Moderate Republicans need to speak up

It is time for the moderate Republicans to speak up and wrestle out party leadership from the right wingers for survival. As Americans, our loyalty ought to be for our system of checks and balances. It is in the interest of sustainable and just policies to have each house run by Republicans and Democrats respectively. Most mistakes by our government have occurred when all the three branches of government were run by the same party. Monopoly in governance leads the other to resort to divisive politics.

The Editorial in Charleston Daily Mail (listed below) is based on my article at Washington Post. I am a registered Republican and have voted Republican in the last several elections except for the President, I voted for Kerry and Obama respectively as we needed to get away from aggressive stance the Republican leadership had taken and made us vulnerable.

I am yet to find a Republican from the leadership who can talk peace? I am yet to see a leading Republican’s presence in interfaith and peace groups? There was not one Republican leader who spoke peace making during the elections, they all have the arrogance that bombing and annihilating others will make the problems go away.

Problems are not solved that way; the Bin Ladens like McCain, Palin, Romney, Rudy Guiliani and others do not understand the simplest logic; if we threaten other nations, we jeopardize the safety of our own people and become susceptible at the vulnerable moments. Thank God the Americans dumped the rascals, rather routed them out. There is a second coming, as long as the moderate Republicans crap in their pants and are afraid of speaking up, the American public will dump more of them in the mid-term elections.

It is time for the moderate Republicans to speak up and wrestle out party leadership from the right wingers for survival. As Americans, our loyalty ought to be for our system of checks and balances. It is in the interest of sustainable and just policies to have each house run by Republicans and Democrats respectively. Most mistakes by our government have occurred when all the three branches of government were run by the same party. Monopoly in governance leads the other to resort to divisive politics.

What is your take?

Mike Ghouse is a speaker on Pluralism and Islam and offers pluralistic solutions on the issues of the day, his work is encapsulated in 22 different issue blogs and 2 websites listed at www.MikeGhouse.net

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CHARLESTON DAILY MAIL

Why don’t moderate Democrats speak out?
http://blogs.dailymail.com/donsurber/archives/18430

The only time I ever read the On Faith blog at the Washington Post is when it touches on politics, and suffice it to say that its authors’ politics do not coincide with mine.

This time out, the authors invited Mike Ghouse to make a guest post, with the tagline: “Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a write on Pluralism and Islam and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day; a frequent guest on the media.”

Ghouse discussed the establishment of a mosque near Ground Zero, under the headline: “On mosque, U.S. should stand on moral high ground.”

The money line: “We need to set higher standards of civility and NOT stoop down to the level of Talibans or some dictators and monarchs around the world. If we want other nations to behave, we need to lead the way. We need to stand tall and on a moral high ground and be an example of morality and civility to the world.”

Yes, we must set an example for the world. Liberals like saying that. Except when they oppose American hegemony. One of the arguments against the liberation of Iraq was that the Iraqis did not ask for democracy.

But this time, we must be an example. From the post: “The right wingers on the other hand will pull all of us Americans down from the moral high grounds we have held for nearly a century and sink us in bigotry. We have stood up for the Holocaust survivors, the refugees and the oppressed people in Bosnia and elsewhere in the world.”

Yes the Holocaust survivors.

Before the Holocaust, we did nothing. Liberal icon FDR sent the St. Louis back to Europe. Shoo, Jew, shoo.

Ghouse sees the controversy as being stirred up the “pied piper Limbaugh.” Apparently if you disagree with him, you are a rat being led by a pied piper.

But it was this line that struck me: “It is time for the moderate Republicans to speak up and wrestle out party leadership from the right wingers for survival.”
Ah yes, the old saw about moderate Republicans. Shame on moderate Republicans for not speaking out.

How about moderate Democrats?
Why not call for moderate Democrats to speak out against the Race Cards this administration plays?

Why not call for moderate Democrats to speak out against the deficits that are 5 times what they were when Republicans controlled Congress and the purse strings?
Why not call for moderate Democrats to speak out against the administration’s throwing away of the guilty pleas of the 9/11 planners?

Why not call for moderate Democrats to speak out against the nomination of the unqualified Elena Kagan?

Why not call for moderate Democrats to speak out against corruption in Congress?
That would be more pertinent than a protest to construction of a mosque near the site of an attack led by radical Islamists.

The full paragraph is a hoot: “It is time for the moderate Republicans to speak up and wrestle out party leadership from the right wingers for survival. As Americans, our loyalty ought to be for our system of checks and balances. It is in the interest of sustainable and just policies to have each house run by Republicans and Democrats respectively. Most mistakes by our government have occurred when all the three branches of government were run by the same party. Monopoly in governance leads the other to resort to divisive politics.”

His contention is that when Democrats screw up it is all the fault of moderate Republicans — not Democrats.

Actually, he is wrong in that final sentence as well. FDR controlled all 3 branches of government and the other side did not “resort to divisive politics,” nor did Democrats in most eras when Republicans had overwhelming control (the Civil War being the exception; secession is pretty hard to top when it comes to divisiveness).

Perhaps I might have been more convinced of his call to listen to our better angels if he had listened to his better angels and not muddied his argument with unnecessary attacks on Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin and John McCain. When attacking the other side for being venomous, leave your own venom at home.

This entry was posted on Friday, July 30, 2010 at 11:00 AM and is filed under All. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Mosque at Ground Zero religious freedom too far?

Thanks to Dallas Morning News for presenting different points of view. Our own Rabbis and Pastors have spoken respectfully.

Indeed, it is another opportunity to the world to see what we are made of; the world will see the spirit of our freedom and who we are, we are open to others, our freedom does not scare us, we are secure with ourselves and secure with the God given diversity; and we live with confidence of who we are.

We set the tone for the world, so other nations can emulate us and not the other way around.
Continued: http://wisdomofreligion.blogspot.com/2010/07/is-mosque-at-ground-zero-religious.html

www.MikeGhouse.net

Bottom line prayers-wishes

Right in the middle of the devotional songs, the six year old stands up with her eyes wide open, and in an excited voice blurts out, “Gee Dad, that’s cool, God can be worshipped in so many different ways!” Indeed that sentence has become a part of my teaching in Pluralism. Pluralism is simply respecting the otherness of other and appreciating the god given uniqueness of each one of the seven billion of us.

Continued: http://wisdomofreligion.blogspot.com/2010/07/bottom-line-prayers-wishes.html

http://www.mikeghouse.net/

Burqa Ban – Hannity, Gabrielle and Ghouse on Fox TV

http://mikeghouseforamerica.blogspot.com/2010/06/burqa-ban-hannity-gabrielle-and-ghouse.html

On Hannity Show June 29, 2010
Link on you tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnnGQB9tPyg

Mike Ghouse live from Nashville, Tennessee. Of course we could not get all the talking points in to the show, but you can read it.

Let's do some serious critical thinking. French commies now want to tell their people what they eat, believe, pray and WEAR? How dumb!

Don’t the French believe in liberty no more? Didn’t some French philosopher say that, even though I disagree with you, I will stand up for your rights? Where is the Frenchness in France now? They have become radicals; Talibans forces women to wear the Burqa and the French forces women no to wear, who the heck are these militants?

Would Hilary Clinton or Michelle Obama wear mini skirt to the white house? Should we consider them not progressive? If you were a woman, would you wear open cleavage blouses at work place? A few do, just like a few women wear full clothes to their place of worship. You can imagine a range of scenarios, where you will refuse to wear anything that is not comfortable to you, rightly so, particularly if some idiot tells you to, in this case the French Government.

Bridgette, would you wear the bikini on the show if Fox TV tells you? If not, why not? It is the culture, is it not? Is there anything out there in the world that is not cultural? No woman should put with that attitude any more.

Women have been oppressed throughout the ages…be it in America, China, Arabia, India or the Lamas… Afghanistan, Iran or Saudi Arabia

Talibans are bullshitting their oppression and calling it Religion, why the hell are you buying it? Why don’t you buy what Quraan guides equally to both men and women to be modest, and advises women to cover their bosoms and men to wear fuller clothing as well. Over centuries a cultural adaptation has taken several forms of head covering for the modesty and it ranges from Burqa to no Burqa. It is as cultural as what women in America wears to weddings, funerals, church, birthdays and other events.

Quraan says that men and women are each other’s catalyst in living a fuller life, they are each others respect, they are each others friends, trust, the actual words are men and women are each others garmets.

PRO-CHOICE
· Let Muslim women wear what is comfortable to them, let's be pro-choice,
· Let the woman decide what is comfortable to her.
· No one can force Hilary to wear full skirt or mini skirt, so let no one force a woman to wear what she is not comfortable with.
· Let's develop tolerance for other cultures and ways of life, let's believe in one's freedom to live the way one wants to live. Let one choose what she eats, dresses or believes.
· Let’s believe in one's freedom to live the way one wants to live.

Let THE WOMAN choose what she eats, believes or wears.

We all need to stand up for the freedom of women, and oppose intolerance in societies like France and oppression like Turkey.

Click and comment

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

50+ Facebook comments posted on June 29, 2010

Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker, writer, optimist, educator and an activist of Pluralism, Justice, Islam, India, Peace and Civil Societies. He is a conflict mitigater and a goodwill nurturer offering pluralistic solutions on issues of the day and is a frequent guest on the media. Mike's work is reflected at three websites & twenty two Blogs listed at http://www.mikeghouse.net/

Pakistani Americans declare war on terrorism

Sacramento's Pakistani Americans declare war on terrorism
http://mikeghouseforamerica.blogspot.com/2010/05/pakistani-americans-declare-war-on.html

Three ways of looking at the situation;

As Muslims we need to continue to remain alert, if we have an inkling of some one who 'wishes' to hurt another being, it is our religious duty to pounce on him/her and stop it at once unequivocally. The Quraan says saving one life is like saving the whole humanity. The only sin God does not forgive is shirk, that is assigning some one to do God's job; one of them is to give life and take life. This is where we need to do our Jihad, to prevent a Bin Laden or another idiot to take over God's job. This is Shirk, unforgivable by God.

We need to send a clear signal to the terrorists, what the Muslims in Mumbai had done - deny burial in a Muslim cemetery if there is one. Let them know clearly that they are not welcome among Muslims, who the hell they think they are, God? No Muslim should tolerate any one to do God's job, it is a shirk to give another person the status of God.

As Americans we need to treat these guys as common criminals, and should resist the temptation of labeling them a Muslim or a Pakistani, what is the point, blame the man and not his family, school, city, religion or country? We need to do a study if these idiots do it for glory, if they do, we should not give them any, and there should not be any incentive to them.

As a civil society, we need to encourage open conversations across America, let people express their frustrations and share what is on their mind.

Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker, writer and an activist of Pluralism, Justice, Islam, India and Civil Societies. He is a conflict mitigater and a goodwill nurturer offering pluralistic solutions to issues of the day. http://www.mikeghouse.net/

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Sacramento's Pakistani Americans declare war on terrorism

http://www.modbee.com/2010/05/08/1158741/sacramentos-pakistani-americans.html?mi_pluck_action=comment_submitted&qwxq=923310#Comments_Container

By Stephen Magagnini - smagagnini@sacbee.com

Sacramento's Pakistani American community Friday declared war on terrorism – whether it's in Pakistan or homegrown.

At the downtown Muslim mosque, several dozen local leaders thanked God for the quick arrest of Pakistan-born U.S. citizen Faisal Shahzad in connection with the attempted Times Square car bombing before anyone was hurt.

Bashir Choudry, president of the Pakistani American Association of Sacramento, and other leaders expressed sadness that another Pakistani American has been linked to terrorism. Choudry said the community will do whatever it takes to root out terrorism.

That includes working with law enforcement, creating a Pakistani studies program at UC Davis to teach people about Pakistan's problems and potential, and lobbying U.S. lawmakers to promote stability, transparency and democracy in Pakistan.

Businessman Farrukh Saaed asked all community members "to help law enforcement find and prosecute these criminals – anyone who hears about suspicious behavior needs to come forward to try to stop it initially at the grass-roots level before it becomes something big."
"We are all together in defeating forces trying to hurt or damage the American way of life – peace, justice and freedom," Choudry said.

Community leaders said they'd support the Department of Homeland Security's plan to monitor travel between the United States and Pakistan. "We will cooperate as long as there's a good reason and it's not racial profiling," Choudry said.

The Rev. David Thompson, president of Sacramento's Interfaith Service Bureau, noted that the man "who found the smoking SUV and saved the day was a Muslim." True Islam is peaceful, "not this radicalized violence in the name of Islam," Thompson said.

Sacramento's 15,000 Pakistani Americans – whose roots in Northern California go back to 1895 – include doctors, lawyers, professors and philanthropists, said longtime community leader Rashid Ahmad.

"We have an obligation to educate our own people and American society about the true nature, problems and potential of Pakistan," said Ahmad, who supports a Pakistani Studies program at UC Davis and plans to invite the chief justice of Pakistan's Supreme Court to California.

Not only have Pakistanis laid down their lives to battle terrorism in Pakistan and Afghanistan Ahmad said, "our relatives in Pakistan face a daily onslaught from terrorist bombings."
To help Pakistanis solve their own problems, "Pakistani Americans have an obligation to communicate with our government in the U.S. to not give money, but support democratic forces, transparency, good government and good education," Ahmad said.

Times Square suspect Shahzad, the son of a decorated aviator in the Pakistani air force, is an unemployed financial analyst from the suburb of Shelton, Conn. He allegedly hatched the car bomb plot after numerous trips to Pakistan where he was trained by radical elements in the Pakistani Taliban.

Haseeb A. Rana, an IT manager at Intel in Folsom, expressed the frustration shared by many Muslims when Americans are linked to terrorism in Pakistan.

Lodi's Hamid Hayat was convicted of lying about attending a terrorist training camp in Pakistan in 2007.

In 2003, the "Lackawanna Six," Yemeni Americans from New York who attended an al-Qaida jihadist camp in Pakistan, pleaded guilty to terrorism charges.

"There are a lot of people like me who want to help but we don't know what to do – a good Muslim will never hurt anybody," Rana said. "We have to ask more questions so we can diagnose this cancer and find a cure."

YOUR COMMENTS

South Park incident with a Muslim

First of all the idiots who threatened the South Park producers must be condemned and rounded up without any delay. It is a law and order issue. One of the pieces of my conversation with Sean Hannity was about the South Park incident

2. Secondly, it is really not a Muslim or an Islamic issue, it is an issue of radicals who do not like the freedom of others, it is about the people who like to mess other's peace. It is not a Muslim issue because this mind-set exists in every group, religion, or tradition without exception. The Right wingers have killed doctors who perform abortions and even bombed the clinics, the Gay people are mauled and killed right here in Oak Lawn by the extremists, this is not a Christian issue, this is the issue of extremism. The Bahia’s refused to serve the homeless, because they were gay. A Jewish mother disowns her daughter because she is marrying an idol worshipper. The Hussain controversy was neither a Hindu issue, a few did not like the freedom of others and vandalized the author. The Cartoon controversy is neither a Muslim issue. Jesus was right, let the one who is sin-free cast the first stone.

3. Thirdly, it is really an issue of score keeping. You hurt me and I will hurt you attitudes prevail and like idiots we blame the religion. All we have to do is seriously (real seriously) look at the number of people involved in these incidents, they are negligible. It would not make sense to label the entire group for the actions of the few, unless, we enjoy bashing other or seek thrill in trouble making.

4. Fourthly, there will be always a few, yes, just a few, who dwell in creating divisions and promoting conflicts, there is some gain for them in it. When people are bent on score keeping, both sides will be scoring as opposed to coming to terms. A majority of us sit on the sidelines, some of us have to pick the slack and work for creating a better world for us to enjoy. We are in it together to bring peace and harmony for all.

5. Lastly, my personal commitment is to facilitate dialogue, to be non-judgmental and let my time be spent on mitigating conflicts and nurturing goodwill. I would urge all of us to patiently try being a goodwill nurturer and conflict mitigaters. Doing bad does give the momentary thrills, but doing good gives lasting serenity.

Please note that I am posting this note about Drawing Muhammad as a forum for a dialogue, just as we did with Hussain. Let’s find solutions and also understand that some will not like it.

What can you do?

Stereotyping any one from any group goes against building peaceful societies. The more conflicts we allow to stew, the more difficult it will become for all of us. If someone says, this group of people behave this way, ask them to add all other groups that do similar things... and you will find that eventually every group has one of them.... Bad dudes are not a monopoly of any group.

Punish the wrong doer and not his mother, father, brother, sister and avoid doing the dumbest thing; to blame the bad dude's family, his city, state, religion or his nation.

What can Muslims do?

Follow the example of the prophet; he has created a model for every situation. Once when the bad dudes threw pieces of rock at him, he was bleeding and his associates wanted to dash out and punish the miscreants, even the Angel Gabriel said, he will take care of them. But the prophet stopped them and said, no, instead he asked his associates to pray with him for the goodwill of the miscreants.

I would suggest, pray for goodwill to prevail, write nice notes to the producers...the more you get agitated, the more they would be tempted to agitate you. One side has to stop the conflagration. It is the opportunity for Muslims to demonstrate it. Several years ago, many mosques had prayed for the goodwill of the Dutch cartoonists upon my request... sadly the media did not report that. I have the emails from the people who did the right thing.

If you know the producers of South Park, please let them know that there are more Muslims willing to protect their rights than a few radicals who have threatened them.


It is our duty to keep law and order and faithfully guard the safety of every citizen. Hate is one of the many sources of disrupting the peace in a society and it is our responsibility to track down the source of such hate and work on mitigating it. We have an obligation to maintain a balance in the society. When we are at peace, we can generate peace and we can expect peace around us. Our words and actions should mitigate conflicts and nurture reconciliation and goodwill.

Thank you

Mike Ghouse is a frequent guest at the media offering pluralistic solutions to issues of the day. He is a thinker, writer, speaker, optimist and an activist of Pluralism, Interfaith, Co-existence, Peace, Islam, India and Civil Societies. His work is reflected at 3 websites & 22 Blogs listed at http://www.mikeghouse.net/

Hannity, Fox, Graham, police & Mt. Vernon

Sean Hannity, Rev. Franklin Graham and Police, what an exciting day!

Friday, April 23, 2010. I got the call from the Sean Hannity Radio show to be on the air with Gabriella Bridgette and Sean to talk about Rev. Franklin Graham’s statement. Rev. Graham made some uncouth remarks about another religion.

I pulled over in Mt. Vernon, Texas and could not find a Starbucks to check on the internet and prepare my talking points. Howver, driving through the town, I found the public library and walked in and talked with the receptionist about my need for a room to be on the radio show, she was excited to hear Sean Hannity and suggested me to use the room upstairs, there was no one up there. During the show, strange things happened at the Library and I have summarized it in the funny side of the story below.

Link: http://mikeghouseforamerica.blogspot.com/2010/04/hannity-fox-graham-police-mt-vernon.html

At the appointed time, they called me in and I was on the air at 1:00 PM CST. As usual Gabriella was on the air with her shrill voice and creating the hype about Muslims and Islam. Sean was throwing Rev. Graham’s comments, which I agreed partially and affirmed the condemnation of bad acts by anyone. We need to condemn oppression of women in Muslim countries, and oppression of women in every place. Sean attempted to twist my words, “are you saying you can justify mistreatment of women “I turned around and said, you did not hear my condemnation, condemnation was first and then I said, we need to stand against oppression of women in all societies.

Education is critical and singling out the wrong doers and punishing them appropriately is the key to solving the problems. Sean asked how would I educate the terrorists who are looking for the hooris in the paradise. I gave the Mumbai terrorist example where the Muslims did not give them space in their cemetery to bury them, sending a clear message to the terrorists that they will not even get a burial place let alone the cooked up promises of hooris for the terrorists, as it is not in Qur’aan.

My point was if I threaten to murder someone, it’s me whose ass needs to be hauled off and bring justice. Blaming my City Carrollton or my religion Islam is dumb and pointless as you cannot do anything to change Carrollton or Islam, you cannot change Christianity for the wrongs of Crusades, inquisitions, Holocaust etc. neither can you hang a religion, city or the nation, they are intangibles.

The same law applies to the Americans who are incarcerated as the law abiding citizens in the ratios of 1:99, then does it mean All Americans are bad people? That is their logic, when that 1/10th of 1% of Muslims do wrong, blame them not their religion stupid.

I have no disagreement with Rev. Graham or Bridgette condemning oppression, but condemning religion for the bad acts of the people was wrong. Rev Graham should have shown grace and leadership when he was disinvited at the pentagon.

I expect Rev. Graham to be a man of integrity, someone who speaks the truth. He needs to substantiate his words, anyone can say anything, the mouth is free to assemble the words, but to stand the test of truth is what matters. Rev. Graham fails on that. Here is a prayer from a friend Vanja Krupa from face book, and I do hope Rev. Graham makes it a part of his daily morning prayers, ""God, please help me to keep my mouth shut, until I know what I am talking about"

I do hope he revisits his arrogance – about learning and not shooting his mouth off without knowing about Islam. He did not learn a thing from Jesus and I hope he meditates and learns to be a responsible minister. Jesus is about love and inclusiveness; he gave us one of the greatest models of pluralism and inclusiveness.

Several months ago, Glen Beck had called on me, and I refused to go on the show, if he did not give me the time to answer his question and keep interrupting. At least with Sean, he gives the moment to respond, I will give him credit for that. He is determined to drive his point of view and may not want to see another point of view, as that would weaken the strength of his show for his right winger audience.

Critical thinking is required, Rev. Graham is a minister and he needs to be honest. If he calls a religion evil, he better have the facts and not non-sense rhetoric. No religion teaches hatred. It sounds like a drunk babbling with assembling and reassembling a few words. He is a respected member of the community and he needs to consider spreading peace and not hate. Would Jesus approve his actions?

I will make an attempt to reach him and see if he can at least see another point of view like Jesus, if he can, he can marshal his masses to do a lot of good in the world.

May we learn to be inclusive and not push people to dig in their heels, including the terrorists.

NOW THE FUNNY SIDE OF THE STORY

I had things to talk, our show was for one hour and we had to cut it off due to disturbance at the place I was on phone with; the Franklin county Library in Down town Mt. Vernon.

I was attempting to match the shrill voice of Gabriella over the phone and was talking about Terrorism, and in no time the staff of the library stood across me, either they were scared to see this odd looking man wearing a Aussie hat and talking about terrorism with this big black bag and spread out phone and charger paraphernalia or simply the voice in the library. They were telling me to cut off and get off… I told them that I had the permission from the receptionist, and I was on the radio. They were telling me to cut it out. I lost my coherency on the radio with so many disturbances, as the police officer approached me upon their call in. I got off the phone.

We laughed it off, as the police officer had heard me on the radio and I had apologized the staff
members and told them what happened. I took the pictures of the officer and the library to share it on my blog.

WRONG BOOKS

While I was updating on the facebook about the incident, the man next to me was reading the history Encyclopedia of the world and he was on the page about India. He looked at me and I looked at the picture of King Ashoka, my first words were OMG, they had the Turkish head gear on Ashoka. God help the historians and book publishers to at least verify what they are writing.

I was doing a Radio show of my own several years ago, and was looking at the internet for historical information about the Highway built in India from Calcutta to Lahore; it was called the Grand Trunk road built by Sher Shah Suri in around the 10th century. There were several sites out there that claimed it was built by British or someone else. I routinely find mis-information about Hinduism and Islam in books out there in the market.

HOW THE RADIO SHOWS ARE PRODUCED

While I was on the road to Louisville, I had Sean Hannity people called me back again to be on the evening show and they wanted me in a studio, and they were searching for a studio in Texarkana, as I was about 50 miles away on Interstate 30 but found one in Shreveport and I had two hours to get there and per him it was 71 miles and I had 121 Miles to go, there was no way I could have made it in two hours with the unknown rush hour traffic in Shreveport, furthermore, it was going away from my route to Louisville.

A television station called me up to be on their evening news and they were setting up a place in Little Rock , Arkansas and the issue was same – I had two and a half hours to get there and had 180 miles to go. They may reschedule me on Wednesday this week.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN;

I enjoy Willie Nelson’s number on the road again, so was I, and reached Yasmeen’s house in Louisville at 3:00 AM. Drove the 450 Miles stretch straight, thinking about life and the need for people to be divisive. What is the need to hype and for what?

If Rev. Graham spends his energy on peacemaking, he probably can add significantly than lying about other faiths for possible gains of money, as there is no truth in his words. If Gabriella can put the same efforts in creating a better world, she probably can add some good to the world rather than create more clashes. What is their motivation?

Do they understand that they are doing the opposite of their intentions of creating a better world?

When I am with them again, I will talk about this and several other issues.

Mike Ghouse is a frequent guest at the media offering pluralistic solutions to issues of the day. He is a thinker, writer, speaker, optimist and an activist of Pluralism, Interfaith, Co-existence, Peace, Islam, India and Civil Societies. He Presides the Foundation for Pluralism and the World Muslim Congress and Co-Chairs the Center for Interfaith inquiry. He is a board member of the Dallas Peace Center and Memnosyne Foundation and a former commissioner at the City of Carrollton. Mike is a Dallasite for three decades and Carrollton is his home town.

His life mission is to open people's hearts and minds towards fellow beings by mitigating conflicts and nurturing goodwill. He is a peace maker and an educator with two Masters degrees and working on his doctorate in Psychology. He has two books on the horizon; Pluralism 101, it is all about respecting the otherness of other and Basic Islam- everything you wanted to know about Islam. He has authored over 800 articles on the subjects, many of them are published in the newspapers and magazines around the world. His work is reflected at 3 Websites & 22 Blogs listed at http://www.mikeghouse.net/

Pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeghouse/sets/72157623803170989/

Religious Conversions or Recruitment

Religions are beautiful, if every one gets it as Jesus intended, Mohammad wanted, Moses taught, Krishna explained, Nanak practiced, Buddha enlightened, Zarthustra showed or the native traditions point out... there would be no problem. All they wanted was a better world by following a few basic principles. They were looking at the end result and not the means. Religion is not the problem.

The purpose of religion is ......... Continued at: http://wisdomofreligion.blogspot.com/2010/03/religious-conversions.html

A tribute to Jesus

A tribute to Jesus on this Christmas;

What does it mean to be religious?

Mike Ghouse

This column is dedicated to Rev. Petra Weldes of the Center for Spiritual Living in Dallas. Some of my conversation with her inspired me to write this tribute to Jesus and what it means to be religious.

Continued: http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2009/12/tribute-to-jesus.html

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Copenhagen is about Climate Justice

Climate Justice assures every one in the long haul that one can continue living and breathing regardless of being rich or poor. Protecting the environment is the right thing to do; indeed it is a sacred duty of every human. As an individual or a nation we cannot shut ourselves in a bubble; either we suffer the damage together or save the environment for all. None of us can live in silos.

Continued: http://wisdomofreligion.blogspot.com/2009/12/copenhagen-is-about-climate-justice.html
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Mike Ghouse to Speak at Parliament of Worlds Religions

DALLAS – (November 28, 2009) – Mike Ghouse, board member of The Memnosyne Foundation, has been invited to speak at the Council for a Parliament of the World Religions in Melbourne, Australia. Co-Founder and President of The Memnosyne Foundation, Mary Ann Thompson-Frenk, made the announcement recently.

Continued - http://wisdomofreligion.blogspot.com/2009/11/mike-ghouse-to-speak-at-parliament-of.html

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Fort Hood – Allahu Akbar

Major Nidal Hasan uttered the phrase “Allahu Akbar” before opening the fire.
http://mikeghouseforamerica.blogspot.com/2009/11/fort-hood-allahu-akbar.html

Those who have the desire to find the truth will understand that this phrase is simply a cue for readiness to start a good thing and acknowledging the greatness of God, inversely it is an expression of humility. Although, in religious conflicts, Christian, Hindus, Muslims and others have made God’s name a battle cry, it should not be used to shoot some one or slit someone's throat. It is uttered when some one sees something great happening like the man landing on the moon, or seeing pictures of the planet earth or when some one is doing well. Allahu Akbar is meant to be used to show one’s humility by admiring the creator, apparently Nidal Hasan, the psycho did not know the difference.

Didn't the murderers who wore Christian labels claim they were doing God’s work killing the Doctors at the Abortion Clinics? Didn't Pat Robertson say that Katrina was God's curse? Didn't Falwell say that Americans are cursed with Katrina for allowing Gay and Lesbians to live their lives? Are these statements to be dis-regarded as the words of these loonies? Had Robertson and Falwell lived in the old west, would they have slaughtered any one who differed? Didn't the Missionaries do the same thing with the indigenous people of America; didn't Ferdinand do to the same to Jews and Muslims in 1492? Thank God, America is the nation of laws that prevents Tancredos, Falwells, Robertsons, and Hagees et al from becoming Bin Laden’s.

It is not the religion; it's the individuals that are a source of conflict. Nuclear energy provides electricity and improves the quality of life, yet the same can be used to destroy millions through bombs. Aren't individuals responsible for this rather than the Nuclear energy?

One cannot kill an intangible thing like religion, punish or imprison it and bring justice to the world. Blaming a religion is no more than barking at the wrong tree.

If I murder someone, incarcerate me; my kids, parents, family, nation or my religion has nothing to do with my crimes. You can punish me and bring justice; you cannot do a thing with religion other than propagating hate and harming the structure of the society.

You can certainly punish the instigators or the individuals committing the crime. Blaming the religion is escapism – a gutlessness to face the problem squarely.

Who is responsible?

The responsibility to bring about harmony falls squarely on the shoulders of Muslims and the society at large equally.

Muslims should be the first ones to be asking why this happens. Should they make an effort to teach every where that Allahu Akbar means humility and not an incitement or a cue to kill as portrayed on the media over and over again? Indeed, the Muslims are doing everything to let the world know that they recognize the problem and are fighting to correct it. All they need is the media to give them a hand, especially the moderate majority and not the radicals.

The Muslims are appalled at this while a few Neocons are rejoicing it; let’s hope that the media reports these happenings proportionately to let the world know the truth.

Who is responsible?
Each one of us.

The society at large needs to ponder, if our words and actions are conflagrating the conflicts or mitigating? Hateful words hurled at any one's family, nation or religion does nothing but aggravate the situation. Each one of us should ask ourselves, what have I done to mitigate conflict? Have we ever thought of looking at other people as "us" rather than "them"? Think about it and make an effort and see the difference it makes in your life... you may actually become a peace maker, if that frightens you.

We need to think about Religion once again; the teachings of Jesus, Moses, Krishna, Mohammad, Bahaullah, Nanak, Buddha, Mahavir, Zarathustra, Confucius and great many spiritual leaders. They taught the golden rules - treat others as you would wanted to be treated. Loving brings peace, hating messes up every one. Forgiveness brings peace to us, anger destroys ourselves. Religion is not needed to do this; however, it is major source of shaping one's lives.

Start thinking of caring for others and it will make a difference, if it has, please share it.

Mike Ghouse
Profile: http://www.mikeghouse.net/ProfileMikeGhouse.asp

Interesting reads:

1. Psychology Today writes, major Nidal, why did he do it?
http://wisdomofreligion.blogspot.com/2009/11/major-nidal-why-did-he-do-it.html

2. Allahu Akbar, a poem by Matthew Moes, the first person to comment on this page
http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2009/11/allahu-akbar-by-matthew-moes.html

3. Senseless shooting violated Islamic faith
http://wisdomofreligion.blogspot.com/2009/11/senseless-shootings-violate-islamic.html

4. Fort Hood shooter attacked Muslims too
http://wisdomofreligion.blogspot.com/2009/11/fort-hood-shooter-attacked-muslims-too.html

5. My notes from a meeting with Dallas Peace Center
http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2009/11/fort-hood-tragedy.html

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Fort hood - Is it individual or the religion

Is it Religion or the individual?
Mike Ghouse
Was the Fort Hood mayhem caused by religious motivation or was the individual solely responsible?

The right wing media finds it easy to collude with the Neocons, who are obsessed with hating some one or the other and Muslims have reappeared on their radar since first deliberate mistranslation of Quraan in Latin by Robert of Ketton in 1143 and paint Muslims negatively for their gains. The Neocons find it convenient to blame Islam and Muslims, and their gullible team goes to work and cooks up justifications.

Dave Gaubatz in an interview says, "Malik Nidal Hasan is a terrorist supporting the ideology of Al Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah, and yes, CAIR. Ken Eisold writes in the Psychology Magazine, “Some politicians are quick to speculate that it might be a plot, but some conservative commentators, not waiting for evidence, have concluded that Hasan is a "trained terrorist."

No criminal should be spared; the rule of law must prevail. Major Nidal Hasan’s crime should be dealt with accordingly.

It is our duty as a nation to keep law and order and faithfully guard the safety of every citizen. Hate is one of the many sources of disrupting peace in a society and it is our responsibility to track down the source of such hate and work on mitigating it. Bringing harmony should be our consistent goal. Each one of has an obligation to maintain a balance in the society.

A decade ago, in the very same town Killeen some loony walked into Luby’s cafeteria and randomly killed 23 people dining in peace, a crazy opened the fire in McDonalds in San Diego and I believe he killed 21 people. They were people with real or imagined grievances against society who went on indiscriminate rampages, but they did not make any claims of motivation by religion or any religious group. A white supremacist and a Holocaust denier opened the fire in the Holocaust Museum in DC and there are umpteen incidences like that.

So why do they pick Islam?

Sadly, it is because Major Nidal Hasan uttered the phrase “Allahu Akbar” before opening the fire. Didn't the murderers who wore Christian labels claim they were doing God’s work killing the Doctors at the Abortion Clinics? Didn't Pat Robertson say that Katrina was God's curse? Didn't Falwell say that we are cursed because we allowed Gay and Lesbians to live their lives? Should we dis-regard the words of these loonies? Had Robertson and Falwell lived in the old west, would they have slaughtered any one who differed? Didn't the Missionaries do the same thing with the indigenous people of America; didn't Ferdinand do to the same to Jews and Muslims in 1492?

Nidal Hasan said “Allahu Akbar”. Those who have the desire to find the truth will understand that this phrase is simply a cue for readiness to start a good thing and acknowledging the greatness of God, inversely it is an expression of humility. Although, in religious wars, Christian, Hindus, Muslims and others have made God’s name a battle cry, it should not been said to shoot some one or slit someone's throat. It should uttered when some one saw something great happening like the man landing on the moon, or seeing pictures of the planet earth or when some one is doing well. Allahu Akbar is meant to be used to show one’s humility by admiring the creator, apparently Nidal Hasan, the psycho did not know the difference.

Unfortunately, there is a pattern here by those murderers who recite the name of God, as murderers wearing different religious labels have done it.

Who is responsible?

The responsibility to bring about harmony falls squarely on the shoulders of Muslims and the society at large equally.

Muslims should be the first ones to be asking why does this happen? Should they make an effort to teach every where that Allahu Akbar means humility and not an incitement or a cue to kill as portrayed on the media over and over again? Indeed, the Muslims are doing everything to let the world know that they recognize the problem and are fighting to correct it. They need the media to give them a hand, especially the moderate majority.

The Muslims are appalled at this while a few ugly ones are rejoicing it, let’s hope that the media reports these happenings proportionately to let the world know the truth.

So why do they pick on Islam?

The Republicans are a loosing lot, they are not in tune with the Americans and resorting to a variety of tactics, they needed something to latch on to even if it is not truthful. They are letting the extremists among them speak for their party, hoping that a few nincompoops will lend support for their anti-Muslim rhetoric; sadly it sells and brings funding to these extremists.

It is déjà vue and similar to believing that Osama bin Laden was elected to speak for Islam, they are letting their evil men and women speak for the Republican Party and I am still a Republican Party member.

Those few handful and their cronies like Limbaugh, Hannity, Beck, Savage and others love these tragic situations. These vultures feed on bad news to up their ratings, shame on those who watch them and give them their bounties.

One cannot kill an intangible thing like religion, punish or imprison it and bring justice. Blaming the religion is no more than barking at the wrong tree. You can certainly punish the instigators or the individuals committing the crime. If I murder someone, incarcerates me; my kids, my parents, family, my nation or religion has nothing to do with my crimes. You can punish me and bring justice; you cannot do a thing with religion other than propagating hate and harming the structure of the society. Blaming the religion is escapism – a gutlessness to face the problem squarely.

Mike Ghouse is a founder of the World Muslim Congress, committed to be a voice of the moderate majority. He is writer speaker and an activist of pluralism, co-existence, Islam and India. He is a frequent guest at the TV, radio and print media offering pluralistic solutions to issues of the day. His websites and Blogs are listed on http://www.mikeghouse.net/

Fort Hood Tragedy

Every Muslim is saddened by this incident.
No one has a right to take another persons life.
Every religion condemns and discourages killing.

Alas, we the humans understand this and work on
individuals going through a trauma of their own lives
and help them into become productive Citizens instead.

We have to remember that it is the individuals who
do good things and it is the individuals who do bad things,
we have to hold the individuals responsible for their acts
not their parents, kids, sibling or others.

May God bless the souls of the victims and, May God
give patience to their family members.

I am pleased to invite you to a conversation on the subject
on Saturday 9:00 AM at La Madeliene on Mokingbird
at Central Expressway in Dallas.

Mike Ghouse
www.MikeGhouse.net
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Senseless shootings violate Islamic faith
By Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf
On Faith at washingtonpost.com
The Huffington Post

November 6, 2009

I was so deeply saddened by the events at Fort Hood, Texas, yesterday. My prayers and sympathy are with the families of those brave American soldiers who were killed and wounded in this senseless act.

What this unfortunate Army major did was against the laws of Islam, even though news accounts said he was an observant Muslim. It is too early to understand his motivations and mental stability. He obviously was violating his faith when he undertook this act. Killing is as much a sin in Islam as it is in Christianity, Judaism and all the major religions. Taking the law into one's own hands is against Islamic teachings.

We do not know how our soldiers will react under the stresses of war. It is something that we as religious leaders should take seriously as we minister to our troops.

I am concerned that this incident will cause some Americans to react against the Islamic faith and Muslim Americans. Our fellow Americans should understand that every major American Muslim organization has condemned it in no uncertain terms. Thousands of American Muslims serve in the U.S. armed forces, and they are essential to the U.S. goal of bringing peace, stability and democracy to Iraq and Afghanistan. They are supported by millions of American Muslims.

This is a time for all Americans to draw together in our grief and sympathy for the victims of this senseless act, and to support the care and well-being of our troops with the hope that they will soon be able to return home.

Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf is chairman of the Cordoba Initiative, an independent, non-partisan and multi-national project that seeks to use religion to improve Muslim-West relations. (www.cordobainitiative.org) He is the author of "What's Right with Islam is What's Right With America."
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By Muqtedar Khan
Director of Islamic Studies, University of Delaware

The American Muslim community is experiencing shock, disbelief and apprehension as it watches the unfolding details of the shootings at Fort Hood in Texas. Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, a psychiatrist and practicing Muslim, born in Virginia of Jordanian parents, turned against his fellow citizens and military colleagues and murdered 13 and wounded 30.

What happened at Fort Hood follows a nightmare script that has been one of the biggest fears of the American Muslim community since the appalling events of September 11, 2001. One crazy Muslim, acting on his own, causing significant mayhem and murder and inviting anger and backlash against millions of peace loving and hardworking Americans who are Muslims. National and local Muslim organizations immediately issued strong condemnation of the event and called for calm.

It is important to understand that Major Hasan is an isolated, alienated and sad individual who was clearly not well adjusted to his life. In a community that values family life, he was single at 39 and still looking desperately for a wife, according to his former Imam. He was in an army that was at war with his co-religionists and he had difficulty dealing with that. He was frequently taunted and harassed for being a Muslim by his own colleagues. After years in the military and after years of caring for soldiers as a doctor, he did not feel as if he belonged and perhaps that was the key to why he could turn on his own.

This tragic episode presents serious dilemmas and challenges for both Muslim community organizations as well as for law enforcement and counter-terrorism agencies. Muslim organizations do not know how to explain this and the law enforcement agencies will be puzzling over how to understand it.

This was an unpredictable and isolated episode, impossible to anticipate and guard against. Hasan is an American-born, highly educated, long-term military man who simply snapped with devastating consequences. How do we anticipate this and prevent it? The Fort Hood shooting reminds me of the Columbine shooting; shocking and unexpected. On scrutiny after the fact one discovers warning signs but not enough to trigger action before it happened.

Since the election of President Obama, Islamophobic rhetoric was on the decline as people in key administrative positions abstained from using "Islamic" as a prefix when talking about issues related with the war on terror. But this episode will once again provide fodder for talk shows and websites, which exploit such isolated events to ratchet up Islamophobia.

Muslims across the country have been working hard to build bridges with mainstream America, to establish interfaith relations and carve out a place for the community on main street America. Hasan not only fired at unarmed soldiers at Fort Hood, but he also attacked the very foundations of all these bridges across the country. His actions will definitely weaken if not completely undermine the efforts of thousands of Americans to build bridges of peace and understanding.
According to some estimates there are over 10,000 Muslims in the U.S. military who serve loyally, with sincere and complete commitment. Many Muslims in the U.S. military have died fighting for America. General Colin Powell once spoke so eloquently about Cpl. Kareem Khan, a Purple Heart, who had died fighting for America. Let us hope that Major Hasan's dastardly actions do not hurt the careers of the thousands of Kareem Khans proudly serving in U.S. military.

There is nothing that American Muslims can do to prevent such events. But we must now allow them to weaken our resolve to combat extremism, prejudice and ignorance in our society. We must redouble our efforts to continue to share the message of peace, tolerance and pluralism that is fundamental to Islamic believes to our congregations and our communities.

The tragedy at Fort Hood is a major test for Muslims and Americans. They must face the challenge with determination. Muslims must not allow it to force them to recede from the public sphere and from their struggle for understanding, for civil rights and against religious profiling and Islamophobia. Americans must not allow this isolated event to fall back on stereotypes about Islam and resuscitate the prejudices that all of us have worked so hard to curb.

Dr. Muqtedar Khan is Director of Islamic Studies at the University of Delaware and a Fellow of the Institute for Social policy and Understanding.

________________________________________


WASHINGTON, DC (MASNET) Nov. 6, 2009 – MAS Freedom (MASF), on behalf of and as the civic and human rights advocacy entity of the Muslim American Society (MAS), joins the chorus of American Muslim voices nationwide in condemnation of the tragic attack perpetrated against U.S. military personnel at the Soldier Readiness Processing Center at Fort Hood, Texas, where soldiers preparing to deploy to Iraq and Afghanistan, leaving 13 persons dead and 30 wounded on November 5, 2009.

"As an organization and as Muslim Americans, we stand in condemnation of Thursday's assault in the strongest terms possible," echoed MAS Freedom Executive Director, Mahdi Bray Thursday evening at a press conference in Washington, D.C.

"Let us be cautious, however, in drawing conclusions based on the ethnicity of the perpetrator of this tragic incident. A full investigation, is, of course, underway; however, as in any case, the perpetuation of negativity in such instances often unwittingly serves as an equally unnecessary exacerbation of the atmosphere of hate, violence and Islamophia under which the Muslim community already exists," stated MAS Freedom Executive Director Mahdi Bray.

Bray added, "Indeed this is a national tragedy and our American family is in mourning. Like any family in a time of crisis and tragedy, we will not turn on each other, but rather, toward each other as a source of strength and comfort."

Nidal Malik Hasan, a 39-year-old Muslim, Virginia-born Army major and psychiatrist, set to be deployed to Iraq, is reported to be responsible for the worst mass killing on a U.S. military base; the second shooting incident in recent history at the base this year.

Another shooting incident occurred at Fort Hood on September 8, 2008. Specialist Jody Michael Wirawan, 22, of Eagle River, Alabama, who was scheduled to be discharged, fatally shot 1st Lieutenant Robert Bartlett Fletcher, 24, of Jensen Beach, Florida. When police arrived, Wirawan turned his gun on himself and died on the scene.

An emerging profile indicates that Major Hasan, who, prior to being transferred to Fort Hood six-years ago, served and did his psychiatric internship at Washington's Walter Reed Army Medical Center, may, himself, have suffered from post-traumatic stress syndrome.

Major Hasan, whose family members have stated endured name-calling and harassment about his Muslim faith for years, is further described as a 'mostly very quiet', devoutly religious person, often seen attending prayers at a local mosque in uniform, while stationed in Washington. Retired Army Col. Terry Lee, is reported to have stated that Major Hasan never spoke ill of the military or his country, however, he had expressed hopes that President Barack Obama would pull troops out of Afghanistan and Iraq and that Major Hasan had been proactively vocal in his opposition to the wars, in addition to having sought legal counsel in working to detach himself from the military.

MAS Freedom continues to urge and support its ongoing call for an end to the wars and deployments that have led to numerous severe mental health problems among U.S. soldiers, including mental depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, violence against spouses and family members, in addition to suicide; illnesses that reportedly affect some 20 percent of the troops returning from the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.

According to Pentagon figures, Fort Hood has the highest suicide rate over any Army base in the country, with 75 soldiers taking their own lives since 2003; an additional 32 Fort Hood soldiers have reportedly attempted, but thankfully failed, to take their own lives.

The San Antonio News-Express reported last August that the number of suicides at Fort Hood 'has been 26 per 100,000 people from 2006 to 2008, far above the civilian rate of 14.06 per 100,000'. The report further states that in addition to Fort Hood, Fort Campbell, Kentucky and Fort Bragg, North Carolina collectively logged 125 suicides in the same period, for a total of 183 since 2003.

MAS Freedom North Carolina Director Khalilah Sabra stated, "Most soldiers are aware of combat stress reactions from their training and from Army education campaigns. Reportedly, over 70 percent of soldiers have complained of war-related stress and have sought help for serious problems. These emotional health issues are intensified by long and multiple deployments in places that witness death and the violence of constant combat."

MAS Freedom further calls on our nation's Commander-in-Chief, President Barack Obama, to step-up efforts to insure more effective mental healthcare for soldiers experiencing chronic stress and mental instability as the ongoing campaign for health care reform continues.
Fort Hood commander Lieutenant General Bob Cone, has confirmed that contrary to earlier reports, Major Hasan was not fatally wounded in the incident and is currently in custody and in stable condition.

Also previously reported as being fatally wounded, was a civilian police woman and first responder on the scene, who has received surgical treatment for her injuries and is in stable condition.

A ceremony to honor the dead will take place at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware where the bodies have been taken for autopsies.

"As American Muslims we join our fellow citizens in offering both prayers for the victims and sincere condolences to the families of those killed or injured," stated Bray.

Inquiries or requests for information can be made by contacting MAS Freedom at (202) 552-7414, (703) 642-6165 or 1-888-627-8471 or sending an email to: info @ masfreedom.org.
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ASSOCIATION OF PATRIOTIC ARAB AMERICANS IN MILITARY
"Patriotic Arab Americans Making A Difference"

STATEMENT ON FORT HOOD SHOOTINGS FROM ASSOCIATION OF PATRIOTIC ARAB AMERICANS IN THE MILITARY

At a time of deep sorrow in the midst of this horrific tragedy, our thoughts are first and foremost with the Fort Hood shooting victims and their families. One can only imagine the unspeakable pain and loss they are and will be dealing with in the weeks, months and years to come.

It is unfortunate that whatever demons possessed Nidal Hasan, that he chose to deal with his problems in this way.

In the aftermath of this terrible tragedy, it is more important than ever that we not make the same scapegoating and broad stroke mistakes that were evident in the aftermath of previous tragedies.

The Association of Patriotic Arab Americans in Military urges the media, government officials and all of our fellow Americans to recognize that the actions of Hasan are those of a deranged gunman, and are in no way representative of the wider Arab American or American Muslim community.

In fact, thousands of Arab Americans and American Muslims serve honorably everyday in all four branches of the U.S. military and in the National Guard. Additionally, many of us have willingly stepped forward to fulfill our duty with our fellow soldiers in both Afghanistan, Iraq and other locations around the globe for the defense of our national security, including most of the member of APAAM. Indeed, many of us are today currently deployed in both countries, honorably serving each and every day.


The Association of Patriotic Arab Americans in Military (APAAM) was created shortly after September 11th, 2001, in an effort to organize current and former Arab- Americans in the military to highlight the service and contributions dating back to the Revolutionary War. There are approximately 3,500 Arab- Americans serving in our Armed Forces.

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Iran's Ahmadinejad may have Jewish past

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad revealed to have Jewish past. The focus of my comment is not his past, but what his and others past like his makes them do.

An interesting observation is made in this news paper, “Every family that converts into a different religion takes a new identity by condemning their old faith.”

This statement needs to be explored further and see if there is any truth to it or not.

There have been many such instances to be reckoned. Recently there was an anti-gay Pastor Paul Barnes of Metro Church in Denver who admits Homosexual Relationships in his life. Newt Gingrich had the balls to go after Bill Clinton while he was cheating on his wife. The New Life Mega Church’s Ted Haggard was the gay pastor who had a male prostituted in Denver and had made extremely hateful pronouncements against gays and lesbians. Even in the business world the former employees have gone on head on collisions like Burger King against McDonalds etc.

There are many Muslims who have moved out of Islam and act and manufacture hate against their former faith; Wafa Sultan, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Walid Shoebat, Taslima Nasrin and a host of them. They are transfering their personal bad experience on to a whole group of people, their family or the little community is to be blamed if they wer mistreated, not their nation or their faith. No one should fall for this stereotyping.

However the Neocon* extremists pick these available men and women to parade them to promote their hate agenda.

What is the dividend for Ahmedinejad in being hateful towards Israel or Jews? Is he appeasing the Iranian Neocons? Is the media falsifying his statements, per Juan Cole they have falsified his statment he made about Holocaust, originally I condemned Ahmedinejad for denying Holocaust? But now I want to find the truth if our Media has done it again as they have done with so many other things.

What does Netanyahu’s hate for Palestinian translate into? We need to understand these men who hate others. We need to ask these men if they have the absolute power, would they be templted to annihilate the other? Is it their personal vendetta at works here?

Neoconic attitudes are shaped by the fear that their life is at risk if others exist, if they can, they will wipe every one off from the face of the earth who ever differs from them. They are powered by the arrogance of power and don't see the need to dialogue and find resolutions for sustainable peace for theri people. They trust their Gun power but invoke God in vain, they do not want to dialogue, as it may settle them down. * Neocons redefined - http://hatesermons.blogspot.com/2008/03/neocons.html

Mike Ghouse is a thinker, writer speaker and an activist of pluralism, interfaith, co-existence, peace, Islam and India. He is a frequent guest at the TV, radio and print media offering pluralistic solutions to issues of the day. His websites and Blogs are listed on http://www.mikeghouse.net/

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Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's vitriolic attacks on the Jewish world hide astonishing secret, evidence uncovered by The Daily Telegraph shows.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/6256173/Mahmoud-Ahmadinejad-revealed-to-have-Jewish-past.html

By Damien McElroy and Ahmad Vahdat
Published: 7:30AM BST 03 Oct 2009

Ahmadinejad showing papers during election. It shows that his family's previous name was Jewish

A photograph of the Iranian president holding up his identity card during elections in March 2008 clearly shows his family has Jewish roots.

A close-up of the document reveals he was previously known as Sabourjian – a Jewish name meaning cloth weaver.

The short note scrawled on the card suggests his family changed its name to Ahmadinejad when they converted to embrace Islam after his birth.

The Sabourjians traditionally hail from Aradan, Mr Ahmadinejad's birthplace, and the name derives from "weaver of the Sabour", the name for the Jewish Tallit shawl in Persia. The name is even on the list of reserved names for Iranian Jews compiled by Iran's Ministry of the Interior.
Experts last night suggested Mr Ahmadinejad's track record for hate-filled attacks on Jews could be an overcompensation to hide his past.

Ali Nourizadeh, of the Centre for Arab and Iranian Studies, said: "This aspect of Mr Ahmadinejad's background explains a lot about him. "Every family that converts into a different religion takes a new identity by condemning their old faith.

"By making anti-Israeli statements he is trying to shed any suspicions about his Jewish connections. He feels vulnerable in a radical Shia society."

A London-based expert on Iranian Jewry said that "jian" ending to the name specifically showed the family had been practising Jews.

"He has changed his name for religious reasons, or at least his parents had," said the Iranian-born Jew living in London. "Sabourjian is well known Jewish name in Iran."

A spokesman for the Israeli embassy in London said it would not be drawn on Mr Ahmadinejad's background. "It's not something we'd talk about," said Ron Gidor, a spokesman.
The Iranian leader has not denied his name was changed when his family moved to Tehran in the 1950s. But he has never revealed what it was change from or directly addressed the reason for the switch.

Relatives have previously said a mixture of religious reasons and economic pressures forced his blacksmith father Ahmad to change when Mr Ahmadinejad was aged four.

The Iranian president grew up to be a qualified engineer with a doctorate in traffic management. He served in the Revolutionary Guards militia before going on to make his name in hardline politics in the capital.

During this year's presidential debate on television he was goaded to admit that his name had changed but he ignored the jibe.

However Mehdi Khazali, an internet blogger, who called for an investigation of Mr Ahmadinejad's roots was arrested this summer.

Mr Ahmadinejad has regularly levelled bitter criticism at Israel, questioned its right to exist and denied the Holocaust. British diplomats walked out of a UN meeting last month after the Iranian president denounced Israel's 'genocide, barbarism and racism.'

Benjamin Netanyahu made an impassioned denunciation of the Iranian leader at the same UN summit. "Yesterday, the man who calls the Holocaust a lie spoke from this podium," he said. "A mere six decades after the Holocaust, you give legitimacy to a man who denies the murder of six million Jews while promising to wipe out the State of Israel, the State of the Jews. What a disgrace. What a mockery of the charter of the United Nations."

Mr Ahmadinejad has been consistently outspoken about the Nazi attempt to wipe out the Jewish race. "They have created a myth today that they call the massacre of Jews and they consider it a principle above God, religions and the prophets," he declared at a conference on the holocaust staged in Tehran in 2006.

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