Advise to Obama on Egypt

What throws me off completely is that every time I write about Obama, within a week he uses similar words in his speech. It's happened time and again. I feel certain that he will speak similar words within a day or two, I just want to register with you before it happens. The article is pasted below.

Ever since I read Obama's speech to the Illinois senate, I have followed him and have written over a dozen articles about him, despite being a Republican, I have voted for him and held two rallies in Carrollton in support of him. He is the right man to bring cohesiveness to America and influence the world with the ideas of inclusivism.

Oddly, unasked, I was considered for two positions with his admin, the last one was special envoy to the OIC. I was told that the state department and particularly Hilary Clinton reads my write ups, whether she does or not, I am thrilled to share the same with you.

This will appear in Dallas Morning News today;

The President must remain focused on aspirations of the people and facilitate a sustainable change with grace and dignity, rather than leaning on individuals. 

We must not forget that the basis of our relationship is between “the People of the United States,” and “the people of Egypt,” and not between Mubarak and Obama.

I would advise the President to have a five fold agenda to develop a sustainable outcome.

President Obama must boldly support the aspirations of the Egyptian people and laud them for breaking the cycle of violence.  We must admire them for giving life to one of the most civilized forms of a political change; non-violence. It is a new experience for the Arab world and due encouragement will pave the way for others with similar aspirations. 

To Mubarak, he could say, “Mr. President you have dutifully served the interests of your people by relinquishing them from wars, anxiety and disruption of their lives through the peace accord with Israel, and now I urge you to honor the wishes of people and earn their respect and live a dignified life as a proud civilian, it is good for you and your people in every imaginable way.”

The legitimate fears of Israel are to be addressed. While assuring our support, we need to ask them to trust the Egyptians and support their aspirations for self determination.

The less we alienate the people the better off we would be, and it would be wise to give room to the Brotherhood to re-align themselves with new realities of the region instead of pushing them to dig in their heels, a Hamas mistake we must not repeat.

The security of region hinges on partnerships rather than aggravations, whether it is the Israelis or the Egyptians, people in distress remember and stick with those who will stand by them.

President Obama is blessed with this Golden opportunity to become a catalyst in shaping the world of democracy particularly in the Arab world. He should not miss a beat in nurturing our relationship with the people; it gives permanency to our policy.

He must reward them for becoming the pioneers of change and offer them a forum to map out their future.

11 Other members of the Texas Faith Panel have shared their opinions as well  at Dallas Morning news - http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/02/texas-faith-how-would-you-advi.html

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Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer. He runs the Foundation for Pluralism championing the idea of co-existence through respecting and accepting the otherness of other and is committed to nurturing the pluralistic ideals embedded in Islam through the World Muslim Congress.

Mike is available to speak on Pluralism, Islam, Civil Societies, and Peace & Justice at your place of worship, school, work place, seminars or conferences.  He is a media commentator offering pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. 

Mike's work is reflected at three websites & twenty two Blogs listed at http://www.MikeGhouse.net/

Muslims with Jews against Anti-Semitism



Congresswoman Gifford

 We express our sympathies to the family of Congresswoman Gifford who is recovering from gun shots by a right wing extremist, Anti-Semitism seems to be one of the motives and her support for the health care reforms is another one.

Years ago,  a council man in Dallas addressed a Jewish councilman as "you people" and I was enraged at the "you" version to address a fellow American and thanks to Dallas Morning news for publishing my outrage. Last year Pastor Fred Phelps set up his road show to show his hate for Jews and Gays and lesbians. I went from place to palce, from the Holocaust Musuem to the Jewish Post to the Akiba academy standing in solidarity with the Jews and GLBT community. The Muslims have taken one more initiative; to commemorate holocaust for four years in a row to tell the Jewish community that you are not alone, we are with you in your tragedy. In December we announced holding a series of educational programs to build a cohesive America and one of them was the the Anti-Semitism in America.
Anti-Semitism, Islamophobic and other phobias are a product of insecure people, as Americans together we have to bring them all in our fold and find solutions. Americans together will stand with Jewish people against Anti-Semitism. God willing we are planning on having a conference on the topic.

 Mike Ghouse for a cohesive America

http://www.americatogetherfoundation.com/

Courtesy of

JTA News Alert
January 9, 2010

Memo notes Giffords' Judaism in motives of alleged attacker

(JTA) -- A U.S. Department of Homeland Security memo reportedly notes that Gabriel Giffords is Jewish in describing the motives of the Arizona congresswoman's alleged assailant.

The memo, obtained by Fox News Channel, says that Jared Lee Loughner mentioned American Renaissance, an extremist anti-immigrant group, in some of his own postings.

"The group's ideology is anti-government, anti-immigration, anti-ZOG (Zionist Occupational Government), anti-Semitic," says the memo sent to law enforcement, which also notes that Giffords, a Democrat, was the first Jewish congresswoman from Arizona.

Loughner was arrested after Giffords and at least 16 others were shot Saturday at a meet-your-lawmaker event at a Tucson shopping mall. Six people were killed, including a 9-year-old girl and a federal judge, John Roll. Loughner was tackled and arrested. Giffords, a Democrat in her third term, remains in critical condition after being shot in the head.

Loughner, who is being held by the FBI and has been described by authorities as "unstable," reportedly listed "Mein Kampf" and the "Communist Manifesto" as two of his favorite books on his MySpace page. Several hours before the shooting he reportedly left a "Goodbye friends" message, which also said "Please don't be mad at me."

Giffords was outside one of her signature "Congress at your corner" events outside a Safeway in Tucson, part of her congressional district, when the gunman approached and shot her. A Giffords staff member, Gabe Zimmerman, 30, the organizer of the event, was among the six casualties.

A suspected accomplice whose image was captured on a surveillance video camera outside the shopping center also is being sought, according to reports.

Dr. Michael Lemole a surgeon at the University Medical Center in Tucson, Ariz. said Sunday morning at a news conference that Giffords was responding to doctors' commands. During a two-hour surgery on Saturday, doctors removed bone fragments from her brain in order to help reduce swelling. The bullet went through the left side of her head, he said.
Giffords was elected to Congress in the Democratic sweep in 2006. She made her Jewish identity part of her campaign.
“If you want something done, your best bet is to ask a Jewish woman to do it,” Giffords, a former state senator, said at the time. “Jewish women -- by our tradition and by the way we were raised -- have an ability to cut through all the reasons why something should, shouldn’t or can’t be done, and pull people together to be successful.”
Giffords, 40, was raised "mixed" by a Christian Scientist mother and Jewish father, but said she decided she was Jewish only following a visit to Israel in 2001. She attended services at a local Reform synagogue.
In a recent photo, she posed with the new U.S. House of Representatives speaker, Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio), at her swearing-in with her hand on the Five Books of Moses.
Giffords fought a hard re-election battle last year against the national anti-incumbent, anti-Democratic mood. She tacked to the right of her party on immigration, saying border security was of primary consideration.
The election was called in her favor weeks after the vote.

Giffords' office had been vandalized in March after she voted for health care reform. Friends said she had received threats for her positions on health care and for opposing her state's new law allowing police to arrest undocumented immigrants during routine stops.

The National Jewish Democratic Council suggested that the heated rhetoric of the last year contributed to the climate that led to the attack.

"One suspect, now in custody, may be directly responsible for this crime," the group said in a statement. "But it is fair to say -- in today's political climate, and given today's political rhetoric -- that many have contributed to the building levels of vitriol in our political discourse that have surely contributed to the atmosphere in which this event transpired."

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