http://wisdomofreligion.blogspot.com/2010/08/mike-ghouse-on-hannity-radio-show-about.htmlHere is a quick report about my talk on Hannity Radio show with Brigitte Gabriel and Hannity. The talk was to be the Mosque near ground zero, they had a different agenda. Brigitte has memorized some cooked up stuff, she recites the exact same words every time I have been with her. I made at least three attempts to drag them back to the topic, but they were attacking someone else and associating it with the Mosque. My talking points are listed below and I was able to get a few out.
I did make my points by telling Brigitte:
• To tell the truth to the American People
• Not to cook up information or use rare stuff to malign the mainstream
• Imam Feisal is not the issue, he is here and gone tomorrow like everyone else
• Muslims have nothing to do with 9/11, Islam did not approve it either.
• Mosque is the issue, and am glad it will be built
Brigitte thinks Americans are dumb people or some such thing, she claims that the book Imam Feisal wrote was in Arabic/ Malay and English - as if it is a code language no Americann would know about it. For her information every language of the world is spoken and written in America. No langauge is secret implying it is dumb.
As a Jew, Christian, Hindu or a Muslim it does not matter to me who builds my place of worship, my intention matters to me that I pray the place of worship. Addition: There are churches, monuments around the world that were built on the dead bodies of the people they did not like, those places are in place and are worshipped. The intent of the builders does not matter. Working in Bush Admin, Clinton Admin or going to a church where the pastor is accused of child abuse does not change my faith or my working or going there.
Qardawi had said to Kill Americans – first of all he is a criminal to incite people and secondly it is against the principles of Islam to kill any one unless in self defense. That guy must be rounded up.
Imam Feisal was talking about Sharia – not the one like in Saudi Arabia or Afghanistan but the one that is about Justice.
American Muslims do not want that kind of Sharia in America, and millions of Muslims will stand up against that ( No Sharia in America - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/sharia-law-not-in-america_b_653250.html )
Hamas is a terrorist Organization for what they have said about Jews and Israelis, the Israeli Leaders have said the same things about Palestinians – neither one of them means it.
Who are the folks opposing or supporting the Mosque near Ground Zero? The revelations are as clear as the day light, while the religious leaders are speaking boldly for freedom and co-existence, the right wing politicians have gone berserk and hanging on to tiny branches to save their political careers.
My article at Washington Post http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/guestvoices/2010/07/on_mosque_us_should_stand_on_moral_high_ground.html
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Some of the talking points I have written and borrowed from others are as follows:
1. It is really a positive example of how we can move forward from 9/11.
2. The establishment clause protects the freedom of all religious groups, especially the ones that the majority might view with suspicion.”
3. Are Muslims not Americans, too? Is that what we're saying now?
4. Islam did not sponsor the terrorist acts of 9/11. The Islamic extremists who did do not represent all of Islam any more than abortion clinic bombers represent all Christians.”
5. But the location also makes it the best place to redress the horror. It has the potential to be a place of permanent penance and an olive branch of peace.”
For the same reason, just because Timothy McVeigh clung to a twisted version of faith and patriotism when he chose to bomb the Murrah Building, we will not ban churches or patriotic organizations from erecting buildings in Oklahoma City
To ban any Muslim presence from the neighborhood because of the actions of 19 terrorists is to fall into the same flawed ideology of the terrorist who label all Americans as evil.
America has led the world in Science, technology, innovation and has remained a beacon of morality and a defender of human rights. Our constitution is an exemplary document of democracy and now the time has come to lead the world in Pluralism and co-existence.
We have to be a model to other nations \The other nations need to look up to us and not the other way around. We need to set higher standards of civility and NOT stoop down to the level of Talibans or some dictators and monarchs around the world. If we want other nations to behave, we need to lead the way. We need to stand tall and on a moral high ground and be an example of morality and civility to the world.
This is the very reason we need to support the Mosque to show to the world what freedom of religion means: to demonstrate our spirit of liberty and set an example of how a nation treats its minorities.
Bin Laden pulled two of our symbolic buildings down and murdered nearly 3000 Americans; He is still at large. We need to find this criminal and punish him instead of creating a deficit and ruining our economy with the war. Bin Laden is the most hated guy for American Muslims than anyone else; he has provoked prejudice towards Muslims and has made their lives miserable.
The right wingers on the other hand will pull all of us Americans down from the moral high grounds we have held for nearly a century and sink us in bigotry. We have stood up for the Holocaust survivors, the refugees and the oppressed people in Bosnia and elsewhere in the world.
It also paves the way for critical thinking that we can distinguish between terrorists and Muslims, doctor killers and the Christians, Fred Phelps and Christianity. This is the very reason we need to support the Mosque to show to the world what freedom of religion means: to demonstrate our spirit of liberty and set an example of how a nation treats its minorities.
It is time for the moderate Republicans to speak up and wrestle out party leadership from the right wingers for survival. As Americans, our loyalty ought to be for our system of checks and balances. It is in the interest of sustainable and just policies to have each house run by Republicans and Democrats respectively.
Most mistakes by our government have occurred when all the three branches of government were run by the same party. Monopoly in governance leads the other to resort to divisive politics.
Who are the folks opposing or supporting the Mosque near Ground Zero? The revelations are as clear as the day light, the right wing politicians have gone berserk and hanging on to tiny branches to save their political careers, and it is an abuse of Patriotism to have political gains.
If you have surfed through the internet, you might reasonably conclude that the ones opposing are the right wing Republicans like Palin, Gingrich, Paladino, Corker, Tancredo, Rowe, McCain and others. They continue to fall in the abyss of ignorance and are out of touch with the American public. The pied piper Limbaugh had led them once and his cooked up support will blind them again.
Until they come up with concrete alternative solutions for the difficulties our nation is facing, they will continue to hang on to anything they "perceive" will save them. The American public does not like divisive politics and I hope they understand and honor it, and become conflict mitigaters and goodwill nurturers.
The religious leaders are speaking boldly for freedom and co-existence, while the politicians have gone crazy;
Senator Croker writes, "These Muslims will stand inside their mosque and "gloat" over their "victory" and plot and plan more mayhem and murder!" Another one writes "Would Muslims in any part of the world let the Jews or Christians build a Church/Synagogue". Gingrich writes, "America is experiencing an Islamist cultural-political offensive designed to undermine and destroy our civilization." Not to be left behind, Sarah Palin appeals to the Muslims on twitter, "Peace-seeking Muslims, pls understand, Ground Zero mosque is UNNECESSARY provocation; it stabs hearts." There seems to be a competition among the right wing Republicans as to who can be the ugliest twister.
The right wingers have made their business to mislead us, and now they are bent on making an issue out of a cultural center like the YMCA or the JCC and calling it a mosque as if it is not a place of worship and a dungeon where the public is not allowed. In reality, it is an open place where they will teach co-existence and pluralism and will be open to all Americans. The Republican PAC has produced a commercial that mixes the Muslim call for prayer with the destruction of our twin towers. This is destructively divisive. The center is not on the spot of Ground Zero but two blocks down. Does speaking the truth weaken them?
Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a write on Pluralism and Islam and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day; a frequent guest on the media. His work can be found in three websites and 22 blogs listed at http://www.mikeghouse.net/
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REFERENCE LINKS
Just read Michael bloomberg's speech, several commonanlities in my talking points with his - http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2010/08/03/mayor_bloomberg_on_mosque/index.html
My article at Washington Post http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/guestvoices/2010/07/on_mosque_us_should_stand_on_moral_high_ground.html
Leonard Pitts in Louisville Courier journal -
http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2010307220006
Dallas Morning News had published a fine article written by several Pastors and Rabbis who stood up for the freedom of religion.
http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/07/texas-faith-is-a-mosque-at-gro.html
Now the Charleston Daily mail has asked me to write about Moderates... and am developing the piece at http://mikeghouseforamerica.blogspot.com/2010/07/moderate-republicans-need-to-speak-up.html
Mike on Fox News - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQF0ips81jA
Is a mosque at Ground Zero religious freedom too far? http://wisdomofreligion.blogspot.com/2010/07/is-mosque-at-ground-zero-religious.html
Senator Crocker’s hate filled letter to Obama
http://www.congress.org/congressorg/bio/userletter/?id=152489&letter_id=5537567546
Republicans Against Mosque
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/07/22/2010-07-22_newt_gingrich_comes_out_against_planned_cordoba_house_mosque_near_ground_zero.html
John Mccain Videos.... Bigoted Ad:
www.johnmccainvideos.com/tag/mosque - Cached
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gG2mupPwpyI&feature=player_embedded
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