Wednesday, September 27, 2023

HOME PAGE (Basic Info) / PEACE AND TRUTH HEALS (PATH) *** All pages of this site are updated as needed.

us, we say: Peace And Truth Heals (PATH).

You are HERE  >>>  PATH's Home Page  


FALL 2024 UPDATE


Phase Three of the PATH/Chambers of Compassion Speaking Tour--also on Zoom: 

https://natr-peace.blogspot.com/p/phase-three.html


>>> To go to the Chambers of Compassion's step-by-step 

procedures page, click here: 

https://natr-peace.blogspot.com/p/chambers-of-compassion-how-they-work.html


WHAT YOU FIND BELOW

Basic info, the PATH project summary (including the Chambers of Compassion, and the THREE GOALS of PATH), the initiative's two-part DIRECTORYits Related Initiatives, and the link to its Special Endorsements page, as well as to Moji Agha's biography, and more information and context, are All below.

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CONTACT: Moji Agha

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NOTE: To go to the Chambers of Compassion (Intersectional Circles) Implementation Process page (created on June 24, 2024), click on this link: 

https://natr-peace.blogspot.com/p/chambers-of-compassion-implementation.html


PEACE AND TRUTH HEALS (PATH) INITIATIVE 

AND SPEAKING TOUR'S THREE COMPONENTS:  

1- Chambers of Compassion 
(Intersectional Circles) 

2- Native/American Truth and Reconciliation (NATR Tents)

3- Iranian  Nonviolence (Un-demonization Clubs) 

>>>  Also see "Our Worship, Your House" initiative in the "THREE GOALS" (and the "Three Presentations" of PATH) of this site--linked below. 

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NOTE: Go to THIS page to see what Prof. Noam Chomsky, Prof. Richard Falk, and other "special endorsers" say about PATH.

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SUMMARY

Peace And Truth Heals (PATH) including the Chambers of Compassion initiative (see the DIRECTORY sections, below) is a peace-building educational speaking tour of Western U.S. and Canada, by Moji Agha (an Iranian-American sufi "monk" or dervish) driving his "nonviolence mobile."  

The talks and Q & A segments of this journey of civility (that begins in 2024) are hosted by many civil society groups and spiritual congregations, including Unitarian Universalist (UU) churches or fellowships. The dialogue-based truth-telling of PATH's "decolonization" drive aims to foster peace and nonviolence, as well as systemic "intersectional" collaborative civil society movement-building.


CHAMBERS OF COMPASSION PURPOSE IN A CAPSULE

Whereas for-profit corporations and industries have "Chambers of Commerce" (that are called the same everywhere) for the purpose of building systemic collaboration and geographic coordination, the purpose of our strictly not-for-profit "Chambers of Compassion" is to build a similar kind of systemic synergy for the not-for-profit nonviolent civil society of every community, guided by the core value of compassion.   

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The "No Honorarium" Note


Given brother Moji's vow of service and poverty as a sufi "monk" or dervish, he does not ask for an honorarium, but will gladly and gratefully accept donations to cover his travel expenses.  If/when free-spirited donations are made to help support this difficult peace-building effort, brother Moji would prefer a portion of such "civility-building" contributions to become a small revenue source, especially for the social justice components of the civil society or spiritual groups that host (or co-host) his presentations.   

Brother Moji would also welcome homestays for his time on the PATH speaking tour, in part for the purpose of becoming a bit familiar with the communities that host his presentations -- as a result of which he hopes "Intersectional Circles" (as well as "NATR Tents" and "Un-demonization Clubs" -- see above and below) would be born in many locations.  

NOTE: The various pages of this two-part Directory will be modified/updated as the initiative evolves.  


DIRECTORY -- Its section 2 is below.


SECTION ONE: 

DIRECTORY OF THE PATH INITIATIVE'S INTENDED DESTINATIONS -- which may evolve as needed: 

- Click THIS PAGE  for the Warm-up Phase of the PATH Speaking Tour 

(Prior to late April of 2024)  

- Click HERE for Phase One

- Click HERE for Phase Two 

- Click HERE for Phase Three 


- Click this Beyond Phase Three page (which has an outline of PATH's THREE GOALS) for a summary of the active implementation steps of the Peace And Truth Heals (PATH) Initiative, which is a peace-building journey by Moji Agha, who will continue to drive his own (privately owned) "nonviolence mobile" that will be "retired" near the end of the tour's Phase One in May of 2024.

However, this "peace pilgrim" effort will continue (starting in the Summer of 2024) in a "younger" more eco-friendly community-owned 

Nonviolence/PATH Mobile -- please see the link to its page below, in the Section Two of this DIRECTORY.    

NOTE: 

To go to the Chambers of Compassion (Intersectional Circles) Implementation Process page (created on June 24, 2024), click on this link: 

https://natr-peace.blogspot.com/p/chambers-of-compassion-implementation.html


The Overall Organizing Objective of PATH

Encouraging the formation, in each community, of the following: 

a) An Un-demonization Club--flowing out of the Iranian Nonviolence Initiative, and b) A NATR Tent (resulting from the Native/American Truth and Reconciliation Initiative) which would then (hopefully) collaborate systematically within the Intersectional Circle (IC) of the area.  

Methodology

Run by interested local volunteers who are deeply committed to nonviolent struggle, such independently functioning strictly not-for-profit ICs, Tents, and Clubs will be incubated (and hosted) free of charge, within the appropriate churches or civil society groups that exist in the area.  

NOTE: For an introductory summary profile (including the goals) of our "PATH" educational peace-building speaking tour, and to see the summary biography of brother Moji, please see THIS PAGE in the organizational website of JUUstice Washington, which is the Unitarian Universalist State Action Network in Washington State. 


MORE BASIC INFO

Peace And Truth Heals (PATH) Speaking Tour and Initiative:

- Chambers of Compassion (Intersectional Circles);

- Native/American Truth and  Reconciliation (NATR); and 

- Iranian Nonviolence

By: Moji Agha (Mojtaba Aghamohammadi), driving his "fragile nonviolence mobile." 

PATH is an educational, collaborative, movement-building, and dialogue-centered (talk and Q & A) speaking tour; see its "3 presentations" section immediately below. 

This journey of peace (see below) travels through the Western regions of the U.S. and Canada, and its Phase One is expected to formally commence with Moji Agha's 2-hour main presentation in Boulder or Denver, Colorado, on May 1, 2024.  >>>  See the Directory (section one), above.  

The PATH initiative's hope is that this "effort of the heart" would help to pave the "PATH" of genuine healing of all, through peace and truth, on our deeply traumatized Grandmother Earth.  


SUMMARY OF THE PATH SPEAKING TOUR  -- thru the end of Phase 2, above


1- Number of Presentations (talks, teach-ins, and "un-sermons")

35 PRESENTATIONS -- mostly in person and some on Zoom.

These presentations by Moji Agha have been held during the initial phases of PATH (Peace And Truth Heals) speaking tour and movement of movement-building initiative (see DIRECTORY: https://natr-peace.blogspot.com/; while travelling in the "nonviolence mobile" through Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Washington (state), and British Columbia, Canada. 
 
2- Estimated Total Number of Participants: About 500 persons--about 100 on Zoom


3- Hosts/Co-hosts

Hosts or Co-hosts of the PATH/Chambers of Compassion Talks and "Un-sermons" by Moji Agha: 

- Three peace and justice centers; 3 Veterans For Peace (VFP) Chapters; 
Northwest Interfaith / Charter for Compassion Environment Sector; 1 United Church of Canada peace and justice component (in Langley, British Columbia, Canada); 

1 Code Pink chapter--in development; Lutheran Campus Ministry and 1 high school class in Missoula, Montana; 8 Unitarian Universalist congregations; 2 Quaker Congregations; 2 Mennonite congregations; 1 United Methodist Church; 5 United Church of Christ (UCC) congregations; and an affiliate (pod, in development) of the Jewish Voice of Peace (JVP) in Helena, Montana.    


THE SPEAKING TOUR'S 3 PRESENTATIONS

At various times and locations throughout this speaking tour (see its two-part Directory, above and below) Moji Agha's talks will take the form of one or more of the following 3 presentations in any given area, as possible and desired: 

a) The tour's two-hour main presentation, namely an introductory talk followed by an extensive Q & A segment, intended for the general community. Brother Moji will start such gatherings with a half-hour introduction to the three core topics around which this PATH speaking tour has been organized, namely: Iranian Nonviolence (Un-demonization Clubs), Native/American Truth and Reconciliation (NATR Tents), and Intersectional Circles (Chambers of Compassion) initiatives. 

b) Wherever possible and desired, a three-hour workshop/teach-in, intended for the more activist-oriented members of the community, and of the participating civil society groups or spiritual congregations--see above and below. In these more in-depth interactive gatherings the speaking tour's above-mentioned 3 topics will be explored a bit more extensively, as permitted by time.          

c) Wherever possible and desired, when the speaking tour brings brother Moji to an area's UU congregation (or other open-minded church or spiritual group) on a Sunday, he has offered to give a sunday service-type Sufism-informed (in part) "un-sermon" covering the general topic of the spiritual and moral/ethical dimensions of nonviolent "civility" activism. 

DIRECTORY


SECTION TWO: DIRECTORY OF THE PATH'S RELATED SUB-PAGES

NOTE: To go to the Chambers of Compassion (Intersectional Circles) Implementation Process page (created on June 24, 2024), click on this link: 

https://natr-peace.blogspot.com/p/chambers-of-compassion-implementation.html


- Click THIS PAGE for the PATH Initiative's slowly developing page

that lists our Organizational Allies. 


- Click THIS PAGE to see the PATH-inspired 

local nonviolent community initiatives.   


- Click THIS PAGE to see the "Nonviolence / PATH Mobile" page.


- Click HERE to see the page that outlines: 

a) About a dozen UU (and related) letters of introduction and support (2013 to 2024) for PATH and its previous speaking tours--including some background; and, 

b) The history of the more than 15 Unitarian Universalist (UU) Congregations in the Western States of the U.S. that hosted (between 2013 and 2023) the "Peace Pilgrim" talks of PATH's Founder, brother Moji Agha. 

- Click HERE to read an analytical essay (containing a historical review) by Moji Agha, of the events immediately following the June of 2009 electoral coup in Iran, resulting in the Green Movement--a nonviolent uprising that was subsequently crushed.  

>>

Go to THIS page for PATH's "special endorsement" statements

>>

- Click HERE for a relatively detailed biography of Moji Agha that also includes a summary bio.

PHOTOS: 

Day One of a March of 2003 (Tucson, Arizona) Iraq War 24/7 peace vigil that brother Moji founded--more info in the above-linked biography page.


2015



SAMPLE TALKS BY MOJI AGHA 

1- In the beginning of THIS "peace-building" 2015 sunday service (on YouTube) you can hear/see a more complete introduction of brother Moji's background, before he begins his 35-minute Easter "un-sermon" entitled:  There is NO "Other" at the Unitarian Universalist (UU) Church in Glendale (West of Phoenix), Arizona.  

2- Moji Agha's peace-building "Intersectional Circles" presentation (minutes 12 to 35) at a meeting of the Progressive Democrats of America chapter in the Phoenix area, Arizona, U.S. (Summer of 2017) SEE HERE.

For more (and recent) sample talks by Moji Agha, please see his 

above-linked biography page. 
 
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Special Announcement

2023 Nobel Peace Prize AWARD CEREMONY

(Oslo, Norway--Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023)


AWARDED TO: Ms. Narges Mohammadi, a BRAVE Iranian woman leader of Iran's nonviolent struggle for freedom from "internal despotism and external colonialism" (per Dr. Mossadegh) who is imprisoned currently in the notorious Evin Prison in the Iranian Capital City of Tehran, in part for her courageous nonviolent leadership (from inside prison--similar to Nelson Mandela) of the "women, life, freedom" uprising; see THIS Al Jazeera, English report.  
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NOTE: This effort's Date of Birth is 

September 27, 2023

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Related Initiatives 

S.1723: TRUTH AND HEALING COMMISSION ON INDIAN BOARDING SCHOOL POLICIES ACT -- CLICK HERE.

The Latest on the Truth and Healing Act

CLICK HERE.


>>>  Related Congressional Hearing -- May 12, 2022 


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The National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition (NABS) -- CLICK HERE. 


The Unitarian "Indian" Boarding Schools and the WA Interfaith Response to the Burials (and Statement, at the bottom of the page) July 27, 2021 
>>> See THIS PAGE


EXCERPT  >>>  "...Finally, we know that a radical shift must occur in our own theologies as we seek to repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery and the way Christianity has been used [collectively unconsciously] to justify colonialism, domination, slavery, and genocide of indigenous people..." 

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A self-explanatory excerpt of brother Moji Agha's bio, regarding a part of his activism at Standing Rock: 


Brother Moji--speaking immediately after Dr. West at the Sacred Fire

In the late Fall of 2016 brother Moji Agha joined with the Standing Rock Water Keepers "DAPL" uprising for almost two months. 
Here is an online news report in which he is featured as an interfaith leader, and he SPOKE immediately after Prof. Cornel West; and here is a VIDEO of the same event, see the first 8 minutes, in particular.  

And additionally, HERE is a short video clip of brother Moji's brief talk on Nov. 28, 2016 at a Community Forum on Standing Rock at the main branch of the public library in Bismarck, North Dakota

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Related initiatives--founded by Moji Agha: 


1- Native/American Truth and Reconciliation (NATR) Initiative -- Click THIS page >> See above: NATR Clubs

Please note that this site -- created in January of 2017 -- can no longer be updated, unfortunately; due to apparently unresolvable technical reasons. Hence, its "contact info" (except the email address) is old, thus incorrect. Also, SOME of the other info and links (to other pages) that are found in the site, may not function or be up to date. 
Contact Moji Agha (moji.agha@gmail.com) for updated information.     

>>>

Please also note (in particular) the above-linked NATR Initiative's Standing Rock inspired STATEMENT OF MORAL/ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITY: 
A Needed Preamble (January 2017)

For obvious moral/ethical and historical reasons, we believe that the initial impetus and demand for the herein envisioned "truth and reconciliation" drive should emerge from, and be substantively moved forward by, the morally sensitive "whites" especially in the U.S., in a similar way that "white" South Africans (whose consciences were becoming increasingly awake) finally accepted the moral/ethical responsibility of saying NO to Apartheid; and hence they placed themselves in the forefront of the Truth and Reconciliation process in South Africa, stretching their pleading hands toward "blacks" (and other civility actors) requesting their collaborative participation. It is in this way that such a glorious (and living) chapter in the civilizing history of nonviolence was written, through the profoundly healing collaboration of the perpetrators and the victims. 

In other words, what this potentially historic NATR initiative seeks should never become (or be allowed to be seen) as "yet another Indian grievance." 

Thus, at an appropriate time (and after the necessary dialogues and consultations) our initiative will obviously need to FORMALLY seek the Blessing, approval, guidance, and active collaborative participation of the Native Leaders/Elders (and their communities) whose moral/ethical/spiritual civilizing guidance will (in particular) be integrally indispensable to the genuine healing (of the oppressed as well as the oppressors) that this history-making undertaking for authentic peace and justice shall (hopefully) bring to authentic manifestation.  


2- Intersectional Circles (IC) Initiative

Chambers of Compassion >>> See THIS (IC) site, and within it 

note the link to the Culture-analysis Institute.   

Related to IC 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.        


3- Iranian Nonviolence Initiative

See above: Un-demonization Clubs >>> See THIS site.

Please note that this initiative is currently suspended, due to the harsh security conditions inside Iran. 

HOME PAGE (Basic Info) / PEACE AND TRUTH HEALS (PATH) *** All pages of this site are updated as needed.

us, we say: Peace And Truth Heals (PATH). You are  HERE   >>>     PATH's  Home Page    FALL 2024 UPDATE Phase Three of the PAT...