News story -- The Institute of Ismaili Studies is pleased to announce two new appointments within the Department of Academic Research and Publications and the Department of Graduate Studies. Following close to a year as Acting Head of the IIS Library, Dr Omar Alí-de-Unzagahas been appointed Deputy Head of the Department of Academic Research and Publications. He will also continue to be ...
Healthy Hints Each cake gives you more fibre than you'd get from a slice of whole meal bread. Fibre is needed for healthy digestion, and eating more fibre-rich foods can help you manage your weight. This recipe is suitable for egg-free diets. 250 g (8.8 oz) porridge oats flour 100 g (3.5 oz) coconut palm sugar* or brown sugar 50 g ...
Nutrition Centre -- Gajar (carrot) is a crunchy root vegetable available in a range of colours like orange, red, yellow, purple and white. It is a good source of beta carotene, which is converted to vitamin A in our bodies. Gajar (carrot). Natika / Dollar Photo Club One medium-sized gajar contains 5 054 micrograms of beta carotene, which is equivalent to ...
Nutrition Centre -- Healthy Hints These treats come out at around 130 Calories each and it's unusual for a cake to be low in fat and saturated fats, with a medium (amber) traffic light for sugar. Coconut palm sugar is made from the nectar of blossoms and is not the same as palm sugar; it reportedly has a lower glycaemic index ...
Healthy Hints This recipe uses porrige oats in place of regular flour. Oats are a source of whole grain, and eating more whole grain is important for heart health. The other good news is that each cake is low in both total fat and saturated fats. You also get 2 grams of fibre from a serving, which is about the same ...
In anticipation of this week's award ceremony for the Council of Europe's 2013 North-South Prize conferred on His Highness the Aga Khan, the NanoWisdoms Archive, in conjunction with Azeem Maherali, is pleased to publish an update to its acclaimed, mural-sized timeline of the awards and honours the Aga Khan has garnered since becoming Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims 57 years ...
Editor’s note: Intrepid globetrotter Muslim Harji of Montreal had a trip of a lifetime when he recently visited Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar (formerly known as Burma). Earlier we published a photo essay about his visit to the Ismaili jamatkhana in Rangoon, Burma (Photo Essay: The Ismaili Jamatkhana in Myanmar, With Notes on the Community’s Patriotic Spirit). This second photo essay, ...
Bismillaah ar-Rahman ar-Raheem Qul a'uudhi bi rabbin naas Malikin naas Ilaahin naas Min sharril waswaasil khannas Alladhee yuwaswisu fee suduurin naas Minal Jinnati wa naas In the name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of men, The King of men, The God of men, From the evil of the whisperings of the slinking (Shaitan), ...
I. WHAT IS NEOPLATONISM? Plato Plotinus If you live in the Western world today or have been influenced by it, you may be more of a Neoplatonist than you realize. As the mathematician and philosopher Alfred North Whitehead stated, the general characterization of the Western philosophical tradition "consists of a series of footnotes to Plato." [1] Neoplatonism is a relatively modern ...
By Jeremy Manier, Chicago Tribune March 1, 2007Harvard UniversityPeter Lu, a Harvard graduate student, posed with his cousin Christina Tam in Bukhara, Uzbekistan. On a visit to the region, Lu had the idea of looking for quasi-crystalline patterns in the intricate mosaics on Islamic architecture. The intricate abstract designs of Islamic art and architecture have always struck experts as the inspired ...
News story -- The IIS is pleased to announce the publication of a new edition and English translation of Abu 'Ali Mansur al-'Azizi al-Jawdhari's biography of al-Ustadh Jawdhar, the Sirat al-Ustadh Jawdhar, under the title Inside the Immaculate Portal: A History from Early Fatimid Archives. This work comprises a new critical edition of the Arabic text of the Sirat al-Ustadh Jawdhar and ...
"Whatever may or may not be the soul's future, there is one impregnable central fact in existence: that here and now, in this world, we have a soul which has a life of its own in its appreciation of truth, beauty, harmony and good against evil." - Imam Sultan Muḥammad Shah Aga Khan III "The structure of quantum theory opens the ...
Global -- The growing diversity of populations in countries around the world is a fact, according to António Guterres, yet for some it is a source of discomfort. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees shared his perspective in the Global Centre for Pluralism's 2014 Annual Pluralism Lecture that he delivered last week in Ottawa. The growing diversity of populations in ...
News story -- The IIS is pleased to announce the publication of Encounters in Muslim History (Volume 1) as part of the Secondary Curriculum. The curriculum approaches the study of Islam from civilisational and humanistic perspectives, aiming to develop perspectives on Islam that engage with religion, ethics, thought, history and culture in Muslim societies within a broad intellectual framework. Of the eight ...
By Kamaluddin A. Mohammed Folio from the "Blue Qur'an," (sura 30:28-32), Fatimid period (909-1171), second half of 9th-mid-10th century Tunisia, probably Qairawan. Gold and silver on indigo-dyed parchment 11 15/16 x 15 13/16 in. (30.4 x 40.2 cm) Purchase, Lila Acheson Wallace Gift, 2004. Image: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. According to the teaching of Islam, Allah, the Merciful, sent Prophets ...
Compiled and presented by Abdulmalik Merchant (Editor-Publisher, and ) Prime Minister Stephen Harper receiving an explanation about an exhibit displayed at the summit Saving Every Woman, Every Child: Within Arm's Reach. Photo Credit: The website of the Prime Minister of Canada. Editor's note: In 2000 world leaders joined together in an unprecedented UN summit to develop a blueprint to meet ...
Today in Toronto, Canada, the Government of Canada hosted the Summit on Maternal, Newborn and Child Health. We are pleased to bring you the video of the keynote speeches by: The Honourable Christian Paradis, Canada's Minister of International Development and La Francophonie, Ms. Hannah Godefa, Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF Ethiopia, His Highness the Aga Khan, Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah, and His Excellency Jakaya M. Kikwete, ...
Today in Toronto, Canada, at the Summit on Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, an initiative of the Canadian Government, His Highness the Aga Khan delivered a short, but dense set of opening remarks as one of the keynote speakers. The Aga Khan highlighted key strategies for success in maternal, newborn and child health, stressing the need for a multi-disciplinary approach and, in particular, ...
Canada -- Toronto, 29 May 2014 - At the invitation of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Mawlana Hazar Imam gave a keynote speech this morning at a summit on the global fight to improve maternal, newborn and child health in developing countries. The gathering, brought together world leaders to focus on reducing the preventable deaths of newborns, mothers and children under ...
Toronto, Canada, 29 May 2014 -- His Highness the Aga Khan today praised Canada's global leadership in efforts to improve maternal, neonatal and child health and stressed the importance of innovative and community-based approaches in meeting the challenge which he described as "one of the highest priorities on the global development agenda." The Imam (spiritual leader) of the Shia Ismaili Muslims ...
Toronto, Canada, 29 May 2014 - His Highness the Aga Khan today praised Canada's global leadership in efforts to improve maternal, neonatal and child health and stressed the importance of innovative and community-based approaches in meeting the challenge which he described as "one of the highest priorities on the global development agenda." ...
Today in Toronto, Canada, the Government of Canada hosted the Summit on Maternal, Newborn and Child Health. We are pleased to bring you the video of the keynote speeches by:The Honourable Christian Paradis, Canada's Minister of International Development and La Francophonie,Ms. Hannah Godefa, Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF Ethiopia,His Highness the Aga Khan,Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah, andHis Excellency Jakaya M. ...
[The Aga Khan Development Network's] experience has been considerable. But what have we learned from it? Let me share a quick overview. First, I would underline that our approaches have to be long-term. Sporadic interventions produce sporadic results, and each new burst of attention and activity must then start over again. The key to sustained progress is the creation of sustainable ...
Throughout his own, long career, António Guterres has been a passionate and effective advocate on these issues, articulating both the rights of the refugees and the responsibilities of society to support and to integrate them. Underlying both his words and his work is a conviction, which I share, that any person's worth in this world does not depend on where he ...
Toronto,Canada, 28 May 2014 - At the invitation of Prime Minister Stephen Harper of Canada, His Highness the Aga Khan will speak at the Maternal Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) Summit in Toronto. The event will be webcast live by the Government of Canada. For more information, please see the conference website: The Summit, "Saving Every Mother, Saving Every Child: ...
The Aga Khan Music Initiative (AKMI) is an interregional music and arts education program with worldwide performance, outreach, mentoring, and artistic production activities. The Initiative was launched by His Highness the Aga Khan in 2000 to support talented musicians and music educators working to preserve, transmit, and further develop their musical heritage in contemporary forms. Music Initiative began its work in Central ...
BACKGROUND AND AN INTRODUCTION TO THE POEM By Ikhwan Allani I wrote the poem as an example for the Al-Azhar group of senior students that I facilitate in Toronto, Canada. I wanted to illustrate a technique to embed an esoteric aspect of the Ismaili tariqah (path) through a universal medium such as poetry. This was one of the methods used by ...
Nutrition Centre -- Feeri (blueberries) are found naturally in the cooler climates of North America and Europe. Ripe feeri have a deep blue thin skin, with a green fleshy middle and a sweet taste. Feeri (blueberries). Brian Jackson / Dollar Photo Club Starting Navroz 2014, The Ismaili Nutrition Centre launched a series of articles on simple ideas for popular foods. New ...
Global -- The Aga Khan Park will be inaugurated by the Honourable Kathleen Wynne, Premier of Ontario in the presence of Mawlana Hazar Imam on Monday, 25 May. ...
"We are here to discuss one of the most vital development issues of our time -- housing. I speak to you on this subject with a sense of urgency, for I am deeply persuaded that the lack, and deterioration of human habitations, as economies grow, urbanisation accelerates and demographies explode, pose some of the greatest practical and ethical problems that developing ...
PLEASE CLICK:An Esoteric Interpretation of the Mi'raj and the Prophetic Tradition 'I Have a Time with God' (li ma'a Allah waqt)By Jehangir A. Merchant This painted page from a manuscript shows the Archangel Gabriel with the Prophets Moses (left) and Muhammad (right). Surrounded by angels they discuss the question of daily prayers. This happened during Prophet Muhammad's ascent to heaven. Because ...
Kenya -- RAYS OF LIGHT:Glimpses into the Ismaili Imamat opened recently in Nairobi. First launched in 2008 in Paris, the exhibition - a Golden Jubilee International Programme - offers glimpses from the life of Mawlana Hazar Imam, the first fifty years of his Imamat and the immense scope and work of Aga Khan Development Network institutions around the world. Kenya recently ...
The Badakhshan Ensemble was the brainchild of Soheba Davlatshoeva (b. 1970), a vivacious singer and dancer who grew up in a small village on the Ghund River, fifty miles from Khoroq, Badakhshan's capital. Among the younger generation of maddohkhons in and around Khoroq, the most sought after is Aqnazar Alovatov. Interested from an early age in both music and poetry, Aqnazar is ...
Sanam Uyghur Ensemble is a group of musicians from Uyghur diaspora in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. They perform classical Mughams and festivity songs. ...
BY KERSI RUSTOMJI Special to Simerg INTRODUCTION: This ode is a tribute to the Indian merchants and traders, who played an important part in the economic development of the three East African nations of Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. My work fills a gap in the histories of these nations in that, to my knowledge, no work has been written aimed at ...
With her refined, richly ornamented delivery, singer and dutar player Ziyada Sheripova has created a personal and distinctive style-now emulated by younger women in Karakalpakstan (North-west Uzbekistan), within a performance genre that was traditionally the purview of men. ...
Post compiled by Malik Merchant, Publisher-Editor, Simergphotos.com and Simerg,com Introduction: Victoria Day is a Federal Canadian public holiday celebrated on the last Monday before May 25, in honour of Queen Victoria's birthday. Queen Victoria was born on May 24, 1819. Following the death of three uncles and her father, she became Queen of the United Kingdom on June 20, 1837 and ...
India -- The Internet and social media have given us one more avenue of expression, a wealth of information, and the ability to connect effortlessly across the globe. But behaving irresponsibly online can affect relationships with friends and family and impact education and career paths. I look up from my phone to take a sip of coffee. Around the table, I ...
Hazrat Ali, the Great Khalif of Islam, and the first in the line of the Imamat, apart from his abiding contribution to spiritual thought, is known to the Arabic world as a great jurist and man of letters. According to the historian Masudi (Murooj-uz-Zahab Masudi Vol. II, p. 33. Egypt), Hazarat Ali is credited with not less than 480 treaties, lectures ...
Nutrition Centre -- Elaichi is a spice used in Arabic, South Asian and even Chinese traditions to add a sweet aromatic flavour to desserts, chai, curries and rice dishes. In both Ayruvedic and traditional Chinese medicine, it has been used to treat digestion and oral health issues. Elaichi (cardamom). GIS / Dollar Photo Club Elaichi essential oil has also been found ...
