24 March 2010 - The Aga Khan Music Initiative and the San Francisco-based Kronos Quartet have inaugurated a pioneering musical collaboration that brings the quartet together with leading musicians from Azerbaijan and Afghanistan to compose, arrange, and perform new music rooted in Central Asian tradition. Founded 35 years ago, Kronos is celebrated for its singular commitment to expanding the range and ...
by Mohib Ebrahim 11 July 2007, Aiglemont, France: His Highness the Aga Khan addresses leaders of the Ismaili community who had come to pay homage, on behalf of his worldwide followers, on the occasion of his Golden Jubilee. Photo: AKDN/Aziz Islamshah BRIEF OVERVIEW In part one of this series (link provided below), I summarized His Highness the Aga Khan's speeches made ...
United Kingdom -- Last November, four dedicated participants from the Partnership Walk & Run in the United Kingdom had a chance to see the impact of their efforts firsthand. They spent seven days in India, where they visited one of the projects selected to receive funds from the event. They recently shared their impressions with TheIsmaili.org. Prashant Joshi, Karim Jetha, Munir ...
Unbeaten 2008 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner, Zarkava, has tested in foal to 2009 World Champion Sea The Stars. ZARKAVA was scanned in foal at 15 days on Sunday, 21st March. ZARKAVA gave birth to her first foal, a filly by Dalakhani, on 6th February this year. SEA THE STARS has made an impressive start to his new career at ...
Zaynar, Barizan and Alaivan all finish in the frame in Gr 1 contests. Last year's Triumph Hurdle hero ZAYNAR delighted connections with his third place in the Gr 1 Champion Hurdle at the recent Cheltenham Festival. The grey five-year-old, who is a son of Daylami and Prix de Diane winner Zainta, raced prominently before staying on gamely to finish third in ...
A disciple of the flower... by Aly Sunderji I was once a senseless grain thrown in burlap, I was numb and emotionless I ended up somewhere up in the Arabian Peninsula; a man who has no name had touched me. He had turned me from a grain to rizq, I was then born in the form of rozi. Deeply rooted in ...
By Sadrudin K. Hassam INTRODUCTION An attempt is made in this article to give an interpretation of the devotional Ginan Navroz na din Sohamna, which is recited by Ismaili Jamats in many parts of the world on the occasion of the celebration of the Persian New Year which falls on March 21st. In this ginan the composer, Sayyid Fatehali Shah, relates ...
Nutrition Centre -- The cultures, traditions and foods with which Iranians mark special occasions are as rich as the country's history. For instance, to mark Nowruz, the dining table is adorned with a special table cloth and seven dishes that represent new life, health, happiness, prosperity, joy, patience and beauty. At only 130 Calories per serving, Spinach Broni makes a tasty ...
Global -- Nairobi, 18 March 2010 - Mawlana Hazar Imam announced the establishment of a new Graduate School of Media and Communications today, which will be part of the Aga Khan University (AKU) in East Africa. Hazar Imam made the announcement as part of his address at the inaugural Pan-Africa Media Conference, which marks the 50th Anniversary of the Nation Media ...
A Welcome Message to My Beloved Flowers at the Ismaili Centre gardens, Lisbon. Photo: Nurin Merchant I am weaving together the flowers Shah Karim, I am making a carpet of flowers, So give them bloom and give them scent, By treading my carpet of flowers! These are the choicest flowers I have gathered for you -- But they bloom only in ...
Nairobi, Kenya, 18 March 2010 - His Highness the Aga Khan, Chancellor of Aga Khan University, today announced the establishment of a Graduate School of Media and Communications in East Africa. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the inaugural Pan Africa Media Conference to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Nation Media Group, which was founded by the Aga Khan, His ...
My own role in the Nation Media Group has also evolved considerably. Seven years ago I gave my personal shares in NMG to the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED) -- the economic development arm of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN). The move not only gave NMG a new source of corporate strength but it also anchored the company ...
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 ...
Nairobi, Kenya, 17 March 2010 - His Highness the Aga Khan today announced the establishment of the Aga Khan University Graduate (AKU) School of Media and Communications. The Aga Khan made the announcement as part of his address to the inaugural Pan-Africa Media Conference, which marks the 50th Anniversary of the Nation Media Group. ...
No one can deny that today, there are distressing and even dangerous tensions between the Muslim world and the West. With its history and cultures, and indeed its different interpretations of Islam, the Muslim world is still little known in the West, as are its contributions to global cultural heritage and patrimony. This lack of knowledge is a dramatic reality which ...
Afghanistan -- Some 800 people gathered at Uranus Hall in Kabul to commemorate Mowlud-e-Sharif, the birthday of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family). The event, which was hosted by the Ismaili Council for Afghanistan, was attended by poets, scholars, Members of Parliament, government officials and representatives of other communities in Afghanistan. Jamati volunteers line up to welcome guests ...
The Japanese horse of the year is set to meet World Champion Sea The Stars. Superstar Japanese mare Vodka arrived at the Aga Khan's Gilltown Stud in Ireland on Monday after travelling from Dubaï. In a match made in heaven, the six year mare that lifted all before her in her native Japan, is due to be covered by SEA THE ...
The three geldings and one colt are all from families steeped in black-type. As Zaynar and Alaivan prepare to line up among the favourites at Cheltenham, the Aga Khan Studs are offering a new opportunity to invest in some promising individuals with four well-bred three-year-olds available for private sale via the website. The three geldings are all unraced and they feature ...
By Dr. Karl S. Kruszelnicki For centuries the 'Exotic East' held a great allure for western travellers, but some of the tales that were told have turned out to be more than fanciful. Dr Karl has pulled back the silk curtain for a clearer view... Way back in the last century, in the Era of Free Love and lava lamps, marijuana ...
Healthy Hints This traditional dessert may indeed be heavenly, but just be watchful of the amount of sugar per serving. The three green lights are a great plus point and you could improve this recipe by using less sugar and adding some dried fruit to give natural sweetness. Experiment with dried apricots, raisins, or any of your favourite fruit and aim ...
10 March 2010 - The Jashn e Khusrau, which celebrates the Sufiana kalaam (mystical poetry of Islam) of Amir Khusrau (1253-1325), rendered in the khanqah of his beloved pir, Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya (1238-1325), and which has been kept alive for over 700 years by khanqahi qawwali at sama-e-mehfil (Sufi music communion) of the Chistiya silsilah, will run from 4-14 March 2010. ...
by Mohib Ebrahim The famous Ismaili jurist and scholar of the Fatimid Court, Qadi Noman explained in Majalis 19 of his Code of Conduct for the Followers of the Imam: The Imam never utters a word which is light, superfluous or meaningless. God has made the Imams free from these defects. If we imagine that a particular word uttered by the ...
A BEACON OF INSPIRATION His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan, direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad (may peace be upon him), became 49th hereditary Imam of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims at the age of 20 on 11 July, 1957 following the death of his grandfather, Sir Sultan Muhammad Shah Aga Khan III (2 November, 1877 - 11 July, 1957). Since ...
Nutrition Centre -- After a good night's rest, your body needs fuel to kick-start the day. Everyone should make breakfast a habit, especially children. It provides energy throughout the day and improves your ability to concentrate. After a good night's rest, your body needs fuel to kick-start the day. Milk and fruit are great choices!. Nazma Lakhani Are you a breakfast ...
News story -- In his introductory remarks, Dr Najam Abbas, an IIS Research Fellow in the Central Asian Studies Unit, spoke of the desire to clarify the enormous information flow about Central Asian Islam in order to promote better understanding of Muslims in that region of the world. The conceptual challenges for the study of post-Soviet Islam are intrinsically linked to the ...
News story -- Muslim Modernities is about how heritages of Islam have shaped identity and citizenship, piety and protest, music and modes of dress, not only in Muslim societies but also in the diaspora. Such expressions of the 'civil imagination' are not about alternatives to modernity or about a clash of civilisations. Rather, it is the overlapping nature of indigenous modernities, no ...
A son of a Gr 1 winning mare is among the first offspring of the Haras de Bonneval's globetrotting sire. A colt out of Brazilian Gr 1 winner Indochine (Special Nash) is among a quintet of foals born to dual Gr 1 scorer LINNGARI during the month of February. The bay foal was born at the Haras de Bonneval in Normandy, ...
Sea The Stars has made a flying start to his new career at stud with five of his first mares testing in foal. Amongst those that have tested positively are 2009 Group 1 Prix Jean Romanet winner, ALPINE ROSE and Bordighera, the dam of multiple Group 1 winners George Washington and Grandera. Centreofattention the full-sister of dual Group 1 winning two-year-old ...
News story -- Dr Jiwa's paper, entitled 'The Aman Document: Instituting Fatimid authority in Egypt', analysed this crucial document, which guaranteed the security and safe-conduct of the Egyptians by the victorious Fatimid general, Jawhar al-Siqqili. It delineated the principles upon which Fatimid policies in Egypt were instituted for their subsequent two hundred year reign. Among the particular features of interest were: the ...
News story -- The students were accompanied on this trip by Dr Elizabeth Lambourn, GPISH Lecturer, Dr Miriam Ali de Unzaga, Independent Researcher and GPISH alumna and Dr Farouk Mitha, STEP Course Director. The group began their journey in Granada and took part in a walking tour of the historic district of Albaycin, located on a hill opposite the Alhambra. Since 1994, ...
India, 4 March 2010 - The Jashn e Khusrau, which celebrates the Sufiana kalaam (mystical poetry of Islam) of Amir Khusrau (1253-1325), rendered in the khanqah of his beloved pir, Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya (1238-1325), and which has been kept alive for over 700 years by khanqahi qawwali at sama-e-mehfil (Sufi music communion) of the Chistiya silsilah, will run from 4-14 March ...
Paris, France, 4 March 2010 - His Highness the Aga Khan delivered introductory remarks at a conference in Paris co-hosted by the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the World Bank. The Marketplace on Innovative Financial Solutions for Development seeks to garner and highlight fresh ideas on financial solutions for development. It is dedicated to ...
4 March 2010 New York Times, New York, USA: "Classical Azeri Poetry in Song, From a Team of Father and Daughter - Mr. Qasimov is simply one of the greatest singers alive, with a searing spontaneity that conjures passion and devotion, contemplation and incantation. He now performs with his daughter and student, Fargana Qasimov... and they have an American release, "Spiritual ...
I would underscore the growing potential of what some call PPP's -- public-private partnerships. Such collaborations can tap the unique strengths of both sectors, overcoming outmoded dogmas which depreciate the role of the market-driven enterprises on the one hand, or which denigrate the capacities of publicly supported agencies on the other. Effective public-private partnerships must be genuinely participative, as committed leaders ...
BOOK REVIEW Eagle's Nest - Ismaili Castles in Iran and Syria by the late Professor Peter Willey The late Professor Willey The late Professor Peter Willey is regarded as a world authority on the Ismaili castles of Iran and Syria which he had spent nearly a lifetime discovering and investigating. Eagle's Nest, his final work, which is reviewed on this page ...
Canada -- Between 12 - 28 February, Vancouver played host to the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. In British Columbia and across Canada, the Jamat embraced the spirit of the Games and hundreds of Ismailis got involved as volunteers, performers and organisers. This photographic essay recaptures some of the memories. Page: [1][2][3][4][5][6]Next " Between 12 - 28 February, Vancouver played host to ...
News story -- Beginning with an overview of the fractured state of the contemporary global landscape, with its economic and social winners on the one hand and extreme poverty and marginalisation on the other, Dr Serageldin inquired into its impact on public cultures. He defined culture as 'a complex whole of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features that characterise a society ...
by Dr. Sarfaroz Niyozov, University of Toronto (Copyright: CA & CC Press, Sweden) INTRODUCTION: THE CHALLENGE OF WRITING ON THE CENTRAL ASIAN ISMAILIS Writing an article about Central Asian Shi'a Ismaili Muslims represents a very challenging task for several reasons: In geographical terms, Central Asia includes a very broad area and this makes the region wherein perhaps the majority of modern ...
News story -- Zamira Dildorbekova (GPISH class of 2008) completed a two year MPhil in Development Studies at the University of Sussex as part of the GPISH course. She will now undertake a doctorate in Arab and Islamic Studies at the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter. She will be working on "The Dynamics of Islam and 'Modernity' in ...
1 March 2010 - Completion of primary school is a key goal within the Millennium Development and Education for All (EFA) Goals. Yet, there has been little attention to where education efforts break down: right at the beginning. Analysis of grade-disaggregated data indicates the highest drop-out and repetition rates are in Grade 1. In too many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and ...
