News

Mawlana Hazar Imam visited the Far East Jamat in Singapore, during which he met with a number of the country's leaders. A Jamati institutional dinner was hosted in Hazar Imam's honour, featuring a performance by Ismaili youth that illustrated some of the cultures of the Far East.

Lisbon, 9 May 2012 – Representing Mawlana Hazar Imam, Prince Amyn signed the renewal of a partnership agreement between the Aga Khan Foundation and the Patriarchate of Lisbon. Programmes implemented under the partnership, which aims to improve the quality of life of marginalised groups in Greater Lisbon, benefited almost 43 000 people in 2011.

In their quest to broaden their relationships with religious communities, the prestigious Chautauqua Institution in New York state reached out to the Muslim community. With a mind to creating greater awareness about Islam and Muslim cultures, members of the Ismaili Muslim community responded, drawing in Muslim intellectuals to Chautauqua, who could share an understanding of Islam that is hard to find in mainstream media.

Prominent religious historian and well-known author, Karen Armstrong, was the keynote speaker at the Ismaili Centre, Burnaby on 25 March 2012, where she delivered a lecture on Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), the relevance of his life to our present time, and Islamophobia – a clash of ignorance. The visit was part of Armstrong's “12 Days of Compassion” tour of Greater Vancouver, during which she was awarded Simon Fraser University's Jack P. Blaney Award for Dialogue in celebration of her innovative contributions to tolerance, understanding and compassion globally.

Dushanbe, 4 April 2012 – Mawlana Hazar Imam travelled to Tajikistan for a brief, but historic one-day visit. In a meeting with the leaders of the newly-established Jamati institutions in Tajikistan, Hazar Imam emphasised the significance of the formal establishment of Jamati institutions to serve the needs and requirements of the Tajik Jamat.