Invitation to a Dialogue on the Root Causes of Terrorism

When: Sunday Dec 14, 2008 7-9 Pm EST

The recent terror attacks in Mumbai, India highlight the on going, global issue of terrorism. It is a violence that occurs in many countries throughout the globe, and it is a violence that shows no sign of abating, despite intensified focus from many nations, as well as the United Nations.

We believe that current approaches to terrorism are not going to be effective, and would like to engage our most respected colleagues who have interest in social change in an exploration of the root causes and truly effective approaches to reducing terrorism.

We invite you to join us in a virtual dialogue on this topic, to see what ideas emerge and where we might have interest in furthering the conversation. Our proposed agenda is as follows:
Agenda

Sunday Dec 14, 2008 7-9 PM EST

7:00-7:15 Welcoming and introductions
7:15-7:20 Introduction of the meeting by (Dinesh Chandra)
7:20-7:30 Summary of current research on roots terrorism (Doug Walton)
7:30-8:00 Sharing perspectives (All)
8:00-8:15 Meditation/Tape (Courtesy group of 21 from Mumbai/Pune)
8:15-8:55 Dialogue on a framework for the future
8:55-900 Wrap up (Dinesh Chandra)

Naz Coughley and the Group of 21.

The Group of 21 prays together at 6:30 AM IST each day and Naz in India has already demonstrated the power of people to organize for peace, as shown in the video below.

Here is Naz’s story:

I would like to share with you the success of a small initiative taken to spread the message of peace and love. On Mon morning, I sent a few sms to known people asking them to join me along with a few friends for a silent peace walk in the evening followed by prayers and candle lighting. I was expecting only 20 people but to my pleasant surprise over 200 turned up and it was magnificent to direct the crowd and manage traffic and lead them towards the final destination. The news spread and we had media and press for taking interviews and covering the event. Our banners had prayers and messages like, ‘we do not protest, we protect’. We urged the crowd to come from compassion rather than anger; some voiced against it but towards the end, the message was received. There was silence all around and I can say for sure that they were open to seeing a different perspective. People are coming up to me and asking to organize peace walks across whole of Vashi, spreading the message of love. All I can say is that God’s work was done that day through us….

Participation

Several modes of participation are possible.

Anyone can participate by phone. There are physical gatherings in Boca Raton, Florida, USA and Mumbai, India. Please contact us if you are interested in participating.