History of UCIIKA's Organizational Formation

By: Moji Agha
July 1, 2002
Tucson, Arizona

The Universal Coalition for Interfaith and Intercultural Knowledge and Action (UCIIKA), also known as the Institute for Interfaith and Intercultural Dialogue and Discourse (IIIDD) is a non-profit organization registered in the City of Tucson, of the State of Arizona, of the United States of America. In due time, UCIIKA/IIIDD will be registered at the United Nations, as an internationally operating Non-Governmental Organization (NGO). Both UCIIKA and IIIDD have been founded by Mojtaba Aghamohammadi, also known as Moji Agha, a citizen of Iran and the united States.

The idea of "birthing" UCIIKA specifically with an interfaith march, marched into Moji's mind/heart for the first time on Wed., June 5, 2002, and the idea "incubated" there for the next 25 days or so, as he actively dreamed about the project's details. This process brought him to today, Monday, July 1, 2002.

While the founding date for IIIDD, also based in Tucson, was February 3, 2001, the founding date of UCIIKA is today, July 1, 2002. The same date has also witnessed the formal birth of the international Criminal Court, and today is also the date on which the American military forces attack in Eastern Afghanistan caused the death of at least 48 and the injury of many dozens of Afghan civilians in a wedding party, most of them women and children.

Today has also seen the first meeting of UCIIKA's ad hoc support group for Natanz, in which members "formally" decided to build, as soon as it is feasible, the world's first "Mirror House," in the "village" of Sereshk, of the Natanz Township (County), in the mountains of central Iran.

While Moji Agha was born in Tehran, Iran in 1958, Sereshk, Natanz, happens to be were his parents and ancestors come from. Sereshk means "tears" in Persian. The idea of the Sereshk Mirror House came about spontaneously earlier today, as Moji was talking to his maternal uncle,Gholamreza Amirmazaheri, on the phone.

Upon learning about UCIIKA's formation today, Mr. Amirmazaheri quickly organized an ad hoc support committee based in the Sereshk District of Natanz, and the motion to build the first Mirror House there was adopted, by the unanimous vote of all persons present, within a few hours. All this happened with unbelievable speed across the globe, today, Monday, July 1, 2002. As a result, Tucson, where UCIIKA is presently headquartered, and will see in due time, the formation of the first Mirror House in the U.S., will form with Natanz, the first "Mirror House Sister City" relationship across our small globe.

It is noteworthy that, while UCIIKA owes its birth, in part, to the September 11, 2001 tragedy in the U.S., the "parent project" of IIIDD, the Otherness Project, was conceived by Moji Agha in Berkeley California, in April 1995, a few days after the tragedy of the Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA.

It is also worth mentioning that the founding of UCIIKA/IIIDD is the culmination of Moji Agha's cross-cultural, environmental, humanitarian, and peace activities, and is directly or indirectly related to his founding of the following organizations and projects:

- The Nowruz Institute--Nowruz.org (2001)
- The IAFFECT.org project (2000)
- The Culture-Analysis Institute (1999)
- The Citizen Mediation and Dialogue Project (1998)
- The "new culture" concept (1998)
- The "university of peace" concept (1997)
- The "time bubbles" concept (1997)
- Public Involvement, Inc. (1996)
- The Otherness Project (1995)
- The Indigenous Psychologies Project (1994)
- The Persian-speaking and Middle Eastern Community Services (1990)
- The Treatment and Enforcement Active Mutual Cooperation Coalition (1987)
- The Humane Discharge Planning Program for Psychiatric Patients (1985)
- Thursday's Child Peace Coalition (1982)
- The Environmental Awareness and World Hunger Project (1980)