March 28, 2008 by bipin.

DUBAI (AFP) — The Aga Khan, spiritual leader of the world’s Shiite Ismaili Muslims, on Wednesday inaugurated an Ismaili cultural centre in the Gulf emirate of Dubai, the first of its kind in the Middle East.

The Ismaili Centre, which houses a library and will host conferences and an early childhood education programme, will serve as “a place for peaceful contemplation, ” he said at the inauguration ceremony.

“It is not a place to hide from the world, but rather a place which inspires us to engage our worldly work as a direct extension of our faith,” the Aga Khan said.

The centre is the fourth for the 15-million-strong Ismaili community. Others are in London, Lisbon and Vancouver.

Around one million members of the Shiite sect live in the Middle East.

The 71-year-old Aga Khan, who is based in France and has been the “imam” of the Ismaili community for half a century, said the choice of Dubai as venue was driven by the “diversity” that characterises the city state, which is home to some 1.4 million people, mostly foreigners.

Dubai, one of the seven members of the United Arab Emirates, has become “a truly global crossroads” and “the very embodiment of the global village,” he said.

The inauguration was attended by Sheikh Ahmad bin Saeed al-Maktoum, a member of Dubai’s ruling family and chairman of the city state’s carrier Emirates, and by UAE Higher Education and Scientific Research Minister Sheikh Nahayan bin Mubarak al-Nahayan.

Officials at the centre said it took four years to build and cost 22 million dollars.

“The variety of expressions within Islam is not a curse but a mercy,” said the Aga Khan, referring to various Sunni and Shiite sects.

Up to 8,000 Ismailis, mostly expatriates, live in the UAE. Members of the sect are scattered across the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent and central Asia. Ismailis can also be found in Africa with smaller numbers residing in Europe and the United States.

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March 25, 2008 by bipin.

23 March 2008DUBAI - The Ismaili Centre in Dubai will be opened on March 26 by The Aga Khan. As the fourth Ismaili Centre in the world and the first in the Middle East, the opening of this centre is historic for the community.

Situated on Oud Metha Road, the centre introduces a timeless statement of Islamic architecture to the contemporary landscape of the Middle East. With the state-of-the-art facilities for lectures, presentations, seminars and conferences, the Ismaili Centre Dubai will host initiatives to enrich dialogue in areas of social, economic and cultural endeavour as well as recitals and exhibitions to educate people on Islamic heritage.

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March 25, 2008 by bipin.

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