This was sent to friends of Mike Ghouse prior to launch of the organization
on August 3
A short note to my friends
I am requesting your generous
feedback. Here is an effort to write the shortest possible note, and yet say
most of it, please let me know if I did it.
Pursuing our dreams and
realizing them in our life time is the biggest achievement in one’s life. The
dream comes in two parts and most of us have achieved the first part; i.e.,
taking care of ourselves and our families to the best of our abilities.
America has been a great catalyst in achieving our dreams, thank you
America!
The second part is what most of us are hunkering for, and at
times it is not clear where we should place our priorities or what legacy we
want to leave behind us. Bill Gates had the best advice – do it while you are
alive and relish the good, instead of letting it happen on its own when we are
gone abruptly. We all struggle to make our life purposeful and that is good.
You can join us in that direction.
My friend Ambassador Islam Siddiqui
and I were walking from our office to the congressional building for a meeting.
On our left were Supreme Court and the Library of Congress, and on the right was
the Capitol Hill. We were talking about the founding fathers and their vision
that has carried this nation this far, what a vision they had, and how utterly
unselfish were they! We are all the beneficiaries of the systems and structures
they left behind. You and I wouldn’t be here had it not been for their immortal
declaration of independence that all men are created equal.
That vision
has been raining on me like blessings from Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). His wisdom
could not be clearer; he said a good deed is something you do for others. God
repeatedly asserts (Quran) that if you take care of his creation; i.e., your
fellow beings, your rewards are with him. Thanks to the prophet for elaborating
on it, he explained, a good deed is like planting a tree knowing full well that
the beneficiaries of the shade and fruit from the ( future) tree are not
us.
Our own internal reward is the “worthy feeling” we will earn by making the
world a better place for everyone. A sense of security and a sense of feeling
home are the greatest values we can give to fellow humans, that is one of the
most primal needs of humanity.
On my part, as you may have witnessed
over the last 20 years, I have dedicated myself to that purpose, and leave the
results to the will of Allah. Now, several Muslims under the leadership of
Ambassador Islam Siddiqui have come together to bring about a positive clearly
defined and measurable changes.
I am tasked with the responsibility to
change the perceptions about Muslims, right now a majority of Americans do not
see Muslims favorably, and we hope to gradually turn that around. We are
determined to change perceptions about Muslims. In a few years Muslims will not
be an open season to politicians to heap insults, those who resort to it will
meet the same fate as they would if they hurl it on Jewish and African
Americans. Our goal is simply to be treated equally in all aspect of life.
Period.
Our goal is to build a cohesive America where none of us have to
live with apprehension, tension, suspicion or fear of the other. It is the land
of the free and the brave. We hope to earn our dignified social, political and
religious space in the U.S and cherish it with fellow Americans.
A press
release follows with the announcement of the organization and an invitation will
be sent to you for the launch of the organization.
If you visit www.AmericanMuslimInstitution.org
and register your email address on the top right box, you will automatically get
all the updates and invitation.
If this makes sense to you, please join
us in advancing the work.
My writings will continue at Huffington Post,
Dallas Morning News and other Newspapers and will continue as a commentator on
Fox and other TV networks – all of them will be at www.TheGhousediary.com.
Thank
you.
Mike Ghouse
Executive Director,
American Muslim
Institution
Washington, DC.
on August 3
A short note to my friends
I am requesting your generous
feedback. Here is an effort to write the shortest possible note, and yet say
most of it, please let me know if I did it.
Pursuing our dreams and
realizing them in our life time is the biggest achievement in one’s life. The
dream comes in two parts and most of us have achieved the first part; i.e.,
taking care of ourselves and our families to the best of our abilities.
America has been a great catalyst in achieving our dreams, thank you
America!
The second part is what most of us are hunkering for, and at
times it is not clear where we should place our priorities or what legacy we
want to leave behind us. Bill Gates had the best advice – do it while you are
alive and relish the good, instead of letting it happen on its own when we are
gone abruptly. We all struggle to make our life purposeful and that is good.
You can join us in that direction.
My friend Ambassador Islam Siddiqui
and I were walking from our office to the congressional building for a meeting.
On our left were Supreme Court and the Library of Congress, and on the right was
the Capitol Hill. We were talking about the founding fathers and their vision
that has carried this nation this far, what a vision they had, and how utterly
unselfish were they! We are all the beneficiaries of the systems and structures
they left behind. You and I wouldn’t be here had it not been for their immortal
declaration of independence that all men are created equal.
That vision
has been raining on me like blessings from Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). His wisdom
could not be clearer; he said a good deed is something you do for others. God
repeatedly asserts (Quran) that if you take care of his creation; i.e., your
fellow beings, your rewards are with him. Thanks to the prophet for elaborating
on it, he explained, a good deed is like planting a tree knowing full well that
the beneficiaries of the shade and fruit from the ( future) tree are not
us.
world a better place for everyone. A sense of security and a sense of feeling
home are the greatest values we can give to fellow humans, that is one of the
most primal needs of humanity.
On my part, as you may have witnessed
over the last 20 years, I have dedicated myself to that purpose, and leave the
results to the will of Allah. Now, several Muslims under the leadership of
Ambassador Islam Siddiqui have come together to bring about a positive clearly
defined and measurable changes.
I am tasked with the responsibility to
change the perceptions about Muslims, right now a majority of Americans do not
see Muslims favorably, and we hope to gradually turn that around. We are
determined to change perceptions about Muslims. In a few years Muslims will not
be an open season to politicians to heap insults, those who resort to it will
meet the same fate as they would if they hurl it on Jewish and African
Americans. Our goal is simply to be treated equally in all aspect of life.
Period.
Our goal is to build a cohesive America where none of us have to
live with apprehension, tension, suspicion or fear of the other. It is the land
of the free and the brave. We hope to earn our dignified social, political and
religious space in the U.S and cherish it with fellow Americans.
A press
release follows with the announcement of the organization and an invitation will
be sent to you for the launch of the organization.
If you visit www.AmericanMuslimInstitution.org
and register your email address on the top right box, you will automatically get
all the updates and invitation.
If this makes sense to you, please join
us in advancing the work.
My writings will continue at Huffington Post,
Dallas Morning News and other Newspapers and will continue as a commentator on
Fox and other TV networks – all of them will be at www.TheGhousediary.com.
Thank
you.
Executive Director,
American Muslim
Institution
Washington, DC.