Our 18th holy Imam Mowlana Mustansir-Billah was born on the beautiful morning of the 17th of Jumadal Akhir 420 A.H. His full name was Hazrat Abu Tamim Sayyid Al-Maad al-Mustansir bi-Amirillah. According to historian Lane Pool, Imam Zaher gave the title of "Waliahad" to Mowlana Mustansir Billah. On the 14th of Shaban 427 A.H. Mowlana Mustansir Billah ascended to the throne of Imamat and the Khilafat of the Fatimides in Cairo. He was the first Imam to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee on the throne of Imamat.

And I am only one individual, but I hope that there will be thousands of other people who will join me in recognising that we have to be proud, we have to be illustrative, we have to articulate the greatness of our histories. And within that greatness, Syria has a unique position

This new discourse, as wide as it has become, has had a continuing, common premise, a conviction that architecture has a capacity to transform the quality of human existence. More than that, we believed that our Quranic heritage gave us the responsibility, as good stewards of the Divine creation, to shape and reshape our earthly environment in the service of humankind.

Our 17th Holy Imam Zaher was born on Wednesday 10th of Ramadhan in Cairo (kahira Muezziya). His full name was Abdul Hasan Ali al-Zaher li-iazaze Dinillah.. He ascended to the Masnad of Imamat and the Caiphate of the Fatimides in 411 A.H on the day of "Idd-e-Qurbani"

One risk of decentralization is that it can place more decision-making power into the hands of communities that have had less access to education and governing experience, and less exposure to national and global issues. Perhaps this is why, in some cases, the trend has been to consolidate governing authority - such as in Afghanistan

Our 16th Holy Imam Hakim was born in "Kahiriya Muizziya" in the night of Thursday 23rd of Rabbiul Awwal 375 A.H. His full name was Abu Aly Mansur Al-Hakim bi-Amrillah. He ascended to the Masnad of Imamat on 28th of Ramadan 386 A.H. at the age of 11 years.

The true sign of maturity and excellence in a university is its ability to contribute to the knowledge of mankind, in its own society and beyond. It is equally essential that its faculty be challenged, as a matter of university policy, to expand the boundaries of human knowledge

It is especially at times when ignorance, conflict and apprehension, are so rife, that universities, in both the Muslim world and in the West, have a greater obligation to promote intellectual openness and tolerance

The feelings of the subordination of people – that they are victims of an economic or cultural globalization in which they cannot be full partners but from which they cannot remain apart – these feelings fuel some of the most potent, destructive forces at play in our world today