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 ...
This week's selection is His Highness the Aga Khan's 1984 Preface to the book Cairo, Revitalising a Historic Metropolis by Stefano Bianca and Philip Jodidio. Noting that at "a time when our heritage, the anchor of our identity and source of inspiration, is being threatened with destruction by war and environmental degradation, by the inexorable demographic and economic pressures of exploding ...
India -- Addressing a gathering of India's Jamati institutional leaders last month, Princess Zahra spoke of the immense opportunities available in India. She was in Mumbai to review the ongoing expansion of the Prince Aly Khan Hospital in her capacity as Chair of the steering committee for its redevelopment. Princess Zahra, who was in Mumbai to review the ongoing expansion of ...
By Muslim and Nevin Harji Editor's note: Muslim and Nevin Harji of Montreal, PQ, Canada, visited Iran for a period of 4 weeks in October 2011. A magnificent collection of photos portraying the people and foods of Iran appeared in the first instalment of this series. The Harjis summarized their unforgettable journey as follows: "There are no words to describe the ...
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 ...
With Iran so much in the limelight, Simerg seems to have been drawn into the country too, but for a different reason - to showcase some of the country's rich and vibrant culture with a portrayal of its people, foods, and historical treasures. Nevin and Muslim Harji's photos of Iran that we are publishing this and next week bring to light ...
"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 ...
"Iranian hospitality has stolen our hearts" By Muslim and Nevin Harji Muslim (right) and Nevin Harji just before their journey from Istanbul to Tehran. The Harjis write: 'We have travelled by train in China, Africa, India, South East Asia, Europe, Canada, the United States and many other places in the world, but this train ride from Istanbul to Tehran tops them ...
Zarkandar, Zaidpour and Mourad all on Festival route The Aga Khan Studs are well-known for the top-level successes of their graduates over jumps and following the exploits of ZARKANDAR, ZAIDPOUR and MOURAD in England and Ireland this weekend the breeding operation is set to be well-represented at the forthcoming Cheltenham Festival. Absent from the track since picking up the Gr 1 ...
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 ...
India -- Karim Moledina has been a Scout for 50 years. In that time he has worked his way up through the organisation, steadily widening his scope of impact from his local roots in Mumbai to the national stage in India, and, more recently, beyond national borders to the Democratic Republic of Congo and Tajikistan. Through the Scouting movement, he is ...
News story -- The IIS launched one of its new publications, Arabic, Persian and Gujarati Manuscripts: The Hamdani Collection,at the Ismaili Centre in London. The publication is a catalogue of rare and unique manuscripts generously donated by Professor Abbas Hamdani to the Library of the IIS. These manuscripts were compiled by several generations of Indian religious scholars from the Hamdani family, and ...
Group 3 victories for Sandagiyr and Manighar The Aga Khan Studs bred pair of SANDAGIYR and MANIGHAR have both shone for new connections in recent days, with SANDAGIYR successful in the Gr 3 Firebreak Stakes at Meydan and MANIGHAR victorious in the Gr 3 Carlyon Cup at Caulfield. The well-bred Godolphin recruit SANDAGIYR is none other than the half-brother of three-time ...
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 ...
By Michael Wolfe Jesus of Nazareth is the most widely revered religious figure in the world. Not only is he central to Christianity, the largest religion in the world, he is also venerated throughout Islam, the world's second largest faith. Christians may be surprised to learn that Muslims believe in the Virgin Birth and Jesus' miracles. But this shared interest in ...
"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 ...
By Nadim Pabani Context As Shi'ism was still in its formative and defining period, it was constantly developing and no concrete ideas concerning notions of Imamate had yet been laid down prior to the arrival of the 5th (Muhammad al-Baqir) and 6th (Ja'far al-Sadiq) Shia Imams*. The Abbasid Dynasty (750-1258 CE) came to power by preying on the hopes and aspirations ...
News story -- Mr Vassanji was born in Nairobi, Kenya and lived in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania. He later moved to America where he studied Physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and then at the University of Pennsylvania, where he gained a PhD. Moving to Canada in 1978, he continued his career in physics until his first novel, The Gunny Sack, was published ...
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, ...
News story -- A Companion to the Muslim World is an endeavour by distinguished scholars to narrow the gap of knowledge between the West and Islam. The pluralism of Muslim societies, the diversity of Qur'anic interpretations, the chronological and geographical extent of Muslim history and culture, as well as the ethnic, linguistic and social diversity of its peoples appear to be unfamiliar ...
By Michael Wolfe A lot of non-Muslims who know something about Islam as a religious practice are nonetheless in the dark when it comes to real knowledge of Muhammad. This, despite the fact that Muhammad is the guiding, human spirit of the religion. Muslims see Muhammad as a human being who became a prophet and yet remained human all his life. ...
Champion filly picks up fourth Gr 1. 2011 South African horse of the year IGUGU delighted the crowds at Kenilworth on Saturday when digging deep to secure victory in the Gr 1 J&B Met. The Mike de Kock-trained daughter of Aga Khan Studs-bred Zarinia demonstrated both courage and class to beat the colts in this highlight of the Cape Town racing ...
I. In Praise of Prophet Muhammad (May Peace Be Upon Him) By Izzat Muneyb Author's note: This song introduces us to some of the titles by which Prophet Muhammad came to be known. They are: 'Ahmad', 'Mustafa', 'Rahmatan li'l-'aalameen and 'King of law laak'. The words 'law laak' in Arabic mean, "Were it not for..." There is a Hadith of Prophet ...
Global -- Speaking at the Ismaili Centre, Burnaby, Professor Stephen J. Toope, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of British Columbia said that creating an environment that fosters "global citizens" is crucial to seeing pluralism in action. His address marked the inauguration of The Ismaili Centre Lectures, a series of intellectually stimulating speaker-based events held at the Centre. ...
France -- Paris, 31 January 2012 - On the heels of being awarded the J.C. Nichols Prize for Visionaries in Urban Development, Mawlana Hazar Imam addressed a leadership dinner at the Urban Land Institute Europe Annual Conference held in Paris. In October 2011, the Urban Land Institute honoured Hazar Imam for his commitment to the highest standards of responsible development. "The ...
Paris, France, 31 January 2012 - His Highness the Aga Khan, who was awarded the J.C. Nichols Prize in 2011, addresses a leadership dinner at the Urban Land Institute Europe Annual Conference held in Paris. ...
For my comments this evening it was suggested that I share some of the lessons the Aga Khan Development Network has learned from its 50 and more years of work, essentially in the developing countries of East and West Africa, South and Central Asia, and the Middle East. And it seemed that one of the subjects that I might discuss with ...
By Mohezin Tejani Special to Simerg Machu Picchu In ancient days, Inti--the sun god--dives down into the depths of Lake Titicaca. He raises his son Manco Capac to the surface and Builds a city for the Quechua tribe that will worship him With temples and corn fields and virgins. Cuzco is born. The goddesses of food, fertility and war, Help the ...
Afghanistan -- A selection of photographs from the Dear World Afghanistan campaign, taken by Grace Chung while she was an intern at Roshan in Afghanistan. ...
Zarkava relative among February consignment. The Aga Khan Studs will present a six-strong draft of unexposed three and four-year-olds at the forthcoming Goffs mixed sale on 15th and 16th February. All except one member of the consignment are unraced and come from some excellent families. Lot 314 Zargan boasts a particularly appealing pedigree, as he represents the same cross as champion ...
"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 ...
By Mohezin Tejani Special to Simerg I: New Hampshire Twilight "What! You've never seen the fall leaves peaking? We can't have that!" my four Michigan dorm mates insist. I think to myself...Uganda has more trees than Michigan but only one dry and one rainy season all year round. What could be so great about seeing a bunch of leaves falling? We ...
Compiled by Malik Mirza His Highness the Aga Khan addresses the University of Ottawa convocation, where he was awarded an honorary doctorate on Friday, January 13, 2012. Photo: University of Ottawa. Copyright. The following 8-point summary prepared by Malik Mirza is taken from His Highness the Aga Khan's speech on January 13, 2012 when he was conferred with an Honorary Degree ...
Afghanistan -- In Afghanistan, everyone has a story to tell - stories about the country's people, their hopes for the future, of peace and development - yet most go untold. But when a Harvard student working at Roshan decided to launch a Dear World campaign, she gave new voice to the people of Afghanistan and to the many stories they have ...
This week's selection is His Highness the Aga Khan's 1984 address, Islamic Architecture: Concerns and Directions, on receiving the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation Medal for Architecture at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, USA. In this extensive speech, the Aga Khan discusses pressures Islamic architecture faces and suggests solutions. Topics he addresses include:the historical and theological context of Islamic architecture,pre and post ...
By Mohezin Tejani(Special to Simerg) Photographers of the 1880's would pose, crimp hair, and position the Ute subjects until the picture was perfect in their eyes. This group could be one family or a mix of several families. The subjects were paid little or nothing. Two things to note in the photo are the cradleboards with little babies, and the panoramic backdrop ...
