15th Annual Thanksgiving Celebrations

You are invited to the 15th Annual
Thanksgiving Celebrations & Awards Night
Saturday, November 24, 2012

The purpose of celebrating this event is to thank the creator for helping us learn;

1. to give thanks for the blessed life we all enjoy in these United States of America;
2. to celeberate the diversity of creation,
3. to enjoy the cultural heritage of each ethnic group that makes America;
4. to apreciate and recognize outstanding volunteers in each community;
5. to gather together as Immigrant Americans with born Americans;
6. to bring the new immigrants into our fold and,
7. to accept, respect and appreciate each other’s uniqueness.

In the last 15 years, the spiritual groups including the Native Americans, Apache, Atheists, Baha'i, Buddhist, Cherokee, Choctaw, Christian, Hindu, Hopi, Jain, Jewish, Maya, Muslim, Shinto, Sikh, Tao, Wicca, Oloriya, Zoroastrian and communities from different races and ethnicities have come together to celebrate this event.

This year we intend to reach out to every possible tradition that we can trace and together we can celebrate this American Holiday.

A presentation of the Foundation for Pluralism & The World Muslim Congress.

We are looking to present five cultural dances presented as a part of the evening;

1. Native American
2. Latin American
3. African Americans
4. Greek American
5. Indian - American

Over the last several events we have done most of the dances and it is time for the above. New ideas are always welcome.

The event is an expression of the Foundation for Pluralism, Center for Studies in Religious pluralism and Secular Societies.

The uniqueness of the program is highlighted with the Turkey Carving ceremony, followed by Dinner. In previous years several dignitaries have performed the symbolic Turkey Carving. This year another dignitary will be honoring us with his/her presence.

Traditionally the evening has been dedicated to the Native Americans who have preserved the mother earth for all of us, it is their belief in nature and their caring for the land that we have come to cherish.

A few years ago, we honored Martin Luther King Jr., who awakened the conscience of this nation and prompted changes in the Civil Laws that have paved the way for most immigrants to make America their new home. All the South Asians and I are here today because of Reverend Martin Luther King’s reformation of our collective conscience.

The Jewish community has been a catalyst in creating a solid foundation for religious freedom in America. The Jewish community was honored for working to preserve the religious freedom in this country, they were hugely instrumental in making America for what it is today; God’s land, where all God’s creation can worship the creator every which way they want.

Mike Ghouse expresses his gratitude, " We salute the Native Americans for nurturing survival and we salute Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Jewish Community for their outstanding contributions in making us all proud of the United States of America. We admire the Muslim and Sikh communities for withstanding all the difficulties and humiliation that was unleashed on them after 911, and their courage to continue to remain steadfast in their loyalty and patriotism in contributing towards the growth of this great nation. A senior representative from each community will bless the ceremony.

The multi-cultural extravaganza will follow with an hour full of mystical and folk dances from all the 7 continents. A live band will entertain us all.

As a society it is our duty to recognize and appreciate the people who have made a difference in the communities we live in, and it is our pleasure to honor and encourage these individuals and organizations. 

Sponsorships are invited to defray the cost of the event

For more information contact Mike Ghouse at (214) 325-1916 or thanksgivingcelebrations@gmail.com

~~~

Muslim Speaker Mike Ghouse

NURTURING PLURALISTIC VALUES EMBEDDED IN ISLAM

A Muslim Speaker, thinker, organizer and an activist committed to building cohesive societies with a belief that what is good for Muslims has got to be good for the world and vice versa to sustain peace, harmony and prosperity.

To be a Muslim is to be a peace maker, one who constantly seeks to mitigate conflicts and nurtures goodwill for peaceful co-existence of humanity. God wants us to live in peace and harmony with his creation; Life and Matter. Over 1000 articles have been published on a range of topics in Islam and Pluralism. Insha Allah, a book outlining the Muslim vision is on the horizon.

In defense of Islam, pursuing a civil dialogue

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

# # #

Fuller Profile is at:  http://www.mikeghouse.net/MuslimSpeaker.MikeGhouse.asp   

Mike is working on two books scheduled to 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/

Thanksgiving Celebrations

You are invited to the 14th Annual
Thanksgiving Celebrations & Awards Night
Saturday, November 27, 2010

The purpose of celebrating this event is to thank the creator for helping us learn;

1. to give thanks for the blessed life we all enjoy in these United States of America;
2. to celeberate the diversity of creation,
3. to enjoy the cultural heritage of each ethnic group that makes America;
4. to apreciate and recognize outstanding volunteers in each community;
5. to gather together as Immigrant Americans with born Americans;
6. to bring the new immigrants into our fold and,
7. to accept, respect and appreciate each other’s uniqueness.

In the last 16 years, the spiritual groups including the Native Americans, Apache, Atheists, Baha'i, Buddhist, Cherokee, Choctaw, Christian, Hindu, Hopi, Jain, Jewish, Maya, Muslim, Shinto, Sikh, Tao, Wicca, Oloriya, Zoroastrian and communities from different races and ethnicities have come together to celebrate this event.

This year we intend to reach out to every possible tradition that we can trace and together we can celebrate this American Holiday.

A presentation of the Foundation for Pluralism & The World Muslim Congress.

We are looking to present five cultural dances presented as a part of the evening;

1. Native American
2. Latin American
3. African Americans
4. Greek American
5. Indian - American

Over the last several events we have done most of the dances and it is time for the above. New ideas are always welcome.

The event is an expression of the Foundation for Pluralism, Center for Studies in Religious pluralism and Secular Societies.

The uniqueness of the program is highlighted with the Turkey Carving ceremony, followed by Dinner. In previous years several dignitaries have performed the symbolic Turkey Carving. This year another dignitary will be honoring us with his/her presence.

Traditionally the evening has been dedicated to the Native Americans who have preserved the mother earth for all of us, it is their belief in nature and their caring for the land that we have come to cherish.

A few years ago, we honored Martin Luther King Jr., who awakened the conscience of this nation and prompted changes in the Civil Laws that have paved the way for most immigrants to make America their new home. All the South Asians and I are here today because of Reverend Martin Luther King’s reformation of our collective conscience.

The Jewish community has been a catalyst in creating a solid foundation for religious freedom in America. The Jewish community was honored for working to preserve the religious freedom in this country, they were hugely instrumental in making America for what it is today; God’s land, where all God’s creation can worship the creator every which way they want.

Mike Ghouse expresses his gratitude, " We salute the Native Americans for nurturing survival and we salute Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Jewish Community for their outstanding contributions in making us all proud of the United States of America. We admire the Muslim and Sikh communities for withstanding all the difficulties and humiliation that was unleashed on them after 911, and their courage to continue to remain steadfast in their loyalty and patriotism in contributing towards the growth of this great nation. A senior representative from each community will bless the ceremony.

The multi-cultural extravaganza will follow with an hour full of mystical and folk dances from all the 7 continents. A live band will entertain us all.

As a society it is our duty to recognize and appreciate the people who have made a difference in the communities we live in, and it is our pleasure to honor and encourage these individuals and organizations. Nominations for outstanding volunteers for each community must be submitted on or before October 31, 2010 for consideration.

Sponsorships are invited to defray the cost of the event

For more information contact Mike Ghouse at (214) 325-1916 or thanksgivingcelebrations@gmail.com

~~~