NanoWisdoms

I should especially emphasise the significance of this Institute in the reconstruction of Afghanistan. This Institute was created through a Public-Private Partnership to establish a new medical institute through a strategic collaboration: The support of the French Government, that of the Afghan Government, the participation of the French Non-Governmental Organisations La Chaine de l'Espoir, and Afghan Children, and the Aga Khan ...

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[T]he reality is that our world is pluralistic and multi-cultural, and destined to remain so. Ought we not, then, to focus our attention on periods of history when pluralism was happily embraced? May we not learn thereby the need to nurture what I have recently called a cosmopolitan ethic? For this is the foundation of a merit-based civil society capable of ...

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Most of us seek societies that are at once plural and peaceful -- a goal that is important but also elusive. For even our best efforts to combine stability with modernity seem to be constantly disrupted. Some of these disruptions come from new technologies -- from Internet blogs to bio-genetics. Others spring from nature -- from changing weather patterns or mutating ...

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One of history's great lessons is that a society can underwrite human progress only when it overcomes its insularity and suspicion of "the other," and instead, looks upon difference as a source of strength. For, while our new century continues to be marred by conflict and tension, the effective world of tomorrow is a pluralist one which comprehends, welcomes and builds ...

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A deepening sense of spiritual commitment, and the ethical framework that goes with it, will be a central requirement if we are to find our way through the minefields and the quick sands of modern life. A strengthening of religious institutions should be a vital part of this process. To be sure, freedom of religion is a critical value in a ...

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Modern societies must improve the rigour and relevance of their educational curricula, strengthen the institutions of civil society and build a strong ethical framework of tolerance and respect if they are to be stable and secure democracies, able to protect the interests of their citizens, His Highness the Aga Khan said today. He was speaking at an international symposium at the ...

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Our financial pledge of $75 million in 2002 has been exceeded by 60 per cent and along with our donor, lender and investor partners, we have mobilised just under $400 million for the reconstruction of Afghanistan.... [D]evelopment is only possible when the community is engaged at the grassroots level and is given the ways and the means to take responsibility for ...

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For the Aga Khan Museum, I thought that 'light' might be a concept around which you could design an outstanding museum.... I hope that the building and the spaces around it will be seen as the celebration of Light, and the mysteries of Light, that nature and the human soul illustrate to us at every moment in our lives. I have ...

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19 December 2005 (Lisbon): Luncheon hosted by the Prime Minister of Portgual.20 December 2005 (Lisbon): Reception hosted in honour of the President and Prime Minister of Portgual. SOURCESDiário Digital, 19 December 2005 Diário Digital, 20 December 2005 POSSIBLY RELATED READINGS (GENERATED AUTOMATICALLY) ...

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The Protocol of Co-operation between the Government of the Portuguese Republic and the Ismaili Imamat, which we signed this evening, is the first such Agreement that the Ismaili Imamat has signed with a Western Government, and I am deeply convinced that it will bring clear benefits to our peoples and to many others. For the Ismaili Imamat, the Ismaili Community worldwide ...

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The Aga Khan expressed his solidarity with the people of Pakistan in this most difficult and challenging period. He commended the relief efforts of the Government of Pakistan and the Pakistan Army for their commitment to reconstruction and rehabilitation. He expressed the need to work in partnership and the need to construct seismic proof housing, adding: "I hope the experience gathered ...

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Many countries, nations at widely diverse stages of economic and social development, are expressing grave doubts about the effectiveness of their systems of education to develop the intellectual and moral talent they need to function in the modern world -- and to engage all levels of their societies. This vital work in education must be highly sensitive to local conditions, gain ...

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The Aga Khan commended on the importance of the consultation process that took place before the building had been constructed. "The new facilities are an expression of the University's belief that it must care for its faculty and staff, providing them with the most conducive work environment," he stated, adding that if AKU is to stay ahead and be the role ...

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Many of our faculty and trustees come from different parts of the world including the areas of the Western world where Ibn Zuhr worked and carried out his research. There is a symbol here -- knowledge can be drawn from any frontier to create strong institutions, if it is drawn wisely. His Highness the Aga Khan, Chairman of the Aga Khan ...

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The AKDN will contribute the extensive experience it has gained in recent decades in the mountain zones of the Hindu Kush, Pamirs, and Tien Shan in Northern Pakistan, Afghanistan and parts of Central Asia. This includes lessons learned about such issues as the special needs of rural and urban planning in mountain habitats, the development of energy and water sanitation infrastructure ...

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[T]here are some who will ask: why build an hotel in Afghanistan at this stage of its struggle for development? And why build one of a five star level? In 2002, the Government of Afghanistan asked the Aga Khan Development Network -- the AKDN -- to help in restoring Kabul's hotel capacity, which had been almost totally destroyed by the civil ...

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The achievements of the AKDN would not be possible without the tireless contributions of the global community of Ismailis that I lead, residing in Central and Southern Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe and North America. Our volunteers and contributors also include many thousands of others from multiple cultures and faiths around the world. They are united with us in our ...

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[Translation] Islam and terror have not the slightest thing in common. Islam does not teach terrorism any more than Christianity or Judaism. He who blows himself and others up is a criminal and cannot claim to be a servant of God, praise be to Allah. The world religion of Islam teaches peace, compassion and tolerance.... The West must move away from ...

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I am fortunate to lead an international community with a strong social conscience. Bridging North and South, East and West, the Ismailis have a long tradition of philanthropy, self-reliance and voluntary service. Wherever they live, they faithfully abide by the Qur'anic ethic of a common humanity and the dignity of man. They willingly pool knowledge and resources with all those who ...

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[Google translation] If you were to go on a desert island, what three things would you take? [Google translation] [Laughs.] Oh my! I do not know what to say! I wish I could feed myself, dress and live as long as possible! And I'll take what practice my faith. Interviewer: Coumba Diop Google translation -- Both spiritual leader, philanthropist, businessman and ...

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IN 1984, THE AGA KHAN, leader of the world's Ismaili Muslims, climbed the winding stairs to the tops of minarets in Old Cairo. The sepia-coloured cityscape spread before him. A profusion of domes and minarets decorated the sky; their ornate forms making visible the spirit of the 1,000-year-old city. Beyond the architectural splendour, however, problems were apparent. Roofs piled with debris. ...

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I would like to emphasise that economic initiatives are only one part of the AKDN initiatives in Mali. We firmly believe that our social and cultural activities are just as important, and intend to have them expand substantially in the future. His Excellency Moctar Ouane, Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation of the Republic of Mali and the Director of ...

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[Translation] [A]ny community which feels isolated, which feels forgotten, which has lost hope, is a community that will search by any mean to reposition itself. And we have seen this in the North of Pakistan, we have seen it in the east of Tajikistan, We have seen it in Afghanistan. And these situations can be identified and that is what is ...

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We hope to bring to areas that are amongst the poorest and least served, our experience of strengthening communities living in other high mountain regions with similar economic and ecological environments. As in those other regions, we see this as a long-term initiative whose success will be determined by the commitment of the beneficiary population and the continued collaboration of the ...

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[Translation] As you know I am coming from Burkina and this trip is a trip so see our activities in West Africa, to assess the situation at a time when Africa is in the process of taking very very important global dimensions, so I have come to look and listen.... the Aga Khan Network in Mali is involved in culture, in ...

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31 July 2005 (Koulouba, Mali): Dinner hosted by the President of Mali.1 August 2005 (Mopti, Mali): Visit to Grand Mosque. SOURCESismaili.net POSSIBLY RELATED READINGS (GENERATED AUTOMATICALLY) ...

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Our experience in the northern areas of Pakistan shows that the logistical efficiencies gained from the use of helicopters have had a positive impact on the beneficiaries - the poor in remote, high mountain areas - in terms of the speed, efficiency and quality of development activities. The Aga Khan Development Network has now taken delivery of all four AB139 helicopters ...

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Respect for press freedom grows out of a respect for pluralism as a cornerstone of peace and progress. Pluralism implies a readiness to listen to many voices -- whether we agree with them or not -- and a willingness to embrace a rich diversity of cultures. When our diversity divides us, the results can be tragic, as we have seen in ...

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Our historic adherence is to the Jafari Madhhab and other Madhahib of close affinity, and it continues, under the leadership of the hereditary Ismaili Imam of the time. This adherence is in harmony also with our acceptance of Sufi principles of personal search and balance between the zahir and the spirit or the intellect which the zahir signifies. Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim. I am ...

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The university's fidelity to its founding notion that disciplined, objective inquiry is the property of all humanity, attracts faculty and students of high calibre from dozens of countries and cultures, challenged not only to excel in their chosen fields, but to place their knowledge in the wider context of humanity's pluralist heritage. This is a core principle of my own faith ...

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This was one of the poorest, most marginalised areas in the world. We were looking for ways to improve income. First we brought 33,000 hectares of land back into production with irrigation projects, improving livestock and productivity. We decided to make an inventory of all the assets of the area and to decide how they could be used. Interviewer: Marcus Binney ...

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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, who want power or who want to normatise religious attitudes or things of this sort. I don't believe these societies are born into the acceptance ...

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I don't believe that societies are born pluralist. Pluralism has to be omnipresent in civil society ... it's got to be part of the way a society is constituted. Interviewers: Chris Mikula and Hayley Mick The Aga Khan says the Muslim world has been late to join the West in the debate over the most pressing ethical issues of our time, ...

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The Delegation will serve a representational role for the Imamat and its non-denominational, philanthropic and development agencies which constitute the Aga Khan Development Network -- the AKDN. An open, secular facility, the Delegation will be a sanctuary for peaceful, quiet diplomacy, informed by the Imamat's outlook of global convergence and the development of civil society. It will be an enabling venue ...

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29 May 2005 (Islamabad): Luncheon hosted by the Prime Minister of Pakistan.29 May 2005 (Islamabad): Dinner hosted in honour of the Prime Minister of Pakistan.30 May 2005 (Skardu): Shigar Fort Opening Ceremony (postponed?) SOURCESismaili.net POSSIBLY RELATED READINGS (GENERATED AUTOMATICALLY) ...

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There is one other front on which the battle must be waged, however, and it has to do with media owners and managers. Too often, those who set the media agenda see it primarily as a business agenda. Too often the measure of media success is simply financial profit. I think this attitude is wrong -- it often makes for manipulative ...

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We have seen, in the last quarter of a century, many pluralistic nations pay a horrible price because they were unable to manage conflicts between different communities. (Canada, on the other hand) has a long and highly successful track record of pluralism. It is a sophisticated democracy where people of different backgrounds feel they have an equitable voice in the country ...

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Canada has for many years been a beacon to the rest of the world for its commitment to pluralism and for its support for the multicultural richness and diversity of its peoples. Canada has embraced pluralism as a foundation for strength and growth. Therefore, I am extremely pleased that the Government of Canada under Prime Minister Paul Martin's leadership has joined ...

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Just as we read about the supposed clash of civilisations, we read about so-called "failed states." In fact, at least in my definition of a state, it cannot fail. What we are observing in reality is the massive failure of democracy around the world. I estimate that some 40% of the states of the United Nations are failed democracies. Depending upon ...

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I am very pleased about the partnership that this agreement furthers -- a partnership grounded in common principles of human security, conflict prevention, cultural promotion and community development. This agreement builds on a 20-year long relationship and sets in place a framework for future growth. Hilde F. Johnson, Minister of International Development, and His Highness the Aga Khan, Imam (spiritual leader) ...

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