News
Mawlana Hazar Imam arrives in Toronto to deliver LaFontaine-Baldwin address
15 October 2010
Toronto, 14 October 2010 – Mawlana Hazar Imam arrived in Toronto today, where he will deliver this year’s lecture at the 10th annual LaFontaine-Baldwin Symposium. An initiative of the Institute for Canadian Citizenship, the Symposium engages Canadians in a national conversation around the future shape of Canada’s civic culture. The lecture will take place on on Friday, 15 October at 7:30 PM EDT.
Partnership Walk in the USA launches with green campaign; aids relief efforts in Pakistan
14 October 2010
This year, the annual PartnershipsInAction Walk in the United States launched with a green theme that draws attention to the impact of climate change. Underscored by the recent flood disaster in Pakistan, the Walk’s message has taken on an even greater urgency, and is echoed by volunteers across the country as they seek to raise awareness and support.
Mawlana Hazar Imam visits Ottawa for inaugural Global Centre for Pluralism board meeting; meets with Governor General of Canada
8 October 2010
Ottawa, 8 October 2010 – Mawlana Hazar Imam completed a two-day visit to Ottawa for the inaugural meeting of the Board of Directors of the Global Centre for Pluralism. Thursday evening, Hazar Imam also met with His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, at Rideau Hall.
Jamati members combine faith and innovation to help the environment
2 October 2010
A group of proactive Ismailis are applying their innovative prowess to counter the spectre of climate change and ecological devastation. Inspired by Islam’s ethic of caring for the environment, they are doing their part to preserve and safeguard nature’s precious resources in order to sustain social and economic development.
Of flood rains and resilience: The struggle to survive in the wake of the Pakistan flood disaster
23 September 2010
Millions of people throughout Pakistan have been devastated by heavy downpours and massive flooding that has been described as one of the worst disasters in the country’s history. But in the face of calamity, communities, institutions, government and civil society are coming together to help one another and rebuild lives.
National Park of Mali follows four decades of AKDN investment in West Africa
22 September 2010
The Aga Khan Development Network’s involvement in West Africa began some 40 years ago, and has included investments in people, culture and enterprise. Last month, Mawlana Hazar Imam joined the President and people of Mali in marking the 50th anniversary of their independence, and inaugurated a National Park developed by AKTC as part of the occasion. Salima Chitalia reviews AKDN’s development efforts in the country.
In London, RAYS OF LIGHT draws visitors from near and far
20 September 2010
RAYS OF LIGHT: Glimpses into the Ismaili Imamat opened in London on 10 September and has drawn thousands of visitors, many of whose written comments are pinned to large boards just outside the circular structure. The comment cards offer unique perspectives on how the exhibition is being received, both within the Jamat and by the wider public.
Passing of influential professor of Islamic Studies leaves ‘a gap that will be impossible to fill’
17 September 2010
Professor Mohamed Arkoun passed away in Paris on 14 September at the age of 82. An outstanding research scholar and a rigorous critic of the theoretical tensions embedded in the field of Islamic Studies, he was a courageous public intellectual and a powerful voice in the frequently contentious debates on Islamic modernism and humanism.
Primary teacher education programmes cater religious education to the many ways in which children learn
9 September 2010
Two decades after the introduction of the Ta‘lim curriculum, primary teacher education programmes have increased the effectiveness of teaching and learning at Ismaili religious education centres. Through a modern approach to education, children learn about Islam both as a faith and through its role in shaping Muslim civilisations.
Choosing an early child care centre with confidence
3 September 2010
Numerous studies have shown that proper care in the early years of childhood is essential to academic success. Birth to age six is a time of intense brain development; therefore, choosing a quality child care programme that caters to the child’s developmental needs should be a top priority for parents.
Changing lives in Congo, one smile at a time
26 August 2010
Sixteen-month-old Jimla Kasenga and 61-year-old Mukadi Kabengele both have a reason to smile. Each of them underwent facial reconstructive surgery at Operation Smile’s recent medical mission to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The week-long mission was broadly supported by members of the local Ismaili community.
Reflecting on 25 years of the Ismaili Centre, Burnaby
18 August 2010
On 23 August 1985, then Prime Minister of Canada, Brian Mulroney, officially opened the Ismaili Centre, Burnaby in the presence of Mawlana Hazar Imam and then Premier of British Columbia, Bill Bennett. The opening of the first Ismaili Centre in North America was a historic moment for the Jamat in Canada and around the world.
