DETAILS: Mike Ghouse's Multifaith Radio will run a two-hour special at 6 a.m. Tuesday and Wednesday featuring representatives from each of the nine major world religions.  

"I thought, 'Why do people have hate?' " said Ghouse, who 15 years ago founded the Foundation for Pluralism. "That was my first response."

In defense of Islam, pursuing a civil dialogue
http://www.dallasnews.com/news/columnists/steve-blow/20100919-In-defense-of-Islam-pursuing-9397.ece 

By Steve Blow sblow@dallasnews.com
Published 19 September 2010 02:28 AM
 
Over and over you hear it said: If Muslims oppose terrorism, why don't they stand up and say it?

If that has been you, Mike Ghouse ought to be your hero.

It is hard to imagine that anyone has worked harder than the Carrollton resident to demonstrate the peaceful and moderate side of Islam.

And that effort includes personally visiting Dallas' First Baptist Church last Sunday just to put a friendly face on the "evil, evil religion" that the Rev. Robert Jeffress denounced a few weeks before.

"It was wonderful," Ghouse said of the visit. "We were so warmly received."

He hopes a quick chat with Jeffress will be the start of deeper discussion about Islam and the importance of respect between religions.

"I want to have a dialogue with him, not to say he is wrong but to share another point of view," Ghouse said.

The 57-year-old Muslim was born in India and has lived in the United States for 30 years. He owns a small property management firm. But most of his day is devoted to building bridges between people of different faiths.

"It is my passion," he said in his distinctive raspy voice.

He has been a guest a dozen times on Sean Hannity's TV and radio talk shows. "I don't like the way Sean cuts me off, but I have to honor him for giving the American public a semblance of another point of view."

Ghouse said he can understand fear and criticism of Islam because he went through a time of similar feelings. As a teen, he was troubled by passages of the Quran. He called himself an atheist for a while.

But he said deeper study led him to realize the Quran had been purposely mistranslated down through history.

In the Middle Ages, European leaders commissioned a hostile Quran translation to foster warfare against Muslim invaders.

Later, Muslim leaders produced another translation to inflame Muslims against Christians and Jews.

"It was all for politics," he said.

Ghouse said he hopes to present Jeffress with a modern, faithful translation and challenge him to find evil verses.

"If he can, I will convert. I will join his church," Ghouse said. "If he can't, I will call on him to retract his statements and become a peacemaker."

Ghouse acknowledges that deep problems persist within Islam. "Three steps forward, two steps back," he said with a sigh.

And he agrees that mainstream Muslims have not done enough to counter violent images of their faith.

"That is very true," he said. "But part of it is that many Muslims have given up hope that we will ever be heard."

He said repeated denunciations of terrorism seem to fall on deaf ears.

And some efforts have backfired - like the proposed Islamic information center in New York. He said it should be hailed for furthering the moderate Muslim cause.

Instead, it has deepened hostility toward Muslims.

I have been astounded by the amount of anti-Islam propaganda that circulates via e-mail. Tons of it has come my way in the last few weeks.

One theme is that people like Mike Ghouse can't be trusted, that Islam encourages deception.

But Ghouse says actions speak louder than words. And he points to elections in Muslim nations.

More than half of Muslims live in countries with some degree of democracy. And time and time again, Islamist parties are overwhelmingly rejected in favor of secular, mainstream parties.

"The religious parties don't get more than 3 percent of the vote," Ghouse said.

Polls show deep mistrust of Muslims. "But the most important question in those surveys is: 'Do you know anything about Islam?' " Ghouse said. "Most people say no."

What keeps him going is faith in Americans, he said.

"The majority of Americans, if they know the truth, they will change their minds."
# # #

Mike Ghouse is a speaker, writer, thinker, futurist and an activist of Pluralism, Islam, India and Civil Societies passionately offering pluralistic solutions on issues of the day.

He is a commentator at Fox News on the Hannity show, nationally syndicated Radio shows along with Dallas TV, Print and Radio networks and occasional interviews on NPR.  He has spoken at international forums including the Parliament of Worlds Religions in Melbourne, Middle East Peace initiative in Jerusalem, International Leadership conference in Hawaii, Washington and elsewhere.

Concerned by the divisiveness, he saw the need to bring Americans together and founded America Together Foundation committed to building a cohesive America, indeed it is in response to ACT America which is bent on pitching one American against the other.  We will be holding series of educational programs, conferences and workshops to address the issues that divide us such as Civil Right, GLBT, Quraan, Abortion, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, Racial Profiling and Stereotyping.

The Annual Unity Day USA is in its 7^th year now, it is a purposeful event to bring Americans together, on this Unity Day, we the people of the United States of America of every faith, race, ethnicity, culture and background will gather to express our commitment to co-existence, unity, prosperity and wellbeing of our nation.  

Thanksgiving Celebration is in its 15^th year showcasing cultural diversity.

The 5^th Annual Reflections on Holocaust and Genocides is to learn and to acknowledge and reflect upon the terrible things we have inflicted upon each other and commit to avert such tragedies.  Through this event non-Jewish people have consciously learned about Holocaust for the first time, it was also for the first time that people of 14 faiths came together to join in to commemorate the Holocaust that commemorated within the Jewish Community for years. They are not alone anymore in their anguish, we are all in it together with them, and it is a Muslim initiative to effect a positive change.

The programs, seminars and workshops conducted by the Foundation for Pluralism have become a part of the America Together Foundation. While the Foundation for Pluralism continues championing the idea of co-existence through respecting and accepting the otherness of other, the commitment to nurturing the pluralistic ideals embedded in Islam through the World Muslim Congress continues.

Two books will be released this year; The American Muslim Agenda and My Journey to Pluralism.

Mike has written over 1000 Articles on Pluralism, Islam, India, Peace & Justice and civil societies published in a wide spectrum of Newspapers and Magazines around the world.

Locally, he is a panelist at Dallas Morning News's and writes weekly on a range of issues facing the nation. Washington Post, Huffington Post and other news papers and sites regularly publish his work.  

Mike is available to speak on Pluralism, Islam, Civil Societies, and Peace & Justice at your place of worship, school, work place, seminars, workshops or conferences. His work is reflected at three websites & twenty two Blogs listed at http://www.MikeGhouse.net/

DETAILS

Mike is an organizer of events, conferences, workshops and lectures to impart the values of pluralism at work, places of worship and the society at large, He is a conflict mitigater and a goodwill nurturer and believes that by learning to respect the otherness of others and accepting the God given uniqueness of each one of the seven billion of us, conflicts fade and solutions emerge.

He has dedicated his time to work with the leadership in offering insights and solutions to effectively managing the multi-religious, multi-ethnic, and multicultural societies.

Pluralistic solutions have the power to sustain and take us into the next century with relative security, peace and prosperity. We cannot have peace and security when we do injustice to others.

ORGANIZER

Mike Presides the Foundation for Pluralism championing the idea of co-existence through respecting and accepting the otherness of other; he is committed to nurturing the pluralistic ideals embedded in Islam through the World Muslim Congress; a board member of the Dallas Peace Center and an Ambassador for peace with the Universal Peace Federation.  Mike was also one of the founding board members of the Memnosyne Foundation, as well as former commissioner at the City of Carrollton.  

INITIATOR

The following events were initiated, organized and established with the theme of bringing diverse people together to learn and to know about each other.

Annual reflections on Holocaust and Genocides since 2007;
The mission is to create awareness of the inhumanity in us and find solutions for peaceful co-existence. Mike believes that, "we cannot be safe, unless others around us are not" ( ADD LINKS - TJP - DMN 2009 - DMN 2006 - Survivors-Jewish Post - Fox TV )

The annual Unity Day USA took root in 2005, on this Unity Day USA, we the people of the United States of America of every faith, race, ethnicity, culture and background will gather to express our commitment to co-existence, Unity, safety, prosperity and well being of our nation with liberty and justice for all. 

The Annual Thanksgiving Celebrations began in 1993 to bring immigrant, indigenous and born Americans together. The purpose of celebrating this event is to give thanks to the creator for the blessings of precious life while enjoying the cultural heritage of each ethnic group.  

EDUCATOR

"Wisdom of Religion" - all the beautiful religions of the world was an hourly Radio talk show broadcasted daily.  Over 700 hours of educational programming was relayed learning about religious, humanistic and the pluralistic traditions. 

"Festivals of the World" was a weekly Radio program on Saturdays, where the essence of every festival was shared, so we all can have an idea of how other people celebrate or commemorate their holidays. (more on right panel)  

Workshops titled “Understanding Religion – every beautiful religion” were conducted for two years.  

Mike's purposeful presence in the media is to foster critical thinking.  He is blessed to have been given the time on national and local TV, Radio and Print medium to share pluralistic solutions on the issues of the day.

MEDIA RELATIONS

Mike has appeared on Public Television, Fox News, CNN, ABC, NBC and other channels and has been on NPR, KERA, KRLD, WBAP, Progressive Radio and several other Radio talk shows. The theme is for people to see and value a moderate point of view.

MODERATOR

Mike moderates several discussion groups numbering nearly 6,000 members, among them are the Foundation for Pluralism, World Muslim Congress, Dallas Indians and other groups.

Facebook has earned him nearly 4500 friends discussing issues that face us daily.

The Journal of pluralism reaches over 31,000 people around the world.

He was a Commissioner at the City of Carrollton

STANDING UP FOR OTHERS - Link

Serving blindly was a clarion call by his Grand father and regularly reinforced by spiritual leaders from across the spectrum of religions and traditions. Mike feels blessed that God has created a speck of a space for him to fulfill that mission.

Mike has stood up and spoke for Immigration reforms at Farmers Branch and Downtown Dallas. He has participated in the Gaza Rally  and moderated the Interfaith Prayers for Goodwill in Gaza and has deplored the rockets into Israel. Joined in the organizations for Darfur and speaks up against the and persecution of minorities, He will stand up with Jews, Gays & Lesbian and the Mexican immigrants in a rally against them in Dallas.

He was involved in the cause of persecuted in Japan, spoke out against the destruction of a Church in Jakarta; a ban on Hindu festival in Italy; desecration of a Hindu temple in Malaysia, Moscow, Trinidad, Lahore and other places. Spoke out against the suffrage of the Kashmiri Pundits, the massacre of Muslims in Gujarat, the burning of Hindus in Godhra, burning of Godhra and rape of Nuns in India. The forced conversions of Hindu in Pakistan and the harassment of Dalits and Christians in India. Please note these are the representative items and by all means not all. Mike also joins with Native Americans in their quest for a Heritage day to celebrate their contribution to America. 

Mike has condemned the vandalism at Holocaust Museum, spoke out against anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and consistently fights the anti-Ahmadiyya prejudices, He made a painful acknowledgement of the atrocities we commit in different names.

He feels blessed to have the ability to touch every one of the human beings and partnering with each of the religious traditions, He has done a Radio Program on each on every one, each one at least 25 times and few over 100 times and has presented workshops on each one of them. In six Unity day events, three Holocaust and Genocide event and over ten thanksgiving celebrations and host of other events, he has painstakingly brought every one together.  

Links will be added

• Atheists - Inclusive 

• Bahais - Iran,

• Buddhist - Burma,

• Christians - Indonesia, India,

• Hindu - Moscow, Trinidad, Kuala Lumpur,

• Jain - Dept,

• Jew - Iran, Dallas, DC, Texas

• Muslim - France, England, India, America

• Pagans - Saudi Arabia

• Sikhs - Afghanistan, Pakistan, France,

• Wicca - Arlington, Unity Day

• Zoroastrian - Farvahar, Iran,

FESTIVALS OF THE WORLD

As a part of education Mike continues to write about the essence of festivals from several religions and traditions, so we can connect with the other people.

OPPORTUNITIES

God showers opportunities on him to share the message of Pluralism with the media every month on one channel or the other. Mike was on Sean Hannity show in April, it's a funny Story (Link1). In December he was on the on Australian TV and in January he was National Public Radio between 3-4 pm on Monday. Link

Mike was short listed to go as a special envoy representing the Department of State to the Organizations of Islamic countries. Mike has been on the national and local TV, Radio and Newsprint and has been a speaker at the international forums. (TOI)

Mike's first community service work started when he was 14, organizing a fund for burial of the poor people, interestingly we called it the burial committee.

The theme of conflict mitigation and goodwill nurturance is consistent in his speeches, writings, events and workshops he manages. He is committed to peace and balance.

COMMITMENT TO PEACE

Mike consciously chooses his words and actions to reduce conflicts and nurture goodwill amongst people of different affiliations. He walks the middle path and gets to work with the right wingers as well as the ultra-left. His work for peace and co-existence is reflected through the workshops, radio shows, speeches, discussion forums and writings.

ON CREATION AND RELIGION

1. that something caused our existence; those who are religiously oriented, generally call that causer the God, and others simply call it the logic of creation.

2. that regardless of evolution, creation or the big bang theory, we exist and that is a fact;

3. that universe is broadly composed of life and matter;

4. that matter was created with a built-in balance-seeking mechanism, while humans (life) were created (caused) with the capacity to think and bestowed with a free will to find their own balance and harmony;

5. that there is accountability for everything we do, every transaction of life has a giver and a receiver ultimately ending in a balance. If the balance is not witnessed in one's life time, religiously oriented people believe the creator God will make it happen in the imaginary here after or will happen with the idea of reincarnation. Remember humans seek balance.

6. that the creator loves his (her or its) creation just like the mother loves her children and has guided the creation through peace makers, prophets and the messengers to guide tem to co-exist in harmony. 

7. that the causer, creator, sustainer is not definable, not imaginable and not reducible to definitive entity as it is different for each one of us. Diversity in nature and human life was intentional, among humanoids we have accepted 7 billion unique thumb prints, unique DNA and it is time we honor the uniqueness of beliefs as well.

Mike states that the purpose of religion is to bring spiritual balance to one and balance with what surrounds him or her. A good Hindu is a good Muslim and a good Muslim is a good Jew, a good Atheist is a good Christian...  the bottom line of religion is to facilitate co-existence and harmony.

That the purpose of all faiths is to spiritually connect the humans with the divine, simply meaning understanding existence, the beginning and the end and be in tune with the universal energy. This brings peace of mind [release from misery] to the individuals and order in the society.

He strongly support the goodness of each Religion. The political motivations have deliberately ascribed the wrongs of the world to religions, it is his commitment to identify the individuals responsible for it and uphold honor of each faith.

"To be religious is to be a peace maker, one who mitigates conflicts and nurtures goodwill."

DIVERSITY

As the stars in the universe are unique and as each snow flake is different, we are blessed with similar uniqueness. There are nearly seven billion of us and each one of has a different thumb print and an unique DNA combination which we accept, we need to extend that to our belief as well. Let there be seven billion beliefs, let's learn to accept that as we do with the thumb print and let the otherness of other be not a source of conflict. Diversity is intentional and beautiful.

CONFLICTS

There are three sacred elements that nestle a human being; one’s space, sustenance and nurturance, messing which will create real conflicts. All else is dialogue-able and not the real conflict.

MEDIATOR

Mike is blessed to have been a mediator for many a community and family conflicts - a few of them are doing remarkably well.

FREEDOM 

Mike considers himself to be  “ a free person ” and enjoys the God given boundlessness of his life. God has blessed him with a mind that simply does not allow any prejudice to crawl into his heart towards fellow humans. "This is the wealth we will find in our discoveries of truth,  Zero prejudice brings Salvation, Mukti, Nirvana, Moksha or Nijaat; it is indeed true freedom, try it, it is priceless."

HIS FAITH

"I believe, each one of us is created by the same creative process, with a singular source [GOD] for such creation.  I believe that respecting each one of its creations is the best form of praising, worshipping and honoring that creator. I believe knowledge leads to understanding and understanding to acceptance and appreciation of people with a different point of view.  If we can learn to accept and respect the God given uniqueness to each one of the 6 billion of us, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge."

"I have freed my God from religious confinement and believe that the divine's presence belongs to every one, and he/she/it is everywhere. I see God's greatness in every which way and in every place of worship. I don't like to lock up God in any singular spot or limit him into a form. No one owns Jesus, Krishna or Mohamed: "Ram is not the property of Hindu's, he belongs to all, Christians don't own Jesus, and Mohammed and his message belongs to all". I feel that none of us should bottle up the great teachers into small cells, their teachings are universal and they belong to all. "Don't let prejudice stop you from learning all the good you can learn from all religious teachers”. I believe Learning about other faiths simply enhances one’s search for the truth."

"I am a Muslim and blessed to be one and I pray every one feels the same about his or her individual faith. My faith connects me with my Creator and answers the purpose of life, death, accountability and results. The Islam I know  is what the majority of Muslims practice around the world, it is universal, all embracing and pluralistic. I relate with every faith and see the same essence and beauty in them as I see in Islam. I am comfortable with every beautiful way people have come to worship the divine.  We do not have to undermine other faiths to make our faith better, faith is beyond comparisons. Faith brings humility to oneself and not arrogance."

"I believe that the connection with the Creator is inversely proportional to the ego. Greater the ego, (arrogance); lesser the connection. On the other hand, greater the humility, greater the spirituality. I am grateful to that the creator has helped me learn to respect and honor all faiths, and my faith teaches me never to denigrate other beliefs.  Islam is my path and am honored to travel on it."

As beauty is in they eyes of the beholder, Mike says "religion is in the heart of the believer." Each faith is beautiful to the believer and we should honor that.

To be a Muslim is to be a peacemaker, one who seeks to mitigate conflicts and nurtures goodwill for peaceful co-existence. God wants us to live in peace and harmony with his creation;  that is indeed the purpose of religion, any religion.

"I honor cherish and respect every which way people have come to praise and worship the almighty, including but not limited to the Baha'i, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Islamic, Jain, Judaism, Sikh, Wicca, Zoroastrian and several indigenous systems of belief. I am committed  to defend the divinity of every faith with no exception and it is in no conflict with my faith, which is Islam."

Mike's chosen path is Islam and here he summarizes about Islam in a few pages:

MIKE GHOUSE, THE NAME

A few people from the subcontinent of India are conditioned to think a certain way about names of the individual. My Name is Mike Ghouse

RELATIONSHIPS

Mike has been exposed to and has been a part of many a World Cultures, and has developed the sensitivities and skills to understand and appreciate the uniqueness of each individual. No matter where you are from, you'll feel right at home with him. His inclination to provide thorough information and facilitate decision-making is appreciated by the people he serve in his business.

MIKE'S MEDIA INITIATIVES

Mike hosted a Radio program called "Wisdom of Religion, all the beautiful religions" from 2004-2006, where he explored the essence of every faith as well as Atheism and the natured based traditions like Wicca. Over 100 hours of learning was presented with experts, pastors, Rabbis, Imams and Pundits from every tradition.

As a hobby Mike initiated the Radio Programs for the Asian Americans in 1993 which has blossomed into two Desi Radio Stations in Dallas; Fun Asia Radio and  the Salaam Namaste Radio. Mike is perhaps the first Asian American Radio talk show host in Texas and the microphones was open to all points of view. He believed if a nation has to make a decision on any issue, all points of view must be heard, no matter how liberal or conservative they may be. 

Mike also published a News paper called Asian News, which was renamed as Asian American Journal from 1993- 2000, it was a journal of the Subcontinentians, i.e., the people of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

OFFICE ADDRESS
2665 Villa Creek Dr, Suite 206
Dallas, TX 75234 - USA
(214) 325-1916

WISDOM OF RELIGION - RADIO PROGRAM (2004-06)

Learn the wisdom of all the beautiful religions of the World. It is broadcasted on weekdays at 6:00 AM  on AM Radio 1150 KBIS in Dallas/Fort Worth and world wide you can log onto www.RadioSuno.com.

More about Foundation please navigate to Foundation on the website www.mikeghouse.net . A website is in the making called www.FoundationforPluralism.com. All ideas are welcome.

The Program will celebrate its' first anniversary at the end of July 2004. This program was however commenced in August of 1995 in 15 minutes segments on the Saturdays. Now we will be completing one full year with one hour program each. In this period of time we have done 52 Hours of Each - Christianity, Hinduism and Islam = 156 Hours & 12 Hours each of Baha'i, Buddhist, Jain, Jewish, Sikh, Zoroaster and interfaith = 7 x 12 = 84 Hours + 9 Hours of general conversation. I.e., a total of 259 Hours of wisdom of Religion. I missed 1 hour in the entire year.

The following schedule gives the specific dates.
http://www.mikeghouse.net/Calendar-WisdomofReligion.htm

MORE TOPICS AND EXPERIENCES WILL BE UPLOADED

Mike Ghouse is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions to media and to the public on important and complex issues of the day and is available to speak in a variety of settings such as schools, seminars, conferences, and places of worship, or the work place. (Sharing live pictorial experience, continued below)

EVENT ALBUMS

 Unity Day USA 2009

 Unity Day USA 2008
 Unity Day USA 2006
 Unity Day USA 2005

 Holocaust & Geno 2010
 Holocaust & Geno 2009
 Holocaust & Geno 2007

INSPIRATION

The lives of Prophet Mohammad, Mahatma Gandhi, Jesus Christ, Mother Theresa, Gautama Buddha, Krishna, Guru Nanak, Martin Luther King Jr., father Abdul Rahman, mother Khairun Nisa and maternal grand father Shaikh Hussain have profoundly inspired Mike. President Obama is becoming a Mentor as well, as he connects with him and his thought process. 

"My kids Jeff and Jazzie have excited me with their fresh perspectives on life and God. All my inspirers have frequently helped me see the world from another point of view, i.e., respecting all creation and "live and let live" point of view.  My intuitive pluralism and ZERO prejudice has it's origins in Islam, Hinduism, Jainism and Christianity, many consider me to be a Baha'i. I was pleased to hear some one called me a Jew as well and I have been said by people of different faiths that I belong to them. Thanks to my  father for unlocking me from a singular cell and opening multiple windows of knowledge for me."