April 15, 2008 by bipin.

By Tricia Escobedo
CNN

updated 2:26 p.m. EDT, Tue April 15, 2008

(CNN) — The leaders of three world religions will be visiting the United States this week, and although the media spotlight is focused on Pope Benedict XVI and the Dalai Lama, thousands of Ismaili Muslims are celebrating a rare U.S. tour by the Aga Khan.

The Aga Khan says a “clash of ignorance” has led to friction between Islam and the West.

The Aga Khan doesn’t exactly fit the image that may be expected for the spiritual leader of 20 million Ismaili Muslims across the world; he usually wears a suit and tie.

But his followers see him as the final authority on interpreting the Quran. One one Muslim scholar said that in that regard, “he is more powerful than the pope.”

The Aga Khan, 71, arrived Friday in Austin, Texas, where he met with Gov. Rick Perry and signed a memorandum with the University of Texas on behalf of his Aga Khan University.

The two schools agreed to share research and cooperate in what was described as “a move towards narrowing the gap between the West and Islam.”

Aga Khan University is an international University with teaching sites in eight countries: Afghanistan, Kenya, Pakistan, Tanzania, Uganda, Syria, Egypt and the United Kingdom.

The agenda for the Aga Khan’s first U.S. tour in 20 years includes stops in Chicago, Illinois; Los Angeles, California; and Atlanta, Georgia; places he described as having “particular importance to the Ismaili Community over the last half century.” Watch the Aga Khan’s arrival in the U.S. »

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His trip to the United States and to other Ismaili communities around the world is in celebration of his “Golden Jubilee” — which actually fell last year — marking 50 years as the spiritual leader.

“It’s not very often that the Ismaili community gets this opportunity,” said Saloni Firasta Vastani, a volunteer community leader in Atlanta.

The Aga Khan “has a worldly responsibility in addition to spiritual,” Vastani explained. And that is why the centerpiece of his role is his $150 million nonprofit, nondenominational foundation that focuses on helping the poor.

The imam’s personal life has sometimes overshadowed his message of tolerance, which a spokesman for the U.S. Ismaili community says has “not been well covered” by the media.

“In the Western world, he is not as well-known, except for the British tabloid press, which will talk about his racehorses and the private life of his father,” Dr. Mansoor Saleh said.

The Aga Khan repeatedly focuses on a “clash of ignorance,” not a clash of cultures, that has led to the current friction between Islam and the West.

“The hope is that this visit will provide the impetus … for the West to understand what he does and what he stands for,” Saleh said.

Last year, Forbes Magazine listed the Aga Khan, who lives in the Paris suburbs, as the 10th richest royal in the world, valued at $1 billion. In a previous article, the magazine heralded him as “venture capitalist to the world,” saying the Aga Khan “was early among experts in Third World development to grasp that government handouts and multilaterally funded megaprojects often foster dependence, not self-reliance, in the people they’re meant to help.”

Prince Karim al-Husseini became the current Aga Khan as a 20-year-old Harvard student, after his grandfather passed the title on to him and not his father, Prince Aly Khan, who was once married to the American actress Rita Hayworth.

Despite the Aga Khan’s immense wealth, the imam shuns the title of “philanthropist” because he feels that the Aga Khan Foundation is part of his mandate as a religious leader.

His teachings also stress respecting other cultures and faiths, Vastani said.

“There’s not enough education on both sides, and we’re living in such a global place now, so learning about each other is important,” she said. “That’s the way the Ismaili community views it.”

Dr. Liyakat Takim, who teaches Islamic studies at the University of Denver, said it is not the Aga Khan’s wealthy lifestyle that draws the most criticism from fellow Muslims but his authority to interpret the Quran for Ismaili Muslims.

“Ismailis see him as the final authority in today’s world,” Takim said. “His word is law.”

That means as a spiritual leader, the Aga Khan “is able to reinterpret” the teachings of Islam and has the authority to “nullify or supersede religious practices.”

“That would include things like daily prayers,” Takim said. “Ismailis see themselves firmly within the Islamic tradition but of course other Muslims have problems with that.”

But for many Ismailis, the Aga Khan’s role transcends that of spiritual leader. Those who feel that way include Zarifmo Aslamshoyeva, who credits his foundation with saving her life, as well as the lives of her husband and their two children.

Now an editor with CNN in Atlanta, Aslamshoyeva saw her life as a television news anchor in her native Tajikistan came crashing down after the collapse of the Soviet Union sparked a civil war in her country in 1992.

Aslamshoyeva lived in the remote, mountainous Pamir region of Tajikistan, isolated from the aid that flooded in following a lull in the fighting.

“There was aid in the capital and in the surroundings, but they could not reach us in the mountains,” she said.

Pamir residents normally stockpile food for the harsh winters, but nearly everyone ran out of food in the middle of winter partly due to an influx of refugees fleeing the fighting in the capital, Dushanbe.

“At home, there was no electricity, no food. I would just sit there and look at my children,” she said. Their faces were pale and thin. Without any paychecks from Moscow, many people were forced to beg on the streets.

“By then, who cares if you have an education or if you are a doctor or journalist? We all had nothing, and we were worried about our children.”

It felt like the world had forgotten about her small region and their suffering, she said.

“Pamir was just a little tiny place,” she said. “People know Tajikistan but not Pamir.”

Despite intermittent power, television remained the only way to communicate. She says her life changed on the day she was called in to the tiny TV station to read an announcement telling residents that food from the Aga Khan Foundation had finally arrived in Pamir.

“I never heard of the Aga Khan Foundation, but I had heard of the Aga Khan,” she said. Her grandmother had spoken of “the imam” in hushed tones during the Communist period.

Since that day, Aslamshoyeva said, aid began pouring in, changing her life forever.

“He helped everyone who lived in Tajikistan: Russians, Germans, Jews,” she said. “It didn’t matter what religion you were.” E-mail to a friend

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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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December 11, 2007 by bipin.

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November 19, 2007 by bipin.

Edris Kisambira

 Kampala

 The Industrial Promotion Services (IPS) has joined SEACOM to back the construction of a US$650 million undersea optic fibre cable that will link Mozambique, Madagascar, Kenya and Tanzania with international broadband cables in South Africa, India and Europe (France). SEACOM wants to build the 15,000km long state-of-art cable with other African investors. IPS is part of the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED). SEACOM’s venture, which will be ready for service in 2009, will provide faster, cheaper, broadband capacity for Africa. SEACOM will be one of four submarine cables that are being planned for the eastern seaboard of Africa. Others are the Eastern Africa Submarine Cable System (EASSy), The East African Marine System (TEAMS) and the NEPAD-backed BAHARICOM. High bandwidth at low costs will be a catalyst for productivity and the growth of service industries such as call-centres, back offices and research institutions in Africa. The additional bandwidth offered by the new cable will also contribute significantly to bringing the cost of connectivity down. “The agreements signed today (November 15) make the SEACOM broadband cable a reality for Africa, and with it access to much cheaper, much faster fibre optic links between countries in the south and east of the continent to the rest of the world,” said Mr. Lutaf Kassam, IPS (Kenya) group managing director. “The project will in turn spur economic growth and social development in the region through employment and connecting business opportunities,” Kassam said in a press statement AKFED issued last week. “Ten years ago, very few believed African markets were capable of the tremendous growth experienced in the mobile industry. Today, we see the dawn of a similar revolution in the growth of data communications,” said SEACOM president Mr. Brian Herlihy. East Africa is the only part of the world without access to international cables and is desperate for low cost, high quality, international bandwidth. The estimated cost of satellite bandwidth on a monthly lease ranges from $1,700 to $6,000 per megabit/second per month. The same bandwidth on the SEACOM cable will be approximately 20% of current costs. The investors in SEACOM are IPS (25%), Venfin Limited (25%); Herakles Telecom LLC (25%); Convergence Partners (12.5%) and the Shanduka Group (12.5%). Nedbank Capital, the investment banking arm of Nedbank Limited, was appointed as the Mandated Lead Arranger for all debt funding requirements of the project and the funding will be provided by Nedbank Capital and Investec Bank. Industrial Promotion Services (IPS) is the infrastructure and industrial development of AKFED. IPS has operations in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and DR Congo and is also actively pursuing investment opportunities in Rwanda, Mozambique and Madagascar. Outside the East and Central Africa region, IPS also operates in Cote d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Mali and Senegal, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan and Canada. “This is a tremendous opportunity for our continent, because the cable gives us the technical capacity for much closer integration into the world economy where Africa will significantly share in the new opportunities and efficiency gains arising from this project,” said Shanduka Chairman, Mr. Cyril Ramaphosa. “We are extremely happy that the investors from South and East Africa have partnered with an international counterpart around our shared vision of linking Africa to the world in the spirit of NEPAD.” SEACOM has already invested more than $10million in the marine survey and engineering of the cable. This advance work has allowed SEACOM to maintain its ready-for-service-date of June 2009. Actual production of the high-tech cable and undersea repeaters starts next week. The statement said SEACOM’s 1.28-terrabytes-per-second broadband capacity would bring prices for businesses, institutions, communities, and individuals down significantly. It will provide sufficient bandwidth to accommodate high definition TV, peer to peer networks, IPTV, and surging Internet demand. SEACOM will also make a direct contribution to meeting the New Partnership for Africa’s Development’s (NEPAD’s) goals of development for Africa’s renewal and its full and beneficial integration into the global economy.

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November 14, 2007 by bipin.

Speech by His Highness the Aga Khan
at the Conference on Central Asia and Europe :
A New Economic Partnership for the 21st Century
Berlin - November 13, 2007

Bismillah-ir-Rahman-ir-Rahim

Your Excellencies Foreign Minister Steinmeier, Dr. Belka
and Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner,
State Secretary Erler,
Your Excellencies Ministers from Afghanistan, Azerbaijan,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and
Uzbekistan,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Let me, first, acknowledge and thank for their kind words those who have spoken before me this morning — the Foreign Minister, Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, Dr. Marek Belka — as well as Benita Ferrero Waldner, the EC Commissioner for External Relations.

It has always been special pleasure to return to Berlin — a city that continues to be synonymous with the word “cosmopolitan”. Berlin is truly a global connecting point — a fact which has been instrumental in our decision to open an office of the Aga Khan Development Network here.

How appropriate that we should be discussing, in this historic crossroads city, one of the great, inter-cultural projects of our time — the effort to build a partnership between Central Asia and Europe. I commend the German Government for its leading role in this effort, and the European Union for carrying it forward — with its endorsement of a “Regional Strategy” for Central Asia a few months ago. Others have also played welcome contributing roles, including The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.

As I offer my own comments today, I will draw on the experience of our Aga Khan Development Network in Central Asia. We have come to know much of this region well, particularly Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan; not only has it long been home to significant numbers of Ismaili Muslims, but we have also developed a widening range of programs across the region over the past fifteen years.

It is appropriate that the word “Regional” is at the center of our deliberations on Central Asia. The countries are diverse in many ways — and the development approaches there must be sensitive to divergent requirements. But these countries also have a common historical experience, including several centuries of shared Islamic heritage. Each of them has faced the need to build new political and economic institutions following the breakup of the Soviet Union. And, as the EU Strategy document emphasizes, each of them can only optimise their development through a regional approach.

In this respect, the Central Asian experience parallels the European experience. In Europe, too, the end of the Cold War demanded new political and economic structures and it is striking how quickly Europe is now reaching out to Central Asia — offering, among other things, the great gift of a powerful regional example.

Among other things, the European example demonstrates that a healthy sense of national identity need not be a barrier to constructive regional engagement. So my first objective today is to tell you how warmly I endorse regional diagnosis for Central Asia. And because that diagnosis begins in the right place, it also extends into a series of wise prescriptions for the future. These prescriptions are validated in large measure by the experiences of the Aga Khan Development Network institutions in Central Asia. We have learned a great deal from those experiences — both successes and setbacks, but we can learn a great deal more by sharing our lessons.

The problems of Central Asia are remarkably complex — their causes are multiple and defiantly inter-tangled. Progress requires a multi-faceted and multi-input approach — a proper “policy mix”– to cite the language of the EU Report. The learning curve is steep and there should be a sense of urgency — for all of us — and all the more so, because solutions can be elusive.

In many ways, the greatest obstacle in the struggle for progress in Central Asia is simple human frustration. In this region the sense is that its development partners talk about progress, and then act, and then talk some more — but too often, for the people of the region, progress is just “not happening”. When it does happen, it too often is incomplete, or exceptional, or fleeting. This situation is of course by far the most acute in Afghanistan.

What we face in Central Asia is a race against frustration — which means a race against time and mediocrity. Alternative scenarios, often utopian and extremist, beckon on every hand — and people will not be patient with pragmatic scenarios unless the work in practice is effective. The EU rightly emphasizes the need for greater “continuity” in these efforts — so that each experience, successful or unsuccessful, becomes a building block for the future.

It is a daunting challenge indeed to move in a coordinated way on multiple fronts. But as we do, success can become self-generating. Progress on one, or two, or three fronts can often make progress easier on other fronts — a sense of possibility can also be contagious. I acknowledge the considerable advances that each of the Central Asian countries is making, including recognising the needs of their rural populations.

In a spirit of shared learning and with diffidence — let me highlight a few of our own experiences.

I would begin with the University of Central Asia, founded in the year 2000 by the Ismaili Imamat — and the governments of Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan.

I remember the signing ceremonies well. They were the culmination of six years of planning — an experience which itself illustrated the importance not only of regional cooperation, but also of cooperation among disciplines and among social sectors. Our goal was to address a massive regional problem: how to improve the quality of life of nearly 25 million people who live in the high mountain areas of the region and beyond?

We often talk about Public Private Partnerships — as the EU Strategy does. But such relationships need not be limited to cooperation between

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November 1, 2007 by bipin.

Aga Khan Trust revives the Middle Ages

The Khayrbek and Umm Al-Sultan Shaaban monumental complexes, two of the finest examples of Islamic mediaeval architecture in the Darb Al-Ahmar district of Cairo, have been restored. Nevine El-Aref was at the opening ceremony

Click to view caption

The mosque in Umm Al-Sultan Shaaban monument after restoration

Traffic was barred from Bab Al-Wazir Street in the Darb Al-Ahmar district last Friday night as journalists and TV crews joined government officials at the Khayrbek complex to await the arrival of Prince Karim Aga Khan and Culture Minister Farouk Hosni, who would announce the inauguration of the Khayrbek and Umm Al-Sultan Shaaban complexes after five years of restoration.

http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2007/869/eg3.htm

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October 30, 2007 by bipin.

Mr President
Ladies and Gentlemen

Shortly after the announcement of our museum in Toronto, the aim of which is to present Islamic art in all its beauty and diversity, I had the immense pleasure of receiving Henri Loyrette’s invitation to stage an exhibition here at the Louvre.

I thank Mr Loyrette and the management of the Louvre most warmly for organising this round table and inviting me to speak this evening. This is a completely new situation for me, since I have never previously taken part in this kind of initiative in France, much less at the Louvre. You will not be surprised if I confess that I feel as though I am sitting an extremely important school examination for which I have done no preparation at all!  So I approach the task with deep trepidation!

When I was invited to talk to you about the future of the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto and the objects that will be on show there, I was asked to explain the significance of our exhibition and the role museums might play in improving understanding between East and West.

The meaning of our exhibition was certainly better illustrated by my brother Prince Amyn, and the director of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, Luis Monreal. I myself could not have explained the technicalities, but I think it is interesting to know about the framework within which our initiative is taking place, and it is to this issue that I shall turn now. It is, of course, risky to generalise about a world as diversified, complex and pluralistic as the Islamic world in this day and age. I shall allow myself to take that risk and attempt to explain to you some of the strategic aims we considered in relation to putting our collection on exhibition.

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 will reinforce its identity, or rather its identities, while remaining rooted in a truth which is firmly Muslim. In practice, these two tendencies can be seen in the political domain in the differences between theocratic governance and the secular state; between the application of Sharia in all legal fields and the complete absence of Sharia or its application only in the domain of civil law;  between economic and financial systems based on Sharia and systems that are essentially liberal and westernised; between religious education at every level and  a national system with no reference at all to religion throughout the whole educational process, apart from the madrasa option for very young children.

In this context, we thought it essential, whichever choice Muslim populations may indicate to their governments, to clarify certain aspects of the history of Muslim civilisations in order that today’s two main tendencies, modern and  traditional, can base their ideas on historical realities and not on history that has been misunderstood or even manipulated.

Firstly, the 1,428 years of the Ummah embrace many civilisations and are therefore characterised by an astonishing pluralism. In particular, this geographic, ethnic, linguistic and religious pluralism has manifested itself at the most defining moments in the history of the Ummah, hence the objective of the Aga Khan collection, which is to highlight objects drawn from every region and every period, and created from every kind of material in the Muslim world.
The second great historical lesson to be learnt is that the Muslim world has always been wide open to every aspect of human existence. The sciences, society, art, the oceans, the environment and the cosmos have all contributed to the great moments in the history of Muslim civilisations. The Qur’an itself repeatedly recommends Muslims to become better educated in order better to understand God’s creation. Our collection seeks to demonstrate the openness of Muslim civilisations to every aspect of human life, even going so far as to work in partnership with intellectual and artistic sources originating in other regions.

The third important observation we can make about the Ummah today is that the two main tendencies, traditional and modern, are trying to maintain, indeed to develop, their Islamic legitimacy. Loss of identity, anxiety about the risk of being caught up in a process of westernisation that is essentially Christian and is perceived as becoming less and less religious, are deep and very real concerns. Where the two tendencies diverge is on the question of how to maintain and strengthen this identity in the future.

Here, I would like to digress in order to illustrate how deep this loss of identity can be, even though it passes unrecognised until it is too late. Thirty years ago, I and a number of Muslim intellectuals met to ask ourselves an apparently simple but in reality extremely complex question: “Has the Muslim world lost the ability to express itself in the field of architecture, a field admired and acknowledged as one of the most powerful manifestations of every great Muslim civilisation?”  The response was a unanimous ‘Yes’. Since then, many efforts have been made to reverse the situation, including the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, but one of the causes was that, throughout the Ummah, none of the teachers in any of the schools of architecture had studied in their home countries. Without exception, every teacher of architecture in every school and university in the Muslim world had been trained abroad, without any reference whatsoever to the Muslim world.  This is, by the way, one of the reasons we are pleased to have been able to include in our collection some documents of unique architectural interest.

For the populations of the Ummah, loss of identity is an unquestionable reality, as it is for all societies. Perhaps one of the keys for the Muslim world will be to perpetuate their cultures in the modern world by means of rediscovered ancient and newly inspired sources. The Muslim world’s two main tendencies, traditional and modern, will both have a role to play but if one attempts to achieve exclusivity at the expense of the other, the consequences will be predictable and highly damaging.

The second issue about which I have been asked to talk to you is what the role of museums might be in promoting understanding between East and West. It is a huge question to which I shall not try to give a comprehensive response but I should nevertheless point out that the Muslim world, with its history and cultures, and indeed its different interpretations of Islam, is still little known in the West.  Even today in secondary and even university education in the West, the study of the Muslim world is still a specialist subject.  One example is how little the Muslim world features in the study of humanities in the West, where courses are essentially centred around Judeo-Christian civilisations.

This lack of knowledge is a dramatic reality which manifests itself in a particularly serious way in western democracies, since public opinion has difficulties judging national and international policy vis-à-vis the Muslim world. There are an infinite number of historical reasons for this, but perhaps there is also a fear of proselytisation. Be that as it may, the two worlds, Muslim and non-Muslim, Eastern and Western, must, as a matter of urgency, make a real effort to get to know one another, for I fear that what we have is not a clash of civilisations, but a clash of ignorance on both sides.  Insofar as civilisations manifest and express themselves through their art, museums have an essential role to play in  teaching the two worlds to understand, respect and appreciate each other and ensuring that whole populations are given fresh opportunities to make contact with each other, using new, modern methods imaginatively  and intelligently to bring about truly global communication.

Western museums, particularly those in Europe, have some extraordinary collections of Muslim art. Obviously, the Louvre and the Museum of Decorative Arts are the richest and I congratulate and thank them for the efforts they are making, with government backing, to fill the enormous void, a veritable black hole, which threatens us in this conflict of ignorance. Rest assured that you can fully count on us to play our part, however modest.

I shall finish by saying a few words specifically about our museum in Toronto. As you will have gathered, I am firmly convinced that better knowledge of the Muslim world can overcome distrust and therefore that city has been a strategic choice.  While some North American museums have significant collections of Muslim art, there is no institution devoted to Islamic art. In building the museum in Toronto, we intend to introduce a new actor to the North American art scene. Its fundamental aim will be an educational one, to actively promote knowledge of Islamic arts and culture. What happens on that continent, culturally, economically and politically, cannot fail to have worldwide repercussions – which is why we thought it important that an institution capable of promoting understanding and tolerance should exist there.

The museum will also belong to the large Muslim population living in Canada and the USA. It will be a source of pride and identity for all these people, showing the inherent pluralism of Islam, not only in terms of religious interpretations but also of cultural and ethnic variety. Furthermore, the museum will show, beyond the notoriously politicised form of Islam which now tends to make headlines, Islam is in reality an open-minded, tolerant faith capable of adopting other people’s cultures and languages and making them its own. There is no doubt whatsoever that the Muslims of North America will play an important role in the development of states and populations within the Ummah.

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October 17, 2007 by bipin.

Taking it one step at a time Charity

By BOB RAY SANDERS

Star-Telegram Staff Writer

In a day when too many people in Washington are talking about the possibility of bombing Iran and too few are discussing how we can end the genocide in Darfur, one group gives me hope with its continued emphasis on saving humanity rather than destroying it.

This past weekend, I once again joined thousands of others on the Dallas City Hall Plaza to support the efforts of the Aga Khan Foundation, an Ismaili Shia organization that for years has funded educational, agricultural, medical and economic programs in undeveloped countries, especially in Asia and Africa.

There is something special about being in the midst of people committed to helping change the lives of millions around the world by bringing water to small villages, setting up schools (including for girls), establishing microfinancing opportunities for impoverished families and fighting the disease and hunger that plague so much of the Earth’s population.

Sunday’s event was the annual PartnershipWalk; the theme was “Walk the Walk: Change the World.” It attracted more than 7,000 people from various cultures.

What encourages me is that each year the walk gets larger and more diverse and includes more public officials who help carry the message of hope.

Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert helped lead the walkers through downtown. He was joined by Texas Secretary of State Phil Wilson, U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions (who has participated each year), Irving City Councilwoman Beth Van Duyne, and Mayors Pat Evans of Plano and Becky Miller of Carrollton.

Event organizers use it not only to raise money for a good cause but to educate the public on what it is like to live in countries where people are struggling amid droughts, wars, hunger and total economic devastation.

During the past 10 years, the walks in Dallas and other major cities have raised more than $26 million to support programs from Tajikistan and Pakistan to Afghanistan and East Africa. All the money raised goes to projects in those countries served.

It is amazing to watch very young children and teenagers teach others about the necessity of aiding people who are desperately in need.

They are not sitting around waiting on the politicians to authorize funding or figure out a way to intervene in some of the world’s disastrous situations.

They are actively making a difference.

Many of the youth have volunteered to work in some of the programs overseas.

Give me the PartnershipWalk any day over the constant saber-rattling on one hand when it comes to Iran, for example, and the absolute complacency on the other in dealing with the disaster in Sudan.

I’ve grown tired of the war talk, and my heart remains heavy at the thought of the suffering around the world. And even though we can’t save every individual dying from natural and man-made catastrophes, we can save some.

As the AKF teaches, the “some” whom we are able to help can then help someone else.

This human chain of caring is strong, and we can see results from every drop of financial and moral support invested in those places that so many people never think about.

When I think of the hundreds of billions of dollars used to wage war, to destroy property and life, I contemplate what could be done if only a tenth of that money were used to improve human conditions rather than to make them worse.

We are making progress because each year more and more people understand that it is easier to make and keep the peace by helping others help themselves than by dropping bombs on them.

As the name of the annual walk implies, we can “partner” with individuals and organizations around the globe and change the plight of a generation, and generations to come.

I know it can be done because it is being done.

Every time a group of young and old people come together to raise money and awareness for those poor people so many have forgotten, we make can make a difference, even if it’s just a little bit at a time.

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September 15, 2007 by bipin.

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September 4, 2007 by bipin.

Beirut to Singapore, 9 projects win prestigious Aga Khan Award for Architecture

The Associated Press

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: A public square in Beirut, a skyscraper in Singapore and a renovated ancient city in Yemen are among the nine winners of the 2007 Aga Khan Award for Architecture, which celebrate the mundane to the magnificent around the globe.

The nine winning projects, announced Tuesday, will share the US$500,000 (€385,000) award given once every three years by the Aga Khan Development Network, a group of agencies that seek to improve living conditions in poor countries.

The network is headed by Aga Khan, the spiritual leader of the Shiite Ismaili Muslims, a community of 15 million people living in 25 countries.

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi announced the awards at a ceremony in the Dewan Philharmonic Hall of the Petronas Twin Towers, which won the award in 2004.

Farrokh Derakhshani, the director of the awards, said the jury looks beyond visual appeal.

The award, established in 1977, recognizes architectural excellence in places where Muslims live. It covers the fields of contemporary design, social housing, community improvement, historical preservation, reuse and area conservation, as well as landscape design and improvement of environment.

“You are not looking at a good nice facade, but (at) how do you go beyond it,” Derakhshani said. “It is the timing, the contemporary needs. We are trying to address the issues of the day: environment, collaboration, education, use of most modern technology.”

The projects that won the latest award are:

_ The Samir Kassir Square in Beirut, named for a Lebanese journalist who was slain there, is a serene public space surrounded by hectic urban development and rebuilding. The award will go to architect Vladimir Djurovic, who “created a space of reflection with two trees and a pool and made the square a focal point for the people of the city,” said Derakhshani.

_ The rehabilitation of the city of Shibam in Yemen. A centuries-old city of mud houses six to seven stories high. The city began degrading from water when plumbing was brought in. A five-year collaborative effort between a German agency and the Yemeni government helped preserve the city.

_ The University of Technology Petronas in Malaysia, known for its high-tech architecture.

_ The renovation of the walled city of Nicosia, Cyprus, a collaborative effort between the divided Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities. The project reversed the city’s physical and economic decline.

_ The Central Market in Koudougou, Burkina Faso. The architects introduced simple improvements to create an important space for civic exchange and trade.

_ Restoration of the Amiriya Complex in Yemen, which protected a cultural heritage.

_ The 28-story Moulmein Rise Residential Tower in Singapore, which uses innovative techniques for tropical design in high-rise living. It incorporates the traditional monsoon window, a horizontal opening that lets in breezes but not rain.

_ The Royal Netherlands Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, a contemporary structure that merges with its local environment.

_ A school in Rudrapur, Bangladesh. Using local material, this simple structure was hand-built in four months by the local community and volunteer architects from Germany and Austria.

The award jury was presented with 343 projects, of which 27 were shortlisted after onsite review by international experts. The number of winners varies in every award cycle. The projects need not be new.

___

On the Net:

Aga Khan Award for Architecture Web site:

http://www.akdn.org/architecture

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August 19, 2007 by bipin.

Aga Khan to Officiate At the Inauguration of Hydro Project

The Nation (Nairobi)
NEWS
19 August 2007
Posted to the web 19 August 2007

By Stephen Ouma
Kampala
The long-awaited building of the Bujagali hydro-power dam finally becomes a reality on Tuesday when the groundbreaking ceremonies take place.

The $750 million World Bank assisted multinational hydro-power project, the biggest investment in sub-Saharan Africa, is a public-private partnership with the Government of Uganda as primary promoter.

Bujagali power project, about 100 km of 132 KV transmission lines to be completed in four to five years, is a realisation of ten years of study and planning.

The Aga Khan, the spiritual leader of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, who is on a 12-day Golden Jubilee visit to East Africa, is to officiate at the inauguration ceremony as well as four other projects under the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN).

The grand ceremony will be graced by President Yoweri Museveni, State and national officials and other dignitaries.

When completed, the dam will increase Uganda’s installed capacity by up to 250 megawatts.

The project will sharply reduce the country’s current 150-megawatt power deficit, 100 MW of which is provided by thermal plants.

The project is also expected to meet demands for the anticipated increase in energy use in Uganda, estimated at between 30-40 MW per year.

Additional benefits

According to an expert, Mr Michae Ocilaje, Bujagali Energy Limited, which brings together Industrial Promotion Services (Kenya) Limited and SG Bujagali Holdings Limited, is to provide additional benefits, primarily for the local region affected by the project.

SG Bujagali Holdings is an affiliate of Sithe Global Power, LLC (USA).

Bujagali Energy Limited is to build, operate and transfer BHP. The Bujagali Interconnection Project (BIP) will be implemented by the Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited.

The (BIP), which is part of Bujagali Hydro Power Station project, will provide the transmission infrastructure and distribute the hydro electricity to the Ugandan power grid.

As part of the development agreement, BEL is to manage and oversee implementation of Community Action Plan and Resettlement Action Plan of Bujagali Project Transmission Line from Bujagali to Kawanda and on to Mutundwe.

The impact assessment, prepared by an international group of environmental and social experts and monitored by experts from seven international financing institutions, was disclosed to the public in December 2006. The environmental and social impact assessment has taken into account the issues raised regarding the project’s potential impact

Comprehensive consultations, monitored by independent NGOs, were held with local community members and national stakeholders, to identify compensation measures.

The local community and other affected people are supportive of the project.

Compensation for land taken and resettlement of 5,158 persons compare favourably with similar projects worldwide.

Following fast-tracking of negotiations, which resulted in the conclusion of nine agreements, the government released US$75 million to Salini to assist in mobilisation and begin the construction.

Initial construction work started on June 15, 2007. The work includes, among other things, clearing of the dam site, spillway and power house area, test borings, and on-the-ground surveying. The excavation and widening and improvement of access, as well as service roads, is being done.

In addition, clearing of vegetation from the quarry area is being done. Land survey of access/service roads, site construction, and building construction are all in progress.

As part of the mobilisation effort, substantial equipment and machinery is soon to be received.

Over 100 people (80 per cent of whom are local residents) are being employed in the project.

About $2.4 million will be invested in community initiatives.

Create jobs

Through this initiative, the inhabitants of Wakisi sub-county (west bank) in the Mukono District and Budondo sub-county (east bank) in Jinja District will benefit from the project through improved housing and water supply, better schools and health facilities.

The project will also create jobs in construction and in plant operations.

It will contribute to improving the frame-work for private sector activities in the country and reduce severe disruptions of economic activities in periods of drought.

The 250-megawatt power-generating facility is part of a broader energy strategy that seeks to develop generation capacity to meet medium and long-term electricity requirements for the country.

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August 18, 2007 by bipin.

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August 6, 2007 by bipin.

CHITRAL, 06 August 2007 - As part of the Golden Jubilee celebrations of His Highness the Aga Khan, various events are being organized to cater to the welfare needs of the less-privileged and deprived segments of society. The Aga Khan Social Welfare Board for Pakistan (AKSWBP) organised the first Golden Jubilee Special People�s Sports Festival here today. This Sports Festival is one such event from a series of events being organized by AKSWBP all over Pakistan including regions of Northern Areas, Punjab, and Sindh.

The Sports extravaganza was a lively event for the special individuals, their families, and the communities of the respective regions where people with special needs and disabilities were given an opportunity to exhibit their talent and sportsmanship. The event also aimed at creating awareness regarding the unique needs and rights of special people in our society. The event provided the individuals with an opportunity to increase their involvement in physical fitness activities, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families and the community.

The colourful event saw more than 100 Special Individuals participating in interesting games such as 50 and 100 metre race, obstacle race, relay race, tug of war and many others. The event started with lighting of the torch and saw a huge  procession of  more Prize distribution than 200 people march to the Ground at Garamchashma to witness an indelible event. The games were then formally declared open by the Chief Guest for the event Mr Amir Afzal � President of the Ismaili Council for Upper Chitral. The Chairman of AKSWB Committee for Chitral formally welcomed the guests and highlighted the aims, objectives, and future programmes of the Board with regard to the Special Individuals.

This event was organised as part of the Aga Khan Social Welfare Board for Pakistan - Portfolio for Individuals with Special Needs and Disabilities Golden Jubilee programmes designed for Special Individuals all over Pakistan. Many of the Special Individuals registered with the Board actively engage in non-academic activities such as Sports and with intensive training and coaching have made a mark for themselves in many sport events. They are registered with the Special Olympics Pakistan and have participated in various City, National, and International level Events. Many have become home winners after participating in such events

The Board�s portfolio for Individuals with Special Needs and Disabilities helps improve the quality of life for individuals with physical, intellectual, emotional and social deficiencies. It is the Board�s belief that all individuals have the right and ability to learn and achieve Paragliding Demonstration self-fulfillment. And that with appropriate opportunities coupled with care and support, Special Individuals can improve their self-esteem and play a more productive role in society. In a span of few years, the Board has reached out to many Special Individuals and their families and continues its endeavors to address the needs of the un-reached segments of the society.

 Aga Khan Social Welfare Board for Pakistan is affiliated with Aga Khan Development Network and its mission is to identity needs of those segments that require special attention and to help them in achieving the economic and social well-being by providing them the means and / or motivation to do the same. It is currently serving in the areas of poverty alleviation, women development, special people, senior citizens, marriage counseling and substance abuse. 

The Aga Khan Development Network�s (AKDN) activities in Pakistan encompass cultural, economic and social development and include microfinance, agricultural programmes, health, and education, the introduction of clean-water supplies and sanitation facilities, construction of mini hydro-electric plants, the improvement of public open spaces, community-driven village rehabilitation and house renovation. The Network is a group of private, non-denominational development agencies and institutions that seek to empower communities and individuals, often in disadvantaged circumstances, to improve living conditions and opportunities in selected regions of the developing world. Its agencies and institutions work for the common good of all citizens, regardless of origin, gender or religion. (Report by Zahiruddin, Photos by GH Farooqi)

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July 20, 2007 by bipin.

AKU experts publish new data on multiple sclerosis

Experts at the Aga Khan University Hospital have published what is believed to be the first in-depth study into multiple sclerosis (MS) in Pakistan.

MS varies considerably in Asian countries, but, in general, occurs less than in Caucasians. In their report, the AKU experts describe their analysis of 142 cases of MS from five centers in the cities of Karachi, Islamabad, and Peshawar. Wasay and colleagues published their study in Multiple Sclerosis (Multiple sclerosis in Pakistan. Multiple Sclerosis 2007;13(5):668-9).

All 142 patients underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which was abnormal, and consistent with diagnosis of MS in 137 (95 percent) patients. Spinal MRI was performed in 37 (26 percent) patients, and abnormalities consistent with MS were seen in 22 (15 percent) patients. Of 56 (40 percent) patients given contrast, enhancing lesions occurred in 25 (18 percent) patients. The disease course was relapsing-remitting (RR)

“We describe retrospective data from the largest series of patients with multiple sclerosis from Pakistan. Mean age at onset was 27 years, with a female to male ratio of 1.45:1,” the scientists reported.

“The disease onset was polysymptomatic in 75 percent patients. Motor weakness was the most common onset symptom (70 percent), followed by sensory symptoms (45 percent). Optico-spinal type of MS was seen in only 3 percent of patients The course was relapsing-remitting (RR) in 81 percent, primary progressive (PP) in 21 percent, and secondary progressive (SP) in 4 percent of patients. Almost three-fourths of the patients were moderately (45 percent) or severely (31 percent) disabled at the time of evaluation. Two-thirds of patients with severe disability had a mean disease duration of only 5.2 years,” wrote M. Wasay and colleagues of the AKU. The researchers concluded: “MS is not uncommon in Pakistan, and many patients were found to have severe disability despite short disease duration.” hospital business week

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July 17, 2007 by bipin.

Aga Khan a Man of Vision, Inspiration

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July 17, 2007 by bipin.

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July 14, 2007 by bipin.

The Aga Khan was speaking at a ceremony held here on Thursday to mark the 50th anniversary of his accession to the Ismaili Imamat. The ceremony was attended by over 250 leaders representing the 12-15 million strong community from some 25 countries in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe and North America.

Speaking about the development of various institutions which constitute the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), one of the largest non-profit development networks in the world, the Aga Khan praised the service rendered by members of the community throughout the world.

He expressed the hope that his golden jubilee would enable the institutions of the AKDN to consolidate themselves and continue their service in the countries where the Ismaili community was settled and that these institutions would create opportunities for future generations.

He highlighted the role of civil society in effectively contributing to better processes of democratic government. In many countries of Asia and Africa, the Aga Khan said, “Democracy is young and still relatively ineffective in support of modern development activities. While a strong civil society can and does help to counter-balance such ineffectiveness, the processes of democratic government must also receive more attention and support.”

He thanked the community for the generosity and support that helped him turn a system of local projects into one of the world’s largest private development networks that served people of all faiths.

Turning to the current conflict situation in the world, the Aga Khan emphasised that Muslims themselves were best suited to address some of the issues facing them in the modern context. He called for revitalisation of the essential values of Islam which, he said, could be done only through greater collaboration among different interpretations of the faith.

“Political situations with a theological overlay are causing disaffection or antagonism between communities of the same faith, and even more so among different faiths,” he said. “At the centre of this turbulence is Islam. We cannot let this continue. On the other hand, the sheer scale of the problem added to its complexity, making it an issue which the Ummah in its entirety can better address, rather than individual schools of interpretation within it.”

The Aga Khan is the founder and chairman of the AKDN comprising nine agencies with mandates ranging from health and education to architecture, microfinance, disaster reduction, rural development and promotion of private-sector enterprise and revitalisation of historic cities -– all of which are catalysts for development.

“Guided by the Islamic ethic of compassion for those less fortunate, the AKDN works for the common good of all citizens, regardless of their gender, origin or religion,” a press release said.

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July 9, 2007 by bipin.

The Shia you don’t hear about

By ANTHONY MANSUETO

Special to the Star-Telegram

Wednesday marks the Golden Jubilee of His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV, global leader of the Shia Ismaili Muslim community.

At a time when the news is dominated by sectarian conflicts between Sunni and Shia Muslims in Iraq, the jubilee offers an opportunity to learn about a very different, little-known but quietly powerful current within Islam.

Like the vast majority of Iranians and a significant majority of Iraqis, the Ismailis are part of the Shia branch of Islam. Shiism emerged from an early dispute about leadership in the ummah, or Islamic community.

The Sunni argued that the caliph, the successor of the prophet Muhammad, should be elected. The Shia argued that succession should remain within the direct line of the prophet’s closest relatives.

But this division also reflected profound differences regarding the nature of leadership within the Islamic community. The Sunnis, stressing Islam’s historic emphasis on effective political engagement, opted for caliphs who were primarily political and military leaders; the Shia looked for leaders known for wisdom and spirituality.

Eventually the Shia themselves divided. The vast majority (those we hear most about in Iran and Iraq) believe there was an unbroken line of 12 imams — the last of whom, Muhammad ibn Hasan ibn Ali, was born in 868 and was hidden by God in 939 rather than dying. Twelver, or Imami, Shia believe that he eventually will return to usher in a reign of justice.

The Ismailis trace their own leadership from the seventh imam, Isma’il bin Jafar (721-755), and believe that the law, embodied in the Quran and the sayings and practices of Muhammad, is accompanied by a mystical teaching passed from one imam to the next. The current Aga Khan, who as a 20-year-old in 1957 succeeded his grandfather, is the 49th hereditary imam of the Shia Ismailis.

The Ismailis’ belief in a deeper, mystical approach to the faith meant that they played an important role in the intellectual history not only of Islam but also, indirectly, of Europe.

Ismailis were crucial in translating the Greek texts of Plato and Aristotle, which were lost to Western Europe, into Arabic. It was in this language that most were passed on, via Jewish translators in Muslim Spain, to Christian Europe.

Ibn Sina (980-1037), known in the West as Avicenna, came from an Ismaili family. His text on medicine was used not only in the Islamic world but also in the West up until the 17th century, and his philosophy profoundly influenced that of Thomas Aquinas and thus the whole Roman Catholic tradition.

Ismailis established the great university of al-Azhar — one of the world’s oldest, dating from 971 — and effectively built the city of Cairo, Egypt.

Important beneficiaries of Ismaili patronage include the mathematicians al-Haytham and Nasir al-Din Tusi and the poet and philosopher Nasir e-Khusraw. Although I am not an Ismaili, I have an unusual connection to the Ismaili tradition.

My family comes originally from Sicily, an island that has known many conquerors — most of them brutal exploiters. But the era of the Ismaili Fatimids, who governed Sicily for much of the 10th and 11th centuries from their capital at Cairo, was Sicily’s golden age. Agriculture, commerce, the arts, the sciences and philosophy flourished.

Today, the Ismailis are but a small minority of Muslims, numbering about 20 million out of roughly 1.4 billion Muslims and 120 million Shia worldwide, but their presence continues to be felt.

They are concentrated mostly in Central Asia, western China, parts of the Middle East, India, Pakistan and sub-Saharan Africa, as well as the United States, Canada and Western Europe. They are actively engaged in the struggle for social justice and human development.

They work locally, through active participation in civic institutions, and globally, through the Aga Khan Development Network.

The network is involved in an extraordinary range of activities from disaster relief, basic healthcare, rural development, microfinance and the promotion of private enterprise to architecture, culture and the revitalization of historic cities.

The organization operates more than 200 health centers, including nine hospitals, in Afghanistan, India, Kenya, Pakistan and Tanzania.

It is at the forefront of disaster relief efforts worldwide, focusing its humanitarian efforts on long-term capacity building. The network has been involved in microlending for more than 25 years — long before it became popular — and currently has a portfolio of more than $52 million in outstanding loans to more than 97,000 people in 12 countries. This is in addition to more traditional economic development projects involving more than 90 companies employing more than 30,000 people and generating more than $1.5 billion in revenue annually.

The network’s education programs encompass more than 300 schools with 54,000 students across East Africa and South and Central Asia — most of which emphasize education for girls and women and focus on academic rigor and leadership development — as well as two universities: the University of Central Asia with campuses in the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan and the Aga Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan.

One project especially dear to me is the Aga Khan Humanities Project, which developed an undergraduate humanities curriculum for Central Asian universities that tapped into and helped conserve local traditions while preparing students to engage a broader intellectual universe.

All of the network’s hospitals, schools, development projects and humanitarian assistance programs are open to people of all faiths and origins.

The tension between Islam and the West reflects deep-seated economic, political and cultural contradictions. But when one looks at the Ismailis and understands their history, and their current contributions to human development and civilization, it becomes clear that relations between Islam and the West cannot be summed up simply as a clash of civilizations.

We have learned too much from Islam — and much of that with the assistance of the Ismailis.

Islam — and especially the Ismailis — has engaged and learned from the West. Let us make this century not one of new crusades but rather one of dialogue and collaboration in healing and building up our common home, the Earth. Let it be the time when we make it a true house of peace.

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