Connection Across Communities
The religions and spiritual practices of the world share a deep commonality. Rediscovering the shared beliefs and origins of the world’s great religious traditions and spiritual teachings can do much to move mankind toward a more peaceful and just world.
Throughout history, religions have provided a spiritual base in communities, bringing people together in worship. Their spirit of fellowship and community connection, and respect and appreciation for other religious traditions, is positioned to be an important platform for the advancement of peace initiatives.
Christopher Peters (Puhlik-lah/Karuk)
Ashok K. Gangadean, Ph.D. is a world renowned global philosopher, author and spiritual activist. He is Margaret Gest Professor of Global Philosophy at Haverford College, author of several books, and is a seeker of the primal, integral logic at the heart of human reason, and the deep dynamics of communication and dialogue between diverse worldviews.
((1776 Now))™ ~ Our Unfinished American R-Evolution
(( Now's the ((time)). What our Forefathers and Mothers initiated in ((1776)), we now have the responsibility to ((see through)) to full ((Maturation)). What is at stake, is nothing less than our ((Democracy)). What is assailing it, is something we are all participating in blindly while we become ever more divided. It's time now to stop pointing fingers, and take a ((Brave)) unprecedented ((Step Back)), and See what we are REALLY up against here. Until we do, we will continue to crumble under our own weight, and ((We The People)), ((One Nation Under Source)) will remain out of reach. Join us on this Journey, as our fiduciary responsibility as ((citizens)) to uphold the ((Constitution)) and Save ((America)). This is ((Urgent)) and ((Now's The Time)).
A Perfect ((Union)) Podcast, Pioneering the way to ((We The People))
The ((Promised Land)) … is not a physical location … it is a ((State Of Being)) that each person must ((Mature)) to as ((Humans)). We must realize that we are already in the ((Promised Land))... We always were! But we have been largely alienated from it because of our inherited consciousness practices. In this series of podcasts, Ashok and Näthan Gangadean discuss what it means to be human.
Declaration of Interdependence
Celebration of the signing of the "Declaration of Interdependence" authored by Ashok Gangadean, Margaret Gest Professor of Philosophy, Haverford College and Founder of the Global Dialogue Institute. Delegates - Kurt Johnson author of newly released The Coming Interspiritual Age; Ron Friedman, Co-Founder of Vistar Foundation, dedicated to Collective Evolutionary Consciousness; Dena Merriam, Founder The Global Peace Initiative of Women.
We The People, A Global Declaration of Interdependence
As part of a worldwide 2012 initiative on cultivating global literacy and activism, Dr. Ashok Gangadean composed A Global Declaration of Interdependence, which expands on the foundation of the 1776 Declaration of Independence for the global, interconnected world.
Seven Stages of Deep Dialogue
Seven Stages of Deep Dialogue is a meditation that requires the participant to engage in the First Person and in a direct personal immersion in this progression. This calls for a performative engagement of the meditative–dialogic narrative. In this spirit the reader/listener should reflectively experience each moment in this awakening of dialogical consciousness and the Dialogical Self. The Seven Stages are highly relevant to educating the public in inter-cultural literacy and intelligence.
Christopher Peters (Puhlik-lah/Karuk)
Dr. Mutombo Nkulu-N’Sengha is an international scholar, author, and professor at California State University Northridge. His areas of expertise include democracy and human rights, and the African humanistic philosophy of genuine personhood known as “Bumuntu.” His work is focused on the dialogue between civilizations, especially in the fields of religion and philosophy.
The Bumuntu Pan-African Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue
The Bumuntu Peace Institute (BPI) was established in 2010 by Professor Mutombo Nkulu-N’Sengha (California State University, Northridge) as an African extension of the Dialogue Institute at Temple University. BPI has now partnered with the International Academy for Multicultural Cooperation to bring forward its initiatives in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
With primary leadership provided by Professor Mutombo Nkulu-N'Sengha, BPI's vision is to bring a lasting peace to a war-torn Democratic Republic of the Congo through education, dialogue (interreligious, intercultural and interethnic) and sustainable development. In so doing, the Institute deals with the root causes of violence: religious tensions, ethnic conflicts, beliefs in witchcraft, religious fundamentalism, lack of quality education, abuse and disempowerment of women, lack of respect for human rights, and poverty.
Current educational initiatives include:
- conducting workshops for the general public on dialogue, democracy and human rights, empowerment of women, etc.;
- bringing qualified Ph.D-educated professors to support the universities and main seminary in Kamina, provide teaching materials, write appropriate curricula and textbooks, and conduct research on the ground toward improving the development of the region;
- providing scholarships for poor children, including orphans and former child soldiers, whose families cannot afford school fees;
- building a school for 700 poor children in the rural village of Lenge (construction has already begun - pictured right), and eventually a school in Kamina.
Sustainable development initiatives are focused on micro-development, including a small but successful sewing machine enterprise for local women to generate income, as well as proposed agricultural projects to help provide income and achieve food security for local families.
In an effort to ensure long-term presence and impact, efforts are also underway to finish building a permanent facility in Kamina (pictured left) to serve as BPI's main office and center of activities for the region.
Bumuntu Peace Institute Members
Mining in the Congo, Eco Justice for all Dialogue
The problematic nature of mining exploitation was the topic of this panel. The panel discussed the ethical, spiritual and economic and geopolitical implications of mining exploitation in Africa and particularly in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country blessed with vast mineral deposits and yet marred in misery and incessant armed conflicts.
LUBA Art San Francisco
In the hands of the carver who made this sculpture, dynamics of power are expressed through a coded confluence of imagery...
Our Sacred Journey: Hope Against Hope in the Congo
Audrey Kitagawa interviews Professor Mutombo Nkulu N'Sengha. He discusses his teaching initiatives and experiences of spending a year in the Congo...
Our Sacred Journey: Love of Life
Audrey Kitagawa interviews Professor Mutombo Nkulu N'Sengha as he spends a year in the Congo giving back to citizens of the country where he was born...
A Journey to the Democratic Republic of Congo
Audrey Kitagawa visited Kinshasa, Lubumbashi and Kamina in the Democratic Republic of Congo. She was formally welcomed by dignitaries who provided escort to schools, universities, an orphanage, and a hospital.
Democratic Republic of Congo
Audrey Kitagawa, accompanied by Dr. Mutombo Nkulu-N'Sengha, visited Kinshasa, Lubumbashi and Kamina in the Democratic Republic of Congo, September 9-18, 2012.
Our Sacred Journey: Bumuntu Spirituality and Global Solidarity in a Burning House
Audrey Kitagawa interviews Professor Mutombo Nkulu-N'Sengha to discuss the Bumuntu Peace Institute...
Bumuntu Memory and Authentic Personhood: An African Art of Becoming Humane
In a chapter in MEMORY AND THE NARRATIVE IMAGINATION IN THE AFRICAN AND DIASPORA EXPERIENCE, Professor Mutombo Nkulu-N'Sengha explores a vision of the dignity of the African conception of personhood, using the "Bumuntu Memory" to explain an African view of the authentic mode of being human.
California State University Northridge (2008)
The Program, “Weapons of Mass Destruction: Religious, Ethical and Legal Dimensions of An Un-Ignorable Imperative” was held on April 29, 2008.
The African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights: An African Contribution to the Project of a Global Ethic
In 1992, Dr. Mutombo Nkulu N'Sengha responded to Professor Swidler's call for a "Global Ethos Research Center" by writing this article which emphasizes "the possible contributions of the African Charter."
Mutombo Nkulu-N'Sengha, Ph.D. Publications
Dr. Mutombo is a Tenured Professor at California State University Northridge (CSUN), where he teaches, since 2003, several courses, including “Critical Thinking,” “Religion, Logic and the Media,” “American Religious Diversity,” “WorldReligions,” “Racial Justice,” “Black theology,” and “African Traditional Religions in Africa and the Americas.” This is a list of his publications.
War, Environmental Crisis, and "Mining Terrorism" in the Congo Prolegomenon for an African Philosophy of Sustainability
In his chapter in Sustainability in Sub-Saharan Africa - Problems, Perspectives, and Prospects, Professor Mutombo Nkulu-N’Sengha examines the African philosophy of sustainable development, using Central Africa and its great lakes region as a case study.
Our Land in Kamina - Congo Project - Bumuntu Peace Institute
Our Land of Kamina - Photo Presentation
Christopher Peters (Puhlik-lah/Karuk)
Imam Sayed Ali Abbas Razawi is the Chief Imam and Director General of the Scottish Ahlul Bayt Society in the United Kingdom and an Associate at the Project on Shi’ism and Global Affairs at Harvard University’s Weatherhead Center for International Affairs. His work with Harvard University contributes to scholarship and practice on interfaith dialogue and sectarian de-escalation in addition to advancing research on the history and thought of religious mysticism from a comparative perspective.
Newham Reflections: Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz talks with Imam Sayed Ali Abbas Razawi
Newham Reflections: Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz talks with Imam Sayed Ali Abbas Razawi
A World of Faith: Sayed Ali Abbas Razawi, Cole Durham and Jim Christie
From the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University, Sayed Ali Abbas Razawi, Cole Durham, Jim Christie, and Harvard student Michel Nehme discuss the politics of the G20 Interfaith Forum
A World of Faith: Audrey Kitagawa, and Imam Sayed Ali Abbas Razawi
From the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University, Sayed Ali Abbas Razawi, Audrey Kitagawa, and Harvard student Michel Nehme discuss the philosophy undergirding interfaith dialogue.
Long Lessons - Can the Religions of the Book Teach Modern France?
In this FS Club webinar by the Z/Yen Group, Imam Sayed Ali Abbas Razawi shares to help explain what the religions of the Pope really meant. He also shares about Usury and the History of Abrahamic Learning
A World of Faith: Sayed Ali Abbas Razawi, Elizabeta Kitanovic and Merete Bilde
From the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University, Michel Nehme and Sayed Ali Abbas Razawi invite Elizabeta Kitanovic from the Conference on European Churches and Merete Bilde of the European Union External Action Service
A World of Faith: Sayed Ali Abbas Razawi and Chief Rabbi David Rosen
From the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University, Michel Nehme and Sayed Razawi are joined by Chief Rabbi David Rosen, former Chief Rabbi of Ireland and current International President of Religions for Peace.
A World of Faith: Sayed Ali Abbas Razawi and Chinmay Pandya
From the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University, Chinmay Pandya, Sayed Ali Abbas Razawi, and Michel Nehme discuss the impact of COVID-19 in India, the different intersections of faith and culture, and the development of interfaith relations.
A World of Faith: Sayed Ali Abbas Razawi and Primus Mark Strange
From the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University, Michel Nehme and Syed Ali Abbas Razawi sit down with Bishop Mark Strange to discuss the long term impacts on religious expression and participation of the pandemic; navigating the fraught road to re-opening; and the importance of faith in personal, communal, and political realms.
A World of Faith: Sayed Ali Abbas Razawi and Chief Rabbi Dweck
From the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University, Sayed Ali Abbas Razawi, Rabbi Joseph Dweck, and Harvard student Michel Nehme discuss what coronavirus has meant for religion.
Address to the Scottish General Synod - First Non-Christian
As part of the presentation from the Committee for Relations with People of Other Faiths, Synod was addressed by Imam Sayed Ali Abbas Razawi, Director-General and Chief Imam of the Scottish Ahlul Bayt Society.
Christians in the Middle East
In support of Christian minority communities - a transcript of a reflection given for His Royal Highness Prince of Wales’ programme at Westminster Abbey
Lecture celebrating Youm-i ‘Alī delivered for His High the Aga Khan Council, Toronto
From the Ismaili is a lecture commemorating Yawm-e-Ali, the birthday of Hazrat Ali, being given by Sayed Ali Abbas Razawi at the Ismaili Centre, Toronto on Saturday, 1 April 2017.
Why Mitzvahs are for Muslims, too
Muslims partnering with Jews on Mitzvah Day is crucial to demonstrate how both can work together as one in their common humanity.
Sayed Ali Abbas Razawi delivers 2013 Milad-un-Nabi lecture at the Ismaili Centre, London : TheIsmail
Sayed Ali Abbas Razawi delivered the 2013 annual Milad-un-Nabi lecture on “The Spirit of Pluralism in the example of the Holy Prophet”
Christopher Peters (Puhlik-lah/Karuk)
Dr. Mutombo Nkulu-N’Sengha is an international scholar, author, and professor at California State University Northridge. His areas of expertise include democracy and human rights, and the African humanistic philosophy of genuine personhood known as “Bumuntu.” His work is focused on the dialogue between civilizations, especially in the fields of religion and philosophy.
The Bumuntu Pan-African Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue
The Bumuntu Peace Institute (BPI) was established in the summer of 2010 by Dialogue Institute (DI) Founder and President, Leonard Swidler, DI Board member Harry Halloran and Professor Mutombo Nkulu-N’Sengha, as an African extension and functioning under the auspices of the DI.
With primary leadership provided by Professor Mutombo Nkulu-N'Sengha (California State University, Northridge; (former student of Professor Swidler's at Temple University), BPI's vision is to bring a lasting peace to a war-torn Democratic Republic of the Congo through education, dialogue (interreligious, intercultural and interethnic) and sustainable development. In so doing, the Institute deals with the root causes of violence: religious tensions, ethnic conflicts, beliefs in witchcraft, religious fundamentalism, lack of quality education, abuse and disempowerment of women, lack of respect for human rights, and poverty.
Current educational initiatives include:
- conducting workshops for the general public on dialogue, democracy and human rights, empowerment of women, etc.;
- bringing qualified Ph.D-educated professors to support the universities and main seminary in Kamina, provide teaching materials, write appropriate curricula and textbooks, and conduct research on the ground toward improving the development of the region;
- providing scholarships for poor children, including orphans and former child soldiers, whose families cannot afford school fees;
- building a school for 700 poor children in the rural village of Lenge (construction has already begun - pictured right), and eventually a school in Kamina.
Sustainable development initiatives are focused on micro-development, including a small but successful sewing machine enterprise for local women to generate income, as well as proposed agricultural projects to help provide income and achieve food security for local families.
In an effort to ensure long-term presence and impact, efforts are also underway to finish building a permanent facility in Kamina (pictured left) to serve as BPI's main office and center of activities for the region.
Interreligious Dialogue and Peace Initiative Leadership
Mining in the Congo, Eco Justice for all Dialogue
The problematic nature of mining exploitation was the topic of this panel. The panel discussed the ethical, spiritual and economic and geopolitical implications of mining exploitation in Africa and particularly in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country blessed with vast mineral deposits and yet marred in misery and incessant armed conflicts.
WatchWatchDemocratic Republic of Congo
Audrey Kitagawa, accompanied by Dr. Mutombo Nkulu-N'Sengha, visited Kinshasa, Lubumbashi and Kamina in the Democratic Republic of Congo, September 9-18, 2012.
View GalleryView GalleryBumuntu Memory and Authentic Personhood: An African Art of Becoming Humane
In a chapter in MEMORY AND THE NARRATIVE IMAGINATION IN THE AFRICAN AND DIASPORA EXPERIENCE, Professor Mutombo Nkulu-N'Sengha explores a vision of the dignity of the African conception of personhood, using the "Bumuntu Memory" to explain an African view of the authentic mode of being human.
ReadReadCalifornia State University Northridge (2008)
The Program, “Weapons of Mass Destruction: Religious, Ethical and Legal Dimensions of An Un-Ignorable Imperative” was held on April 29, 2008.
View GalleryView GalleryThe African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights: An African Contribution to the Project of a Global Ethic
In 1992, Dr. Mutombo Nkulu N'Sengha responded to Professor Swidler's call for a "Global Ethos Research Center" by writing this article which emphasizes "the possible contributions of the African Charter."
ReadReadMutombo Nkulu-N'Sengha, Ph.D. Publications
Dr. Mutombo is a Tenured Professor at California State University Northridge (CSUN), where he teaches, since 2003, several courses, including “Critical Thinking,” “Religion, Logic and the Media,” “American Religious Diversity,” “WorldReligions,” “Racial Justice,” “Black theology,” and “African Traditional Religions in Africa and the Americas.” This is a list of his publications.
ReadReadWar, Environmental Crisis, and "Mining Terrorism" in the Congo Prolegomenon for an African Philosophy of Sustainability
In his chapter in Sustainability in Sub-Saharan Africa - Problems, Perspectives, and Prospects, Professor Mutombo Nkulu-N’Sengha examines the African philosophy of sustainable development, using Central Africa and its great lakes region as a case study.
ReadReadOur Land in Kamina - Congo Project - Bumuntu Peace Institute
Our Land of Kamina - Photo Presentation
View GalleryView GallerySub-Section Title Goes Here
Introductory copy goes here
Christopher Peters (Puhlik-lah/Karuk)
Imam Sayed Ali Abbas Razawi is the Chief Imam and Director General of the Scottish Ahlul Bayt Society in the United Kingdom and an Associate at the Project on Shi’ism and Global Affairs at Harvard University’s Weatherhead Center for International Affairs. His work with Harvard University contributes to scholarship and practice on interfaith dialogue and sectarian de-escalation in addition to advancing research on the history and thought of religious mysticism from a comparative perspective.
A World of Faith: Sayed Ali Abbas Razawi, Cole Durham and Jim Christie
From the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University, Sayed Ali Abbas Razawi, Cole Durham, Jim Christie, and Harvard student Michel Nehme discuss the politics of the G20 Interfaith Forum
WatchWatchA World of Faith: Audrey Kitagawa, and Imam Sayed Ali Abbas Razawi
From the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University, Sayed Ali Abbas Razawi, Audrey Kitagawa, and Harvard student Michel Nehme discuss the philosophy undergirding interfaith dialogue.
WatchWatchA World of Faith: Sayed Ali Abbas Razawi, Elizabeta Kitanovic and Merete Bilde
From the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University, Michel Nehme and Sayed Ali Abbas Razawi invite Elizabeta Kitanovic from the Conference on European Churches and Merete Bilde of the European Union External Action Service
WatchWatchA World of Faith: Sayed Ali Abbas Razawi and Chief Rabbi David Rosen
From the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University, Michel Nehme and Sayed Razawi are joined by Chief Rabbi David Rosen, former Chief Rabbi of Ireland and current International President of Religions for Peace.
WatchWatchA World of Faith: Sayed Ali Abbas Razawi and Chinmay Pandya
From the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University, Chinmay Pandya, Sayed Ali Abbas Razawi, and Michel Nehme discuss the impact of COVID-19 in India, the different intersections of faith and culture, and the development of interfaith relations.
WatchWatchA World of Faith: Sayed Ali Abbas Razawi and Primus Mark Strange
From the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University, Michel Nehme and Syed Ali Abbas Razawi sit down with Bishop Mark Strange to discuss the long term impacts on religious expression and participation of the pandemic; navigating the fraught road to re-opening; and the importance of faith in personal, communal, and political realms.
WatchWatchAddress to the Scottish General Synod - First Non-Christian
As part of the presentation from the Committee for Relations with People of Other Faiths, Synod was addressed by Imam Sayed Ali Abbas Razawi, Director-General and Chief Imam of the Scottish Ahlul Bayt Society.
Watch on External WebsiteWatch on External WebsiteChristians in the Middle East
In support of Christian minority communities - a transcript of a reflection given for His Royal Highness Prince of Wales’ programme at Westminster Abbey
Read on External WebsiteRead on External WebsiteWhy Mitzvahs are for Muslims, too
Muslims partnering with Jews on Mitzvah Day is crucial to demonstrate how both can work together as one in their common humanity.
Read on External WebsiteRead on External Website