Lisbon, Portugal (Feb 16, 2016): Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) Resident Representative, Nazim Ahmad, thanked the President of the Portuguese Republic, Cavaco Silva, for all the support given to the work of the Ismaili community in Portugal.
“I wanted to thank the President of the Republic for all the direct support given to all the work that the community has developed over the past 30 years in Portugal.I also wanted to take the opportunity to refer to you about our presence here and the Seat that will be established which was approved in Portugal and to assure you that all the investments that will be made will be in favor of Portugal and the Portuguese.”
– Nazim Ahmad, AKDN Resident Representative in Portugal
Nazim Ahmad had joined Adriano Moreira at the Palace of Belém, who offered to the President an edition Os Lusíadas by Luís de Camões.
In June 2015, an agreement was signed by the Portuguese Government and His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan to established the global headquarters of the Ismaili Community in Portugal (Seat of the Ismaili Imamat), the then Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rui Machete, considered this agreement as a new start and a spring-board for the high-level research in the Portuguese universities and institutes.
After emphasizing the “civic participation and social consciousness model” that the Ismaili community, a branch of Shiite Islam has developed in Portugal, where it operates since 1983, Rui Machete highlighted the importance of Aga Khan Development Network on the international scene and it’s known reputation amongst the Portuguese.
Adriano Moreira was an active and a key individual during the negotiating process for the successful establishment of Seat of Ismaili Imamat to be in and remain in Portugal.
Sources:
- Notícias ao Minuto | Aga Khan agradece a Cavaco apoio no trabalho da comunidade ismaelita
- Correio da Manhã | Rede Aga Khan agradece a Cavaco à comunidade ismaelita
- Diario Digital – SAPO | Rede Aga Khan agradece a Cavaco apoio no trabalho da comunidade ismaelita
Earlier & Related – Videos of the Signing Ceremony Establishing “Seat of the Ismaili Imamat” in Portugal
About Os Lusíadas
Os Lusíadas is a Portuguese epic poem by Luís de Camões. The poem focuses mainly on a fantastical interpretation of the Portuguese voyages of discovery during the 15th and 16th centuries.
Os Lusíadas is often regarded as Portugal’s national epic, much in the way as Virgil’s Aeneid was for the Ancient Romans, or Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey for the Ancient Greeks, or Persian poet Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh (The Book of Kings) for the Ancient Persians.
Os Lusíadas was first printed in 1572, three years after the author returned from the Indies.
About Nazim Ahmad, Ismaili Imamat’s AKDN Resident Representative to Portugal
Nazim Ahmad, Comendador da Ordem do Mérito (Commander of the Order of Merit) is the Diplomatic Representative of the Aga Khan Development Network to Mozambique and Portugal, and by extension also oversees realtions with the Lusophone commonwealth of countries.
From 1992-96, Mr. Ahmad was responsible for the negotiation process with the Portuguese Government for the legal recognition of Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) Portugal as a Portuguese Foundation and a Private Institution for Social Solidarity, created by Decree Law and voted by the Council of Ministers in 1996. From 1995-99, Mr. Ahmad participated as a Committee Member in the negotiation process with the Portuguese Government (Ministry of Justice) for the elaboration of the new Religious Freedom Law, approved by Decree Law in 2001.
From 1996, he was involved in the negotiation process with the Portuguese Government for the Agreement of Co-operation between the Government of the Portuguese Republic and the Ismaili Imamat, which was signed in December 2005 and the Protocol of Co-operation between the Portuguese Foreign Ministry and the Ismaili Imamat, in July 2008. More recently and for over a decade, he has been instrumental in the negotiation process for the successful establishment of the global headquarters of the Ismaili Community – Seat of the Ismaili Imamat in Portugal.
From 1997-2006, Nazim was Chairman of AKF Portugal National Committee.
Since 1998, he has been the AKDN Representative for Mozambique and since 2004 he has been a Member of the Commission for Religious Freedom. In November 2006, he was appointed AKDN Representative by His Highness the Aga Khan to the Coordination Committee between the Government of Portugal and AKDN.
On 10 June 2004, the National Day of Portugal, he was awarded with the Comendador da Ordem do Mérito (Commander of the Order of Merit).
Ismaili Imamat’s AKDN Resident Representatives
- Afghanistan: Nurjehan Mawani, Order of Canada
- Bangladesh: Munir M. Merali
- Canada: Dr. Mahmoud Eboo
- Kenya: Aziz Bhaloo
- Kyrgyzstan: Dr. Shamsh Kassim-Lakha, Sitara-e-Imtiaz and Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Pakistan), Officier de l ‘Ordre National du Merite (France)
- Portugal, Mozambique and the Lusophone countries: Nazim Ahmad, Comendador da Ordem do Mérito (Commander of the Order of Merit)
- Syria: Mohamed Saifo
- Tajikistan: Ali Akbar Pesnani
- Tanzania: Amin Kurji, Légion d’Honneur (France’s Legion of Honour)
- Uganda: Mahmood Ahmed
AKDN Resident Representative is a position similar to an Ambassador. While AKDN is a non-denominational entity, it is supranational in the context of its reach and operations. AKDN is a contemporary endeavor of the Ismaili Imamat to realize the social conscious of Islam through institutional action and it is inspired by the ethics of Islam as interpreted by the Shia-Alid tradition. The diplomatic reciprocity AKDN enjoys in the global diplomacy arena speaks of the importance of the contribution, impact and relevance the Ismaili Imamat has in the community of nations in modern times.
According to Wikipedia, an ambassador is an official envoy, especially a highest ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state, or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sovereign or appointed for a special and often temporary diplomatic assignment. The “ambassadors” to the Commonwealth of Nations are known as High Commissioners and “ambassadors” of the Holy See are known as Papal or Apostolic Nuncios.
Translation, Research, Insight & Perspective by A. Maherali
Ismailimail 