America�s enduring value; freedom and Hijab.

America�s enduring value; freedom and Hijab | www.WorldMuslimCongress.com

One should have the freedom to wear, eat, drink or believe whatever the hell they want, as long as they are not taking anything away from you. 

The Taliban extremists force women to wear the full Burqa, where as the French extremists force the women not to wear.  These brutes do not represent civil society, as both of them want to tell a woman what she wears. Who the hell are they?

Wearing Hijab does not amount to oppression, forcing them not to wear amounts to oppression.  Hijab is a cultural expression,   a woman who is raised wearing full skirts will not be comfortable wearing mini-skirts; many a women are not comfortable showing cleavage, whereas others are comfortable with it. Neither is good or bad, it is what the individual is comfortable with.

Hijab is not a religious requirement, however modesty is. Modesty is not only religious and but the civilized thing to do. The men are first asked to lower their gaze and not look lustily at women, and then women are asked in equal terms to cover their bosoms.

On the other hand, Muslim men are not comfortable wearing shorts, or going shirtless even around their own kids and family members.  Men in other cultures have a range � but very few walk around naked in their homes.

I will stand with Muslim women who want to wear Hijab; it is their choice and will stand against men who force their women to wear the Hijab.

What is your problem? What is your loss? Why do you want to impose your ideas on others? The America I cherish is the America where people mind their own business, and not hell bent on imposing their ideas on others.

Everyone has a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  One of the enduring American values is freedom, freedom to choose what one wears, eats, drinks or believes.

One has a right to be a Taliban or French extremists, but being pro-choice respects the God given inalienable rights of individuals.

Related Articles:

Al-Azhar confirms Hijab is not a part of the religion
http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2012/05/al-azhar-confirms-hijab-is-not-part-of.html

Hijab is Cultural and not Religious
http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2014/07/hijab-is-cultural-and-not-religious_19.html

Burn the Burqa
http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2007/01/burn-burqa.html

Burqa to no Burqa
http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2007/07/burqa-to-no-burqa.html

Trump is right for once
http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2015/11/trump-is-right-burqa-is-matter-of.html

Dr. Mike Ghouse is a community consultant, social scientist, thinker, writer, news maker, and a speaker on Pluralism, Interfaith, Islam, politics, terrorism, human rights, India, Israel-Palestine and foreign policy. He is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. Visit him in 63 links at www.MikeGhouse.net for his writings at TheGhousediary.com and several blogs listed there in. 

Trump is right; Burqa is matter of individual choice.

Mike Ghouse | www.TheGhouseDiary.com 

Donald Trump speaks the language of the street, and it has its own appeal. He argued in a New Hampshire rally (October 26, 2015) in defense of the wearing of the Burqa, the full-length robe for women covering all but the upper face.  �In fact, it is easier; you don�t have to put on make-up.� Indeed, that is one of the most common arguments in favor of the Burqa; women don�t have to spend hours doing their hair or spend time on makeup.

Born and raised in New York, Trump understands diversity. He probably has seen all the cultural expressions of New York�s inhabitants, and seems to have accepted diversity as a part of God�s creation.

The Burqa is a regional and a cultural wear and not a religious garment.  But over a period of time, culture and religion in certain parts of the Middle East and Central Asia have blended and become inseparable. Being cultural, it varies from country to country� not all Muslim women wear Burqa; A Muslim woman�s modesty garments vary from a simple scarf to wrap-around scarf to a shuttle-cock covering. Trump is right when he says Burqa �is a matter of individual choice.�

The purpose of Hijab (covering) is twofold; to ensure safety of women through modesty, and to prevent men from staring at the obvious. The Quran says to men; �Lower your gaze� and to women, �Cover your bosoms� and live freely without apprehensions. 


Those who are not personally familiar with Muslims may find it difficult to understand that the head covering in America is becoming more of a fashion statement than a religious one. A huge percent of girls wear the Hijab even though their mothers and grandmothers don�t. Minorities seem to have a need for identity. The Orthodox Jews, Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims and all others find different expressions of their identities.

Indeed, attachment to culture is much deeper than religion; culture is a way of life that emulates the practices of families and friends. For example, the marriage rituals of Indian Muslims are heavily influenced by Hindu culture, and nowhere else on the earth, other than the Subcontinent , do Muslim marriages look like Hindu marriages.

American culture is unique; it permeates into every other culture and religion. When an American joins a buffet line for lunch, he or she takes his place in the line and rarely does he or she violates the rule. Whether one is weak or strong, man or a woman, in a hurry or not, the principle of equality prevails. America does it to everyone, thank God for that!

Whether you go to a Jain Temple, Hindu Temple, Gurdwara or a Mosque � men and women sit separately; it is cultural and not a religious thing.  When devotional songs or prayers begin, all the women cover their heads with aanchal (an extended garment to cover hair) � very few of them don�t. Indeed, Catholic women also cover their heads and Jewish women do it in their own way, in fact at one time they wore wigs.

Except for a few women from major metropolitan cities, most Indian women from all faiths will not wear mini-skirts when they are here in America; you cannot get them to wear it either and that is their comfort zone.

Muslim women have been wearing different forms of head coverings for centuries. A woman who covers her full face will not take the scarf off when that is her comfort zone.

I took my kids to every place of worship so they could grow up to be accepting of others,  and when I went to the Baptist Church I wore casual clothes, and my jeans had a hole on the back pocket, I was comfortable with that,  but my wife was not, so the next day my favorite pants disappeared. Culture means conformity with others in a given situation.

Every woman has her own comfort zone and so does every man.  Most men from South Asia will not walk around naked in their homes, even if a few may do, and that is their comfort zone. Most Muslim men will not take their shirts off in the presence of female members of the family, nor will they wear shorts in their homes, and that is their comfort zone. 

Personally, I am not in favor of the Burqa, but several years ago, my late wife gave me a panic attack. One day, she announced that she will start wearing the Burqa. She had never worn any kind of Hijab other than covering her head during the prayers, which most women do. For a few minutes I was dumbed down; I acted like a snake had bitten me.  I had to arrest myself before speaking, as the thoughts raced. �Am I a brute to tell her not to wear? Can I tell her not to wear? Will I go out shopping with her in that Burqa?� It was quite a mental exercise for me, and I am glad I was put to the test and finally said, �Najma, that is your choice�. She was probably testing to see if the man who believes in equality would live up to his words.

Women should not be a game for men � they should have the freedom to wear what gives them comfort. No man should tell her to wear or not to wear the Burqa. It should be her choice. 

When we understand true freedom, we will learn to respect the otherness of others and accept the uniqueness of each individual. We all need to grow up and shed our biases towards any one and any culture.

We ought to take the steps to prevent anyone from forcing their values onto others. Remember, most men are civil, and only a few are bad. It has nothing to do with religion, culture, income level and it has all to do with how they were raised or how they were influenced by friends around them.

 It is utterly wrong to conclude that Muslim, Sikh, Hindu or Christian men treat their women badly. No, that is not the truth. You will find a similar percentage of men in all groups treating women badly. It has got to go. 

What is it to you if a woman wears Burqa or not? What is your gain or loss? Let it be her choice.

 

Dr. Mike Ghouse is a community consultant, social scientist, thinker, writer and a speaker on Pluralism, Interfaith, Islam,  politics, human rights, foreign policy and building cohesive societies. Mike offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. More about him in 63 links at www.MikeGhouse.net and his writings are at TheGhousediary.com 

Ben Carson and Trump get offers from a Moderate Muslim

Washington, DC, October 28, 2015 � �Don�t we want our presidential candidates to be well informed about fellow Americans?� Instead of worrying about their misunderstandings about American Muslims and Islam, Mike Ghouse has offered free consulting services to Dr. Ben Carson, and now he extends the same to Donald Trump.

Ghouse adds, �I hope the statements they make can square with the U.S. Constitution and common sense, and hopefully gain respect from fellow Americans who are Muslims, Mexicans and others.  Hilary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are welcome to access free counseling as well.�

�As American Muslims we uphold, protect, defend and celebrate the values enshrined in our Constitution. Our faith reinforces the idea of one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all,� Ghouse has written.

Since 9/11, talk show hosts, journalists, lawmakers, and thought leaders have asked, �Where are the moderate Muslims to join the debate on social, civic, religious and political issues, including racism and violent extremism?�

�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,� according the Steve Blow, a columnist with the Dallas Morning News (Dallas Morning News ).

Dr. Ghouse defines �moderate Muslim� as someone who respects the otherness of others and accepts the God-given uniqueness of each person in God�s creation.  He has published more than 1000 articles on diverse aspects of Islam and maintains a blog on Quran, Sharia, Blasphemy, Apostasy, Hijab, Reforms, Ramadan, Women�s issues and community relations.  He is driven by the pluralistic wisdom in Quran, and his mission is authenticated by many a verse from Quran.

Dr. Mike Mohamed Ghouse has recently moved to Washington, D.C., and has undertaken to speak up where there is public debate about Islam. He is a proud, unapologetic Moderate Muslim and a passionate advocate of pluralism in religion, society, politics, race, culture, food and governance. He is a public speaker, thinker, writer and a commentator on pluralism and interfaith relations in America, and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day.

�The Voice of Moderate Islam in America� at www.TheGhouseDiary.com. Link for the article at:  http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2015/10/the-voice-of-moderate-islam-in-america.html

Dr. Mike Ghouse is a community consultant, social scientist, thinker, writer and a speaker on Pluralism, Interfaith, Islam, politics, human rights, foreign policy and building cohesive societies. Mike offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. More about him in 63 links at www.MikeGhouse.net and his writings are at TheGhousediary.com

Mike Ghouse will be on Hannity Radio at 5:00 with Hannity, Jasser and Gabrielle today

HANNITY RADIO WITH GHOUSE , JASSER AND GABRIELLE AT 5:00 PM

Dr. Ghouse will be on Hannity radio at 5:00 with Gabriel and Jasser about Carson, Trump and Ahmed log on to www.AmericanMuslimInstitution.org for details. 

The show will be broadcasted in over 250 stations across America, to find your local station go to http://www.hannity.com/pages/find-a-station/

1. Dr. Ben Carson out- trumps Trump in Discriminatory Attitude. http://americanmusliminstitution.blogspot.com/2015/09/dr-ben-carson-out-trumps-trump-in.html
   
2. Donald Trump - Muslims have become the latest Punching Bag in the Republican Party Presidential Campaign for 2015 http://americanmusliminstitution.blogspot.com/2015/09/donald-trump-muslims-have-become-latest.html
   
3. Ahmed Mohamed - Islamophobia Strikes a 14 year old in Texas http://americanmusliminstitution.blogspot.com/2015/09/islamophobia-strikes-14-year-old-ahmed.html   

Sean Hannity with Mike Ghouse, Zuhdi Jasser and Brigitte Gabriel at 5:00 PM 

Donald Trump - Muslims have become the latest Punching Bag in the Republican Party Presidential Campaign for 2016

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Mike Ghouse 214-325-1916
Mike@American Muslim Institution.orgwww.AmericanMuslimInstitution.org

Muslims have become the latest Punching Bag in the Republican Party Presidential Campaign for 2016

Washington, D.C., September 21, 2015 - An unidentified man, who spoke at the Trump town hall meeting in Rochester, New Hampshire, asked the mogul at the meeting on Thursday night. "You know our current president is one. You know he's not even an American" and then he went on spewing hateful tirade against Muslims.�

Donald Trump did not stop him.  He should have corrected the man as he started to insult our President, and then he went on lumping 1.6 billion Muslims with the ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. Does he not know that several Muslim countries in the Middle East are a part of the U.S. led coalition currently engaged in military operations to destroy ISIL terrorists?

Can Trump answer this question for a man from Dallas, �I am an African American Muslim born and raised in this great country?� Where am I in your vision of Making America Great Again?

In 2008, a woman at a John McCain Campaign event insisted that Obama was "an Arab." "No ma'am," McCain replied. "He's a decent, family man, citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues."  

We see the signs of desperation, when people resort to such insults; it shows they are operating from a position of weakness.  Americans are not stupid, Trump can try to tear America apart, but we are hopeful that people of goodwill will keep America together.   I hope Jeb Bush and other Republican candidates for President in 2016 call him out and do not out-trump his ugliness.

 

Ambassador Islam Siddiqui, President of AMI said, "As Americans we cannot remain silent, we call upon all the Presidential candidates to be aware that there are over 7.0 million peace-loving and hard-working Americans who happen to be Muslims.�

We hope Americans of all faiths will stand up for each others� rights, which is the least we can do to build a safe and prosperous America for all.   

American Muslim Institution is based in Washington, D.C., and is a proactive voice for American Muslims.