His Royal Highness Prince El Hassan bin Talal of Jordan delivered an Ismaili Centre International Lecture on the topic of Global Muslim Societies in the 21st Century: Opportunities and Challenges. The lecture was followed by a conversation with Yasmin Alibhai-Brown and questions from the floor.

Prince El Hassan bin Talal

His Royal Highness was born in Amman in 1947, to a branch of the Hashemite family directly descended from the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family). He is the youngest son of Their late Majesties King Talal and Queen Zein El Sharaf, brother to His late Majesty King Hussein and the uncle of His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan. Prince Hassan attended Harrow and Christ Church, then Oxford University, where he graduated with a BA (Hons) in Oriental Studies.

Prince Hassan served as Jordan’s Crown Prince from 1965–99 and acted as Regent during the late King’s absences from the country. A pluralist, staunch campaigner for the right of all to live in peace and dignity, he has established a number of national institutions in Jordan. In December 2014, he headed the Sunni-Shia delegation at an Interfaith meeting of the Pontifical Council.

At the international level, Prince Hassan is actively engaged with environmentally focused organisations and was recently Chairman of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation. He currently chairs the High Level Forum for the Blue Peace Middle East plan. A champion for young people’s voices, he has founded youth programmes and awards and actively promotes sports within Jordan and beyond.

Yasmin Alibhai-Brown

A multiple award-winning journalist, Yasmin Alibhai-Brown is the only female Asian Muslim weekly columnist for a national United Kingdom newspaper — The Independent. She has also written for The Guardian, The Observer, The New York Times, Time Magazine and Newsweek. She is a highly respected, frequent commentator on radio and television, who has authored several books to critical acclaim.

She came to the United Kingdom in 1972 from Uganda after graduating from Makerere University with an exceptional First Class Degree in English. She went to Oxford where she attained an MPhil in Literature in 1975.

Yasmin Alibhai-Brown notes that her experiences of being an immigrant female Muslim have shaped her without infringing on her journalistic objectivity. She has received several awards, including the prestigious George Orwell Prize for political journalism.

The Ismaili Centres

The Ismaili Centres host lectures, presentations, seminars, conferences, recitals and exhibitions that serve to enhance relationships among faith communities, government and civil society. The Centres reflect the Shia Ismaili Muslim community’s intellectual and spiritual understanding of Islam, and its commitment to progress in the societies in which it lives. Ismaili Centres are located in London, Vancouver, Toronto, Lisbon, Dushanbe, and Dubai.