A Muslim Pluralist Celebrates Easter

A MUSLIM CELEBRATES EASTER

The first response from a few Muslims would be "no, no and no!" Muslims cannot celebrate resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus did not die, he and his message lives on! 

Whether Jesus was buried and resurrected, or taken up by God, faith in him is shared by more than half of the world inclusive of Muslims and Christians. Whether you believe in Jesus or not, his message of love thy enemy, love thy neighbor and forgive the other will set us free. Can we celebrate that message? 

Perhaps I may be the first Muslim to be baptized. It was an enriching experience to me in particular, feeling the symbolic transformation of the feeling of love towards all of God's creation. Muslims feel the same upon performance of Hajj Pilgrimage; we become child-like with love for all of God's creation; life and matter. The Hindus cherish an identical feeling when they take a dip at the Sangam in River Ganges, particularly during the Kumbh Mela.
To this Muslim, Easter represents resurrection of Jesus through his message, and Easter is a symbolic day to celebrate that message.

Continued - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/a-muslim-pluralist-celebrates-easter_b_2976582.html#es_share_ended

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full story in the link at Huffington post

 Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, peace, Islam,Israel, India, interfaith, and cohesion at work place. He is committed to building aCohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day atwww.TheGhousediary.com. He believes in Standing up for others and has done that throughout his life as an activist. Mike has a presence on national and local TV, Radio and Print Media. He is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News; fortnightly at Huffington post; and several other periodicals across the world. His personal site www.MikeGhouse.net indexes all his work through many links. 

Sunni Muslims at Shia and Ahmadiyya Moques

Muslims take the 2nd step - Sunnis visit Shia and Ahmadiyya Mosques
http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2013/03/sunni-muslims-at-shia-and-ahmadiyya.html

Last night, an email was sent to Muslims of all denominations, the Sunni Muslims in particular were asked to make an effort to attend the Friday prayers at a Shia or Ahmadiyya Mosques as a symbol of solidarity with them.

I  was pleased with the calls from around the world and emails from Baghdad, Lahore, Kuala Lumpur and here in the United states. Thank God, many are going to different mosques.

I went to the Momin Center in Irving, Texas. The Imam delivered a great Khutba (sermon) about having faith in God, and asking God for help. He likened God to the CEO of a mega corporation- he said,  if you know the boss, life becomes easy for you and added, if you are with God, he makes the life easy for you.

The Imam acknowledged the presences of Sunni Muslims attending the Juma prayers in solidarity with the Shia Muslims.

 

The appeal read.

If you are a Sunni Muslim, make an effort to attend the Friday prayers at a Shia or Ahmadiyya Mosques -more about it. To find a Shia Mosque in the United States go to http://www.islamicfinder.org/  and in Dallas, go to www.DallasMuslimCenter.com

The 1st step was taken on Thursday, February 26, 2013 and here are the three different reports of the event, and the video will be out in a few days and will be posted here as well.

•     Rice University - http://news.rice.edu/2013/02/22/commonalities-in-focus-at-rare-intrafaith-dialogue-on-islam/

•     Houston Chronicle -  http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2013/02/intra-faith-panel-discusses-peaceful.html

•     World Muslim Congress -http://www.worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2013/02/muslims-talk-with-muslims-at-boniuk.html

•     Video to be added:

The You are probably aware of the efforts in bringing people of different denominations together.  Now, for the the first time in the United States, we were able to carry a formal  dialogue between Shia, Sunni, Ahmadiyya and WD Muhammad denominations in an academic setting at the Boniuk Center of Rice University.

Here are the two emails worth reading;
 …………………. ………..

Shia mosque is ok. I have said many prayers there but I will go to Ahmadiyyah mosque but to respectfully observe their service :) one has to make a serious case to engage Ahmadiyyah into mainstream - unless they ractify a fundamental belief i.e. No prophet after Mohammad (PBUH)
 …………………. ………..

 Dear Mohammedbhai,

I just prayed at Ahmediyya mosque in Nairobi a month back, because our homoeopath is an Ahmedi.

I have also just been invited by Nazim A. to go to Jaffery's to pray and to go visit the mausoleums in Najaf and Kerbala with the Ithna'asheri group. They and the Bohoras, in my experience, know more about the early history and the passions of Hadhrat Bibi Fatima (as), Hadhrat Hassan, Hadhrat Ali (as) and Hadhrat Hussein (as) and those who held to them than we do, as Khoja Ismailis.

It's good to do this. The Ahmadiyya mosque is really peaceful.

 REFERENCES:
 

• Shia Sunni Solidarity on Fridays  http://www.worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.co 
• Hunting down Shia Muslims, what next?http://www.worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2013/03/hunting-down-shias-societys-deafening.html
• Muslims Condemn Zardari Government for not protecting the Shia ...“We condemn the harassment and killings of Shia and Ahmadiyya Pakistanis by Sunni Pakistanis. The Jhangvi leaders are saying they will kill more Shias, and are walking around like the beasts on prowl.http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2013/02/muslims-condemn-zardari-government-for.html
• Ramadan adds a valuable time to feel the sense of the community. The blogwww.RamadanDaily.com chronicles Iftaar a day, in a different Masjid; Shia, Sunni, Ahmadiyya, Bohra, WD Muhammad, Ahle-sunnat, Sufi... and even Iftaar at Bait-al-Muqaddas and Masjid al-Aqsa Mosques. We all need to do our share of building a cohesive group of Muslims for creating good things.  
• World Muslim Congress : Sunni-Shia strife - The Economist Muslim scholars, 170 in number and representing nine schools of legal thought (including four main Sunni ones and two Shia), gathered in Amman and declared that, whatever their differences, they accepted the others' ...http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2012/07/sunni-shia-strife-economist.html
• World Muslim Congress : Shias massacred in Pakistan If we blame the religion, we have passed the buck to an innocent intangible, we need to get the individual bad guys and get them to pay for it. They are not Talibans, not Sunnis, not Shias not... lets develop a mind set to get the ...http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2012/03/shias-massacred-in-pakistan.html
• Muslim Intra faith dialogue in Houston SUNNI, SHIA, AHMADIYYA AND WD MUHAMMAD DENOMINATIONS. Describe the outline of the event at the Asia Society. Who will be involved? What is the schedule? What is the format? What is the expected outcome?http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2013/02/muslim-intra-faith-dialogue-in-houston.html
• World Muslim Congress : Saudi Cleric -Shia infidels THE BIGOTS AMONG US Saudi cleric issues religious edict declaring Shiites to be infidels. The article below is inciting and ridiculous. No Muslim will subscribe to this non-sense unless they are paid to do it. Whatever City ...http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2008/01/saudi-cleric-shia-infidels.html

Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer committed to building cohesive societies. 
www.MikeGhouse.net

Maulana Sayeedi of Bangladesh war crimes Justice cannot be compromised in case of death penalty

URL- http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2013/03/justice-cannot-be-compromised-in-case.html

The oddest piece of news we have encountered lately is the death penalty verdict to Maulana Sayeedi charged with inciting crimes against humanity during the Bangladesh War of freedom in 1971. 

Death penalty is usually welcomed by the conservatives in the Muslim world, in the United States, South Asia, China and a few other nations. But this time around, ironically the conservatives are protesting the death penalty punishment.

We must resist the temptation to give Sayeedi his own dose of Sharia law; death penalty. 

The most important principle in the application of Sharia Law is justice, and not the base instincts to take revenge or end those who oppose. Even if they hate Sayeedi for the war crimes, the death and destruction he caused, they should be just to him.  Indeed, some of the Sharia defenders are the ones who drew sadistic mis-pleasure in executing people in the civil society; we need to ensure justice is justice.

To be just is to follow Quran, one of the most profound statements on justice in Quran, states that don’t let your bias, prejudice or hate come in the way of being just. There is a lot of wisdom in it in keeping peace (Islam) in the society alive.

I do hope and pray that the Bangladesh Supreme Court hears the appeal. Justice denied to one is justice denied to all. The following verses from Qur’an strongly recommend one to be just

4:58 (Asad) BEHOLD, God bids you to deliver all that you have been entrusted with unto those who are entitled thereto, and whenever you judge between people, to judge with justice.   Verily, most excellent is what God exhorts you to do: verily, God is all-hearing, all-seeing!

5:8 (Asad) O YOU who have attained to faith! Be ever steadfast in your devotion to God, bearing witness to the truth in all equity; and never let hatred of any-one lead you into the sin of deviating from justice. Be just: this is closest to being God-conscious. And remain conscious of God: verily, God is aware of all that you do

16:90 (Asad) BEHOLD, God enjoins justice, and the doing of good, and generosity towards [one's] fellow-men;  and He forbids all that is shameful and all that runs counter to reason,  as well as envy; [and] He exhorts you [repeatedly] so that you might bear [all this] in mind.

34:26 (Asad) Say: “Our Sustainer will bring us all together [on Judgment Day], and then He will lay open the truth between us, in justice - for He alone is the One who opens all truth, the All-Knowing!”

38:26 (Asad) [And We said:] “O David! Behold, We have made thee a [prophet and, thus, Our] vicegerent on earth: judge, then, between men with justice, and do not follow vain desire, lest it lead thee astray from the path of God: verily, for those who go astray from the path of God there is suffering severe in store for having forgotten the Day of Reckoning!”

49:9 (Asad) Hence, if two groups of believers fall to fighting,  make peace between them; but then, if one of the two [groups] goes on acting wrongfully towards the other, fight against the one that acts wrongfully until it reverts to God’s commandment;  and if they revert, make peace between them with justice, and deal equitably [with them]: for verily, God loves those who act equitably! 

Death Penalty is indeed a primitive form of justice where the state deliberately and intentionally kills the bad guy as horribly as the criminal had committed those crimes on innocent civilians. The death penalty is still prevalent in most of the United States, South Asia, Middle East and many a Muslim majority nations.

Death penalty needs to go, but we cannot let go of justice.

Islam to most Muslims is justice and accountability of one’s actions. God declares in Quran that the best ones among you are those who take the time to know each other. When you do that, conflicts fade and solutions emerge to live in harmony with fellow humans. A Muslim is someone who seeks to mitigate conflicts and nurtures goodwill.

I will not consider myself a Muslim if I did not stand up for the rights of another human being, Muslim or not, period.

....... Mike Ghouse is committed to doing his share of building cohesive societies, he heads the World Muslim Congress, a think tank based in Dallas. He is aspeaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, peace, Islam, Israel, India,interfaith, and cohesion at work place. He offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. He believes in Standing up for others and has done that throughout his life as an activist. Mike has a presence on national and local TV, Radio and Print Media. He is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News; fortnightly at Huffington post; and several other periodicals across the world. His personal site www.MikeGhouse.net indexes all his work through many links.

Hyderabad Bomb Blasts: What's Next?

As a Muslim, I am tempted to blame bad guys among Muslims, but what good will it do to India? Deepen hatred for the Muslims? If I blame Hindus, what good will it do to India? Will it bring harmony or tear up our nation further apart?

Whether Malala was a Hindu, Christian or a Muslim, or if Amanat was Dalit, Brahman or Sikh, our outrage would have been the same, would it not? I request that the thrill seekers who want to make this a Hindu and Muslim issue to consider the following suggestions carefully.

Continued - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/hyderabad-bomb-blasts-whats-next_b_2784491.html

...
Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, peace, Islam, Israel, India, interfaith, and cohesion at work place. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com 

Texas Faith: The Global South’s influence on religion

If a Church, Synagogue, Mosque, Temple or any place of worship delivers a sense of home – a feeling that permeates in your heart and soul when you walk out of the place of worship with a feeling of  ‘malice towards none’,  then it earns the larger congregation. Those places of worship that pound ill-will towards others will fade.  

TEXAS FAITH: The Global South’s influence on religion

 “Pentecostal and Charismatic religion flourishes at some of the most fluid and hotly contested boundaries — cultural, religious and economic — in the age of globalization. Broadly categorized as renewalist movements, these religious communities are experiencing their most dramatic growth at the frontier between Christianity and Islam in Nigeria; in the vast factory towns of China’s interior; among members of the rising middle class in Kenya; in the slums that ring the rapidly modernizing urban areas of Central and South America; in Muslim-majority Indonesia and Hindu-majority India. Encompassing more than half a billion adherents and blurring many of the traditional distinctions between Protestantism and Catholicism, renewalism is widely believed to be the fastest-growing religious movement in the world.”

Looking into the future, how do you see this movement affecting religion in general? Are the patterns of the Global South going to keep making their mark on various faiths, not just Christianity? If not, what trends do you see most affecting religion over the next 
decade?

MIKE GHOUSE, President, Foundation for Pluralism, Dallas, and Speaker on interfaith matters, diversity and pluralism

The renewalist movements can be likened to the industrial revolution of the 19th century that dissolved the traditional nationalistic boundaries to reach out to new consumers and new producers. 

The product of revolution was “improved life style” with new conveniences in transportation, communications and the day to day living, where as the product of renewalist movement is charismatic entertainment that is crossing the traditional religious boundaries to form a new enclave.

The post denominational movement is the new face of protestant church, according to Rachel Tabachnick at talk 2 action organization, “Their ideology and relational networks have taken root in the block of 400 million independent charismatics, sometimes referred to as neo-charismatics or neo-Pentecostals. This is an often overlooked mega-block of Christianity that is larger than all Protestant denominations combined, according to world missions statisticians.”

The future of renewalist movement is based on entertainment; whoever can deliver the most mesmerizing sermons will gather up a larger flock. After all who wants to hear boring sermons week after week? Indeed, the trend is similar in Islam, and great oratory is making a comeback to cross the traditional boundaries.

The United States sets the new tone for cultural, religious, entertainment and social trends around the globe, and the underlying theme is  renewed inclusivism; i.e., acceptance of diversity of humankind in work place, church, weddings and schools.

As a pluralist my concern is the growth of Hagees, Jeffress and their likes who sell exclusion in the name of Christ. They act like they want to give birth to the Christ of their making, and ruthlessly clear the path for his speedy arrival compromising on the centrality of his message; love and forgiveness. 

If a Church, Synagogue, Mosque, Temple or any place of worship delivers a sense of home – a feeling that permeates in one’s heart and soul when you walk out of the place of worship with ‘malice towards none’,  then it earns the larger congregation. Those places of worship that pound ill-will towards others will fade.   

I am optimistic about the future. The renewalist movements would be sensitive to the needs of the diverse congregations and build upon positive things about their own movement as opposed to focusing on what others don’t have. The anti-Catholic, anti-Semitic, anti-idolatry or anti-Islam rants will drive the congregants out.  

To read contributions from all the panelists go to:http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/2013/03/texas-faith-the-global-souths-influence-on-religion.html/
.....

Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer onpluralism, politics, peace, Islam, Israel, India, interfaith, and cohesion at work place. He is committed to building aCohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. He believes inStanding up for others and has done that throughout his life as an activist. Mike has a presence on national and local TV, Radio and Print Media. He is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News; fortnightly at Huffington post; and several other periodicals across the world. His personal site www.MikeGhouse.net indexes all his work through many links.

Shia Sunni Solidarity on Fridays

At this point in history, the Shia and Ahmadiyya Muslims in particular are living in fear about their next day and the lives of their kith and kin, and the Hindu, Christian and other minorities have been living in fear for a long time.  It is painful to see Islam, the religion of peace shredded into pieces by its followers. Of course, it is not Islam; it is a few men and women who call themselves Muslims are the culprits, and are terrorizing the minorities while the good for nothing majority looks on. 

Responsibility for peace falls squarely on Sunnis. What can we do?

9 suggestions are presented, and one among them is for Sunni Muslims to go to the Shia and Ahmadiyya Mosques and join them for Friday prayers, we don’t need to give a talk or say anything, and just our presence will do. Let the Imam know that we are attending it as an expression of our support.  We don’t even have to say a thing, just pray with them and quietly walk out; this is how we can awaken our own humanity in us.


To find a Shia Mosque anywhere in the United States go to http://www.islamicfinder.org/  and in Dallas, go to www.DallasMuslimCenter.com


As an activist of peace and pluralism, I am doing this to make my words mean something. When I say I am committed to do my share of work in building cohesive societies within the fold of Islam and with the humanity, I mean it, and no one can call me a bullshitter. If you are the one who talks about unity of Muslim Ummah, please mean it and don’t bullshit about Unity.  


The least we the Sunni Muslims around the world can do is to lend  our support to Shia Muslims at this time, but Ahmadiyya, Hindu and Christian minorities for all times to come, so they can feel secure that the ordinary average Sunnis are with them and for their safety.  


If you wish to receive a copy of the article pending publication, please send me an email explaining what you have on your mind to bring about a change.

It will be Insha Allah published at Huffington Post at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse


URL - http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2013/03/shia-sunni-solidarity-on-fridays.html


Mike Ghouse is committed to building cohesive Societies.

REFERENCES


Hunting down Shia Muslims, what next?
http://www.worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2013/03/hunting-down-shias-societys-deafening.html 

Hunting down Shias: Society’s deafening silence

KARACHI: Hauled off buses, targeted in their clinics, on boulevards, in alleys, in shops, in offices, in processions and pilgrimages, is there any place left safe for Shias in Pakistan? At Ashura, they were chastised for taking out Moharram processions and giving terrorists an open field in which to attack. http://dawn.com/2013/03/04/hunting-down-shias-societys-deafening-silence/ 

Muslims Condemn Zardari Government for not protecting the Shia ...
“We condemn the harassment and killings of Shia and Ahmadiyya Pakistanis by Sunni Pakistanis. The Jhangvi leaders are saying they will kill more Shias, and are walking around like the beasts on prowl. http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2013/02/muslims-condemn-zardari-government-for.html

Here are the three report about a Shia-Sunni-Ahmadi Dialogue

• Rice University - http://news.rice.edu/2013/02/22/commonalities-in-focus-at-rare-intrafaith-dialogue-on-islam/

• Houston Chronicle -  http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2013/02/intra-faith-panel-discusses-peaceful.html

• World Muslim Congress -http://www.worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2013/02/muslims-talk-with-muslims-at-boniuk.html

• Ramadan adds a valuable time to feel the sense of the community. The blog www.RamadanDaily.com chronicles Iftaar a day, in a different Masjid; Shia, Sunni, Ahmadiyya, Bohra, WD Muhammad, Ahle-sunnat, Sufi... and even Iftaar at Bait-al-Muqaddas and Masjid al-Aqsa Mosques. We all need to do our share of building a cohesive group of Muslims for creating good things. 

• World Muslim Congress : Sunni-Shia strife - The Economist Muslim scholars, 170 in number and representing nine schools of legal thought (including four main Sunni ones and two Shia), gathered in Amman and declared that, whatever their differences, they accepted the others' ... http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2012/07/sunni-shia-strife-economist.html

• World Muslim Congress : Shias massacred in Pakistan If we blame the religion, we have passed the buck to an innocent intangible, we need to get the individual bad guys and get them to pay for it. They are not Talibans, not Sunnis, not Shias not... lets develop a mind set to get the ... http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2012/03/shias-massacred-in-pakistan.html

• Muslim Intra faith dialogue in Houston SUNNI, SHIA, AHMADIYYA AND WD MUHAMMAD DENOMINATIONS. Describe the outline of the event at the Asia Society. Who will be involved? What is the schedule? What is the format? What is the expected outcome? http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2013/02/muslim-intra-faith-dialogue-in-houston.html

• World Muslim Congress : Saudi Cleric -Shia infidels THE BIGOTS AMONG US Saudi cleric issues religious edict declaring Shiites to be infidels. The article below is inciting and ridiculous. No Muslim will subscribe to this non-sense unless they are paid to do it. Whatever City ... http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2008/01/saudi-cleric-shia-infidels.html