Upcoming Central Asian music concert at the Rothko Chapel in Houston on Saturday, May 17, 2008 at 7:30 p.m.

The drone of strings, the rhythmic chime of tambourines, wailing vocals that sometimes explode in celebration and at other times weave mesmerizing Sufi inspired tapestries of hypnotic sound: to hear Bukharan music is to be transported to another time and place – the Silk Road, not far from legendary Samarkand. The ancient city of Bukhara is located in the modern-day Uzbekistan but its traditional music, Shashmaqam, is the soundtrack of the past – of the caravans that once connected East and West.

The Izro Malakov Ensemble bears the cultural imprint of millennia, representing a musical heritage that is linked to family lineages of Bukharan Jewish musicians. Embedded in the sound is the complex cultural symbiosis between Jews and Muslims – the long centuries before the present day, when they were neighbors and allies sharing music and bloodlines. This notable ensemble performed at Carnegie Hall, as part of the “Silk Road Project” under the direction of Yo-Yo Ma – now, Houston enjoys a unique opportunity to celebrate this Central Asian tradition. Come be transported, through the artistry of the Izro Malakov Ensemble, as they present songs in Tajik, Uzbek, and Hebrew.

Asia Society Texas Center is funded in part by grants from the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance. This program is supported by His Highness Prince Aga Khan Shia Imami Ismaili Council for the Southwestern United States.

It is free and open to the public. Call Asia Society Texas Center for more information.

Download PDF

Remarkable photographs of the majestic Pamir Mountains in Tajikistan taken last week from the AKDN Helicopter by Mustafa Karim, Executive Officer of FOCUS Tajikistan, who is pictured alongside Rumina Velshi in the last photograph. Shared by Nash Velshi.

Rumina Velshi, Logistics Co-ordinator for the GJ HDP, and Mustafa Karim, Executive Officer of FOCUS Tajikistan, at the Khorog FOCUS office, March 2008.

June 21 2008 at Bastide St Mathieu,
St Mathieu, Grasse.

Riviera Opera will launch June 21 2008 at Bastide St Mathieu, St Mathieu, Grasse as part of midsummer’s day Fête de la Musique in aid of the Aga Khan Foundation, helping the people of Afghanistan and Central Asia to build economic viability.

Charles Court Opera will perform their Opera Show of great arias and choruses from Verdi, Puccini, Mozart, Wagner, Donizetti on the new terraces of Bastide St Mathieu. Gabby Faja who is the Producer for the Charles Court Opera is presenting the production. The performance will be accompanied by a fine dinner in relaxed and beautiful surroundings.

Source

Educating the neglected north

A visit to the headquarters of the Northern Areas, Gilgit, reveals that the absence of Pakistan government from different sectors has given NGOs, donors and developments sufficient space to intervene and contribute to the socio-economic development of the region

By Shahzada Irfan Ahmed

The beautiful and scenic northern areas of Pakistan comprising districts of Gilgit, Ghanche, Skardu, Diamer, Ghizer and Astore have been victims of sheer neglect for many years. Despite being under the control of the federal government, the locals have had no voting rights and constitution for decades. The government of Pakistan that provides funds to cover the administrative expenses of the area has not been able to provide basic education and health activities on a large scale.

Though apprehensions have existed for a long time that the northern areas are no more than a colony for Pakistan, the voices demanding rights for the locals are getting louder and louder with every passing day. With the assumption of power by the newly-elected democratic government the hopes of these people have been revived. The decision of the government led by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani to do away with Frontier Crimes Regulations (FCR) has been an indication that the government wants to do something for the region.

A visit to the headquarter of the northern areas, Gilgit, reveals that the absence of Pakistani government from different sectors has given NGOs, donors and development organisations sufficient space to intervene and contribute to the socio-economic development of the region. It is due to this factor that the literacy ratio in Gilgit is as high as 53.33 per cent.

These figures have been provided by the National Commission of Human Development (NCHD) that is working in the northern areas in partnership with Aga Khan Education Service, Pakistan (AKESP) and Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) to achieve the goal of universal primary education and adult literacy. NCHD, a fast track initiative of the Pakistani government, was established in July 2001 as a federal statutory body tasked with the objective of filling the implementation gaps and improving the public-sector delivery mechanisms to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

During a visit to an adult literacy centre in Gilgit, it was observed that the local community was extremely receptive to change and the female students were brimming with confidence. One major reason for this ‘unexpected’ response from these women is that they have been interacting with people involved with the development sector.

Another perception that proved wrong during the visit was that the students enrolled at these literacy centers did not belong to the Ismaili community alone. There was due representation of Sunnis, Shias and Noorbukshies at the centers as well.

Qurban Ali, an AKESP representative told that the Agha Khan Foundation does not discriminate on the basis of sect and its programmes are open for all. A proof of this, he says, is that AKESP has presence even in Skardu where the number of Ismailis is negligible. Qurban says, “these centres have also played a great role in creating harmony among different sects and ending animosity amongst them that would often lead to violence in the recent past.”

The curriculum taught at adult literacy centres and post literacy centres has been devised in a way that it does not hurt the sentiments of any community. Post literacy centres are meant for those people who want to continue with their education after the completion of their basic course.

Amir Bilal, NCHD spokesperson, says that the literacy programme devised by NCHD expects the students to achieve basic literacy equivalent to grade 3 in 5 months. He says, “those completing the course must be able to write 7 to 10 sentences about their immediate environment, to add, subtract, multiply and divide a 3 digit figure and develop knowledge about techniques of tolerance and emotional control.”

Similarly, NCHD’s post literacy programme offers religious education, health education, awareness about environmental issues, agriculture, business, household matters, learning of English by phonics and so on.

The students enrolled at post literacy centres are mostly women, many of whom are mothers and even grandmothers. The northern areas are spread over an area of 72,496 square kilometres out of which 64,066 square kilometres comprises mountain area. The present population of the northern areas is around 870,000 and density is as low as 8 persons per sq km, living in some 650 small villages. This makes it difficult for the people to commute easily from one place to the other. Therefore, the emphasis of these bodies is on setting up literacy centres close to the houses of students and are managed by the people belonging to their own community.

More at the Source

Robert Remington,

Calgary Herald

Friday, May 09, 2008

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A woman in traditional dress walks past a carved wooden door in Stone Town, a UNESCO World Heritage site on the island of Zanzibar. Twenty years ago there were about 800 carved doors in Stone Town, but that number has dropped significantly. The oldest door discovered in Zanzibar is dated 1694. Robert Remington, The Calgary Herald

It was certainly effective, but not the best thing for employee morale. So impressed was he by the intricate wooden door the Indian carver had made for his palace that the ruling sultan promptly ordered the poor fellow’s hands be lopped off.

Thus, the sultan prevented the carver from replicating his work of art and was able to lay claim to having the grandest door in all of Zanzibar.

Whether the legend is true could not be confirmed. But Moses, our affable guide, said it was so. It seems like the kind of thing that might happen in a slave trading colony where up to 50 African men and women at a time were packed into small subterranean cells before being tied to a whipping post in the town square and flogged prior to being auctioned off.

To cry out was a sign of weakness, which meant a low price and banishment to the lower rungs of slave society, provided you survived the whipping. A society that valued human life so little was certainly capable of sawing off a hand or two.

Today, a church stands on the site of the old slave market in Stone Town, the historic capital of this exotic island in the Indian Ocean. The whipping post still survives behind the altar as a reminder of the island’s grim past, and beneath the church it is possible to make your way into the underground slave holding cells, where the only fresh air came from two small slits in the walls.

About 50,000 African slaves passed through Stone Town each year, part of the estimated 11 to 18 million black African slaves that were sent to the Byzantine Empire and Muslim world from 650 to 1900 - a worse record than the 9.4 to 14 million Africans brought to the Americas in the Atlantic slave trade.

Through the doors of Zanzibar

As with most grand or public buildings in Stone Town, visitors enter the church through a large, carved wooden door, similar to the one that cost the Indian carver his hands.

These remarkable carved doors, each an individual work of art, are a symbol of Stone Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its narrow, labyrinthine alleyways, white sand beaches and intoxicating blend of Arabic and African culture.

The town, with buildings built of coral stone and lime, is on the brink of decay. Many of its beautiful doors are weathered and rotting, too.

The little money that exists for restoration comes from outside donors and organizations like the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, which is spending $2.2 million on a major restoration project in the heart of Stone Town.

More at the Source

Excerpt…

It’s no secret that Americans are not popular in the Middle East and they don’t have a good image in the region. Muslims could turn around and say that the reason the Americans have now appointed this envoy to the OIC is to show they’re making a cosmetic effort towards us, but in fact they’re not changing their policies in the Middle East.

That’s one of the reasons that when I was in Dakar in Senegal I was aggressively positioning and sharing the point of view that America brings.

I was suggesting the fact that if you look at the core values, the pure ethics of Americans - Muslims and non-Muslims - it is not part of us. By default we have deep respect for all religions including Islam, and that is part of our lifestyle here.

I was explaining that it is not a matter that America is positioning itself today. If you look at the freedoms that we enjoy here in America as Muslims, we practice Islam here openly and regularly; we have 1,200 mosques here and the freedom of expression, the freedom of practice of faith; all these things are core values as part of our culture here in America. It’s nothing new. All I’m doing is trying to articulate clearly that when it comes to core values the West and Islamic communities are in sync.

I was explaining that when we were suggesting there is a clash of civilizations, I said there is no clash of civilizations. If there is anything, it is a clash of ignorance. I was even suggesting that as a Muslim in America, I don’t even use the terms when it comes to Islamic terrorism or Islamic terrorist or Islamo-Fascism. Those are not even part of my own vocabulary as an American Muslim. These are some of the dialogues that we need to engage in and to make sure we’re moving forward to bring stability, peace and prosperity to all people.

Complete interview at Jerusalem Post

The Aga Khan, spiritual leader of Shia Ismaili Muslims, will arrive here May 12 on a seven-day, four-city visit to India.

He will be in the capital for two days, during which he will meet President Pratibha Patil, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Vice President Hamid Ansari, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Leader of Opposition L.K. Advani.

The Aga Khan will then move on to Hyderabad, Mumbai and Ahmedabad and leave for Dhaka May 19, the ministry of external affairs said here.

The visit marks the Aga Khan’s 50th year as imam of over 25 million Shia Ismailis worldwide.

The 70-year-old leader - also known as Prince Karim Aga Khan IV - succeeded his grandfather, Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan - at age 20 in 1957, becoming the community’s 49th imam.

The Aga Khan last visited India in September 2006, when he laid the foundation of the Aga Khan Academy for Excellence in Education in Hyderabad.

Earlier, in 2004 the spiritual leader gave away the Aga Khan Award for Architecture at a presentation ceremony at Humayun’s Tomb here.

(Staff Writer, © IANS)

Indiaenews.com - Thaindian.com - Indiainfo.com - WebIndia.com - NewKerala.com - Newspostindia.com - Deepikaglobal.com - Bombaynews.net - Calcuttanews.net - India Gazette

The Aga Khan Academy was delighted to learn recently that Anoushka Rejan, one of the graduates of the first Diploma class, June 2007, has been awarded the International Leadership of Tomorrow scholarship to study Mechanical Engineering at the University of British Columbia, Canada.

Anoushka, who has spent this year working at the Academy on a voluntary basis to “Give back to the Academy that [gave her] so much” explained that the scholarship amounts to approximately CAN$100,000 over the course of the four-year degree. Without this support, she would not be able to attend this outstanding university.

Anoushka’s happy news reaffirms the value of the Academy experience, and reflects in particular the value universities place on the service aspect of the IB Diploma Programme.

Peter J Mc Murray, Head of Academy commented, “It is Anoushka’s attitude of giving and of service, as much as her impressive academic achievements, which mark her out as wholly deserving of this award. She is an example not only to the many students who will follow her, but also to all those working to build an Academy befitting of His Highness’ bold vision. That the award recognises leadership for tomorrow is a wonderful testament to the potential the Academy in Mombasa, and the many future Academies, have to positively impact countries in need.”

Aga Khan Academy Mombasa
Coastweek

KARACHI: A Network of Organizations Working for People with Disabilities, Pakistan (NOWPD,P) was launched by the Aga Khan network with the objective of bringing together NGOs working for persons with disabilities.

This was announced by the H.H. Prince Aga Khan Council for Pakistan at a seminar on their plight at the Aga Khan University Thursday.

About 2.5 percent of the population of Pakistan has some form of disability and Translated in absolute numbers, nearly 3.2 million people in Pakistan are disabled out of which 1.37 million are females and 1.99 million males, while 37.2 percent fall in the 0-14 age group. This is significantly lower than the WHO estimate of approximately 10 percent, which is because of a different definition as the WHO included persons with mild and moderate disabilities also.

According to rough estimates 28 percent of the disabled are literate, only 14 percent are employed, 70 percent rely on family and a majority, almost 66 percent, lives in rural areas (WB 2005).

Gul Najam Jamy, Program Manager Civil Society Aga Khan Foundation, presented the findings of a research report.

Source

Couple of recent stories out of Tajikistan, shows engagement of Aga Khan Foundation in civil society development.

FAIR OF EXCHANGE OF MOUNTAIN AREAS DEVELOPMENT EXPERIENCE TO BE HELD IN TAJIK CAPITAL IN JUNE

7 May 2008
Asia-PLUS Daily Blitz

DUSHANBE, May 7, Asia-Plus /Bahrom Mannonov/ — A three-day fair of exchange of advanced knowledge and practical experience in development of mountain areas will be held at the Kokhi Vahdat State Complex in Dushanbe from June 3-5. The fair, organized by CAMP Kuhiston, which is branch of Central Asian Mountain Partnership (CMAP) as well as Center for Development and Environment (CDE), Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), UNDP, German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ), Tajik Agricultural University, Ministry of Education, Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) and CARITAS. The CAMP Kuhiston administrative officer Mirsulton Mirzosaid said that the main objective of the fair is to provide interested sides, representing various regions and working in different directions, with an opportunity to share advanced knowledge and their experiences in development of mountain areas.

According to him, organizations and individual persons from Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan will participate at the fair. “Organizations will present their products, methods and technologies that could interest other fair participants in suing them,” the administrative officer said. Central Asian Mountain Partnership (CAMP) is financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and is designed and implemented by the Center for Development and Environment (CDE) of the University of Berne. CAMP operated in Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan from 2000 to 2007. The program was finished in 2007, however, its branches — CAMP Alatoo (Kyrgyzstan), CAMP Kuhiston (Tajikistan) and CMAP Consulting (Kazakhstan) — were established the same year.

=====

PRIORITIES OF SCHOOL REFORMS DISCUSSED IN DUSHANBE

7 May 2008
Asia-PLUS Daily Blitz

DUSHANBE, May 7, Asia-Plus /Shonavruz Afzalshoyev/ — The Central Institute for Advanced Teaching Studies in Dushanbe hosted a three-day seminar formally titled “Development of School and Priorities of School Reforms” that ended today. The seminar brought together officials from the ministry of education, regional and district education directorates and representatives from local authorities. The seminar participants discussed issues related to decentralization of the education system in Tajikistan within the framework of a module worked out by Shahtut Khonikov and Ghulomnosir Qurbonov from the GBAO Institute for Improvement of Professional Education. The module is based on experiences of a number of European countries and the United States. The seminar was held under support of Aga Khan Foundation’s Education Program as part the Tajik education reforms project funded by Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction (JFPR).

Speaking in an interview with Asia-Plus, the Education Reforms Project Implementation Unit director Saidnouriddin Akobirov said that similar seminars will also be organized for heads of education departments and senior representatives from local authorities in Kulob, Kuhistoni Mastchoh, Ayni, Rasht and Roshtqala district within the next few days.

April 28, 2008: High OHSE standards at AKU earned a ‘Best Practices in Health, Safety and Environment’ award from the Employers’ Federation of Pakistan (EFP). The award was part of a nationwide competition organised by the EFP in collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO) to commemorate “International Day on Health and Safety” on April 28, 2008.

Complete at the source

Prince Aga Khan, Imam of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims, will arrive in the city on May 19 on a four-day state visit to Bangladesh.

His visit marks the golden jubilee of his Imamat. Prince Aga Khan became the Imam on July 11, 1957.

Habib Hirji, president of the Aga Khan National Council, told reporters at a local hotel that during his stay, Prince Aga Khan will call on the president and the chief adviser and hold meetings with several advisers.

Prince Aga Khan will lay the foundation of the Aga Khan Academy at Basundhara and a permanent Jamat Khana of the community.

The Aga Khan Academy was built on 21 acres of land at a cost of around US$ 50 million to teach brilliant students from the primary to the secondary level, and impart training to teachers.

An official of the Aga Khan Foundation said some 750 to 1200 Bangladeshi students will be admitted to the Academy on the basis of merit. The medium of teaching will be both Bangla and English.

The Daily Star Bangladesh
Financial Express

Series

Thirteenth Annual Seminar of Central and Inner Asia Studies

THE MATERIAL CULTURE, LANGUAGE AND RELIGION OF CENTRAL AND INNER ASIA

Friday May 16 - Saturday May 17

….

11:15 KHAN, Mir Baiz (Scarborough, Canada)
Survival of Spiritual Life: Religious Poetry in the Central Asian Ismaili Muslim Tradition

….

University of Toronto

Aga Khan Trust for Culture and His Highness Prince Aga Khan Shia Imami Ismaili Council for Canada present: The Historic Cities Programme Seminar Series in Vancouver British Columbia.

Download complete details (PDF)

Category: Historic Cities Programme

From Easy Nash:

I came across 2 pictures recently from the NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day web-site taken by Iranian astro-photographers from the area around the Alborz Mountains in Iran:

This picture shows a side view of the Milky Way Galaxy as well as 2 Arabic-named stars Deneb and Altair

Above picture shows the Arabic-named yellow-tinged star Betelgeuse as well as the belt of Orion, made up of the 3 Arabic-named stars Alnitak, Alnilam and Mintaka

The Alborz Mountains are where the Shia Ismaili Muslims built their mountain fortress state of Alamut after the fall of the Fatimid Empire. The above pictures show the kind of views that astronomer Nasir Al-Din Tusi must have commanded of the heavens from this lofty mountain fortress.

“……The Quran tells us that signs of Allah’s Sovereignty are found in the contemplation of His Creation - in the heavens and the earth, the night and the day, the clouds and the seas, the winds and the waters….”

Aga Khan IV, Kampala, Uganda, August 22 2007

“Astronomy, the so-called “Science of the Universe” was a field of particular distinction in Islamic civilization-–in sharp contrast to the weakness of Islamic countries in the field of Space research today. In this field, as in others, intellectual leadership is never a static condition, but something which is always shifting and always dynamic”

Aga Khan IV, Convocation, American University of Cairo, Cairo, Egypt, June 15th 2006

“Our religious leadership must be acutely aware of secular trends, including those generated by this age of science and technology. Equally, our academic or secular elite must be deeply aware of Muslim history, of the scale and depth of leadership exercised by the Islamic empire of the past in all fields”

Aga Khan IV, 6th February 1970, Hyderabad, Pakistan

“My profession is to be forever journeying, to travel about the Universe so that I may know all its conditions.”

Ibn Sina, aka Avicenna, 11th century Muslim Philosopher, Physician and Scientist, author of the Canon of Medicine, circa 1037CE

Complete at the source

Some pictures, and a personal commentary.

http://cairomaniac.blogspot.com/2008/05/place-to-breathe.html

Complete video speech (1 hour, 5 minutes).

Once you click on the picture, it will take you to the source and bring a static image, on the right you have two option of players, once you select the player the video will play.

The same video is also available at AKDN

The Peterson Lecture given by His Highness the Aga Khan was perhaps his most thought provoking public speech given during this Golden Jubilee visit.  It perhaps ranks as one of the best articulated speech on the importance of education in contemporary times, the role of schools in cultivating the global citizen and the delicate balance between globalism and tribalism.  His Highness has quoted the Quran and the relevance of its message in contemporary times, more frequently than in any speech given in the Western context in recent years.  In his address, he gives a very eloquent rational for the vision of the Aga Khan Academies program and the choice of its curriculum.

Click here for the complete video of the speech.

FILTISAC  S. A. was established in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, West Africa in 1965 under the network of IPS WA (Industrial Promotion Services, West Africa), an Institution of the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED).

AKFED’s mandate is to promote economic development projects which raise the standard of living and contribute to economic development in countries in the developing world.  FILTISAC is located in Abidjan. It is installed on an area of land of approximately 102 acres, comprising of the factory, raw material and finished goods warehouses, the offices, the socio-medical structures, the sport facilities and residential accommodation. - source.

Pictures source: AKDN/Gary Otte All linked to original source.

Golden Jubilee visit to West Africa

To continue from our last conversation regarding the feedback we received from all the well wishers, supporters and visitors of the blog.

Some of you asked how to effectively search old postings and/or any particular post.

There are various ways you can search the blog:

Use the Search box at the top right hand corner of the blog.  Type any keyword and the blog will produce the results accordingly.

Use the Category drop down menu (located at the right hand panel of the blog) to look for specific items.  All of our published posts have been categorized appropriately.

Use Google’s Advanced Search: just specify the blog address [http://ismailimail.wordpress.com] in the field where it says “Search within a site or domain” and type any keywords you may be looking for.  Google also provides a separate blog search service which is very efficient [http://blogsearch.google.com/].

Use Calendar widget (available at the side panel of the blog) if you know the estimated day/year of the posted story you may be looking for.  Clicking on the day or month will result in the appropriate posted stories.

Consequently, you can also use Archive drop-down menu.

We have recently added Most Used categories - as live feeds - at the right hand side panel of the blog. Categories like, Interviews and Speeches, Ismaili Muslims in the News, etc, can come handy if you’re looking for anything specific which may not be visible on the front page.  Please note that we have also added the feed from official website of the Ismaili Muslim community, another regional blog, translation tools, and few other services.  We will cover this topic later in detail.

Another easiest way to search is to just scroll-down the front page and then keep on clicking Older Posts link at the bottom. You can pretty much find everything ever posted, by browsing the blog one page after another.

It is important to note that the format of the blog will always be different from the regular web sites, i.e, the latest post will always show up at the top in chronological order, unless modified on purpose.

If you are a subscriber to our blog via email or RSS feeds, then you can also search contents in your inbox or feed reader programs.

Above is just a simple overview of searching from layman’s perspective.  Feel free to add as a comment, any other tips or tricks you know.

…to be continued.

Next: Blog tools and services