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  • A Navroz haft sin table provided an opportunity to learn about the tradition and its significance.
    Sarah Sacoor, Aliya Lavji | 29 April 2014 | UK

    UK Ismailis invited to mark Navroz at the Houses of Parliament

    A Navroz haft sin table provided an opportunity to learn about the tradition and its significance. Sadrudin Verjee
  • MPs Angie Bray, Eric Ollerenshaw and Home Secretary Theresa May, together with President Amin Mawji of the Ismaili Council for the UK and other Jamati leaders at a Navroz reception held at the Houses of Parliament.
    Sarah Sacoor, Aliya Lavji | 29 April 2014 | UK

    UK Ismailis invited to mark Navroz at the Houses of Parliament

    MPs Angie Bray, Eric Ollerenshaw and Home Secretary Theresa May, together with President Amin Mawji of the Ismaili Council for the UK and other Jamati leaders at a Navroz reception held at the Houses of Parliament. Sadrudin Verjee
  • UK Home Secretary, The Rt Hon Theresa May MP, delivers the keynote address at a 2014 Navroz reception hosted at the Houses of Parliament.
    Sarah Sacoor, Aliya Lavji | 29 April 2014 | UK

    UK Ismailis invited to mark Navroz at the Houses of Parliament

    UK Home Secretary, The Rt Hon Theresa May MP, delivers the keynote address at a 2014 Navroz reception hosted at the Houses of Parliament. Jahanara Mirzai
  • Stephen Williams MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, invites the audience to take part in the government’s new volunteering initiative.
    Sarah Sacoor, Aliya Lavji | 29 April 2014 | UK

    UK Ismailis invited to mark Navroz at the Houses of Parliament

    Stephen Williams MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, invites the audience to take part in the government’s new volunteering initiative. Sadrudin Verjee
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London, United Kingdom – Leaders and members of the Ismaili community in the United Kingdom were invited to mark Navroz at the Houses of Parliament in March. The event was attended by Secretaries of State, Ministers, Peers, Heads of Mission and Members of Parliament.

 

“The respect that we have got for the contribution your community gives to this huge and great country of ours is just fantastic,” said Eric Ollerenshaw OBE MP, who together with Angie Bray MP, hosted the reception on 18 March. The event – now in its third year – was attended by Secretaries of State, Ministers, Peers, Heads of Mission and Members of Parliament.

“Ismailis are respected around the world for their good work and sense of community,” said the Rt Hon Theresa May MP, Home Secretary, who delivered the keynote address. “It's entirely appropriate, given the contribution that the Ismaili Community makes to our life here in the UK, that you should have the celebration here at the heart of our democracy, in the Houses of Parliament.”

Navroz occurs on the first day of spring and for Ismaili Muslims around the world, as well as many other communities and cultures, it signifies the start of a new year. The Rt Hon Prime Minister David Cameron MP sent a personal message on the occasion of Navroz, wishing the Ismaili community well and acknowledging the work of the Aga Khan Development Network in supporting communities around the world. The reception was an opportunity to showcase the work of the Jamati Institutions in the UK and its jurisdictions, and the global work of the Aga Khan Development Network.

The Home Secretary noted that the Ismaili community has “made a rich and valuable contribution to this country with a proud British tradition dating back to more than half a century,” citing education, medicine, philanthropy and entrepreneurship as areas in which the Jamat has played a “vital role.” She also said the Jamat's traditions of volunteerism and helping the less fortunate are an example and inspiration to others.

Applauding the contributions of Mawlana Hazar Imam in the UK and around the world, the Home Secretary described how Hazar Imam has “helped improve the quality of many lives in some of the most deprived areas of the world through the building of institutions such as schools and hospitals.”

“It is for these reasons that the Government through the Department of International Development is proud to have been partnering with the Aga Khan Development Network,” she said.

Reflecting on Mawlana Hazar Imam's address to the Parliament of Canada, Angie Bray MP said she was struck by “his resolute focus on spreading the important message about tolerance and respect for other and many different faiths across the world.” She observed that “this pluralistic outlook is at the heart of Ismaili philosophy and is so very important at times like this, when religious tolerance is not so easy to find.”

Stephen Williams MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, took the opportunity to introduce Together in Service, the new multi-faith volunteer programme of the Government Department of Communities. He invited the Ismaili community to help in the realisation of the initiative, which seeks to encourage a joint approach by different faiths who all share the common goal of a cohesive and happy society.

Amin Mawji OBE, President of the Ismaili Council for the United Kingdom – also joined by Michael Kocher, General Manager of the Aga Khan Foundation – acknowledged all of the speakers and expressed his appreciation on behalf of the community.