Interview with Dr Shainool Jiwa December 19, 2009
Posted by ismailimail in Fatimids, Institute of Ismaili Studies, Video.Tags: Shainool Jiwa
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Jesse and Diana in Tajikistan: Ismoili Center December 19, 2009
Posted by ismailimail in Asia, Blogosphere, Jamat Khana, Tajikistan.add a comment
The Ismoili Center of Dushanbe is one of several like it around the world. The spiritual leader of the Ismoilis is the Agha Khan, who lives in Switzerland and went to Harvard. He has a development network that does lots of good work around the globe in health, microfinance and other sectors.
The new Center is far and away the most beautiful and architecturally interesting building in Dushanbe
More photographs and blog post at Jesse and Diana in Tajikistan: Ismoili Center.
Two faiths, one tree: the holiday negotiation December 19, 2009
Posted by ismailimail in Canada, Ismaili Muslims in the News, North America.add a comment
For Farhana Alarakhiya and Rob Parker, the biggest issue was what to put on the top of their Christmas tree.
Mr. Parker was accustomed to a star – it had been part of his childhood since his family attended the United Church in his home town of Dundas, Ont. But that symbol made Ms. Alarakhiya uncomfortable as an Ismaili Muslim who immigrated from Kenya with her family when she was 9 and takes her faith seriously. Islam sees Jesus Christ as a prophet, she says, and she felt the star was connected too closely to the image of Jesus as the Son of God.
In the end, they settled on a handmade ornament she found at a craft show that Ms. Alarakhiya calls an “orb” and Mr. Parker jokingly calls an “amoeba.”
–snip–
“The example I give to my daughter is: All the religions that are out there, think of them as a string of Christmas lights,” Ms. Alarakhiya says. “The colours are all different. But the electricity that runs through them is the same.”
Read article at the source: http://www.theglobeandmail.com
Junior School Student, Aga Khan Academy, Mombasa, Initiated Fund Raising December 19, 2009
Posted by ismailimail in Africa, Education, Education Services, Kenya.add a comment
The Junior School students care about animals and have initiated a number of activities to support the Kenya Society for the Protection and Care of Animals (KSPCA) organization. After seeing a number of stray cats near the school, a group of Year 5 students were compelled to find a way to help these creatures.
What is Canada’s Role in a World where Poverty and Hopelessness thrive? December 19, 2009
Posted by ismailimail in Aga Khan Foundation, Bridges that Unite, Canada, North America.add a comment
With this provocative question, BRIDGESTHATUNITE, a bilingual traveling exhibition, invites visitors to consider Canada’s global leadership role through the lens of a remarkable 25-year partnership with the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN). Built on a set of common values, such as pluralism, democracy and peace, this unique partnership is replacing walls that divide the developed and developing worlds with bridges that unite us.
Karim Aga Khan: The Cause of Development December 18, 2009
Posted by ismailimail in Aga Khan Development Network, Aga Khan IV, Europe.add a comment

Translated from French:
Religious leader, but also informed investor and entrepreneur philanthropist Prince invests nearly $ 450 million annually in education, health and micro-credit. To break the “vicious circle of poverty”.
Links:
http://www.lenouveleconomiste.fr/JV/JVLNE1502/C1/C1.html
http://www.lenouveleconomiste.fr/JV/JVLNE1502/C1/Prix-du-manager.html
http://www.nouveleconomiste.fr/s1502/Capitaliste.html
http://www.nouveleconomiste.fr/Site-Accueil.html
Speech:
http://www.akdn.org/
New York Times: Pamir Mountains, the Crossroads of History December 18, 2009
Posted by ismailimail in Aga Khan Development Network, Article, Asia, Tajikistan.Tags: Pamir
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Excerpt: KHOROG, a relaxed town of 28,000 in the heart of the western Pamirs, sits across the Panj River from Afghanistan. Its isolation largely spared it from the civil war of the 1990s, but a humanitarian crisis crippled the area after Soviet handouts came to an end. A savior came in the form of a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad himself, the Aga Khan, a Swiss-born businessman who owns racehorses and a yacht club on Sardinia and is the spiritual leader of the Ismaili Muslim sect to which most Pamiri people have belonged for a thousand years. The community-supported charitable organization over which he presides, the Aga Khan Development Network, resuscitated Khorog, which now has two universities, new construction and a young, optimistic population.
Complete article: http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/12/20/
Slide Show: http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2009/12/20/
Bilaal Rajan Carrying the Olympic Flame December 18, 2009
Posted by ismailimail in Canada, Ismaili Muslims in the News, North America.Tags: Bilaal Rajan
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What an incredible day! I was both humbled and honoured to carry the Olympic Flame through the streets of Toronto this evening. It felt fantastic jogging out of the entrance of Sick Kids Hospital, holding the torch high to help raise awareness of child poverty in the developing world.
I want to thank all those who came out in great numbers to support me today. I was really touched by your attendance. You really made a difference in my life. Thank you again.
Madrasa Resource Centre Launch Its 25th Anniversary Publication December 18, 2009
Posted by ismailimail in Africa, Aga Khan Foundation, Education, Kenya.add a comment
Coastweek– On Thursday, December 3, 2009, Madrasa Resource Centre, Kenya (MRC, K) celebrated the launch of its 25th anniversary publication.
The event was graced by honourable Chirau Ali Mwakwere, minister for Transport.
The publication, entitled “The Madrasa Early Childhood Programme: 25 years of experience”, was developed to highlight the history, progress and lessons of the programme since its inception in 1986.
Easy Nash’s Blog on Science and Religion in Islam achieves high ranking on NetworkedBlogs December 18, 2009
Posted by ismailimail in Blogosphere.Tags: easy nash
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In the dying days of 2007 some of my Blog readers were enquiring about why I use the cybername Easy Nash so I did what any self-respecting Blogger would do: I prepared a post to explain myself including why I decided to start writing a Blog in the first place. The Blog was my own private retirement project undertaken to satisfy my curiosity about a topic that has enthralled, fascinated and preoccupied me since I was a 17-year old undergraduate Science student at McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada during the early 1970s: the link between Science and Religion in Islam. I began writing my Blog in March 2006 after hearing some inspirational words from His Highness Aga Khan IV, 49th hereditary Imam of the Shia Nizari Ismaili Muslims, during his visit to Toronto in June 2005. I also remarked that another reason for blogging was to keep my brain exercised during retirement and “prevent it from turning into mush”
Read further … http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/12/533a-blog-begun-as-retirement-project.html
US Consulate General Vancouver Canada visits Burnaby Jamatkhana December 18, 2009
Posted by ismailimail in Canada, Jamat Khana, North America.add a comment
Karimabad Hunza in Gilgit-Baltistan December 18, 2009
Posted by ismailimail in Asia, Pakistan.Tags: Hunza
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Imran Alimohammed: Master in Public Administration candidate and VP Kennedy School Student Government December 17, 2009
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Winter Break is a Time of Service for Many HKS Students
Imran Alimohammed, Master in Public Administration (MPA) candidate and vice president of the Kennedy School Student Government, is spending his winter break in Bangladesh working with Friendship, a non-governmental organization (NGO) that focuses on sustainable human development. Specifically, he is studying the viability of an educational project by surveying teachers, students, and administrators, and will complete his commitment by providing his recommendation to the organization in the form of a strategy paper. In January, along with 15 other Harvard students, Alimohammed will travel to Indonesia with the Harvard School of Public Health to contribute to an evaluation of government and NGO responses in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami in the region.
“I enjoy working with grassroots programs and being able to see the measurable impact that it makes on individuals,” Alimohammed wrote in an email from Bangladesh. “I particularly enjoy working on educational access programs because I feel that providing access to education is one of the vehicles to end global poverty.”
http://www.hks.harvard.edu/news-events/news/articles/winter-break-2009
Mr. Mohamed Manji, President of the Ismaili Council for Canada will be a Torch Bearer for Vancouver 2010 Games December 17, 2009
Posted by ismailimail in Canada, Community Activities, Council sponsored, Ismaili Muslims in the News, North America.add a comment
On Thursday, December 17, Mr. Mohamed Manji, President of the Ismaili Council for Canada, will be a Torch Bearer, running at approximately 4:15 p.m. along York Mills Road beginning at the Westin Prince Hotel.
You can view the daily progress of the Olympic Torch Relay live here.
Raja Panjwani: Winner Of Voice Achievers Awards 2009 December 17, 2009
Posted by ismailimail in Canada, Ismaili Muslims in the News, North America.2 comments
Raja, a teenager from Kitchener-Waterloo, has been a promising chess player since the age of 5, and despite his intense schedule at the University of Western Ontario Science faculty, and a busy social life, he has achieved new heights in the chess scene recently. He has become the Canadian Junior (20 years and younger) Chess Champion for 2009, and will represent Canada at the World Junior Chess Championships, one of the winners of which was Garry Kasparov, in his Junior days. He has already achieved a place in the top five at the World Youth Championships, not too long ago. He has also fulfilled the requirements for the title of International Master, a step above his current title of FIDE Master, and is awaiting completion of some formalities at the Federation Internationale dEchecs, before being awarded the title. He already has his eyes set on the next title of Grandmaster, and hopes to become the youngest Canadian born Grandmaster in Canada. He believes that the only way Chess would become as popular as Hockey in Canada is when somebody who is a native of Canada becomes the world Champion!
Fulfilling a dream: Rattansi Educational Trust December 17, 2009
Posted by ismailimail in Africa, Ismaili Muslims in the News, Kenya.add a comment
Fulfilling a dream
Mohamedally and Maniben Rattansi Educational Trust
A Dream Fulfilled for Mohamedally and Maniben Rattansi

Maniben and Mohamedally Rattansi at Masaka Tea Plantation (1953) Founders of the Mohamedally and Maniben Rattansi Educational Trust

Dr. Hassanally Rattansi, (1921-2003); D. Litt. University of Nairobi (1988); D. Litt. Kenyatta University (2002); Silver Star (S.S.) of Kenya (1998)
The history of the Mohamedally and Maniben Rattansi Educational Trust can be traced back about 150 years ago to the coming of Mohamedally Rattansi to Kenya. Mohamedally Rattansi was born in 1882 in Chavand, a village in Kathiawar, India. His father Rattansi Nanji, a Shia Ismaili, owned a small shop selling basic merchandise, such as salt, sugar, and dates to villagers and neighbouring farmers in India.
http://www.rattansieducationaltrust.or.ke/Fulfilling%20a%20Dream%201.htm
Interview – Hassan Rattansi March 2001
Ismaili Al Azhar Garden Pipe Band December 16, 2009
Posted by ismailimail in Asia, Community Activities, Pakistan, Pipe Band.2 comments
The Shia Imami Ismaili Al-Azhar Garden Pipe Band is recently established in 2006. Our First performance at Al-Azhar Garden Jamat Khana Ground during the ceremony of Imamat Day on 11-july-2006. Mr. Anil Qurban is the Captain. Our Motto is service for Jamat. Our slogan or we can say our band tag line is RHYTHM IS OUR DESTINY means when we play a music, or create a sound our music arrangement is touch your soul. And this is our aim to create joyful and happiness environment.
Platinum Jubilee (1885-1955) of His Highness the Aga Khan III December 16, 2009
Posted by ismailimail in Aga Khan III, History.Tags: Simerg
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To mark the completion of the Aga Khan’s seventy years of Imamat, the Ismailis decided to weigh their 48th Imam, who had guided them through seventy years of benevolent rule, in platinum. The preparations were set afoot to surpass all the celebrations of the previous two Jubilees but Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah gave explicit orders not to over spend on illuminations and festivities.
With more details and photographs at Simerg.com
Aga Khan Foundation Canada’s International Development Fellowship Program 2010-2011 December 16, 2009
Posted by ismailimail in Aga Khan Foundation, Canada, North America.add a comment
Aga Khan Foundation Canada is pleased to announce that it is now accepting applications for the 2010-2011 International Development Fellowship Program.
This nine-month program provides unparalleled opportunities for young professionals to apply their skills and share their expertise with development organizations in Asia and Africa while broadening their understanding of international development.
For more information or to download the application form, please visit AKFC’s website at www.akfc.ca. The deadline for application is February 1, 2010.
Should you require any further information please contact:
Farida Juma
Program Assistant
AGA KHAN FOUNDATION CANADA www.akfc.ca
Tel: 613.237.2532 |1.800.267.2532, x 119 Fax: 613.567.2532
The Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat
199 promenade Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Canada K1N 1K6
The Aga Khan Education Service, India December 16, 2009
Posted by ismailimail in Asia, Blogosphere, Education Services, India.add a comment
The Aga Khan Education Service, India (AKES,I) is a part of the Aga Khan Education Services global. AKES,I is committed to enriching lives by enhancing and sustaining “Quality Education”. Its footprints can be traced back to the early 1900’s the first Aga Khan School started in 1905 in Mundra, Kutch, Gujarat. AKES,I currently operates 10 schools, 1 Hostel in Hyderabad, 21 Day Care Centres and 16 support centres in Maharashtra, Gujarat & Andhra Pradesh. AKES,I seeks to respond creatively to the educational needs of children in a way that will enable them to shape their future.
FOCUS Humanitarian Assistance in United States recognised for its disaster response and relief efforts in the wake of hurricanes December 16, 2009
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Ali Velshi and SACC President Mustafa Tameez present the 2009 Outstanding Community Organization Award to FOCUS Board Member Nasir Panjwani.
At a Gala Dinner on 9 October, the South Asian Chamber of Commerce (SACC) of Houston, Texas honoured Focus Humanitarian Assistance (FOCUS) with the 2009 Outstanding Community Organization Award for their disaster response and relief efforts in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina, Gustav, Rita and Ike that affected the Southern United States.
Founded in 1993, the SACC is a non-profit organisation representing South Asian Americans, whose mission is to provide leadership that helps create regional economic prosperity and success for its members.
Focus Humanitarian Assistance is an international disaster planning, risk management and crisis response agency. Its planning function includes training, stockpiling and expertise in times of crises. During a crisis, whether natural or man-made, it provides emergency relief to all communities in its areas of operation.
Book Review – “A Legacy of Giving: The Story of Mohamedally and Maniben Rattansi Educational Trust” December 16, 2009
Posted by ismailimail in Africa, Books, Ismaili Muslims in the News, Kenya.1 comment so far
Excerpts:
As the two stories of the Kianda Foundation and the Mohamedally and Maniben Rattansi Educational Trust show, philanthropy as we understand it is a defining feature of every being. It probably begins at birth, progresses through life, and blossoms at death. Indeed, many in Africa are welcomed into this earth in philanthropic ways; they live their lives either supporting or being supported by others. And at their death, philanthropy is what bids them farewell—and in some cases their death is a philanthropic source for many causes.
I am very familiar with the institutions presented in these three books, and have visited some of them in my research. It was therefore interesting to learn more about the people behind these institutions. I particularly liked Elkanah Odembo’s story: one of a young troublesome student who gets funding from the Rattansi Educational Trust and later becomes one of the crucial philanthropic leaders in the region and in Africa. The irony: he only discovers very late in life who his donors were.
Odembo and other leaders in the region who came together to establish the Kenya Community Development Foundation illustrate the power of local responses to local challenges. From an idea to a big institution, KCDF has become the foundation for development in Kenyan communities. Its story is one of transformative philanthropy, of seeking to address social justice issues. The story of the Rattansi Educational Trust is one of changing the status quo, particularly through the provision of education to all races and ethnic groups in Kenya. The Rattansi story weaves through the politics of post-independence Kenya and outlines the role philanthropy played in these events. Many of those who became senior leaders in government and civil service were once recipients of scholarships from the foundation.
There are parallels between the Rattansi Educational Trust and the Kianda Foundation. Both focus on education, and most graduates of the Kianda Foundation have gone on to become senior women leaders in government, private sector, and civil society.
http://blog.trustafrica.org/blog.php?/archives/5-Trends-and-Issues-in-Local-Philanthropy-in-East-Africa.html
http://www.library.strathmore.edu/cgi-bin/koha/opac-detail.pl?biblionumber=31119
Eboo Patel: An Obama Faith Adviser Preaches Tolerance To Youth December 15, 2009
Posted by ismailimail in Ismaili Muslims in the News, North America, United States.Tags: Eboo Patel
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December 12, 2009 from WBEZ
It’s likely that Eboo Patel is a name you haven’t heard before. He teaches young people to appreciate religious diversity and pass it on. He’s the founder of the Chicago-based Interfaith Youth Core and one of President Obama’s advisers on faith. His work just landed him the prestigious Louisville Grawemeyer Award.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=121374147
Afshin Rattansi: Reporting on the World December 15, 2009
Posted by ismailimail in Europe, Ismaili Muslims in the News, London.add a comment
Afshin Rattansi has helped launch and develop television networks and has worked in journalism for more than two decades, at the BBC Today programme, CNN International, Bloomberg News, Al Jazeera Arabic, the Dubai Business Channel, Press TV and The Guardian. His quartet of novels, “The Dream of the Decade” is available on Amazon.com. He is executive producer of a new TV show, “Rattansi & Ridley” which broadcasts internationally, every Saturday at 2032 GMT on Press TV.
http://rattansiandridley.com
http://www.counterpunch.org/rattansi11122009.html
Aqil Rashid on City7 News Dubai December 15, 2009
Posted by ismailimail in Dubai, Ismaili Muslims in the News, Middle East.1 comment so far
Check the news for Tuesday, December 8th, 2009
http://www.city7tv.com/city7news.asp
Aqil has been featured at Ismailimail
Roshan Telecom link
His Tweeter link
Akil Kurji, Cross Culture Film Producer December 15, 2009
Posted by ismailimail in Art and Culture, Ismaili Muslims in the News, North America, United States.1 comment so far
Excerpts: Houston native Akil A.K. Kurji, a 22-year-old director of low-budget movies, plans on making a name for himself in the hip-hop video scene with “Swagger.” He produced and directed the video with platinum-selling rapper, Lil Flip. The rumor mill is that Lil Flip is also planning to launch an energy drink with Kurji.
It was then, in June 2009, that Kurji and his video production partner Nadeem Rajani of Cross Culture Productions in Houston put together their personal capital to invest into completing Moon’s album, starting On the Mark Records.
At the young age of 16 Akil Kurji knew he wanted to become a film producer. Through his ambitions and diligent endeavors he teamed up with Nadeem Rajani’ and formed Cross Culture Productions.
He has studied film at the University of Miami majoring in Political Science and Motion Pictures. He made his first feature film at the age of 19 titled Aaj Kal (2009) and has continued to engage in new and exciting projects of which include Tremens (2009) and the first ever Bollywood Spoof film titled Desi Movie (2010).
He resides in Miami and continues to develop various projects mainly concentrating on cross culture films releasing in the near future, directing and producing music videos and developing a Laguna Beach spin off titled Miracle Mile.
Source: http://blogs.houstonpress.com/
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2559309/bio
Nadia Hasham, Farzana Mussa, report on internships at Diamond Trust Bank December 15, 2009
Posted by ismailimail in Africa, Canada, Fund for Economic Development, Ismaili Muslims in the News, Kenya, North America.3 comments
While I was born and raised in Toronto, Kenya was home to both my parents during their childhood. I have just begun my final year of Honours International Development with a Minor in Middle East Studies at McGill. My interests lie primarily in areas of International and Islamic Law, International Relations, and International Trade. As such, my internship at Diamond Trust Bank Tanzania allowed me to experience the International Banking division of a major financial institution in East Africa. It also enabled me to understand the contributions of the private sector and of entrepreneurship to the economy of a developing country. My interest in this aspect of development became the topic of my internship paper from an economic anthropology perspective, for which I will be receiving credit under the supervision of Professor Carol Berger of the Anthropology Department. [ More ]
My name is Farzana Mussa and over this past summer I was fortunate enough to travel to Nairobi, Kenya to undertake an Internship with Diamond Trust Bank (DTB). I’m currently entering my fourth year of study in the Bachelor of Arts program with a Major concentration in Economics and two minor concentrations in Management and Environmental Sciences. In addition to my academic life, I live a vibrant and fast paced extra-curricular life. For the past three years I have been a member of the McGill Residences Floor Fellow community. In addition, I am currently running the Logistics team for the upcoming Desautel Business Sustainability Conference. Lastly, I am very involved in my religious community as I have been President of the Ismaili Religious and Education Board and am currently a member of the Economic Planning Board under the Montreal Ismaili Council. In my spare time (when I find it, that is!), I enjoy playing ball hockey and singing with my local choir. [ More ]
http://www.mcgill.ca/arts-internships/experiences/reports2009/name/hasham/
http://www.mcgill.ca/arts-internships/experiences/reports2009/name/mussa/
Earlier related at Ismailimail
“Happy Birthday Mawla” new song by Zahira Dhalwani December 14, 2009
Posted by ismailimail in Art and Culture, Ismaili Muslim Artists.Tags: 13 December, Zahira Dhalwani
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In celebration of our beloved Hazar Imam’s birthday, Zahira Dhalwani wishes to share a new song, titled “Happy Birthday Mawla”, based on the tune “Happy Birthday To You”.
Lyrics, Music, Vocals and Recording by: Zahira Dhalwani
Download MP3 (Right click – Save)
http://ismailimail.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/happy-birthday-mawla.mp3














