Exhibition Lecture – Alexander the Great in Afghanistan: The Mythical Transformation
March 11, 2009 Leave a comment
Sunday March 15 2009 at 3:00 pm.
Presented by Dr. Michael Barry
Click on the picture to see more details.
Interfaith Youth Dinner Dialogue – March 5, 2009
February 24, 2009 1 Comment
WHAT happens to us when we die?
IS prayer an important part of your life?
Are your beliefs different from your family?
Come and talk about questions like these with students from all across Houston at the Interfaith Youth Dinner Dialogue of the Amazing Faiths Project.
The Deadline to Register is Friday February 27th
Special lecture program on Islamic Art at MFAH
January 6, 2009 2 Comments
Special Lecture: “Outstanding Patrons, Beautiful Objects: Metaphors for Humanism and Enlightenment”
On Sunday, February 15, 2009 at 3:00 p.m.
Brown Auditorium Theater
The Museum of Fine Arts , Houston
Admission to the lecture is free and open to the public. A reception to meet the speaker follows the lecture.
Presented by Alnoor Merchant
Acting Head Librarian and Keeper of the Manuscript Collections at the Library of The Institute of Ismaili Studies, London
Throughout history, a most significant impetus for the development of artistic culture has been patronage. Patronage of art and architecture has been an integral element in Muslim civilizations, also. Alnoor Merchant will discuss how patrons, by attracting celebrated artists to create vibrant and unique styles and themes, promoted an exuberant and dynamic artistic environment extending from Indonesia to Spain.
Over the past decade, Alnoor Merchant has played a central role in identifying and acquiring important manuscripts and artworks for the Aga Khan Museum . He has curated numerous exhibitions from the collections of the Institute of Ismaili Studies in London , as well as assisted with the exhibitions of the Aga Khan Museum ’s collection hosted in Lisbon , London , Paris , Parma , and Toledo . In this richly illustrated lecture, Merchant will show how works of art spanning over a thousand years of history and originating from different parts of the Muslim world have a context in the faith and history of Islam and serve as metaphors for humanism and enlightenment.
This lecture is made possible through the generous support of The Institute of Ismaili Studies, in collaboration with the Aga Khan Trust for Culture and His Highness Prince Aga Khan Shia Imami Ismaili Council for the Southwestern United States.
For more information, please call 713-639-7300 or email lectures@mfah.org or visit http://www.mfah.org
Plan for new Houston landmark: “Tolerance Bridge”
December 4, 2008 Leave a comment
Mayor touts plan for $7M pedestrian bridge with a twist
By BRADLEY OLSON Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle Dec. 4, 2008, 1:06AM
It may look like a bridge that can go nowhere, but the walkway set to be built across Buffalo Bayou next year could become a Houston landmark, city officials insist.
Mayor Bill White on Wednesday unveiled plans for the “Tolerance Bridge,” a $7 million project built with public and private funds that will connect pedestrian and bike trails along Allen Parkway with those on Memorial Drive near Montrose Boulevard.
The bridge design features a visual sleight of hand: a twisted archway at its center that from afar, project officials told City Council members, will make it appear impossible to cross. However, when pedestrians or bikers are closer, they will see the bridge is easily passable. From one vantage point, the “twisted arc” will frame the Houston skyline.
“What we found with Discovery Green is that when we invest in these high-quality public places, that it improves the property values and the living environment and quality of life all around there,” White said. “So, I think great art is part of a real city.”
–snip–
The intersection near where the bridge will be built is surrounded by apartment complexes that have spurred new development, including a nearby Islamic community center funded by the Aga Khan Foundation that some civic leaders expect to be an architectural wonder.
Houston Partnership Walk 2008 | ArtsHound
November 7, 2008 Leave a comment
Houston Partnership Walk 2008
Aga Khan Foundation USA
November 8, 2008
Think globally and act locally. Join over 30,000 across the U.S. and take a step to end global poverty.
Come to the Houston Partnership Walk 2008 on Saturday, November 8, 8:30 a.m. at Sam Houston Park to show you care about building a more secure and peaceful world.
Partnership Walk helps poor communities help themselves by building the skills and tools they need to become self-reliant. The Walk raises awareness and funds for grassroots community projects in Africa and Asia that help save lives and move families out of poverty. 100% of the funds raised go directly to projects in health, education, rural development, community organizing and the environment.
Isiah Carey’s ‘INSITE’ – Saturday: Get Out The Walking Shoes For A Good Cause!
November 7, 2008 Leave a comment
Isiah Carey is a news reporter at the local FOX owned and operated station in Houston, Tx.
HELP END GLOBAL POVERTY WITH A BIG WALK IN HOUSTON!
WHAT: An estimated 10,000 people are expected to participate in Partnership Walk at Sam Houston Park – Downtown to demonstrate their support and build partnerships aimed at ending global poverty.
Partnership Walk is a public event to raise awareness and funds that help communities in Africa and Asia become self-reliant. Partnership Walk is an initiative of Aga Khan Foundation U.S.A. (AKF USA) and is organized by its network of volunteers in communities across the United States. Partnership Walk is a national event, held since 1995 in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston and Los Angeles. The Walk brings together families, community organizations, students and leaders in government, business, media and the arts for a day of entertainment, learning activities and fundraising. Over the past 14 years, over 250,000 have participated in PartnershipsInAction events across the U.S., raising $29 million.
One hundred percent of the funds raised at Partnership Walk go directly to projects supported by the Foundation; no a cent is spent on administrative costs. AKF USA is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service code.
via ISIAH CAREY’S ‘INSITE’: SATURDAY: GET OUT THE WALKING SHOES FOR A GOOD CAUSE!
Ali to Karim – A Tribute to the Ismaili Imams
June 14, 2008 4 Comments
From the official website of the Ismaili Muslim Community
Using the experimental medium of visual projection, ALI TO KARIM transports viewers to 8th century Arabia, 12th century Persia and 17th century France. Spectators will lose themselves in a lyrical world that draws on legends and tales, poetry and paintings, film and historical sources.
Developed in London, the cast of ALI TO KARIM includes an ensemble of established performers from the United Kingdom, supported by a group of talented Jamati actors from the United States.
ALI TO KARIM, a Golden Jubilee International Programme, will tour the United States, premiering in Los Angeles on 19 July 2008. Hosted by the Ismaili Council for the USA, the production will travel to Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Orlando and New York this summer.
The United Way of Greater Houston
May 4, 2008 Leave a comment
The United Way of Greater Houston has elected seven trustees to its board for the 2008 fiscal year: Clark Baker, president and CEO, YMCA of the Greater Houston Area; Claude Cummings Jr., president, CWA Local No. 6222; Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, archbishop of Galveston-Houston; Zahir Janmohamed, chief executive officer, Aga Khan Council for the USA; Rich Kruger, president, ExxonMobil Production Co.; Susan McEldoon, president and general manager, KHOU-TV; and Anne Taylor, vice chairman and regional managing partner, Deloitte.
The Amazing Faiths Project
February 8, 2008 1 Comment
The Amazing Faiths Project is a local, national and international grassroots movement that brings together people of diverse faith traditions, and cultural backgrounds to learn about one another through dialogue, conversation, and fellowship; to create an atmosphere of understanding, respect, and reconciliation; and to stand as witnesses against the climate of intolerance, religious bigotry, and hatred that abounds in the world today.
The Amazing Faiths Project is co-operated by The Boniuk Center for Religious Tolerance at Rice University and by Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston, in conjunction with the Mayor’s Office of the City of Houston.
UNDERWRITERS
Farida and Nasru Rupani
Sufis, Shi‘ites and Shahs: The Great Shrines of Iran 1500-1650
February 1, 2008 1 Comment
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH), in conjunction with His Highness Prince Aga Khan Shia Imami Ismaili Council for the Southwestern United States, has organized a special lecture program by Dr. Sheila Canby, Curator of Islamic Art and Antiquities, The British Museum, on Thursday, March 13, 2008, at 6:30 p.m. at the MFAH’s Brown Auditorium (1001 Bissonnet Street).
Dr. Canby’s presentation, entitled “Sufis, Shi‘ites and Shahs: The Great Shrines of Iran 1500-1650″, will focus on the Ardabil Shrine, the Shrine of Imam Riza in Mashhad and the Shrine of Fatimeh Ma`sumeh in Qum. The Safavids ruled Iran from 1501 to 1722. A dynasty of Azerbaijani and Kurdish origins, the Safavids declared Shi´a Islam as the official religion of their empire, marking one of the most significant turning points in the history of Islam. Dr. Sheila Canby examines the roles that the Ardabil Shrine, the dynastic heart of the Safavid Dynasty, the Shrine of Imam Riza in Mashhad, and the Shrine of Fatimeh Ma´sumeh in Qum, played in establishing Shiism as the state religion of Iran and the Safavid rulers as its protectors.
This program is free and open to the public. A reception will follow the presentation at the museum.
For more information, please see the attached PDF File, or visit http://www.mfah.org
Houston Partnership Walk 2007 – Picture
November 27, 2007 Leave a comment
From Ed Uthman, a practicing pathologist in Houston, Texas, who has uploaded lots and lots of high quality images from AKF’s Houston Partnership Walk event. Ed writes at his Flickr page:
I have quite a few good shots of this highly photogenic event, so I uploaded them in batches. All images are now online.
As a committed secularist, I am a strong supporter of the Aga Khan Foundation, which is devoted to bringing modern education to the poor of the world, irrespective of their gender, ethnicity, or religion.
Medieval Islam
November 24, 2007 Leave a comment
Podcast made available on December 19 by Rice University
Rice University associate professor Paula Sanders discusses “Community, Culture and Tolerance in a Medieval Islamic Society” at 2 p.m. Dec. 2 at the Ismaili Jamatkhana and Center, 1700 First Colony Blvd., Sugar Land. Sanders specializes in classical Islamic culture and the Fatimids, a political and religious dynasty that dominated North Africa and the Middle East from 909 to 1171. To register for the free program, e-mail swcouncil@sbcglobal.net.
Houston Chronicle: Houstonians open homes for interfaith dinner dialogue
November 16, 2007 1 Comment
Watch video at the source
By BARBARA KARKABI and KRISTINA HERRNDOBLER
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle
A Sikh and a Muslim who sat down for dinner at a Jewish home Thursday night agreed on what drew them to the gathering.
“In my vocabulary, there is no such thing as coincidence. We are here for a reason,” Bindu Malhotra, the Sikh, said of the interfaith dinner.
“I feel God is making all this happen,” agreed Nasru Rupani, an Ismaili Muslim who said he wanted to give a face to Islam.
The two were among more than 800 Houstonians to attend Amazing Faiths Dinner Dialogues held simultaneously at 73 homes around the city.
Their host, Ann Nunes, was delighted with the religious diversity of the nine guests at her Meyerland-area home. “I just feel it’s important for all of us to know and appreciate each other and how much wisdom and beauty we all have to offer,” she said.
Houston: Walk to inform on global poverty crisis
November 9, 2007 Leave a comment
Stations with educational games, interactive skits at event; funds to provide daily milk rations across the world
From The Daily Cougar – official student newspaper of the University of Houston
By: Bayan Raji
Posted: 11/9/07
A little walking Saturday might be the first step toward ending global poverty.
The annual partnership walk, sponsored by the Aga Khan Foundation, is continuing its efforts to raise awareness about global poverty through education and the “trickle-down effect,” Saleena Meghani, media coordinator for Aga Khan, said.
“When we participate we are not only building a better and safer world for people in Asia and Africa, but for ourselves as well,” Meghani said. “As Americans, it is in our best interest to do something about poverty.”
All money raised will go to funding poverty-stricken countries, such as Afghanistan, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Pakistan, she said.
The program Milk and Hope provides daily rations of milk to 79,000 children in Tajikistan and Afghanistan, Meghani said.
The walk is mainly to raise awareness of the crisis, as the organization gets most proceeds from donations, she said.
Along with Houston, Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta and Los Angeles are involved in the walk and movement.
The 2.4-mile walk will also have three educational stops along the way – Asia, Africa and the United States. They will represent the major continents involved with AKF, she said.
The stops, called Village in Action, will have information about each continent, interactive games and skits to help walkers understand how large the problem is, Meghani said.
Accounting junior Shairoz Haiderali is volunteering because of her Pakistani heritage.
“We, especially Americans, need to participate in this because we have the resources,” Haiderali said. “We have the knowledge in everything where we can actually provide help to these developing countries. In the end they are just learning the facts and what not, but it’s a different approach to getting the message across.”
The registration begins at 8:30 a.m. Saturday at 1100 Bagby St.
For more information or to donate, visit www.akdn.org.
Houston Chronicle: Group expects record crowd for Partnership Walk
November 8, 2007 Leave a comment
By ARLENE NISSON LASSIN
Chronicle Correspondent
A record turnout of 10,000 participants is expected for the Aga Khan Foundation’s USA Partnership Walk Saturday along Allen Parkway at the Sam Houston Park in downtown Houston.
The 2-mile interactive walk is open to the public and is free of charge.
Registration and opening activities begin at 10:30 a.m. at the corner of Bagby and Dallas in Sam Houston Park. The walk starts at 11 a.m.
It is being held to raise awareness of global poverty and raise funds. An opening ceremony will feature multicultural talent and will be hosted news anchors Greg Hurst of KHOU-TV and Melissa Wilson of KRIV-TV.
All of the funds raised are earmarked for the Aga Khan Foundation. The organization, established in 1981, is a non-denominational nonprofit with a mission of eliminating poverty, hunger, disease and illiteracy in developing nations.
International development
“This organization is the longest international development agency in the world, working in over 30 countries, and employing 50,000 people,” said AKF USA southwest regional chair Aftab Ghesani of Sugar Land. “Our foundation provides people the necessary skills and training for long-term sustenance.
“The community-based approach empowers people to help themselves.”
Walks will take place in five major U.S. cities — Atlanta, Dallas, Chicago, Los Angeles and Houston — and more than 50,000 participants are expected.
A total of 20 volunteer committee members are organizing the event. More than 800 volunteers are expected to help out.
Houston Chronicle
VisitHoustonTexas.com
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It was a magic night at the museum gala
November 3, 2007 1 Comment
Excerpts.
“The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, scored an unprecedented $3.625 million in one glamorous night to establish the first collection of Islamic art in Texas and the South.”
“High-level underwriters for the fundraiser included the Aga Khan Shia Ismaili Community of Houston, Akbar and Mahin Ladjevardian, the Francis L. Lederer Foundation, the Levant Foundation — Rania and Jamal Daniel, Marathon Oil Co., PricewaterhouseCoopers, Sabiha and Omar Rehmatullah, Strategic Real Estate Advisors Ltd. London and Monsour Taghdisi.”
Complete at Houston Chronicle
Houston – Special Cultural Presentation Mystics, Nomads, and Troubadours in Central Asian Music
October 30, 2007 1 Comment
There will be a special cultural presentation by the Aga Khan Music Initiative in Central Asia, at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH), entitled “Mystics, Nomads, and Troubadours in Central Asian Music”, on Wednesday, October 31, 2007, at 10:15 am and at 11:30 am.
The 10:15 am session is geared for elementary school educators and students, and the 11:30 am session is geared for older students and adults.
This program is FREE. Each session is 45 minutes in duration, and a reception will follow the 11:30 am session.
Commentary will be provided by Dr. Theodore Levin, Parents Distinguished Professor at Dartmouth College and the Curator of the 10-volume CD-DVD anthology “Music of Central Asia”, co-produced by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture and Smithsonian Folkways Recordings.
Audience members will have a chance to learn about the culture, music, and geography of the countries of Central Asia, and meet with the Muslim musicians like the legendary singer Alim Qasimov from Azerbaijan, musicians from Tajikistan and the famous Bardic Divas of Central Asia.
Curriculum materials will also be available for interested educators.
Additional information is available in the attached PDF file.
Source: The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
This program is generously cosponsored by the Aga Khan Music Initiative in Central Asia, a program of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, His Highness Prince Aga Khan Shia Imami Ismaili Council for the Southwestern United States, and the Asia Society Texas Center.
The Living Art of Islamic Calligraphy
October 28, 2007 3 Comments
There will be a special lecture-demonstration program on Islamic Calligraphy at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH) on Sunday, October 28 @ 2:00 pm, entitled “The Living Art of Islamic Calligraphy”, by the world-renowned master calligrapher, Mohamed Zakariya.
This program is free and open to the public. Mr. Zakariya’s presentation will be followed by a reception and a calligraphy demonstration at the MFAH.
Based in Arlington, Virginia, Mohamed Zakariya is the most accomplished Islamic calligrapher in the United States. “Proper calligraphy is supposed to expand your heart to the meaning of a text,” says Zakariya, the only American to receive certification from master Turkish calligraphers.
This program is generously cosponsored by His Highness Prince Aga Khan Shia Imami Ismaili Council for the Southwestern United States and the Asia Society Texas Center.
Fund Raiser Marks 100 Years of Montessori Movement
October 15, 2007 Leave a comment
HOUSTON — Parents and kids take part in a fund raiser called Celebration of the Century, which marked the start of the Montessori movement 100 years ago. Munjir Shivji [Education Coordinator] of the Ibn Sina Foundation talks with FOX 26 Morning News about Montessori education.
Aga Khan’s historic-development exhibit travels here
October 11, 2007 Leave a comment
From Houston Chronicle
In Old Cairo, an ancient rubble dump was transformed into a 72-acre park. In Delhi, the historic gardens and fountains surrounding Humayun’s Tomb, a World Heritage site, are alive once more.
Both projects were undertaken by the Aga Khan Development Network, a 40-year-old nonprofit group of agencies that focus on health, education, culture and rural development.
Photos of these and other historic and culturally significant restoration projects in the Islamic world — including Zanzibar, Tanzania, Sarmakand, Uzbekistan, Mostar in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Mali and Syria — are part of the Aga Khan’s Historic Cities Programme traveling exhibit, which premieres Friday in Sugar Land, home of the national headquarters for the Aga Khan Council for the USA.
The three-day exhibit includes the history, culture and socio-economic impact of each project.
The Al-Azhar Park in Cairo, for instance, was funded by a $30 million gift to that city from the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, which operates the Historic Cities program and is part of development network.
Since the park opened in 2006, 1.4 million people have visited, and it is being used to revitalize the surrounding neighborhood.
The weekend events are part of Golden Jubilee celebrations commemorating 50 years since Prince Karim became the present Aga Khan at the age of 20. He is the imam of an estimated 15 million Shia Ismaili Muslims, including 15,000 in the Houston area.
Also on display Sunday afternoon will be Partnership Village, a replica of a typical village where the Aga Khan Foundation USA works, said national vice chairman Ashraf Ramji of Sugar Land.
“Our mantra is to eliminate poverty in the world,” Ramji said. “This will show some of the work we do in education, micro-finance and health services. The idea is to educate people about the foundation’s work and the needs of the global population.”
The village display is a precursor to the Nov. 10 Partnership Walk at downtown Houston’s Sam Houston Park, he said. The walk raises money for some of the poorest areas of Asia and Africa and helps the most vulnerable, especially women and children.
“His Highness says he wants informed donors who know where money is being sent,” Ramji said.
Representatives of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture also will host a forum Sunday afternoon for architects, conservationists and other community leaders to discuss historic restoration and its impact on cultural and economic rehabilitation.
“I think what they have done is incredible,” said Ramona Davis, executive director of the Greater Houston Preservation Alliance. “The restoration projects are important, but so are the stories that go with them.
“I guess that would be my message, that historic sites also carry stories of the culture with them. It’s another step in the direction, especially in Houston, of recognizing the importance of protecting our historic sites.”
AGA KHAN TRUST FOR CULTURE
In celebration of the Golden Jubilee of the current Aga Khan, two exhibits will be on display this weekend in Sugar Land.
• Historic Cities Programme: Photographs and explanations of restoration projects in the Islamic world, 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday at City Hall, 2700 Town Center Blvd. N.
• Partnership Village: A replica of a typical village aided by the Aga Khan Foundation USA, 4-7 p.m. Sunday in Town Square. Entertainment includes music and dancing.
Partnership Village presented by Aga Khan Foundation U.S.A.
October 9, 2007 Leave a comment
Partnership Village presented by Aga Khan Foundation U.S.A.
Oct 14 2007 4:00PM – Oct 14 2007 7:00PM
Spend a fun-filled afternoon with your family and friends and learn more about the Aga Khan Foundation USA through their Partnership Village. There will be performances and activities for the entire family. The program will be emceed by Anchor, Sharron Melton and music will be provided by Moodafaruka. For more information, please contact the Aga Khan Foundation USA at 713-271-1200.
Location Map via Houston Press
Flyer source: Moodafaruka (click Calendar)
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