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Book on Protection of Archeological Monuments in Gorno-Badakshan Tajikistan Posted: 20 Jul 2008 01:10 PM CDT Book on Protection of Archeological Monuments in Gorno-Badakshan brought out. 18 July 2008 /Asia-PLUS Daily Blitz DUSHANBE, July 18, 2008, Asia-Plus – Pamir Media — With support of the Mountain Societies Development Support Program (MSDSP) of the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF), the University of Central Asia (UCA) has published a book on protection of archeological monuments of Gorno Badakhshan in three languages. According to Dilovar Butabekov, the head of the Khorog office of the School of Professional and Continuing Education (SPCE), the book, entitled “Protection of Archeological Monuments in Gorno Badakhshan (Tajikistan),” is a guide for community and trainers of the region. The book has been prepared under financial support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the Christensen Foundation. UCA was founded in 2000 by the Governments of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, and His Highness the Aga Khan. It is the world’s first internationally chartered institution of higher education. The International Treaty and Charter establishing this secular and private University was signed by His Highness the Aga Khan and the Presidents of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan, ratified by the respective parliaments, and registered with the United Nations. UCA is constructing three campuses in Tekeli, Kazakhstan; Naryn, Kyrgyz Republic; and Khorog, Tajikistan, creating Central Asia’s largest and most ambitious constriction project. All related posts on University of Central Asia          |
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Posted: 20 Jul 2008 09:35 AM CDT Post updated Why the world needs more
Canada Charles Enman / The Ottawa Citizen / Saturday, July 12, 2008 - Calgary Herald / July 20, 2008 A middling power can only smile when a world leader says not only that small is beautiful, but that that particular small country is not only competitive with the rest of the world, but in a leading spot. And the Aga Khan, leader of millions of Ismaili Muslims around the world, says that and more about Canada. “Canada has an experience of governance of which much of the world stands in dire need,” he writes in his latest book, Where Hope Takes Root: Democracy and Pluralism in an Interdependent World, published here in Canada. Canada, he argues, has done a superlative job in bringing peoples of disparate race, ethnicity and religion together. With people moving easily around the world today, there are more collisions between different groups than ever before. The result is “a world of increasing dissension and conflict, in which different ethnic, tribal, religious or social groups have often failed to search for, and agree upon, a common space for harmonious coexistence.” Calgary
Herald For decades, the Cold War assumed all the space as the international problem par excellence. With the Cold War now finished, the international community now needs to focus on “the need to create stable states with self-sustainable economies and stable, inclusive forms of governance.” Inclusiveness has always been a necessary starting point for Canada. With three founding peoples — the First Nations, the French and the British — Canada was not going to get out of the starting gates without finding its way to inclusiveness. All nations, but particularly those in the developing world, need several forms of instruction — first, in pluralism, the set of arrangements in which distinct groups find a place and are tolerated within a society, but also in how to build a strong civil society. He quotes former prime minister Paul Martin on the subject: “One of the distinct ways in which Canada can help developing nations is to provide the expertise and experience of Canadians in justice, in federalism, in pluralistic democracy.” Most of the world’s current problems, the Aga Khan believes, stem from the absence of pluralism and his cautionary list includes such trouble spots as Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Canadians who know all about the problems that Canada deals with might wonder if the Aga Khan is a bit naive about this country. But he says explicitly that his “intention is not to embarrass you with too rosy a picture of the Canadian mosaic, as if it were free of all tension. But you have the experience, an infrastructure grounded in wisdom and the moral wherewithal to be able to handle challenges to your social and political fabric.” The Ismailis, the second largest segment of the Shia Muslims, have appreciated Canadian tolerance for several decades. Back in the 1980s, Canada accepted many Ismailis after their expulsion in the 1970s from Uganda by Idi Amin. The Aga Khan became a friend of Pierre Trudeau’s and has been made an honorary Companion of the Order of Canada. The Aga Khan is establishing several important institutions in Canada, two of them here on Sussex Avenue. In the old war museum, he is setting up the Global Centre for Pluralism, an initiative that will study how emerging nations can set up successful societies. The centre should open doors in 2010 or 2011. Further down on Sussex, he is building the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat, which should open toward the end of this year. The Delegation will hold both the offices of the Aga Khan Foundation Canada and the world headquarters of the Aga Khan Development Network, a group of development agencies that work to improve developing societies around the world. In Toronto, the Aga Khan is building the Aga Khan Museum, which will hold one of the largest collections of Muslim art outside the Muslim world. The doors should open in 2010 or 2011. The Aga Khan assumed his hereditary title as leader of the Nizari Ismailis in 1957 at the age of 20, following his grandfather’s death. The Nizaris may number as many as 20 million around the world, of a total number of Ismailis which may reach 30 million. The Aga Khan often refers to the lack of understanding that exists between the western world, on one hand, and the Muslim nations and the Muslim diaspora in the West, on the other. The much vaunted “Clash of Civilizations” that some see between the Muslim and the Western world would more properly be called a “Clash of Ignorance,” he says. The West knew next to nothing about Shia Islam before the 1979 revolution in Iran, he points out. Nor did the West know anything of Wahhabi Islam before the ongoing war in Afghanistan. “Please remember that we are talking about a religion that one-fifth of the world’s population follows,” he writes. “This ignorance is equivalent to Muslims being unaware of the distinction between Catholics and Protestants within Christianity.” Some in the Muslim world, he acknowledges, have mistrusted modern education, but he adds that “Those with an educated and enlightened approach are of the firm, sincere conviction that their societies can benefit from modernity while remaining true to tradition.” The Aga Khan believes one of the great threats to Western values is the incidence of failed democracies in the Muslim world, in Latin America, in Eastern Europe and in sub-Saharan Africa. This is partly due to the fact that democracy, which developed over centuries in the older democracies, cannot be implanted overnight in countries of totalitarian tradition. He estimates that 40 per cent of UN member states are failed democracies — a problem that will not improve until they develop a greater commitment to pluralism, to meritocracy and to civil society. In other words, learn the lessons that Canada has had to master from its very beginning. The Aga Khan knows his work will never end, because humans are not natural pluralists. The value of pluralism must be inculcated anew in each generation. But its rewards ñ peace, material progress, and social unity ñ are worth the ongoing effort. “Building and sustaining a pluralist society is always going to be a work in progress. It doesn’t have a finite end.” Where Hope Takes Root: Democracy and Pluralism in an Interdependent World, by His Highness the Aga Khan and published by Douglas & McIntyre, is in stores now.          |
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Article on Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat Building Posted: 22 Jul 2008 10:29 AM CDT By Faranaaz Alimohamed / The Ismaili Landmark Delegation building takes shape in Ottawa The view of Ottawa from across the river in Gatineau has undergone a calculated transformation during the past few months. In fact, the impact of the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat on the national capital’s skyline as viewed from the neighbouring province of Quebec was considered long before construction began late last year. Earlier related at Ismailimail: |
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Al-Noor Jaffer Optical Illusionist Posted: 22 Jul 2008 10:07 AM CDT
Al-Noor Jaffer, also known as Sampuly, was born in Lindi, Tanzania. He completed his ‘O’ Levels there before pursuing his ‘A’ Levels in Nairobi, Kenya. Al-Noor then went to Luebeck, Germany, where he completed a diploma program in Hotel Management. After apprenticing for a year in Germany, Al-Noor migrated to Canada in 1978. He had always aspired to be in show business especially in the field of optical illusion, and his passion was reawakened when he took in a few magic shows during a vacation to Las Vegas. He bought a kit to learn how to perform tricks, and subsequently paid a few established magicians to help him hone his skills. Al-Noor is occasionally featured at charity events in addition to performing at various other functions. Al-Noor’s personal website is at |
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Aga Khan University Library, Karachi Pakistan Posted: 22 Jul 2008 09:57 AM CDT
The Health Sciences Library (HSL) is regarded as one of the best equipped in Pakistan and has been recognised by the WHO in 1992 as a training facility. Established in 1983, the Library adds appropriate new titles and updates its collection regularly to enhance students’ education and to make available the latest resource material for the faculty. Its comprehensive collection underpins the programmes of the faculty and students. The Jivraj section of this Library, intended to be a major repository of health sciences literature, stocks some 25,000 volumes of books/monographs. The Kurji Periodical section currently subscribes to nearly 500 journals in medical, nursing and basic sciences disciplines and holds their bound back runs since 1983 and even earlier. These include access to Health and Education literature databases such as PubMed, CINAHL, ERIC, MDConsult, Mosby’s NursingConsult, UptoDate, The Cochrane Library, EBSCO Host, and HEC’s Digital Library. It also provides access to catalogues and inter-library loan facilities of other leading libraries of the world via the Internet. |
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Week-in-Review — Sunday, July 20, 2006 Posted: 21 Jul 2008 08:00 PM CDT
From Europe, His Highness the Aga Khan attends the launch of Louvre Museum’s future Islamic Art Department. In Canada, the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Nursing was honoured at the 12th annual Ismaili Muslim Community’s Stampede Breakfast on Saturday July 5 for its partnership in the annual Women and Wellness Conference. View the pictorial history and video of Ismaili Muslim Stampede Floats in Calgary. From Central Asia, Aga Khan Football Gold Cup may see a revival in Bangladesh. A Jewish temple was renovated by the Herat cultural department, in the old part of Herat city north east of Kabul, Afghanistan. We have various Health News from Aga Khan University and Health Services. Saturday was party time in all Karakoram BCs; the porters celebrated Aga Khan’s birthday (Imamat Day) by dancing and singing around bonfires, and in Pakistan, the Federal Minister appreciated the efforts of the Aga Khan Development Network at the opening of the hydro-power project in Hunza valley. The University of Central Asia (UCA) has published a book on Protection of Archeological Monuments of Gorno Badakhshan, Tajikistan.
In our Ismailis in the News, Alykhan Velshi, a spokesman for Mr. Kenney, said the Conservatives took steps to join the Holocaust task force almost immediately after becoming the government. Yasmin Alibhai-Brown says “Don’t portray Muslims as victims, we have moved on” and she talks about the Aga Khan’s visit to London. Samiah Razak, a South Asian Ismaili Houstonian needs your help. Please visit Samiah’s website for more information.
The Aga Khan Development Network website has been revised. In addition to the redesign, new navigation menus should make it easier to access related information. New information has been added in a number of areas, particularly relating to activities in countries where AKDN is present. First of the featured article was on the Aga Khan Academies as they are dedicated to expanding access to quality education. Dr Reza Shah-Kazemi, Research Associate at the IIS, participated in the 7th Building Bridges, convened by the Archbishop of Canterbury. This year’s seminar addressed the theme: ‘Communicating the Word: Revelation, Translation and Interpretation in Christianity and Islam’. Aid money should go to agencies doing the real work. Journalist Don Cayo’s article which deals with the current foreign aid mechanism in Canada and the roles of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that actually deliver most services in most poor countries. From the blogosphere, Sanjeev Gupta, a regional program manager for a non-governmental organization called the Aga Khan Foundation, says that while some parts of Afghanistan remain too volatile to visit, Bamiyan, the province in which he works, is blessed with relative peace, thinks it’s about time war-torn Afghanistan had a tourism industry and an interesting post from George about Village Life in Hunza. Visit Flickr page as well for photos from Hunza.
Documentary An Islamic Conscience: the Aga Khan and the Ismailis film is now available in ten languages. Ali to Karim, a Tribute to the Ismaili Imams recounts the story of our 49 Imams in seven episodes. It traces the unbroken thread of Imamat through the tapestry of Muslim civilizations woven over 1400 years of history. During the summer of 2008, this production will be hosted in 7 cities across the United States. We have a historic picture of Prince Karim Aga Khan as he arrives in Karachi for his enthronement ceremony on 23 January 1958 escorted by President Iskander Mirza and Mrs Naheed Mirza. At our Spirit and Life
Blog, we began the week reading about Khojas - by Professor Azim Nanji, and for Yaum-e Ali, we
selected a collection of hadith of Hazrat Ali (A.S) from Reza
Shah-Kazemi’s (2006), Justice and Remembrance: Introducing the
Spirituality of Imam ‘Ali. We visited two very interesting New Islamic Garden Web Sites on online, which focus on
gardens of the Middle East are now online, and reflected on the Qur’anic notion of the universe, as referred to by The
Aga Khan in an excerpt from his speech in London in 2003. We read an
article about the Institute of Ismaili Studies by Dr Paul E Walker and pondered upon some Words of Wisdom in an extract of the Aga Khan’s
speech in India, 1983. In an interview with La Croix, France,
published April 8, 2003, Mawlana Hazar Imam
talks about his role as a Living Imam of the Ismaili Community. We concluded the
week with excerpts on Cultural diversities of Ismaili Muslims. 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. |
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MoU signed with Aga Khan Health Services to improve health services in Chitral Posted: 21 Jul 2008 05:44 PM CDT PESHAWAR: A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the provincial Health Department, district government Chitral and Agha Khan Health Service (AKHS) here Monday to hand over Rural Health Centre (RHC) Shagram to AKHS for efficient delivery of health care services through public-private partnership. The MoU was signed in a special ceremony held in the committee room of Health Secretariat, Peshawar. Provincial Minister for Population Welfare Salim Khan was chief guest on the occasion. Secretary Health Dr Syed Sohail Altaf, District Nazim Chitral Haji Maghifirat Shah, District Coordination Officer Chitral Motasim Billah Shah and chairman AKHS Dr Amin Delawala signed the MoU on behalf of the Health Department, district government and AKHS, respectively. |
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Education for a Better World - Eboo Patel talks about International Baccalaureate Posted: 21 Jul 2008 12:13 PM CDT From Newsweek’s On Faith blog: The IB combines high academic standards with a powerful humanist purpose. Its mission statement speaks of developing “inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.” As the Aga Khan noted in his Peterson Lecture to the IB this past April, “Pluralism is a value that must be taught.” |
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Clash of ignorance Interview with His Highness the Aga Khan - Portuguese TV Posted: 21 Jul 2008 11:26 AM CDT |
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Good News - Story of Azim Khamisa Posted: 21 Jul 2008 10:42 AM CDT John Linko has summarized this story very well at his blog. Please visit the source for video on this very inspiring story. http://johnlinko.blogspot.com/2008/07/good-news.htmlMSNBC Video is also available here.
TKF’s Formation
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Another small Power Plant put into commission in GBAO under support of AKF Posted: 21 Jul 2008 09:56 AM CDT 21 July 2008 / Asia-PLUS Daily Blitz KHOROG, July 19, 2008, Asia-Plus /Shonavruz Afzalshoyev/ — A small hydropower plant Bardara was put into commission in the village of Bardara in the Bartang Valley, GBAO’s Rushan district on July 18. The plant has been constructed under financial support of the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF). Speaking in an interview with Asia-Plus, Khujamiyor Khumorikov, engineer-manager with AKF’s Mountain Societies Development Support Program (MSDSP), said that the power plant Bardara with the rated capacity of 160 kW had been constructed in two years, and $87,000, including $7,000 contribution of local residents, had been spent for construction of the station. Resident of the Bardara village, Sultonsho Mamadbekov, noted that the plant will allow using electrical power not only for lightening residential buildings, cooking and tackling other everyday problems but also watching TV. According to Khumorikov, Bardara is the eighth small power plant built by MSDSP in the Bartang Valley. “In all, with direct participation of our program and contributions of local residents and under financial support of international organizations 29 small power plants with different rated capacities, ranging from 30 to 300 kW, have been constructed in Gorno Badakhshan since 1997,” Khumorikov said, noting that a total capacity of those 29 plants is some 2,500 kW. “They provide electricity supplies to more than 30 villages; besides, we have constructed some 30 kilometers of electricity-transmission lines,” the engineer-manager said. A ceremony of putting the Bardara plant into commission was attended by Minister of Energy and Industries Sherali Gul, Resident Representative of the Aga Development Network (AKDN) in Tajikistan Munir Merali, and CEO of AKF Tajikistan Yodgor Fayzov. |
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Posted: 23 Jul 2008 11:15 AM CDT
Jason has been blogging from Afghanistan where he is collaborating with musicians at Aga Khan Cultural Center in Kabul. Lots of interesting pictures and videos available at his blog. http://jasoncartertours.blogspot.com/ |
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His Highness the Aga Khan’s visit to Portugal - Photo Gallery Posted: 23 Jul 2008 11:05 AM CDT |
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Islamic Conscience Documentary in Cleveland North Carolina Posted: 24 Jul 2008 07:50 PM CDT Just a quick blurb for those in Cleveland North Carolina or nearby. The movie is playing at the 9th Annual International Real to Reel Film Festival on Saturday, July 26 - Matinee - 1-5pm |
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Tough sell: Vacation in amicable Afghanistan Posted: 24 Jul 2008 08:02 AM CDT Bamiyan, Afghanistan — Sanjeev Gupta thinks it’s about time war-torn Afghanistan had a tourism industry in a peaceful corner of the country. Gupta, a regional program manager for the nongovernmental organization, the Aga Khan Foundation, says that even though some areas are too volatile to visit, Bamiyan in central Afghanistan is safe and has an abundance of cultural, historical and natural treasures to lure international travelers. “Bamiyan has a lot of tourist potential,” Gupta said. “We need to correct the perception of Afghanistan. The whole country is not dangerous.” The Aga Khan Foundation, a nongovernmental organization based in Geneva, created the Bamiyan Ecotourism Project to develop tourist infrastructure, train guides, cooks and hoteliers, and raise awareness of the region’s natural attractions. It’s a $1 million three-year program. Gupta concedes the task of establishing a tourism industry is a daunting task even in a relatively safe province like Bamiyan. Complete
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Women in Agriculture in South Asia: Workshop in New Delhi by Aga Khan Foundation Posted: 24 Jul 2008 08:01 AM CDT IFPRI/Aga Khan Foundation Workshop - Women in Agriculture in South
Asia Throughout the South Asian region, women account for about 39 percent of the agricultural workforce, working as managers of land to agricultural laborers. The well-recognized low status of women in South Asia also has implications for women’s involvement in agriculture and the returns to women of their inputs into agriculture. -snip- With this in mind, the Aga Khan Foundation and the International Food Policy Research Institute will hold a workshop in New Delhi from August 12-14, 2008 on Women in Agriculture in South Asia. |
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A new 25,000 square foot worship and education center with a Prayer Hall, Social Hall, Classrooms, Administrative Offices, 300+ Parking lot. |
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Jami Makan and Team in Mombasa - Visits various AKDN projects Posted: 26 Jul 2008 11:43 AM CDT
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Various high-quality Jamatkhana pictures from all over the world Posted: 25 Jul 2008 08:24 PM CDT Just came across this wonderful set of exceptional, high-quality, Jamatkhana pictures. Click on the image to visit the source and click the next arrow to view various photographs one after another.
Earlier
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Interview with His Highness the Aga Khan - In Portuguese Posted: 25 Jul 2008 11:34 AM CDT The Aga Khan, spiritual leader of Ismaili Muslims, rarely gives interviews. A few days ago, in his passage through Lisbon, spoke to P2. By Antonio Marujo and Faranaz Keshavjee Interview at the source: http://www.paroquias.org/noticias.php?n=7548 – Note: The interview with His Highness the Aga Khan is in Portuguese
language. You can use any of the widely available translation services to
read in English. Google Translate is one of the freely available
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IIS Staff Organise the Gujarat Studies Association Conference Posted: 25 Jul 2008 09:56 AM CDT
From ancient times to the present, people have sought to understand their identities both from an individual as well as collective perspective. In so doing, not only do they define who they are, but also who they are not. In the mass migrations of the last 200 years, millions of people have left their ancestral homelands and cultures to settle in new places. The primary purpose of this conference was to explore the connections between ancestral homelands and new belongings, and focus on the complexities of shaping and reshaping linguistic, cultural and religious identities. |
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Ismaili Jamatkhanas and Centres Posted: 25 Jul 2008 08:38 AM CDT Re-post: Images collected either from publications, personal travels, or contributed by individuals such as Ahwaz Chagani, Alkarim Devani, Adam Jiwani, Hussein Hasham, Adil Walji, Abdul Hadi, and Irfan Shariff. Click here for the link to ArchNet collection.
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Posted: 27 Jul 2008 11:07 AM CDT http://www.coveringkenya.com/?p=21 Of the twenty or so people who have received fellowships from the Aga Khan Foundation to work in developing countries this year, a few are keeping blogs to share their experiences. Here are links to some of them: |
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Portugal Trip - Personal Photographs Posted: 27 Jul 2008 08:08 AM CDT These high-resolution photographs are exclusively shared by our long time blog visitor Simerg. Enjoy!
Jamat awaiting Hazar Imam’s arrival at the Military airport in Lisbon. |
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Aga Khan University to study slums for maternal, child mortality Posted: 27 Jul 2008 08:00 AM CDT KARACHI: The City District Government Karachi has initiated a two-year study programme on women and child health in coordination with the Aga Khan University’s department of women and children health research. The research will focus on the issue of death of mothers and children during and after pregnancy and childbirth. Experts will try to find the causes of these deaths and suggest preventive measures. An AKU delegation led by Dr Imrana Pasha and Dr Saira Saleem called on City Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal at his office here Friday. |
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Week-in-Review — Sunday, July 27, 2008 Posted: 28 Jul 2008 10:00 PM CDT This week, we have featured two excellent interviews of His Highness the Aga Khan during his visit to Portugal. The first interview “Clash of Ignorance” is in English and was aired on the Portuguese TV. The second interview is in the Portuguese language, however, you can use any of the widely available translation services to read in English.
From USA, we bring you the pictures of the model of the new Jamatkhana in Glenview, Illinois that is currently under construction.
In Canada the staff from The Institute of Ismaili Studies organised a Gujarat Studies Association Conference in Toronto the theme of the conference was Identities: Reflections on Global Gujarati Communities. From Central Asia, in Tajikistan, a small hydropower plant Bardara was put into commission in the village of Bardara in the Bartang Valley, GBAO’s Rushan district, constructed under financial support of the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF). In Pakistan, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the provincial Health Department, district government Chitral and Aga Khan Health Service (AKHS) to improve health services in Chitral. The Health Sciences Library (HSL), at the AKU is regarded as one of the best equipped in Pakistan and has been recognised by the WHO in 1992 as a training facility. Also in Pakistan, the City District Government Karachi has initiated a two-year study programme on women and child health in coordination with the Aga Khan University’s department of women and children health research. Meanwhile in New Delhi, India, the Aga Khan Foundation conducted a workshop for Women in Agriculture in South Asia. “Bamiyan has a lot of tourist potential,” Gupta said. “We need to correct the perception of Afghanistan. The whole country is not dangerous,” but he concedes the task of establishing a tourism industry is a daunting task even in a relatively safe province like Bamiyan.
From The Ismaili website, we have interesting article on the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat Buidling and an excellent photo gallery of His Aga Khan’s visit to Portugal. The Arch Net collection has great pictures of Ismaili Jamatkhana and Centers, see if your Jamatkhana is featured in this collection. Also view this other set of various high-quality pictures of Jamatkhanas from all over the world. In other news, The Islamic Conscience Documentary is playing in Cleveland, North Carolina on July 26. From the blogosphere, musician Jason Carter blogs from Afghanistan where he is collaborating with musicians at Aga Khan Cultural Center in Kabul. Visit his blog for interesting pictures and videos. Jami Makan and team visit AKDN projects in Mombasa Kenya. Read Jami’s complete post and view pictures at his blog. Some of the people who have received fellowships from the Aga Khan Foundation to work in developing countries this year are blogging about their experiences. Do visit their blogs to read their experiences. Ismailimail brings you high-resolution photographs from Portugal which have been exclusively shared by our long time blog visitor Simerg. At our Spirit and Life Blog this week, we reflected on an excerpt from His Highness the Aga Khan’s Baccalaureate Address at the Brown University, where he talks about the Clash of Ignorance, and we read three articles about the Al-Azhar University . We talked about Rahat al-aql (Peace of Mind), a book written by Fatimid theologian Hamid al-Din, a prominent Ismaili da’i or missionary, and one of the most learned Ismaili theologians and philosophers of the Fatimid period. The South Asian Civilization has nurtured several of the world’s greatest rulers, artists, and poets whose writings have endured as literary masterpieces. We read an essay on Muslim Spaces of Piety and Worship, from the Institute of Ismaili Studies and concluded the week with a beautiful poem about Shams by Rumi. |
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. |
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Alykhan Velshi named new Director of Parliamentary Affairs Posted: 28 Jul 2008 06:22 PM CDT Environment Minister John Baird has hired a new senior exempt staffer in his ministerial political office. Alykhan Velshi, former director of communications and director of Parliamentary affairs to Jason Kenney (Calgary Southeast, Alta.) who in turn is secretary of state for Multiculturalism and Canadian Identity, is moving over to Mr. Baird’s office as director of Parliamentary affairs and will start his new job on Aug. 11. In his new position, Mr. Velshi, 24, who was also voted a “Terrific 25 Staffer” in this year’s survey conducted by The Hill Times, will be responsible for advising and briefing the minister on legislative issues, overseeing the legislative approval process, from development within the department to royal assent, and liaising with MPs, Cabinet ministers, Parliamentary secretaries, and the Prime Minister’s Office to coordinate legislative issues. Mr. Velshi’s new position is of significant importance since the environment will be one of the most important files in the upcoming session of Parliament and because Liberal Party Leader Stéphane Dion released his “Green Shift” plan this summer and currently is travelling across the country explaining it to Canadians and convincing them that his plan is the most effective of all political parties. -snip- A native of Toronto, Mr. Velshi holds a law degree from the London School of Economics in London, England, and passed his New York bar exam in 2006. He came to the Hill after the last federal election to serve as a senior political aide to Mr. Kenney, who was then Parliamentary secretary to the Prime Minister. Mr. Velshi is also distantly related to CNN’s Ali Velshi. |
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Naguib Kheraj named JP Morgan chief Posted: 28 Jul 2008 06:16 PM CDT
Naguib Kheraj, previously finance director of Barclays Bank, has been appointed chief executive of Cazenove, the blue-blooded broker owned by the Wall Street investment bank JP Morgan. Mr Kheraj, 44, is the City’s best known Muslim banker and will be taking control of the most prestigious firm in the Square Mile. Educated at Dulwich College in south London and at Cambridge University, he is one of the highest of fliers in London banking, plays a senior role in the Ismaili community and is a senior adviser to the Muslim sect’s billionaire leader, the Aga Khan. Complete at the source: |
A public-educated school Muslim is to run the Queen’s
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Parade Shows Off Diversity - Ismaili Youth Group in Glenview Illinois Posted: 28 Jul 2008 10:40 AM CDT -snip- There were no French or Francophile units in the Parade, but other nations were well represented. Our Fourth of July Parade is beginning to rival the diversity of Chicago’s St. Patrick’s Day Parades. There were 101 groups in the Parade, with most of them representing Glenview neighborhoods, schools, churches, businesses and civic organizations. In addition, the Bolivian Dance Troop, the Polonia Ensemble, the Dunkin Donuts Asian groups, Denny Hebson’s Irish Bagpipers from Hackney’s, and the Ismaili Youth Group gave the Parade a cosmopolitan flavor, to add to the Jesse White Tumblers, the South Shore Drill Team, and several other African-American Bands and Drill Teams visiting from Chicago. Glenview is changing, and so is the rest of the world. |
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Last year’s Dengue sufferers at risk again this year, warn experts Posted: 28 Jul 2008 08:01 AM CDT * Links found between Delhi and Karachi strains KARACHI: Experts are worried that the people who survived Dengue last year in Karachi are at risk this year again but nothing is being done to monitor them. It is known that there are three stages to the Dengue virus with Dengue Shock Syndrome being the last one that can prove fatal. -snip- In addition to these worries, experts point out that as with most viruses, the Dengue virus is also capable of mutating or changing. Experts from the Aga Khan University Hospital and the Centre for Emergency Preparedness and Response, UK got together to study the two strains of the dengue virus in the 2006 outbreak of dengue hemorrhagic fever in Karachi. Their findings have appeared online this month for the Journal of Clinical Virology. They warned that the types of dengue involved in the recent epidemic outbreaks in Pakistan are not well defined. |
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Inspiring Spaces - Ismaili Centre, Lisbon Posted: 29 Jul 2008 12:25 PM CDT Visit Nurin Merchant’s website for more photographs. This is an excellent and very inspiring collection.
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Architectural award for Aga Khan University’s new campus in Education City Posted: 29 Jul 2008 08:05 AM CDT 2008 SCUP/AIA-CAE Award Recipients —- The Society for College and University Planning (SCUP) and the American Institute of Architects Committee on Architecture for Education (AIA-CAE) announced the 2008 Campus Planning and Design Awards. Jurors reviewed over 200 submissions and cited 19 projects. Payette received two of the 12 Honor Awards. The Aga Khan University Faculty of Arts and Sciences Master Plan earned an Honor Award for Excellence in Planning for a New Campus. —
The Aga Khan University Faculty of Arts and Sciences The Aga Khan University Faculty of Arts and Sciences Master Plan establishes a framework for a new campus on arid scrubland 30 kilometers outside Karachi, Pakistan, in a zone designated as Education City by the Sindh provincial government. Designed for an initial student body of 1,600, this campus is planned to support 10,000 students and the full spectrum of graduate degrees and professional schools. The campus morphology is based on historic Islamic city form and establishes a continuum of experience, from the courtyard to the veranda to the building interior. Adjacent land holdings of 500 acres will also be developed as a University village. Source — KARACHI: The Aga Khan University has won an international award for the master plan of its new Faculty of Arts and Sciences campus to be built in Education City, 30 km outside Karachi. An announcement on Monday said that the Society for College and University Planning and the American Institute of Architecture presented the Honor award for excellence in planning for a new campus to AKU and its architects Payette Associates, at their annual conference in Montreal, Canada, last week. The university’s new Faculty of Arts and Sciences campus will be a major component of Education City, a regional development of schools and institutes that will eventually cover 8,000 acres. http://www.scup.org (page 38) |
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Upcoming lectures at Aga Khan University Posted: 29 Jul 2008 08:01 AM CDT
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Impact of Creative Arts on Human Nature by
Ms Sheema Kermani , Founder, Tehrik-e-Niswan, Cultural
Action Group on Thursday, August 7, 2008
Role of Drama in Literature by Mr Rahat
Kazmi , Artistic Director, National Academy of Performing Arts on
Tuesday, August 19, 2008        |
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