Monday, March 31, 2008

Muslims more than Catholics

A greater number does not add any value nor a lower number takes away any. If the Shia segment is taken out, Catholics would still outnumber Sunni Muslims. What is the point?

Is there a race? Is God sitting at the finish line watching?

Qur'aan is clear about one thing - no one has a free pass to his grace. One has to earn it the old fashion way; through good deeds.

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) defines a good deed as serving mankind . He gives an example; when you sow a seed, you know it well that by the time that become a tree and gives shade or fruit, you may not be the beneficiary, but you did it to benefit others, as you benefit from what was done before you.

Worship to God is self purification, serving others is service to God and is true worship. I hope the race should be which group would do more to benefit the mankind in terms of justice and peace. Taking care of the hungry, taking care of the needy. God likes competition in serving his fellow beings with arrogantless humility.

To be a Muslim is to be a peace maker; one who constantly seeks to mitigate conflicts and nurtures goodwill for peaceful co-existence. God wants us to live in peace and harmony with his creation; life and matter. Indeed that is the purpose religion.

http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2008/03/muslims-more-than-catholics.html

Mike Ghouse
jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj

Muslims More Numerous Than Catholics
Vatican: Islam Surpasses Roman Catholicism As World's Largest Religion

By ALESSANDRA RIZZO Associated Press VATICAN CITY Mar 30, 2008 (AP)

Islam has surpassed Roman Catholicism as the world's largest religion, the Vatican newspaper said Sunday.

"For the first time in history, we are no longer at the top: Muslims have overtaken us," Monsignor Vittorio Formenti said in an interview with the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano. Formenti compiles the Vatican's yearbook.

He said that Catholics accounted for 17.4 percent of the world population — a stable percentage — while Muslims were at 19.2 percent.

"It is true that while Muslim families, as is well known, continue to make a lot of children, Christian ones on the contrary tend to have fewer and fewer," the monsignor said.

Formenti said that the data refer to 2006. The figures on Muslims were put together by Muslim countries and then provided to the United Nations, he said, adding that the Vatican could only vouch for its own data.

When considering all Christians and not just Catholics, Christians make up 33 percent of the world population, Formenti said.

Spokesmen for the Vatican and the United Nations did not immediately return phone calls seeking comment Sunday.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

2 comments:

  1. Note from Hasni Essa and Mike's response:

    Dear Mike,

    I beg to kindly disagree with you in your analysis, "greater number does not add any value", which in my opinion, is wrong.It does add value, particularly to a religion as solidifying force, especially in case of Islam which evidently has "surpassed"

    Christianity.Religion is measured not only by quality - what is quality in a religion ? - but diversified quantity of adherents and faithfuls a religion would command, which obviously seem to be Islam with immense quantity of adherents; and appears to have brought fears into the hearts of Christians.

    Non-Muslims in significant numbers are turning toward Islam.Why ? because it's a source of identity,meaning,stability,legitimacy, development,power and hope,epitomized in the slogan
    "Islam is the solution." The style of the Koran is inimitable and of superhuman beauty and power.Not the text contains solutions for all problems,like no any other religious book, that arise in the world, but there are also unknown divine mysteries hidden in the sequence of its verses and in the arrangements of its very letters.

    What is it that deeply moves the Muslim when reciting from the Koran, when seeing its verses or, barely touching it ? Goethe says in his noten und Abhandlungen : " The style of the Koran is, in tune with its contents and goal, grand,awesome, and in some places truly sublime."

    Islam is considered as the perfect society and way of life,which West appears to be loosing it.Unlike Bible and other scriptures, Koran is the basis for the entire life in a Muslim........
    which keeps the quantity great........

    Finally,Mike, if you would be kind to explain to the readers why quantity is not appreciated and important in a religion.

    Hasni Essa

    Response:

    Dear Hasni,

    "Finally, Mike, if you would be kind to explain to the readers why quantity is not appreciated and important in a religion."

    Hasni, off the bat, the numbers were released by the Vatican. The numbers game has to do with politics of the religion and not spirituality. It is sending a signal to the Christian world to watch out, one such signal was sent two weeks ago on Sunday, converting Magdi Allam on Easter.

    What is wrong with it is the intent. Are these events lead to conflict? or Bring peace? If all of us are adults and truly believe in freedom, it does not matter, but when we have people fanning the emotions and creating conflicts, it does matter.

    As Muslims, should we brag about our numbers? if we do, what is the Niyyah? What is it that we want to prove? I rather go for the quality, as you have used the word. If we live an exemplary life, others would want to emulate what we do and rest will take care of itself. The numbers on the other hand breeds arrogance and God simply does not like arrogance, as arrogance leads to inequalities and that to injustice. God is all about justness and balance.

    That is my opinion, and am always open to learn.

    Jazak Allah Khair

    Mike Ghouse

    ReplyDelete
  2. Undeniably believe that which you said. Your favorite justification appeared to be on the internet the easiest thing to
    be aware of. I say to you, I definitely get annoyed while people consider worries that they plainly do not know about.
    You managed to hit the nail upon the top and defined out the
    whole thing without having side effect , people could take
    a signal. Will probably be back to get more. Thanks

    Feel free to visit my web site; dr bob jason

    ReplyDelete

MUSLIM SPEAKER

MUSLIM SPEAKER
Email to: SpeakerMikeGhouse@gmail.com

Voice of Moderate Muslims

Voice of Moderate Muslims
Voice of Moderate Muslims

Moderate Islam Speaker

Moderate Islam Speaker
Moderate Islam Speaker

quraan burning

Planned Muslim Response to Qur'an Burning by Pastor Jones on September 11 in Mulberry, Florida

PRESS RELEASE
August 19, 2013| Dallas, Texas

Mike Ghouse
Text/Talk: (214) 325-1916
MikeGhouse@aol.com

Mirza A Beg
(205) 454-8797
mirza.a.beg@gmail.com

www.WorldMuslimCongress.com


PLANNED MUSLIMS RESPONSE TO QUR'AN BURNING BY PASTOR JONES ON 9/11/13 IN MULBERRY, FLORIDA

We as Muslims plan to respond to pastor Terry Jones' planned burning of 3000 copies of Quran on September 11, 2013 in positive terms.

Our response - we will reclaim the standard of behavior practiced by the Prophet concerning “scurrilous and hostile criticism of the Qur’an” (Muhammad Asad Translation Note 31, verse 41:34). It was "To overcome evil with good is good, and to resist evil by evil is evil." It is also strongly enjoined in the Qur’an in the same verse 41:34, “Good and evil deeds are not equal. Repel evil with what is better; then you will see that one who was once your enemy has become your dearest friend.”

God willing Muslims will follow the divine guidance and pray for the restoration of Goodwill, and on that day many Muslim organizations will go on a “blood drive” to save lives and serve humanity with kindness.

We invite fellow Americans of all faiths, races, and ethnicities to join us to rededicate the pledge, “One nation under God”, and to build a cohesive America where no American has to live in apprehension, discomfort or fear of fellow Americans. This event is a substitute for our 10th Annual Unity Day Celebration (www.UnitydayUSA.com) held in Dallas, but now it will be at Mulberry, Florida.

Unwittingly Pastor Jones has done us a favor by invigorating us by his decision to burn nearly 3000 copies Quran on September 11, 2013. Obviously he is not satisfied by the notoriety he garnered by burning one Qur'an last year.

As Muslims and citizens we honor the free speech guaranteed in our constitution. We have no intentions to criticize, condemn or oppose Pastor Terry Jones' freedom of expression. Instead, we will be donating blood and praying for goodness to permeate in our society.

We plan to follow Jesus Christ (pbuh), a revered prophet in Islam as well as Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) – that of mitigating the conflicts and nurturing good will for the common good of the society.

We hope, this event and the message will remind Muslims elsewhere in the world as well, that violence is not the way. Muslims, who react violently to senseless provocation, should realize that, violence causes more violence, and besmirches the name of the religion that we hold so dear. We believe that Prophet Muhammad was a mercy to the mankind, and we ought to practice what we believe and preach. We must not insult Islam by the negative reactions of a few.

We can only hope it will bring about a change in the attitude of the followers of Pastor Jones, and in the behavior of those Muslims who reacted violently the last time Pastor sought notoriety – We hope this small step towards a bridge to peaceful coexistence would propel us towards building a cohesive society.

Like most Americans a majority of Muslims quietly go about their own business, but it is time to speak up and take positive action instead of negative reaction. May this message of peace and goodwill reverberate and reach many shores.

Lastly, we appreciate the Citizens of Mulberry, Florida, Honorable Mayor George Hatch, City Commissioners, police and Fire Chiefs for handing this situation very well. This will add a ‘feather of peace’ in the City’s reputation. We hope Mulberry will be a catalyst in showing the way in handling conflict with dignity and peace.

We thank the Media for giving value to the work towards peace rather than conflict.






URL- http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2013/08/planned-muslim-response-to-quran_18.html



Thank you.

CIVIL DIALOGUE

The people in Dallas are making an effort to understand and clean their own hearts first, when we are free from bias, it would be easy to share that with others. Islam teaches us in so many ways to "respect the otherness of others" and it is time we find simple practical ways of doing it.