Fox News Studios at North Capitol Hill with Rand Paul

Fox News Studios by Capitol Hill - Positive engagement is good!

Washington, DC, Thursday, December 10, 2015 - Dr. Zuhdi Jasser, Asra Nomani and Mike Ghouse were on Hannity show on Fox News about the seize of mosque in Paris. 

While waiting in the green Room, Senator Rand Paul, conservative Commentator Charles Krauthammer and Mike Ghouse had a conversation. Rand Paul encouraged Mike to produce a short video clip where American Muslim youth of different races and ethnicities are condemning extremism and radicalism; he said he will promote the video while Charles Krauthammer will endorse it.

It is good to have positive engagement with people who are opposed to you... and when we interact, positive things happen. Everyone wants to achieve goodness, translated into safety of every citizen.

I posted this note on the face book; my friend Nancy Lyn Cotter expressed it in much better.  "Thank you for your consistent voice and work. Each and every step towards a unifying goal is the key. And as you said, meaningful engagement between polarized mindsets is the only way to begin bridging the gaps and wide divides that separate us from peace and unified action for humanitarian and environmental health and well being."

Asra Nomani and I were reviewing the document issued by the Muslim reform movement, and I hope to read and comment on the piece, hopefully next week.  

Thank you,

Mike Ghouse
(214) 325-1916

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

American Muslims are proud of taking the right steps towards integration

American Muslims are proud of taking the right steps towards integration. www.AmericanMuslimInstitution.org  

On Friday, November 20, 2015, the American Muslims took a bold step in their journey towards being-one with fellow Americans.  

The American Muslim Institution (AMI) led the demonstrations against Terrorism and Daesh on the steps of Lincoln Memorial;  this historic location was chosen to mirror the efforts of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who brought a positive change to the American civil society with his immortal, �I have a dream speech" on the very same steps.

It was indeed a symbolic event for American Muslims, and the foundation for a positive change was laid.The next event was held within hours across the White House by ADAMS Center and another one by APPNA at Dupont Circle the very next day. Now, it is gathering momentum.  

The apprehensions and the conflicts Muslims feel is a result of actions and reactions feeding each other. The Media is blamed for amplifying the negative portrayal of Muslims, while our own attitudes have also contributed towards to the feeding frenzy. It is time to change the equation.  

Mother Teresa had said if you want to make peace with your enemies, go talk with them. Praise the Lord, we have begun the process.  Media is not our enemy; they are merely reflecting the fears of a few, some of them have not taken the time to differentiate between religion and its followers, and have mistaken us with the Daesh, Talibans, Al-Qaeda and their ilk. It is our duty to correct these gross errors on a continual basis. God willing, we hope to conduct seminars and workshops with the media to rectify some of the false perceptions about us. Good and healthy communications can always pave the way for better understanding.

We hear, "the proof is in the pudding", indeed it is. In the following links (four videos), listen to the tone of Sean Hannity, Stuart Varney, and Richard Ray of Fox News. They have responded to positive engagement. There is a new emerging language of understanding and support. What has not worked is disengagement; I would rather engage and fail than cause us to dig in our heels.
This week�s output;    

1. A small step for Muslims, but a giant leap for America - Link

1. Thanksgiving (Interfaith), an  unforgettable story of Appaiah - Link

1. Stuart Varney on Fox -Lincoln Memorial � Link

1. Richard Ray on Fox Dallas -Pastor Jeffress � Link

1. Sean Hannity on Fox about Syrian Refugees � Link

1. Stuart Varney of Fox complains  - Link

1. American Muslims Demonstrate against ISIS - Link

1. War on Terror is the dumbest idea ever floated - Link

1. Islamic way of dealing Terrorism � Link

1. American Muslims Condemn ISIS - Link

1. Rabbi Jonathan Sachs Hugs Mike on the stage. Link

1. Moderate Muslims Speak out? Link

1. What has Sean Hannity done for us? Link (last 9 of the 15 minutes)

The American Muslim Institution is formed with three specific goals - work with the media, mitigate Islamophobia and speed up the process of integration. We hope to get to the point where fellow Americans will see Muslims as their neighbors and fellow citizens, committed to fight against violent extremism and to protect the homeland. No more them against us, it will be all of us working together for a prosperous, secure and cohesive America. . 

Since August 4th, we have been written up in nearly 300 media outlets, this event at Lincoln Memorial has produced nearly 60 Media reports-videos and write ups.  You can Google "American Muslim Institution." Insha Allah, we will upload all of them including our own video and pictures on this site www.AmericanMuslimInstitution.org  within a few weeks.

An integrated society functions effectively when we are all on the same page with our uniqueness.  When we demonstrated against Terrorism and Daesh on the steps of Lincoln Memorial, it resonated with fellow Americans; both of us were against the monsters.  When we celebrate 4th of July in the biggest possible way, it will resonate with fellow Americans; both of us become fellow patriots.  When armed protesters head towards Mosques with a confused intent, we can greet them with kindness and caring hospitality, hoist American flags on our mosques grounds, serve grilled hot dogs and water, the hostility will dissipate and they will view us as fellow Americans instead of perceived hostility. We must connect with them instead alienating them. 

Of course, I suggest our Friday Sermons to teach us in dealing with conflicts in the most simple way.

Islamophobia? Right now 63% of Americans don't see Muslims favorably; we can bring this number down to 32% in 3 years. If you are willing to do certain basic things. I will be happy to give a talk and present practical action plan to your group,  listing seven little and seven big things we can do to shape our future with fellow Americans. We cannot postpone this and live in misery for another decade.  

Mike Ghouse,Executive DirectorAmerican Muslim InstitutionA proactive voice for American MuslimsWashington, DC(214) 325-1916 

Dr. Mike Ghouse is a community consultant, social scientist, thinker, writer, news maker and a speaker on Pluralism, Interfaith, Islam,politics, human rights, India, Israel-Palestine,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.

Join American Muslims against ISIS and Terrorism on the steps of Lincoln Memorial

PRESS RELEASE

Mike Ghouse (214) 325-1916
Mike@AmericanMuslimInstitution.org 

American Muslims to demonstrate against ISIS on the steps of Lincoln Memorial

Date: 11/20/15
Day: Friday |
Time: 3:00 -4:30 PM 
Place: On the steps of Lincoln Memorial, Washington, DC
Website: www.AmericanMuslimInstitution.org

The purpose of this gathering is to send a clear message to the ISIS and their ilk, that American Muslims are angry about their actions. They are to be charged for the violations of human rights, forcing women into slavery,  forcible conversions, harassment of Christians, Yazidis, Shias, Sunnis and other minorities, and most certainly creating chaos and abusing the name of Islam. 

We cannot tolerate any of these acts and we urge our president to speak out in behalf of fellow humans,  and give them three days notice to back off, surrender, and repent for their actions or face the consequences.

We invite Americans of all faiths and no faiths to join us in standing up against ISIS.  Yes, we the Muslims are as angry as average American. Indeed, we are all in this together.

We pledge we are one nation under the flag, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

We will be listing as many participating organizations as we can. Please send an email with the name of your organization, website and your phone number,  and we will add to the list below.

We appreciate the PSA announcements from Stuart Varney and Jennie Lubart of Fox News and we invite them to cover this event. 


Thank you.

will be updated later

ORGANIZATIONS 

The list is at www.AmericanMuslimInstitution.org

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 

Mike Ghouse speaks about Fox News and the power of engagement (Sean Hannity), Akhira and committment

POWER OF ENGAGEMENT | World Muslim Congress.com
http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2015/07/mike-ghouse-speaks-about-fox-news-and.html

This is the outline of my speech at the Plenary session of AMU conference,  �Intellectual crisis of the Muslim Ummah; Rethinking traditions solutions" held at Aligarh Muslim University on April 6 and 7^th in 2015. The video link is included at the end of this script.

PREFACE
Sir Syed Ahmed Khan was a visionary, who understood the issues and hopelessness of the Umma after the fall of the last Mogul.  He knew modern education was the only way to pull the community out of the quagmire.

He took the bold steps to establish the educational institution despite the opposition and hurdles. It is perhaps the first "Muslim" university in the world where Muslims were taught subjects other than memorizing Quran and Hadiths. He paved the Middle path for us with Deen and Duniya together that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) had advocated.

We went back in to slumber and remained dormant for nearly a hundred years.  Thanks to the VC General Zameeruddin Shah, Pro-VC Brig Ahmed Ali and Professor Rashid Shaz for having the courage to resuscitate that vision and bring critical thinking back to AMU. We have to admire the staff and volunteers who supported them without any reserve.

I pray that AMU will become one of the high profile Muslim Universities in the world, and hope we all can pitch in to make that happen.  I am not an Alumni of AMU, but my spirit has always been with AMU since I learned about Sir Syed in my school days. I was completely surprised when my sister in Bangalore told me that it was her dream to be at AMU campus as well.   Insha Allah, her dream may come true next time when I visit the campus, hopefully to speak about Pluralism in Islam.

I believe AMU was looking for critical thinkers who can challenge the prevailing practices and take the Ummah forward to live the God given life on this earth to the fullest possible extent.PART-I: COMMITMENT
Salam Friends.

Has anything ever happened by itself? No matter what it is, getting a job, raising a family, going to war, building cohesive societies,  going to moon or coming to Aligarh � someone caused it. 

This conference would not have happened by itself; it needed a driver with passion and a strong commitment.

Ray Bradbury had once said, "Until one is committed, there is hesitancy... Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred.� Whatever you can do or dream that you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.�

When you are not committed, and if something goes wrong, your attitude would be, � I knew it, I knew, it was not going to work out  for me� or �I should have listened to my friends� and on and on� you find every excuse to justify the small set back to get out of the situation.

Let me ask you this, if you fail yourselves, why should anyone give you a pass? Why should anyone support you if you are hesitant?

Dr. Abdul Hamid Abusulayman beefs it up, �There is a clear distinction between doubts and problems. Doubts provoke obstruction, frustration and discouragement, where as problems inspire motivation, action and diligenceOn the other hand when you are committed, and if things go wrong,  your attitude would be �Oh, I have to do this to get there, hurdles will not be hurdles any more, but become stepping stones to get to the destination with all the detours.

One of the greatest examples of commitment was delivered by Tariq Bin Ziyad; when he crossed the Gibraltar Channel, he burned the ships. There was no going back, period.

Such is the power of commitment and let�s give a big round of applause to Dr. Shaz, his staff, volunteers and the management of AMU for their strong commitment to make this event possible, and guess what, Aghaz to acha hai, and Anjaam will have to be shaped by each one of us.  

Congratulations Dr. Shaz, God is with you, and indeed, we are with you!

PART II - FREEDOM

This conference, "Intellectual Crises of the Muslim Ummah: Rethinking Traditional Solutions" is a timely event. Today, we are at cross roads of leaving behind 100 lousy years of post-colonial trauma, and setting up the next 100 years.  This is the time for us to shape our destiny�

And it begins with freedom.  When Adam and Eve were given the options and consequences for each action, God gave them complete freedom and stuck to his words.

When Adam and Eve chose to eat the forbidden fruit� God knew they were wrong, but God did not get mad, or slapped them left and right� instead, he accepted their choice, he did even not stop them� Friends, we are born with freedom and we must live with freedom. There is no compulsion in what you believe, and we must value freedom as the most important value of Islam.

PART IV - AKHIRA AND HAZIRA

One of the major flaws in our thinking is our misplaced focus on Akhira. We need to invest our time in fixing this flawed thinking and change the future of Muslim Ummah.

We have a choice to be herded, or shape our own destiny.  We need to boldly challenge what is taught to us in our mosques. God has given us this life to live it to the fullest, and not throw it away for Akhira.

I have not been to a Mosque in Aligarh yet, but every Mosque I have been to, keeps pounding on Akhira. Life is a trust given to us, and how can we do qiyanat with it, how can we jump to Akhira without living the Hazira? How can we cheat the present for the future? We need to be honest with today to be truthful with tomorrow.

When you are talking to your parent or child, how do you feel if he or she is thinking something else� instead of being with you, he or she is somewhere else? That is how God would feel, he gave us this life to live, and instead of living it, we are jumping to the Akhira.

The Akhira is a poor excuse for those who are unable and incapable to deal with what is given, and simply find refuge in Akhira. Next time you hear someone talk about Akhira, please tell them that it is a poor excuse for not making good of this life, and Akhira is sequence after Hazira and we cannot jump to Akhira without living the Hazira.

PART V - POWER OF ENGAGEMENT

How many of you have heard about Fox News?  How many of you have heard about Sean Hannity? He is the 2^nd most popular talk show host in the United States.  He is one of the most hated guys not only by Muslims but the progressives as well.

The story I am about to tell is an eye opener and hopefully change your mind.  I call this the power of engagement, when you engage with people there is always a chance to bring about a change. If you don�t, you don�t even have a chance.  I did not have to go to China to learn this, I learned right here from Mother Teresa, she said, �If you want to bring peace, go talk with your enemy.� Indeed, that is the truth.

When I go back to the States, I will be doing my 100^th appearance on his TV show and probably 50+ on his National talk show radio.

Two major things have happened thru this engagement; He has stopped attacking Quran in the last two years and had agreed to (but has failed a few times) to use the phrase �Radicals among Muslims� instead of �Radical Muslims.� It was a huge concession!  Furthermore, the biggest accomplishment for Muslim community through his promise was the change in the tone of several of the right wingers.  Representative Peter King, Chairman of the Homeland Security said this on April 15, 2013 when CNN camera honed on him in the evening right after the Boston Marathon bombing�

Hear the rest of the story in the video at : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDMuE4bdYW4

Mike Ghouse is a public speaker, thinker, writer and a commentator onPluralism, Islam, India, Israel-Palestine, Politics and other issues of the day. He is a human rights activist, and his book standing up for others will be out soon | He is producing a full feature film " Sacred" to be released on 9/11 and a documentary "Americans together" for a July 4 release.  He is a frequent guest 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 63 links atwww.MikeGhouse.net and his writings are at www.TheGhousediary.com - Mike is committed to building coh

Bad Islamic Books fabricated by Muslim scholars need to be shelved

Bad Islamic Books | World Muslim Congress
http://www.worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2015/06/bad-islamic-books-fabricated-by-muslims.html

Don't jump to conclusions, it is not the Muslim thing to do. 

Muslims never had the freedom to speak out, even though freedom of speech is one of the greatest values of Islam.   Quran positively asserts on freedom � there is no compulsion, period!

In the 1400 years of our history, we did not get a chance to question anything lest the tyrant deputies of Caliphs (after the first four righteous ones), dictators and Monarchs would make us disappear in a hurry.  Thank God for the western societies, and in particular America and Canada, we have the Allah given freedom to cherish and enjoy  the life and have noting to complain. The Verse from Sura Rahman 55:13 (Y. Ali) perfectly describes our situation, "Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?"  None! We can think, write, speak, and question everything in America, Alhamdu Lillah (Praise the Lord)!

 Ibn Taymiyyah denounced Mongols for not following Sharia

Over a period of time, the books written by Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn Kathir, Hasan Banna, Qutub, Maududi and their likes have been unfortunately equated with Quran. While Quran is eternal guidance, their work was a product of their times, and whatever they wrote was  a knee jerk reaction to the tough situations they were dealing with, and certainly lacked the universalism of God and the Prophet that Quran preaches, both were referred to as God of the Universe and Mercy to the Universe respectively. 

Sad Situation

The Country of Jordan is under pressure to remove the books of Ibn Taymiyyah, and Egypt has already done that. This goes against the freedom of speech, we cannot undo the books that are already written, even though they are wrong.  Instead we should produce books that are reflective of Islam � of equal treatment, non-judgmentalism, justice and mercy to all of the humanity.  Good books will chase the bad books out of circulation.

Had God wanted, he would have wiped Satan out, but he chose to keep him and let him tempt humans to go astray, while he gave us guidance to stick to the right path. It was the question of free will and freedom to chose again, it is a God's gift to humanity.  They should not have wiped the books, they could have stored them in a Library and marked,  "these were the books written by scholars of the past, and should not be equated with Quran. They are flawed."

My conservative friend Ryan Mauro asked, "What actions should be taken when mosques include these materials in their libraries as authoritative texts, though? " The response should be consistent with freedom, "Those books should be locked up and made available for research, and or labeled "Questionable book - finding the truth is your own responsibility". 

Why are those books wrong?

Quran mistranslations: Verse 1:7 reads � God help me walk the right path, and not the path of those who went astray or earned your anger.  Now, the people of that time probably asked Ibn Kathir, who were the people that went astray? He was neither resourceful nor his audience had the ability to reason � he said, Christians!  And those who earned his anger? He said, Jews!  Good lord, that is not only wrong, but sinful to misquote Quran. I gave a full power point presentation of Chapter 1:1- 1:7 at the Parliament of Worlds religions in Melbourne in 2009 to a shocking audience, and that is another full story.

Let�s reason with Ibn Kathir without defending him, he lived from 1300 and 1373 A.D., right after the crusades, and he must have felt that would be the right answer after what the European men did to Muslims in the name of Christianity.  Six hundred years later in the 1920�s Hilali Khan translated Quran, and adopted what  Ibn Kathir wrote, whereas the other two translations from the same decade by Yusuf Ali and Picktall did not.

It was very irresponsible! Indeed,  copy of that translation was freely distributed to millions of Jews, Christians and Hindus, all you had to do was call the toll free number and you get the book. This translation was the source of Islamophobia, and rightfully so, why should a "Muslim God" tell them to hate Jews and Christians? The bad translation created a Muslim God out of a single God for the whole humanity. Thank God, that translation was corrected in 2012, but there are still many verses that need correction (check out www.QuraanConference.com for the list of the verses).

What about Sharia Books?  

Allah's Sharia (a way of life) in Quran (2:225-245) says, �Those who intend to divorce their wives shall wait four months; if they change their minds and reconcile, Allah is the forgiver, merciful. If they go through with the divorce, then Allah is hearer, knower.� (The wives have the exact same rights)

American Sharia ( a way of life) gives 3-6 months waiting period to finalize a divorce, except in Nevada where it requires half that time.

Sharia Laws (or Men�s Sharia) allows, "The man can utter divorce three times in a row" and the marriage is over. The woman who had built her life with him, and raised the children is out on her own." This is not Islam and this is not Quran. 
Critical thinking

Somewhere in our history, we took off on the wrong path, or we were prevented from questioning Quran, Prophet, Allah and Islam.  I thank the lord for blessing me with that ability, and as a result, I have  a very strong faith in Islam.  I was able to reject all that was dished out to me,  and learn Quran afresh from a critical point of view; from the pluralistic point of view.  I questioned everything.  Now, the more I question, the more wisdom I find in Quran about sustaining cohesive societies. 

I feel sorry for the faith of some of my fellow Muslims who do not have the confidence in the books they believe. Once I challenged Pastor Robert Jeffress and did the same with Pastor Terry Jones, �I will give you the right translation of Quran, take your time, and then we will discuss in public, and if you find three faults in Quran, and we agree to it, I would give up my religion and join you.� Such was my faith, a strong Imaan and I feel sorry for the weak faith in those men who thought the Pastor may find faults in Quran. I can never forget an Imam telling me that I should not have challenged him, what if he finds three faults?  The man did not have faith because he never learned to question.

The free speech is an enduring value and the hallmark of civilizations, and we simply cannot compromise on it, however much a few may abuse it. We believe in free speech and that is the only way societies will grow. As Muslims we seriously appreciate the gains we have had, that far outweigh the tensions given by a handful of miscreants.

Freedom is a God given gift that we should cherish! God could have stopped Lucifer from tempting Adam and Eve, he could have stopped Adam from consuming the forbidden fruit, and he could have prevented Jesus from the crucifix, Moses did not have to speak up against Pharaoh, Muhammad (pbuh) did not have to endure persecution. God Almighty could have stopped everyone in the tract, but he did not, he gave us the freedom to choose how we deal with conflicts and restore harmony.

Quran positively asserts on freedom � there is no compulsion, period!

No matter how much the radicals among us may resent the western democracies, without free speech, Islam did not have a chance of being preached here, and Muslims would not have  practiced Islam in America, had the western democracies followed the policies of a few Muslim nations where you cannot even pray in public other than Islam.

We need to honor the freedom of speech, in the long term that is what will endure. 

 ADDENDUM TO THE ARTICLE:

Thanks for pointing out the mistake, �and he could have prevented Jesus from the crucifix.� My apologies for the same, and I am pleased to add this note instead of removing the mistake.  As a Muslim, I believe Jesus was beamed up.

This is the most critical difference and the root cause of much of the conflict between Christians and Muslims.  There was a pastor in Syria in and around 850 AD, who was seriously concerned about losing his flock to Islam, and he figured how to capitalize on it to regain his losing membership.  He said something to this effect �that Quran is a false book written by a false prophet� and to this day, you hear similar words echoing about Islam in different places of worship. 

Then in 1142 AD the first Quran translation was �made� in Latin with full of errors to mischaracterize Islam, Quran and the Prophet for the political gains of the European kings threatened by the invasion from Arab kings at that time. I will write the full story some day about it. 

On our part we addressed a similar situation in Dallas.  On August 23, 2010, Pastor Robert Jeffress of the First Baptist Church (don�t hold against the church, it was him) said on camera, �Quran is a false book written by a false prophet.� He and I debated for a week,  and then finally we held a Quran conference to address some of those issues, and the link www.QuraanConference.com will give you all the videos and story of the conference. It was a powerful event and first of its kind and has not been repeated.

New age Islam readers will have the stomach to watch some of the videos, but most people will not � they will be seething with anger for what they hear on the videos.

The only way to address the difference is given in Quran � that is to accept the difference and live with it in the most civil manner.  Elsewhere God says, he could have made us all alike, but chose to make us different and then adds the best ones amongst you are those who understand each other.  You don�t have to agree to live in peace, but respect the otherness of others. 

God�s wisdom shines through this verse.  109:6 (Asad) �Unto you, your moral law, and unto me, mine !" and 109:6 (Y. Ali) �To you be your Way, and to me mine.� And 109:6 (Picktall)� Unto you your religion, and unto me my religion.� 

By the way Christians, Jews and others will not go to hell for holding a different belief; God assures them that if they are good to fellow beings, he will recompense them for their care.  

[2:62] Surely, those who believe, those who are Jewish, the Christians, and the converts; anyone who (1) believes in GOD, and (2) believes in the Last Day, and (3) leads a righteous life, will receive their recompense from their Lord. They have nothing to fear, nor will they grieve. Similar things are said, in 5:69, 22:17 etc.

Another great quote from Ghulam Mohiyuddin,  "If we call their Book false, they will call our Book false! Let us learn to respect the Books of others." 

Mike is a speaker, thinker, writer, pluralist, TV-Radio commentator and a human rights activist committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. His info in 63 links at MikeGhouse.net and writings at TheGhouseDiary.com

==============================================================

Jordan under pressure to ban Ibn Taymiyyah's books & Egypt will remove the books
By: Al-Araby al-Jadeed staff Date of publication: 10 June, 2015

Leaked correspondence claims works by the medieval Islamic scholar have been used by the Islamic State group to justify its barbaric massacres.

Owner of publishing houses are reportedly withholding the works of a medieval Islamic scholar amid claims a total ban is imminent.

Ibn Taymiyyah's books are also reportedly being prevented from entering Jordan, although no official statement has been released by Jordanian authorities.

The move, if confirmed, follows the killing of a Jordanian pilot, Moaz al-Kasasbeh, who was burned to death in Syria last year by the Islamic State group. It is further claimed that IS is highly influenced by the work of Ibn Taymiyyah.

A 12th century Islamic scholar, Ibn Taymiyyah is considered to have had considerable influence in the development of contemporary Wahhabism, Salafism, and Jihadism.

He sought the return of Sunni Islam to what he viewed as earlier interpretations of the Quran, and was known for issuing a fatwa and declaring jihad against Mongol rulers on the basis that they did not follow Sharia, and thus were not "truly" Muslim.

Some experts believe that the Islamic State group have exploited the idea of Ibn Taymiyyah's fatwas as justification for their barbaric acts.

The reported "decision" was hailed by Egyptian TV presenter Islam el-Behery, who praised Jordan and King Abdullah for the move.

"This is the beginning," he posted on Facebook. "Today, officially, the Jordanian Department of Press and Publications is implementing a ban on the books of Ibn Taymiyyah.

"Jordan becomes the first Arab country taking such measures against the books of the murderous Ibn Taymiyyah and to confront terrorism in deeds not just words. Bravo Jordan and King Abdullah," he added.

But Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi, a Salafi Islamist Jordanian-Palestinian writer, and a former jihadist, did not share the presenter's sentiments.

"The folly of withholding the books of Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah or banning them on the pretext of Islamic State's mis-comprehension of his fatwas is as bad as allowing books that directly insult our religion and prophets," Maqdisi tweeted.

An official decision is yet to be announced by Amman authorities.

Jordan's minister of Islamic affairs, Hayel Dawood, has denied that he or his ministry had issued any decision regarding any ban on the books, saying that the leaked correspondence was a draft proposal that he had not yet examined.

Dawood said a decision regarding the ban will be "issued soon" - and that an internal inquiry had been opened regarding the leaked correspondence.

Al-Araby al-Jadeed's correspondent in Jordan, Mohammad Fadilat, confirmed that no such ban had yet taken place.

A conference is due to take place next week to discuss IS ideology and to look into whether university courses featuring Ibn Taymiyyah's work should be changed, reported our correspondent.

- See more at: http://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2015/6/10/jordan-under-pressure-to-ban-ibn-taymiyyahs-books#sthash.gP3s2iWU.dpuf
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Egypt to remove books of Ibn Tamiyah, Ibn Baz and Ibn Uthaymeen

http://www.doamuslims.org/?p=3861

Names of scholars whose books are to be removed or confiscated:-

� Sheikh Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhab
� Imam Ibn Taymiyyah
� Sheikh Ibn Baz
� Sheikh Ibn Uthaymeen
� Sheikh Abu Ishaq al-Huweini
� Sheikh Mohamed Hussein Yacoub
� Sheikh Mohammed Hassan

They have already confiscated 7000 books and CDs from mosque libraries in Cairo, Alexandria and Giza. The authors of these materials include:

� Sheikh Wagdi al-Ghoneim
� Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi
� Sheikh Muhammad al-Maqsood
� Yasser al-Burhami
� Sheikh Abu Ishaq al-Huweini
� Sheikh Mohamed Hussein Yacoub
� Sheikh Mohammed Hassan

The ministry�s department is currently launching an inspection campaign on mosques and libraries in all provinces, to make sure they are free of any books and media calling for �militancy and extremism�.

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Rick Perry is the first presidential candidate to have Muslims on his side.

Rick Perry embraces Muslims, a gutsy political first http://centerforamericanpolitics.blogspot.com/

Abstracts from my upcoming article, pending publication

Addison, Texas � June 4, 2015 � It takes guts, a lot of guts for a Presidential candidate to embrace Muslims from the word go!  Perry has got that. Given the unabashed bigotry displayed by a number of Presidential candidates against Muslims, Rick Perry took the bold step in paving the way for inclusionary politics in the GOP.  This is a historic event in the annals of America�s evolution of pluralistic politics. Perry may turn the tide and knock out bigotry in other candidates minds, even if it is in their hearts. 

I hope to interview all the presidential candidates to see how pluralistic they are, and how much they really understand about the need to have a strongly woven social fabric for a safe, secure and prosperous America. We cannot have a candidate who is prejudiced towards fellow Americans.   

Click on the pictures to see a larger version

What a joy it was to see two Muslims with Perry on the first
day of announcement - Amir and Arman Rupani

A few minutes with Sean Hannity

After the event

Among the array of 2016 candidates, four will pass the initial test; Hilary Clinton, Jeb Bush, Chris Christie and Rick Perry. 

I don�t know how many of the Presidential candidates we have to be forgiven for �they know not� about fellow Americans.  In the 2012 run, the following candidates displayed their shameless bigotry towards Muslims and some of them have said they will not hire a Muslim in their administration, and they are;  Newt Gingrich, Herman Cain, Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee and Michelle Bachman. Carson, Huckabee, Santorum and Jindal will not even make it through the primaries, they are too biased to lead an America of different faiths, races and ethnicity - there is enough material to nail them, they may be good for a Hospital, Arkansas, Pennsylvania and Louisiana respectively, but not for America. 

Sean Hannity was at the announcement for an exclusive interview with candidate Perry, and prior to that he asked me, if I was supporting Perry, I said, not yet, not until I talk to him about what kind of America he envisions, is he committed to a cohesive America?  Sean asked me what I mean by it.   I said it is an America where every American is given equal access to employment, entrepreneurship, and governance in his or her pursuit of happiness, and where no American has to live in apprehension or fear of the other.

What is a cohesive America � please watch this 10 minutes trailer of a documentary coming up - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMXsTo4VYh8

Full article is pending publication in Huffington post; your thoughtful comments will be included in the comments section of the blog http://centerforamericanpolitics.blogspot.com/

Mike Ghouse is a thinker, writer and a public speaker, and is committed to building a cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. All about him in 63 links at www.MikeGhouse.net