CIR is a group that came into existence at the beginning of 2008 as one of the communications focused committees under the Council of Honest, with a particular emphasis on resolving community issues. Our initial mandate had been to be the “gateway to participate in the Tariqa Support Panel,” a three member group formed by the Council of Shadhiliyya Communities to resolve “long-standing personal, interpersonal and community issues.” That Panel never became fully operational and, as currently envisioned, CIR will supersede it and subsume some of its functions, if approved by the Council and the Board to do so.

At the heart of CIR’s vision is the notion of inclusion: that in Truth there is only God’s Unity and that within that Unity all poles are contained, co-exist and find their resolution in the One. It is our premise that each of our walking, whether consciously or subconsciously, is not just for our self but for the ontological poles we carry and voices we represent for the collective walking of our tariqa. Hence, we believe that we are all in this together and that each of us is a requisite part of the whole regardless of which pole we carry and whether we perceive ourselves – or other perceive us -- as being in or out of the unity. CIR’s pledge to the community is to try to be a container for the community where all poles/voices are welcomed and can be aired and heard so that we can walk the issues that Allah puts before us together – regardless of our individual stations, ranks and states – from as deep a place of surrender as we are able in each given moment.

How to translate that vision into form is our present preoccupation. Right now, we are in the process of finalizing CIR’s functions and specifying how to access its services so that those individuals and communities who want or need CIR’s help can receive it. In the process of conceptually laying this out, we are looking to preserve and reactivate a system of support that was set up by Sidi, our guide. Our role will be to be sure it is well publicized and easily and readably accessible; to track and monitor each issue or case as it moves through the system; to invite your feedback and address your concerns as best we can throughout the process; and to explore and develop additional services to help all beloveds and local communities come to a place of true resolution, i.e., peace, within themselves.

Once CIR’s form is complete, we will turn our attention to translating it into action. This is where your participation will be key for it will take a communal effort to provide the level of support that is needed to actualize this vision. Our hope is that by having many people contribute a little in a specific area for which they have himma, the help that is needed will be provided and many can enjoy the sense of participation that comes through contribution.  

We appreciate your patience as we continue to sort this out so CIR can put into practice a support system for us all that will, inshallah, make a difference in our experience of community and our movement towards our ultimate goal of Unity. Please stay tuned.

[1] Whether we will be a committee, a circle, a panel, a council or some other group designation is yet to be decided as is our name and acronym but for now we are using the designation that was given to us at the time this committee was established by the Council of Honest.