What is CCF?

The Collective Creativity Forum is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization dedicated to solving a puzzle. It does not have all or most of the answers. Instead it is premised on asking a central question that most people do not seem to be asking: Is the Nation State model suitable for the Global South, the Middle East, and perhaps more specifically for countries whose populations are primarily Muslim majority (“MMCs”)?

The failure of those countries in every conceivable matrix does not appear to be disputed. From inequality and conflict, to poverty, corruption and lack of innovation, the MMCs are at the bottom of every list. Yet countless revolutions, regime changes, state building measures, and reforms clearly appear to be not working.

Yet, we are constantly told and led to believe that the answer lies in democracy, institution building, freedom of press and separation of church and state to be the answer. They are clearly not. There is something bigger that we are missing.

If there is one answer, or one premise that the CCF is founded on is that the nation-state model is fundamentally incompatible with the history, the identity, and the religion of the MMCs. Moreover, that model is the least effective in addressing most of the structural issues facing the MMCs including poverty, poor education, illiteracy, climate change, access to resources, and conflict, among others.

As fully articulated in Amer’s upcoming book, the idea of the nation-state was an artificial creation that was introduced to the region by European powers (and later colonizers) in the 19th and 20th centuries to serve their interests, weaken the Ottoman Empire, and enhance their access to resources and trade routes. In other words, the borders, flags, and “uniqueness” of the MMCs are purely fabricated and fictional. Moreover, they not only violate Islam’s unequivocal prohibition against idolatry and the veneration of man-made objects, but are also fundamentally incompatible with the populations’ irreverent identity which reveres rebels (like Moses, Jesus, and Mohammad), and is highly suspicious of man made laws, parliaments and institutions – the most basic ingredients for a successful nation state.

To many, these may seem like radical thoughts to contemplate as our notion of country is also deeply tied to our understanding of who we are and is the cornerstone of our identity. We take our countries for granted and instinctively believe that they have existed since the beginning of time.
The founders of CCF were no different. And if their grieving process and anecdotal experience is remotely representative, then the process of beginning to question the genuineness of one’s state can feel extremely strange and deeply disorienting. It is unquestionably a lonely and somewhat strange journey.

But for those who are willing to endeavor it, the result will be indescribably liberating and illuminating. The world as one sees it and understands changes in ways that cannot be undone. And so would one’s approach and understanding of the problems facing the MMCs also change: no longer would one think that the issues challenging Pakistan are all that different from the ones challenging Egypt, Syria or Iran.

If CCF has an “agenda” it is to spur thought on the destructive impact of the nation-state model, raise questions on its authenticity and necessity and encourage respectful discussion on possible alternatives that are more compatible with the history, religion, challenges, and identity of MMCs in particular the Global South in general.

CCF is a 501(c)(3) Non Profit Organization. We hope that you will join us. We are currently in the process of establishing chapters of our organization in Detroit, Michigan and Boston, Massachusetts. Founding members of the organization are also working on a podcast dedicated to discussions surrounding identity, which will continue the conversations about nationalism within this organization in a multi-media format.