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Also please see further below:
One systematic way that the "Resident Activist" goals (in the context of houses of worship) can be pursued is through active collaboration with the "Intersectional Circle (IC)" of the area.
######
INTERSECTIONAL CIRCLES:
PROJECT DESCRPTION
SUSTAINABLE OVERCOMING OF THE CHRONIC AND SYSTEMIC FRAGMENTATION OF THE U.S. CIVIL SOCIETY:
A Systemic Methodology for Freeing Movement-building From the
Boom and Bust Cycle of
Crisis- or Issue-Dependency
Intersectional Circles (IC) i.e., "Chamber of Commerce" Movement of Movements Initiative
Submitted (in deep respect and love) for the Consideration of
Senator Bernie Sanders
By: Moji Agha (in Boulder, Colorado)
July 29, 2020
Contact Info: moji.agha@gmail.com
Mini-Bio: https://www.laprogressive.com/author/moji-agha/
ORIGINAL EMAIL TO BERNIE SANDERS -- Updated and re-sent July 29, 2020
From: Moji Agha <moji.agha@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Jul 27, 2020 at 2:21 PM
Subject: For Bernie ("Mossadegh of
America") RE Intersectional Circles, Culture-analysis, Iran peace, etc
To: b...@...com
Greetings and Salaams, in peace and justice, to the VERY dear Senator Bernard Sanders—the "Mossadegh of America."
Per our very brief phone conversation of July 27th,
this is Moji Agha (a.k.a. “brother Moji” -- due to me being a sufi
"monk" or dervish) from Boulder, Colorado.
1- I am immensely honored (and humbled) that the other day I was finally able to reach you "in person" (on the phone--although it was only for 6 short minutes, so I could not express a lot that needed to be said); and I cannot express in words my immense gratitude and deep respect for the unique kind of inspiring-light-to-humanity your life of tireless service has been, much like the life of the late Dr. Mohammad Mossadegh (the "Gandhi of Iran") and also Professors Noam Chomsky, Cornel West, Erica Chenoweth, and Richard Falk who have (among other great beings) bestowed honor upon the herein project by their gracious endorsements—please see below.
2- Thus, as promised, below (in the PS) please find a self-explanatory summary of the herein-outlined "intersectional Circles" (IC) initiative.
3- And conceptually related to the IC effort, there is a more theoretical project (in a "praxis" sense) that I started in 2004 at the University of Arizona’s Africana Studies department, called the "Culture-analysis" initiative, a.k.a., Project on Culture and Conflict (please see Prof. Chomsky's second endorsement statement, below), but I am not including it herein for the sake of brevity.
4- Also not included in this document, I have an "Iran Peace Project," in order to encourage and facilitate the return of the U.S. to the "Iran Nuclear Agreement" (moving our country toward a sane foreign policy) under hopefully an upcoming Biden Administration, on which I am currently working in conjunction with several staff members of Congressman Joe Neguse, who is the (progressive?) representative of my district here in Northern Colorado. The honorary endorsers of the U.S. - Iran peace petition (part of this project) are Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Professors Noam Chomsky and Cornel West, among other champions of humanity. Needless to say, if you are interested in receiving some information about this peace-building effort, your wish is my command.
5- Thus, I look eagerly forward to the continued honor of
learning from and collaborating with you (and colleagues), so that life may
have a chance on our "tiny blue
dot" after we pass on; I am a 62-year-old recent retiree, and an
associate member of the Veterans For Peace. And I will patiently await hearing from you--or your
colleagues--regarding the above/below.
Peace and justice on a thriving (not
traumatized) Grandmother Earth,
Moji Agha (in Boulder, Colorado)
My mini-bio (in need of updating) and some of my English language "Berniesque" essays: https://www.laprogressive.com/author/moji-agha/
PS: Intersectional Circles (IC) Initiative: Summary Mission Statement
INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND
The Intersectional Circles
(IC) Initiative is where nonviolent community action embraces mutually
beneficial integrated cooperation. The IC was originally called the
"Circles of Nonviolence/ Community Collaboratives" Initiative: https://charterforcompassion.
STRUCTURE, PURPOSE, AND METHOD
We try to build, initially locally (and later on regionally, nationally, and
eventually globally) an integrated infrastructure for systemic collaboration
across various community-rooted civil society causes and struggles, i.e., we
try to "defrag" our presently highly fragmented civil society.
Whereas huge (often greedy) corporations have been savvy enough to build the institution of "Chambers of Commerce" for the purpose of nurturing SYSTEMIC COLLABORATION ACROSS INDUSTRY/BUSINESS (despite the fact that these corporations compete with each other) We the People need to build "Intersectional Circles" for SYSTEMIC COLLABORATION ACROSS CAUSE, i.e., peace, justice, democracy, human rights, Earth protection, etc.
CHAMBER OF COMPASSION
In other words, in the same way that “Chambers of Commerce” do not produce or offer any product or service of their own, our "Intersectional Circles" (IC) do not promote or favor any particular civil society cause, so that the IC can be an unbiased “agenda-free” welcoming infrastructure, the Chamber of Compassion (if you will), for un-selfish systemic collaboration across the various struggles and causes that have been mentioned (as examples) above.
Thus, to begin with, persons and groups come together to form their local area's Intersectional Circle (IC), in order to begin the process of realizing a diversity-preserving not-for-profit movement of movements, for authentically sustainable transformation toward true civility on our deeply distressed Grandmother Earth.
CRITICAL MASS FOR AUTHENTIC TRANSFORMATION
Thus, the aim of what we do is not to organize politically (or ideologically), although participants in the Intersectional Circles Initiative may have (and independently practice) their own political (or even ideological) views, inclinations, and actions. Hence, we believe that once the civil society is organized in a communally rigorous manner (in a sense “pre-politically”) the critical mass that is needed for authentic transformations (including at the public policy level) will inevitably develop. And such a critical mass will organically find its own healthy way of democratic political organizing; evidenced for example, by the presidential campaigns of Senator Bernie Sanders in 2016 and 2020.
MORE INFO / CONTACT
For more information and details, please see this web page: https://charterforcompassion.
Statements of Endorsement and Support
- Prof. Cornel West
Dear Moji, Your work sounds good my
dear brother! I do support you and your projects in all forms, including
the "Intersectional Circles (IC)" Initiative. Stay
strong! (Jan. 18, 2017)
-------------------
- Prof. Noam Chomsky
I have been most impressed with the
initiatives of Moji Agha, especially as he has been developing the
comprehensive "Intersectional Circles (IC)" Initiative,
with efforts to engage people to undertake the tasks that must be addressed
with dedication and commitment, if there are to be hopes of decent survival.
And I am pleased to endorse these very valuable policies and
actions. (Aug. 3, 2016)
Dear Moji...I hope you won’t abandon this endeavor [culture-analysis], which is a promising one, because of my inability to participate in any useful way, the consequence of extremely intense demands, which prevent me from doing a fraction of what I would like...These are imaginative ideas, and I hope they can be pursued. (Jan. 11, 2018)
-------------------
On Fri, Nov 16, 2018
at 3:20 AM Richard Falk <...> wrote:
Dear Moji Agha:
I am honored that you would think of me in this way…glad to endorse...I have been traveling with a difficult schedule, hence, the delayed response. Please forgive me.
Warm greetings,
Richard
------------------
On Tue, Jun 23, 2020
at 1:13 AM John Nichols <...> wrote:
Brother Moji:
Your proposal to
establish "Intersectional Circles" as a sort of "Chamber of
Commerce" for progressive causes is innovative and intriguing. I wish you
well in your endeavors.
Solidarity,
JOHN NICHOLS
The Nation
Excerpted from:c) The Abraham's Peace Tent (APT) Project:
Envisioned ALSO for the rural areas of "America."
Proposed by: Moji Agha (Mojtaba Aghamohammadi)
Initial draft: Sunday, April 24, 2016 / Globe, Arizona, U.S.
STATEMENT OF MISSION AND PURPOSE FOR ABRAHAM'S PEACE TENT (APT)
Structure:
Abraham's Peace Tent (APT) is a project initiated and adopted by the [local Circle/Collaborative that gives birth to it--in this case by the] Circle of Nonviolence/Community Collaborative of the Oak Flat/San Carlos Region. Thus, we hope that this FIRST "Tent" would soon begin to manifest in reality in the Globe/Miami area of East Central Arizona.
Primary mission and purpose:An interfaith (and also secular) house of worship--namely a sacred place for coming together of those who care for Truth, the Abraham's Peace Tent (APT) project is a collaborative non-profit community effort to promote, safeguard, and advance religious-spiritual (and cultural) understanding and collaboration for peace.
Abraham's Peace Tent's primary mission and purpose is to nonviolently do all that is possible (especially in genuine collaboration among all well-meaning lovers of authentic peace) in order to found and maintain an interfaithful house of worship and (also secular) gathering place for genuine peace in each (especially rural) community in which it comes to manifestation.The initial function of such a “Tent” would be to house a sacred space in which the weekly worship services (i.e., Islamic Friday afternoon Communal Prayers, Jewish Sabbath, and Christian Sunday Worship) of the major three Abrahamic religions, namely Christianity, Judaism, and Islam are held regularly under one roof, thus affirming that the Divine loves and is present, even in “the other” -- Saying: "ENOUGH VIOLENCE!" especially in the name of Abraham's children.In time, Abraham's Peace Tent (APT) would offer its space, free of charge, so that:a) Other religious/spiritual communities in the area (such as Buddhist, Hindu, Native, etc.) would also be welcomed to perform their communal worship gatherings, as the "unity-in-diversity" sisters and brothers of our Abrahamic Peace Tent.b) Interfaith and intercultural gatherings (and other appropriate community meetings--even gatherings of those who do not believe in "God") would have a welcoming home in the area. For example [in this case the] APT could become the preferred place for the meetings of its mother initiative (and of her initiated projects), namely the Circle of Nonviolence/Community Collaborative of the Oak Flat/San Carlos Region."If we build it, they will come."We sincerely believe that if we create [in this case] such a small and simple Abraham's Peace Tent (APT) here in the Globe/Miami area of East-Central Arizona, this profound act of devotion and service (in nonviolence--as the only way to counter violence) would become a model for similar relatively small rural communities regionally, nationally, and even globally (and thus it would receive attention and praise) toward the manifestation of authentic healing of our deeply wounded Mother Earth.
