American Muslim Agenda - What is it?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

You can get the book by calling 1-888-795-4274 x 4528 or get it from Amazon online or a book store. You can find the talking points at www.AmericanMuslimAgenda.com.

Dr. Mike Ghouse is committed to building a cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. His new book, the “American Muslim Agenda” is about everything you wanted to know about Muslims. The book is available at Xlibris and Amazon. Mike is a public speaker, author, interfaith wedding officiant, and the executive director of the Center for Pluralism in Washington, DC. More about him at https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeghouse/

Fox News is good entertainment, is it not?

As long as it acknowledges that Fox News is an expression of the agenda of Roger Ailes, I am fine with it, it is good entertainment. But to call it fair and balanced works for those who do not want to see or hear another point of view.

Sean Hannity, Bill O’Reilly and Megyn Kelly have good shows, you may disagree with them, and I do, but they are a necessity, they keep the government on their toes. Now, I have to see if they will do the same with Republican Majority in Senate and the house.

I have been on their shows. In fact, I will be doing my 98th show on Hannity this week. Let me wish this – I hope every country in the world has shows like Hannity, bold, dare and a pain in the ass, but he fulfills his duty to the public by relentlessly questioning the government, and that to me is very patriotic. Hannity is a great American.

Thank you
mike
Mike Ghouse
(214) 325-1916 text/talk
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Mike Ghouse is a public speaker, thinker, writer and a commentator on Pluralism at work place, politics, religion, society, gender, race, culture, ethnicity, food and foreign policy. He is commentator on Fox News and syndicated Talk Radio shows and a writer at major news papers including Dallas Morning News and Huffington Post.  All about him is listed in several links at www.MikeGhouse.net and his writings are at www.TheGhousediary.com and 10 other blogs. He is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. 

Attacks on Quran (33:50) are nothing new.

www.WorldMuslimCongress.com
www.QuraanToday.com

By Mike Ghouse

The good and evil forces are always chasing us, and whichever possess us in a given minute we act that out.  All religions evolved to show us the good path, a path that restores peace of mind and not throwing us into tumultuous disorder.

A friend has been posting several negative things about Islam and Quran on the Facebook. It has become her mission to denigrate the faith.  Thanks to Sean Hannity, through his show, I have learned not to play into the hands of the negative forces like Robert Spencer, Pamela Geller and their ilk. Instead, I have learned to take a positive step to mitigate conflicts and nurture goodwill. I strongly believe, if we can enlighten others, that enlightenment becomes contagious. Aggravating the other does not solve the problem, it takes you down as well.

 She posted the following verse;

“Qur'an (33:50) - "O Prophet! We have made lawful to thee thy wives to whom thou hast paid their dowers; and those (slaves) whom thy right hand possesses out of the prisoners of war whom Allah has assigned to thee" This is one of several personal-sounding verses "from Allah" narrated by Muhammad - in this case allowing himself a virtually unlimited supply of sex partners. Other Muslims are restrained to four wives, but, following the example of their prophet, may also have sex with any number of slaves...”

I held the temptation to correct and explain, but decided that would be a wrong approach with the "determined" ones. One has to find the truth on his/her own to believe it, so I gave her the formula to read Quran (down below) that successfully worked out in our Quran Conference. Finding the truth is your own responsibility.  

Here was my response.

It is human to denigrate and find faults with other’s faiths, traditions and books; it is also human to find the right answers. If something bothers you about a certain verse in “other’s” faith or books, the right thing to do is to read three verses before, three after, and the given verse.  Read enough times to understand it, instead of “gotcha” and gloat. Truth always brings relief, and liberates one from prejudices.  It is like having a good orgasm, it brings relief to the body, soul and the mind and you'll be free and at peace with yourselves.

Four years ago, Pastor Robert Jeffress of Dallas Baptist Church blurted out, “Quran is a evil book written by an evil man” I challenged him to show where he finds that evil, how he interpreted them… he chickened out, I offered him to find 5 faults with Quran that we can agree in a public forum, if he could, I will become a Baptist, if not I will ask him to shed his hatred for Islam, Quran and the Prophet and become a peace maker that Jesus had called for. This went on local TV for a week and two pieces were written at Dallas Morning News. 

Of course, Jesus don’t mean a thing to these men and women, it’s what they can get out using his name. Its’ just not Christians, but Muslims, Jews, Hindus and others also mis-use the scriptures for their gain.  Jeffress owed his congregation to do the research and tell the truth, he chose not to. One’s religion does not become superior by denigrating other’s, its cheap tactics. Finally thanks to our friend, Jon Halsey, we ended up doing a full blown Quran conference with 10 non-Muslim clergy on the panel, and we dedicated the conference to Pastor Robert Jeffress with gratitude for causing the conference.  It’s all here www.Quraanconference.com

This is where we need God’s guidance, to prevent us from promoting and encouraging hatred towards the other.  I wish you had written, this verse bothers me and I want to understand, instead of passing a judgment on the Prophet.

I ask you to gather up all those men and women, who want to remove bias against Islam, and have questions. As a matter of fact, removing bias towards any one or any faith. I am an an expert in Pluralism and will be happy to address the group of any questions they may have about Quran, bring all the questions.  I have taken the time to write because, I believe, we all need to help each other find freedom from misunderstanding and bias. Amen. 

As Americans we have to work together to create a cohesive America, you can support our work or do it yourselves, I will be happy to help you, and you can help us by donating generously at: http://americatogetherfoundation.com/donate/ 

Mike Ghouse
World Muslim Congress

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. Our work is geared towards building a cohesive society where no human has to live in apprehension or fear of the other. World Muslim congress is a think tank established in 2002 to bring Muslims of all denominations together, one small step at a time. If we can learn to respect the otherness of others and accept our uniqueness, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge. 

Warning to Terrorists - the BIG red poster

CLICK ON THE RED POSTER TO VIEW IN FULL SIZE

The acronyms SOB, AH, BS and others are certainly uncouth, but they effectively communicate a purposeful message, hence I made that choice.  The Warning poster to Terrorist is a double edged sword and is at the bottom - the big red poster.

The following comments have been received against the poster below.

1. “sometimes your brain goes on strike I guess”,
2. “Don’t jeopardize”
3. “Who gave you the authority to represent Muslims?”
4.  “Not appropriate and safe for you in today's hostile environment.”
5.  “this is a mindless drivel”
6. “You are not qualified to speak for Islam”
7.  “Do you think your severe warning will have any darn effect on these fanatics”
8. “I second it”
9. “it is appropriate response”.

In a learning environment, good thoughts and concrete ideas are developed with criticism and feedback; here is why this kind of response is needed. 

1. Don't bark at the religion for the acts of bad guys. Punishment is set for bad acts, to restore the trust in a given society. When a Rapist is running around in a neighborhood, everyone is apprehensive, but when the guy is caught and nailed, peace of mind is restored in the neighborhood. Instead of catching the guy, if we blame his raising, his family, his religion, his race or nation, and his imam, rabbi, pastor or pundit – we will not restore peace. I intend to aggressively communicate this idea, the right idea, and intend to speak at various law enforcement agencies as well as religious institutions.  
2. The criminal ought to know that he will be punished; we will not allow the poor alibi of religion, not at all. The Law enforcement and the media people also need to get this in their heads, the purpose of investigations and chasing the bad guys is to restore trust and not to aggravate by barking at a non-entity like Religion. The more you bark at criminal’s religion, race or ethnicity, the worse it gets. You cannot shoot, kill, hang, beat or bury the religion, then why bark at it?
   
   
3. 72 Virgins are promised. Both the terrorists and the communicators of the problem (Media and Politicians) to the world at large have gotten it wrong. The poor guy needs to be outraged at the recruiters that he was duped, and there are no 72 virgins waiting for him, instead the SOB will rot in Jail if we Americans get him, or killed mercilessly if he is caught by the opposite party. No Geneva conventions will be observed by either the terrorist or his chasers.  The Media needs to stop the BS of propagating the falsity with nothing to back up in the Qur'an.
   
   
4. Both the criminal and the law enforcement (coupled with the media and politicians) must be aware that it is the Sin, and not the sinner we are after. The clarity should prevent us from being unjust.  We should not be abusive in disciplining or punishing the wrong doer. As a civil society, we cannot become the very evil we want to eradicate.
    
5. We should seek the criminal to lead us to the source of recruiting material and the recruiters by mitigating his punishment. 
6. The Challenge to “read the right translation/interpretation” of Qur'an applies to both the criminal and the law enforcement. I am certain, the criminal will become a genuine repenter, and the law enforcement will not buy or propagate the dished out non-sense in the market or bark irrelevantly.

This is the right time to forge peace to the society in general, and American society in particular by boldly and loudly getting people to get the message, and i.e.,

I am being assertive, never has any Muslim or other communicated this so clearly and it is time we do that, thank God for the opportunities he has blessed us with to find solutions.   If I don't, no one will speak, and I sincerely hope many of us to speak up, do it on your own or join me.

It is time we separate the evil from good.

Bottom line is to free Islam and Muslims from the stupid stereotyping, and focus on punishing the bad guys and restoring trust in the society. 

 
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------

You SOB, you are the damned murderer, you messed up the peace, and your ass will nailed big time.

Don’t give me the BS about your job, childhood, parents, kids, siblings, spouse, imam, rabbi, pastor or the pundit. You did it and you'll pay for it.


I am not stupid to buy in your argument that your religion made you do that, and then bark at the religion endlessly. AH, you are the bad guy and you are going to pay for it. I am here to restore justice in the society and not be detracted and scream at your religion like a stupid ass. I can hang you, shoot you, bury you and beat you up to restore justice and trust in the society, and that is my goal

 Note: Mr. Terrorist, I don't condemn you, it is your sin I condemn. If you claim to be a Muslim, just remember, those guys who recruited you, and cheated you with  false promises of Hoories and virgins in paradise were dead wrong. There is no such thing nor is it mentioned in Qur'an, instead you will rot in jail for life. Would you turn in your recruiters for cheating you? Would you read the correct translations of Qur'an, we might minimize your sentence?

This should be the attitude of Law enforcement
Authorized by Mike Ghouse, World Muslim Congress.

Thank you
 
Mike Ghouse
(214) 325-1916 text/talk
www.WorldMuslimCongress.com 
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Mike Ghouse is a public speaker, thinker, writer and a commentator on Pluralism at work place, politics, religion, society, gender, race, culture, ethnicity, food and foreign policy. He is commentator on Fox News and syndicated Talk Radio shows and a writer at major news papers including Dallas Morning News and Huffington Post.  All about him is listed in several links at www.MikeGhouse.net and his writings are at www.TheGhousediary.com and 10 other blogs. He is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day.

Ground Breaking Ceremony of Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Plaza in Thomas Jefferson Park, Irving, Texas.

URL - http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2014/05/ground-breaking-ceremony-ofmahatma.html

The Ground Breaking Ceremony of ”Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Plaza" in Thomas Jefferson Park, Irving happened today, Saturday, May 3, 2014 in Irving  (Caveat - please read my note at the end of this write up).
Hon. Nikki Haley, Governor South Carolina, Hon. Beth Van Duyne, Mayor of Irving City, and India’s consular General from Houston, Hon. Mr. Parvathaneni Harish and many other dignitaries including Dallas’s two Padmashri’s (India’s civilian Medal of Honor) Dr. Venkat Ram, Ashok Mago and the India's who is who  attended the ceremonies.

The 7’ Bronze statue was cast in Andhra Pradesh, India and will be installed by October 2, 2014 on a 6’ platform, and a granite wall in the back will be adorned with inscriptions from Gandhi’s saying and the quotes from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela and Einstein. The cost of approximately $250,000 is borne entirely by the community and not a dime will come from the public funds. However, you can  donate generously.

Nothing ever happens in the world without the drive of an individual and his or her supporters. For the last four years, Dr. Prasad Thotakura, Tayyab Kundawala and Dr. Rao have been working hard to have an iconic representation of Mahatma Gandhi in Dallas. There are many others who are involved in it in so many ways,  but these are the faces of the organization that I have seen.

It was not an easy task, but finally they got the former Mayor of Irving Mr. Herbert Gears to agree to place the statue in the heart of the Thomas Jefferson Park, and the new Mayor of Irving Beth Van Duyne affirmed her support a few years ago.

The event was graced by her Excellency Gov. Nikki Randhawa Haley. She is the first woman governor of South Carolina, youngest governor in the United States, and the first Indian American female Governor, and Bobby Jindal is the first Indian American male Governor.  As Shabnam Modgil, Dallas' face of India said, "she is the most beautiful Governor".

The Governor said, “ that there is no reason we cannot have peace and love with everyone, and one thing he constantly said was if we want to truly have peace and love, we have to start with Children.  By putting this statue in a park, we are starting out with children, reminding them who he was, reminding them what he was about, and reminding them of the celebration he wanted his life to live on. He said be what you want.

She then turned to Prasad Thotakura and said, " Prasad, there is nothing you could not do.” Indeed, that is the truth.

She continued, “when I look at the statue, I see a man of the peace. To walk in the state house of South Carolina as a first India American woman as Governor, I hoped that's exactly what he wanted for all communities, for all people, and for all minorities to be able to be free as they wanted to be, as peaceful as they wanted to be, and to get to contribute to the world, and that is what we are celebrating today.

She said, "Indian American community is the least dependent community on receiving aid from the state, and most educated communities in America."

Nikki Haley must be a moderate Republican like me, even though she is billed as a conservative Republican.  She sounds like Obama with inclusiveness, a trait missing among the conservative Republicans and acutely deficit with regular Republicans.

Later in the evening I mentioned to her that Sean Hannity is a great fan of hers, and we have talked about her - as fellow Indian Americans. She was excited to hear about the message of my upcoming book, standing up for others and wants to read it.

At the dinner she mentioned about skills data collection from recipients of unemployment benefits, and matched it with employers that could use those skills and thus  removed several thousand from the welfare to income ( I forgot the number). Then she said something interesting that is unlike Republicans - These men and women want to work rather than receive the benefits, wow Nikki! Glad to hear the affirmation that she is a moderate Republican and I can relate with her.  I did mention to her earlier that I was glad she was speaking like a moderate,  rather than a conservative Republican.

Mayor Beth Van Duyne appreciated the community for funding it entirely on their own and she asserted that zip code 75038 had the most diverse population in America.

I must also mention the role of John Hammond and Shabnam Modgil of FunAsia in the affairs of desi community.  It was my dream a long time ago, like the dream of many of you here in Dallas that there should be an energy that brings people together, and facilitates knowing each other. Thanks to John, his Radio is a major catalyst in Dallas to bring the Desi communities together.

Funds are needed to complete this project by October 2nd. , please  donate generously, and be a part of the future. If you donate over $5000, your name or your parents name will written on the granite wall. 
 
Remembering Mahatma Gandhi

This statue symbolizes the work of Mahatma Gandhi, who believed in resolving conflicts through non-violence.  I hope this statue does not remain a symbol, but an inspiration to all of us – to think, talk and act like him.

As a pluralist, I often think how he would handle a given conflict, up0n reflections pat comes the answer – no bias towards the other and justice to all.  He once said, a good Hindu is a good Muslim, a Good Muslim is a good Christian and a Jew… and so on.

Gandhi is an example of what a Hindu ought to be.  He believed in many of the guiding principles of what is known as Hinduism – of them I will mention two here;

The highest ideal of a Hindu (or any one) is to become Brahma – i.e., become one with  energy of the Universe also known as God – when you become Brahma , then there is no distinction between you and another human being, you and the mountain – this all become part of you, and you become part of the  whole.

No more will you consider another human to be anything less than you or greater than you, but another spoke in the wheel of life.

The second principle he really believed in was the wisdom of our pluralistic ethos embedded in the Sanskrit phrase Vasudhaiva Kutumbukum, a concept where everyone is considered to be a part of one big human family and hence must take care of each other.  If one is hurt, you feel the hurt, if one is happy you feel the happy – thus creating a cohesive world where no one has to be afraid of the other.

This is also the Islamic concept, where God says we are all made from the same couple into many tribes, communities and nations and enjoins us to know each other to create harmony and cohesiveness.

The third principle is that of non-violence.  When God created animals and humans, he programmed them how to handle conflicts between any two.

For instance, when two goats or tigers are fighting for food or a loved one, God has given them horns or fangs to settle the dispute, the mighty gets it.  In Hindi and Urdu there is a saying Jis ki laathi us ki bhains.

However, look at the non-violence built into us that we forget often, and Gandhi invoked it all the times.  God did not give us horns or fangs or paws to tear each other apart in a conflict – instead he gave us a tongue – to dialogue and resolve the issues.  That is non-violence method of resolving disputes.

I hope this statue reminds us how to deal with each other, particularly during this election season. We have a tongue to dialogue without tearing each other.

I hope every time, and every day, if we feel biased, hatred, or angered towards another human being,  think of this great man – the great soul, Mahatma Gandhi and find inspiration to seek freedom from the shackles of bias. 

Mahatma Gandhi’s soul would be smiling at the people gathered in the park today. He lived and sacrificed his life for the unity of people of the Subcontinent.  As the balloons were released into the bright sunny blue skies, I was imagining the smiling affectionate face of Mahatma Gandhi – seeing the Pakistani community members joining hands with the Indians to get the memorial built as a reminder of unity. Indeed it is a great accomplishment for the people of Dallas. 

I hope this statue beams the energy of positive living, learning to respect the otherness of others and accepting the God given uniqueness of each one of us.

Peace be upon all the peacemakers!
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PLEASE NOTE:
1. This my personal note as a member of the community and not an official note of the organization. the information I have added is from what I have heard from the podium. For the full official version go to http://www.iafcusa.org/ and  http://mgmnt.org

2. There were many people involved in this, and all of that will be in their official record.  When this gets published, it will be reduced to 1200 words, but here on my blog www.TheGhouseDiary.com and http://MikeGhouseforIndia.blogspot.com will remain in full size.

3. I am not a paid to paid to write, nor do I write for any organization on a paid basis, when I attend an event, I usually write a short to long note depending on the availability of time. when I see something good, I write and I have written over 2500 pieces in the last 30 years, none were paid even though most of them were published including a bulk  in Dallas Morning News (over 160), Huffington Post (nearly 100) and news papers and magazines around the world. I encourage you to write, to get all perspectives in.  Most of them are at www.TheGhousediary.com. 
 PICTURES - https://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeghouse/sets/72157644499431684/
These pictures were taken by me personally, and I wish I had ten hands and ten cameras to capture every one who attended,  but no one can do that except the paid photographer, in this case Bombay Photography.  I will add the link later where you can see almost all the pictures where every one who attended (impossible) will be in the pictures.  
I am a proud life member of India Association of North Texas, and I urge you to become one by reaching out to any one at: www.iant.org

THE DRESS CODE

I could not resist watching the caps on the ground, I made a mistake by not wearing one myself, God willing I will dress up and urge all to do the same on October 2, 2014 when the Stautue of Gandhi will be unveiled.  The best fitting topi award should go to John Hammond, and the runner ups were Kuntesh Chokshi and Jack Godhwani. I meant it looked good on them. If you differ, propose the names as I have not seen all of them.  Look at John's picture and Pandit Jawahar Lal’s topi - well creased - the perfect topi.  

Among the founding fathers of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi did not wear the cap in the last years of his life, even though he did at the beginning.  Maulana Abul Kalam Azad had his own cap, Sardar Patel probably did not wear the cap and neither Dr. Ambedkar (correct me if I am wrong). Anna Hazare made it popular again and Arvind Kejriwal has made it his trade mark now.

Jai Hind


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Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, peace, Islam, Israel, India, interfaith, and cohesion at work place. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. He believes in Standing up for others and a book with the same title is coming up. Mike has a strong presence on national and local TV, Radio and Print Media. He is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News; fortnightly at Huffington post; and several other periodicals across the world. His personal site www.MikeGhouse.net indexes all his work through many links.

Shouting Match on Hannity Show about flawed Pew Survey. Its between Sean Hannity, Bill Cunningham and Mike Ghouse.

 SHOUTING MATCH ON FOX NEWS LAST NIGHT

Here are my talking points about Sharia Law and the flawed Pew survey after losing a shouting match on Hannity show with Bill Cunningham and Hannity.  The video is embedded in the article at Huffington post link below. 
 

1.  Radical Muslims are the mirror image of Radical Republicans who...
2. The survey has failed to recognize lack of alternative laws in Muslim majority nations; this makes the survey questionable in its authenticity.....
3. Sharia laws need serious updating, the laws on divorce, rape, apostasy, blasphemy, inheritance and adultery are not only outdated, but  some do not reflect the values of Quran ..
4. But Pakistanis and Bangladeshis have spoken strongly against it with 97% and 96% of them supporting freedom to practice religion
5. This may be bad news for the likes of Pamela Geller, Robert Spencer, Bridgette Gabriel, Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin, John Hagee
6. American Muslims closely resemble other Americans than they do Muslims around the world..
7. American Public is cheated out of knowledge on Hannity Show on May 1, 2013 with Mike Ghouse, Bill Cunningham and Mike Ghouse
8. I am committed to building a cohesive America, where no American has to be apprehensive or fearful of the fellow American. 

If you do like the article, please click "LIKE" at Hufington post, and if it makes sense, please tweet and share on Facebook, please write your comments as well.  This is how we build momentum to do good things.

Huffington post - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/a-few-talking-points-about-sharia-after-losing-a-sean-hannity-shouting-match_b_3200730.html

Full Survey is at: http://www.worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-worlds-muslims-beliefs-about-sharia.html 

Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, peace, Islam, Israel,India, interfaith, and cohesion at work place. He is committed to building a Cohesive Americaand offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. He believes in Standing up for others and has done that throughout his life as an activist. Mike has a presence on national and local TV, Radio and Print Media. He is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News; fortnightly at Huffington post; and several other periodicals across the world. His personal site www.MikeGhouse.net indexes all his work through many links.

So what if Boston Terrorist is a Muslim?

It is time for Muslims to face these situations boldly and hopefully put an end to living apologetically and in fear. So what if the terrorist is a Muslim? Stereotyping Muslims no more! Here is a beginning of a series of articles and work geared to fight stereotyping any American be it a Muslim, Jew, Gay-Lesbian, Immigrant, African American, Hindu or Sikh American.

The following article invokes common sense to those who thrive on chaos and prefer to aggravate it further, rather than restore the society to normalcy. It is for those who are anxious to turn their frustrations into blaming anything in sight including Obama and Muslims. 

Full story at the link...

Consider another scenario; if a single woman wants to move from Seattle to New York or Dallas, and asks your recommendation. Based on statistics, would you say - don’t go to New York, they are murderers. In 2010 they murdered 866 people, and sure don’t go there, they are rapists, they raped 2, 771 women. If you are a New Yorker, how would you feel your categorization?

Just as the New Yorkers and Texans would feel outraged, Muslims ought to feel the same.  Should New Yorkers apologize to this woman from Seattle for the rapes and murders in their state? Should Texans do the same? Should a Muslim apologize for the acts he or she did not commit? The answer is hell no!

  

We are one nation under God and we need to think, talk and act as one.  

If you are on facebook, you can see some great comments - www.facebook.com/MikeGhouse  

A friend wrote a note to me, “But why are Muslims not able to stop their own from committing such horrific acts."  

Are you saying that the Muslim community is permitting these criminals to go kill? Was the New Town killer authorized by the Christians to go kill children!  Did Americans Authorize KKK and White Supremacist to Kill? Did Christians authorize 50 some mass murders in the United States to run their automatic weapons in Colorado, Wisconsin, Oregon? Were the peaceful Buddhists Monks in Myanmar authorized by the entire Buddhist world community to murder their fellow Muslim citizens? Your question is pretty dumb. 

If you live in America, you should know that, we are not responsible for the actions of our brothers, sisters, parents, kids and spouse - why should the community be responsible then? In a civil society, individuals are responsible for the action and not the community. Yes, a few will blame Muslims, and we should not be in shouting match of scoring over each other... instead, we need to find solutions that are good for us, all of us. One of them is to invoke thinking... most will get it, some won't. This is what I have done. 

Full article at Huffington post - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/what-if-boston-terrorist-is-muslim_b_3108305.html#es_share_ended

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Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, peace,Islam, Israel, India, interfaith, and cohesion at work place. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. He believes in Standing up for others and has done that throughout his life as an activist. Mike has a presence on national and local TV, Radio and Print Media. He is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News; fortnightly atHuffington post; and several other periodicals across the world. His personal site www.MikeGhouse.net indexes all his work through many links.