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Press / Media Coverage
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March 2025 -- Highlander Monthly
One Thousand and One Years of Peace Activism in Persia and Iran:
An Unexpected Journey
By: Valerie Wedel
Also published in the Academia Journal (Easier reading PDF format)
Abstract
Brother Moji is a Sufi monk, poet, and peace activist. He has lived in the United States since the 1970's. He was born in Tehran, Iran, or as many prefer to say, Persia.
At the time we met, he had recently returned from a national speaking tour. Brother Moji casually mentioned 1000+ years of peace activism in Persia.
The concept of Persia, or Iran, as working for peace is a foreign one to many Americans. In hopes of bridging understanding across cultures, this article documents 1001+ years of peace activism in Iran, also known as Persia.
One Thousand and One Years of Peace Activism in Persia and Iran – An Unexpected Journey with brother Moji Agha
March 2025 -- Highlander Monthly
By: Valerie Wedel
Brother Moji Agha (his full name is Mojtaba Aghamohamadi) recently joined your writer for tea
and conversation. At the time we met [in February, 2025], he had [relatively] recently returned from a speaking tour; and he wanted to discuss three of his current projects.
[Please see: https://juustwa.org/speakers-
A Sufi monk, poet, and peace activist, he has lived in the United States since the 1970’s. He was born in Tehran, Iran, or as many prefer to say, Persia. He is known as "brother Moji" which is an [unofficial] Sufi religious title. Brother Moji’s poetry is written both in the Persian language and in English.
When meeting with a peace activist, one might expect to hear about adventures in peace activism. Brother Moji’s adventures are many and impressive. What began as a simple interview became a
fascinating journey into a culture many Americans have not had the pleasure to really get to know.
Over the decades, brother Moji has traveled our country, seeding peaceful change and helping to found and encourage groups working towards both local and international peace and social justice. He has written extensively. Along this journey, brother Moji met and has been endorsed by Professor Noam Chomsky. In 2012, he founded the Mossadegh Legacy Institute, with Chomsky as the honorary chairman. He has also been recognized by Desmond Tutu.
Let us visit for a moment with Dr. Mohammad Mossadegh. Revered as a great figure in the country, he has been called the Gandhi of Iran (ref. 6).
Mossadegh was democratically elected Prime Minister of Iran in 1951. He served for only 2 years [because] the United States staged a coup in 1953, deposing [him] and re-installing the Shah of Iran, who would be more “friendly” to the U.S. government. In short, our beloved United States acted like a colonial dictator, toppling a democratically elected and popular [secular] government in a foreign country. The result was decades of suffering and massive loss of life in Iran. The result that [our] government particularly sought was also billions of dollars from Persian oil revenues flowing into our country.
Understandably, Iranian people take a very dim view of the United States staging a coup in their country. Perhaps because of this tragic history, many Americans are unaware of the [long history] of [nonviolent] peace activism in Iran, or Persia. Americans are perhaps more familiar with the “Hollywood” stereotype portrayal of the Iranian people as dangerous and even violent. This turns out to be a tragic [and manufactured] fantasy.
Drinking tea with brother Moji, one realizes that he does not view himself as in any way unusual, in working for both local and international peace. At one point in our conversation, brother Moji casually remarked that Iran, or Persia, has at least 1100+ years of peace [history and] activism. This was surprising for this American to hear. Our meeting became a fascinating and unexpected journey.
Peace activism in Iran/Persia is relatively less known in the U.S. When asking for references to learn more about this, brother Moji mentioned the names of famous Persian poets. For example, Rumi (references 1,2,3). There is another poet he mentioned who is not as well known, Roudaki Samarqandi. His writings apparently remain largely untranslated.
Regarding Rumi, according to Marzeyeh (reference 2),
“Rumi... emphasizes the significance of external peace, which extends beyond individual tranquility to encompass societal harmony, cooperation, and compassion. According to Rumi, external peace results from collective efforts to foster understanding, empathy, and tolerance among diverse communities. It requires a commitment to justice, reconciliation, and nonviolence, as well as a recognition of the interconnectedness of all beings. Rumi’s vision of external peace is inclusive and expansive, encompassing human relationships and our relationship with the natural world and the cosmos at large.”
Rumi, as he is known in the West, was born September 30, 1207 (reference 1). He was born in Balkh Province, Afghanistan, at the eastern edge of the Persian Empire. At this time, Genghis Khan, a name out of legend for many of us, was beginning to sweep across the steppes and conquer Eurasia.
“... Rumi descended from a long line of Islamic jurists, theologians, and mystics, including his father, who was known by followers of Rumi as “Sultan of the Scholars.”
When Rumi was still a young man, his father led their family more than two thousand miles west to avoid the invasion of Genghis Khan’s armies. They settled in present-day Turkey, where Rumi lived and wrote most of his life.” (Reference 1)
Rumi is known as Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Balkhī in Iran. Of his many poems, English translations have become available for some. A recommended book of his poems in English is: The Essential Rumi, translated by C. Barks (reference 3).
There are other great Persian poets as well, for example, Hafiz. These are inspiring poets, even in English translation. Poetry is said to be very difficult to translate!
Hafiz writes of love as a gorgeous and overwhelming source. He writes of divine love, as well as human love. Please see reference 7 for a recommended book of Hafiz’s works translated in English.
To further understand Brother Moji’s stance on 1100+ years of peace activism in Persian culture, we can also explore the amazing long history of Sufism. Some scholars describe sufism as beginning in the century after the death of the Prophet Mohammad. This line of study suggests that Sufism more or less became more organized as a spiritual pathway in the beginning of the 1200’s CE (reference 5).
There is also another line of study that describes the origins of Sufism as being much older, and more culturally diverse:
There is disagreement among religious scholars and Sufis themselves about the origins of Sufism. The traditional view is that Sufism is the mystical school of Islam and had its beginnings in the first centuries following the life of the Prophet Mohammad. Indeed, most Sufis in the world today are Muslim and many of them would consider a not-exclusively-Islamic Sufism impossible.
“There is another view, however, that traces the pre-Islamic roots of Sufism back through the early Christian mystics of Syria and Egypt, to the Essenes, the ancient Pythagorean orders, and the mystery schools of the Egyptians and Zoroastrians, among others. It is these roots that gathered into the trunk known as Islamic Sufism. Sufi Inayat Khan recognized the multi-religious roots of Sufism as well as its
contemporary relevance for people of all faiths. When he was instructed by his teacher in 1907 to bring Sufism to the West, he articulated a "message of spiritual liberty" which reflects the universal, inclusive nature of Sufism. As he noted: "Every age of the world has seen awakened souls, and as it is impossible to limit wisdom to any one period or place, so it is impossible to date the origin of Sufism."
--- excerpt from reference 5, Origins of Sufism
And in the words of Ibn ‘Arabi on sufism:
Garden Among the Flames - Ibn 'Arabi
(translated by Michael Sells)
Wonder,
A garden among the flames!
My heart can take on
Any form:
A meadow for gazelles,
A cloister for monks,
For the idols, sacred ground,
Ka'ba for the circling pilgrim,
the tables for the Torah,
the scrolls of the Qur'an.
My creed is love;
Wherever its caravan turns along the way,
That is my belief,
My faith.
(ref. 5)
Brother Moji Agha indeed walks in a tradition of at least 1100+ years of [nonviolent] Iranian peace
activism! From his bio,
“Compassion, hence love-based justice, is perhaps the foundational pillar of the Islamic--hence Sufi--spiritual tradition,” said Moji Agha, a Boulder, CO-based Sufi Muslim and peace and justice activist with a vow of service and poverty. “Thus, an ideal outcome would be for no one to suffer injustice, let alone be imprisoned unjustly. And further, may the word ‘enemy’ disappear from our human consciousness one day.”
(excerpt, Ref. 6)
Returning to brother Moji’s work on the Mossadegh Legacy Institute, which he founded in 2012:
“... the Mossadegh Legacy Institute is an organization-in-continual-formation which has Professor Noam Chomsky as its honorary Chairman. The Institute has been dedicated to U.S.-Iran understanding and reconciliation, by renewing an interest in Mohammed Mossadegh, the "Gandhi of Iran," the secular and democratically elected former leader of Iran (before he was overthrown in a 1953 CIA coup), who was a proponent/practitioner of nonviolence, along the lines of Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Gandhi. The dream of the [Intersectional] "Circles of Nonviolence" [now called Chambers of Compassion] grew out of this pioneering project--another off-shoot of which is the Abraham's Peace Tent. Brother Moji has also founded the Islam as Nonviolence Education Series, and the International Institute to Study Climate Change in the Islamic World.”
(excerpt from bio, reference 6)
Speaking with brother Moji, we are reminded that Persian history stretches back thousands of years. Iran/Persia developed sophisticated and thriving science, mathematics, engineering, literary traditions, architecture and the arts. And of course, music. All his has been going on for thousands of years, and for at least 2500 years before Islam. And indeed, peace activism has long been part of the culture. From this rich tapestry, brother Moji is simply doings what comes naturally, both to him and to his spiritual path of sufism.
Current projects Brother Moji is developing include:
Chambers of Compassion, Peace-Seeking Iranian Veterans, and a university or college course in what Brother Moji calls “Intersectional Activism.”
Chambers of Compassion
Chambers of Compassion is an evolution from prior projects. Imagine a Chamber of Commerce, for example in your town or city. Businesses come together, and mutually support each other. People looking for information on businesses and services available in a particular city know to contact the Chamber of Commerce. Now imagine something like this for [the civil society and] activist groups.
A hub where people could find and connect with the cornucopia of activist groups springing up locally and nationally. At the present moment, many activist groups tend to be fragmented. Imagine if they could work together, mutually supporting each other, and be more easily found and tapped into by interested people? Imagine if they could recognize common interests, and welcome and benefit all.
While traveling the country in what he affectionately terms the “Nonviolence Mobile,” brother Moji
observed peace activist groups being both splintered and weary. Rather than “yet another meeting,” brother Moji envisions a support system. Hence, “Chambers of Compassion.”. This could also help create [community-supported] funding pipelines. Instead of “competing for crumbs of funding,” as
he put it, through Chambers of Compassion [not-for-profit] sources of funding could be identified
and become more accessible.
Brother Moji also brings in the concept of “civilized dialogue.” He observes that [people in] the U.S. have become polarized, to such an extent [that] some of us are afraid to speak to each other. Imagine different groups with opposing viewpoints coming together, and being able to dialogue and learn from each other. Chambers of Compassion would provide space for these types of events. According to brother Moji, the central tenet of Chambers of Compassion is that it would not be in any way religious or political. It’s only governing goals would be nonviolence and compassion.
There is also something called the 3.5% theory. This states that when at least 3.5% of an area's population gets really engaged [and collaborate], power structures have no choice but to adapt. Brother
Moji believes peace [and civil society] activists include more that 3.5% of our population. But by being
atomized, scattered, separate from each other, the strength of the movement is diluted. When we help unify [the results of the activism of] these disparate [fragmented] groups, [we] would [then see] more meaningful change and healing for our people and country come into being.
Peace-Seeking Iranian Veterans
Peace Seeking Iranian Veterans is also an amazing project. Brother Moji has been holding international meetings via zoom. Being fluent in both English and Persian, he translates in both languages. He is associated with the American group Veterans for Peace. This [involvement] gave him the idea to create an international group that would be inside Iran and also connected to peace groups in America. As Brother Moji puts it,
“...Soldiers who realize they have been used as canon fodder make good peace activists.”
(Personal communication.)
The Director in Iran for this group is Naser Alijani. Naser Alijani trained in management and conflict resolution. He served as technical advisor during the Iran-Iraq war. He has also consulted for many organizations, companies and projects. As of this writing, this group has been holding regularly scheduled bilingual meetings, with brother Moji translating [both ways.]
Brother Moji envisions expanding this pathway to peace to [even] include the Pope and the Vatican,
and other countries. He hopes to bring in Quaker representatives. The larger vision is peace, and to end hostilities in the Middle East, and especially to help weave peace between United States and Iran.
Intersectional Activism
This brings us to the Intersectional Activism, the third project brother Moji is also focused on right now. He envisions a course at the college level. Imagine a 3 credit college course. Students complete 250 hours of activism in any field. Then they document their work with a paper or perhaps other type of presentation. At the graduate level, students would complete 500 hours and produce two research projects. All disciplines can be seen as interconnected. None are truly separate. The idea is to celebrate and strengthen this connection. What can we learn from activism?
Closing thoughts:
Give Voice to the Voiceless.
Keep hope alive!
Brother Moji welcomes all who would like to join these projects. He can be reached at:
moji.agha@gmail.com.
He can also be found online. A quick google search turns up numerous references.
Here is one:
https://charterforcompassion.
References:
1. Poets.org,
https://poets.org/poet/jalal-al-din-rumi
Jalal al-Din Rumi 1207 –1273
Mowlānā Jalāloddin Balkhi, known in Persia as Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Balkhī and in the West as Rumi, was born on September 30, 1207, in Balkh Province, Afghanistan, on the eastern edge of the Persian Empire. Rumi descended from a long line of Islamic jurists, theologians, and mystics, including his father, who was known by followers of Rumi as “Sultan of the Scholars.” When Rumi was still a young man, his father led their family more than two thousand miles west to avoid the invasion of Genghis Khan’s armies. They settled in present-day Turkey, where Rumi lived and wrote most of his life.
2. Marziyeh, May 27, 2024. The Danaa School.
https://school.danaa.app/peace-and-inner-peac/#:~:text=According%20to%20Rumi
%2C%20external%20peace,the%20interconnectedness%20of%20all%20beings.
“Rumi also emphasizes the significance of external peace, which extends beyond individual tranquility to encompass societal harmony, cooperation, and compassion. According to Rumi, external peace results from collective efforts to foster understanding, empathy, and tolerance among diverse communities.
It requires a commitment to justice, reconciliation, and non-violence, as well as a recognition of the
interconnectedness of all beings. Rumi’s vision of external peace is inclusive and expansive, encompassing human relationships and our relationship with the natural world and the cosmos at large.”
3. Rumi. The Essential Rumi. Translations by Coleman Barks. Harper 1, 1995.
This is a collection of Rumi’s poems, translated to English.
4. Norouzi, Arash. The State Department Honors Mossadegh, The Mossadegh Project,
3 March, 2014.
https://www.mohammadmossadegh.com/news/us-state-department/alan-eyre/
5. Origins of Sufism.
https://www.sufiway.org/origins-of-sufism
6. Bio, Moji Agha.
https://natr-peace.blogspot.
On August 12, 2020, in an action organized by the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) Moji Agha joined more than 500 faith leaders, professionals, and institutions across the nation demanding that the U.S. Bureau of Prisons adhere to CDC guidelines. The concluding paragraph of the press release of this "Love Resists" action is quoted in body of article.
7. Hafiz (translated by Daniel Ladensky.) A Year With Hafiz. Penguin Books, 2011.
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