TEXAS FAITH: Is the Sikh shooting Christian terrorism?

 am pleased to share a few thoughts on long term solutions in the light of Sikh Massacre; this is in conjunction with my column at Dallas Morning news.

https://www.facebook.com/events/243314312456357/

As an American, Indian and a Muslim, I stand by the Sikh community and hope to find sustainable solutions to prevent shameless events like this from happening. As Americans we need to come together to build an America where no one needs to live in apprehension, discomfort or fear of the other.

Kindly join us for a candlelight vigil on August 8th at the Sikh Temple of North Texas at 506 Gatewood Rd, Garland, Texas 75043 in Garland, TX at 8 p.m.

Blaming will not bring the lives back or solve the problems, pushing the bigots to the corner will not do it, engaging (there is no them, it is all of us) them in a normal day to day life has a chance of nurturing goodwill.

We need to ask ourselves, am I capable of making friends with fellow Americans from different backgrounds, races, faiths and ethnicities? If I am reluctant, biased or bent on blaming others, then half of the problem is me. If I have it, they have it. Then I need to shed my bias first.

Here is an article on the topic at Dallas Morning News’s Texas Faith Section, and God willing there will be an article with statements from a few about the incident in a few days.

Texas Faith is a weekly column at Dallas Morning News managed by Editors William McKenzie and Wayne Slater, the material is contributed by several panelists, for all responses please visit http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/2012/08/texas-faith-is-the-sikh-shooting-christian-terrorism.html/

MIKE GHOUSE, President, Foundation for Pluralism, Dallas

The term “Christian Terrorism” is one of the most dangerous terms to bring into currency. It is as ridiculous as “Islamic Terrorism” or Jewish and Hindu Terrorism. I deplore Juergensmeyer for floating it, as it amounts to advocating an eye for an eye, making the whole world blind.

We continue to blame Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism or other religions as though they are individuals who can be slapped, hanged, annihilated, beat up, killed or punished for the wrong doing. If we can’t do that, then why bark at religion?

Every piece of matter and life is programmed to seek balance and justice respectively. Blaming a religion is passing the buck to an intangible non-punishable entity, thus deliberately perpetuating injustice. Justice is the key to harmony and peaceful co-existence in the society.

Individuals are always responsible for the bloodshed and not the religions. By punishing the individual for the wrong doing, we serve justice and restore trust and cohesiveness in the society. We need to go a step further, and find the individuals who inspire men like Wade Michael Page to massacre the Sikhs in the temple or the senseless shooting in Colorado.
Hate is one of the sources of disrupting peace in a society and it is our duty to track down the source of such hate and work on mitigating it. We have an obligation to maintain law and order and faithfully guard the safety of every citizen.

Politicians and religious leaders need to be aware, that as a civilized society, we can hold them accountable for making irresponsible statements.

If we learn to respect the otherness of others, and accept the genetic uniqueness of each one of us, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge. Ask yourselves, what is my contribution to America?

As an American, Indian and a Muslim, I stand by the Sikh community and hope to find long term sustainable solutions to prevent shameless events like this from happening.

As Americans we need to come together to build an America where no one needs to live in apprehension, discomfort or fear of the other.

URL - http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2012/08/texas-faith-is-sikh-shooting-christian.html

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Please visit the site http://standingupforothers.blogspot.com/

No American has to live in apprehension or fear of the other. There are solutions; here is a trailer of the movie in making: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMXsTo4VYh8&feature=youtu.be

Mike Ghouse is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. He is a professional speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, civic affairs, Islam, India, Israel, peace and justice. Mike is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News and regularly at Huffington post, and several other periodicals across the world. The blog www.TheGhousediary.comis updated daily.

TEXAS FAITH: Has religion lost its bite?

Has faith been boiled down into tenets that mostly make us feel good about ourselves? Or, to put it another way, has modern religion lost its ability to make us feel uncomfortable about parts of our lives?

Texas Faith is a weekly column at Dallas Morning News managed by Editors William McKenzie and Wayne Slater, the material is contributed by several panelists, for all responses please visit http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/2012/07/texas-faith-has-religion-lost-its-bite.html/

Has modern religion lost its bite?

MIKE GHOUSE, President, Foundation for Pluralism, Dallas

Indeed, the modern religion is reduced to a ritual to be performed as a social obligation to get it over with, rather than what it ought to do to you personally. It is particularly dumped on children as a duty to be fulfilled. The story is similar in most religions, given the space limitations; I will keep it to the Islamic month of Ramadan.

As a part of developing the model for Pluralism in Islam, I am visiting every denominational mosque since Ramadan began ten days ago for the whole month ending on August 18^th or 19^th depending on the moon sighting. It is everything you wanted to know about Ramadan and more; its politics, spirituality and traditions at RamdanDaily.com. One will appreciate the uniqueness of each of its traditions.

Dr. Allama Iqbal, a great philosopher and a poet wrote a poem in Urdu language, and one of the most famous lines goes as follows; “Tera dil to hay sanam aashna, tujhay kia milay ga namaz main. ” Broadly translated, you heart is elsewhere, and so what do you get out of praying or fasting?

What do the Salat (ritual prayers) and fasting do to you, and what is the cumulative effect on you? If it does not bring Taqwa, the spirituality and humility in you, then you have merely performed the ritual without being affected by it.|

Taqwa has many dimensions, one of them is humility, the essence of which is feeling, talking and acting equal with your employee, spouse, family and other members of the society, Muslim or not. How do we measure up?

Arrogance is the mother of all conflicts, whereas humility is the solution to most of them. When you bow, kneel or prostrate at your place of worship, it is an acknowledgement of the invisible superior being, and equality of fellow beings.

Has your religion lost its bite? Look at the ritual practices in your own, most people get it right, a few don’t.

To a few, religion is a powerful tool to manipulate others, or pushing their beliefs onto others. To some it is a social need to keep their status as a church going “honest” family, and some feel sanctimonious when performing the rituals in a Church, Temple, Synagogue, Gurudwara or a Mosque. When they step out of the sanctuary, the arrogance creeps right back in, and the religion loses its bite instantly.

Added

My Professor Dr. Ramachandra, shared a story about the senselessness of rituals. He said, a great Hindu Sadhu (saint) goes to the Ganges to take the holy dip in the river to wash his sins off. As he walked on the edge of the river, thousands of devotees recognized him and decided, that is was time for them to learn from him by observing his rituals.

So the Sadhu places his traditional water bucket on the sand, and goes into the river, looks back at the brass bucket and realizes that it could be stolen, the smart man walks back and buries the bucket in the sand. As he was walking into the river, he realizes that he may not find the spot in the large swatch of sand, so he comes back, and plucks a branch from a tree and plants it on the top of the buried bucket and merrily goes back into the river. When he returns from his bath, he was shocked to see thousands of tree branches buried in the sand instead the one. Many a rituals are formed thru imitations without meaning it.

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Please mark your calendar for Tuesday 9/11/2012, it's a big event in Dallas- details at www.UnitydayUSA.com

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No American has to live in apprehension or fear of the other. There are solutions, here is a trailer of the movie in making: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMXsTo4VYh8&feature=youtu.be

Mike Ghouse is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. He is a professional speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, civic affairs, Islam, India, Israel, peace and justice. Mike is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News and regularly at Huffington post, and several other periodicals across the world. The blog www.TheGhousediary.comis updated daily.

Texas Faith: Obama sparked a conversation about communitarianism v. individualism: Where do you fall?

The divide between individualism and communitarianism flashed to the surface last week during the presidential campaign. It came about after President Obama rather famously told a Virginia audience. ”If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you’ve got a business. you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen. The Internet didn’t get invented on its own. Government research created the Internet so that all the companies could make money off the Internet.”

This may sound like an esoteric question, but it really gets at the heart of the discussion now going on within the presidential campaign. Communitarianism or individualism? Where do you fall?

Texas Faith is a weekly column at Dallas Morning News managed by Editors William McKenzie and Wayne Slater, the material is contributed by several panelists, for all responses please visithttp://religionblog.dallasnews.com/2012/07/texas-faith-communitarianism-or-individualism-where-do-you-fall.html/

MIKE GHOUSE, President, Foundation for Pluralism, Dallas

From the moment one is born to the moment life ends, a normal human being cannot survive without nurturing. He cannot birth himself or bury himself. There is always another human to be a part of the support system from birth to death.

We are indeed an individual strand in the web of the community. Whatever affects the web affect us (Chief Seattle), and vice versa. Global warming, mad cow disease and other issues are communitarian in nature, but driven by individuals in both directions.

Everyone’s psyche or conscience is a product of one’s environment, and our morality is a necessity of co-existence.

Strict individualism works well, as long as one is capable of taking care of one’s self. However, no individual is free from vulnerability of accidents, diseases, wars and old age. We are dependent on others to produce or consume.

Religions have contributed greatly towards building the communitarian life where the invincible (lol) and vulnerable both can live his or her life to the fullest extent possible.

Indeed morality is the insurance for the safety of individuals in a community.

Where do I fall?

There is a balance to be maintained in life. Justice is the core value and basis for the success of any given society, without which no society can maintain its social, moral and economic equilibrium.

One can get away with murder or taking advantage of others. But that creates an imbalance and rots the society with insecurity. It also puts the responsibility back on individuals to restore that elusive and dynamic balance.

Individualism and communitarianism can be best understood by looking at the extreme ideologies: responsible capitalism and communism. Individuals have the burning desire to excel and to do well, and capitalism becomes a catalyst for the prosperity of individuals that directly benefits the society, through incentives to the individuals, where as communism restricts growth through forced equality. As capitalists we need to think about our own safety in the long haul caused by inequalities.

If freedom and justice are the core values of a given society, we need not worry about communitarianism or individualism. Both complement each other.

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Please mark your calendar for Tuesday 9/11/2012, it's a big event in Dallas- details at www.UnitydayUSA.com

No American has to live in apprehension or fear of the other. There are solutions, here is a trailer of the movie in making: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMXsTo4VYh8&feature=youtu.be

Mike Ghouse is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. He is a professional speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, civic affairs, Islam, India, Israel, peace and justice. Mike is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News and regularly at Huffington post, and several other periodicals across the world. The blog www.TheGhousediary.comis updated daily.

Texas Faith - God and religion have gone missing in the presidential race?

Is our electoral process better off without the polarizing issues of faith-based politics at center stage? Or does the absence of explicit moral and religious expression impoverish our political debate? Our Texas Faith panel weighs in:

Texas Faith is a weekly column at Dallas Morning News managed by Editors William McKenzie and Wayne Slater, the material is contributed by several panelists including Mike Ghouse, for all responses visit http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/2012/07/texas-faith-is-it-good-or-bad-that-god-and-religion-have-gone-missing-in-the-presidential-race.html/

MIKE GHOUSE, President, Foundation for Pluralism, Dallas

Absence of faith will not impoverish political debate; in fact, it will enrich it with a focus on the most important economic need of the day: jobs.

Congress, Senate or the President is not in the business of establishing or supporting a religion; their responsibility is to be a catalyst and serve Americans in the pursuit of their happiness and economic freedom.

Faith should not be a factor in this election, as both parties stand to lose; the Democrats worry about the Catholic vote and the GOP stands to lose if they make an issue out of Romney’s faith, it would mean back peddling.

Social issues will be played out by the Democrats; the anti-GLBT-abortion-immigration stance of GOP will be a fodder to the Democrats. The CBS poll in May discovered that 62% of Americans “believe that same-sex unions should be recognized by law.” While we remain divided on abortion, Romney cannot afford to flip flop on immigration.

GOP may not even succeed in carving up an enemy out of Sharia. First of all, American Muslims are not asking for it, and secondly it will not pass the House and Senate, let alone the president signing it. Democrats will hit them hard for squandering public time on a non-existent issue.

GOP’s chorus about repealing Obama care on the first day in office will fall flat on its face, unless both the houses and the Presidency is Republican. The Republicans would risk losing votes of the young people benefiting from insurance coverage of their parents.

As a disclosure, I am Moderate Republican, and when I posted a note on Facebook and my blog congratulating fellow Americas upon Judge Roberts’s decision, an incredible number of Republican men and women came out of the closet and appreciated the decision. Thus we have Obama Republicans now.

Absence of faith talk will not be missed, our nation is operating on Maslow’s hierarchy theory, and Jobs is our priority, food is more necessary than faith, and abuse of religion for politics may not work this time.

I hope the debates remain focused on economy, and for entertainment they can resort to Presidential dogs, vacations, Kissing Children, pipe line, fund raising and the price of rice in China.

MikeGhouse is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. He is a professional speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, civic affairs, Islam, India, Israel, peace and justice. Mike is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News and regularly at Huffington post, and several other periodicals across the world. The blog www.TheGhousediary.com is updated daily.

California Muslim Candidate targeted

This is goes on with all the candidates, and I sincerly hope that those candidates who run for an office, run for their constituencies and not for special interests, I know Muslims who have run, ran with an inclusive approach and that must be lauded. It is not naive to be univeralistic, it the right thing to do while others stench in dirty politics.

Time for change has come, and Obama has paved the way. Our interests ought to be interests of every American. What is good for us has got to be good for others and vice versa to sustain it.

Mike Ghouse

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/politics/cal/la-me-southeast5-2009mar05,0,847563.story
Campaigns in Bell and Cudahy get ugly

Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times

Bell City Council candidate Hussein Chahine was targeted over his Muslim faith in recent contentious elections. Ali Saleh, also a candidate, is below.
Candidates in Southeast L.A. County cities are smeared as terrorists and have had their homes and cars vandalized.

By Hector Becerra
9:38 PM PST, March 4, 2009
Southeast Los Angeles County, which has struggled for years with public corruption investigations and bruising politics, is emerging from Tuesday's municipal elections with a pair of black eyes.

In the mostly Latino cities of Bell and Cudahy, candidates have been smeared as terrorists, had their cars vandalized and had bricks thrown through windows, and a former mayor was accused of raping a young girl in Tijuana.

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L.A. County election results
"Southeast turned hit pieces into an art form," said David Demerjian, head prosecutor of the district attorney office's public integrity division, which has 103 open investigations into alleged municipal crime. "It's nasty stuff."

Over the weekend, Bell City Council candidate Ali Saleh was alerted about fliers someone found at a local grocery store. Someone superimposed Saleh's face on a picture of a man holding a sign that read, "Islam will dominate the world." The flier also showed pictures of radical Iraqi cleric Muqtada Sadr, the burning towers of the World Trade Center and terrorists wearing black hoods and standing over a kneeling hostage, presumably about to be executed. At the bottom of the flier was a message to voters:

"Vote NO Muslims for the City Bell Council 2009."

The 33-year-old Saleh, who grew up in Bell, said he never expected his candidacy to lead to an attack on the city's Lebanese American and Muslim community, which numbers about 2,000. Saleh was one of two Lebanese Americans running for council, along with Hussein Chahine. They lost.

"Politics can get dirty. But usually they just say something about you," Saleh said. "But when you come and tell people not to vote for any Muslims, you're talking about an entire group. I was born in this country. I want to be part of this American democratic system. This is very upsetting."

Saleh suspected the culprit was Councilman Luis Artiga, who was running for reelection. Artiga, who won, strongly denied the charge.

George Cole, an influential former mayor of Bell, was still angry about a flier attacking him in November.

Apparently circulated at Maywood City Hall, where Cole, 59, was set to be honored after retiring, the flier falsely said he had been arrested in Tijuana for "raping a young girl," but that police there and in Bell "covered up" the incident.

"They wanted to damage me so my ability to support someone would have no impact," said Cole, who retired last year from the City Council after 24 years.

Cole said he was sure the culprit was City Councilman Nestor Valencia, but Valencia, who lost the election, denied any involvement. "I told George that I had nothing to do with that," Valencia said.

He added that he had been attacked himself by several fliers. One had his picture and big red letters that read: "Stop a corrupt politician."

The ad accused Valencia of failing to file campaign reports and to disclose campaign contributions, and used a picture of a bulldozer claiming Valencia was "supported by big money developers who want to take away our homes."

Cole said he paid for that ad, adding, "I have nothing to hide. I'm proud of it." Valencia denied the allegations made in the ads.

For Southeast L.A. County, the attack ads had a "Groundhog Day," quality. In the late 1990s and early part of the decade, campaign fliers in South Gate took to new lows. When former City Treasurer Albert Robles ran South Gate, political candidates were falsely accused of being child molesters, drunk drivers, deadbeat dads and child killers. Robles and his political allies were eventually recalled, and Robles was convicted of fraud and sent to federal prison.

The region's small cities have repeatedly been the focus of political corruption prosecutions. Before being cleaned up in the early 2000s, South Gate was perhaps the most notorious, but politicians have been convicted of misdeeds in Huntington Park, Lynwood and Bell Gardens. Vernon officials await public corruption trials.

Assemblyman Hector De La Torre (D-South Gate) said he was surprised by the level of vitriol seen in Bell. The town of about 40,000 has been cited by politicians in neighboring cities for being a politically and fiscally stable city and where council chamber screaming matches and overt invectives are relatively unusual. He said he was disturbed by the anti-Muslim ad.

"It's ironic in this case that Latinos are doing it to somebody else because we have had it done to ourselves so often," said De La Torre, who as a South Gate councilman was falsely accused in an ad of leaving a Mexican teenage girl named Guadalupe for a Norwegian bombshell named Tina.

Maywood Police Sgt. Sean Richardson said detectives, including county fire arson investigators, continue to probe a number of attacks in Cudahy against a city councilwoman and two would-be council members, Luis Garcia and Daniel Cota. In July, Garcia's truck was damaged by a Molotov cocktail, Richardson said. In October, a brick was thrown by a hooded assailant through the front window of his home. A car belonging to Garcia's running mate, Cota, was vandalized with red paint, Richardson said. Earlier this month, Cudahy Councilwoman Rosa Diaz had a window of her home shot with a pellet gun. Richardson said there are no suspects.

Garcia's and Cota's second bid for council failed.
hector.becerra@latimes.com

Raja Abdulrahim contributed to this report.

Jewish Arabs and Arabia

Jewish Arabs and a New Middle East

I noticed in various texts and articles that Jews from the Middle East, who often originated from Spain/Al-Andalus, were referred to by scholars not only as Sephardim but as Arab Jews, says Marc Gopin.

WASHINGTON - In 1998, Prince Hassan of Jordan appeared on video at the University of Notre Dame, marking one of the first academic conferences in the field of religion and conflict resolution. As he spoke via teleconference, he quoted at length and with great love from the writings of Moses Maimonides—the world-famous medieval Jewish philosopher who had been a chief conduit between Arab neo-Aristotelian philosophy and the Christian world.

It was already a thrilling moment for me – the conference was the first that I attended as an academic speaker – but Maimonides was part and parcel of my sequestered religious childhood. I went to school for 13 years as a child at a place called Maimonides School, and prayed there on Sundays and Saturdays. For Prince Hassan, a major figure of the Arab world, to be embracing Maimonides felt like an extraordinary inter-cultural and inter-religious gesture. I was so moved that I had to say something to the plenary meeting.

Then I got a shock.
When I shared my feelings of gratitude publicly, someone from the audience of scholars responded quite forcefully, "But he is our Maimonides, one of the great Arab philosophers of history." I think that if I were brought up with more Jewish wounds than I had ('Jewishness' could be defined by how many and how deep your wounds are), I might have taken offense. But I did not, and was instead stunned, intrigued, and amused at the playful re-orientation of identities afoot in the room.
That was one of those life-changing moments for me. In that instant I realized the truth of Gandhi's words when he claimed that, the more fluid and multiple our identities, the easier peace and coexistence can flourish at a very profound level. I noticed later in various texts and articles that Jews from the Middle East, who often originated from Spain/Al-Andalus, were referred to by scholars not only as Sephardim but as Arab Jews.

One decade later, Prince Turki, Saudi Arabia's current National Security Adviser and former Ambassador to America, said it was time for Israel to respond to the Arab League's 2002 offer to integrate into the Middle East. After fully withdrawing to the 1967 borders, after realizing a just two-state solution with the Palestinians—then, he added crucially, Israelis could become Arab Jews of the Middle East.

This went unnoticed by most of the enlightened press, presumably because Al Qaeda was not mentioned and no blood of Arabs or Jews was spilled. But at a deeper level, blood was very involved: this former head of intelligence – from a country from which so much of the extremism of the Middle East had emerged – was now utterly redefining identity, family, tribe and clan in terms of ethical relationships, in terms of peace and justice.

In the pages of The Forward, a centrist Jewish journal, some people reacted to Prince Turki's offer as insulting. They assumed that it was an offer from the majority group of the Middle East for a minority to attain some subsumed and subjugated status. But after working with Prince Turki for years at the World Economic Forum, I saw that he embraced the interfaith moment as a moment of absolute equality. He was suggesting, from within the most conservative religious environment in the Middle East, that "Arab" was an ethical term of belonging and community, not a racial or tribal term. It would be like the Orthodox Chief Rabbi of Israel saying that if Palestinians can live in peace with us then they will be our Jewish brothers. I have never heard anyone, no matter how progressive, say this.

Prince Turki went to the heart of the matter, to the question of how the definition of identity can drive us away from hatred, fear, and war, toward the peaceful embrace of the other, or, alternatively, how much identity can stand in the way of all rational negotiation. He has placed a challenge before every Jew and Arab as to who they really are, and who they will be in the future of the Middle East.

Marc Gopin is the James Laue Professor of World Religions, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University in Washington D.C. He can be reached at mgopin@gmu.edu.

This article is distributed by the Common Ground News Service and can be accessed at GCNews.

IRS- Politics & Pulpit

THE PEW FORUM ON RELIGION & PUBLIC LIFE
Politics and the Pulpit 2008

A Guide to the Internal Revenue Code Restrictions on the Political Activity of Religious Organizations

Download a printable PDF of the full report (23 pgs.)
During every election cycle, many religious congregations find themselves wondering what role, if any, they can play in the political process. Can a minister, rabbi, imam or other member of the clergy endorse a candidate from the pulpit or speak on political issues of interest to voters? Is a church or other house of worship legally permitted to register voters or distribute voter guides? Answers to these and many other questions are contained here.

This guide sets out in plain English the rules governing political activity that apply to nonprofit organizations (including churches and other religious groups) that are exempt from taxation under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The 2008 edition of the guide updates versions previously published by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life in 2004 and 2002. The report was written by Deirdre Dessingue, Associate General Counsel of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Ms. Dessingue is a leading expert on the taxation of religious organizations, and she has written a straightforward and practical guide to the law on these matters. The report also has been vetted by a number of other prominent legal experts in this field.

The current rules have been in place since 1954, when Congress amended the Internal Revenue Code to impose limits on the political activities of religious groups and certain other tax-exempt nonprofit organizations. In recent years, some have voiced strong opposition to these limits, especially as they are applied to religious groups, arguing that they amount to an unfair abridgement of free speech. Others, including some religious leaders, have vigorously defended the rules, asserting that they correctly prevent churches from getting too deeply involved in partisan politics.

The Forum takes no position in this or any other policy debate. The Forum commissioned this publication solely to better inform religious groups and others on the provisions and meaning of the law as it is currently written. The Forum's overall mission is to deliver timely, impartial information on issues at the intersection of religion and public affairs.

Politics and the Pulpit is published with the understanding that the Forum is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting or other professional advice. If legal advice or other professional assistance is required, the services of a qualified professional should be sought.

Note: Throughout this document, the term “churches” refers to churches, synagogues, temples, mosques and other religious congregations. The term “religious organizations” has a broader meaning, including both churches and other types of religious organizations that are exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

This report is in question-and-answer format. Use the menu below to go to a particular section of the report or to a specific question. A selected bibliography is available in the PDF version.
Background

1.Where do the restrictions on religious organizations' participation in the political process come from?

2.Has this prohibition on political campaign intervention always been part of the Internal Revenue Code?

3.Are religious organizations singled out by the political campaign intervention prohibition in the Internal Revenue Code?

4.Doesn't the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protect the right of religious organizations to engage in political activity?
IRS Restrictions on Political Intervention and Lobbying

5.What political activities are prohibited under the Internal Revenue Code?

6. Must religious organizations restrict their discussion of issues during election campaign periods?

7. When would an issue discussion violate the political campaign intervention prohibition?

8. Are religious organizations permitted to engage in lobbying activities?

9. Are religious organizations permitted to participate in referenda, constitutional amendments and similar ballot initiatives?

10. What are the consequences if a religious organization engages in excessive lobbying?

11. Does the political campaign intervention prohibition apply to the political activities of clergy and other religious leaders?

12.When are the political activities of clergy or other religious leaders attributed to their religious organizations?

13. Who is considered a candidate?

14.What rules apply with respect to candidates for non-elective office?

15.May candidates appear in pulpits during worship services?

16.What if the candidate appears in a noncandidate capacity?

17. What if the candidate is a member of the clergy?
Voter Education and Outreach

18. May religious organizations become involved in voter education?

19. May religious organizations publish or distribute voter guides?

20. Why must a broad range of issues be covered in voter education materials?

21. May religious organizations publish or distribute legislators' voting records?

22. May religious organizations distribute voter education materials prepared by a candidate, political party or PAC?

23. May religious organizations sponsor candidate forums?

24. May religious organizations conduct voter registration and get-out-the-vote drives?
Religious Organization Facilities and Publications

25. May the facilities of religious organizations be used for civic or political events?

26. Do special rules apply to websites belonging to religious organizations?

27. Do links to candidate-related materials constitute political campaign intervention?

28. May religious organizations sell paid political advertising in their publications?

29. May a religious organization sell or rent its mailing list to a candidate, political party or PAC?
Enforcement

30. What are the penalties if a religious organization violates the political campaign intervention prohibition?

31. Does the IRS target churches for enforcement of the political campaign intervention prohibition?

OBAMA, THE SHEPHERD

OBAMA, THE SHEPHERD
Mike Ghouse, February 27, 2008

This is the first time in our nation's history that some one is speaking the needs, wants and voices of a majority of the people. He is neither a right winger extremist, nor a leftist but a moderate right down the middle embracing and bringing every American together to participate and contribute towards the success, safety and security of America.

An overwhelming majority of us are moderates, people who want to get along with everyone and focus on living the American dream; education, employment, family, children, car, home and a secure retirement. Thank God for Obama, he mirrors the aspirations of millions of Americans and is our new shepherd on the political spectrum. He will lead us to a safe, secure, strong, and respectable and a healthy America.

Obama is for a strong America, where our economic and military strength is leveraged to persuade nations to follow the policy of live and let live and imbibe the democratic principles of honoring the voices and acknowledging the validity of every member of the society. It is in our interest to have peace around us, it is in our interest to create a just world, when others are at peace, and we reap the dividends as well. It is economical to pursue peace than bully around and frighten others. When others are frightened, our peace and safety is on the line as well.

Barak believes in talking with enemy, rather than frustrating the enemy to a point where we have to guard our selves every moment of the day and watch out for the destruction of our own peace, safety and security. Mother Teresa had once said "If you want to make peace, you don't talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies."

A healthy America is not a social medicine, as my fellow Republicans are brainwashed to believe. Our investment in the health of our people ensures that we have a reliable and productive work force, the healthier we are, the lesser the loss of time on job, more income produces more revenue. Where as an unhealthy America makes us lose on productivity and the costs that go with it. A healthy America is a productive America and it is in our national interest to preserve and strengthen it, this is the other side of coin of a strong America. It is not a charity; it is the best investment a nation can make in her people. The money we blew in Iraq could have done so much better for us at home.

Not all, but the core of the Republican Party is focused on manufacturing fear, building empires and relentlessly making enemies. We don’t need their nightmares. Neither of one of us in the world would live in peace with those attitudes. Their approach to Iraq has given birth to Al-Qaeda that was not there before and our presence in Iraq will produce more of them. It is time to respectfully give them their land and come back home with dignity and respect for the Iraqi’s to manage their own affairs. We are worse off today than we were in 2002. The few extremists in Republican Party frighten the public and then create false security, it is time for the majority of Republicans to speak up or lose in the elections. Barak has the inclination to remove the causes for such fears and his administration will restore our respect in the community of nations. That would be the best thing that can happen. It will make us morally strong again.

The Chinese philosopher Fo-Sho-Hing-Tsan-King meant to pass the following wisdom to our War mongers, “Conquer your foe by force, you increase his enmity; conquer by love, and you will reap no after-sorrow.” Until the hard core Republicans come down from their high horses and believe in humility, compassion, peace and respect for humanity, the Americans will keep them frustrated. The frighteners cannot be saviors.

A strong, safe, prosperous and healthy America should be our goal and Barak is the one who will deliver it.

Please register your attendance at: http://pol.moveon.org/event/events/event.html?event_id=43583

Two part event: 1) Learn and share about Obama and 2) Make phone calls from your cell.


Sunday, March 2, 2008 - 4:00 PM to 6:30 PM
Banquet hall next door to Barbeque Tonite Restaurant
2540 Old Denton road, suite 173 - Old Denton at Trinity Mills (Bush Frwy)/ (972) 877-9133

Mike Ghouse
A Republican for Obama
(214) 325-1916

Write your comments to: CommentstoMike@Gmail.com
In the subject line please write :: Obama the Shepherd.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mike Ghouse is a Speaker, Thinker, Writer and a Moderator. He is a frequent guest on talk radio and local television network discussing Pluralism, politics, Islam, Religion, Terrorism, India and civic issues. His comments, news analysis, opinions and columns can be found on the Websites and Blogs listed at his personal website www.MikeGhouse.net. He can be reached at MikeGhouse@gmail.com or (214) 325-1916

Will John McCain Apologize?

Will John McCain have the decency to apologize?
Mike Ghouse, Dallas

I turned the TV off on McCain this afternoon.

Every TV appearance I have watched in the last two months, even if it was for two minutes, Senator McCain unfailingly delivered his vitriol, "The greatest danger facing the world is Islamic Terrorism" and Governor Romney, who is off the radar now, used "Islamic Jihaad" to appease the right wing of the Republican party.

Senator McCain in his lust for power looses the basic American decency and courtesy to show respect for his fellow Americans who number 6 Million and I am one. It is an ironic number to remember.

When I turned the TV off, the words of Edmund Burke's quote came alive as a sad image, which was pointed out by a speaker at the Holocaust Museum recently. “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.”

Well my friends, I am doing my part. Indeed the world needs to be informed again and again about the Holocaust and how it began. Martin Niemöller's poem (first they came for the Jews…) resonates with me every day, when I see the eerie silence on the part of Media when a linguistic atrocity is committed right in front of their eyes.

When our President claimed they hate us for our freedom, not one media person asked for the proof or the polls, they consumed it gullibly. They, whoever they might be, do not hate America or Americans. Just as we do not hate any people but their governments, others do the same.

Manufacturing hate and fear to earn the support is shameful, but unfortunately that is the reality concocted by the Bush administration and the rightwing Republicans have imbibed it.

I am a Muslim and I am for America like 6 million other Muslims. We are Republicans and Democrats, we are religious as well as not religious, we are conservatives and liberals but mostly moderate just like most of the Americans.

Each one of us is contributing towards the peace and prosperity of our nation. We are taking the initiatives and putting in our efforts for one nation under God with liberty and justice for all.

On 9/11, I manned a Radio station for eight hours getting the Dallas community on the air, grieving with fellow Americans, organizing blood drives, wrote articles to prove to the enemies like Osama Bin Laden that all Americans are on the same side, irrespective of personal faith.

Since then every year, with the support of the Muslim community, I have dedicated my time on 9/11 to unite people, to bring people of all faiths, races and ethnicities to come together and pray for the safety and security of America, and rededicate our pledge to one nation under God with liberty and justice for all. To call Islam or Muslims as terrorists is offensive to me; I am not one, neither the six million of us are. If there is one, we are going to turn them over to the FBI, safety and security of our nation is as important to the 6 millions of as it is to the 294 Million others.

The fear mongers manufacture enemies to polarize the electorate for crass political advantage; Native Indians, African Americans, Jews, Wicca, Atheists and now Muslims are being targeted by them. Such short term gains are deleterious to peace and long term prosperity. As Americans, we need to stand up for each other for the good of every American.

Our leaders should demonstrate their leadership in building goodwill among all Americans and make America a model nation for coexistence and harmony. We need to make peace and prosperity as our goal and our leaders should take that pledge to mitigate conflicts and nurture goodwill. Every one will win at the end.

I expect Senator McCain to drop the hate rhetoric and apologize to Muslims in America, or at least have the decency not to use the words "Islamic Terrorism" or "Muslims Terrorism". Call Terrorism for what it is, do not suffix or prefix or hang my religion to the evil acts; fear mongering is also evil. I am a Muslim and all the Muslims that I know in America are working hard to keep us safe and secure. If you do not have moral courage to apologize, the least you can do is restore decency in your language.

Two decades ago, when I chose to become an American, I found myself in tune with the Republican party; liberty, less government, fiscal responsibility, capitalism, security and peace through strength. Today, the party is not the same and it does not reflect those values any more. When the Presidential candidate and a few (or more) Republicans resort to this divisive rhetoric, it puts many Republicans like me to re-evaluate being Republicans.

Additional comments:

I have received a ton of emails today from several clergy men and women who have undertaken it upon themselves to forward this article to many of their friends. However, I have received the following concern from a dear friend "Indeed, Islamic terrorism is one of the greatest dangers facing the world today. I'm mystified if you don't see that and agree with that. You are usually a strong campaigner against Islamic terrorism. You did not suggest that McCain said that Muslims or Islam is the greatest threat. You quote him as saying Islamic extremists are the greatest danger."

Here is the idea behind writing this piece.

My contention is that we must call Terrorism for what it is; a disgraceful evil. Let's not dilute it by suffixing or prefixing with another word like religion, in this case Islam or Muslim. This mistake leads to development of attitudes that are detrimental to peace and co-existence in our nation. A criminal father kills his daughter for not being able to have the animalistic control on them... on the same day there were other similar incidents in the paper... but one becomes Muslim Fascism or Islamic terrorism and others didn't even hit the radar. It is building of these attitudes that we need to guard the public from. This was a malignant attitude and it is not good for social health of our society.

Osama Bin Laden is not only an enemy of America, he is a bigger threat to Islam and Muslims around the world as he has put so many lives on jeopardy and gone completely against the principles of Islam, where saving one life is like saving the whole humanity. His followers or those who subscribe to his criminal mind set are terrorists.

By giving a label of Islam to a criminal like him, we are diluting the strength of the purpose in getting that criminal. Osama is our target and we need to go after him and his gang Al-Qaeda, the specific group. By adding the word Islam or Muslim, we are wrongly implicating the religion and its followers, and impotenting our ability to hit the target, we are not focused any more.

It is our President's escapism and gutlessness to deal with the terrorist that he jumped from Afghanistan to Iraq, and then he wanted to yet jump on Iran. He wanted to get some success some where, by God, go get him. And now, John McCain shamelessly claims that he will get Osama, the question is why did he not get him or put the plan to the President and push for it and save our nation a trillion dollars and 4000 lives and a Million Iraqi lives on our conscience? If you have the time understand our failures in dealing with the terrorism, here is an essay for you. http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2007/05/laser-barking-at-terrorists.html

Let our words mitigate conflicts be it within the family, friends, community or the society at large and that is what it takes to gradually build sustainable peace and attitudes of co-existence.

References:

1. http://www.mikeghouse.net/Articles/Republican-or-Democrat-which-way.asp
2. http://www.mikeghouse.net/Articles/John-Mcain-the-Bush-lite-Neocon.asp
3. http://www.foundationforpluralism.com/UnitydayUSA_2007.asp
4. http://www.mikeghouse.net/Articles/Did-Senator-McCain-Betray-America.asp
5. http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2007/05/laser-barking-at-terrorists.html

Additional Articles on the subject added on 2/9/08 below:

Mike Ghouse is a Speaker, Thinker, Writer and a Moderator. He is a frequent guest on talk radio and local television network discussing Pluralism, politics, Islam, Religion, Terrorism, India and civic issues. His comments, news analysis, opinions and columns can be found on the Websites and Blogs listed at his personal website www.MikeGhouse.net. He can be reached at MikeGhouse@aol.com or (214) 325-1916

Additional Articles:

Opinion
Islam’s Role in the Elections

Opinion

Islam’s Role in the Elections
http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=521544
By Sadia Ahsanuddin and Dilshoda Yergasheva

January 14, 2008

Throughout the 2008 presidential elections, several candidates have sought to utilize anti-Islam prejudices to their advantage.

In January of 2007, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s campaign team deliberately turned the public’s attention to Senator Barack Hussein Obama’s Muslim heritage in order to harm his popularity. Obama, in turn, worked very hard to distance himself from any past or present affiliation with Muslims and Islam, citing the Bible in his speeches and emphasizing his personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Republicans, for their part, haven’t been much better. Formulaic prefaces from candidates about how “the enemy” is radical Islam hardly veil more broad based, antagonistic sentiments they harbor against Muslims generally. The Christian Science Monitor, for example, reported that Mitt Romney discounted out-of-hand the possibility of appointing a Muslim to his cabinet, were he to take office. In a recent speech to Republicans in New Hampshire, Mike Huckabee, speaking about energy reform and US reliance on foreign oil, stated, “We [will] no longer let the Middle Eastern people hold us hostage, wrecking our economy as well our environment.” More to the point, John Deady, co-chair of Veterans for Rudy, said: “[Rudy Giuliani] has got, I believe, the knowledge and the judgment to attack one of the most difficult problems in current history, and that is the rise of the Muslims.

“Make no mistake about it,” he continued, “This hasn’t happened for a thousand years. These people are very, very dedicated. They’re also very smart in their own way, and we need to keep the feet to the fire and keep pressing these people until we defeat them or chase them back to their caves, or, in other words, get rid of them.”

Islam is not antithetical to all things American. Yet, rather than try to build bridges and work towards engagement and understanding, since September 11, 2001 politicians have preferred to exploit people’s insecurities and biases in order to stoke fears about the supposed threat that Muslims pose to free and democratic societies. The ubiquity of anti-Muslim attitudes in American political rhetoric, even if it is only implicit, not only alienates Muslims around the world, but emboldens intolerant sects of American society. So far, this strategy has sadly shown itself to be politically successful. Being perceived as sympathetic towards Islam and Muslims is taken as evidence of spineless foreign policy where intolerance and fiery diatribes are to a candidate’s credit.

Is this the sort of America we want to live in? How can a nation founded on the precepts of equality and tolerance elect leaders in part based on their perceived ability to malign a religion that over one-sixth of the world’s population subscribes to?

Many Americans, as a result, have developed the false sense that Islam and the West are destined to clash. This misconception of a binary opposition that hawkish politicians use to paint the picture of the current balance of world power allows politicians to sell an overly simplistic picture of America’s interaction with the Muslim world. By reducing America’s relationship to the rest of the world to such black and white terms, politicians are able to derive power as crusaders against a perceived sinister force.

One only needs to watch the recent campaign ads to see these themes pandered to the masses. One such ad, approved by Giuliani, depicts a violent, irrational, out of control Muslim world. The voiceover forebodingly declares, “an enemy without borders,” and, “a people perverted,” in sync with footage of crowds of Muslims, fire, and explosions .This is all set to unearthly, frightening background music. The message is quite clear: Muslims are evil and they’re coming to get you. The ad ends with a case for Giuliani as the strong and capable defender of America: “In a world when the next crisis is a moment away, America needs a leader who’s ready.”

Such dramatic presentations create an artificial sense of unquestioned moral authority, where America and its interests constitute the “good guys” and everyone else is the “bad guys,” resulting in a populace that desires leaders who will take strong action against an evil force.

This sort of demonizing, hate-filled rhetoric is discrimination at its worst. Pitting voters against an illusory common enemy both abroad and at home, campaigners are jeopardizing the safety of six to seven million Muslim, who live among other Americans who are increasingly likely to perceive them as a threat. In doing so, campaigners are compromising the values upon which this nation was founded. Wasn’t this country established by individuals who sought refuge from the religious oppression that pervaded their homelands? Are we not a nation that takes pride in its diversity and inclusiveness? By allowing presidential campaigns to antagonize a minority group within our population, we as Americans are not fulfilling our duty to safeguard the values of equality and tolerance our predecessors fought for.

Sadia Ahsanuddin ’09 is administrative editor of “Ascent Magazine: Harvard and MIT Students on Islam and Society,” and is a history concentrator in Dunster House. Dilshoda Yergasheva ’09 is internal chair of the Harvard Islamic Society and is an applied mathematics concentrator in Cabot House.

President of peace or war?

Will America pick a president of peace or war?
Ghazal Omid
ReligionAndSpirituality.com
February 4, 2008

The process of picking a president has become so lengthy, most Americans wait until Super Tuesday to choose whom to vote for. Sort of like the Friday after Christmas when everything is on sale and you take what is left. Smart shoppers know that just because there is a line for something or someone, that doesn't means it is worth buying or voting for!

On Super Tuesday, Americans will not just pick potential candidates for the White House but a president to represent them to the world; an executive to lead them in the current economic crisis and who will impact the lives of billions of people around the world.

President Jimmy Carter, disliked by many Americans, was despised by Iranians. His decision to not support the Shah has impacted the future of Iran for three decades, shifted the course of world history and left a terrible legacy for the United States. Because of that one mistake, the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini came to power, influence shifted from Iran to Saddam Hussein before returning to the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his successors such as Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The Iranian regime starves its own people as it gives money disguised as "charity" to Hezbollah and Hamas. Carter's lack of understanding of the Middle East prompted him to take a gigantic leap of faith in the wrong direction.

To America, he seemed to be the man with fresh ideas, a man of change. He even had solar panels installed on the roof of the White House, personally overseeing the process to ensure they were oriented in the right direction. To his credit, he became a champion of environmental causes. Tragically, his monumental mistake — for which he is most remembered — changed the course of history, causing more death and destruction in the Middle East than he will admit.

If Americans had been more careful to pick the right guy rather than the softer guy with a smile, perhaps America would not now be a tired giant who deserves a rest from policing the world.

Foreign policy is not a course to be learned in office. The president needs to know it before getting there and he needs to understand that not everything American will work in the Middle East and not every military move means a victory.

Judging from the last couple of days of the 2008 election campaign, the Republican Party seems to be on the verge of making another mistake; one this party will never forget and from which it will not recover.

John McCain is called a maverick because he is stubborn about doing it his way and was able to resuscitate his campaign. Being stubborn is a dangerous trend for a president, particularly one with a military background.

He speaks softly, usually, which seems to appeal to a lot of people, who think his controlled domineering passion gives him the look of a man in charge. Scientifically speaking, individuals in their senior years tend to become calmer, and his lack of political passion will be a nightmare for those who dreamed of change in the White House. Analysis of his tone of voice suggests his type become followers; great for his wife perhaps, but not a good quality in a president, especially when his vice president will be Rudolph Giuliani.

Occupying the White House is a physically demanding, 24/7 job. McCain says, optimistically, that at age 71, he is ready to meet that demand. He is a veteran politician, trained to have answers for everything. In reality, while he may have been training for a marathon, he is about to enter a triathlon.

He knows when to say what, and that is why he has been picked by Giuliani, himself a smart "Washington"-type guy that average Americans dislike. A month ago, he did not even know McCain, who was not in his class socially; now they are best friends.

Giuliani lost his chance of winning the nomination, not for lack of money or advertising but over moral issues with conservatives and his questionable financial relationship with the Emir of Qatar, a smart businessman who latched onto one of the top Republicans in America. What does that say about Giuliani? He boasts about 9/11 and being a fighter against terrorism. Forget the intelligence reports; has Giuliani even Googled the Emir to discover his relationship with Ahmadinejad?

The Emir is one of the Iranian regime's closest allies in the Persian Gulf. If Qatar's relationship with Iran does not give Giuliani pause, his claim of Champion Terrorism Fighter smacks of a bogus tactic to get himself on the ballot. Actions speak louder than words, and based on the money he is being paid by the same people he calls terrorists, his actions are deafening.

Giuliani is a gambler, interested not in what is best for America but what is in it for him. Now that his strategy in the Florida primary did not work, he has thrown in with McCain, obviously with an eye on the vice presidency.

My condolences to those Republicans who disliked George W. Bush's policies. Welcome to the new Bush — I am sorry, I meant McCain/ Giuliani presidency.

If you were alarmed by Bush's relieving Iraq from its misery by removing a brutal dictator by force, wait until you see a commander in chief who not only speaks openly as a soldier but also lies on national television. MSNBC analyzed John McCain's words after the Republican debate when he famously said, "If we have to stay in Iraq 100 years, we will." On Jan. 31, 2008, he denied saying that.

If Republicans thought John Kerry was a flip-flopper, shouldn't they be doing the same about John McCain?

There is an expression in Farsi that may help America know who is who. "Those who lie a lot also forget a lot."


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Ghazal Omid is a Shiite Islam scholar and author of the book "Living in Hell," an account of life in Iran as seen through the eyes of a woman. She is an advocate for human rights and especially women's issues in Islam, and is working on two books on political issues related to Islam and the religious foundations for Islamic law. Visit her website www.ghazalomid.com or www.theislam101.com for a discussion of issues in contemporary Islam. Her email address is Ghazal@ghazalomid.com. © Copyright 2008 by Ghazal Omid.