We have taken up the annoying habit of linking each sporadic act of terrorism to the Muslim world. It is a painful confusion. The Muslim world is made up of 1 billion believers, living in 30 to 40 countries, speaking 500 languages and dialects, people who come from countries which became Muslim - some at the time of the Prophet, others three hundred years later - some speaking Arabic, others that do not. There is no Islamic entity where 1 billion believers interpret and practice their faith in the same manner.

In the third world, where demographic growth is by far one of the most important issues, the people must ask themselves whether the new generations, should take upon themselves the right to impose poverty on their children.

I view diversity as strength, and that may be a funny statement to make, but I think that in diversity there is great strength if it is understood that diversity must not be encouraged to become conflict. But the different cultures, different faiths, different languages, different traditions should be looking at common issues and starting from different standpoints but trying to resolve them collaboratively.

The world is very much influenced by the way a faith or a community communicates, and I think that there is a very, very great gap. The vast majority of Muslims today live in a rural environment. They do not communicate, they are peaceful people. The perceptions that one has of polarization, things of that sort are much more urban forces, urban expressions and if you were to ask me today whether the vast majority of the Muslims participated in any way in this polarization, I would answer probably not.

The role entrusted to me does not, in the world of today, permit to cherish any political ambitions. This was appropriate and acceptable fifty years ago: my grandfather was President of the League of Nations, my father was Ambassador to the United Nations and my uncle was the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. The roles of those members of my family were all international roles in the field of politics. They did not serve a specific country; they served a cause with international dimensions.

Go back to the origins of Islam. It was a Faith practiced in a land with no physical frontiers. The concept of the modern state is not really an Islamic concept. Islam was a brotherhood, is a brotherhood. That is the first thing - the free movement of people, the generosity of people's attitudes towards their brothers around the world.

I think there are two forms of help. There is helping people without instigating them to help themselves. And then there is helping people by helping them help themselves. I prefer the second form. I believe it is also the intent of Allah to what He said in the Quran and in the tradition that you don't help people once. You try to help them in such a way that they become self sufficient, make them help the others.

Many parts of the Islamic world, and in this, the Ismailis certainly agree, perceive an American imbalance involving excessive emphasis on material comfort. I should go further than comfort. I think perhaps the concern is wealth and the way wealth is used rather than comfort. In Islam there is nothing wrong in search for comfort, but the accumulation of wealth for the specific purpose of accumulating wealth or personal power is something which Islam does not like to see. If you are fortunate enough to go past what you personally need, then share what you have.

The Imamate is a hereditary office, and the Imam is responsible for guiding the practice of the faith of the Ismaili community. In matters of faith, he makes the decisions. In the matters of everyday activity, he has a large network of institutions and structures that answer to him.

the industrialized world has attached a very great premium to materialism. Has there been, as a consequence to that, a dehumanization of society? Has the individual lost his sense of identity? What has been the impact on ethical standards, generally speaking? Have ethical standards fallen? These are not just questions Islam raises; these are questions that thinking people around the world are asking.