Muslim Speaker Mike Ghouse

 NURTURING PLURALISTIC VALUES EMBEDDED IN ISLAM 

A Muslim Speaker, thinker, organizer and an activist committed to building cohesive societies with a belief that what is good for Muslims has got to be good for the world and vice versa to sustain peace, harmony and prosperity.

To be a Muslim is to be a peace maker, one who constantly seeks to mitigate conflicts and nurtures goodwill for peaceful co-existence of humanity. God wants us to live in peace and harmony with his creation; Life and Matter. Over 1000 articles have been published on a range of topics in Islam and Pluralism. Insha Allah, a book outlining the Muslim vision is on the horizon.

In defense of Islam, pursuing a civil dialogue

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/columnists/steve-blow/20100919-In-defense-of-Islam-pursuing-9397.ece  

Over and over you hear it said: If Muslims oppose terrorism, why don't they stand up and say it?

If that has been you, Mike Ghouse ought to be your hero.

It is hard to imagine that anyone has worked harder than the Carrollton resident to demonstrate the peaceful and moderate side of Islam.

And that effort includes personally visiting Dallas' First Baptist Church last Sunday just to put a friendly face on the "evil, evil religion" that the Rev. Robert Jeffress denounced a few weeks before.

"It was wonderful," Ghouse said of the visit. "We were so warmly received."
He hopes a quick chat with Jeffress will be the start of deeper discussion about Islam and the importance of respect between religions.

"I want to have a dialogue with him, not to say he is wrong but to share another point of view," Ghouse said.

The 57-year-old Muslim was born in India and has lived in the United States for 30 years. He owns a small property management firm. But most of his day is devoted to building bridges between people of different faiths.

"It is my passion," he said in his distinctive raspy voice.

He has been a guest a dozen times on Sean Hannity's TV and radio talk shows. "I don't like the way Sean cuts me off, but I have to honor him for giving the American public a semblance of another point of view."

Ghouse said he can understand fear and criticism of Islam because he went through a time of similar feelings. As a teen, he was troubled by passages of the Quran. He called himself an atheist for a while.

But he said deeper study led him to realize the Quran had been purposely mistranslated down through history.

In the Middle Ages, European leaders commissioned a hostile Quran translation to foster warfare against Muslim invaders.

Later, Muslim leaders produced another translation to inflame Muslims against Christians and Jews.

"It was all for politics," he said.
Ghouse said he hopes to present Jeffress with a modern, faithful translation and challenge him to find evil verses.

"If he can, I will convert. I will join his church," Ghouse said. "If he can't, I will call on him to retract his statements and become a peacemaker."

Ghouse acknowledges that deep problems persist within Islam. "Three steps forward, two steps back," he said with a sigh.

And he agrees that mainstream Muslims have not done enough to counter violent images of their faith.

"That is very true," he said. "But part of it is that many Muslims have given up hope that we will ever be heard."

He said repeated denunciations of terrorism seem to fall on deaf ears.

And some efforts have backfired - like the proposed Islamic information center in New York. He said it should be hailed for furthering the moderate Muslim cause.
Instead, it has deepened hostility toward Muslims.

I have been astounded by the amount of anti-Islam propaganda that circulates via e-mail. Tons of it has come my way in the last few weeks.

One theme is that people like Mike Ghouse can't be trusted, that Islam encourages deception.

But Ghouse says actions speak louder than words. And he points to elections in Muslim nations.

More than half of Muslims live in countries with some degree of democracy. And time and time again, Islamist parties are overwhelmingly rejected in favor of secular, mainstream parties.

"The religious parties don't get more than 3 percent of the vote," Ghouse said.
Polls show deep mistrust of Muslims. "But the most important question in those surveys is: 'Do you know anything about Islam?' " Ghouse said. "Most people say no."
What keeps him going is faith in Americans, he said.

"The majority of Americans, if they know the truth, they will change their minds."
 

# # #

Mike Ghouse is a speaker, writer, thinker, futurist and an activist of Pluralism, Islam, India and Civil Societies passionately offering pluralistic solutions on issues of the day.

He is a commentator at Fox News on the Hannity show, nationally syndicated Radio shows along with Dallas TV, Print and Radio networks and occasional interviews on NPR.  He has spoken at international forums including the Parliament of Worlds Religions in Melbourne, Middle East Peace initiative in Jerusalem, International Leadership conference in Hawaii, Washington and elsewhere.

Concerned by the divisiveness, he saw the need to bring Americans together and founded America Together Foundation committed to building a cohesive America, indeed it is in response to ACT America which is bent on pitching one American against the other.  We will be holding series of educational programs, conferences and workshops to address the issues that divide us such as Civil Right, GLBT, Quraan, Abortion, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, Racial Profiling and Stereotyping.

The Annual Unity Day USA is in its 7^th year now, it is a purposeful event to bring Americans together, on this Unity Day, we the people of the United States of America of every faith, race, ethnicity, culture and background will gather to express our commitment to co-existence, unity, prosperity and wellbeing of our nation.  

Thanksgiving Celebration is in its 15^th year showcasing cultural diversity.

The 5^th Annual Reflections on Holocaust and Genocides is to learn and to acknowledge and reflect upon the terrible things we have inflicted upon each other and commit to avert such tragedies.  Through this event non-Jewish people have consciously learned about Holocaust for the first time, it was also for the first time that people of 14 faiths came together to join in to commemorate the Holocaust that commemorated within the Jewish Community for years. They are not alone anymore in their anguish, we are all in it together with them, and it is a Muslim initiative to effect a positive change.

The programs, seminars and workshops conducted by the Foundation for Pluralism have become a part of the America Together Foundation. While the Foundation for Pluralism continues championing the idea of co-existence through respecting and accepting the otherness of other, the commitment to nurturing the pluralistic ideals embedded in Islam through the World Muslim Congress continues.

# # #

Fuller Profile is at:  http://www.mikeghouse.net/MuslimSpeaker.MikeGhouse.asp   

Mike is working on two books scheduled to be released this year; The American Muslim Agenda and My Journey to Pluralism.

Mike has written over 1000 Articles on Pluralism, Islam, India, Peace & Justice and civil societies published in a wide spectrum of Newspapers and Magazines around the world.

Locally, he is a panelist at Dallas Morning News's and writes weekly on a range of issues facing the nation. Washington Post, Huffington Post and other news papers and sites regularly publish his work.  

Mike is available to speak on Pluralism, Islam, Civil Societies, and Peace & Justice at your place of worship, school, work place, seminars, workshops or conferences. His work is reflected at three websites & twenty two Blogs listed at http://www.MikeGhouse.net/

The Traditions of Ramadan

The Traditions of Ramadan
Mike Ghouse

It�s celebration time when Muslims around the world anxiously wait for the first moon of the ninth Lunar month to appear on the sky. The families gather in their backyards, or get on the nearest hillock or climb on the top of their homes and wait for the pencil thin moon to appear on the horizon, and when it does, jubilation begins.

It is Chandni Raat or the moonlit festivities, even though the moon disappears within an hour; it is still the moonlit night and the spirit of celebrations continue.

As the Christians do the count down from the first day of Christmas or Hindus express devotion for each one of the nine days through Vijay Dashami or the Jews follow eight days of Chanukah, Jains observe eight days of Paryushan, and others follow similar path, the Muslims count the next 29 to 30 days with a sense of piety.

With small variations in practices, families rise up early around 4:00 AM and gather in the kitchen to participate in cooking, sharing the meal and being together as a family unit. Every one has to finish off the food and water intake five minutes prior to sunrise or the morning call for prayers. The youngest one in my family waited for the last second with a glass of water ready to gulp down before the first call for prayers, followed by morning prayers at home or Mosque, and then everyone was free for rest of the day.

Throughout the day a conscious effort is made to abstain from food, water or temptations that are detrimental to self-discipline. Those who do not observe fasting, honor the ones who do, by not eating or drinking in their presence.

One should remain steadfast despite temptations, many a fast observing Muslims are open to their friends eating, indeed it adds to one�s will power to resist the temptation to eat, thus enriching ones� faith and discipline.

It is customary for a Muslim to ask the other if he were observing the fast, perhaps it may be the desire to be sensitive to the other. However, I would urge one to live his or her own life and not even ask the other and cause discomfort, after all no one but you is responsible for your actions.

One of the most beautiful aspect of Ramadan is the domino effect other Muslims have on you to guard yourselves from greed, anger, ill-will, malice, hate, jealousy and other ills of the society. One feels pious during the month. Of course, there would always a small percentage in a group, who do not receive that wisdom.

Most Muslims pray five times a day and a few do three or two and some none. Prayers are congregational or individual and are performed in the morning, noon, afternoon, evening and the night, bracketing one from getting off the track.

When the time to break the fast approaches towards the sun down, anxiety builds up, it is almost like the count down of seconds when the space shuttle takes off. Muslims make an attempt to be in the congregation or team up with some. A prayer call signifies time to break the fast.

Prophet Muhammad had initiated a healthy way of breaking the fast; it was graduating the empty stomach with munchies like dates, fruits and veggies to prepare the digestive system for a full meal after the prayer break. Dates are the most popular item around the world, they are chewy, meaty and tasty after a long day of fasting, and dates are also a preferred item as it was for the Prophet.

The breaking of fast, also known as �Iftaar� has become a community event, where Muslims invite their non-Muslim friends to join in their celebration of the day. President Clinton started the tradition of holding an Iftaar party carried forward by President Bush and now President Obama. It is a major social event for the politicians, just as it is with Christmas, Rosh Hashanah, Diwali and other festivities.

The night prayers during Ramadan are called Taraweeh, the prayers are much longer than the other times, typically twenty two units of prayers as opposed to four units during the regular nights. All the thirty Chapters of Qur�aan are recited from the Imam�s memory (Hifz) during this month.

At the end of 29th or 30th day, depending on the moon sighting, NASA or other traditions, the fasting would come to an end with the celebration. It is a major event and Muslims gather in a large space and perform their thanksgiving prayer. The traditional greetings are �Eid Mubarak� (Eid is pronounced as in eel but with a d � it is eed), a near equivalent of Merry Ramadan.

On this day one formally forgives and gets forgiven and starts the year with good will. Every one hugs three times; I am your friend, you are my friend and together we are friends.

Traditionally every one in the family wears new clothing, a symbol of starting over with a clean slate. The oldest one in the family passes on gifts and cash to younger members of the family to spend as they wish and to teach responsibility with freedom.

It is also a time to share one�s wealth with the needy; it is like the tithe and is called Zakat. Every family takes out 2.5% of the value of their assets and passes on to the destitute usually through institutions such as a mosque. It is considered an investment in human capital, to help uplift every one on a level playing field to maintain a sustainable good in the society.

On the culinary side, it is a feast! A variety of dishes are prepared, over the years I have discovered that the most common item around the globe is a dessert made out of vermicelli�s, i.e., hair thin noodles cooked in Milk with nuts, dates, honey and other goodies, it is both in liquid and solid formats.

Though the annual ritual of fasting takes thirty days its true destination is endless. May we always hunger to discover our heart. May we always aspire to find our balance, connect with each other, open our hearts and minds to fellow beings; the joy that comes with it is ours to keep.

For fasting to be truly universal, its benefits must extend beyond the fraternal ties of Muslims and must extend to forging a common humanity with others. Fasting is meant to impart a sense of what it means to be truly human, and its universality is reflected by its observance in Bahai, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jain, Jewish, Sikh, Zoroastrian and other faiths.

This is two of the three articles on Ramadan. The first one was published in Washington post - http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/guestvoices/2010/08/the_essence_of_ramadan_is_to_become_humble.html

Happy Ramadan, Rosh Hashanah and Navaratri.
Mike Ghouse is a Speaker, Thinker and a Writer on Islam and Pluralism and is a frequent guest at Media offering pluralistic solutions to the issues of the day. His work is listed on 22 of his blogs and two websites listed at www.MikeGhouse.net

19th Day of Ramadan Masjid Al-Qur'an

http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2010/08/19th-day-of-ramadan-masjid-al-quran.html

19th Day of Ramadan, Masjid Al-Qur'an
Sunday, August 29, 2010

My visit to the Warith Deen Muhammad Mosque Masjid Al-Qur'an in South Dallas was eventful.

I was an hour early and unlike all other Mosques, the Qur'aan lessons were on. Imam Muhammad Shakoor was speaking and asking the men and women sitting around the tables to read verses from Sura 22 titled Hajj and then he would ask questions and would answer them. It was quite an interactive session.


Imam Shakoor is easy relaxed and humorous in his conversation. I enjoyed the way he was talking about how the Shaitaan attacks ... from the front, back, left and right... and from every where... he was literally doing the chicken dance and it sure was fun to see the Imam with life.

He talked about the Ground Zero Mosque and suggested patience is the virtue, and believed that when facts emerge, things will fade. He referred to 9:32, 6;122-125 and several other verses. He also shared the story of Samson and Delilah and Adam in this context. Where they were given bountiful and were asked to stay away from one item... and they did not, like wise God asks us not to rush to conclusions until all facts are in; patience is the virtue.

Right at 7:56 we broke the fast and the dates and snacks were all set on the kitchen table that men and women took along with water.

You may find in tune with my observation here, at the position h (in the figure) of the Salat, most of us recite Attahiyat followed by two daroods and a Duwa and then Salaam to the right and then to the left.

Imam Shakoor takes the same time as the people behind him, however, I have been to places and wondered what the Imams recite? I could do the recitation twice, and they are still sitting around... next time I will ask the Imams what takes them so long? or What do they recite that I am not familiar with!

From what I have learned, especially during the Ramadan, the evening (Maghrib) prayers are to be prayed with short Chapters (suras) and complete the Salat to make it easy for the person fasting... where do most of them miss it? Particularly when a guest leads the prayers, he takes it forever, what for?

After the prayers we all gathered around the table and ate our meals and several interfaith Jokes were shared it was an easy friendly atmosphere. There was that sense of the community in that Mosque.

Visiting churches, synagogues, temples and other places of worship, I accutely notice the sense of community, where as most of the mosques I have been to - a majority of them dash in a minute before the time to break the fast and out again after the prayer. There is a lack of sense of community in some places. Not a bad idea to at least take 30 mintues before breaking the fast to touch upon the current isssue.

The pictures in the link follow my route to the Mosque.
Pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeghouse/sets/72157624837500464/

Mike Ghouse is speaker and thinker on Pluralism and Islam offering pluralistic solutions to the media and the public on issues of the day. His work is captured in 22 blogs and 3 websites listed at http://www.mikeghouse.net/

17th day of Ramadan � Shia Mosque in Irving

Friday, August 27, 2010
17th day of Ramadan - Shia Mosque in Irving
Momin Center

Momin Center of Irving was my Iftaar destination today, Shia Muslims pray here.

My daughter Mina�s words reverberate in my years, �gee dad, god can be worshipped in so many different ways,� Indeed the creator remains a mystery to most of us, but he created enough symbolism for people to latch on to.

The prayers were uniquely Shia, the typical Duwa (supplication) is done at the end of the prayers in most Mosques I have been to except the Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem, in both places the supplication was done at the end of the 2nd unit of prayer and ended the prayers at the third unit (Evening prayer is three units).

It was also a new experience to me that the Imam was reciting the phrases that individuals recite quietly in most other mosques like the phrases while kneeling and prostrating. I have been to Shia Mosques before, but this is a new experience indeed. Additionally they combine Noon and a afternoon prayers and again evening and nightly prayes together.

I took about three pictures and one of the men walked up and said we cannot take the pictures of the Mosque; I understood their rules and stopped it. Then the President of the center Mukthar Dhanji said that he will email me the pictures and as soon as I get them, I will upload it.

The food was good and got to chat with several people that I have known over the years including Reza Ali, the Naat Khwaan (reciter of poems praising the prophet) and Amin Ali who was the photographer for on of the Banquets for Cricket I had arranged years ago.

After the prayers dinner buffet was open and it was typical Indian (or Pakistani) food, Chicken Biryani (chicken fried rice), great tasting lentil and lamb and the desserts which I resisted.

Mike Ghouse

14th day of Ramadan missed fasting

14th day of Ramadan missed fasting
Tuesday, August 24, 2010

I had not slept for more than 4 hours a day for the last full week
went to sleep at 4:00 AM and did not get up until 8:30 AM.

Today's schedule called for doing things we wanted to do and a few of us chose to go to Haifa, and we are hoping to go back there and see Bethlehem, Masada and Yad Vashem.

Pictures at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeghouse/sets/72157624688827209/

9th day of Ramadan on the Plane

Thursday, August 19, 2010
9th Day of Ramadan on the Plane

Departed Dallas at 4:20 PM bound to Tel Aviv through Frankfurt in Lufthansa Airlines.

I was trying to figure out the time to break the fast, calculated Eastern time, I was figuring the velocity of the plane around 592 MPH, then added that time to CST... and came up with something like 7:00 PM... but the Sun was still up. So I followed the Sun, the rays and the light was filtering into the plane from the back side as the plane was on the North East flight path and about 6:45 Dallas Time, the sun was sinking somewhere in the west and that was the time to break the fast.

The Flight attendants were serving the food around 5:30 and I asked them to hold it for another hour, and she knew instantly that I was fasting. When the time came for breaking the fast, I asked for the meal and she was saying another 6 hours or so. I reminded here that I had asked them to hold the meal... meanwhile, a German young boy sitting next to me told her something in German that sounded like �bring the food now� and she did.

The tray was marked "Hindu" and I was wondering why did they mark religion, usually it would be vegetarian, Kosher or Halal. The food was good though, I have always enjoyed it at Lufthansa and I have flown on it several times over the years.

The kid next to me was amazing; he was super pleasant; put my bag up in the rack, brought me a diet coke for breaking the fast and was continuously willing to assist me. I could not change the language on the TV, so he pushes a few buttons and gets me English. He was curios about Pluralism and oddly he knew a lot about Islam.

This is the first time I did not read or write in the plane, instead I watched three movies. Bounty Hunter, Date Night and ....?

7th Day of Ramadan at Madina Masjid

7th Day of Ramadan at Madina Masjid
Tuesday, August 17, 2010, Carrollton

Other pictures at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeghouse/sets/72157624749621880/show/

I had an open schedule for Iftaar tonight, lo and behold; I get the call from Fox TV to join them tonight at the Hannity show. Unlike the previous programs that were live, this one was taped due to tight schedules and getting three guests together with Sean Hannity; Dr. Wafa Sultan, Frank Cagney and myself. The topic was Sharia Laws and Ground Zero Mosque (a misnomer), the rest of the story is at: http://groundzeromosque.blogspot.com/2010/08/fox-news-hannity-sultan-cagney-ghouse.html

The taping was done by 7:00 PM to be aired at 8:30 PM and I decided to go to Madinah Masjid in Carrollton. It is like coming home in so many ways, most every one at the Mosque is from the Subcontinent and most of them are Urdu Speaking; my mother tongue.

Javed Hyder has been a strong supporter of this Mosque and is always out there serving the needs of Mosque, a fellow Bangalorean and we chat often. Naushad is another one. We briefly talked about the Quraan burning event coming up in Florida on 9/11, I told him if I get the funds or the tickets, I will go there and pray for the well being of the pastor, just as Prophet Muhammad set the example of praying for miscreants to have God�s blessings of good will. An article is coming up jointly written by Imam Zia Shaikh and me this week.

Things that are unique to this Mosque (I�m yet to visit 23 More Mosques this Ramadan);

Unlike other Mosques, (I have not been to all of them yet, but so far) Madinah Masjid serves Iftaar dinner every night. I mean full service, that is what the man at the counter told us to sit back and relax and they will bring the plated food and they did. The plate was filled with Chick Peas, Mutton Biryani (goat fried rice), Raita (yogurt puree) veggies and fruit salad.

At the end of the recitation of Sura Fateha, usually the worshippers say in chorus �Amen� fairly loudly and beautifully. It was not the same here and this is how it was done back home.

Most mosques do not render supplicative prayers, after the main prayers, but they do it here.

Before breaking the fast, the Imam actually recited the short prayer for breaking the fast, unusual as individuals recite within their hearts, but I had experienced the same last year in this Mosque.

I was a part of three different conversations and literally every one was aghast that the media has slapped the wrong meaning of Jihad on all of us, which is striving to be a better human to oneself and others. A few scholars, who were perhaps politically oriented, like the European kings, have misinterpreted the word to mean armed struggle. In Islam there is no such thing as offensive or aggressive war, it is always to defend oneself, however a few right wing Muslims scholars have gone against the spirit of Quraan, just like the right wing Christians, Jews and Hindus have done with their respective traditions.

Insha Allah, I will do my fitaar at each one of the mosques of Ahmadiyya, Bohra, Ismaili, Shia, Sufi, Sunni, Warith Deen Muhammad and other Mosques in Dallas; including the Mosque at Al-Aqsa this weekend. My theme is Mosque a day - Here is my schedule. http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2010/08/my-iftaar-schedule.html This blog will carry full stories for 29/30 days of Ramadan.

This is my 7th day of fasting, the 1st day was easy but sleepy, and the 2nd day produced light headaches, otherwise, it is smooth sail. Praise the Lord. Alhamdu Lillah.
http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2010/08/my-iftaar-schedule.html

Mike Ghouse is a thinker, writer and speaker on Islam, Pluralism and offers pluralistic solutions to the media and the public on issues of the day. His work is reflected in 22 blogs and 3 websites listed at http://www.mikeghouse.net/

5th Day of Ramadan at Ahmadiyya Mosque

5th Day of Ramadan
Sunday, August 15, 2010

My Iftaar stop was at Ahmadiyya Mosque in Allen, Texas. I have been to this Mosque about three or four times before. Just about every know me and I knew most of the congregation there. Tariq reminded me about their national leader on my Radio show some 14 years ago when I had launched the first Asian Radio in Dallas.

I was hoping to be acquainted with new rituals and to my surprise; it was no different than going to any one of the Sunni Mosques in Dallas area. The only new thing was the educator was reading and explaining the chapter 95 Al-Teen and did a great job followed by breaking of the fast with dates and the Indian-Pakistani tempuras (Pakoras).

Imam Malik Mohammad led the prayers and prayer ritual was exactly the same as the Sunni tradition. After the prayer they talked about the Floods in Pakistan and their charity that serves out there. I was taken back when Imam Malik introduced me to the congregation and it was good to be with them.

A few Muslim may question following the Imam other than my own tradition, it is not the Imam, it is your own intent, niyyah that counts. It is the same argument I am having with Sean Hannity on Fox TV - the character of Imam does not matter to me, like every one, he will come and go, butit is my niyya that matters to me the visitor.

I asked them to join me going to other Mosques about breaking the fast, and most of them were aware of my schedule published at World Muslim Congress.

The dinner was traditional Indian (my reference, they call it Pakistani) chicken Qurma, Rice and Kheer. Met with Professor Qudsiyah who wants to be involved in interfaith work and Robert Hunt of Perkins school of theology at SMU had mentioned to her about my work in Pluralism as well. She is a professor of Law and speaks on Islam.

On the Dinner table Dr. Jari Khan, Tahir and three other gentlemen and their outreach coordinator carried on the conversation about Prophet Muhammad. I talked about the example set by the prophet of respecting the otherness of other; when he signed the peace treaty with the Meccans in Hudaibiya, his name was signed as Muhammad the messenger of God to which they objected, �your followers may believe that, but to us, you are Muhammad son of Abdullah� � Prophets Associates objected the removal of the phrase messenger of God, but Prophet saw another point of view and respected the otherness of other and had his signature reaffixed as Muhammad son of Abdullah. That is one of the greatest examples of Pluralistic attitudes that the Prophet wanted people to follow.

They presented me with a copy of Qur�aan with translations by Maulawai Sher Ali. The first thing I do is go to the first chapter, verse 7 as that has been one of the mistranslated verses both by a Muslim for his political desires after the fall of the ottoman empire by the European Kings in the 11th Century who deliberately mistranslated Qur�aan to egg their subjects against Muslims.
More about this at: http://quraan-today.blogspot.com/2008/01/unlike-jews-or-christians-17.html

My Iftaar Schedule - http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2010/08/my-iftaar-schedule.html

Mike Ghouse is a speaker thinker and a writer on Pluralism and Islam, a frequent guest at the media offering pluralistic solutions for the issues of the day. His work is encapsulated in 22 blogs and 3 websites listed at www.MikeGhouse.net