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SPEAKER
-THINKER- WRITER BUSINESS PROFILE
Profession: His success can be summarized in the following areas: Business & Operation Management Home Building, Remodeling, Real Estate Property care. Non-Profit and Events management, Community, Public & Media Relations Rich experience in managing and organizing Conferences, Seminars and organizations Public Speaking on co-existence, religion, pluralism and Islam. Results:
1. Managed the finance department of Fluor Arabia,
A
$5.1 Billion Natural Gas Liquefaction plant from 1977-80 (One of
the world's biggest projects at that time) Communications
One of Mike's talents is communicating precisely what needs to be done
each step of the way. He believes in writing down every thing for clear
communications.
He is patient and sees another point of view
to finding sustainable solutions. As a customer or a client, you will get Mike's full attention. You'll benefit from his rich experience in finding solutions to your real estate needs. Whatever he does, he will do it wholeheartedly and will dedicate his time to you and expect the same commitment from you, one Customer at a time. Professional Commitment As a commitment to his profession, Mike devotes a considerable percent of his time to serve the Real Estate industry. He has served on the Board of Sales & Marketing Council, served in the Government Relations Committee of Home Builders Association and continues to be a part of it. Mike was one of the founding members of the DFW Mortgage Brokers Assn. and DFW Property Managers Assn. He has served or chaired Committees in several organizations including the Greater Dallas Assn. of Realtors, Greater Dallas Apartment Assn, Builder Realtor Council and Several Chambers of Commerce. Comprehensive Service
To provide excellent service to his customers and clients alike,
Mike has devoted weekly time towards continuing education in Home
Building, Real Estate, Appraisals, Leasing, Property Management,
Home Loans, Insurance, Remodeling and Investments in Real Estate. He
is one of the most informed professionals in the
business. He is always a step ahead of his competition. He has
participated and sponsored Seminars by the National speakers like
Tom Hopkins, Tom Richey, Dave Stone, Roger Butcher, Rick Willis,
Rick Deluca, Dr. Baird, Nikki Joy, Roger Stewart and many a greats. Mike says, “No matter what you do in life, do it wholeheartedly.” as it brings joy to oneself and the others who will consume the work. "I thank God for blessing me with the passion to do everything with my heart and soul in it. My life has become Pluralism in general and Religious Pluralism in particular." Mike speaks on at educational, religious and civic organization on Pluralism, Religious pluralism including multiculturalism and Indian Culture”
FIRST CITY HOMES The experience of helping over 2500 families fulfill their dream of American Homeownership in the last two decades in the Dallas Metroplex in fulfilling. I am a second generation home builder and now manage the business for First City Homes. My commitment to home building industry runs deep. Throughout my career, I have been involved in every aspect of Real Estate industry and have served as a Director of Sales and Marketing Council of Home Builders Association of Greater Dallas, and have served in Government Relations, Education and other committees. I am one of the founding members of the Green Building initiative of the Home Builders Association of Greater Dallas and am committed to serving the industry for years to come. An M.B.A. in Business Management, an M.Com in Cost Accounting and a Bachelors degree in Banking with extensive management and real estate experience. At First City Homes, We are committed to setting the new standards in building your home. We have undertaken to follow the Green building practices; quite simply, green building is building more energy-efficient, healthier and environmentally-responsible homes. We are committed to advancement in building homes with the latest in science and technology. You will find our standards edge on the technological breakthrough employing the most advanced amenities in the homes we build. Indeed, we are setting the new standards in home building. It is our passion to build the best home value in the market for your money incorporating architecturally pleasing styles with practical living space and energy efficiency that will save you monies for years to come. Creating homes of enduring value is simply our mission.
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.
Home Building, Professional Property Remodeling & Maintenance of Homes, Town homes, Condos and other investments.
India
Real Estate
India
Technology
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Mike Ghouse's Profile
30 WORDS Mike Ghouse is a speaker on Pluralism, Islam and India offering pluralistic solutions to the media and the public on issues of the day. His blogs and sites are listed at www.MikeGhouse.net
Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker, writer, optimist,
educator
and an activist of Pluralism, Interfaith, Justice, Islam, Peace,
India and Civil
Societies.
600 WORDS Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker, writer, optimist, organizer, educator and an activist of Pluralism, Justice, Islam, India, Peace and Civil Societies. 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.
ORGANIZER
INITIATOR 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. (Experiment - TV - ) 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. ( ADD LINKS - DMN_2003 - DMN 1996 - DMN 1999)
"Festivals
of the World" was a weekly Radio program
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.
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. WRITER Over 800 articles on the subjects of Pluralism, interfaith, Islam, Religion, Civil societies, Terrorism, India and Peace have been published in journals, websites and major news papers around the world.
Mike has
two books on the horizon; 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.
Your
suggestions
are welcome
Mike was recognized as Religious communicator of Dallas in 2008 by the religious communicators council of Greater Dallas. (RNC)
During his presidency of the
North Texas Cricket
Mike's
heart and soul went into the development of one of the
largest Home Owners Associations in Carrollton, Texas.
He was president of the Association from
2002-2005 STANDING UP FOR OTHERS: 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.
FESTIVALS OF THE WORLD
Mike is blessed to introduce Pratham USA in Dallas and
was one of the founding directors and an
organizer to do the fund raiser. The organization has
brought literacy to more than 5 million children and
adults in India and continues to grow. Thanks God for
the vision, Bill Gates is now funding the organization
with a motto of literacy for every child. Mike is now assigned to do the fund raiser for the Parliament of World's religions' potential Dallas event in 2014. He needs your help in raising $ 8 Million. He wants you to be a part of it even with your $10 contribution each. The request is coming up.
OPPORTUNITIES 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 ON CREATION AND RELIGION
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
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 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.
PROFOUND STATEMENTS
Ray Bradbury
"Until one is committed, there is hesitancy... Concerning all
acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth
the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans:
the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves
too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never
otherwise have occurred.… Whatever you can do or dream that you
can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.
Begin it now." The Bhagvad Gita adds to the idea "let not the fruits of action be thy motive; neither let there be in thee any attachment to inaction". "I am not driven by results in my pursuits of life (except business), I know what needs to be done to keep that balance to surround you, you do it without worrying about results." The Bhagvad Gita " Finding the truth is one's own responsibility". This has been one of the most inspirational statements in my life. It has turned things around for me and I write " If your Parents, Rabbi, Imam, Pundit, Pastor or preacher sows the seeds of hatred towards others, or even puts others' faith down, he or she is wrong in the first place and secondly he is poisoning your serenity of life" It led me to do research on Qur'aan and was quite shocked to see how Qur'aan has been deliberately mistranslated by the crusaders and then by the Muslim kings for purely securing their kingdoms. Shame on them for maligning the religion. Qur'an, Al-Hujurat, Surah 49:13: "O mankind! We have created you male and female, and have made you nations and tribes that ye may know one another. The noblest of you, in sight of Allah, is the best in conduct. Allah Knows and is Aware ." Aware of what you do, and if you know it, he knows it.
Dr. Abdul Hamid
Abusulayman "There is a clear distinction between doubts and
problems. Doubts provoke obstruction, frustration and
discouragement, where as problems inspire motivation, action and
diligence
MISCELLANEOUS 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.
INDEPENDENCE DAY RADIO SPECIAL - 2002, 2003 & 2004. "Najma & Mike Ghouse wish a very happy Independence Day to all the Indian and Pakistani people of the DFW Metroplex. As a service to our communities, we are pleased to proclaim August 2002 as a month of Celebration for India and Pakistan. Desi Masala Radio is pleased to dedicate an hour to India and Pakistan. From Monday to Friday 8AM –to 9AM through out the month of August. Mike and Najma Ghouse will present the history, culture, and politics, economy, regional round up, City beat, movies and cuisine. A summary of where we are heading and Of course, studded with Patriotic Songs. A Radio special to celebrate July 4th - a 3 hours interactive talk show radio sharing what America is all about, what is beautiful about America, the spirit of volunteerism, the sense of fairness... and much much more intertwined with 17 patriotic songs. Radio KBIS 1150. A month long independence special was run on the Radio stations – again simul-casted on 910 AM and 1150 AM. Details posted on website u/Mike Ghouse Show in the years 2002 and 2003.Celebrating Freedom of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka – A Month Long program in August 2004 In this month long program, I will be presenting information about our civilization, history, culture, religions, customs, traditions, traditional and new forms of entertainment, foods, clothes, places to visit, politics, economy, regional round up, City beat, movies and cuisine. A summary of where we are heading and of course, studded with Patriotic Songs of both India and Pakistan. Showing the bigness of their heart, showing the pureness of their hearts - Indians have sung Pakistani patriotic songs on August 14th and Pakistani's have sung Indian Patriotic Songs. People are always show their goodness when the politicians are not around. August 1947 kicked off the freedom movement in the Subcontinent and colonialism was rapidly replaced by indigenous governance. More nations have become free since the independence of the Indian Subcontinent than any other event in the History of Mankind. This month long program focuses on the meaning, essence and knowledge of the Subcontinent. CRICKET The "Annual Cricket Tournament- the Mike Ghouse Gold Cup" was established in 1996, which has paved the way to year-round cricket. Mayor Kirk declared Dallas as "The Cricket City of America". Mike was instrumental in putting Dallas on the World Cricket Map and has a dream of bringing an International cricket game to Dallas before 2005. Mayor Evan's Proclamation.
MEDIA: PRINT/TV/RADIO/WEB The Dallas Media has given opportunities to me in the print, tv, radio and webs. I have given up on putting together the list, it is too many entries... and when I am on vacation, I will update it.
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INFO | SITES |
BLOGS
2665 Villa Creek Dr,
Mike
was born and raised in Yelahanka, a suburb
of Bangalore, India. Grand mother (Dadimaa) died at 96 in the Mid seventies, she was a fiercely independent woman. It was her story that inspired Mike to name his daughter Jasmina.
The people I admire: APPRECIATIONS
Paul
Carrus Nomination
PLURALISM
1.
Foundation Pluralism
6.
Thanksgiving Celebs
CIVIC BLOGS
1.
Ghouse for America
- Muslim Agenda
- Dallas Indians
EVENT
ALBUMS
Unity
Day USA 2008
Holocaust
& Geno 2010
FESTIVALS OF WORLD
December (more)
Spirit of Ramadan - Islam
Celebrations & Comm
Rosh Hashanah - Judaism BORN & RAISED Mike was born and raised in Yelahanka, a suburb of Bangalore, India. His father M. Abdul Rahman's inherent disposition to treat people with dignity has influenced him a great deal. He was India's freedom fighter and the Mayor of the Town of Yelahanka [1952-53]. He taught the pluralism embedded in every religion and citied a verse from Quraan more often than any other thing he taught, his favorite reading was on gratitude, Sura Rahman from Quraan and it is Mike's favorite too. His Mother Khairun Nisa was a pluralist in every aspect of life and has simply inspired him to be who he is today. Her death in 2001 had the greatest impact on him, as she left a large lesson of tying loose ends of life before departing the world. Indeed she wrote a note three days prior to her death about it and left a handwritten will for the family with perfect clarity. Mike reached home four hours after she had passed away. He sat by her not knowing whether to smile or to cry and finally chose to smile all the way until after she was buried and cried when he visited her three days later at her grave. He smiled because she led a good example of bringing conclusions to every thing and cried because he won't see her again. Mike grew up enjoying and celebrating Hindu, Muslim, Jain, Parsee and Christian Festivals. He is grateful to his parents for the exposure he was given. "My family has come to believe that all festivals are meant to celebrate and share the joy with the people you know." Years later Mike produced a Radio show called "Festivals of the World" where the essence and significance of every festival was shared on Saturdays.
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 Mina (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." Mike has always cherished Abe Lincoln's statement "with malice towards none", "practicing this gives me peace." "A good Muslim is a good Hindu, is a good Christian, is a good Jew and is a good human being, the truth of goodness is the same. Reading Lincoln is my next project, as Obama is a follower of him." "The people who continue to impart wisdom to me are; Dale Carnegie, Mahatma Gandhi, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Karen Armstrong, Jiddu Krishnamurthy, H.H. Dalai Lama, Martin Luther King Jr., H.H. Aga Khan, Reverend Moon, Allama Iqbal, Guru Nanak, Rabbi Gordis and a few othes. Let me clarify this, the simple reason for these particular names is my exposure to their work. I am open to learning from every possible source." The ultimate in learning is when you become Brahma, to borrow from the Hindu philosophy, whence you do not have a barrier between you and what surrounds you. That is precisely what Qur'aan means when it asks you to submit to the will of God, Krishna means, surrender to him or Jesus, when he says follow me, you cannot go wrong with their advice and the wisdom of all other beautiful religions. "Each one of the holy books nourish me in my quest for the truth. It is quite inspiring to open each book and draw an enormous amount of wisdom from it." Discussions with his teachers during college days has formed the foundation for his outlook; the calm Shia-Sunni discussions between his father and Hussain Ali, or his grand father; and the passionate Hindu faith of A. Ramachandra, his English teacher; the irresistible logic of Mohamed Fakhru, his weaver friend. And interacting with wise people in Dallas has enriched him tremendously. The open mindedness of Swami Nityananda Prabhu of Hare Krishna Temple; the comprehensiveness of Imam Yusuf Zia Kavacki of Dallas Central Mosque reinforces his belief in how God is assessed and in the last few years, his friendship with Imam Zia Shaikh is nothing but a joy. Each one of them is all about affection for life, Non-discriminatory caring, non-favoring one over the other for the heck of it other than good deeds, which Prophet Muhammad [pbuh] described as the good you can do to other beings, the goodness you bring to God's creation.
Mike has made a commitment to dedicate this day very year to 911 and work on learning and sharing it's impact on the world from a moral, religious, economic and social points of view.
Played leadership role in Dallas on the day of September 1. 2001 Two competing radio stations invited me to man the radio stations, which were simulcast from 10:30 AM thru 5:00 PM.
Spiritual leaders from all faiths joined the talk show ; Baha’i, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Islam, Jain, Jewish, Sikh and Zoroastrian. Area City Mayors, community and business leaders joined in an effort to bring a sense of direction.
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