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The Foundation for Pluralism

Studies in Religious Pluralism & Pluralistic Governance

WORKSHOPS - LECTURES - SEMINARS - CONFERENCES

CHARTER FOR COMPASSION - KAREN ARMSTRONG
WHAT IS PLURALISM: : MIKE GHOUSE

Essence of God and Religion
The day is not far when individuals of every faith, race and ethnicities will work with you in the same office and live in the same neighborhood, perhaps it is the same street and the same community. We have to learn to live with all and keep that elusive balance, and it comes from learning to accept the otherness of other, and respect the God given uniqueness of each one of us, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge... coming soon!

Religious Sensitivities;

None of us would achieve Salvation, Nirvana, Mukti, Moksha, Nijaat, freedom or the blissful state of mind (heaven), when we disturb the biological, ecological, social, moral and dynamic balance of the environment around us. None of us should get a free pass to heaven (peace or good life) by mere association or utterance of a few words or affiliation with a certain group. Every faith works for the believer and every religion has inbuilt mechanism to bring comfort to the individual and create a balance within the specific group. -Coming soon

Hell fire, un-believers and infidels.

As a Pluralist thinker and as a Muslim, the phrase "hell fire" was interesting to me to study and think about its implications. Every word starts out with a certain meaning, and over a period of time, it gets narrowed or broadened. Then what the hell the phrase “hell fire” really means? continue

Facebook; an experiment in Pluralistic Democracy
Face book has broken all the barriers and continues to bring people together regardless of their affiliations. It is a true experiment in Pluralism - i.e., developing an attitude of accepting the otherness of other and respecting the God given uniqueness of each one of the seven billion of us, in this case 20 million of us on the Face book. Continued

Pluralistic Governance in India
Harsh Mander is wonderful human being, he feels the suffering of all humans alike with no distinction. He is one of the few who strongly believes in the Hindu tenet of "the world is one family". The extremists Hindus discredit him, just as extremists Christians, Jews and Muslims discredit their good ones - Continued

Challenges for Religious Pluralism:

There are voices of faith in today’s world that sound a call of hate and intolerance. Sometimes they send whispers of fear mixed with blessings, and at other times they incite violence to the soundtrack of prayer. They feed on ignorance, conflict, and the silent compliance of the world community. Continue

Muslims condemn Bigotry against Jews

This kind of bigotry must be condemned. The senator needs to apologize and promise never to say anything like that ever again. Inclusion is the hallmark of civil societies and we need to let the world know we are a civilized people and a civilized nation. As American Muslims, we condemn this - Continued

What is Zionism?

An ideology; it was used retroactively to describe earlier efforts and ideas to return the Jews to their homeland for whatever reasons, and it is applied to Evangelical Christians who want people of the Jewish religion to return to Israel in order to hasten the second coming. "Christian Zionism" is also used to describe any Christian support for Israel. Continue

The Role of Religious Communicator
The Religion Communicators council honored Mike as the secular communicator of the year. Mike Ghouse accepts the recognition with humility. As religious communicators we need to explore and communicate that God has not signed up a deal with any religion behind our back, he just cannot do that. Let’s honor every tradition and faith whether they believe in one, multiple or no God. The essence of the creator and causer of the universe does not change with our beliefs. Let’s learn to accept the otherness of other and respect the God given uniqueness of each one of the 7 billion of us, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge. Continue

II Annual Reflections on Holocaust and Genocides
Our Mission is to encourage individuals to develop an open mind and an open heart toward their follow beings. If we can learn to accept and respect the God given uniqueness of each one of the 7 billion of us, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge. We believe that knowledge leads to understanding and understanding to acceptance and appreciation of a different point of view.

Gaza- Interfaith prayers for peace and healing on Tuesday, Jan 6th in Dallas

This is a prayer and healing event, to recognize and help end the conflict in Gaza. We appeal to all parties to cease fire and start a dialogue to resolve the conflict. The Torah and the Qur'aan state that saving a life is like saving the whole humanity, and in that sprit we ask each one of the peace makers to join us and pray with us.

Christmas & Kwanza Celebrations | Muharram & Zartosht Deso Commemoration

Wouldn't it be nice to learn a little bit about each other, how they commemorate or celebrate? Friendship is an amazing thing, it takes time to know, but when you do, a lot of myths about others disappear - and you find an amazing peace within you for knowing some one from some group, whom you thought...oh well, you got it. I have compiled, borrowed and added a few notes to learn and share about the following festivals and commemorations. It is not perfect, please help me do better next year.

Hanukkah | Pancha Ganapati | Khushali | Winter Solstice Celebrations

We wish the very best for these celebrations and we invite articles on the essence and rituals of each one of the festivals.

Scream Bloody Murder, reflections on Holocaust and Genocides
It is natural to feel angry knowing that the world stood by silently when the Jews were put on the train to the gas chambers; when the live skeletal bodies were thrown into the ditches; when the Bosnian Muslims children were given chocolates and told not to worry and go right behind and open gunfire and massacre them; when the Canadian general sends faxes upon faxes to the United Nations to send help, while the UN and USA chose not to get involved and 800,000 Rwandans were massacred in day light, they were even announcing on their radio how to torture pregnant women by pulling the unborn out of their wombs… they did that in Gujarat Massacre and the world did not do anything about it. It was a difficult documentary to watch, but you must watch and face the world; you have to do your share to clean your own slate of conscience. If you don't feel anger or sadness because they were not of your faith, race or ethnicity, shame on you.

The Essence of Eid-al-Adha

A parent would risk his or her life to protect the child. People in love have the passion to value their beloved's life and are willing to get the bullet and save the life, they are willing to rescue her or him from the freezing lake risking their own life, even strangers do that. It is the willingness to put the life of the loved one’ above one’s own life. Every day our Police officers risk their own lives to protect ours, the firemen and women risk their lives to save a child, a pet or an aged person from a fire; and every day our soldiers put their lives at risk to save fellow soldiers and to save our freedom. Eid-al-Adha is a tradition started by Prophet Abraham.

The Essence of thanksgiving
It is one of my favorite holidays; it is a day to express gratitude to all those who have helped shape our lives. It is also a day to express friendship and kindness to those who are struggling with the difficulties of life, Thanksgiving is a day of sharing. It is just not you, ask Bill Gates, whom God has blessed proportionately for his intelligence, he would answer, not enough! Ask the Homeless the same question; the answer is still the same, not enough. Who has enough then?

Muslims Beware; Kaaba and the Wikipedia Blunder
I cannot believe Wikipedia is taken as a gospel by so many, every word in it is taken as the ultimate truth. You will discover it's danger in the following report. A statement is made "While destroying each idol, Muhammad recited ^[^{Qur'an 17:81]} which says "Truth has arrived and falsehood has perished for falsehood is by its nature bound to perish."^[28][29] . A few of my Hindu friends have assumed that Terrorism has it's origin in the above act, of course the very same statement is a fodder to the Neocons, who rejoice and pass it one to every one with a comment, "I told you so, Islam is an intolerant religion".

Should Muslims play the Game? - The Wall Street Journal
“Muslims, you are puppets, and you will do exactly what we want you to do, and not what your Prophet or God wants. You will play our game” - No one has made this statement, but it is understood to have been said. Today’s WSJ: Professor Kalisch delivers a jolt; he thinks it's likely that Prophet Muhammad Never Existed. Fellow Muslims, Just let it go. No need to react, it will die down on its own.

Jewish-Muslims Dialogue, a necessity

The Jewish Community Center in Dallas recently screened a documentary “The Monster among us”, produced and directed by Dallas filmmakers Allen and Cynthia Mondell. Watching this film (as well as other films in the past) and listening to the responses of the audience has confirmed my belief that one of the primary obstacles to peace is simply inadequate communications stemming from the unwillingness to see another point of view. There are certainly rotten apples in the barrel, but focusing on them to the exclusion of the positive only exacerbates the problem. Muslims and Jews need to dialogue without keeping a score or blaming the other.

Who Put hate in my Paper?

The majority of Americans and Israelis are being duped by the Neocons. This group is bent on creating chaos and have consistently messed up peace in the Middle East and elsewhere. Imagine the world without them? Peace is not their interests, peace does not give them a nice chunk of money, chaos does. We need to ask this group to take a vacation and see how much better the world would be without them.

The Spirit of Rosh Hashanah

Rabbi Haas of Temple Shalom joined me in sharing the essence of Judaism every month on my Radio Talk show here in Dallas. The daily one hour show was called "Wisdom of Religion, all the beautiful Religions". Next year, God willing, I will write the essence of Rosh Hashanah myself and how each one of these beautiful festivals add to the goodwill and community building. This year, I am borrowing from a beautiful write up by Jacqueline O' Sullivan. Wish you all the best on the eve of Rosh Hashanah. As a Muslim, I will be happy to blow the Shofar in a Synagogue this week, just call me. If it is not in the tradition, just add me up as an extra. My Imam had done something similar once. Happy Rosh Hashanah to you.

The Spirit, rituals and politics of Ramadan

The Spiritual masters have captured the human gravity for rituals and have molded it with the art and science of self-discipline in their respective religion. The noble purpose of each one of them was to bring a balance in our lives and a balance with things that surround us; life and environment. Every faith is composed of a set of unique rituals to bring discipline and peace to human life. Fasting is one of the five key rituals that Muslims around the world observe.

The Spirit of Diwali

Like the other festivals of India, Navaratri is rich in meaning. At one level, Navaratri signifies the progress of a spiritual aspirant.During this spiritual journey, the aspirant has to pass three stages personified by Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati. Then, he or she enters into the realm of the infinite, wherein one realises one's Self. Navaratri, which literally means 'nine nights,' dedicates three days each to worshipping the Divine in the forms of Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati. The tenth day, though, is the most important; it is known as Vijayadashami, the 'tenth day of victory.' I am hoping to light the Diwali lamp in some one's house, if not in my own house. Next year, when I have a life partner, we will celebrate it in my house also. Happy Diwali

W omen Led Muslim Prayers

Oppression of people and suppression of Ideas knocks off the balance in any given society and both go against the fiber of Islam; freedom and justice. Now comes, Dr. Amina Wadud, a Muslim woman has led the Friday congregational prayers for mixed genders, it is indeed a radical idea for those of us who are entrenched in thousands of years of traditions. Muslim Men are no different in their insecurities than Jews, Christians, Americans, Arabs, Zulus, Mongolians or the Mayans. If your strip the dirt from the religion, it boils down to "a men thing" rather than a Religious issue.

Women who Soar

Honoring Mary Ann Thompson-Frenk, Humanitarian, Artists and a Philanthropist. The award luncheon is about celebrating , and recognizing amazing women who've reached extraordinary professional and personal success. It is about the journey of the women. It is about empowering and inspiring one to reach new heights and soar! Brilliantly you is about each one teaching one.

False God and Pluralism

Let me take a step further, the animist, Wiccan, the pagans and others are as right as the Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Bahai’s, Sikhs or any one is. It is arrogant of us to believe that they worship false God; it is not to them, even if you consider that they worship an idol.

Center for Interfaith Inquiry

At a time in human history where extremism seeks to reign and divide us, it is paramount for the intellectual and spiritual world to meet together to devote time and energy to learning about shared religious values that promote peaceful coexistence. The Center exists to foster the shared human values that unite us, not divide us.

Peace is the result of Justice

When criminals walk around freely without consequences to their crimes, it frightens the victims, neither of them is at peace; one is raged and the other outraged. When a child is abused, there has got to be punishment for the abuser; when a woman is violated, the violator has to pay for it; and when the weak is taken advantage of, the user has to be accounted for it; and when the disadvantaged is had justice must be restored.

Where Jews and Arabs get along

The story is about a beautiful model township of co-existence in Israel. The town I grew up in India was like that, where my Dad consciously molded the outcome of the communal conflicts to peaceful resolutions. He was the Mayor of the town of Yelahanka and he put his heart and soul into the growth of community free from tensions. He has been gone for over thirty years, but his legacy lives on.

Shaping the Tomorrow - The center for Interfaith inquiry

What kind of world will we leave our children? Informed by the past, how will we consciously create our future? With a preponderance of behavior that only considers today’s pleasures and the rollout of the latest toys, how do we shift our focus to creating a healthy future history in a multi-religious multi-cultural world? When spirituality is being overshadowed by fear, fear and intolerance of the other, how do we not merely tolerate the other, but see them as interesting? Who cares? When turf consciousness is the overwhelming manner of conduct, how can we maintain our own individuality, yet at the same time, create a future coexistence that is both sustainable and nonviolent?

Bahudha Pluralism

Tracing the quintessential teachings of the Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bible, Qur'aan, Guru Granth Sahib and other religious texts, the writer highlights how they all preach the law of harmony— rightfully the strength of the society. The exploration brings to the foreground the indisputable fact that the enlightened prophets of all religions never thought or preached in terms of exclusiveness of their religion, nor did they think only of their welfare but for the welfare of all. Throughout the volume, the author stresses the need to don the Bahudha attitude—of accommodation and tolerance—to pave the way for a strong foundation of the harmonious society.

Maldives Constitution to be questioned

As a Muslim, I question the amendment in the constitution of Maldives. If we don't question it, we would be giving a pass to exclusive ideologies around the world. . The noblest among you is the one who cares for the neighbors, Qur'aan says. Shame on the fanatic few in the Government of Maldives to get a law like this passed, it is against the spirit of Qur'aan and against the spirit of Prophet Muhammad's Madinah pact that protected the rights of every individual to practice his or her faith. In fact, even conversion of the spouse was not a requirement in a marriage. This amendment is contrary to the spirit of Islam.

Birmingham council bans Atheist websites.

Today it is Atheism, tomorrow it would be Hinduism, and day after tomorrow it would be Baptists or Mormons or Muslims, then it is every one they disagree with. Where is the end? How insecure is the council? Are they afraid that by looking at Atheists sites, one would give up his or her faith?

Rabbi Rosen on Saudi Interfaith Dialogue

Without skepticism, cynicism, understanding and support, no initiative will ever be comprehensive and it will not take off the ground without a combination of these elements that temper the progress. What is the loss if we believe in this initiative?

The Saudi Dialogue by Rabbi Michael Lerner

Rabbi Michael Lerner is editor of Tikkun magazine, chair of the Network of Spiritual Progressives. He files an objective report about the Saudi dialogue, his skepticism and good omen included.

Interfaith Dialogue in Saudi Arabia,

Saudi Arabia is one of the most religiously conservative society and is opening up to people of other faiths. The process began in 2005 when Saudi Emissaries started branching out all over the world to explore interfaith. In Dallas per the request of a Saudi minister

Religion and Oneness of God

The guardians of the faith have a vested interest in promoting the idea that their faith is the best, and others are deficient, or even inferior or illegitimate. This protects their interests, but spiritually they are wrong, a majority of the people believe otherwise....

Blaming the religion is dumb

If we blame the religion, we do not stand a chance to punish it, it is intangible. No one will be ever satisfied by blaming the religion, you just cannot do a thing about it. The world has been wrong about it for centuries, it is time to wise up and do the right thing; to bring justice to the crimes.

Divisive Words - Pro Israel and Pro-Palestine.

The words pro-Israel or pro-Palestine are divisive, we ought to consider looking at the issue in terms of Justice, peace and security for the people of the area understood as Israelis and Palestinians rather than dividing ourselves in to the divisive camps.

Biblical Prophecies

The majority of each group does not subscribe to God’s plan to destroy his own creation deliberately and for what? All brands are fashioned by God, he would not favor one over the other as it amounts to injustice, and God is about Justice.

Jihadists - Fact and fiction

Throughout the history of mankind, insecure men have found their false security in rattling up others, they have been wrong and will continue to err. You cannot have security when others around you are not; neither can you have peace when others can’t.

Faith based environmental activism

I am pleased to see that father Andang has taken up the responsibility to educate the public to be environmentally conscious. If All the leaders in faith can take this up, one item at a time, the world would be a better place to live. Congratulations to Father Andang.

Oprah did not deny other paths leading to God

Not the Christians, but a handful of fundamentalists are ganging up to reign in on Oprah for saying that. They are branding the issue as “Oprah Denies Jesus as Sole Way to God”, instead of seeking understanding, they are stirring up the short-term raw emotions of those who are on the border line of being fundamentalists. The title should have been “Oprah did not deny other paths leading to God.” She did not deny the way to God through Jesus either.

State Department urged to deny Visa to Gujarat chief Minister Narendra Modi

Neither the Gujaratis nor Gujarat are to be blamed. Please hold the temptations to label the genocide to either, it is not them, it is the individuals who have committed the crimes against other Gujaratis. Remember both the criminals and victims are Gujaratis, no Gujarati should be offended with the ongoings, it is not about them, it is about the criminals regardless of the religious label they wear. Religion does not permit one to murder others and our civil laws must punish the criminals.

Who Owns the Word "Allah"

The Malaysian Government need to learn that no one owns the word "Allah" nor does any one own "Allah". Same formula applies to the other names of God be it Yahweh, Ahura Mazda, Krishna, Allah, Ahura Mazda or any other name one can imagine to call on the creator.

Americans are religiously tolerant - poll

The following survey (below) filed under Nations News is indeed reflective of the average American, no matter how you pigeon hole him or her. The “survey finds most Americans don't feel their religion is the only way to eternal life — even if their faith tradition teaches otherwise." Indeed, if we can learn to accept and respect every which way people worship the divine, conflicts fade and solutions emerge.

A tribute to Najma Ghouse

Sunday, June 29, 2008 | 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM

http://www.mikeghouse.net/Articles/Celebrating.the.life.of.NajmaGhouse.asp

More about Najma-She was Stoic:

Najma was stoic, she had prepared herself for this journey, she had jettisoned the anxieties and the desires of worldly living. She was content with the purposeful life she lived, and grateful to the creator for enriching her with a full spectrum of life experiences from serene bliss to utter sadness, loneliness to being loved. No wonder she passed away with a smile on her face, as if saying, I have successfully completed my life as an individual, a woman, mother, sister, daughter, grand mother and a wife and now I need to experience the eternal life. Full information. We thank your for your kind comments

God's Grace - Najma Ghouse

I draw inspiration from all faiths and share this beautiful precise expressive phrase from Jainism “ Michami Dukadam”, the essence of which is, on this day, let’s forgive and ask for forgiveness and start the next breath of life with a clean slate, free from guilt, free from anxiety, free from hate, malice, anger and all those enslaving emotions.

This is where germs of the conflicts can take root. The belief that my way is the only way, the right way, imbues arrogance in one’s self and causes one to believe that other’s way is inferior, incomplete, deficit and not really the right way. It would make me to look at the other in a condescending way “man you are behind, you need to come up” as if my belief is on par and every one else’s’ is under par, thus not as valuable as my own.

I can understand the reluctance of Muslims to meet His holiness Pope Benedict. It is based on three mis-spokes within the last year. His words were not mitigators but provocateur of conflicts and Muslims were not clear about his intentions, they did not want to invite themselves unless they were invited.

A majority of Muslims, like the majority of any group do not prefer a religious government. 75% of Muslims live in democracy, once given a clear choice that people can understand, a majority of any people would prefer democracy.

I hope you pass the test and see if your are prejudiced or not. You have to ask yourselves as you read through it, if you honest with yourselves. Enjoy it

I have expressed time and again the injustice done to the teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians have bottled up his teachings by exclusively owning them, just as Muslims have done with Muhammad or Hindus with Krishna and similar stories go with the believers of different faiths.It may not be wise to classify or claim the teachings of Jesus as Christian; they are indeed for every human.

Are these laws wrong? Shall we scrap them?
Are these laws designed for general good of the society?
Are these laws imposed by a few on the others?
1. You cannot vote until you are 18 or 21
2. You cannot drive over 20 at School Zones
3. You cannot smoke in the public places
4. You cannot burn the flag of the United States
7. You cannot drink and drive

I believe religions do not claim exclusivity per-se; it is the interpreter and the political man in us that claims exclusivity. I have seen the arrogance of humans ascribed to religion – my faith is the true faith, oldest faith, open faith, non-dogmatic faith and other adjectives. Isn’t that sheer arrogance? Isn’t that the reason for conflict? Wasn’t one of the chief purposes of religion was to bring humility and humbleness to us? I believe spirituality and arrogance are inversely proportional to each other.

This piece is everything I have written in the last five years, indeed, I must thank the writer for summarizing it so well. This is who a Muslim is, and this is what makes one a Muslim! I have expressed similar sentiments over the years on the World Muslim Congress forum. I ask you, the reader to recognize articles like this and rate them. Highest rating would be Alhamdu Lillah.

In 2005, a Saudi Minister visited Dallas and I was asked to organized an interfaith dialogue. Being a pluralist I resisted the idea of inviting the members of the Abrahamic faiths, but agreed, as they agreed, that this is the first step in their learning process to go from known to unknown. We had 20 members comprising these three faiths at the Crescent in uptown Dallas, I still chose to represent all other faiths that were missing. My commitment has been and will continue to to defend the divinity of each beautiful faith. No one can get away from me criticizing any religion. The meeting was productive and it was a new experience to the man.

Main stream Muslims do want democracy, and a nation where justice prevails. They do not want the kind of Khilafat that is projected by the Neocons “they are here to dominate and subjugate others.” Absolute baloney! No significant group of Muslims wants that. However, they do wish a Pope like figure who can make small petty decisions and give relief to apostates, rape victims, divorce and other issues, but it ain’t going to happen.

Those 14 verses have not only been misquoted for millennia, but were mis-translated with the intent of maligning Islam in the middle ages to protect the European kings and their kingdoms. I have placed the correct translations for him to take a look and seriously think about becoming a peace maker and not a provocateur.

Did Pope's conversion event on Easter, mitigate or aggravate the conflict? With all due respect to his holiness, his words have not been that of a peace maker. There have been three incidents where his non-action or silence would have been better. The revival of comments made by the Emperor Constantine he delivered in Germany irritated his counterparts in Muslim world, then revising the prayer that was not kosher and now this. What was the need to make the conversion on Easter? Provoke?

I believe Bush and McCain will be failures on the war on terra, they are conditioned to believe in one thing; bomb, massacre and destroy and they surround themselves with similar mentality. That puts us in peril in return, and that policy will continue to multiply our enemies. Obama, on the other hand will become the gutsiest of all our presidents - he will face the bad guys and get them to understand that we have the capacity to wipe them out, but we are not going to do that, we are not tyrants, we will work out solutions so all of us can co-exists. Obama will do the right thing - he has truly understood the teachings of Jesus, where as the others have not.

We are pleased to provide the Festivals calendar for the month of April 2008. If your festival is not included, please send us the details, we will include it.

Alhamdu Lillahi, praise the lord, (الْحَمْدُ للّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ 1:2) he knows and he is aware of every thing we do. He is the Malik-i-Yom-iddin, (مَـالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ 1:4) master of the day of the judgment.
Muslims have several choices and need to evaluate the consequence of each choice.

I have lost track of a Saudi minister who had asked me to put together an interfaith meeting with about 20 people, comprising Jews, Christians and Muslims. I fought with him to include all faiths, but finally agreed to work in stages, from familiar to unfamiliar ones. It was some where around 2005. I am pleased to see at least a dialogue is emerging between Vatican and Saudi's. Neighboring Dubai has just opened up a mega church this month.

Most of the conflicts stem from a fear of loss, or the fear that some one is taking advantage of the situation. In this case, a few at Harvard University feel that Muslims students are having privileges like the exclusive time given to Muslim women at gym, or the Adhan, a prayer call. If these other students ask for similar privileges and are denied, they have every right to complaint, otherwise, the fear is baseless.

It is consoling to the soul who is down and under "oh, it was to be this way" and kind of accept the happenings of life. It mitigates the suffering. As everything in nature is planned - the DNA research is indicating that the eyes, hair color, hair and a lot of elements of physical body are programmed in the genes. Is what we do and what we think is pre-planned as well? We can argue both ways depending on the state of mind we are in. Personally I believe we have the freedom to determine where we go, what we do, if we do not put the required effort, we may default to the position we are in.

Happy Eid Milaad, Good friday, Easter, Holi and Navoroz.
It is such a delight to see this happening in Pakistan, of course, they would say, it is nothing new. But good news like this is usually not covered by the media. Mike Ghouse

BY THE standards of European scientific collaboration, €2m ($3.1m) is not a huge sum. But it might be the start of something that will challenge human perceptions of reality at least as much as the billions being spent by the European particle-physics laboratory (CERN) at Geneva. The first task of CERN's new machine, the Large Hadron Collider, which is due to open later this year, will be to search for the Higgs boson—an object that has been dubbed, with a certain amount of hyperbole, the God particle. The €2m, by contrast, will be spent on the search for God Himself—or, rather, for the biological reasons why so many people believe in God, gods and religion in general.

Humans have always wondered about God, its existence and its appearance. We go through the phase of being a disbeliever, particularly when we cannot understand the injustices to us and to the world around us. Many of us have had the delusions about God as presented one time or the other.

Death is not the end of life of the invisible soul that is us, life continues. What happens to the injustices? What happens to the good done to others in excess of one's share of good? The Buddhists believe that the essence of soul moves on an eternal trajectory, the Hindus believe that the soul continues its journey through different life forms and the Abrahamic faiths lay it out, that there is a life after death and every one will be accounted for the good, bad and ugly one has done.

Buddhists and Christians have sometimes, in a search for common ground, pointed out some intriguing parallels between the "life stories" of Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, and Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha. Jesus' mother Mary was visited by a divine being, Gabriel, who told her how she, a virgin, would conceive and give birth to the divine Son of God

Muslim leaders from around the world will issue a statement to the world's Jewish Community in "a call for positive and constructive action that aims to improve Muslim - Jewish relations."

I am pleased to see this statement aka Fatwa by one of the World's largest Islamic learning centers. It is good to see the establishment take action. I welcome this wholeheartedly. Bush's war on terrorism is a dismal failure because it does not target the individual criminals who can be reached, accessed and punished. Instead he blames the religion, which is intangible, meaning cannot punish the religion, as it is not a target, or gives birth to terrorists.

It is time to start bragging about America again. Let the world know that we are one of the greatest nations when it comes to honoring and respecting the God given uniqueness of each one of the 303,171,404 Americans. We have made incredible progress in civility and plurality in a very short period of time.

International women's day - Gender Equality Now: Justice is the basis for peace, be it between spouses, family members, business partners, stockholders and consumers, president and the public, minorities and majorities, communities, nations or the globe. Whenever one takes advantage of the other, the balance is lost and the unit is crippled. In personal relationships, the disadvantaged ones are waiting for the moment to get even or get justice. It is the hope that keeps the life moving forward.

"This is a man with a good brain and a soft heart," Dr. Arkow said. "I think that's what drives him."

Israel owes peace and security to her citizens and it is directly dependent on the security and peace needs of the Palestinians. You cannot live in peace, when your neighbor's aren't. Finding a balance is the most difficult thing to do and both the nations are trying and failing. No wonder the phrase "love thy neighbor" plays such a crucial role in every society.

Pluralism Prayers in Carrollton City Hall - Hon. Becky Miller, Mayor of City of Carrollton introduced Mike Ghouse to do deliver the invocation at the Carrollton City council - 7:00 PM, Tuesday, March 4, 2008.

Barack Obama, Shepherd of our Nation - This is the first time in our nation's history; some one is speaking the needs, wants and voices of a majority of the people. He is neither a right winger extremist, nor a leftist but a moderate right down the middle embracing and bringing every American together to participate and contribute towards the success, safety and security of America. (information about Rally on Sunday, March 4, 2008 between 4 and 7 Pm is included)

Obama Party in Carrollton - For the first time in our history, we have a candidate who is representing you, me and every American; he is an all inclusive pluralistic candidate. He has not fallen trap to any exclusive ideas and as such, as a Republican, I am going for Obama, if you wish to join, please do so.

Islam and Pluralism- The following article is drenched with Islam, however, if you substitute the world Islam with the words like Atheist, Aztec, Bahai, Buddhist, Christian, Falun Dafa, Hindu, Hopi, Jain, Jewish, Oloriya, Sikh, Shinto, Tao, Wicca or Zoroastrians, it will still holds good with a few exceptions.

Petition to save Fawza Falih - Mike Mohamed Ghouse, President of the World Muslim Congress was disturbed that such a trivial item has consumed international attention. "It should not have even taken up the judicial time. Fawza Falih is a human being like every one else and does not possess any such super-natural powers to affect the lives of other human beings, let alone cause one to be impotent. As Muslims, we believe that no one but God has such powers and he alone is the master of the Day of Judgment. I appeal to His Excellency King Abdullah to put an end to this by releasing Fawza Falih and offer her state protection from any public harassment."

Muslim Response to Geert Wilders film on Qur'aan-1/25/08. Geert Wilders has scheduled to show a 10 minute documentary on Qur'aan on the 25th - all hell may break loose or freeze over. If our Imams can address this in the Friday Sermons, and urge Muslims to follow the model Prophet has created, a big mishap can be avoided and turn this upcoming nightmare into a peace building effort. I request all Imams to call their counterparts around the globe to win this war with love and kindness and it is an opportunity God has provided to become leaders. If you like, please circulate.

Concept of Oneness of God - By the way this concept of oneness is not a mechanical one, it is a spiritual one that one feels in the bones be it a Aztec, Baha'i, Buddhist, Christian, Confucius, Hindu, Hopi, Jain, Jew, Muslim, Sikh, Shinto, Wicca, Yazid, Zoroastrian and others. There is one mother and one God. Our disputes are mechanical and political. I hope, we rise above that. If we can understand the concept of oneness of humankind, i.e. if one is hurt, we feel it, if one needs help, we step up to take care of him or her, then we can certainly understand the concept of oneness of God.

A Tribute to Martin Luther King Jr - If it was not for Rosa Parks, and if it were not for Martin Luther King Jr. none of the immigrants would have made it to America, I am here today because of them and I owe my gratitude to them.

Qur'aan Reading: Approaches to studying Qur’aan vary. I believe if we can study from the point of view of a guidance book to humanity and in the light of co-existence, then we see a common sense develop, that is on par and reflective of the goodness emitted in Qur’aan. The key is your orientation.

Happiness for Sale | Happy New Year - Happiness is on Sale, it is on sale, because the effort required is minimal against the gain. Though a lopsided transaction, the supply is plentiful and does not take away anything from anyone but enrich every one with a heart felt smile.

Not like Jews, Christians or Hindus If you are a Jew or a Christian and happen to pick a free copy of the Qur'aan and happily open the book to read and understand it, you will go through a pleasant trip but will come to rude shock.

What is Thanksgiving? : Do me a favor, carry a small piece of paper with you anywhere you go, and whenever you get a quiet moment, make a list of all the people you want to thank. Making a list is the least you can do, which in it self is peace giving and you will find a sense of relief with it. Even if you don’t call every one on the list, you have already said your thanks by thinking about the individual and reciting his or her name in your mind. When you express your gratitude to the persons who have made a difference in your life, it brings a ton of relief to you. The tension of the action (good done to you) to you is released with your re-action of thinking about them to writing their name down and possibly calling them.

Foundationless Castles of Neocons- Much of the knowledge of experts on Islam comes from a baseless foundation laid by the European Kings to malign the invaders from Arabia, thus Islam. There was seldom a king in the history of mankind who had no other business than expanding territories. So, they go to the Pope....

Say No to intolerance- It is ironic that there is actually shameless campaigning going out to promote hate against another people. How are they different than KKK and the Nazis?

Understanding Islam- You can learn much of everything you wanted to know about Islam in this workshop, finding the truth is your own responsibility and the truth brings peace of mind and hope.

A Dialogue: Jesus in Islam and Christianity - Unfortunately, the concept of Trinity is alien to most Muslims, although it should not be, at least to the learned ones. Similarly the concept of abstract, formless, genderless God of Judaism and Islam is alien to Christians and others. How do you worship to the non-entity? And Muslims are bewildered how can you worship to a physical entity that is mortal?

Ramadan Triangle - Eid Mubarak - Arrogance is the root cause of all conflicts; the belief that my understanding is superior to yours is the sole reason for this dispute. It is an embarrassment that we have not brought a resolution to this conflict. We have not even defined and agreed upon the intent and purpose of Eid.

Mahatma Gandhi today - Mahatma Gandhi is one of the five humans on the planet who has impacted my life profoundly. He was a messenger of peace; his language nourished reconciliation, and his actions encouraged co-existence. Whether it is the conflict between Hindus or Muslims or with the British Raj, his words mitigated conflicts and directed one's thoughts and actions towards solutions.

Leave Ram Sethu Alone: We will see continuous debates on the issue, mostly politically motivated. The Sangh Parivar has lost its sails and wants to make a political capital out of it, where as the industry captains want to capitalize on the canal as well, and CM Karunanidhi is not far behind to strengthen his party’s hold on Tamil Nadu.

Essence of Pluralism - True Dialogue Dialogue only has meaning if it respects the autonomy of the other; absent that respect we have monologue. It is for each religious community, or those from each community who choose to participate in inter-religious conversation... The question for participants is: Is that divergence threatening or problematical, or can it be a source of enlightenment and enrichment by broadening the perspectives and insights on the experience of being human that one gains from one’s own religious tradition.

Peace for the greater good of all Peace-building, or conflict-prevention, is a global effort. Since peace building in itself is such a broad subject, I have opted to focus my paper on the key efforts being made by various stakeholders in my country, (Philippines)

Paranoid Nationalism to Inter-Cultural Community This public forum aims to deal with issues of co-existence in multicultural Australia, inter-cultural relations, open communication and understanding, and peaceful cross-cultural outcomes for the future (Australia)

Terrorism Statistics We condemn terrorism of any kind, there is no justification whatsoever to kill another being. Every religion condemns this act. Please remember, men commit crimes, and not their religion. Those who got the religion will not kill another creation of God, those who don't get it, become a nuisance to the 99% of the population.

Books define religions in 100 words The Believe books are the second wave of little religion books launched from England, and readers who want a firmer grasp of the faiths may want to look into the Key Words series by Ron Geaves, a professor of religious studies at the University of Chester. These books include Key Words in Islam, as well as Buddhism, Christianity and Hinduism. By the way, the Foundation for Pluralism did publish a handbook of religion in 2005 - Hand Book of Religions

Jews and Muslims worshipping together Jewish and Muslim communities celebrated together the beginning of Rosh Hashana and Ramadan, respectively. Quoting the psalmist, Rabbi Shlomo Ben Hamu says "it is pleasant and good for brothers to dwell together" (Argentina)

Muslims who convert risk being killed The concern of Michael Nazir-Ali, the Bishop of Rochester expressed in the Guardian article below may be legitimate, and is undoubtedly based on conflicting ideas about apostasy and Islam. Most Muslims understand this dilemma and have made a serious attempt to clarify the issue, so the next generation of Muslims and the members of the communities of world have a clear understanding. (United Kingdom)

Muslim Women Conference The role of Muslim women in particular is defined by a few, without consultation and ironically with no resistance from the ones who are affected. The role of women is usually defined by the bully men. The men (all men indeed, Muslim or otherwise) ought to consider being on the vigil - to resist and protest the attitude from within and from outside "what do they know?"

Israel Lobby and democracy The Neocons, the lobby, the Islamists and the Hindutva brigade have figured out that the good for nothing majority can be pushed around endlessly. They are also equipped with the mechanism to crucify the persons who speak out. They know how to defame and disown all those who speak out.

Unity Day USA 2007 - A 9/11 Event On this day we honored our men and women in uniform, the police and the fire, and the ones who lost their lives on September 11, 2001 by expressing solidarity and Unity. On this Unity Day USA, we, the people of the United States of America; of every faith, race, ethnicity, culture and background, gather to pray for peace, unity and security of our nation.

Unity Day USA - A 9/11 Event invitation. PDF Invitation We are pleased to invite your kind presence at the 3^rd Annual Unity Day USA event. On this Unity Day USA, we, the people of the United States of America; of every faith, race, ethnicity, culture and background, gather to pray for peace, unity and security of our nation.

An Unconditional Commitment and Proactive Pluralism by Rohit Chopra- In the years that I have spent here, one of the things I have appreciated most about the US is its legal as well as social commitment to pluralism to all within its borders, expressed in the commitment to constitutionalism, secularism, rule of law, and rights.

Celebration of the Unity Day by Mirza A. Beg - When nations suffer a collective trauma, particularly the trauma of an unexpected attack, it is injurious to national psyche and pride. People rally behind a leader to draw on the collective strength to face the enemy.

What are Muslims doing about 9/11 by Mike Ghouse- For years, they have been doing their darnedest to be positive participants and contributors to the well being of America, thanks to a substantial majority of Americans who understand and help in the efforts. A well known saying goes, “if you want the best outcome for the world, stroke the positive in people”.

Law of Karma & the Israel Lobby by Mike Ghouse- The Israel lobby started out with a legitimate need; to protect and defend Israel’s right to exist. Power is corruptive, and the lobby is no exception to that. In their enthusiasm and their ability to influence the President, Senate and the house, they have gone far off bringing diminishing returns. ..the law of karma takes over and they may have to back peddle several steps to catch up with the eternal act of balancing.

Religious Relativism by Jeff Weiss -People tend to believe that the parts they like best about their own religion are harder to find in other religions." Could we try a different word and re-write as ...they like best about their own religion and assume that it is harder to find in other religions". And here is my statement " As beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, faith is in the heart of the believer."

Muslims demand an apology - As Muslims of India and the Muslims around the globe urge Mr. Owaisi and Mr. Farhat to apologize not only to Ms Nasrin but the Muslims of the world for the audacity of insulting them by speaking in their behalf without their permission.

Congresswoman Johnson and Aga Khan Foundation intiatives (8/20/07)- It gives me hope when I see our political and religious leadership comes together and plant the seeds for the future of our nation. Today I had the opportunity to be the master of ceremonies at the youth leadership and diversity talk initiative by Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, at the Southern Methodist University, sponsored by the Aga Khan Foundation. Ms. Johnson invited the brightest of students from each area school (ages 12-18) ..

Hyderabad Bombing (8/25/07)- We unequivocally condemn this act of terrorism and appeal to the State Government of Andhra Pradesh to punish the wrong doers. The time for the idea has come to start charging the criminals under Indian Penal code and punish them according to the law of the land.

Sikh Community's appeal to sign the petition (8/24/07)- One of the most cherished values of our nation is "liberty and justice for all". Sometimes, we overlook what the liberty really means and step on it occasionally. We hope Michael Chertoff will consider the new law that contradicts this principle and he will get the people involved in he decision, that which affects them. Signature

Muslims Stand with Darfur - Most individuals are inherently moderate, some are not. It does not depend on their religion, it is just who the individuals are.

Unity Day 911 Dallas - The invitation goes out to heads of all organizations; civic, educational, religious, political, ethnic, NGO's and other community service organizations.

Hate Sermons from the Pulpit - Hate is one of the many sources of disrupting the peace in a society and it is our duty to track down the source of such hate ... be it coming from Muslim, Jewish, Christian, Hindu or other sources

Good for nothing Silent majority - Evil exists in the world because of good people. The good people’s silence, silently gives a tacit approval to the bad guys to continue to do bad things.

God's Warriors: Christiana Amanpour , CNN - I have watched all the three events with Jews, Muslims and Christians - I think she was fair in her presentation. Some one could have certainly done better, but that would not have happened.

Dallas Morning News on Sikhism: One of the saddest stories right after 911 was the one about a man wearing a turban being killed because he was, presumably, an "Ay-rab" or something. Balbir Singh Sodhi was shot and killed while planting flowers outside of his neighborhood gas station in Mesa, AZ. He wasn't an Ay-rab. He wasn't even Muslim (not that if he had been, that would have justified a stupid hate-filled attack.). He was a Sikh, a faith little known in this country. Turbans are among the ritual customs associated with the religion.

Muslims demand an apology from MIM - As Muslims of India and the Muslims around the globe, we urge Mr. Owaisi and Mr. Farhat apologize to not only Ms Nasrin but the Muslims of the world for the audacity of insulting them by speaking in their behalf without their permission.

Unity Day 911 Dallas - The invitation goes out to heads of all organizations; civic, educational, religious, political, ethnic, NGO's and other community service organizations.

Good for nothing Silent majority - Evil exists in the world because of good people. The good people’s silence, silently gives a tacit approval to the bad guys to continue to do bad things.

Anti-Semitism and Anti-Israelism - Anti-Semitism's core theme is that Jews embody absolute evil. It has been propagated intensely for many centuries. This extreme fallacy and its principal submotifs have remained largely the same over the ages.

Honoring the Sacrifices of 911 Heroes - We wish to honor the lives of thousands of fellow Americans on that day and we have committed to make this day, the Sunday before 911, a day of Unity of Americans to pledge to the peace, unity and prosperity of our nation.

Dallas Morning News/ Religion Sneak Preview - The faith ‘o the month this month is Judaism. Normally, I don’t post local stuff like this on the Peek. But what Ghouse is doing is unusual enough to be of interest to a broad audience.

Judaism Workshop - Everything you want to learn about Judaism and more, you can learn at the 2 hour workshop by Dr. Howard Cohen, organized by the Foundation for Pluralism on Sunday, July 22, 2007 between 6 and 8 pm

INDIA :: National Conference on Terrorism - A true conference will incorporate all opinions, without the extremists, we would not have a complete picture. Let each panel discussion be with one single objective - Solutions and let the speakers pledge

Hindu Prayers in US Senate creates debates - Americans United for Separation of Church and State of Washington DC deplored the disruption of the prayer; while World Muslim Congress and the Foundation for Pluralism of Dallas said, “…We are very proud of this milestone in our history…” Leave your comment

From the canvas of consciousness - It is an honest self analysis of character of the people and nation of Pakistan. This culture of inclusiveness needs to be encouraged. I pray this to be a contagious attitude. American security analysts are usually war-mongers and believe that peace comes through oppression, humiliation and destruction

Terror Condemnations Log - Muslims have begun logging the condemnations of terrorism so that the likes Ollie North, Glen Beck, Bill O’Reilly will not get a chance to continue with their propaganda of lies. Each one of them has said..

Hitler Neo-cons and the right wingers - Hitler's religious fulminations beg the question of what evil designs these American right-wing lunatics might be surreptitiously advancing via their flatulent thunderings from the pulpit. Also refer to Hate Sermons

Hindu Prayers open the US Senate - Dallas, Texas – Thursday, July 11, 2007. Today, Rajan Zed, the Hindu Priest from Reno Nevada created history by becoming the first Hindu to deliver the opening prayer in the U.S. Senate.

Golden Jubilee Celebration of Imamat Day of HH Aga Khan - Dallas, Texas. Monday, July 11, 2007. 2007. The World Muslim Congress joins in the felicitation of His Highness the Aga Khan on the Golden (50^th) anniversary of his ascension to the Imamat (spiritual and temporal leadership) of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims on July11, 1957. Press Release

Muslim Organizations Condemn London Terror Plot - Dallas, Texas. Friday, July 6, 2007. The bombing at Glasgow and attempted bombing last week in London are unequivocally condemned. Redress of grievances of any kind through terrorism is not only uncivilized but patently un-Islamic. Press Release

Bush, Emerson, Pipes and Peace- Steve Emerson, Daniel Pipes and their likes will hopefully figure out the path to peace based on historic precedence. They have not considered a perspective of co-existence, and instead have treaded on the path of “might” is the cure all for bringing peace. Continue

The Community is a bus Peace and prosperity of our World hinges on justice and plurality, absence or deficiency of it will cause the BUS to slow down. It is in the interests of Community of the Nations to bring up the people in ditches on to a level playing field, and let them compete from that point forward. Imagine each community to be a tire of the bus, if all the tires have adequate air pressure, the smoothness of the journey is certain, assured and safe. 4 Minutes Video

Congressional Hypocrisy - showing a lack of a principled stand on issues, our congress seems to speak from two mouths. continue

Burqa to No-Burqa - When the President of the United States abuses the authority given to him and violates the constitution and trust of the people (low approval ratings), when the Pope abuses his authority and utters words that create gratuitous chaos

Mike Ghouse is a Speaker, Thinker, Writer and a Moderator. He is president of the Foundation for Pluralism and is a frequent guest on talk radio and local television network discussing interfaith, political and civic issues. He is the founding president of the World Muslim Congress with a simple theme: "Good for Muslims and good for the world. He can be reached at MikeGhouse@gmail.com

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