Wednesday, July 29, 2020

HOME -- The Chamber of Compassion (Compassion Exchange) ** INTERSECTIONAL CIRCLES


NOAM CHOMSKY -- June 14, 2023: 

"...[T]he...activism of mostly young people...[is]...splintered, but it [has] left a major imprint...It [has] civilized the society in many ways...Well, that’s the effect of [authentic activism]... It's not a  movement [of movements, however,  because] it’s...scattered...all over the place..." 


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An October 2023 Update


Please note the following related effort: PATH (Peace And Truth Heals) >> https://natr-peace.blogspot.com/, a movement-building educational speaking tour in 2024 by Moji Agha, talking about Iranian Nonviolence, Native/American Truth and Reconciliation (NATR), and Intersectional Circles. 

An August 2022 Update 

Highly related to the Intersectional Circles (IC) Initiative--the Chamber of Compassion--please see this page: Culture-analysis Institute Concept / Project >> https://culture-analysis.blogspot.com/.

RELATEDLY please see: 

Compassion Compact (CC) -- March 25, 2024

Compassion Compact or Confluence (CC) is envisioned as an integrated ecosystem of mutually deep-caring rights and responsibilities, in which the systemic interconnection of social, politico-economic (and military-security), cultural-artistic, religio-spiritual, scientific-technological, and of course climate-ecological factors are fully recognized (and appreciated) both in theory and especially in intersectional compassionate nonviolent action.  

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BACKGROUND PAGE--Somewhat summarized:



NOTE: 
For the original (2015) FULL contents of this Chomsky-endorsed  "Intersectional Circles" initiative please see this page: 

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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



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CIVIL SOCIETY COOKIES 

- Could this literal dream of brother Moji Agha be able to help fund the
INTERSECTIONAL CIRCLES of various regions? >> Somewhat similar to the "Girl Scout Cookies." 

Please see the "civil society cookies" section (in Moji's email to Prof. Noam Chomsky, below--added October 23, 2021), immediately following several statements of endorsement and support for the herein-summarized "Chamber of Compassion" Intersectional Circles (IC) Initiative, including those kindly issued by Professors Noam Chomsky, Cornel West, Richard Falk, and Erica Chenoweth, as well as the one by the Nation Magazine's John Nichols. 

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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)

moji.agha@gmail.com

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.org/sector-partners/partners-a-e/circles-of-nonviolence-community.html -- Search in this web page, in particular, to find its "CHAMBER OF COMMERCE" analogy segment. Per below, this DREAM has the honor of being endorsed by big DREAMERS like Noam Chomsky, Cornel West, and other lights to humanity.

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.org/sector-partners/partners-a-e/circles-of-nonviolence-community.html and contact Moji Agha (IC Initiative's founder) at moji.agha@gmail.com; and to see his mini-bio, please go to this link: https://www.laprogressive.com/author/moji-agha/.

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) 

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- 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) 

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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

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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

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 From: Erica Chenoweth [Now teaching at Harvard University] 
Date: Tue, Apr 18, 2017 at 2:38 PM 
Subject: Re: Circles of Nonviolence/Community Collaborative Movement of Movements Initiative 
To: Moji Agha 

Dear Moji, 

Here is my endorsement for your Circles initiative: 

At no time in recorded history has the world been more prepared to embrace nonviolence. I am eager to see the emergence of a "movement of movements" that embraces nonviolent methods of global change in a spirit of collaboration and community. The Circles of Nonviolence initiative [now called the Intersectional Circles Initiative] certainly embodies these ideals and provides a useful platform for uniting communities in and through nonviolence. 

Best wishes, 

Erica 
-- 
Erica Chenoweth Professor, Center for International Security and Diplomacy and Associate Dean for Research School of International Studies | University of Denver 
http://www.ericachenoweth.com/ 
http://politicalviolenceataglance.org/ 
http://rationalinsurgent.com/

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INTERSECTIONALLY RELATED PROJECTS: 

The following initiatives are examples of the kind of inherently collaborative projects that can potentially be pursued or assisted by the Intersectional Circles (IC) initiative:         

Iranian Nonviolence (IN) Initiative: 

Native/American Truth and Reconciliation(NATR) Initiative: 

Abraham's Peace Tent dream, please see Section 3 (subsections a, b, and c) herein: 

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October 23, 2021

LETTER TO PROF. NOAM CHOMSKY: 

My CIVIL SOCIETY COOKIES (literal dream) may be able to help fund INTERSECTIONAL CIRCLES? -- somewhat similar to "Girl Scout Cookies." 

Dear Prof. Chomsky, 

Greetings in peace, justice, and sustainability, again from Colorado. 

1- Over the past (now) almost two decades, my many Iran peace/democracy 
and civil society/Earth activism initiatives have been deeply honored by your immensely kind guidance and support--including the INTERSECTIONAL CIRCLES theory-praxis effort, summarized above. 

2- This is why you are the very first light-to-civility fellow being whom I am approaching (via this humble email) to see what you think about the idea of this CIVIL SOCIETY COOKIES dream, from which I woke up this morning, almost laughing--but please note, this is NOT a joke.

3- What I remember from this strange "dream within another dream" (thanks to the note I scribbled after finally waking up), is the following: 

a- In the deeper dream I was going down the lanes of a cookie factory (resembling a storage space facility) and was delighted--like a child--that I was able to open the doors and eat the low-sugar cookies that were neatly stacked inside. This is while I felt guilty about the fact that I had not paid for such "tea biscuits" (the only cookies that in waking reality I am allowed to eat as a type-2 diabetic), and was aware of my feeling of mild worry about causing my blood sugar to go high--but I kept on eating the cookies! ๐Ÿ˜Š

b) Then I thought I had "woken up" from the dream, and found myself in an apartment into which I had just moved (the "first day" of my moving in--my socks and t-shirts, etc. scattered all over the floor), and was planning some kind a "zoom-type" gathering of folks interested in producing, as a not-for-profit project, CIVIL SOCIETY COOKIES that would help fund INTEGRATED grassroots civil society activist groups and movements (such as the INTERSECTIONAL CIRCLES--per above) somewhat similar to "Girl Scout Cookies." 

c) Somehow this virtual meeting became a real meeting, as I remember people were coming in--to my mild surprise--so I was apologizing to the ones gathered (about 15 or so) for the mess in my "just moved in" apartment. And as I was looking for a "proper shirt" to wear, I was listening to a middle-aged white lady talk about climate change organizing regarding scarce fresh water resources (I am Iranian-American), while waiting to welcome people and explaining to them that "real function" of the "civil society cookies" is to help "organize the civil society as whole," and not just "environmental issues."  I think I actually woke up then, as I had picked from the floor and was putting on a "respectable" white shirt. Needless to say, I was smiling, as I rushed to my desk to take notes of this "double decker" civil society activism dream. ๐Ÿ˜Š                   

4- And since this "civil society cookies" dream, in order to possibly make such "civilizing" cookies a reality, I have been thinking about bringing all this to the attention of Bernie Sanders (with obvious Ben and Jerry's connections) as well as AOC.

5- But, given your proven cookies-loving master organizer theory-praxis expertise, you are my obvious first choice for seeking peace and justice advice--and possible endorsement. ๐Ÿ˜Š         

Thank you.

With deep love and respect,
         
Moji Agha 
moji.agha@gmail.com 

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Excerpt: 
One systematic way that the "Resident Activist" goal 
can be pursued is through active collaboration with 
the "Intersectional Circle (IC)" initiative. 


The "Resident Activist" Dream: Initial Draft Outline of its Basic Ideas

Proposed by: Moji Agha
May 11, 2018 
 
CONCEPT:

Conceptually, having a "Resident Activist" position/function within a progressive (but still mainstream) church is analogous to the familiar tradition of having "Resident Artist" positions (i.e., Resident Visual Artist, Resident Writer, Resident Poet, Resident Historian/Archivist, etc.) in artistic or cultural organizations. By having such a "Resident " position, such organizations help to support the work of the artist(s), etc. that  they choose to help/develop. Such a position usually provides the Resident Artist, etc. with work space, equipment, and support (and at times living space on or off the organization's physical grounds) and sometimes s/he is given a usually small living allowance or stipend.  

OUTLINE OF THE BASIC PURPOSES AND FUNCTIONS: INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL

This kind of "Resident Activist" would exist/work INTEGRALLY WITHIN (but not officially part of) progressive but still mainstream churches in a given community. 
 
The basic purpose of such a person/office would be to foster "systemic collaboration" among the presently fragmented grassroots causes or actions that:

a) Exist (actually or potentially) within the particular church/congregation that chooses to host a "Resident Activist" position/office, 
and
b) Exist (actually or potentially) within various churches/congregations in the community, for example in the greater Boulder/Denver area, but that previous to having Resident Activist (s), such causes or actions are practiced with limited collaboration (if at all) i.e., functioning in systemic fragmentation and/or in negative competition--hence not being effective in achieving their desired goals for real and meaningful change.  

In fact the dream is to have "Resident Activist" positions (who help foster effective social transformation toward what Jesus Christ called "Love thy neighbors...[and] enemies") within and among as many progressive (but still mainstream) churches as it is possible; thus encouraging such "Christian" houses of worship (at first) to become more activist-oriented through (preferably systemic) authentic collaboration, rather than such churches pursuing their well-intentioned grass-roots causes or actions:
 
i) In negative competition with one another,
and/or 
ii) As the kind of very limited "interfaith collaboration" that usually occurs only at the level of the lowest common denominator that such houses of worship can agree upon (i.e., usually to prevent theological conflicts) for example helping the poor, hungry, etc.

THE LARGER GOAL

By far the most significant goal of the "Resident Activist" dream is to eventually bridge the huge (and destructive) gulf that currently separates our divided-and-conquered "civil society" into "religious" and "non-religious" camps, while the issues (for example climate change, gross economic and social disparities, social/racial narcissism, militarism, etc.) affect everyone, regardless of their faith(s) or lack there of.

One systematic way that such a goal can be pursued is through active collaboration of the Resident Activist(s) with the "Intersectionality Circle (IC)" of the area. 

For more info please see the info presented above, and this "Charter for Compassion" page: https://charterforcompassion.org/sector-partners/partners-a-e/circles-of-nonviolence-community.html.    

DISCLAIMER 

As mentioned above, the "Resident Activist" person/office would function INTEGRALLY WITHIN the given church/congregation, but is NOT PART of the "church office." 

The reason for such a crucial distinction is to protect (not just the extremely important independence of such church-based "Resident Activist" positions/offices, but also) the non-profit tax-exempt status of churches, which is a reflection of the deeply valuable (and increasingly in need of protection) ethos and practices of the "separation of church and state" in the U.S. Constitution and related laws and regulations.  

Thus, the healthy-distance-coexistence of the "Resident Activist" vis-a-vis the "officialdom" of the church in which it is based can be achieved relatively easily through a HIGHLY VISIBLE "disclaimer statement" that would say (in proper legally and theologically perfected language) something to this effect:

The views and activities of the Resident Activist component of this church do not necessarily reflect the views and activities of our congregation's administration or our clergy. 

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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. 

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HOME -- The Chamber of Compassion (Compassion Exchange) ** INTERSECTIONAL CIRCLES

NOAM CHOMSKY -- June 14, 2023:  "...[T]he...activism of mostly young people...[is]...splintered, but it [has] left a major imprint... I...