood, God willing, one verse at a time over the next
few years. Here is the mis-represented verse followed by correct
version and various translations.
Be ruthless to the infidels- Verse 48:29
-
Here is the mis-represented verse as is followed by correct
version and various translations. May God give you the strength
to be a peace maker; that is a conflict reducer and nurturer of
Goodwill and harmonious co-existence.
Qur'aan, Neocons
and Islamophobia:
You
may discover to your chagrin, that many of the Neocon experts on
Islam have built their castles on wrong foundation. In fact Pat
Robertson, Jerry Falwell, Billy Graham Junior's information on
Islam comes from these falsities and they have never sought the
truth, as it was not profitable to them.
Qur'aan
Reading:
Islam
and Qur'aan belong to every one as other faiths and religions.
No one owns them, let's not attempt to monopolize a
religion or the holy book. If we drop exclusive ownership
of God, Religion and the books, we will have fewer conflicts.
Festivals in January 2008
C
commemorations and celebrations of people around the world in
January: Happy New Year |
Candlemas | Sankaranti | Imbolc | Yom-e-Ashura | Brigid's Day |
Vasant Panchami | Martin Luther King's B/D |
Tu B'Shevat | Nirvana Day| Holocaust Commemoration | Muharram
Commemoration | Mahatma Gandhi' 60th Death Commemoration |
Glossary of Festivals.
- We invite articles in
150 Words to describe these events. Please send to
MikeGhouse@gmail.com
Muslim Chronicles for 2007:
There
was a lot of bad news for Muslims in 2007 (and we might as well
look at that first). Some of the bad news was brought to us by
non-Muslims, for example: Alarming statements continued to be
made, mosques continued to be vandalized and attacked, there
continued to be Islamophobia incidents.
United Nations Ban on defaming
Islam:
The
problems, conflicts and wars originate from the words used by
irresponsible politicians. Most of the conflicts have no basis
to them other than the use of wrong words.
What Offends Muslims?:
The
author of this article has captured the real tick issues with
the extremists Muslims. What is written here is the truth, a
speck of the truth but not the whole truth. This is as true as
watching the evening news in your city and concluding that in
the twenty minutes of news, that the people of the city
murderers, rapists, arsonits, robbers, theives and looters.
With or Without Religion:
Indeed,
the extremists have always manufactured an enemy who would
become a threat to their people. The latest creation is Islam.
Every idiot who can write can cash in on Islam bashing, there
are plenty of them out there. I guess, as long as there are
suckers to fund them, they will keep manufacturing.
The American Muslim Identity:
The
United States of America is a pluralistic society par
excellence. It is a country that does not have a state religion,
and Americans do not constitute one race or one ethnicity.
Reform Qur'aan or understand it?
:
Qur'aan
certainly talks about punishment and hell fire for those who
violate the rules of a smooth functioning society. If there were
no punishment chaos will be the order of the day.
Silence of Moderators
:
Ayan
Hirsi Ali starts her article
Silence of
Moderates
with a verse from Qur'aan. "The woman and the man guilty of
adultery or fornication, flog each of them with 100 stripes: Let
no compassion move you in their case, in a matter prescribed by
Allah, if you believe in Allah and the Last Day." (Koran 24:2).
Indeed, it is one of the thirteen authentic translations
appended below including an extremist's version.
Happiness for Sale
:
Life
becomes meaningful and powerful when you do things for others;
it is the anecdote against sorrow that surrounds us from time to
time. That is the wisdom in Bahai, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu,
Islam, Jain, Jewish, Native religions, Shinto, Sikh, Wicca,
Zoroastrian and other faiths – living for the sake of others, a
proven formula for happiness.
Muslim father kills his
teenage daughter:
Every
human should condemn this act of betraying the trust of a
daughter, and certainly Muslims condemn this act. This
Criminal's act is not inspired by Islam, although he referenced
it in that fashion. We the Muslims additionally condemn Muhammad
Parvez for killing another human being and wrongly labeling the
religion for his abuse. He does not have a space in Civil
Societies.
A
Message to Muslims
-
If you Google for terrorism, you'll find a
plethora of websites on the subject. Most every one is based on
Islam bashing and unfortunately there are enough nincompoops out
there who will buy any thing that is anti_Islam, in fact, the
greedy writers and speakers thrive on cashing it. A grain of
truth undoubtedly is the basis for their manipulations, but much
of it is to frighten the public.
Jews and Muslims
worshipping together
Jewish and Muslim communities celebrated together the beginning
of Rosh Hashana and Ramadan, respectively. Quoting the psalmist,
Rabbi Shlomo Ben Hamu says "it is pleasant and good for brothers
to dwell together" (Argentina)
Muslims who convert risk being killed
The concern of
Michael Nazir-Ali, the Bishop of Rochester expressed in the
Guardian article below may be legitimate, and is undoubtedly
based on conflicting ideas about apostasy and Islam. Most
Muslims understand this dilemma and have made a serious attempt
to clarify the issue, so the next generation of Muslims and the
members of the communities of world have a clear understanding.
(United Kingdom)
Muslim Women Conference
The role of Muslim
women in particular is defined by a few, without consultation
and ironically with no resistance from the ones who are
affected. The role of women is usually defined by the bully men.
The men (all men indeed, Muslim or otherwise) ought to consider
being on the vigil - to resist and protest the attitude from
within and from outside "what do they know?"
Unity Day USA - A 9/11 Event
invitation.
PDF Invitation
We are pleased to invite your kind presence at
the 3rd Annual Unity Day USA event. On this Unity Day
USA, we, the people of the United States of America; of every
faith, race, ethnicity, culture and background, gather to pray
for peace, unity and security of our nation.
Sikhs Appeal to the Department of Homeland
Security -
One of the most cherished values of our nation is "liberty and
justice". Sometimes, we overlook what the liberty really means and
step on it occasionally. We hope Michael Chertoff will consider the
new law that contradicts this principle and he will get the people
involved in he decision, that which affects them.
Twin Bombings in Hyderabad Kills
- We unequivocally condemn this act of terrorism and
appeal to the State Government of Andhra Pradesh to punish the wrong
doers. The time for the idea has come to start charging the
criminals under Indian Penal code and punish them according to the
law of the land.
Sikhism - Learning the religion -
Everything
you wanted to know about Sikhism, you can learn about it in this
workshop. Dr. Harbans Lal will be presenting the program. Sikhism
was founded on the principle of service to humankind is service to
the Creator God. They believe in one God who is creator and the
protector and pray for the well being of every human.
God's Warriors:
Christiana Amanpour , CNN - I have watched all the three events with
Jews, Muslims and Christians - I think she was fair in her
presentation. Some one could have certainly done better, but that
would not have happened.
Muslims demand an apology from MIM -
As Muslims of India and the Muslims around the
globe, we urge Mr. Owaisi and Mr. Farhat apologize to not only Ms
Nasrin but the Muslims of the world for the audacity of insulting
them by speaking in their behalf without their permission.
Muslims
Condemn Taliban Kidnapping
-
"It is not only a violation of
norms of the civil societies, but a gross violation of the principles
of Islam they purportedly claim to follow. Every one who is a guest in
your city, you protect them with the most care, that is the Islamic
teachings they are violating
Minnesota Bridge Kindness
-
there is a shortage of blood
type 'O', please donate. To help one in need is helping the whole
humanity, we are a nation of kindness and goodness and we need to take
care of each other " echoed Mike Ghouse, President, World Muslim
Congress.
Terror
Condemnations Log
-
Muslims have begun
logging the condemnations
of terrorism so that the likes Ollie North, Glen Beck, Bill O’Reilly
will not get a chance to continue with their propaganda. Each one of
them has said, that they cannot find a moderate Muslim, Ollie went on
to the extent of saying that the phrase Moderate Muslims is oxymoron.
Muslim Moderates?
Moderate! It used to be a very nice word. Essentially it described
a person who considers all sides of issues to makes a thoughtful,
balanced, informed and humane judgment - as opposed to an extremist.
Lal Masjid Pakistan
- It is a sane, embracive and inclusive piece on aftermath
of the Lal Masjid incidence. It is an honest self analysis of
character of the people and nation of Pakistan.
HH Aga Khan's 50 years of Imamat
-The
World Muslim Congress joins in the felicitation of His Highness the
Aga Khan on the Golden (50th) anniversary of his ascension
to the Imamat (spiritual and temporal leadership) of the Shia Imami
Ismaili Muslims on July11, 1957. He succeeded his grandfather as the
49th hereditary Imam of the Ismaili Muslims.
Muslims Condemn London Plot
- The bombing at Glasgow and
attempted bombing last week in London are unequivocally condemned.
Redress of grievances of any kind through terrorism is not only
uncivilized but patently un-Islamic.
Congresswoman Johnson and Aga
Khan Foundation intiatives
(8/20/07)-
It gives me hope when I see
our political and religious leadership comes together and plant
the seeds for the future of our nation. Today I had the
opportunity to be the master of ceremonies at the youth
leadership and diversity talk initiative by Congresswoman Eddie
Bernice Johnson, at the Southern Methodist University, sponsored
by the Aga Khan Foundation. Ms. Johnson invited the brightest of
students from each area school (ages 12-18) ..
Hyderabad Bombing
(8/25/07)-
We unequivocally condemn this
act of terrorism and appeal to the State Government of Andhra
Pradesh to punish the wrong doers. The time for the idea has
come to start charging the criminals under Indian Penal code and
punish them according to the law of the land.
Sikh Community's appeal to sign
the petition
(8/24/07)-
One of the most cherished
values of our nation is "liberty and justice for all".
Sometimes, we overlook what the liberty really means and step on
it occasionally. We hope Michael Chertoff will consider the new
law that contradicts this principle and he will get the people
involved in he decision, that which affects them.
Signature
Three Movies | Three Religions
(8/20/07)-
Three movies are released on TV and theaters showing the
conflicts of three Abrahamic Religions.
There is another documentary made on all faith traditions - 34
of them called "one path, many ways" and I have played one of
the 34 participants in the movie representing Pluralism in
particular but Islam in general. It was premiered at Canadian
Film Festival, but we are waiting for another premier for
general release.
Muslims Stand with Darfur -
Most individuals are inherently moderate, some are not. It does
not depend on their religion, it is just who the individuals
are.
Muslims demand an apology
-
As Muslims of India and the Muslims around the
globe urge Mr. Owaisi and Mr. Farhat to apologize not only to Ms
Nasrin but the Muslims of the world for the audacity of
insulting them by speaking in their behalf without their
permission.
Unity Day 911 Dallas -
The invitation goes out to
heads of all organizations; civic, educational, religious,
political, ethnic, NGO's and other community service
organizations.
Hate Sermons from the Pulpit
-
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 ... be it coming from
Muslim, Jewish, Christian, Hindu or other sources
Good for nothing Silent majority
-
Evil exists in the world
because of good people. The good people’s silence, silently
gives a tacit approval to the bad guys to continue to do bad
things.
The Community is a bus
Peace
and prosperity of our World hinges on justice and plurality,
absence or deficiency of it will cause the
BUS to
slow down. It is in the interests of Community of the Nations to
bring up the people in ditches on to a
level playing field,
and let them compete from that point forward. Imagine each
community to be a tire of the bus, if all the tires have
adequate air pressure, the smoothness of the journey is certain,
assured and safe.
4 Minutes Video
Congressional Hypocrisy
- showing a lack of a principled stand on issues, our congress
seems to speak from two mouths.
continue
Burqa to No-Burqa - When
the President of the United States abuses the authority given to
him and violates the constitution and trust of the people (low
approval ratings), when the Pope abuses his authority and utters
words that create gratuitous chaos.