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Moyez Kamani
From: S J <all.my.forw...@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, Aug 12, 2008 at 8:06 PM
Subject: Fw: Ismaili Mail
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Ismaili Mail
Week-in-Riview — August 10, 2008
Posted: 11 Aug 2008 11:34 PM CDT
The Ismailis: An Illustrated History, co-authored by Dr Farhad
Daftary and Professor Zulfikar Hirji, was launched by IIS during the
recent visit of His Highness the Aga Khan to the United Kingdom.
At The Ismaili Online Magazine, members of the national cast of ALI TO
KARIM, Noren, Areebah, Salman, and Adil, chronicle their theatrical
escapades and provide a behind-the-scenes view of the 2008 USA tour.
In our Ismailis in the News feature, we bring you a touching video
from Fox news featuring a story about Samia Razzak, who is in need of
a bone marrow transplant. Samia's story and a link to her website was
published earlier at Ismailimail. In Vancouver, the Ismaili Muslim
Adult Choir performed at the Third annual African Peace Festival.
Featured in our Ismaili Authors in the News this week is Rafiq Sayani,
an aspiring poet who draws inspiration for his poems from his prayers
as well as from many moments of contemplation. Dr Nazim Madhavji, a
visiting professor in Paderborn, Germany, is an animated scientist who
wants to help the world. Ismailimail had previously posted speech by
Mahmoud Eboo, President of His Highness Prince Aga Khan Shia Imami
Ismaili Council for the United States, Australia and New Zealand, at
the Youth Summit and Diversity Dialog held at SMU (Southern Methodist
University, Dallas TX).
In Canada, join the Ismaili Walk for Women at Luberman's Arch in
Stanley Park, BC on Sunday, August 24, as they proudly support the
Women's Health Research Institute at BC Women's Hospital and Health
Centre.
From Central Asia, we have a great picture of the Ahmednagar
Jamatkhana in India. Sandra Beyers, a New Brunswick researcher known
for shaping the province's sexual education curriculum is hoping to
make a similar impact in India, and is traveling to India to meet with
researchers from the Forum for Application of Integrated Total Health
and the Ara Khan Health Services of India. Two health centers open in
Rushan rayon of Gorno Badakhshan region in Tajikistan under the
support of the Aga Khan Health Services. In Pakistan, Zahra Suleman
Tejani, Sara Moiz Ali and Arif Payarali of the Aga Khan Higher
Secondary School, Karachi, were among 10 students who were recognised
for receiving the First Position Special Award by the American
Intellectual Property Law Association at the Intel International
Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) 2008. Social Bridges conducted an
interview with Mr. Eazaz Aslam Dar, Senior Program Manager of PCP, to
know more about PCP. Work on creation of the free economic zone in
Ishkamin rayon of Gorno Badakhshan in south-east of Tajikistan will be
speeded up.
From the Middle East, Syria's First Microfinance Institution (FMFI),
an initiative of the international development agency Aga Khan
Development Network (AKDN), will begin operating in a few weeks.
From the blogosphere, shrummer16 is now in Tajikistan for an 8-month
internship with the Aga Khan Foundation. Visit her blog for photgraps
and video. Alim's collection of photographs from Central Asia
contains interesting and informative photographs at the site,
including Ismaili Jamatkhana and people. We have a great picture of
the Al Azhar Garden Ismaili Pipe Band perform on Jamat Khana Ground on
July 11 2006, courtesy of Ranish Ramzan Ali's flickr collection.
At our Spirit and Life Blog, we began the week with a great poem
'After the Darbar by aspiring poet, Rafiq Sayani. We talked about the
Ismaili Imamat's long tradition of leadership in educational
development, the establishment of the Aga Khan Education Services
(AKES) and its various programmes, and the ranking of Prophet Muhammad
(pbuh) as #1 amongst the 100 most influential persons in history by
Michael H. Hart an American astrophysicist turned author and activist.
Next, we learned how Calligraphy developed into an artform and
devotional activity in Islam, reflected on some excerpts about Bridge
Building from speeches of His Highness the Aga Khan and explored
different styles of Islamic art developed during various periods in
the long history of Islamic art. Did you know that Imam al-Muizz is
credited with having commissioned the invention of the first Fountain
Pen in 953?
That is all from this week, hope you will be looking forward to more
exciting and interesting news and stories next week.
Click here for last week's review.
Faces of Tajikistan
Posted: 11 Aug 2008 02:59 PM CDT
From Paul's Travel blog.
The Tajiks were right up there with Syrians and Iranians (the latter,
their kin) in terms of friendliness and warmness to foreign visitors,
and we will remember the country very fondly. These portraits are in
the order of western lowlands to eastern Pamirs, the direction of our
travels.
http://www.paulstravelblog.com/2008/06/faces-of-tajikistan.html
Note: there are few Google Ads at the source.
Just another journey To Chapursan and back, twice in twenty years…
Posted: 11 Aug 2008 08:22 AM CDT
By Salman Rashid
As journeys go, this one was hardly a great one. Kamran Alavi (with
his throat orchestra of which more later) and I reached Gilgit hoping
to go walking up north of Misgar in the Gojal region in the extreme
upper edge of Hunza. That would have been after I had done a short
dash to the end of the Chapursan Valley to check out the tomb of Baba
Ghundi.
Since I had been in Chapursan back in 1990 (when I had more hair and
less fat), I had never returned and there were some people I sorely
wanted to see again. One was Sarfraz Khan alias Chairman of the
village of Zuda Khun who had a gold tooth and a rifle. All his life he
had been a keen hunter and when he agreed to lead me across the 5200
metre-high Chillinji Pass, he brought his trusted old rifle along.
With a wide grin he had said he would be coming back with an ibex or
two. I asked how he could carry back two dead animals and he said that
the pass being glaciated, he could always bury one in the deep freeze
and return for it later.
–snip–
It is only in Gojal and Hunza that one will chance upon a solitary
young woman, shovel on her shoulder merrily marching along on her way
to water a potato or wheat field. That she can go off into the
wilderness unaccompanied has a lot to say of a society that does not
threaten its womenfolk, a society at peace with itself.
This comes from education and not from sham belief in religion: remote
Chapursan has one hundred percent literacy. Little children that we
accosted on the way spoke perfect English and Urdu and possessed
impeccable manners. Most of the rest of us could take a leaf from this
book. And this has all come to be because of the good work of the Aga
Khan Foundation. I say, exterminate these politicians and let the Aga
Khan be King of Pakistan. He will turn us, including the Mehsuds and
sundry other creatures inhabiting that region, human.
Complete article at the source
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Have an excellent day.
Moyez
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