Antonio Marujo/Faranaz Keshavjee: The Ismailis are known as a very generous community in material terms. However, during these Golden Jubilee celebrations, you have introduced the notion of Time and Knowledge. What is it about? Aga Khan: In Shia Islam, intellect is a key component of faith. Intellect allows us to understand the creation of God. We live in a world in ...
"I am convinced that the best way for media, in Africa and elsewhere, to maintain their independence is to prove their indispensability. This is not an easy task. Information flows more quickly, over longer distances at lower cost than ever before. But sometimes more information, in and of itself, can also mean more misinformation, more confusion, more manipulation, more superficial snapshots ...
Aga Khan: I think the reintegration of areas of countries like Pakistan after -- 1947 to 2010, what's that, over 50 years? -- reintegrating areas which have not been under control after 50 or 60 years of quasi-autonomy is pretty tough going. And it's not an Asian phenomenon, this is true of Africa also. Globe and Mail: What elements are needed ...
"[W]e have been searching for a definition of Islamic architecture. One of our first conclusions has been that no single definition exists. Islamic architecture has reflected different peoples, different climates, different times and materials ... We have, however, sought the essentials that go beyond regional factors of climate and materials and the limitations of period technology. What have we found? "One ...
"In my presidential address [to the 1976 Seerat Conference in Karachi], I appealed to our ulama not to delay the search for the answers to the issues of a rapidly evolving modernity which Muslims of the world face because we have the knowledge that Islam is Allah's final message to mankind, the Holy Qur'an His final Book, and Muhammad, may peace ...
Pakistan Television: And what would be your ideal world view of the future of Islam? And what kind of world, Islam as a faith and followers of Islam would envisage where really we can say that yes this is an Islamic country with the best of ideals and practices? Aga Khan: I would like [the] essence of the faith to be ...
"[M]y sense is we are looking to the future for a massive increase in nuclear use around the world. To me, that's on the cards. And it's on the cards in the industrialised world, it's on the cards in the Third World. (1) ... I think we have to make the intellectual effort to jump ahead of that issue and ten ...
Globe and Mail: We haven't talked about gender which is too important an issue to address in a few minutes. But there's been a great debate about gender in Muslim countries, post-September 11th. Where do you see the debate going in these countries? Aga Khan: I find it very difficult to validate the concept, for example, that Islam says a woman ...
Aftab Ahmad Khan: How do you assess the future of Muslim minorities in Western secular states? Aga Khan: I think these communities in the industrialised world will need to deal with their problems with wisdom because they will be in the front line of exposure to industrial and substantially secularised societies. They will have to take a long term view of ...
"Surely, one of the great questions of our time is whether we can learn to live creatively with both the global and the tribal impulse, embracing the adventure of a broader internationalism even as we drink more deeply from the wellsprings of a particular heritage. The communications revolution means either a growing 'homogenisation' that we know breeds its own hostile reactions, ...
ITV: Your Highness, if a complete stranger who had no idea who you were or what you were, came up to you and said, 'What you do for a living?' What would be your reply? Aga Khan: I would say that my role is -- I am the Imam -- the hereditary Imam of the Shia Muslim community; the international Shia ...
Michael Charlton: But in this conflict between the orthodox, who say that the Qur'anic teaching, like Khomeini appears to be saying in Iran, are immutable and even if the majority wishes them to be changed -- they can not be changed because the teaching itself is unchanging and must not be changed -- in that context, between those who think like ...
"I think one of the specifics of Islam is that you live your faith. And you are not one day in your faith and the next day out of your faith. It is a permanent presence. It is a presence which brings you happiness. It brings you objectives in life and therefore, I don't think that one can make this sort ...
"I believe that today the Islamic world's view of its own future is seriously affected by a divergent squint. It is a world split into two tendencies: on the one hand, modernisers and believers in progressive change, on the other, traditionalists who might even be described as hidebound. Both seek to determine future directions to be taken by the Ummah which ...
Pakistan Television Corporation: You have a dream -- the renaissance of Islam. All your activities really converge on that particular point. But what makes you believe it will become a reality? Aga Khan: Simply because I believe in the eternity of the faith and I believe it is the faith for man. And in that sense, Muslims will find within their ...
"My first concern is that we must define the paths to democracy more flexibly. We like to say that democracy involves a pluralistic approach to life but too seldom do we take a pluralistic approach to democracy. Too often, we insist that democracies must all follow a similar script, evolving at a similar pace, without recognising that different circumstances may call ...
Caroline Pigozzi/Jean-Claude Deutsch: Let us touch on the important subject of fundamentalism. Aga Khan: If fundamentalism means the destabilisation of a society, I am certainly opposed to it. We have taken up the annoying habit of linking each sporadic act of terrorism to the Muslim world. It is a painful confusion. The Muslim world is made up of 1 billion believers, ...
"Three classes are cut off from the benediction of heaven: the oppressors, those who aid and abet oppressors and those who tolerate oppression." "The blessing of heaven falls upon whosoever restores truth, kills falsehood, brings tyranny low, and elevates justice." "Shun oppressing one with no defence against you but God." "When you meet a man oppressed, help him against the oppressor. ...
"Thy Lord hath decreed, that ye worship none save Him, and (that ye show) kindness to parents. If one of them or both of them attain old age with thee, say not "Fie" unto them nor repulse them, but speak unto them a gracious word. And lower unto them the wing of submission through mercy, and say: My Lord! Have mercy ...
"The greatest wealth is the wealth of wisdom and judgement; the greatest poverty is the poverty of stupidity and ignorance; the worst unsociableness is that of vanity, conceit and self-glorification; the best nobility of descent exhibits itself in politeness and in refinement of culture." -- Hazrat Ali Maxims of Ali for this post in PDF format. to subscribe and receive our ...
Having fifty years of first hand and successful experience in development of the poorest peoples, and as founder of one of the world's largest private development institutions, the Aga Khan Development Network, the Aga Khan is in a unique position to reflect not only upon the notion of Civil Society institutions but also their role and impact in world progress: "By ...
"Western Europe and North America possess much that can be envied. They also face social and moral conflicts which are far more daunting than known in Asia or Africa. Increasingly, I believe, thinking people both in Europe and America are asking: Where is this all prosperity leading us? Are we any happier? Do we get as much satisfaction out of living ...
"Regarding what you do not know out of what has come down to you (the Noble Quran), you must try to keep silent. (Or else) refer the same for confirmation to the divinely guided Imams (p) so that they may lead you to the correct interpretation. They will also dispel its obscurity and make you aware of the truth. Then the ...
"The most valuable thing in the world is a virtuous woman" "If a daughter is born to a man and he brings her up well he shall be saved from the Fire." "Whosoever careth for two girls till they come of age shall be in the next world with me, like my two fingers close to each other." "Women are the ...
Peter Mansbridge: Who's showing leadership in this world right now in terms of the major global issues? Who do you look to as a leader, whether it's a political leader or not? Who's showing leadership? Aga Khan: I think there are a number of people in the UN system who've shown leadership -- who have shown balanced judgement on these issues. ...
"There are two kinds of learned men. The one who acts according to his knowledge will be delivered (from chastisement in the Hereafter). The other who ignores his knowledge is destined to perish. Even the dwellers of Hell will be tortured due to the stench emanating from the burning body of the learned person who ignored his knowledge. The most repentant ...
"I think we are experiencing a time of, in a sense, the search for a legitimacy in interpretation of Islam in relation to the modern world, in relation to modern society, in relation to non-Muslim societies and in that search there are all sorts of interpretations being put forward. I personally am very cautious about seeking a formalistic approach, because I ...
"I believe that there is no such thing as an underdeveloped country -- only under-managed countries and for me the most important word is accountability. We must be accountable at all times to the organisations we serve and to the people we serve." His Highness the Aga Khan's 1986 CBC interview with Roy Bonisteel (Canada) ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ "[Good ...
"Quality education at all levels is, and has been, critically important for all societies at all times. In the developing world education offers the poor: opportunities for new futures; women; higher status, and new roles in their families and communities; migrants: an asset that is portable; and refugees: an asset that is both portable and secure. For these reasons, the Aga ...
"With so many social and economic needs still unmet around the world, why is culture so important? Conventional thinking suggests that there is a sequence that must be followed in every instance -- first addressing humanitarian and social needs, then economic challenges and finally, perhaps, culture. We have found, however, that the equation is not so simple. Culture itself can be ...
"What was the power, what were the centres of force which provided the [Umayyad and Abbasid] Caliphates with the material to govern? From whence came the unifying force which allowed these immense empires to weld together peoples of different languages, ethnic origins and cultures? "The Caliphates drew administrative machinery from some of the greatest centres of learning which have ever existed. ...
"It is a privilege to be associated with a university which has remained true for so many centuries to the principle that the fruits of learning are to be at the service of all humanity. In Islam, this is a core principle of belief. In that tradition, my forefathers, the Fatimid Imam-Caliphs of Egypt, who founded al-Azhar University and the Academy ...
"Let us then study the duties of man, as the great majority interpret them, according to the verses of the Koran and the Traditions of the Prophet. First of all, the relations of man to God: there are no priests and no monks. There is no confession of sins, except directly to God. "A man who does not marry, who refuses ...
"Education must also make the case for a pluralistic tradition in which other views, ethnicities, religions and perspectives are valued not only because that is just and good, but also because pluralism is the climate best suited for creativity, curiosity and inquiry to thrive. It must also stimulate students to consider a variety of perspectives on some of the fundamental questions ...
Alison Smith: Tell me what you mean by "pluralism" and how that fits into your notion of civil society? Aga Khan: In the past decades I have had a feeling that in Europe, but also in Asia and Africa, many, many of the conflicts have been driven by peoples or faiths or tribes who do not accept the existence of others, ...
"The essential goal of global development has been to create and sustain effective nation states -- coherent societies that are well governed, economically self-sustaining, equitable in treating their peoples, peaceful amongst themselves, and sensitive to their impact on planetary sustainability. "This is a complex objective, a moving target, and a humbling challenge. Sadly, the response in the places I know best ...
"You must always appreciate and adopt a policy which is neither too severe nor too lenient, a policy which is based upon equity will be largely appreciated. Remember that the displeasure of common men, the have-nots and the depressed persons more overbalances than the approval of important persons, while the displeasure of a few big people will be excused by the ...
"You must take care not to cut yourself off from the public. Do not place a curtain of false prestige between you and those over whom you rule. Such pretensions and show of pomp and pride are in reality manifestations of inferiority complex and vanity. The result of such an attitude is that you remain ignorant of the conditions of your ...
One who is aggrieved at the world is discontent with the judgment of God, and one who complains about misfortunes that befall him is complaining about his Lord. One who approaches a rich man and abases himself to him because of his riches loses a third of his religion. One who reads the Qur'an yet falls into Hellfire when he dies ...
"... I confess that I am obsessed with time and each day I remind myself that my rare free moments must be devoted to preparing for the future. After all, life is fragile. God calls us whenever He sees fit. If I had to take stock of my life, my feeling would be that I have structured the Ismaili Imamat, for ...
