Happy July fourth, Muslim role in American Independence and Islamic Concept of F reedom Mike Ghouses speech at Ahmadiyya

Muslim Communitys 63rd Annual Convention/ Salana Jalsa Saturday, July 3, 2011 m Harrisburg, Pennsylvania THEME: Islamic Concept of Freedom Speech follows the note: Sunday, July 3, 2011 Dr. Imam Yusuf Zia Kavakci inspires me, a long time ago, he had said, you have t he ability to bring the umma together and Alhamdu Lillah I have made several effo rts in bringing Muslims together including Ahmadiyya, Bohra, Ismaili, Kurdish, S hia, Sufi, Sunni and Warith Deen Muhammad Muslims on a number of occasions. Inde ed, you will find a few examples at - http://www.mikeghouse.net/MuslimSpeaker.Mi keGhouse.asp Sunni Muslims believe that Jesus will come back in the end times as the Messiah, whereas the Ahmadiyya Muslims believe that Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad is the Mes siah. As a Muslim without bias, I honor their belief without believing what they believe. Other than this singular difference, there is not much of a difference at all. From Adhan to Salat, fasting to Zakat and other arkans to Hajj, they ar e same, indeed Prophet Muhammad holds "exactly" the same place in their traditio n as with other Muslims. I urge Sunni Muslims to open their hearts and minds tow ards fellow Muslims. Surah 49:13: "O mankind! We have created you male and femal e, and have made you nations and tribes that ye may know one another. The nobles t of you, in sight of Allah, is the best in conduct. Allah Knows and is Aware." Muslims from post colonial era may never be able extricate themselves from what is given to them, but the next generation in America will be open enough to see Muslims as Muslims and nothing but Muslims based on Shadah at its core. We have to honor the uniqueness of each group of Muslims, indeed Prophet Muhamma d had given us guidance and prophesised that we will eventually form 72 groups, and encouraged us to race in doing good things for the good of humanity, all of us will earn God s grace in the process, but one of us will be showered with bo nus for doing the extra good. Only Allah knows that and we cannot pre-empt Allah in juding any one of us. Indeed, we have to be respectful of God and Prophet s prophecies. About 7000 Ahmadies from across the United States gathered in Harrisburg this In dependence Day weekend to celebrate their 63rd Annual convention. The Ahmadies a re one of the first group of Muslims to establish their mission in the United St ates (1920) and they are holding their conventions since 1948. It was an outstanding program, topics were relevant and the event ran like a pre cision machine. Everything was on time and seldom a speaker exceeded the given t ime. I enjoyed the simplicity of lunch and breakfast lentil, pita bread and fruit s served in hygenical environment, shortest imaginable lines, clean tables, clea n floors, clean bathrooms, it was a joy to observe the details. It remided me of the efficacy of the Ismaili Muslims whose events are adminitered with perfectio n. There were several members from the State department and video and written me ssages from members of congress, governors and other dignitaries were a part of the presentation. They have initiatied an award program to honor those who have served the interests of humanity, among them was a Congresswoman from California . Two of the several programs that were fascinating were; Science and God, and Nile will not stop.

This weekend The Islamic Association of North America held their convention in C hicago and I believe some 40,000 people attended the program. Jazak Allah for th e success everywhere. There are several such conventions and I hope we can parti cipate in all. I appeal to you to consider writing a proposal urging all Muslim organizations t o plan on a joint convention in 2012 before the election. Lets hear and listen to each other without judgements. If we can t do that in America, then no one else can do it and if we dont articulate this need to race together in doing good, th en no other nation will. We have to create a template for other nations to consi der. Muslims together can become participants and contributors in the world peac e for the good of humanity. I value the humanitarian work done by Ahmadiyya, Bohra, Ismaili, Kurdish, Shia, Sufi, Sunni and Warith Deen Muhammad Muslims. There is indeed a net gain for Isl am collectively, and we must appreciate them all. Islam is universal and it is u niversal enought to absorb all of us in its embrace. Lets learn to respectfully disagree on certain issues but at least know all the g reat things we do and become a catalyst for each others growth. Here is the outline of my speech:. As-Salam o Alaikum Upon declaration ds of states who at is two out of part of America of our independence on July 4, 1776, two of the first three hea recognized the sovereignty of the United States were Muslim. Th three recognitions came from Muslims, invariably we have been a from the word go.

Morocco was the first state to recognize the independence of the United States o f America, and they signed the Moroccan-American Treaty of Friendship; first of its kind. Friesland, one of the seven United Provinces of the Dutch Republic, wa s the next to recognize American independence (February 26, 1782) and Tippu Sult an, the King of Mysore State (India) was the third. According to Dr. Range Gowda , Tippu Sultans historiographer, the congratulatory letter to America is preserve d in a French Library. It was a coincidence, that General Cornwallis who surrendered to George Washingt on in the battle of York Town in 1781 was the hired gun to defeat Tippu Sultan t hrough deceit in the 4th war of Mysore against colonialism in 1799. What does July 4th mean to Muslims in America? Freedom is one of the most cherished values of humanity and I am pleased to shar e its arrangement in American and Islamic space. Both emphasize the freedom of c onscience, justice and liberty. Please be aware that a few men in Islam, America and other religions dont live up to the ideals of their own faith, while the majority cares and wants to get alo ng with other. The very first step on American soil puts a smile on an immigrants face; if not y ou, it has happened to your parents, grand or great grandparents. Its the same ex uberance you witness on a babys face when she stands up for the first time, same exhilaration when a toddler eats the food on his own for the first time or the f reedom written all over the face of a student when he or she graduates from scho ol. Indeed, that was my feeling when I walked in to the Immigration center at JF K Airport some thirty years ago.

The next step for an immigrant is to earn his or her Citizenship and take the pl edge, I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty an d justice for all." Reciting, One Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all is l ike coming home for Muslims. Indeed, Islam rests on the foundation of Tauheed, t he oneness of God, oneness of universe and oneness of mankind with liberty and j ustice. If Quraan, the holy book of Muslims can be summed up in one word, it woul d be justice. Justice imbues a sense of security and trust among people leading to peace and prosperity. Our country started out with the constitution that no o ther nation on the earth had done before. Not a day goes for Muslims without expressing their gratitude for the first Amen dment, gratitude is a part of our tradition and just about every Muslim says Alh amdu Lillah, praise the lord in the course of normal conversation. The First ame ndment reads Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. It is this law that has opened all o f Gods creation in America to worship God every which way they know God. Muslims cherish this freedom and see the corollaries in Quraan and strongly wish that the Muslim nations follow the Madinah treaty where Jews, Christians and oth ers were treated as one community and one ummah, the treaty reads the Jews have their own religion as Muslims have their own to practice. The Conditions of pea ce and war and the accompanying ease or hardships must be fair and equitable to all citizens alike. A Believer will not make the freedman of another Believer as his ally against the wishes of the other Believers. Quraan declares in 2:256, There shall be no compulsion in matters of faith one is f ree to believe and practice his or her own faith as he or she chooses to. In ver se 6 chapter 109 of Quraan, the guidance on conducting a civil dialogue is conclu ded with, Unto you, your moral law, and unto me, mine. In essence the faith is in the heart of the believer as beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. It is respec ting the otherness of other in America that Muslims honor every day. Muslims thank God each time they hear the Equal opportunity Mantra, You will not be denied an opportunity based on your race, color, religion, sex, or national o rigin. Invariably they think of the speech Prophet Muhammad delivered in his last sermon, All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a nonArab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superi ority over black nor does a black have any superiority over white except by piet y and good action." As American Muslims, We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are cr eated equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rig hts that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. American Laws holds the criminals individually responsible for their crimes; it is your heinie that is hauled off to the jail. You parents, siblings, spouse, ki ds, community or religion are not responsible for your actions. Muslims know tha t well, on the Day of Judgment you stand alone with your deeds, the good things you have done to fellow beings count in your favor, while your parents, spouse, kids and leaders will be busy with their own accountability. You are on your own ! The Prophet tells his own daughter that she will not get a free pass to paradise because she is a daughter of the prophet; she has to earn it on her own through

good deeds to fellow beings, such is the emphasis placed on individual responsi bility. You are innocent until proven guilty sounds like a verse from Quraan. An observant Muslim recites that God alone is the judge and we must refrain from judging othe rs, they do that at least 17 times a day and some do it 51 times. Muslims love t he wholesomeness of Justice and they love America. I urge every one of us to commit to building a Cohesive America where no America n has to live in apprehension of the other. Let our nation Indeed, the essence of freedom is directly proportional to the ability to questi on oneself, question one s own faith, myths and prejudices about others and find answers to set one free. God Bless America and God bless our men and women in the uniforms protecting our freedom. Happy 4th. Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker, writer and a frequent guest on Hannity show a nd nationally syndicated Radio shows and Dallas TV, Radio and Print Media. He pr esides America Together Foundation and is committed to building a cohesive Ameri ca and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. Over 1000 articles hav e been published on Pluralism, Interfaith, Islam, India and cohesive societies. Two of his books are poised to be released this fall on Pluralism and Islam. He is available to speak at your place of worship, work, school, college, seminars or conferences. His work is encapsulated in 27 blogs, four websites and several forums indexed at http://www.mikeghouse.net/