To be a Muslim is to be a peacemaker, one who seeks to mitigate conflicts and nurtures goodwill for peaceful co-existence. God wants us to live in peace and harmony with his creation;  that is indeed the purpose of religion, any religion.  Mission statement

 

$5000.00 REWARD

 

Muslims are in America to live their American dream,
and NOT to dominate and impose Sharia Laws.

The Neocons are fabricating that Muslims are in America to dominate and impose Sharia Laws, they know their prey well, and scare the devil out of of them and get them to open their check books, and the poor suckers pay for it. Alas they work for peace and goodwill with the same funds.

On the other hand, Muslims are a fabric of America and are part of the 99% of Moderate Americans, who are busy in participating and contributing towards nation building, and living the American dream.  Here is a challenge for you ... Continued

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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

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LXMMmfd1lw

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ICqo1RZ5Eo&feature=related

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LXMMmfd1lw&feature=related

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.

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

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?

Qatar - Catholic Church opens

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...

New Ismaili Center in Dubai

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.

Muslim Philantrophist Meet

World Congress of Muslim Philanthropists
A few articles on the subject:
1. Charity organizations unite against rising poverty
2. Muslim philanthropists seek cooperation with the rest of the world
3. New Group Meets to Promote Muslim Charity Worldwide
4. “Do good works, engage politically, and get involved”

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 3^rd 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 (50^th) 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.