HOME :: Our Mission is to educate, entertain and invoke critical thinking in creating a cohesive environment to work, socialize and function effectively through the medium of Poetry. Our purpose is to establish a new stream of Pluralism poetry in Urdu and Hindi languages - indeed, it is the 2nd most spoken language in the world. Mike Ghouse, Foundation for Pluralism, Studies in Pluralistic societies


Wednesday, February 26, 2014

A successful Intrafaith-Interfaith Naatia Mushaera in Dallas February 21, 2014

A successful Intrafaith-Interfaith Naatia Mushaera Pictorial Report in Dallas February 21, 2014

45 PICTURES AT: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeghouse/sets/72157641382648224/

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is referred to as Rahmatul Aalameen, i.e., mercy to mankind. HIS message is for the whole humanity and not just for Muslims. Tonight’s program is a reflection of that ideal; his message belongs to all of us regardless of our faith.

It was a purposeful event with three clear goals; to share Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh)teachings with fellow Americans;  Muslims and non-Muslims alike, to focus on how Muslims can adopt his teachings to benefit the society at large, and to bring Muslims of different denominations together in understanding his message of peace.

Alhamdu Lillah, Praise the Lord,  we achieved that goal.



Muslims from Ahmaddiya, Bohra, Ismaili, Shia, Sunni and WD Muhammad communities attended the event, and each community was represented in reciting the Naat. Thanks to our Hindu, Sikh and Christian friends for joining and participating in the program. I believe, this is the first time in Muslim history, that all the Muslim denominations have come together. However, we missed the Sufi Muslim Community - InshaAllah, we will have them all next one.


Notes continued after the report below


















Host: Mike Ghouse
MC: Shazia Khan
Honored Guests: Rizwan Sheikh and  O S Modgil
Organized by: World Muslim Congress


 FIRST SEGMENT



1. Opening - Mike Ghouse  2. Introduction of Muntazim Shazia Khan   3. Tilawat-e-Quran; Sura Fateha – Imam Muhammad Zafarullah Hanjra   4. Hamd – Amna Khatoon  5. Naat by different Muslim communities in Alphabetical order 6. Ahmadiyya Muslim Community - Muzaffar Janjua  7. Bohra Muslim Community – Dr. Yusuf Kundawala 8. Shia Ismaili Muslim Community – Imran Boodhwani & Khairunissa Meghani 9. Shia Muslim Community – Rizwan Zaidi  10. Sunni Muslim Community– Saba Jasim   11. WD Muhammad Muslim Community – Iman Rashida  12. Naat by Hindu Community - DD Maini   13. Introduction of Honored Guests  (5 Minutes)   14. Dr. Basheer Ahmed  (5 Minutes)  15. Acknowledgement of Sponsors  16. Purpose of the program – Mike Ghouse (5 Minutes) 17. Naat by Suhel Najmi – Shazia Khan
  


 Pictures are in the same sequence as numbers above.









                                                                              












 
SECOND SEGMENT


18. Mike Ghouse |Os Modgil

19. Dr. Shamsa Qureshi

20. Ahmed Ali 21. Shah Alam Asar
22. Abdus Samad
23. Naheed Shad
24. Zohra Chisti
25. Masood Quazi
26. Noor Amrohvi
27. Dr. Qaisar Abbas
28. Omar Abidi
29. Saeed Qureshi
30. Tariq Hashmi
31. Yunus Ijaz
32. Iqbal Haider
33. Salaam and Duwa -Led by Amna Khatoon and Saba Jasim, and joined by all
34. Team Members






 




 

















Notes continued:

If God is Rabbul Aalameen (Creator of Universe) , and Prophet is Rahmatul Aalameen (Mercy to mankind), then it makes sense for us to become Maqhlooqul Aalameen (Universal beings) – simply meaning belonging to all of creation—matter and life and vice-versa. It also means we are one large family created out of a single couple and it makes sense to know and live with each other in harmony.

 By the end of 2020, there will not be a major city in the world, where you will not find people of different faiths, sects, cultures, ethnicities, races, nationalities and social backgrounds working, eating, playing, marrying, and doing things together.

We need to prepare ourselves for those eventualities to prevent possible conflicts, and lay a good foundation for nurturing goodwill and effective functioning of the societies. Exclusive communities will become a thing of the past. If you live amidst others, you must also respect the otherness of others, as you expect them to do the same for you.

At the Foundation for Pluralism, and World Muslim Congress, a think tank,  we have defined Pluralism as a behavior of “respecting the otherness of others and accepting the God-given uniqueness of each other.”  Pluralism is not a religion, it is simply an attitude of live and let live.  Indeed it is Quran based and the bottom line of all faiths as well, i.e., to create harmonious societies where no human has to live in fear of the other.

Just about every Muslim you talk to expresses the same desire, “I hope we can work together for the common good.” This desire has remained a pipe dream for the last fifty years since the turmoil among Muslim communities started taking root.

The good news is a new determination among Muslims to become participants and contributors in creating a better world for all of God’s creation is spreading inch by inch.

The World Muslim Congress has announced a series of programs to bring Muslims of different denominations together for the purpose of creating cohesive societies, where Muslims and non-Muslims can live without fear of the other.




Singularly, I cannot have peace for myself, if people around me are not, if I dislike others, I cannot demand others to love me. If I threaten others, I am as afraid of them as they are of me.

We have to come together to bring goodness to all of us, if people around us are at peace; we are bound to have peace, and when we are at peace, we will focus on prosperity and living a better life free from in-fighting and a fully grown Ashraful Mukhlooqat (honored species). Uniting does not mean joining hands and marching against someone to be destructive.

SHAME ON US

Most of us cringe and shudder at the thought of men and women pulled out of the busses, and single them out for Shia and murder them in broad day light. Torching Christian Churches and homes, harassing Ahmadies, abducting Hindu women and forcing them to convert and of course Sikhs and Ismailis were not spared either. This is not Islam, and we know it, but what are going to do about it?
Prophet Muhammad had said, if you cannot stop bad things from happening, the least you can do is to speak out against it.

There is a fallacy out there, “what will my single voice do?” – in reality, each voice adds up to the momentum. Majrooh Sultanpuri’s couplet expresses it the best;

I started walking alone towards the destination

People started joining me and the carvaan was building

                                        MaiN akela hi chala tha jaanab-e-manzil magar
                                          log saath aate gaye aur kaaravaaN banta gaya

Do your dharma (duty) and if all of us do ours, it adds up and builds a momentum, and your singular voice becomes a voice of the majority.

Thank God,  the news papers in India, Pakistan, Iran and Arabia have carried this good news and God willing the report of this event will also be shared by others.

We hope over a period of next ten years our Naats can become transformative sessions for Muslims to follow the Prophet – and become the Amins of the society and Rahmat (mercy) to fellow beings.

I sincerely hope,  Muslims invest their money and time  in building bridges within Muslims and with fellow humanity.

If you wish to  support these efforts —zero overhead costs, let us know.  All funds will be accounted in public

PRE-EVENT PUBLICATIONS:














POST EVENT PUBLICATIONS:


Thank you.

Mike Ghouse
World Muslim Congress
Dallas, Texas
(214) 325-1916/text.talk

To be a Muslim is to be a peace maker, one who seeks to mitigate conflicts and nurtures goodwill for peaceful co-existence of humanity. Our work is geared towards building a cohesive society where no human has to live in apprehension or fear of the other. If we can learn to respect the otherness of others and accept each other's uniqueness, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge.

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