Results for Muslims

Results for America Together Foundation, World Muslim Congress and the Foundation for Pluralism. 

There are many outcomes we desire.  Here is what we have done and continue to do, and if this appeals to you, we ask your support.

Conflicts fade and solutions emerge when we learn about each other, and demystify the myths about others.  

What have we done? It�s a successful three fork strategic action plan; engage with TV, Print and Radio Media, engage with polarized minds and, be a catalyst in social integration.

All our work is about taking the relationships from detached estrangement to positive engagement with successful outcomes, almost all our activities are bridge building in nature. 

1. Positive engagement with Fox News, instead of running away from it. We chose to work with Sean Hannity and Stuart Varney, who finally promised not to use the phrase �Muslim Terrorist� or bash Quran.  I have been on Hannity for six years and have appeared on 110 TV shows and innumerable Syndicated Radio shows and about 5 times on Stuart Varney Show, and nearly 150 times on Fox News. Video-1, Video -2, 

2. Unity Day USA, turning a negative 9/11 day into a positive unifying day for over 12 years in a row now. www.Unitydayusa.com

3. Holocaust and Genocides � for 10 years now, we have been building bridges with people, and almost all communities who have endured these brutalities by coming together and seeing the humanness in each one of us and reflect on never again.  www.HolocaustandGenocides.com

4. Thanksgiving Celebrations and Awards Night � for 18 years, we have been sharing different cultural expressions with fellow Americans. www.thanksgivingcelebrations.org

5. Peacefully easing the Quran burning pastor Terry Jones into oblivion through non-violent positive engagement. If funds become available a documentary will be made for the Muslim world to understand free speech and for non-Muslims to clearly understand that violence is not Islamic but comes from the fringe among us.  http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2014/04/reestablishing-right-muslim-attitudes.html

6.  Successfully handled Quran bashing by Pastor Robert Jeffers into an educational event and creating a positive understanding about Quran among pastors, clergy, rabbis, and others. These ten pastors in Dallas will defend the sanctity of Quran with their church members, as they were a part of the solutions in the conference.  Umpteen TV and Newspaper write ups about it. www.QuraanConference.com

7. In Summary � over 3000 Articles on Islam, Pluralism and other matters are written. 175 TV appearances, over 150 syndicated Radio shows, and over 30 major events to bring people together.

Our mission at America Together Foundation is simply this; �To build a cohesive America where no American has to live in tension, apprehension or fear of the others.�  We need an America where Muslim, Jews, African Americans, Latinos and all others feel safe, and want their children�s life style to continue to be secure despite Trumps and other hiccups.

 www.Americatogetherfoundation.com,www.foundationforpluralism.com and www.WorldMuslimCongress.com ;

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We can do a lot more to turn things around for Muslims and fellow Americans, please donate generously at: http://americatogetherfoundation.com/donate/

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What did I write about Sean Hannity, Stuart Varney and Fox News today?
Let me know, and I will be happy to email you.


Mike Ghouse
(214) 325-1916

Dr. Mike Ghouse is a community consultant, social scientist, thinker, writer, newsmaker and a professional speaker on Pluralism, Interfaith, Islam,  politics, human rights,  Terrorism,

  and foreign policy.  Mike is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. Visit him - 63 links at www.MikeGhouse.net and his writings are at TheGhousediary.com 

American Muslims stand with the U.S. President on Countering radicalization of Muslims

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Mike Ghouse
(214) 325-1916 � text or talk
Mike@AmericanMuslimInstitution.org
www.AmericanMuslimInstitution.org 

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American Muslims stand with the U.S. President on Countering radicalization of Muslims

Washington, D.C., December 7, 2015 � The San Bernardino mass shooting and the horrific loss of life and injuries last week have prompted serious soul searching among Muslims across the nation about the causes of home grown radicalization and how to counter it.

We stand with the President and his plans to eliminate the vicious ideology of Daesh, also known as ISIS.  �We agree with President Obama that ISIS does not speak for Islam, and American Muslims unequivocally reject ISIS� hateful and misguided ideology� stated Ambassador Islam A. Siddiqui, President of American Muslim Institution.

While we mourn the deaths of fellow Americans in the 355 mass shootings this year, we particularly mourn the loss of life and resulting injuries in the San Bernardino mass shooting,  because a Muslim and his wife were responsible for the mass murder.   

It is the responsibility of all Americans to help law enforcement officials in maintaining law and order and to assure the safety of every citizen. It is the duty of all of us to fight against radicalization through education and community engagement and work on promoting peace and harmony.  As American Muslims we have a greater responsibility in countering radicalization and violent extremism.  

# # # https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2015/12/05/president-obama-addresses-nation-keeping-american-people-safe

Hindu Version of ISIS - I am worried about India

I urge Moderate Hindus around the world to condemn the new avatar of ISIS in India. Hindu religion is a peaceful religion and its name is being tarnished. They need to speak up, as the radical Hindus are hijacking their religion, they are openly dictating what one should eat, wear or believe. Yesterday, a Chief Minister of a state was threatened to be beheaded if he ate beef. Writers were murdered in day light, men and women are being lynched for their beliefs...

What is Prime Minister Modi doing? Is he backing this extreme version of Hinduism? God only knows, he has remained silent over all these incidents. Not a word of condemnation?

A few of the Indians are behaving irrationally with the given situation, they are reeling with the fact that their God like man Modi is responsible for this, and denying it, they simply do not have the stomach to dialogue and discuss, instead they are throwing things like "this is congress propaganda" or "lies" and other words due to their language deficiency. I understand their dilemma and urge them to discuss the issue with the intent of finding solutions Every one of us has the same goal - society to live in harmony, most believe in live and let live and a few believe in live and subjugate others. 

Moderate Hindus have to speak up to save the good name of Hinduism and thank God many of them are standing up from historians, journalists, writes, academics and you name it. But we need more voices to bring control to the situation. 

   

A few clips from my responses on facebook:

Yogi, yes, the moderate India is peace loving; moderate Hindus are peace loving; moderate Muslims are peace loving and moderate Christians are peace loving

Right now the radicals among Hindus are bent on destroying that beautiful tradition, and I am urging Moderate Hindus to stop the radicals from branding Hinduism negatively. 

Another clip:

If you cannot present a logical explanations, you tend to resort to, � blatant lies about India , Indians and specially Hindus.�  You don�t make any sense. 

We have to save India from being run over by the radicals among Hindus who are acting like the ISIS brutes,  if we don�t, India�s future will be severely affected. Moody�s has already made the call and it is possible that investors may pull out of India, it will create a massive chaos and unemployment. Do you want that to happen? 

Are you telling me the threat to behead Siddaramiah should be ignored?

Are you telling me raping a dead woman is Hinduism?

Are you telling me burning Dalits is Hinduism?

Are you telling me lynching a guy in Dadri is Hinduism?

Are you telling me hacking Kulbargi to death is Hinduism?

Are you telling me messing with the face of Kulkarni is Hinduism?

If you think yes, then you have not understood Hinduism, a religion that teaches non-violence.

What does it take for you to understand that Hindutva and Hinduism are two different things, one is a political radical ideology and other is peaceful religion? Just as Islam and Islamism, Islam and ISIS and other combinations with other faiths. 

When we see bad things happen, we have to speak up. It is not about Hindus, it is about India which is a collective pride of Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Jains, Dalits and all other Indians.

Most Indians are capable of discussions but a few are not, tend to be belligerent.  I urge them to stick to a topic and not jump from subject to subject without completing one. If you want to wrap up and get an understanding of the item, you have stick to the central theme of the discussion.  I further request my friends to respond with reason and fact, rather than resorting to calling the other a liar. Please develop the skills to distinguish between Hinduism and Hindutva, Islam and Islamism, Christianity and Neocons � one is a beautiful religion and other is a political ideology bent on subjugating the other.  We are all in this together to create a society where all of us can live in harmony and with least amount of conflicts. Let�s live our life and others live theirs.

More at http://MikeGhouseforIndia.blogspot.com 

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

Dr. Ben Carson out-trumps Trump in Discriminatory Attitude.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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

www.AmericanMuslimInstitution.org

Dr. Ben Carson out- trumps Trump in Discriminatory Attitude.

Washington, D.C., September 21, 2015 � Presidential hopeful Ben Carson stated on NBC�s Meet the Press yesterday, �I would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation,� and.� I absolutely would not agree with that.�

As an American Muslim, I was hoping that other Republican candidates for President would not out-trump, Trump in making inappropriate, ugly remark. Look who did it this time.  It�s Doctor Ben Carson. He is a great neurosurgeon and deserves respect, but he has crossed the line by advocating denying the right to a Muslim American in the future to be the president, a right which is guaranteed under the Constitution to all Americans who were born in the U.S., without regard to their religion.   

He does not get what America is all about � You don�t indict an entire community for the criminal acts of a few.  He should know better as the African Americans have been the subject of discrimination and guilt by association for a long time.  If Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., was alive, he would not have been happy with Ben Carson for judging the character of others based on their faith alone.  

Can Dr. Carson answer this question that was recently posed by 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?�

When Black Americans were enslaved, and did not have any rights, President Lincoln debated between being reelected and doing what is morally right; he chose the higher moral ground and issued the Emancipation Proclamation which began the process of freedom for millions of African-Americans. He will be remembered for eternity for standing up for the rights of all Americans, even a minority who did not have any rights at that time.

Later, the Women�s suffrage bill was passed, giving the usurped rights of women back to them. Now women from both major political parties are running for the Presidency. As we have progressed, we have restored the inalienable rights of all Americans and we cannot go backwards. 

  

�It is time for Ben Carson to issue an apology for having trampled upon the constitutional rights of a segment of the U.S. population or quit his quest for Presidency� added Ambassador Islam Siddiqui, President of the American Muslim Institution.

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

The Spirit of Ramadan

Mike Ghouse at www.WorldMuslimCongress.com

From the moment we are born to the last rites of our life, every moment in between is laden with rituals, even though some of us may deny it. Whether we go to the gym, eat, sleep, wear clothes, drive or talk on the phone, we follow rituals.

Rituals signify the milestones of our daily life. Every significant moment of the day is a ritual. It is an unwritten way of measuring our progression, a memory pattern to bring discipline to our actions.

Discipline is necessary to do things on time, manage personal relationships, drive to a destination or keep within budget. The result of disciplined behavior is worthwhile for most people. When joyous, whether we are a theist or not, we have to express that sentiment, otherwise a sense of incompleteness lingers in our hearts.

The spiritual masters have captured the human gravity towards rituals and have molded it with the art and science of self-discipline in their respective religions. The noble purpose of each one of them was to bring a balance in our lives and a balance with our environment.

Every faith is composed of a set of unique rituals to bring discipline and peace to human life. Fasting is one of the five key rituals that Muslims around the world observe.

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar and is generally observed with a ritual precision; it is an annual training or a refresher. It requires one to abstain from food, drink, intimacy, ill will, ill talk, ill actions and other temptations from dawn to dusk, every day for a month. One has to rise above his or her baser desires. Islam gifts this month to its followers to inculcate discipline to bring moderation to their daily lives. Twenty five hundred years ago, Buddha, the enlightened one taught that human suffering is caused by unrestrained desire to possess and had recommended a middle path, and the same recommendation was made by Prophet Muhammad fourteen hundred years ago.

Although Ramadan is popularly known in the west for its culinary delicacies and fancy iftars (ceremonial breaking of fast at sun down), the spirit and intent of Ramadan lies in a human transformation in a month-long inner spiritual journey of finding oneself in tune with spirituality.

God has no need for the hunger or thirst of someone who hurts others, violates their dignity or usurps their rights, said Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). The fasting of the stomach must be matched by the fasting of the limbs. The eyes, ears, tongue, hands and feet all have their respective fasts to undergo. The tongue's temptations, for example -- lies, backbiting, slander, vulgarity and senseless argumentation -- must be challenged and curbed to maintain the integrity of the fast.

Consciousness of behavior and vigilance over action are the most profound dimensions of fasting: the fasting of the heart focuses on the attachment to the divine. That is when Ramadan really becomes a source of peace and solace, just as Christmas goes beyond the rituals to bring forth kindness, charity and caring.

True fasting is self-purification; and from this comes a rich inner life that bring about values such as justice, generosity, patience, kindness, forgiveness, mercy and empathy -- values that are indispensable for the success of the community.

Knowing about hunger is different from knowing hunger. Empathy is not an intellectual equation; it is a human experience. Our hardness of heart often springs from our distance from the human condition of others. The poor, sick, disenfranchised, oppressed -- we rarely walk a mile in their shoes, not even a few steps. "Rest assured," cautioned one teacher, "if you do not taste what it feels like to be hungry, you will not care for those who are."

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.

Ramadan will come and go with such stealth that we cannot but be reminded of our mortality. What is it that we value and why? Habits, customs, even obsessive behavior like smoking can be curtailed with relative ease in the face of a higher calling.

Published at Huffington Post - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/spirit-of-ramadan_b_939961.html 

Mike Ghouse is commited to building cohesive socities and is available to speak on Islam, Pluralism, interfaith, peace and justice.

Mother's Day Interfaith Celebrations - Huffington Post

Mother is the ultimate definition of selflessness! No matter what happens to the world or even her, she is there for you in your need; she recognizes your need much before you know it. Of course every day is Mother's day, and each one of us honors her in a variety of ways. From simple caring to doing things for her that makes her happy. Mothers don't need a whole lot; they just need to know that you care. Remember you were showered by her attention when you needed it.

Every religious tradition has elevated mother to nearly the status of God, because she possess many a qualities of God; kind, merciful, beneficent and caring among thousand other qualities. Mother is the reason for our existence; sustenance, nurturance and shaping who we are. I dedicate this write-up to my Mother, and all the Mothers out there. There is a beautiful song in Urdu/Hindi language

Full Report with Mother as she is called in over hundred global languages and almost all South Asian Languages - continued at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/mothers-day-interfaith-ce_b_7233900.html

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Mike Ghouse is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day- all about him at www.MikeGhouse.net