Ismaili.NET - Heritage F.I.E.L.D.

The restoration is not only of great importance to the local community and those that worship here, but also symbolises the solidarity between the Ismaili Imamat and the Catholic Church, and our respective institutions. It is also a testament to the strength of the bond between the Ismaili Imamat and the Portuguese Republic – a bond anchored in the shared values of respect for human dignity, for pluralism, and for a commitment to bring hope and opportunity to all peoples, regardless of faith or origin.

The restoration is not only of great importance to the local community and those that worship here, but also symbolises the solidarity between the Ismaili Imamat and the Catholic Church, and our respective institutions. It is also a testament to the strength of the bond between the Ismaili Imamat and the Portuguese Republic – a bond anchored in the shared values of respect for human dignity, for pluralism, and for a commitment to bring hope and opportunity to all peoples, regardless of faith or origin.

One of the biggest threats that we face globally is of course climate change. We know that every human activity will now need to adapt to it. Here, architecture offers great hope. Humans have always designed their buildings as a response to the climate. Today, with the climate more volatile than ever, architects have a great responsibility, and an opportunity, to use their creativity to design the buildings that will buffer that volatility and protect us all

Today, more than ever, with the vast range of materials and techniques that humans have invented, great architecture has the power to answer directly to the most acute development challenges, and to create the inclusive, safe, dignified world that we want for everyone.

Poor health and limited education rob individuals of their potential.

Excellence must be grounded in relevance. A significant aspect of AKU’s impact is tied to its research agenda that strives to address real, local challenges through knowledge creation and innovation that improve the quality of life.

If Islam aspires, as I believe she must, to recapture the glories of the past, she must be ready to adapt -- I do not say abandon -- her own traditions to the entirely different circumstances of today. If we fail to do this, not only shall we fail to progress ourselves, but the younger generation will become disillusioned and fall prey to alien and materialistic creeds, which have nothing whatever in common with Islam.

Through the work of the Aga Khan Development Network, whether in health, education, culture, economic development, or the environment, our aim has always been to improve the quality of life for all, regardless of background or faith.

I felt very alone when caring for my mother with Alzheimer’s. I didn’t realize then that feeling isolated is common among caregivers and those living with the disease. By sharing her diagnosis, I hoped others might feel less alone.

I have spoken about our strength as a global and pluralistic Jamat, but arguably our superpower is our centuries old tradition of volunteerism. To volunteer may sound small, but at its core, it is one of the largest and loudest act. Our Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) tells us that the best of people is the one who benefits others the most.

Of my late father’s many lasting legacies, Global Encounters represents a very significant one. Shah Karim created GE as a tool for the Jamat, as an opportunity. He wanted the diversity and the pluralism within our Jamat to be felt and to be practiced. He wanted to encourage excellence, to build understanding and cohesion and to strengthen the forces that bring us closer together. This is a legacy that our present Imam, Mowlana Shah Rahim and our Jamat all together will honour and build on.

I began by speaking of hope. The hope I refer to is not an idle wish. It is the hope one feels when there is strong evidence for optimism. It is the hope our Chancellor, His Highness the Aga Khan, has called “probably the single most powerful trampoline of progress”. That is the hope that I believe unites us today.

Islam says that the best form of charity, to use the term, is by helping
people to become self-sufficient. It is to give in such a way that the
person becomes master of one's own destiny.

If I as a Muslim came to you and were to say: What's happening in Northern Ireland reflects Catholic and Protestant beliefs, then you would say: you're uneducated.

In keeping with our historic tradition of ever abiding commitment to Muslim unity, we reaffirm our respect for the historical interpretation of Islam by our brother Muslims as an equally earnest endeavour to practise the faith in Allah and emulate the example of our Holy Prophet, may peace be upon him, which illuminates Muslim lives and which, Inshallah, will elevate all Muslim souls.

In keeping with our historic tradition of ever abiding commitment to Muslim unity, we reaffirm our respect for the historical interpretation of Islam by our brother Muslims as an equally earnest endeavour to practise the faith in Allah and emulate the example of our Holy Prophet, may peace be upon him, which illuminates Muslim lives and which, Inshallah, will elevate all Muslim souls.

Our historic adherence is to the Jafari Madhhab and other Madhahib of close affinity, and it continues, under the leadership of the hereditary Ismaili Imam of the time. This adherence is in harmony also with our acceptance of Sufi principles of personal search and balance between the zahir and the spirit or the intellect which the zahir signifies.

Our historic adherence is to the Jafari Madhhab and other Madhahib of close affinity, and it continues, under the leadership of the hereditary Ismaili Imam of the time. This adherence is in harmony also with our acceptance of Sufi principles of personal search and balance between the zahir and the spirit or the intellect which the zahir signifies.

The other point of importance is to present your history in a logical form. When you are taking the type of advanced education that you must get for the university degrees today, you must have in every walk of life a logical concept. This does not mean to wipe away faith. But the real principle of Islam is that faith is logical. Islam would not be what it is if it were not logical.

Meritocracy applies to institutions, to countries. I have been concerned at whether our institutions would themselves become meritocratic, and if they were going to become meritocratic....I hope that as time goes by, you will be more and more demanding upon yourselves, upon your institutions, more and more eager to bring competence and knowledge and wisdom and understanding from generation after generation into these institutions.