Ismaili Mail

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.

Posted May 2, 2008 at Brightcove.tv

Link to Bridges TV Network

Earlier: Sabre Arch Salute Video

Golden Jubilee Visit USA

Sabre Salute - Welcoming Ceremony for His Highness the Aga Khan

This link will take you to the source, click on ‘Watch in High Quality’ link at bottom right of the player.

College Station, TX (PRWEB) May 2, 2008 — One of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious honor guards, the Texas A&M Aggie Corps Of Cadets Ross Volunteer Company, completed a busy April with numerous performances across the state. The Ross Volunteer Company is the official Honor Guard for the Governor of the state of Texas, and, aside from the Cadet Corps itself, is the oldest student organization in the state of Texas.

April 11 - Sabre Arch Salute-Arrival of the Aga Khan - Austin: (more at PRWeb Release)

Earlier related

Golden Jubilee Visit USA

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The Aga Khan, head of Ismaili Muslims, receives applause from International Baccalaureate board chairman Monique Seefried, left, and the rest of the auditorium after speaking to students and educators Friday April 18, 2008, in Atlanta. The Aga Khan, one of the world’s richest men is planning to give away nearly one billion dollars to create academies for underprivileged children in fourteen countries.

Yahoo/AP Photo/John Amis

Golden Jubilee visit to USA

Hussein Rashid who is a PhD candidate in Harvard University’s Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, analyzes the media coverage of His Highness the Aga Khan and the understanding of religion among the journalists in general. An excellent write-up. Visit the source.

Religion Dispatches

Update: Since the initial publication of this blog post several people have written to me to note that CNN did do a short piece on the Aga Khan’s visit, as did some of the cable news channels. Apologies for missing this piece. However, my basic point remains unchallenged. In a largely positive piece on religion a section is inserted stating that some Muslims don’t consider the Isma’ilis Muslim, putting the discussion in the frame of conflict once more.

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Even with Pope Benedict’s visit to the US last week, I was pleasantly surprised to see some fairly major coverage of the visit of another religious leader, the Aga Khan. He is the head of a Shi’ah community known as the Isma’ilis, who officially have 15-20 million members worldwide. CNN’s 360º Blog ran two pieces: one by Zarifmo Aslamshoyeva and one by Reza Aslan; OnFaith had a piece by Eboo Patel. There was no other national coverage I could find, although local coverage was fairly good, such as this piece from a Houston Chronicle blog.

Aslamshoyeva’s piece focused on the meaning of the Aga Khan as both religious leader and philanthropist (CNN article, AKDN website). It was a moving piece on nature of hope and belief. Aslan’s post focuses mostly on the charitable work of the Aga Khan and asks the key question that immediately came to my mind when I started looking for coverage of the Aga Khan’s visit: “Americans are interested in hearing a major Muslim leader speak of tolerance and cooperation, so why isn’t the media covering the Aga Khan’s visit?” Patel, with his inter-faith interest, focused on the message of Pluralism the Aga Khan espoused, and the role education plays in generating a sense of pluralism amongst people.

All these messages are accurate and necessary, but of the three writers of this event, all are Shi’ah, and two are Isma’ili, followers of the Aga Khan. Looking at that spread, one would think Shi’ah dominate America’s Muslim population, or at least its intellectual landscape. All of these pieces are blog pieces, not one news report among them. The Sunni community is well aware of the works of the Aga Khan and has a great deal of respect for them. Shahed Amanullah, founder of altmuslim, said in an interview, “There are a lot of non-Ismaili Muslims around the world who wish they had a leader that is as organized and as visionary.”

Complete at Religion Dispatches

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Source: Global Atlanta

Prince Karim Aga Khan, a billionaire philanthropist and spiritual leader of some 20 million Muslims worldwide, stressed the importance of education in the age of globalization in Atlanta as he helped the International Baccalaureate celebrate its 40th anniversary.

The International Baccalaureate, or IB, has programs for students aged 3-19 at 2,300 participating schools in 126 countries, said Monique Seefried, chair of the IB Board of Governors.

Ms. Seefried, along with IB Director General Jeff Beard, hosted a delegation of educators from around the world April 15-18.  The trip featured visits to local schools and culminated in the annual Peterson Lecture, which this year was delivered by the Aga Khan at North Atlanta High School.

Revered as a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad and the imam of the minority Shi’a sect of Ismaili Muslims, the Aga Khan heads the Aga Khan Development Network, which employs nine interrelated agencies to alleviate poverty in underprivileged countries.

Source: Global Atlanta

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Suntimes News Group

Posted April 25, 2008, meeting occurred April 15

Glenview Village President Kerry Cummins shakes hands with the Aga Khan, spiritual leader of the Ismaili Muslims, during his April 15 visit to Chicago.

Glenview Village President Kerry Cummings joined Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and Chicago Mayor Richard Daley to welcome the Aga Khan, spritual leader of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, to Chicago April 15.

The visit was part of an eight-day visit to the U.S., which also included stops in Texas, California and Georgia. It was planned as part of the Ismaili community’s commemoration of the Aga Khan’s 50th year as the community’s leader.

The sect, who number about 7,000 in the Chicago area, is building a 26,000-square-foot house of worship and community center on 9.3. acres on Shermer Road north of Golf Road.

Cummings and the other leaders met with the Aga Khan at a luncheon sponsored by the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and the University of Illinois Foundation.

Suntimes News Group

Golden Jubilee visit to United States

The Pope and the Dalai Lama got all the headlines last week, but they weren’t the only international religious leaders visiting the United States.

The Aga Khan, spiritual leader of the world’s 15 million Ismaili Muslims (the community I belong to; read my piece on the Aga Khan on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of his Imamat), was also here.

It was the Aga Khan’s first public visit to America in over two decades. He spent time with his followers in California, Illinois, Texas and Georgia, and met with the governors of each of those states as well.

Complete at Washington Post

(Picture - left to right Indu Shahani, Monique Seefried and the Aga Khan)

The Peterson lectures were inaugurated in 1989 to commemorate the commitment of Alec Peterson to the IB, as its first director general from 1966–77.

He had been attracted to the “IB project” because it encompassed so much of his own desire for a broad-based education favouring critical thinking skills, community service and an international perspective.

On our 40th Anniversary, at the Annual General Meeting in Atlanta, the Peterson Lecture was delivered by our guest lecturer His Highness the Aga Khan.

Speeches

The Aga Khan’s speech was introduced by Monique Seefried, the Chairman of the IB Board

Read Monique Seefried’s introduction

The Aga Khan’s lecture was titled “Global Education and the Developing World”.

Read the Aga Khan’s speech

http://www.ibo.org/announcements/peterson08_agakhan.cfm

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Leaders of the Ismaili Community from across the United States wave goodbye to His Highness the Aga Khan as he leaves the United States of America. Photo: Zahur Ramji

Saturday, April 19, 2008 - Having visited the states of Texas, California, Illinois and Georgia, His Highness the Aga Khan departed the United States today, concluding his Golden Jubilee visit to the country. Leaders of the USA Ismaili community gathered at the airport to bid their Imam an emotional farewell.

Additional photographs: Texas, California, Illinois, and Georgia. Also see the video of arrival in Austin.

Photographs at AKDN: Georgia, Illinois, California, Texas.

Reference: theismaili.org

Browse all posts made at Ismailimail during the Golden Jubilee visit to United States

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Friday, April 18, 2008

Luncheon Hosted in Honor of the Aga Khan’s 50^th Year as Imam

Photo Album

ATLANTA – Governor Sonny Perdue welcomed His Highness the Aga Khan to Georgia today. Governor Perdue hosted a luncheon in honor of the Aga Khan’s Golden Jubilee (50^th year as Imam) at the Governor’s Mansion.

“The Aga Khan is not only a spiritual leader to millions but also a champion for causes benefitting the developing countries of the world,” said Governor Sonny Perdue. “His devotion to lifting up others through faith and service is an example to us all.”

The Aga Khan is the 49^th hereditary Imam (spiritual leader) of the Shia Ismaili Muslims. He is also the founder and Chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), a group of private, non-denominational development agencies working to empower communities and individuals to improve living conditions and opportunities, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, Central and South Asia, and the Middle East.

Gov.Georgia.Gov - Related

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Two pages of super high-quality pictures at the Governor of Georgia’s web-site:
http://photos.gov.georgia.gov/date/2008-04-17/2008-04-18#P-1-15

Click Slideshow at the website for full screen view

http://photos.gov.georgia.gov/date/2008-04-17/2008-04-18#P-1-15

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Imam urges education The Aga Khan, the spiritual leader of Ismaili Muslims, meets with attendees after his address to international baccalaureate educators and students at North Atlanta High School.

ATLANTA — The Aga Khan, billionaire philanthropist and spiritual leader of 20 million Ismaili Muslims worldwide, ended an eight-day tour of the U.S. stressing the importance of tolerance and education.

He did so as he announced his initiative to establish schools in Africa, the Middle East and Asia.

His trip also included stops in Texas, Illinois and California.

It was part of the Shia Ismaili Muslim commemoration of the Golden Jubilee, which marks the Aga Khan’s 50th year as imam of the religious sect.

The Aga Khan, head of Ismaili Muslims, speaks to students and educators in Atlanta, Georgia, on Friday. PHOTO: AP

The Canadian Press - Yahoo Canada News - Canada East Online - Canoe.ca - Augusta Chronicle - Brandon Sun - McLeans.ca - PR Inside - International Herald Tribune - Africa News - India Info - The Guardian, Prince Edwards Island - Journal Pioneer - Dawn Pakistan - Examiner.com - Taipei Times - MyTelus.com

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Speech by His Highness the Aga Khan

“Global Education and the Developing World” “The Peterson Lecture” by His Highness the Aga Khan to the Annual Meeting of the International Baccalaureate, marking its 40th Anniversary Atlanta, Georgia. April 18, 2008

Dr. Monique Seefried, Chairman of the IB Board of Governors
Members of the Board of Governors
Mr. Jeffrey Beard, Director General of the IB
Educators and Students from the IB Community
Distinguished Guests

What a great privilege it is for me to be with you today - I have looked forward to this gathering for a long time. And I am particularly grateful to Monique Seefried for her generous introduction, and for so beautifully describing both the local and the global context in which we meet.

This is a particularly significant occasion for me, for several reasons.

It is significant of course because it marks the 40th anniversary of what I regard as one of the great seminal institutions of our era - the International Baccalaureate program. I say that because the IB program incarnates a powerful idea, the confidence that education can reshape the way in which the world thinks about itself.

I am deeply honored to be giving this particular Lecture - the Peterson Lecture, as it, too, has a great legacy. It fittingly celebrates the life and work of Alec Peterson, whose intellectual and moral leadership have been central to this organization and to all whom it has influenced.

I was humbled when I was first invited to be the Peterson Lecturer. That sense of deference grew, I must confess, as I began to look at the distinguished list of former Lecturers. And then I took one more step, and looked at what these people have said through the years - and I was even more deeply impressed by the responsibility of this assignment.

The Peterson Lectures - collected together - would make a wonderful reading list, for an excellent University course, on the topic of international education. After looking through them, I wondered if there was anything left to say on the subject! But if anyone should ever incorporate these lectures into a university syllabus, then perhaps my remarks today could appropriately be placed under the heading of “optional additional reading!”

Finally, this occasion has special meaning for me because it comes, as you may know, on my 50th anniversary as spiritual leader, or Imam, of the Shia Ismaili Muslims. We are thus celebrating both a fortieth and a fiftieth anniversary today - and both provide important opportunities to connect our past with our future, our roots with our dreams.

I came upon a rather striking surprise in looking through the texts of earlier Peterson Lectures. Not just one - but two of those addresses in recent years have quoted my grandfather! It was from him, Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan, that I inherited my present role in 1957. I also inherited from him a deep concern for the advancement of education - especially in the developing world. These two topics - education and development - have been at the heart of my own work over the past fifty years, and they will form the central theme of my comments today.

Very early after the end of the second world war, my brother and I were sent to school in Switzerland, Le Rosey, and after a few years at that school, a new coach for rowing became part of the school and we were told that he would also coach the ice hockey team during the winter term. His name was Vaclav Rubik, not the one of Rubik’s cube fame but rather, like the famous cube itself, a challenging influence. He was also one of the most talented and intelligent sportsmen that I have ever met. He was in the Czech national ice hockey team which has been one of the best in the world, and he was also in the national Eights and Fours without Coxswain. His wife was in the Czech national field hockey team. So Le Rosey was extremely fortunate to have two exceptional athletes available for coaching. But there was another dimension to Vaclav Rubik. He had a doctorate in Law, and he and his wife were political refugees who had fled on foot all the way from Czechoslovakia to Switzerland. He was a charismatic individual, and after only a couple of years of training he succeeded in putting together an under-18 crew of Fours, which won just about every race it competed in, including the Swiss National Championship for all ages.

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Dr Monique Seefried’s Introduction 2008 Peterson Lecture 18 April 2008

Your Highness the Aga Khan;
Members of the Consular Corps;
representatives of the Ismaili community and the government of Georgia;
representatives of universities and IB World Schools worldwide;
attendees of the Global Language Convention viewing this Lecture via simulcast;
teachers and students of North Atlanta High School, the hosts of this special meeting,
members of IB Georgia Schools Association,
IB Board and staff members,
ladies and gentlemen,
friends and colleagues,
my warmest welcome to this 2008 Peterson Lecture.

The fact that this year’s Peterson Lecture is being held in Atlanta, and in an IB World School at that, is of special significance, both to me personally and to the IB.

My adopted city of Atlanta, as many of you know, is where my children were raised and educated, where I have for many years been engaged with Emory University and the Carlos Museum, the Atlanta International School, and where I founded the Center for the Advancement and Study of International Education (CASIE) here to promote multi-language programmes and international understanding in K-12 schools in the United States. Over the years I have been witness to the growth of the IB in Atlanta and Georgia as more and more students of different ages and backgrounds have gained access to the quality and values of IB programmes. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the nearby schools, I invite you to visit the exhibition of student work later on during the reception, and talk to some of the students who have come along.

In previous years of course we have held the Peterson Lecture in some historic locations; including the Château de Coppet and the International Conference Centre in Geneva; but hosting it on this occasion in an IB World School, and an IB World School in Atlanta, is a valuable reminder of what the IB is really all about: IB students and the impact that they are making, the impact they will make, on the world around them.

Source - Related

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He urges intellectual humility and pluralism as essential to a 21st Century education

AKDN Press Release 18 April 2008, Atlanta, Georgia - His Highness the Aga Khan, Imam (Spiritual leader) of the Ismaili Muslims, today said in addition to traditional subjects, schools across the world must teach pluralism - a capacity to see those from different backgrounds as equals.

Delivering the Peterson lecture at the annual meeting of the International Baccalaureate programme in Atlanta, the Aga Khan cautioned that a pluralistic outlook is not an in-born skill and that it must be acquired through education.

“Experience tells us that people are not born with the innate ability nor the wish to see the Other as an equal individual in society,” he said. “Pluralism is a value that must be taught,” he added.

The Spiritual Leader of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, an ethnically and linguistically diverse community spread across five continents, emphasized the importance of cultural diversity in an increasingly globalized world that at times poses a threat to cultural identities. He also warned that the quest for identity can lead to exclusion. “The quest for identity can become an exclusionary process - so that we define ourselves less by what we are FOR and more by whom we are AGAINST.”

AKDN - Related

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Aga Khan visits Georgia to promote education program

By ERRIN HAINES - Associated Press Writer - Ledger-Enquirer.com - Access North Georgia - Fort Mill Times - WMGT.com - macon.com - MySanAntonio.com - Atlanta Talk Radio WGST

Related content: Aga Khan Academies.

ATLANTA –
The Aga Khan, billionaire philanthropist and spiritual leader of 20 million Muslims worldwide, ended an eight-day tour of the U.S. on Friday in Atlanta by stressing the importance of understanding, tolerance and global citizenship in education - especially in developing countries.

His trip - which also included stops in Texas, Illinois and California - was part of the Shia Ismaili Muslim commemoration of the Golden Jubilee, which marks the Aga Khan’s 50th year as imam of the religious sect.

In his speech at North Atlanta High School, he tried to raise awareness about the Aga Khan Academies, a $1 billion education initiative that will build 18 schools in 14 countries in Africa, Central and South Asia and the Middle East.

The project grew out of a need to develop well-educated, global citizens who would make a difference in their communities, the Aga Khan told the audience.

“Our Academies Program is rooted in the conviction that effective indigenous leadership will be the key to progress in the developing world, and as the pace of change accelerates, it is clear that the human mind and heart will be the central factors in determining social wealth,” he said.

“Too many of those who should be the leaders of tomorrow are being left behind today. And even those students who do manage to get a good education often pursue their dreams in far off places and never go home again.”

The Aga Khan, who was born and educated in Switzerland, is a Harvard-educated businessman who is a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad. In his capacity as imam, he is also chair of the Aga Khan Development Network, a group of private, non-denominational development agencies focused on social, cultural and economic development.

The Aga Khan Academies are an initiative of the network’s Aga Khan Education Services, and under the plan, 18 schools are planned in 14 countries at a cost of about $50 million per school - a commitment of nearly $1 billion. The first school opened in Mombasa, Kenya in 2003, and others are planned in India, Bangladesh, Mozambique, Madagascar, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, Tanzania and Uganda.

The academy curriculum is based on the International Baccalaureate program, which is derived from a program rooted in academics, critical thinking, and a respect and appreciation for cultural diversity.

The program is celebrating its 40th anniversary in Atlanta this week and the Aga Khan addressed the organization as its speaker for the Peterson Lecture, named for the program’s first director general.

Previously rooted in Judeo-Christian communities, the Aga Khan Academies represent the first expansion of the IB curriculum into Muslim cultures.

“Squaring the particular with the global will require great care, wisdom, and even some practical field testing, to ensure that it is really possible to develop a curriculum that responds effectively to both the global and the tribal impulses,” the Aga Khan said. “The people with whom we will be dealing will present different challenges than before.”

To that end, there will be an emphasis on inclusion, ethics, global economics, world culture, and comparative political systems, the Aga Khan told the crowd of educators, administrators, followers and observers.

“The failure of different peoples to be able to live in peace amongst each other has been a major source of conflict,” he said. “Pluralism is a value that must be taught … As we work together to bridge the gulf between East and West, between North and South, between developing and developed economies, between urban and rural settings, we will be redefining what it means to be well educated.”

The schools will educate between 750 and 1200 primary and secondary students - with one teacher for every seven pupils - and will be open to exceptional students regardless of their ability to pay. Teacher training centers will also be established ahead of the schools’ openings, where local instructors will be taught the International Baccalaureate curriculum.

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 on July 11, 1957, becoming the community’s 49th imam. Gov. Sonny Perdue also welcomed the Aga Khan to the governor’s mansion on Friday, where the two met privately for lunch.

Ledger-Enquirer.com

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The OTHER global religious leader visiting America

Reza Aslan
Author, “No god but God” - CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 Blog

The media spotlight on Pope Benedict’s first trip to the United States seems to have completely overshadowed the American tour of another global religious leader, the Aga Khan.

The Aga Khan is the spiritual leader of some 20 million Ismaili Muslims. The Ismailis are Shiah who broke off from the main Shiite branch of Islam, known as the Ithna Ashari, or Twelvers, in the middle of the 8th century. Ismailis live primarily in South Asia, while some 300 million Twelver Shia live mostly in Iran, Iraq, and other parts of the Middle East.

The Aga Khan — the title means something like “the Noble Lord” — is believed to be a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad. As such, his position among followers is absolute. He has sole authority to interpret the Quran and Islamic law, and his word on both subjects is infallible. But this Aga Khan, the 49th imam in a line that stretches back 13 centuries, is unlike any other spiritual leader.

He is a graduate of Harvard University. His personal worth is estimated to be in the billions. He jaunts around the globe in private jets and yachts. His father, the previous Aga Khan, was once married to Rita Hayworth. In his fitted suits and silk ties, he looks more like a well-aged movie star than a spiritual leader.

But don’t let the clothes and the fabulous riches fool you. The Aga Khan is not only a devout and transcendent man of deep religious faith, he is also one of the most generous philanthropists in the world.

His Aga Khan Development Network is a massive charitable fund dedicated almost entirely to caring for the poor. He runs nearly 200 hospitals. He funds thousands of schools, charities, arts programs, museums, and theaters.

His humanitarian services extend across the globe and, despite being funded almost exclusively by the tithes of his followers, are doled out to people of all faiths, whether Muslim or not.

He is a shining example of a moderate, pluralistic, and modern Muslim leader, which is why it’s a shame that he has come to the U.S. at such an inopportune time. (He is here to celebrate his 50th year as the Aga Khan).

For those of us who are sick and tired of media pundits always asking, “where are the moderate Muslim leaders,” and for those who want to punch something every time Tom Friedman sarcastically wonders why there are no “Muslim Mandela’s” out there, the Aga Khan, and the millions of modernist, democratically minded, reformist, and pluralist Muslims who follow him, are the perfect answer.

Too bad no one is paying attention.

CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 Blog

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(PBA) Public Broadcasting Atlanta

Listen to audio, excerpts of speech.

ATLANTA, GA 2008-04-18 Today, Governor Sonny Perdue thanked the leader of the largest sect of Shia (she-uh) Muslims for promoting education in Georgia.

The Aga Khan is speaking at an Atlanta high school as part of a US tour.

At the Governor’s Mansion, elected officials helped Perdue welcome Aga Khan. The 50 year-old is the inherited leader of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, a worldwide group of 15 million people. Governor Perdue noted Georgia is home to such Muslims in cities like Fayetteville and Marietta.

PERDUE: His work offers us an example of how people can come together across contemporary divides to help people lead better lives in a safer world.

Aga Khan is speaking to International Baccalaureate students at North Atlanta High School about other IB students he works with in places like Africa and Asia.

KHAN: and we will be trying to build bridges with their institutions so that over a period of years we can develop institutions of global quality based on the knowledge that you will share with us.

Aga Khan’s trip to Georgia helps mark 50 years of partnership between his sect and global governments.

(PBA) Public Broadcasting Atlanta

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Elissa Eubanks/AJC - Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Aga Khan, head of the world’s 15 million Ismaili Muslims, arrives at Fulton County Airport on Thursday.

Dr. Mahmoud Eboo (left), the president of Ismaili Council for the United States; The Aga Khan; and Chris Young, director of International Affairs for the state Department of Economic Development, stand for two national anthems to represent the guest and the host.

Local worshippers welcome the holy visitor.

Sannah Vasaya, 18, from Snellville waves flags with other members of the Ismaili community.

A band greeted him with the Ismaili anthem and the U.S. national anthem, and a representative from Gov. Sonny Perdue’s office as well as local politicians were on hand to welcome him.

He will speak in closed session with Ismailis from around the Southeast while here and give a lecture at North Atlanta High School that will attract students and teachers from around the country in the International Baccalaureate program. The Aga Khan is known for his interest in education, sponsoring 325 schools and two universities around the world.

Elissa Eubanks/AJC - Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution

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Photo: Gary Otte / theismaili.org

His Highness the Aga Khan with Governor Rod Blagojevich of Illinois and Mayor Richard Daley of Chicago at a luncheon hosted by the Governor in honour of Hazar Imam’s Golden Jubilee.

Mawlana Hazar Imam with Mayor Richard Daley of Chicago at the lunch reception held at the Mid-America Club.

His Highness the Aga Khan with Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich at the Mid-America Club in Chicago.

His Highness the Aga Khan addressing guests at a luncheon hosted by Governor Rod Blagojevich of Illinois in honour of Aga Khan’s Golden Jubilee.

Earlier, His Highness the Aga Khan is welcomed by Dr Mansoor Virani, President of the Ismaili Council for the Midwestern USA.

Upon arrival, His Highness the Aga Khan is greeted by Dr Nasiruddin Jamal, President of the Ismaili Council for the Northeastern USA at Chicago’s Midway International Airport.

His Highness the Aga Khan is greeted by Ms. Eva Sieradzki, Director of International Relations and Protocol at the office of the Governor of Illinois. The President of the Ismaili Council for the Midwestern USA looks on.

Upon arriving in Chicago, His Highness the Aga Khan is met by Ms Sheila Nix, Deputy Governor of Illinois and Mr Jack Lavin, Director of Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.

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Web Posted: 04/15/2008 04:01 PM CDT Bonnie Walker Express-News Staff Writer

Consider your grocery list for feeding a group of more than 30,000 people over a long weekend.

Greg Kowalski, owner of The RK Group caterers, had such a list in hand as he and his staff, as well as volunteers, prepared to serve the event last weekend. It was part of the Golden Jubilee celebration marking the 50th anniversary of the Aga Khan IV. Other Golden Jubilee events will be in Atlanta, Chicago and Los Angeles.

The Aga Khan is the spiritual leader of the Shiite Ismaili Muslims and direct descendant of the Prophet Mohammad.

Two examples from the food list were 9,000 pounds of basmati rice and 200,000 bottles of water. These qualified as out of the ordinary, even for this seasoned caterer.

“This event is so big — and it happened so quickly. It’s really amazing,” said Kowalski last Thursday as he contemplated the magnitude of his job. The group would be convening at the Alamodome and the Convention Center.

Originally, the event was planned to be in Houston, where the population of Ismaili Muslims is far larger than the number who live in San Antonio. It reportedly was moved here because of unavailability of convention space in Houston.

The RK Group’s chef and vice president of culinary operations, Jeffrey Magatagan, had been working “around the clock” since the catering company got word of the event the previous week, according to Kowalski. “He’s (Magatagan) an incredible logistician.”

One challenge was that there had been little notice before the announcement that the Aga Khan would be in attendance, which pushed the numbers into the stratosphere.

Contrast this to another event coming in October. The RK Group will be serving the American Dental Association at the Convention Center, with an estimated attendance of between 40,000 and 50,000, he said.

“But I knew about this convention six years ago,” he said. RK won’t be serving organized meals for the dental association, though. Food service for the Golden Jubilee attendees of last weekend’s event started at 9 p.m. Friday and went through Saturday and Sunday, including tea breaks in between meals.

Volunteers from the group, more than 300, were to be on hand to help with the food service, said Kowalski. Part of Magatagan’s job was to organize and manage these people, who all were “eager and anxious to help.”

Some of the dishes included chicken “naan-wiches,” sandwiches made with traditional naan flatbread, the spicy chicken tikka masala (Recipe) and sweet snacks such as bundi ladoo, fried balls of bean and rice flours and nuts.

Back to that grocery list: Kowalski said that his group worked directly with purveyors in New York and New Jersey to obtain the right products in mass quantity.

Source

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From Georgia Public Broadcasting News.

At the same time the Pope is visiting America, so too is another spiritual leader. Today, His Highness the Aga Khan arrived in Atlanta.The Aga Khan is spiritual leader to more than 15-million Ismaili Shia Muslims worldwide. More than 100-thousand Ismaili live in the U-S, including 20-thousand here in Georgia. More than three dozen supporters were on hand to greet the Aga Khan, as his plane touched down at Charlie Brown Field outside of Atlanta. He was greeted officially by Governor Perdue’s Chief of Protocol. On Friday the Aga Khan will have lunch with the Governor. The trip is part of the Aga Khan’s Jubilee Celebration, commemorating 50 years leading the world’s second largest Shia community.

Georgia Public Broadcasting News

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Muslim leader Aga Khan arrives, will dine with Perdue

By CHRISTOPHER QUINN The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 04/17/08

The Aga Khan, head of the world’s 15 million Ismaili Muslims, arrived at Fulton County Airport today to celebrate with his Georgia followers his 50th anniversary as their leader.

A band greeted him with the Ismaili anthem and the U.S. national anthem, and a representative from Gov. Sonny Perdue’s office as well as local politicians were on hand to welcome him.

He will dine with Perdue and other guests at the Governor’s Mansion Friday.

The Aga Khan is well-known not only as a leader of the Ismailis, a sect of the Shiite branch of Islam, but also as a businessman and philanthropist.

He will speak in closed session with Ismailis from around the Southeast while here and give a lecture at North Atlanta High School that will attract students and teachers from around the country in the International Baccalaureate program. The Aga Khan is known for his interest in education, sponsoring 325 schools and two universities around the world.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

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Anderson Cooper 360 Blog

Zarifmo Aslamshoyeva
CNN International assignment editor

(Dedicated To All Grandmas in Pamir, Tajikistan)

Editor’s Note: Pope Benedict XVI is not the only religious leader visiting America. Also touring the country, the Aga Khan. To the approximately 20-million people around the world who practice the Ismaili branch of Islam, he is their imam– their spiritual guide. He has a worldly mission, as well, overseeing a large, nondenominational foundation dedicated to helping ease global poverty.

The Aga Khan’s tour, of Ismaili communities in the United States and around the world, has unleashed an outpouring of affection among Ismaili Muslims. In the case of CNN journalist Zarifmo Aslamshoyeva, his visit also brings back fond memories of his impact on their small town, in the Tajik province of Pamir, in a poor corner of the former Soviet Union.

Zarifmo begins her story by saying. . .

If only my Grandmother could hear this.

When I was growing up, my grandma and her friends in my tiny Boziqala, and villages nearby, knew little about the world. They didn’t have much education and never traveled beyond their province, Pamir.

Their children and grandchildren, though, were very well-educated. It made them proud, but the pain of longing for their faraway imam never left their hearts. My grandma said, before the Soviet Union, it was easier to get messages from the imam, but now we are disconnected. She used to blame the government, sometimes. But most of the time she blamed people for not remembering god.

I loved sitting next to my grandma when she was praying because, at the end of her prayers, she used to shake my hand saying shohi didor, a prayer for an audience with the imam. My brothers and I fought over who would sit closer to her to hear the shohi didor. There was a special sacred place in the corner of our house, where my grandma used to sit during her evening prayers.

That’s all I knew about the Aga Khan while growing up. Once, though, in college, I heard one Pamiri professor asked why Pamiris pay so much attention to education. And his answer: “It’s a wish of the imam.

I graduated and went back home to my village Boziqala. I was a teacher for 3 months then got a job in Badakshan Radio station and few years later became a newscaster on Badakshan TV station. Got married and had two small children. I loved my life.

Then, the USSR collapsed. Winter came. So did civil war.

My remote corner of the world first turned chaotic, then the chaos cut us off nearly completely from the outside. I had visions of my two children starving.

Then, one snowy night, I was called to the TV station to broadcast the most important words of my career and, perhaps, my life.

The studio was very cold.

The engineers told me I’d have to wait for two hours for the power to be restored. While I was waiting, I went over the announcement.

Only then did I realize, it was a letter from the Aga Khan Foundation, a letter telling people not to give up hopes, aid is on the way.

I don’t know how to describe it. I wish there were words to express the feelings. I moved closer to the window. The snow was falling, but I didn’t feel the winter anymore. I knew Spring was coming.

My children, my neighbors and I wouldn’t starve.

This group, sponsored and inspired by that man, a man I had only known through memories of my grandmother, had saved us.

Anderson Cooper 360 Blog

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His Highness the Agha Khan…..in Texas

This past weekend I attended an event hosted by Governor Perry celebrating the Golden Jubilee of the imamate of His Highness the Agha Khan, who is the 49th in a hereditary lineage of imams stretching back to Prophet Muhammad. His Highness is the spiritual leader of the world community of Ismaili Muslims, who are a part of Shi’ite Islam.

The world - at least in the West and here in Texas - doesn’t know enough about the Ismailis. And it’s time we do. This worldwide, transnational community of Muslims supports major intellectual, artistic, humanitarian, cultural and archaeological projects around the world. Moreover, within the next 10 years or so, Houston will become the North American headquarters for Ismaili Islam, and they will construct a worship and community center on several acres of centrally located real estate at Studemont and Allen Parkway. Houston will join and elite handful of other large international cities in being a hub for the global humanitarian efforts of this impressive group.

I still get asked all the time: “where are the moderate Muslims?” Well, they are all over the place - here in Houston, in Texas, in the United States - all over the world in fact. The Ismaili community is but one of any number of groups and branches in Islam made up of people who, like most everyone else here, works hard to raise their families, have a nice life, and contribute to the community.

I encourage you to learn about this group. You can start your inquiry at an official site of Ismaili Islam - http://www.theismaili.org/. Check it out. I hope you’ll be pleased.

Houston Chronicle Blog

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Watch Video

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 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.”

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.

CNN

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(more…)

His Highness the Aga Khan meets with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (not pictured) in Los Angeles, California USA 14 April 2008. The Aga Khan, 49th hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, is visiting the US for eight days in which he will meet with Governors in Texas, California, Illinois and Georgia.

His Highness the Aga Khan laughs during his visit with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (not pictured) in Los Angeles, California USA 14 April 2008.

His Highness the Aga Khan (L) meets with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) in Los Angeles, California USA 14 April 2008.

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SANTA MONICA - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will meet today in Santa Monica with the Aga Khan, the spiritual leader of the 20-million-strong Ismaili branch of Shia Islam.

A statement from the governor’s office said he would meet late this morning with Prince Karim al Husseini, the Aga Khan IV, in recognition of his golden jubilee, marking his 50th anniversary as Imam of the Ismailis.

The 49th Aga Khan traces his ancestry to the Prophet Mohamed through his daughter Fatima and her husband Ali, the first Shia Imam. His responsibilities include interpreting the faith for his followers, who live throughout the world, including the United States.

A billionaire British subject and Harvard graduate, the 71-year-old Aga Khan is a celebrated philanthropist who has been an advocate for the elimination of global poverty, the advancement of women and cooperation among people of different ethnic and religious backgrounds.

He heads the Aga Khan Development Network, one of the world’s largest private economic development agencies, which focuses on advancement in Asia and Africa.

His eight-day U.S. visit, which includes stops in Georgia, Illinois and California, began in Texas Friday.

The Aga Khan succeeded his grandfather as the 49th hereditary imam of the Ismaili Muslims in July 1957. He was selected by his grandfather over his father and his uncle on grounds that, given the advent of nuclear power, the position needed a young man with a fresh outlook.

Daily Breeze.com - Press Telegram

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