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THE SHIA IMAMI ISMAILI TARIQAH AND RELIGIOUS

EDUCATION BOARD FOR KARACHI & BALOCHISTAN

Newsletter – A Quarterly Publication

Theme of the Issue: Civil Society

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• WHAT’S INSIDE….??

Section I – MHI Initiatives

• Golden Jubilee Visits to UK Portugal and Syria

• Journey from 1987 – 1997

• Agreement between AKDN and the Government of Syria

Section II – Civil Society

• The “Good” Society – An Ethical Perspective

• The Islamic Ethos and the Spirit of Humanism (Amyn B. Sajoo)

• Speech Extracts of MHI

•

Section III – Board Activities

• Celebrating Diversity and Arzoo-e-Deedar by RBKB and Local Boards

• ITREB for Karimabad

• ITREB for Garden

• ITREB for Kharadar

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Golden Jubilee United Kingdom Visit Wednesday, 2 July

Mawlana Hazar Imam arrived in London. He was greeted at the airport by officials of the British Government and leaders of the UK Jamat. Leaders of the UK Jamat welcoming Mawlana Hazar Imam to London.

Thursday, 3 July

Mawlana Hazar Imam met with the British Government’s Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Rt Hon David Miliband MP at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office. Mawlana Hazar Imam was a guest of honour at a luncheon hosted by Rt Hon Jack Straw, Secretary of State for Justice and the Lord Chancellor. After lunch Mawlana Hazar Imam met with the British Prime Minister, Rt Hon Gordon Brown. In the evening Mawlana Hazar Imam hosted a reception for diplomats and

senior government officials, followed by an Imamat dinner attended by political and civil society leaders from across the United Kingdom. Mawlana Hazar Imam with British Prime Minister the Rt Hon Gordon Brown at 10 Downing Street

Friday, 4 July

This morning, Mawlana Hazar Imam met with faculty and staff from The Institute of Ismaili Studies and the Aga Khan University’s Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations at the Ismaili Centre. During the reception, the leaders of the IIS presented Mawlana Hazar Imam with a copy of their latest publication titled The Ismailis: An Illustrated History. Professor Azim Nanji and Dr Farhad Daftary of the IIS present

Mawlana Hazar Imam with a copy of The Ismailis: An Illustrated History.

Saturday, 5 July

The Jamat of United Kingdom and the countries under its jurisdiction, together with members of the international Jamat, gathered at the Excel centre in London for Golden Jubilee Darbar. Mawlana Hazar Imam in conversation with volunteers as he departs the

ExCeL centre following the Darbar.

Sunday, 6 July

Mawlana Hazar Imam met with the Ismaili Leaders’ International Forum at the Ismaili Centre in London. In the evening, Mawlana Hazar Imam was the guest of honour at a dinner hosted by the Jamati Institutions of the United Kingdom, held at the Banqueting House in Whitehall. During the dinner, guests were treated to a musical performance by the Ismaili

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Ensemble. The piece, which was presented to Mawlana Hazar Imam as a gift, was appropriately titled Armaghan — a Persian word meaning ‘gift.’ Mawlana Hazar Imam is accompanied by President Zauhar Meghji of the Ismaili Council for UK, as he

leaves the Jamati institutional dinner held at the Banqueting House in Whitehal

Monday, 7 July

Mawlana Hazar Imam met with the Rt Hon Douglas Alexander, Secretary of State for International Development at the Department for International Development. In the afternoon the Rt Hon David Cameron, Leader of the Opposition met with Mawlana Hazar Imam at the Ismaili Centre. In the evening Her Majesty the Queen hosted a black-tie dinner in honour of Mawlana Hazar Imam at Buckingham Palace along with Prince Amyn, Princess Yasmin, Princess Zahra, Prince Rahim, Prince Hussain and Princess Khaliya.

Mawlana Hazar Imam together with Her Majesty the Queen during a dinner hosted by Her Majesty in

honour of Hazar Imam at Buckingham Palace.

Tuesday, 8 July

On Tuesday 8 July, leaders of the UK Jamat bid an emotional farewell to Mawlana Hazar Imam. Hazar Imam concluded his Golden Jubilee visit to the United Kingdom. Leaders of the Jamat gather at the London Heliport as

Mawlana Hazar Imam prepares to depart the United Kingdom.

Source: http://www.theismaili.org

Golden Jubilee Portugal Visit

Thursday, 10 July

Mawlana Hazar Imam arrived in Lisbon, commencing his Golden Jubilee visit to Portugal. Leaders of the Jamat gathered at the airport to welcome Mawlana Hazar Imam, who was formally received by Alberto Costa, Minister of Justice, on behalf of the Government of Portugal. Thousands of members of the Jamat from Portugal and abroad lined the route of Hazar Imam’s motorcade to welcome him. From the airport, Mawlana Hazar Imam went to the Presidential Palace

for a meeting with President Cavaco Silva. Following their meeting, the Portuguese President and First Lady hosted a lunch in honour of Mawlana Hazar Imam. Later in the afternoon, the United Nations High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations, Jorge Sampaio, met with Mawlana Hazar Imam at his hotel

Friday, 11 July 2008

Mawlana Hazar Imam spent Imamat Day. He began by meeting with the Minister of Justice, Alberto Costa, at the Ministry of Justice. He then met with the President of the Assembly of the Republic, Jaime Gama, who also hosted a lunch in honour of Mawlana Hazar Imam at the Assembly building. In the afternoon, Hazar Imam visited the Foreign Office to meet with the Foreign Minister, Luís Amado, which was followed by an evening

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meeting with Prime Minister José Sócrates at the Prime Minister’s official residence. There, Mawlana Hazar Imam and the Foreign Minister signed an Agreement of International Cooperation between the Ismaili Imamat and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Portuguese Republic. The Prime Minister also hosted a dinner in honour of Mawlana Hazar Imam, which was attended by Prince Amyn, Prince Rahim, Prince Hussain and Princess Khaliya.

Saturday, 12 July 2008

Mawlana Hazar Imam visited the Ismaili Centre in Lisbon, where he received the Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education, Mariano Gago. Following their meeting, Mawlana Hazar Imam and the Cardinal Patriarch witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Catholic University of Portugal (UCP) and the Aga Khan University (AKU)In the evening, Mawlana Hazar Imam, accompanied by Prince Rahim, hosted a reception at the Ismaili Centre for diplomats, leaders of government and civil society institutions in Portugal.

Sunday, 13 July 2008

The Jamat of Portugal, together with murids from around the world, gathered at Parque das Nações in Lisbon for Mawlana Hazar Imam’s Golden Jubilee Darbar. In the afternoon, Mawlana Hazar Imam met with the Minister of Labour and Social Solidarity, José António Vieira da Silva. Later in the evening, the Jamati institutions of Portugal hosted a dinner in honour of Mawlana Hazar Imam.

Monday, 14 July 2008

Mawlana Hazar Imam met with Professor Adriano Moreira, President of the Sciences Academy of Lisbon (Academia das Ciências de Lisboa). Afterward, leaders and members of the Jamat gathered to bid farewell to Mawlana Hazar Imam as he departed Lisbon, concluding his Golden Jubilee visit to Portugal

Source: http://www.theismaili.org

Golden Jubilee Syria Visit Sunday, 24 August 2008

Mawlana Hazar Imam arrived at Damascus airport for the start of his Golden Jubilee visit to Syria. He was received at the airport by Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Al-Dardari, the Minister of Tourism, Sadallah Agha Al-Qala, leaders of the Jamat and AKDN institutions in Syria. In the evening, Mawlana Hazar Imam met with the President of the Syrian Arab Republic, His Excellency Dr Bashar Al-Assad.

Monday, 25 August 2008

Mawlana Hazar Imam met with the Prime Minister, Muhammad Naji Al-Otri, and the Deputy Prime Minister, Abdullah Al-Dardari.

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Following the meetings, Hazar Imam and the Prime Minister witnessed the signing of an agreement by the Governor of the Central Bank, Dr Adib Mayaleh, to mark the launch of the First MicroFinance Institution (FMFI) in Syria.

An agreement was signed between the Governor of Damascus, Bishr Mazen Al-Sabban, and Mahmud Janmohamed, Managing Director of Tourism Promotion Services — an agency of the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development. The agreement, which was ratified by the Minister of Tourism, Sadallah Agha Al-Qala, announces the building of a five-star hotel through the preservation and restoration of four heritage buildings in Old Damascus. In the afternoon, Mawlana Hazar Imam held separate meetings with the

Minister of Health, Dr Maher Al-Husami, the Minister of Education, Ali Daher Saad and the Grand Mufti of Syria, Sheikh Ahmad Badr-Eldeen Hassoun. In the evening, Mawlana Hazar Imam was guest of honour at a dinner hosted by the Prime Minister at the Palace of Nobles.

Tuesday, 26 August 2008

Mawlana Hazar Imam arrived at Salamieh in Syria. He visited the Mausoleum of his beloved father, Prince Aly Khan, to pay his respects. Thereafter, Mawlana Hazar Imam arrived at the fields of the Agricultural School of Salamieh, where the first of two Golden Jubilee Darbars in Syria was held.

Wednesday, 27 August 2008

Situated near Syria’s west coast, Al-Khawabi is a mountainous region with a history of Ismaili presence that goes back centuries. Thousands of the Imam’s murids and others travelled from across the region for this Darbar. Mawlana Hazar Imam was guest of honour at a dinner hosted by the Jamati Institutions of Syria. During the evening, a group of young children from the Jamat presented a dance set to an Arabic poem in praise of Hazar Imam. The leadership also presented a gift to

Mawlana Hazar Imam.

Thursday, 28 August 2008

Mawlana Hazar Imam met with the President of the Syrian Arab Republic, His Excellency Dr Bashar Al-Assad. Later, he visited the site being proposed for an Aga Khan Academy in Damascus, as well as the site of a future hotel that the AKDN’s Tourism Promotion Services plans to develop in Old Damascus. In Aleppo, Mawlana Hazar Imam and the Prime Minister attended a ceremony at the Aleppo Citadel to mark the completion of cultural revitalisation work on the citadels of Aleppo, Salah ad-Din and Masyaf,

which was carried out by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture in partnership with the Syrian Directorate General of Antiquities and Museums.

Friday, 29 August 2008

Mawlana Hazar Imam departed Syria from Aleppo airport in the early afternoon.

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Journey from 1987 – 1997

1987 – 1992:

Establishment of Aga Khan Unit for Housing and Urbanisation: In March 1987, Mawlana Hazar Imam established the Aga Khan Unit for Housing and Urbanisation with a gift of US $530,000 as an integral part of the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Visit to Portugal: In April 1987, Mawlana Hazar Imam visited Portugal and gave Deedar to the Portugal Jamat in Lisbon. Hazar Imam also visited the National School of Public Health and met the President Mario Soares, the Prime Minister Anibalkcavaco Silva and other Ministers.

Tenth Seminar of AKAA: Also in April 1987, the tenth International Seminar of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture entitled “Architectural Education in the Islamic World” was held in Granada, Spain. The seminar was opened by King Juan Carlos and held at the legendary Alhambra Palace.

Visit to Canada: In May 1987, Hazar Imam visited Canada and spoke at the Globe & Mail Dinner in Toronto. The following is an extract from the speech: “…Islam is not passive. It does not

admit that man’s spiritual needs should

be isolated from his material daily

activities. A Muslim must play an

active role in helping his family and the

brotherhood of believers. The object is

not to achieve status, wealth, and

power, but to contribute to society’s

overall development. This implies a

moral responsibility to help its weaker,

less fortunate members.”

MHI receives Honorary Doctorate of Law: On May 15, 1987, Hazar Imam was conferred with an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws (LLD) by the McMaster University at Hamilton Place in Hamilton, Ontario in recognition of his leadership in the advancement of health and education in the world. The following is an extract from Hazar Imam’s convocation address during the ceremony:

“…Islam does not perceive the world

as two separate domains of mind and

spirit, science and belief. Science and

the search for knowledge are an

expression of man’s designated role in

the universe, but they do not define that

role totally. Surely, there is no more

worthy area in which East and West

can work to bond these two aspects of

man’s understanding than the field of

health sciences”

Agreement between CIDA and AKU: Also in May 1987, the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) pledged $4.4 million to the McMaster-Aga Khan University nurse-training programme which was designed to enable Pakistani nurses and nursing teachers to attend the McMaster University to upgrade their skills.

Gold Medal for MHI: In July 1987, King Juan Carlos of Spain presented Hazar Imam with the Gold Medal for Architecture at a ceremony held at the Royal Palace in Madrid by the Higher Council of Spanish Architects.

Visit to Northern Areas of Pakistan: In November 1987, Hazar Imam made a six-day visit to Chitral and Gilgit districts in Northern Pakistan. During the visit, Hazar Imam laid the foundation of the Students’ Hostel at

Booni, Northern areas, Pakistan. At Gharamchashma, along a one-mile road leading from the pendal to the site of a lunch organised for Hazar Imam, the local Ismailis built 49 brightly decorated gates signifying the 49 Imams.

Later in November 1987, Hazar Imam opened the Aga Khan Academy at Karimabad, Hunza. In his speech, Hazar Imam mentioned the following:

“Education, it has been said, enables a

person to walk with confidence on

unfamiliar ground. What is this

Academy doing to prepare its young

women to walk with confidence in a

world of change?”

Foundation of AKTC: In the year 1988, the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) was founded and registered in Geneva, Switzerland with a purpose of improving the built environments in societies where Muslims have a significant presence. The Aga Khan Trust for Culture focuses on the physical, social, cultural and economic revitalisation of communities in the Muslim world.

Agreement between ODA and AKF: In May 1988, the Overseas Development Administration (ODA) signed an accord of cooperation with the Aga Khan Foundation at the Ismaili Centre, London. The ODA announced two grants for the welfare of the remote mountain peoples of Northern Pakistan and for the support in the establishment of nursing as a vital profession in the Third World.

Visit to Tanzania: In October 1988, Hazar Imam went on a tour of Tanzania. During the tour, he visited the Aga Khan Mzizima Secondary School in Dar es Salaam.

Eleventh Seminar of AKAA: On October 16, 1988, the Eleventh International Seminar of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture was organised in Zanzibar on the theme of “Architecture of Housing.” In the seminar, Hazar Imam mentioned the following (an extract):

“…The lack and deterioration of

human habitation as economies grow,

urbanisation accelerates and

Highlights:

• Visit to the Portugal Jamat • Visit to the Northern Areas of

Pakistan • Tenth International Seminar of

the AKAA in Granada, Spain. • Founding of the Aga Khan

Trust for Culture in Geneva, Switzerland

• The Eleventh International Seminar of the AKAA

• Visit to Gujarat Jamat in India • First graduation of the Aga

Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan

• The fourth ceremony of the AKAA in Cairo, Egypt.

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demographics explode, pose some of

the greatest practical and ethical

problems that developing countries

face.”

Another Honour for MHI: On October 26, 1988, Italy’s President Francesco Cossiga presented Mawlana Hazar Imam with the country’s highest honour, the Cavaliere del Lavoro, at a ceremony in Rome. The Order of the Cavaliere del Lavoro is presented to those who have made a major contribution to the country’s economy. Hazar Imam was the first Muslim to receive such an award.

Foundation of Nation Centre: In December 1988, Mawlana Hazar Imam founded the Nation Centre, a communication complex in Nairobi, Kenya.

On December 11, 1988, the IPS Kenya celebrated its Silver Jubilee at Nairobi Serena Hotel. Speaking on the concept of IPS, Hazar Imam said the following:

“…And the idea, that development

companies could commit substantial

quantities of equity to the developing

world, and demonstrate that equity

could be invested, be made productive,

could grow and establish sound long-

term enterprises, was, in 1963, a

difficult question for people to believe

in, and to sustain. I think today, that

decision has been demonstrated to

have been a sound and a correct one.”

Visit to India: In February 1989, Mawlana Hazar Imam visited the Gujarat Jamats in India. During the visit, Hazar Imam gave an interview to the All-India Radio and TV. The following is an extract from the interview:

“…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.

That is a major force and it is only

divisive if it is to turn into something

divisive. Otherwise, it is very powerful.

I am personally concerned about a loss

of cultural tradition and I would like to

see cultural traditions enhanced but it

does not have to be at the exclusion of

others. What it means is that a cultural

tradition is a human inheritance in a

given society. Let that be continued and

enhanced.”

During the visit, Hazar Imam met with the President and Prime Minister of India.

First Graduation Ceremony of the Faculty of Health Sciences School of Medicine at the AKU: In March 1989, the first graduation of the Faculty of Health Sciences School of Medicine at the Aga Khan University in Karachi took place. The ceremony was presided over by Hazar Imam as the Chancellor of the University. Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was a speaker at the Convocation. The following is an extract from the speech made by Mawlana Hazar Imam at the ceremony:

“…My great hope, offered with the

humility such a task demands, was that

this University might draw upon the

same spirit, the same strand of

conviction, that led my forebears to

found Al-Azhar a thousand years

earlier in the Fatimid Dynasty’s capital

of Cairo.

Could we not here in Pakistan, at the

heart of one of the great centres of the

Muslim Ummah, create a Muslim

University that would bring to life the

great traditions of innovation in the

natural sciences and medicine that

flourished in the early centuries of the

faith?”

Another Degree for MHI: In October 1989, Hazar Imam received an honorary degree of Doctorate of Literature in Education from the University of London. Her Royal Highness, Princess Anne, Chancellor of the University, conferred the degree during the Founders Day Convocation ceremony in which he was cited as “a

calm voice in troubled times, a world

leader, uniquely placed to bridge the

cultural differences dividing the East

and West.”

Fourth Ceremony of AKAA: On October 15, 1989, the fourth ceremony of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture was held at the Citadel of

Salah al-Din, and attended by Hazar Imam and the President and Mrs. Mubarak. The Master Jury selected the winning projects from 241 nominations. The prize of US $500,000, the world’s largest architectural prize, was presented by Mrs. Mubarak to be shared by the 11 winners. Speaking at the award ceremony, Mawlana Hazar Imam mentioned the following:

“…Now, in the shadow of the great

monuments of the Citadel, we can

reflect on some of the Award’s lessons

of the last 12 years. Three strong

“themes of concern” have emerged:

First, protection, restoration and skilful

re-use of the heritage of the past, at a

time when that heritage, the anchor of

our identity and a source of our

inspiration, is being threatened with

destruction, by war and environmental

degradation or by the inexorable

demographic and economic pressures

of exploding urban growth

Second, addressing the pressing needs

for social development and community

buildings in a Muslim world all too

beset by mass poverty.”

1993 – 1997:

Highlights:

• Humanitarian assistance to the Gorno-Badakhshan province of Tajikistan

• The inception of first Institutional Pamir Relief Development Project

• Visits to Pakistan twice • Speech at the Massachusetts

Institute of Technology • Visit to the UK, South Africa

and East Africa • Mulaqat with the Jamat of

Afghanistan in Islamabad • The 1st ever Mulaqat with the

Central Asian Jamats in Moscow

• Visit to Tajikistan and Deedars in Dushanbe and the Gorno-Badakhshan Region

• Foundation stone-laying ceremony of the Centro Ismaili-Lisbon, Portugal

• Speech at the inauguration of the Nation Press Building in Nairobi, Kenya

• A radio interview to the BBC

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Agreement between USDA and AKF, USA: In the year 1993, the Aga Khan Foundation (USA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) signed an agreement through which the USDA provided food aid to the Gorno-Badakshan province of Tajikistan which was left in virtual isolation during the civil war (1992-1998). The region was previously sustained via central subsidy and was cut off after the collapse of USSR and the civil war in the country. The AKF Programme literally saved the life of more than 230,000 people (including 70,000 refugees), most of whom were Ismailis lives.

Accord with the British Government: Also in the year 1993, Mawlana Hazar Imam signed an accord with the Bangladesh Government. The Accord recognised the Aga Khan Development Network’s many contributions to development in Bangladesh and embodied the Government’s agreement to facilitate future optimum utilisation of human and financial resources to accelerate socio-economic and cultural development in Bangladesh.

Visit to Pakistan: In February 1993, Hazar Imam visited Pakistan to attend meetings at the Aga Khan University. Hazar Imam was greeted at the Islamabad Airport by President Ghulam Ishaq Khan and stayed at the Aiwan-e-Sadr, the official residence of the President.

Commencement of PRDP: In March 1993, the first Imamat development project, the Pamir Relief Development Project (PRDP) commenced in Tajikistan. The PRDP was the first NGO in Tajikistan and was set up by Mawlana Hazar Imam to aid the distribution of humanitarian food assistance throughout the Gorno-Badakhshan Region. The programme was set up with the request of the regional government.

Keynote Address to the World Congress of Architects: On June 18, 1993, Hazar Imam delivered a keynote address to the World Congress of Architects in Chicago at McCormick Place,

sponsored by the International Union of Architects and the American Institute of Architects. In his address, Hazar Imam said the following (an excerpt):

“…God has entrusted His world to the

living in order that they may improve it

from generation to generation.”

Lecture at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies: In October 1993, Hazar Imam attended a lecture given by the Prince of Wales at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies at the Sheldonian Theatre in Oxford, England. The Prince in his lecture said the following:

“…If there is much misunderstanding

in the West about the nature of Islam,

there is also much ignorance about the

debt our own culture and civilisation

we owe to the Islamic world. Islam is

part of our past and present, in all

fields of human endeavour. It is part of

our own heritage, not a thing apart. At

the heart of Islam is its preservation of

an integral view of the universe. Islam

refuses to separate man and nature,

religion and science, mind and matter,

and has preserved a metaphysical and

unified view of ourselves and the world

around us.”

Honorary Degree for MHI: In November 1993, Hazar Imam was conferred with an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws (LLD) from the University of Wales by the Chancellor of the University, the Prince of Wales. Hazar Imam was cited for his patronage of education and academic research throughout the world.

Agreement between AKU and Sudbury Memorial Hospital: During the year 1994, the Aga Khan University signed an agreement with the Sudbury Memorial Hospital, Sudbury, Ontario, that ensured the assistance of Sudbury’s medical staff in training their counterparts at the AKU in Karachi, Pakistan.

MHI at MIT: On May 27, 1994, Mawlana Hazar Imam attended the Baccalaureate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston and delivered the keynote address. The following is an extract from the address:

“…While …shocks reverberate from

the ex-Communist bloc, profound

changes of a very different character

are to be found in the Islamic world.

Here the changes are in both

perception and reality, and both of

them are works in progress, too. The

Islamic world is remarkably poorly

understood by the West - almost terra

incognita. Even now, one sees

pervasive images in the West that

caricature Muslims as either oil

sheikhs or unruly fundamentalists. The

Islamic world is in fact a rich and

changing tapestry, which the West

would do well to understand. The

economic power of the Islamic world is

increasing, not so much because of

Middle Eastern oil but because of the

rapid growth of newly industrialising

countries like Malaysia and Indonesia.

Its population is increasing, and

already represents nearly one-quarter

of the world’s total. It is remarkably

diverse - ethnically, economically,

politically and in its interpretations of

its own faith. The Muslim world no

longer can be thought of as a subset of

the developing world. Islam is well

represented in the United States,

Canada, the United Kingdom and

Western Europe-and that presence is

growing.”

Grant to AKF, UK: In July 1994, the European Commission announced the largest ever grant to a non-governmental organisation committing US $15.7 million for an eight-year programme in Gujarat, India through the Aga Khan Foundation, United Kingdom.

Visit to London: In August, Hazar Imam paid a ten-day visit to London, England. The first Deedar on August 5th and a Darbar on the 14th took place at the Earls Court Centre. Hazar Imam spoke at the outreach dinner held at the Ismaili Centre and gave a speech at the Institutional dinner at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London. The following is an extract from the speech of Hazar Imam at the Institutional Dinner:

“…I have been concerned about the

way our institutions anticipate change.

I have mentioned many times to you

recently, the issue of the meritocratic

environment in which today, much

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more in the future, your children will be living. Meritocracy does not apply

only to the individual. Meritocracy

applies to institutions, to countries.”

SIDP: In October 1994, the Canadian Foreign Minister Andre Ouellet signed a $25 million Social Institution Development Program (SIDP) for Pakistan with the Aga Khan Foundation Canada.

Visit to Pakistan: In November 1994, Mawlana Hazar Imam visited the AKDN institutions in Pakistan. Hazar Imam also gave a Mulaqat to the Jamat of Afghanistan in Islamabad.

On November 15, 1994, Hazar Imam attended a Donors’ and Volunteers’ reception and spoke on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Aga Khan University in Karachi.

On November 18, 1994, Hazar Imam attended the inauguration of the first Professional Development Centre of the Aga Khan University’s Institute for Educational Development.

On November 19, 1994, Mawlana Hazar Imam attended the Convocation ceremonies of the Aga Khan University where 10,000 guests were present. Hazar Imam, Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and the keynote speaker from the McMaster University, President Dr. Geraldine Kenney-Wallace, each addressed the gathering.

MHI Interview: In December 1994, a French magazine published an interview of Hazar Imam which was later also published in English by the “Hello” magazine under the title “The Imam with a Golden Heart.” The following is an extract from the interview:

“…my mission as Imam encompasses

theology, the social sectors, economics,

culture and even the environment.

Philanthropy is no more significant

now than it was in the time of my

grandfather. We do not content

ourselves only in giving, but we also try

to teach local populations to provide

for their own needs.”

Visit to Moscow: In January 1995, Mawlana Hazar Imam visited Moscow as a guest of the Russian Government and met with

Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin. Hazar Imam held meetings with officials at the highest levels of federal and local governments of Russia and visited both houses of the Russian Parliament, the Federation Council and the State Duma. Hazar Imam also met with senior diplomats, religious leaders, academicians and representatives of the Russian and international press.

During this visit, apart from meeting the Prime Minister, Mawlana Hazar Imam also had separate meetings with Foreign Minister Andrei Kozyrev, National Security Advisor to the President, Yuri Baturin, Secretary of the National Security Council, Oleg Lobov, the Speaker of Federation Council, Vladinir Shumeyko and the Mayor of Moscow, Yuri Luzhkov.

On January 29, 1995, Hazar Imam had the first ever Mulaqat with the Jamats of Central Asia at Moscow’s Olimpiski Stadium.

Address to UNESCO: In March 1995, Hazar Imam was invited to address the full session of the Executive Board of UNESCO at its headquarters in Paris. Hazar Imam was described as a “leader of leaders” and introduced as the 49th Imam and as a direct descendant of the Prophet Mohammad. In his speech, Hazar Imam mentioned the following:

“…Private entrepreneurial thinking

and good management are becoming

the driving forces behind economic

development in the Third World.”

Visit to Tajikistan: In May 1995, Mawlana Hazar Imam visited Tajikistan. The Jamat in Tajikistan was granted the first ever Zaheri Deedar of the Imam in centuries at the Dushanbe Soccer Stadium on May 24. Following this, Mawlana Hazar Imam gave Deedar to the Gorno-Badakhshan Jamat in six places that included Porshinev and Sijd (Shugnan District), Vomar (Rushan District), centre of Ishkashim (Ishkashim District), centre of Murghab (Murghab District) and Yoged (Darvaz District).

Session of AKAA: In November 1995, the Aga Khan Award for Architecture held in Solo,

Indonesia. As State Guests, Hazar Imam and Princess Zahra were received by President Suharto at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta where they witnessed the official signing by the President of the commemorative postage stamps issued by Indonesia on the occasion of the award ceremony. Twelve winners of the 1995 Aga Khan Award for Architecture were announced.

MHI Magazine Interview: In December 1995, the French magazine “Paris Match” published an interview by Hazar Imam. The following is an extract from the interview:

“…There is need for a realization: the

Muslim world is more vast than the

Arab world. Islam, certainly born in

Arabia, has since spread into a large

majority of non-Arab populations. That

is why it is no doubt advisable today to

look first toward Asia, that is to say,

principally towards Indonesia,

Malaysia, Brunei - where more than

85% of the inhabitants are Muslim.

Because of their political stability and

their increasing economic stability, one

can be certain that the future of the

Islamic world will be determined as

much by these nations as by the Arab

world. In Central Asia, countries like

Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan

are concealing equally enormous

riches, and their weight will be felt as

soon as they find their political balance

and develop their resources. Others in

the Middle East, like Jordan, which no

doubt finds inspiration in the example

of Singapore, whose financial power

outsizes its physical area, are trying to

become centres of human,

technological, scientific and cultural

resources. In the Gulf countries, in

spite of enormous natural resources

and a balanced demography, they are

enfeebled by the fact that their riches

depend increasingly and significantly

on oil. Conscious of this, some of these

countries like the United Arab

Emirates are attempting to

methodically diversify their economy in

an attempt to shelter themselves from

oil [price] fluctuations.”

Convocation Address by MHI: In the year 1996, in May, at Brown University Mawlana Hazar Imam gave

Mowlana Hazar Imam’s Initiative

- 10 -

a convocation address to the Baccalaureate in Providence, Rhode Island. Hazar Imam mentioned the following in his address (extract):

“The myth that Islam is responsible for

all the wrongdoing for certain Muslims

may well stem from the truism that for

all Muslims the concepts of Din and

Dunya, Faith and World, are

inextricably linked more so than in any

other monotheistic religion of the

world. The corollary is that in a perfect

world, all political and social action on

the part of Muslims would always be

pursued within the ethical framework

of the Faith. But this is not yet a perfect

world. The West, nonetheless, must no

longer confuse the link in Islam,

between spiritual and temporal, with

that between state and church.”

Visit to Hunza: In September 1996, Hazar Imam visited Hunza and gave Deedar to the Jamat in Alyabad, Gilgit and Karimabad. At Karimabad, Hazar Imam opened the restored Baltit Fort. The restoration was done by the Historic City Support Programme, a programme of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture.

At the opening of the Baltit Fort, Mawlana Hazar Imam said (extracts):

“We live in a fast changing world. And

the nature of change today is different

from what it ever has been. It is

different because it is taking place at

an exponentially accelerating pace. It

is different also in that, for the first

time in history, the change is global in

scale and impact, reaching even the

most remote areas and populations of

our planet. Today's world is a shifting

environment in which everybody must

adapt much faster in order to learn to

manage the external forces of change,

and ultimately mould them around

specific values and traditions.

Paradoxically, it is the most isolated,

best preserved and least changed

individuals, communities, and places

that are most vulnerable to the

tendency of so-called progress to erase

tradition, local identity and values. For

these are the places most surprised by

sudden economic liberalization,

commercialization, industrialization,

by the globalization of travel,

enterprise and service industries, and

by growing communication

technologies.”

“People are on the move as never

before. And necessarily, with change

and movement come problems, and

even the threat of chaos. Prevention of

these crises should be at the top of our

agenda. The needs of the world's

populations for shelter, health, and

sustenance are immense. No

government, no international

organisation and no corporation has

the power to meet all those needs on its

own. The lessons of the development

effort of the last forty years also show

that even when working together,

governments, international

organisations and corporations have

not been able to create conditions in

which most, if not all, of the world's

population is able to live in dignity.”

Later in his speech, he said:

“Culture takes many forms and is

expressed in many ways. The three-

dimensional, physical aspect of a

particular cultural context is

architecture. Maintaining cultural

identity and tradition in the physical

environment is a central and integral

part of preserving the identity of a

place or a community, and it is the

physical environment that is most

directly affected by rapid change.”

Hadrian Award for MHI: On October 25, 1996, Hazar Imam received the Prestigious Hadrian Award from the World Monument Fund at the Plaza Hotel, in New York.

Meeting to settle the inter-Tajik conflict: On November 10, 1996, Mawlana Hazar Imam met with the leader of the Movement for the National Revival of Tajikistan, the ex-prime minister of Tajikistan Abdumalik Abdullajanov, in Moscow, in an effort to settle the inter-Tajik conflict.

MHI at the AKU Convocation: On November 21, 1996, Hazar Imam visited Pakistan for Convocation at the Aga Khan University in Karachi.

Key to the City of Lisbon: On December 17, 1996, Mawlana Hazar Imam received the Key to the City of Lisbon and made a speech.

Foundation Ceremony of Centro Ismaili Portugal: On December 18, 1996, Mawlana Hazar Imam attended the foundation ceremony of the first purpose-built Jamatkhana, the Centro Ismaili in Lisbon, Portugal. At the foundation stone laying, Mawlana Hazar Imam said the following in his speech (an extract):

“…Dedicated to the preservation of

spiritual values, the promotion of

social development, and the

enhancement of intellectual discovery,

the Centro Ismaili will seek to

contribute to the enjoyment, by citizens

of Lisbon and visitors alike, of spaces

and buildings whose inspiration will

aim to empathise as well as expand our

cultural horizons.”

“…This Centre in Lisbon, like its

predecessors in the West, will strive to

be not only a place of gathering for

prayer, but a space for articulation of

thought and positive impact on the

wider community. If it is successful in

achieving these goals after its opening,

it hopes to have a significant influence

on a large number of Portuguese

opinion makers in various walks of life,

who will through one initiative or

another of this Centre positively

recognise both the Centre itself and the

Ismaili community and the world of

Islam of which we are part. And it is

for these reasons that this site and the

buildings that will come up, upon it will

be the fruit of contributions not only of

Ismailis of Portugal but also of many

other countries.”

Visit to East Africa: In March 1997, Mawlana Hazar Imam began his tour of East Africa and visited Kampala, Nairobi, Dar-es-Salaam and Zanzibar.

On March 10, 1997, Hazar Imam held talks with President Museveni in Kampala.

On March 12, 1997, Mawlana Hazar Imam spoke at the inaugurated Nation Press Building in Nairobi, Kenya. In his speech, he mentioned the following (an extract):

“Some say that the developing world in

general and Africa in particular, may

be left behind by this revolution in

communications technology. But I

Mowlana Hazar Imam’s Initiative

- 11 -

would argue just the reverse. It seems

to me that societies which have

invested less in old technologies have

the potential to propel themselves even

more quickly into new technologies,

provided they have the commitment

and resources to do so.”

On March 13, 1997, Mawlana Hazar Imam arrived in Tanzania for a three-day visit.

On March 15, 1997, Mawlana Hazar Imam inaugurated the Serena Inn in Zanzibar.

MHI in London On July 10, 1997, Hazar Imam attended, with Prince Charles, a Gala Dinner at the Royal Albert Hall in London, UK, organised by the Asia House to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of independence of India and Pakistan.

MHI Radio Intreview On July 17, 1997, Mawlana Hazar Imam gave a radio interview to the BBC programme Outlook. The following is are extracts from the interview:

“I think the message of Islam, is the

dignity with which we must treat

women in society. Now, the notion of

how that happens in practice is very

much a question of interpretation. But

the basic premise is the dignity and

equality of women in society. And that

goes right through the revelation of

Islam, it goes to the tradition and the

life of the Prophet, and the Prophet’s

wife, Khadija, was a woman who

participated actively in daily life.”

“…one of the things that characterises

Islamic societies, has been their ability

traditionally to express themselves in

the physical environment in a unique

manner. That tradition was being lost,

then it was my concern to try to

encourage that aspect of Islamic

identity to be revived… I am

concentrating on trying to encourage

Islamic societies to create, in their own

traditions, but to create new.”

Source:

IIS Resource Material

Aga Khan Development Network and Government of Syria Sign

Agreements to Foster Social and Cultural Development The Syrian Government and the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) signed three landmark agreements designed to strengthen collaboration in the areas of microfinance, healthcare, and cultural tourism. Syria’s Prime Minister, His Excellency Mohamed Naji Al-Otri and His Highness the Aga Khan, Imam (spiritual Leader) and founder and Chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network attended the signing ceremony at the Prime Minister’s office in Syria’s capital, Damascus. In the area of microfinance, the Governor of the Central Bank of Syria, Dr Adeeb Mayaleh and the Chief Executive Officer of the First Microfinance Institution (FMFI), Mr Jean Lorenz Ehrentrant signed an agreement recognising the FMFI as the first microfinance institution to operate in the country. The agreement follows several years of experience in the area of microfinance. Since 2003, approximately 45,000 loans have been disbursed, amounting to nearly two billion Syrian Pounds (US$ 40 million), generating and developing over 35,000 new and existing business opportunities. FMFI will operate as a traditional banking institution, while remaining focused on poverty alleviation and sustainable economic development in accordance with the mandate of the Aga Khan Agency for Microfinance (AKAM). A second agreement was signed to further develop the healthcare sector in the country. The Memorandum of Understanding, signed by Dr. Maher Al-Housami, Syria’s Minister of Health, Dr. Ghiath Barakat, Syria’s Minister of Higher Education and Mr. Firoz Rasul, President of Aga Khan University, provides a framework for cooperation in nursing education and hospital quality assurance. The third agreement, signed by the Governor of Damascus and Mr Mahmud Janmohamed, Managing Director of Tourism Promotion Services, an agency of the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED), announces the investment of approximately $20 million towards the building of a 5-star hotel that will involve the restoration and adaptation of three houses in Old Damascus, namely Beit Nizam, Beit Sibai and Beit Kuwatli as well as an adjacent school. The restoration project will also generate employment and train local communities in the development of various skills. Speaking at the signing ceremony, His Excellency the Prime Minister, Eng Mohammed Naji Otri praised the work of the AKDN in Syria, highlighting its exemplary role in the field of restoration of historic buildings and the revival of Muslim civilisations. Expressing his gratitude towards the partnership between the government of Syria and the AKDN, the Prime Minister said: “These agreements come as part of both the government’s and AKDN’s approach to support social, cultural and economic development in Syria.” The Aga Khan thanked the Prime Minister and the Syrian Government for the warm welcome accorded to him on the occasion of his Golden Jubilee visit. “The Aga Khan Development Network is only effective when there is an open, frank and sincere dialogue with the decision makers in every country where we work- and you have provided that open, thoughtful dialogue for us,” he said. “The AKDN operates in a number of different fields and does so because these areas over the years have appeared to us as critical areas for development processes in various parts of the world. The signing ceremonies we see today are an example of how these multiple partnerships come into existence,” he said. “Institutions that teach best practices, measured in global terms, are critical for any country in the world, however well developed it is,” he added. The Aga Khan will travel to Aleppo on Thursday to inaugurate the Aleppo Citadel Project, marking the completion of the cultural revitalisation work on the Citadels of Aleppo, Salah ad-Din and Masyaf, carried out by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) in partnership with the Syrian Directorate General of Antiquities and Museums. An agreement will also be signed for the development of a 5-star hotel in Aleppo.(Website: www.akdn.org/syria)

Civil Society

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The ’Good’ Society:

An Ethical Perspective

May 4, 2001

Historically in Islam, ethical perspectives have found expression legally as obligations, or culturally and intellectually as expression of personal, social as well as environmental commitment. Like other religious traditions, and particularly Christianity and Judaism, Islam in answering the question “What ought or ought not to be done?” thus had a clearly defined sense of the sources and tool for understanding moral authority. The Quran articulates an expression of institutional living, through a ‘mediating community’ (2:143). Such an ideal of the ‘Good’ society conceived of individuals as moral agents, shaping society with an ethical underpinning inspired by a sense that such a society would not only serve its own members but also future generations. The Quran says: ‘O humankind, we have created you from male and female and made you into peoples and groups, so that you may come to know each other. Surely, the most noblest of you in the eyes of God are the most ethically committed.’(49:13) Like the Muslims of the past, there is a need to remain open to the possibilities and challenges of new ethical and moral discoveries. These trends are not necessarily exclusive to America or Europe, as these societies face erosion of the cultural capital that has been the glue to their community life. Muslim societies, like others, need to be increasingly concerned about community and the traditions of 1400 years of institution-building and moral capacity that has inherent lessons in it- for enabling both continuity and revitalization of the cultural and social values that might inspire more sustainable civil communities.

What is Modern

Civil Society?

“Diverse non-governmental institutions strong enough to counter-balance the state and – while not preventing the state from fulfilling its role of keeper of

the peace and arbitrator between major interests – can prevent it from dominating and atomizing the rest of society.”

Ernest Gellner, Condition of Liberty:

Civil Society and Its Rivals (1994)

Historical Roots of

Civic Culture

Civilizational Legacies

� Charter of Medina, 622 CE: inclusive community of Muslims, Christians & Jews – formal protection of Muhammad & shura.

� Concept of Umma unfolds in socio-political practice of solidarity with social justices, custodianship (awqaf, zakat khilafat ‘Allah) – inspired by Qur’anic verses, Hadith

THE ISLAMIC ETHOS AND THE

SPIRIT OF HUMANISM

(AMYN B. SAJOO)

This extract addresses some salient features of socio-political pluralism in the context of Islam’s humanistic legacy, a nexus that merits and is gradually receiving closer study. Muslims once defined modernity by their accomplishments in the social and physical sciences, the challenge is not about returning to a halcyon past, but about revitalizing norms and values that ought to undergird civil society. Diversity in the seventh century Arabia is richly mirrored in the verses of that revelation which stressed its continuity rather than exclusivity, “every community has a direction to which it should turn” , mankind was made “into nations and tribes, that you may know each other” – for “if God had pleased He would made you a single people”. The Shari’ah was itself constructed by jurists in assorted locales beginning around 750 A.D. over a century after the demise of Prophet. Among Muslims, this varied and innovative corpus of law centered upon four major schools named after their founders- Hanbali, Hanafi, Maliki and Shafi. Among shii Muslims the Jafari School

emerged as dominant by the 8th century, and Ijtihad (human reasoning) in general matters was entrusted to the imam, who combined spiritual and temporal authority. Imam often engaged the services of jurists like the preeminent Qazi Nauman in undertaking major codifications of Shi’i law. For shi’a and Sunni alike, the new jurisprudence was a legacy of the Revelation in a historical setting, imbued with a sense of practical. Its quintessential values were social justice and the collective welfare of the community, which became critique of the Muslim polity despite the individual’s relatively subordinate position therein. Coinciding as it did with Islam’s rapid expansion across middle and Near East at the time, this approach to law fostered an effective sense of community tile acknowledging the distinctive identity of its components. Further, the diversity of legal schools, techniques and rules within the tradition paralleled the situation of non-Muslim communities who came under the Islamic domain Prevailing norms in the Arabia Peninsula at the time of Prophet Mohammed did not have room for ethno-cultural equality, rights for women and conversation upon his migration to Medina after a decade of Meccan persecution, Prophet drew up around 62 A.D. a civil code widely referred to as the constitution of Madina under it, thus all the cities communities – including Jews – were confirmed equal rights and obligations under the law the ideals of what was the first Islamic state were a piece with the new ethos. After the constitution of Medina, its ethos was to survive a new test in distant span. There emerged what has been described as a society of true religion and one bedroom when Mohammadans, Christians and Jews shared the same brilliant civilization, an intermingling that affected the blood ties even more than religious affiliation, Bridging scriptural respect for other religious persuasions and political tolerance toward ethno-cultural minorities was on thing in Arab, but another in the newly acquired territories beyond. New bodies of

Civil Society

- 13 -

culture and knowledge were imbibed and peoples integtated (whether or not as Muslims) into a broad civilization framework. This contagious of inclusiveness and synthesis straddled ethno-cultural frontiers, is axiomatic in its scope. It was to encompass the Fatimids in Egypt whose eroticism ranged from arts and theology to political opportunities; the Ottomans, with their innovative millet system of managing diversity through autonomy; and the Mughals in India where the Count of Akbar took religious tolerance and dialogue to Manichean lengths. In the Fatimid’s Sunnis as well as Shiits were in social harmony. Some seven centuries after Fatimid Egypt; a reform lobey in the Ottoman bureaucracy used European pressure and military conflicts with Egypt and Russia to promote decrees spending civil freedom and protection of minorities in the Ottoman territories. In 1856 decree of the Sultan, Israhat Farmani sought to expand religious freedom and civic participation for his Christian and non-Muslim citizens in accord with the progress of civilization and the age; in exchange the European powers undertook by the 1856 Treaty of Paris not to interfere on the behalf of the empires minority subjects. The Ottoman Empire with its millet system has evolved not only an elaborate scheme of protection for its Christian and Jewish community who paid a poll tax (jizya) but also engaged a host of minority groups in govt; commerce and cultural life by the 16th century region of Suleiman. In the debate attending the adoption of the universal Declaration of human rights by the UN in 1948, Pakistan saw no inconsistency between a commitment to Human Rights or to the spirit of Islamic norms; especially in the matter of religious freedom, modernist Muslims reformers in Pakistan have shown tarkens over democracy and social justice to the rights of minorities and equality of women. A central theme has been the continued dichotomy between modernist and Islam of which the Shariah has become the contemporary apotheosis. Thirteen centuries after the constitution of Madina freedom of worship is

denied in Saudi Arab for Christian, Jews and even Shii Muslims on Shariah grounds, with severe penalties for violators. Even mainstream Muslims are subject to the narrow parameters of tolerance as in the entire of apostasy (and the cognates are of blasphemy) punishable under such lanets. In the quest to effectively incorporate human rights norms, cotemporary responses have sought to build or rather then yield the Islamic platform; aware that cultural legitimacy is a prerequisite for success and welcoming outside support respectful of that legitimacy. Amid widening fundamentalists’ calls for a more punctilious observance of the Shariah and the establishment of the orthodox polities, the reform movement still enjoys a unique advantage. As Ernest Crellner puts it “Only Islam survives as a serious faith pervading both a folk and a great tradition. Its great tradition is modernizing and the operation can be presented as the continuation and the completion of an old dialogue within Islamic. Only in Islam purification/ modernization on the one land, and the reaffirmation of a putative old local identity on the other can be done in one and the same language and set of symbols. For most reformers through Islam constitute more than a strategic platform. It also a compass that suggests the proper course and hence the limits of change at any given point. A profound issue of Muslims reformers is the nexus between church and state, whose separation is generally perceived as a constituting to a full realization of human rights. Ummah and state today are not the unitary entities of classical times, nor could they be in a complex world of nation states ( with which early political Islam had come to terms, as noted) but there clearly remains an overlaps between the two that fore states judicial and legislative autonomy needed with full public participation and official accountability the evolution of a proper distance between Ummah and state are that balances modernists demands and societal senates while mindful of the rights of non-Muslim minorities could well become the critical test for successful pluralism. Mainstream western discourse has looked to secularism and pragmatism

as prime correlates of pluralism and civil society with culture and religion as salient counter- weights. In common with the pluralist challenge world wide, amidst plethora of micro-nationalism and ethno-cultural involutions, Muslim societies must squarely face the task of synthesizing traditional ethical values with contemporary human rights norms.

"Islamic Ethos and the spirit of Humanism"

in International Journal of Politics, culture

and society, Vol. 8, No. 4, 1995.

(Pages 579-596).

www.kap.nl/journalh ome.htm/0891- 4486

THE STATE, THE

INDIVIDUAL AND HUMAN

RIGHTS: A CONTEMPORARY

VIEW OF MUSLIMS IN A

GLOBAL CONTEXT

(MOHAMMED ARKOUN)

The state individual and human rights are three major concepts that have been the subject of constant debate, discussion and conflict since 17th century. Transformation in the realm of constitutional and legal change has since affected virtually every part of the world. The emergence of modern nation-state after WWI has resulted in contriving confusion and crisis in the developing world including Muslim countries as they have struggled to improvise new constitution, and institute of governance, legal codes and administrative mechanism without necessarily basing the on any indigenous established tradition of governance from which they could draw principles or legitimizing values. Muslims nation-states face immediate and over whelming problems or organization and development after decades of colonial rule. In the pursuit of civil orders and national identity they borrowed fragments of modern political philosophy, adopted elements of various European legal codes and imposed military rule among some of these newly emerging societies identifying themselves as belonging to the Islamic tradition there has developed an ideological attitude that resist westoxication was believed to have poisoned their development has been to project from the time of prophet to today, the notions. Concepts,

Civil Society

- 14 -

institutions and ideas that relate to human rights, democracy the concept of individual, civil society, citizenship, the emancipation of women and so on. All these values are presented as being already present in the Quran and in the society founded by Prophet Mohammed in Medina and Mecca. According to this view, the west negated this historical authenticity and has gone astray through secularization. The task of every Muslim, in view of same Muslims, therefore is to re-activate and revive the authentic legacy of Islam and to eradicate all influences to the contrary from Muslim societies. The quranic term Al Haqq (truth right) applies to God himself as well as to absolute transcendent truth. By respecting these truths one puts oneself in the rights recognizing God as true reality and benefits from the rights that follow from it. This background is given firs to understand the apologetic tendency to show that Islam as a religion is open to the proclamation and defense of human rights , but also that the Quran, the word of God, articulated the concept of such rights. Islamic thoughts has always included a discourse on the rights of God and the rights of person (Huquq Allah/ Huquq Adam), with the former having primacy and priority over latter. This is why traditional thought obliges each believer to practice the traditional pillars of Muslim faith. It is through obedience that the faithful internalize the notion of the rights of God. Summoned to obey in this way, all creatures find themselves constrained to respect the social and political conditions for fulfilling this relationship between divine right and personal right. In other words the respect of human rights is an aspect of, and a basic condition for respecting the rights of God. However, while the rights thus defined within fundamental covenant between creature and creator affect the Muslim umma, a community, first they are, however, potentially applicable to all human beings are called upon to be part of the relationship between Allah and humankind. Many Muslims today feel the sense of resignation in the face of various alternatives where states seem to be lacking legitimacy, both from the point

of view of an ideolised Muslim theory of state or from that based on the political values of democracy. The ottoman state for example in the past is crucial in evaluating the interaction between political power and religious authority at the time the modern stet and secularized order were emerging in Europe. The commonly repeated theory that Islam confuses religion and politics is not well founded since, as in ottoman times, there was always a close working relationship between the state and the Muslim scholars. From 1945 -1970, religion was controlled by the state which favored a secularist trend. During 1970’s, islamist attitudes became more prevalent in direct reaction to state policies, attempting to devise an overall language and program of political control of religion, as well as all aspects of social, economical and cultural life. There is a need for a series of policy commitments and steps and use of resources that can enlarge the possibility for a new and peaceful contract between state and religion in Muslim contexts. There is also a need for effective leaders of movements in place or on the horizon that inspire confidence in their ability to deliver a strong message mobilizing a commitment to build bridges between rich and poor societies. Millions of Muslims wait for an imagined future in which mythologist past is invoked as authentic unchangeable and divine norms and values. Social sciences have been unable so far to provide a relevant analysis and interpretation of all its dimensions. This is why we cannot predict in which direction the quest for the rule of law, the definition of the individual-citizen-person, and human rights will lead in the next few years. The evolution of an effective process necessitates the elaboration of common international values to combat the rise of national and ethically driven conflicts that might destroy nod delay the opportunities the required culture of human rights.

“The State, the Individual, and Human

Rights: A Contemporary View of Muslims

in Global Context". Extracted from

www.iis.c.uk/ learning/ life_long_ learning/

global_context/ global_context1. htm

“The Peterson Lecture" by H.H. the

Aga Khan to the Annual Meeting of

the International Baccalaureate,

marking its 40th Anniversary

(Atlanta, USA)

What is the eventual place and purpose of the IB in developing societies - and in a Muslim context? What can those worlds contribute to the IB community? And how can institutions which are rooted in different cultural traditions best work together to bridge worlds that have too often been widely separated? As a point of departure in addressing these questions, I would turn to those words from my Grandfather which were quoted in two earlier Peterson Lectures. He included them in a speech he gave as President of the League of Nations in Geneva some 70 years ago. They come originally from the Persian poet, Sadi, who wrote: “The children of Adam, created of the self-same clay, are members of one body. When one member suffers, all members suffer, likewise. O Thou, who art indifferent to the suffering of the fellow, thou art unworthy to be called a man.” I would also like to quote an infinitely more powerful statement about the unity of mankind, because it comes directly from the Holy Quran, and which I would ask you to think about. The Holy Quran addresses itself not only to Muslims, but to the entirety of the human race, when it says: “O mankind! Be careful of your duty to your Lord Who created you from one single soul and from it created its mate and from them twain hath spread abroad a multitude of men and women.” The IB community has thought long and hard about what it means for students to become powerfully aware of a wider world - and to deal effectively with both its bewildering diversity and its increasing interdependence. The IB program has wrestled vigorously with one of the basic conundrums of the age - how to take account of two quite different challenges With regard to the issue of ethics, we see competent civil society as a major contributor to development, particularly where democracies are

Civil Society

- 15 -

weak, or where governments have become dysfunctional. We are therefore concerned with the quality of ethics in all components of civil society, and reject the notion that the absence of corruption or fraud in government is anywhere near sufficient, to ensure to every individual a rigorous and clean enabling environment. Fraud in medicine, fraud in education, fraud in financial services, fraud in property rights, fraud in the exercise of law enforcement or in the courts, are risks which have a dramatic effect on peoples’ development. This is especially true in rural environments where the majority of the peoples of the developing world live, but where fraud is often neither reported nor corrected, but simply accepted as an inevitable condition of life I admire the IB organization's desire to take on the cultural challenges of our time, to move into parts of the world and areas of society where it has been less active in the past. But we all should be clear, as we embark on such projects, that the people with whom we will be dealing will present different challenges than before. As we choose our targets of opportunity, we should examine the environments and consider carefully the changes which can make these programs most relevant to the future.

Concepts of

“Civil Society” and “Public Sphere”

Dr. Trần Hữu Quang

09/03/2007

The concept of “Civil Society” has two specific meanings, one dates back to 18th century with Scottish Enlightenment theory, especially with Adam Ferguson, and another one in the 19th century in Germany with George Hegel • Adam Ferguson (1723-1816):

considered “Civil Society” as a state of civility and as a consequence of civilization. A civil society is a civilized society with a non-despotic state and polished manners, in contrast to a rude, barbaric society with a despotic state (An Essay on the

History of Civil Society, 1767).

• George W. F. Hegel (1770-1831): “Civil Society” = an intermediate institution between the family and the political relations of the state (The Philosophy of History, 1837). Civil society is not formed by contract, but is the sphere of contract, i.e. of free association between individuals. Civil society is one aspect (or phase, or “moment”) of the political order, another aspect of which is the state.

• Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels: there is a basic dichotomy between “Civil Society” (the ensemble of socio-economic relations and forces of production) and the state (the superstructural manifestation of class relations inside civil society). “Civil society is the true source and theatre of all history”(The German Ideology, 1845) that means, the explanation of political events, legal changes and cultural development is to be sought in the development of the structure of civil society. According to Marx, “Civil Society” is a new form of social life under capitalism, to be distinguished from the medieval world in which social relations were shaped primarily by family ties and the political bonds of feudalism and the craft guild.

• Antonio Gramsci (1891-1937): distinguishes between “Civil Society” and “Political Society” (i.e. the state). The “Civil Society” lies between the coercive relations of the state and the economic sphere of production, i.e. that area of social life which appears as the realm of the private citizen and individual consent. In capitalist countries, the institutions of the “Civil Society” are: the churches, the family, schools, mass media and even trade unions. These “Ideological Apparatuses” secured the consent or agreement (consensus) of the dominated classes under the domination of the capitalist class, besides economic domination and the political domination (Selections from the

Prison Notebooks, 1971). Therefore, “Civil Society” is the

bastion of class hegemony, and ultimately supportive of the state.

• The “Civil Society” is “defined as the set of intermediate associations which are neither the state nor the (extended) family; civil society therefore includes voluntary associations and firms and over corporate bodies” (Iain McLean, ed., Concise Dictionary of Politics, Oxford Univ. Press, 1996).

• The concept “Civil Society” refers to public life rather than private or household-based activities, and normally refers to socio-economic life as distinct from the state.

• “The key aspect [of civil society] is the existence of an intermediate ‘zone’ between private life and the state, where independent voluntary collective associations and organizations can operate feely. A precondition for this is freedom of association and expression, including the necessary means, amongst which the media are very important. Free media can thus be regarded as an institution of civil society.” (Denis McQuail, McQuail’s Mass Communication

Theory, 4th edition, London, Sage Publications, 2002, p. 492)

• Public Sphere: According to Jürgen Habermas, the “Public Sphere” (or “Publicity”, in German: “Öffentlichkeit”) is a space in which anyone can participate without external pressure. It is a forum for “rational-critical debate” among people. Therefore the use of the public opinion, and thus this a sphere is also a necessary condition for a democracy. The “Public Sphere” didn’t exist yet in the Middle Ages, but appears only in capitalist societies, comprising newspaper, associations, clubs, cafeteria, etc. (Jürgen Habermas, The Structural Transformation of

the Public Sphere, 1962; The

Philosophical Discourse on

Modernity) • Public Sphere: “The conceptual

‘space’ that exists in a society outside the immediate circle of private life and the walls of enclosed institutions and organizations pursuing their own

Civil Society

- 16 -

(albeit sometimes public) goals. In this space, the possibility exists for public association and debate leading to the formation of public opinion and political movement and parties that can hold private interest accountable. The media are now probably the key institution of the public sphere, and its ‘quality’ will depend on the quality if media. Taken to extremes, certain structural tendencies of media, including concentration, commercialization and globalization. Are harmful to the public sphere.” (Denis McQuais, op., cit., p.502)

Remarks by His Highness the

Aga Khan at Evora University

Symposium: "Cosmopolitan

Society, Human Safety and

Rights in Plural and Peaceful

Societies" (Evora, Spain)

This country and this university know from your own history how Islamic and Christian cultures met in this part of the world many centuries ago—and how enriching their interactions were for both traditions. This is a good time and place to emphasize the manifold blessings that come when peoples decide to stop shouting at one another, and instead begin listening and learning. Cross cultural interaction has been a central focus of my own activities in the nearly 50 years since I became Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims. The ethics of Islam bridge faith and society, so my responsibilities as spiritual leader are accompanied by a strong engagement in issues of community well being. The Ismailis are themselves a culturally-diverse community. They live -- as minorities -- in more than twenty-five countries, primarily in the developing world, but also in Europe – including Portugal -- and North America. This Ismaili multi-cultural experience is reflected in the approach of the Aga Khan Development Network —working with a wide array of partners to help the disadvantaged, regardless of their origin. We are pleased, for example, that our work in Portugal has recently been formalized

in cooperative agreements with both the Portugese Government and the Patriarchate of Lisbon. In discussing cultural diversity, let me also mention our recent partnership with the Government of Canada to create a new Global Centre for Pluralism in Ottawa. This Centre will draw on both Ismaili experience and the experience of Canada itself, where a pluralist society thrives—and where—in contrast to much of world opinion, 80 per cent of the public welcomes immigration as a positive development First, we must strengthen our civil institutions. This means realizing that a democratic society requires much more than democratic politics. Governments alone do not make democracy work. Private initiative is also essential, including a vital role for those institutions which are collectively described as “civil society.” By civil society I mean an array of institutions which operate on a private, voluntary basis —but which are driven by public motivations. They include institutions dedicated to education, to culture, to science and research. They include commercial, labor, professional and ethnic associations, as well as entities devoted to maintaining health, protectiing the environment, and curing disease. Religious institutions are central to civil society—and so are institutions of the media. Sometimes, in our preoccupation with government and politics, we neglect the importance of civil institutions. I am not suggesting we ignore politics—but I am suggesting that we think beyond our political preoccupations. A thriving civil sector is essential in renewing the promise of democracy

Speech Extracts of Mowlana

Hazar Imam Speaking of civil society, central to my broader concern is the fact that investing in such cultural initiatives represents an opportunity to improve the quality of life for the people who live around these remarkable inheritances of past great civilizations. The Aga Khan Trust for Culture insists that each of its conservation and restoration projects should be able to have an important positive impact on

that quality of life. We are keen that our investments create a multiplier effect in the local economy. Accordingly, we monitor their impact on the physical environment as well as on disposable income and other indices of better living conditions. We also emphasise self-sustainability.

Speech at the Ceremony to

Inaugurate the Restored Humayun's

Tomb Gardens, New Delhi,

15 April 2003

Another set of our experiences which illustrate the potential for partnerships between the public sector and Civil Society involve our health institutions’ alliances with local hospitals, including nursing training in Khorog, and other regional referral hospitals in Tajikistan, and the six Institutes of Nursing in Afghanistan, and even a new venture in the use of telecommunications advances to link hospitals in distant cities: Today the Aga Khan University Hospital in Karachi is connected to the French Medical Institute for Children in Kabul. A supportive environment should include transport systems which make cooperation possible, incentives which encourage broader trade, and a legal and administrative framework which is impartial, predictable, and efficient. These concerns are largely the responsibilities of government, but effective governmental efforts can take us only so far. And that is why I so often talk about the role of “Civil Society”; the capacities of the private sector, and the value of partnerships among these various institutions.

Speech by at the Conference on

Central Asia and Europe: A New

Economic Partnership for the 21st

Century Berlin - November 13, 2007

Secondly, this entire project, from the time we began, with so many of you, to dream about it, 23 years ago, has provided an inspiring example of broadly based cooperation – among diverse people and institutions, working across cultural, religious and national lines, including participants from government, the private sector, and the non-profit institutions of civil society. It has involved people whose homes are thousands of miles away

Civil Society

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from Cairo – and it has also involved, most profoundly, the people of this neighbourhood, those who live and work only minutes away, in the very shadows of these buildings.

Speech at the Inauguration of the

Restored Monuments in Darb al-

Ahmar, Cairo, 26 Ocotber 2007

Through all of these years, our investments were designed to foster strong, cooperative partnerships with local institutions - not only with governmental bodies but also with private industry, and with the organizations of civil society, a sector which Bangladesh has so constructively encouraged.

Remarks At The State Banquet,

Dhaka, Bangladesh,

19 May 2008

First, we must strengthen our civil institutions. This means realizing that a democratic society requires much more than democratic politics. Governments alone do not make democracy work. Private initiative is also essential, including a vital role for those institutions which are collectively described as “civil society.” By civil society I mean an array of institutions which operate on a private, voluntary basis —but which are driven by public motivations. They include institutions dedicated to education, to culture, to science and research. They include commercial, labor, professional and ethnic associations, as well as entities devoted to maintaining health, protectiing the environment, and curing disease. Religious institutions are central to civil society—and so are institutions of the media.

Remarks at Evora University

Symposium: “Cosmopolitan Society,

Human Safety and Rights in Plural

and Peaceful Societies”

Ladies and gentlemen, I put it to you that no human development initiative can be sustainable unless we are successful in achieving three essential conditions. • First, we must operate in an

environment that invests in, rather

than seeks to stifle, pluralism and

diversity.

• Second, we must have an extensive

and engaged civil society.

• And third, we must have stable and

competent democratic governance.

But pluralist societies are not accidents of history. They are a product of enlightened education and continuous investment by governments and all of civil society in recognising and celebrating the diversity of the world’s peoples.Civil society organisations make a major contribution to human development, particularly when democracies are failing, or have failed; for it is then that the institutions of civil society can, and often do, carry an added burden to help sustain improvements in quality of life.

Speech at the Nobel Institute on

Democratic Development, Pluralism

and Civil Society (Oslo, Norway)

Our plans begin with the realization that governments alone cannot meet the educational challenges of the 21st century. Nor can private institutions which are constrained by the necessity to earn a profit. The answer lies in the expanding role of civil society – in voluntary institutions which are not governmental but which are nonetheless dedicated to community values and the public good. We hope that the Aga Khan Academies will become leading exemplars of civil society’s potential role.

Speech at the Foundation Stone-

Laying Ceremony of The Aga Khan

Academy Hyderabad, India,

22nd September 2006

Governments alone do not make democracy work. The most successful democracies are those in which the non-governmental institutions of “civil society” also play a vital role. Civil society is powered by private voluntary energies, but it is committed to the public good. It includes institutions of education, health, science and research. It embraces professional, commercial, labour, ethnic and arts organizations, and others devoted to religion, communication, and the environment. The development of civil society can also help meet the rising challenge of cultural diversity. As communities become more pluralistic in fact, they

must also become more pluralistic in spirit. A vibrant civil society can give diverse constituencies’ effective ways to express and preserve their distinct identities, even as they interact with new neighbours.

Address to the School of

International and Public Affairs

By Civil society, I mean a set of institutions which are neither governmental nor commercial, organizations which are powered by private energies but designed to advance the public good. They work in fields such as education, health, science and research. They embrace professional, commercial, labour, ethnic and arts associations and other devoted to religion, communication, and the environment. Many are targeted to fight poverty and social inequity. Too often we have assumed that voluntary organizations are too limited to server great public purposes. For some, the very notion of private organizations devoted to public goals seems to be an oxymoron.

Speech at Graduation Ceremony of

the Masters of public Affairs (MPA)

Programme at the Institute d’Etudes

Politiques de Paris (Science Po),

15 June 2007

“How is power best divided and balanced? How should secular and spiritual allegaiances interact? How can traditional authority – even monarchical authority – relate to democratic frameworks? How is the integrity of minority cultures and faith systems best reconciled with majority rule? “It is simplistic to wish that our democratic destinations should be similar – that they cannot be reached by many paths. The democratic spirit of freedom and flexibility must begin with our definitions of democracy itself. Keynote Address By Mowlana Hazar

Imam at Columbia University, New

York on May 15, 2006

Civil Society

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Civil Society

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Civil Society

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Civil Society

- 21 - Reference: Taalim Currciulm (Class IV) Book: Kahanio Ka Sarchashma

Board Activities

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The Shia Imami Ismaili Tariqah and Religious Education Board for Karachi & Balochistan and

ITREB for Karimabad organized a Golden Jubilee Activity "Diversity Week Program" in the

month of August 2008. The week long program highlighted presentations on Arab, Syrian,

Central Asian, Iranian and Indo-Pak cultural and linguistic traditions. The Diversity week also

had Cultural Exhibition "CULTURAL MELA" presented by students of RECs, where they

presented different Ismaili cultures of Indo-Pak, Afghan, Central Asian and Arab cultures.

Celebrating Diversity Week in different RECs of the Jurisdiction, Arzoo-e-Deedar (Mehfil-e-Qasida-o-Ginan) on August 9, 2008 in Karimabad JK &

Cultural Exhibition on August 10, 2008 at SMS Ground, Karimabad.

P I C T U R E S

Board Activities

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The Shia Imami Ismaili Tariqah and Religious Education Board for Karachi & Balochistan and

ITREB for Garden organized a Golden Jubilee Activity "Diversity Week Program" in the month

of August 2008. The week long program highlighted presentations on Arab, Syrian, Central Asian,

Iranian and Indo-Pak cultural and linguistic traditions. The Diversity week also had Cultural

Exhibition "CULTURAL MELA" presented by students of RECs, where they presented different

Ismaili cultures of Indo-Pak, Afghan, Central Asian and Arab cultures.

Celebrating Diversity Weeks in different RECs of the Jurisdiction, Arzoo-e-Deedar (Mehfil-e-Qasida-o-Ginan) on August 16, 2008 in Sultanabad JK,

on August 23, 2008 in Gulzar-e-Rahim JK & Cultural Exhibition on August 24, 2008 in Amynabad JK Ground

P I C T U R E S

Board Activities

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• 2 LC trainings o Learning Coordinators Program for Pre-

Primary held in June till August 2008. o Learning Coordinators Program for upper-

Primary held in September till October 2008. National & Regional faculties were included in this program. REC teaching, visits, educational trips were also part of this program.

� Parents Week o Garden Jurisdiction from September 5th till

September 11th o Kharadar Jursidction from July 27th till

August 1st.

� The Convention of all the newly-appointed Mukhi Kamadia Saheban and Mukhiani Kamadiani Sahebat of Different Majalis was held on Sunday, July 27th in Clifton Jamat Khana

� Ramzan Special Waazes in Some Jamat Khanas. (Darkhana, Platinum, PASK, Aminabad, Rehmani Garden, Karimabad, Rahimabad etc - Topics were Concept of Imamat, Dua & Dasond, Attendance in JK)

Miscellaneous RBKB Activities

Board Activities

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Advance Religious

Education (ARE) Advance Religious Education, Professional Program [ARE-PP] started its journey earlier this year in May. Since then, students of the program have reached their second

tri-mester. According to students and management of the program, this program has not only introduced new area of study, specialization but is also very competitive, challenging and demanding. The three classes a week routine is highly backed up with reading materials that is covered by students in week days. With courses like General Philosophy, Introduction to Religion and Theology and History and historical thinking in their first trimester and Introduction to Cultural Studies, Introduction to literature with skill development courses in the second, they are being rigorously trained for the upcoming majors which they'll be able to opt for after successful completion of this trimester. They'll be offered majors in Muslim Civilizations, Muslim History, Muslim Literature and Muslim Philosophy. The faculty of tri-mester includes prominent educationalists like Mr. Aziz Kabani, Mr. Abbas Husain, Mr. Syed Zeeshan, Mr. Sohail Muhammad Ali, Mr. Khurram Shafique and other IED faculty. ARE-PP students were also facilitated with special lectures. Mr. Zulfiqar Khimani, graduate of IIS, took a special two lecture series on

Islamic anthropology. This enriched students as a lot of questions were triggered in the minds of students and then introduced them to the study of anthropology. Another special session on Shariah was taken by Mr. Abdul Aziz Dinar where he discussed concept of Shariah in different schools of thought. Students found these sessions to be very informative and a fun break from routine sessions. It's not all study and no play scenario at ARE-PP. In the course of three months, they have managed a trip to Al-Jamea tus Safiyah, academic center and library of Bohris. Especially their library awed everyone with six corners of library dealing with different sections of history and the center, and the seventh corner, as we can call it, dealing with Quranic literature. This is the same library from where much of the material has been taken by IIS for their researches as well. This library had books in either English or Arabic. The academic center was well equipped with new technologies and serene environment for learning, as well. An evening spent there was considered an opportunity of greater learning with exposure to

another school of thought. The management of Al-Jamea tus Safiyah had been very helpful and generous to quench the thirst of knowledge of ARE-PP. A picnic was also arranged at a farm house for the everyone which was very successful and was welcomed as a break before final

exams of trimester. It was all full of fun and aided to bring management and students of the program closer on the bridge of understanding. A whole Sunday spent on playing and having fun rather then studying in

AKHSS brought back a new life in everyone altogether which could been seen for weeks that followed. Both, educational trip and picnic, were managed and executed by Excursion Council with the help of management of ARE-PP. Excursion Council is group of very enthusiastic and passionate people who face many challenges and still manage to execute a program for the benefit of everyone. ARE-PP management has also created another council of students, which is known as Academic Writing Council. This is a group of people who are passionate about writing and creating thoughts and ideas and their execution on paper. They will soon be launching their first newsletter of the program, which will be a another stepping stone. The involvement of students in their own development through councils does not stop here. There are more councils in the pipeline which are being worked on. It is not just students who have to go through a rigorous training but management as well. It is their responsibility to be a step ahead of everyone, to keep an eye on the program, keeping up the standards of expectations that are being held against them. All the while also being self evaluating and critical. Perhaps, after this whole program, not only we will get some intellectual talent and good teachers but also a line of efficient management.

Board Activities

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Raqs-e-Bismil The concepts of Sufism, spirituality and devotional literature in the light of religion, were brought to life by the successful efforts of the HWDP VII. The recipe for success included the highly excited, immensely talented and hard working students as well as the dedicated and encouraging teachers that helped every step of the way and without whom there wouldn’t have been such smooth sailing. The event named Raqs-e-

Bismil proved to be a spiritual journey for all present, the participants as well as the spectators. Performances included in the event were, Ginans, Chawgharya and well read qasidas. The spiritual atmosphere of the night was further heightened by the Sam’a dance; poetry recitation and qawali which ended in a round of applause.

"Discovering Religious

Pluralism in our society" An outdoor visit arranged for the students of HWDP took them to visit a Hindu temple and a Protestant Christian Cathedral. As students of religious studies, this visit proved to be very insightful in terms of religious know-how and also was an opportunity for them to witness in reality the religions they had studied about before in literature only. The church stands tall as a symbol of the Christian faith.

At the time of the visit, a funeral mass was in progress. The priest read the last rites aloud and quoted several lines from the Old Testament. The gist of these lines from the Bible that were read included that everyone in this world is mortal and we have to go back where we once came back from. The chance to participate in a funeral procession was fruitful in discovering the deep connection between Christianity and Islam, specially the concept of afterlife which is common in both the religions. The ‘mandir’ was seeped in the religious atmosphere of Hindu culture. Adorned with statuettes of the deities from Hindu mythology such as Krishna, Ram, Vishnu, Ganesh, Kali Mata, to name a few. According to Hindu beliefs, different actions or functions are associated with different deities. For instance Lakshmi Devi is said to bring luck in matters of money and the story related about Saraswati is that before her everyone was dumb and could not speak, she came and strummed the strings of a ‘sitar’ which caused everyone to speak. Religious scholars and followers of Hinduism explain that these deities are ‘prophets’ of god and ultimately Hindus also believe in one Supreme Being, one God they call ‘eeshwar’.

The visit was very enjoyable and gave the chance to see and feel the atmosphere in these places of worship, firsthand. Also, despite feeling the variety of religious flavors, this experience helped to ascertain the theme of the event "Discovering Religious Pluralism in our society". The trip helped in revealing that the basis of all religions is the same, no matter how many deities and Prophets they believe in, all roads lead to one eternal being, one God. Temples are the holy, treasured places of worship where religion is celebrated by its followers. Whether it be a corner in the ‘masjid’, a chair in the ‘girja’, or the peel of a bell in the ‘mandir’, the quest is to find and understand God, where help is sought from the Divine in matters of life and death, and prayers are made to Him to be rewarded for good deeds and for absolution from the sins. Also the differing aspect of the lifestyle and ceremonies of these religions indicates that religion itself is not only a doctrine or faith, in fact it encompasses a whole separate culture, a civilization, a way of life. Such visits should be encouraged in the future too because they create an interest in the rites and rituals of other religions and heighten the religious tolerance among followers of different faiths.

Board Activities

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ITREB for Karimabad

Religious Teachers Convention 2008: Teacher’s convention was a part of the religious education teacher’s development program. The convention was held on September 13, 2008 in the holy month of Ramadaan at AKUH Auditorium. Alwaz Rai Kamaluddin Ali Mohammed, Alwaeza Zarina Kamaluddin Ali Muhammad and Mr. Sohail Zindani enlightened the teachers with thought provoking sessions on Mawlana Hazar Imam's key messages on Faith and Ethics, Experiences with the children of Mawlana Hazar Imam & Take challenges of honorary capacity in positive manners respectively.

Challenge Cup 2008: Challenge Cup 2008 is a part of Access Year program. In which two sports event planned for REC students i.e. Cricket for X & HRE male Students & Throwball for VII to X female students. Cricket Challenge

Cup was held on October 5, 2008 at SMS School Karimabad Cricket Ground. All REC’s participation made this event possible and memorable. Winner was Karimabad REC and runner-up was Al-Azhar Garden REC.

Enviro Inspiro! Love with

Nature; it exists for us) Environment plays major role in child development. Years as child begins to school each day becomes adventure and a time of discovery. This period of childhood is the time each child begins

to learn skills needed to become a self-sufficient person. Access Year gives an opportunity for all Karimabad Jurisdiction Pre & lower Primary

students (aged 3 to 8) to interact with each other and learn with entertainment and fun by arranging Field visit title Enviro Inspiro! (Love with Nature; it exists for

us). Around 950 (students, teachers and Board members) made this event possible and memorable.

Zikr-e-Noor The Inaugural program of the Access Year a “Mehfil-e-Ginan, Quran & Farman” titled “Zikr-e-Noor” was held on June 14, 200 at SMS Aga Khan School Secondary Lawn

Organized by ITREB, Karimabad in joint venture with Karimabad Religious Education Centre. The objective was to make student aware of the characteristics of our Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) with respect to his teachings, extracted from Quran, Ginans, Faramin, Qasidas and Kalaam. The program was conducted in a narrative form. The events of Rasool (s.a.w) life were divided into 8 eras and each era was explained initially with the help of an AV clip and then students depicted the idea of that event in form of performance. Later a group of REC students recited a specific Ginan/ Qasida/ Kalaam to elaborate the Rasool Aswa-e-Husna. Around 200 participants made this event possible along with their REC managements. There was a gathering of around 1200 (students, teachers and parents) who witnessed this event and gained valuable knowledge about Risalat and Imamat.

Concept Paper by Mukhi Saheban & Access

Year Book Mark The major objective is to enhance Access of students to REC not only by identifying and pursuing those who are eligible but do not attending REC classes due to any reason but also improve the total number of REC

attendance hours of already enrolled students. With this major objective concept paper was read by Mukhi Saheban in the Jamatkhana and Book Marks was distributed in Jamatkhana to all REC / Non REC students of the Jurisdiction.

Board Activities

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ITREB for Garden

Sports Day by Darkhana Mishal Junior

Waaz Class

Date: 19th Oct 2008 Venue: Darkhana Jk Parking

Games:

The different games were Lemon spoon , Tug of war, Three legged race, Sack race, Relay race, Kho Kho, Hurdle race, Skipping etc.

Objective: � To create awareness among students about the

impact that sports may have on their development. � To generate a competitive spirit in students. � To help them learn working in teams and develop

decision making abilities in them. � To give them

awareness about sports as a recreational activity.

� To provide students with opportunities for leadership and socialization, as well as the development of skills for handling success and failure.

� To make them learn how groups need rules to keep order, that the individual must accept the rules for the good of the group.

DREC Mishal Waaz Classes Senior: The new batch of DREC Mishal Senior Waaz Class commenced from 22nd June 2008..the class of about 50 students of class X and HRE 1 and 2 is held on sundays where various prominent speakers from within and outside community gives them lectures on various topics related to faith as well as personal grooming, as per the broad and concise ITREB based curriculum..apart from these sessions, the class also got benefited from a movie session and an activity based workshop on presentation skills during the months of August and September. An educational field-

trip to Shri Ratneshwar Mahadev Welfare Shiva Mandli Temple and Central Brooks Memorial Church on 17 August not only helped the student enhance their knowledge of religious places of other faith but it also developed their understanding of Religious Pluralism within the society. The students greatly enjoyed the experience of the trip and learned a lot. The next venture of the Senior class relates to presentations by students in groups on various topics relating to Faith and Society which is scheduled for the end of October.

Junior: The new batch DREC Mishal Junior Wa'az Class also commenced from June 2008 which comprises of selected students from classes 8 & 9 of DREC. The Junior Wa'az Class is also held every Sunday with prime objective of enhancing the knowledge of Students in

issues of Faith and nurturing their skills. This class also follows ITREB based curriculum for which interactive lecture sessions are arranged. The students are evaluated during various class activities and through regular quizes. In addition to the curriculum, the class also participated in an activity based session in relation to the 'Independence Day' celebrations during the month of August. The activity left all that attended the session with a feeling of Patriotism. The Sports Day which was held on 19th October 2008 was a unique activity where students participated in various sports including atheletics in teams. In addition to the funfilled games, students also realized the importance of sports and healthy competion through this event. More such activities are also planned for the rest of the duration of the class.

Miscellaneous Activities � HRE Camp � Torch Lighting Ceremony of ‘Ethical Values’ � Camp 2008

Board Activities

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ITREB for Kharadar

HRE Presentations ITREB for Kharadar came up with a unique competition to develop the presentation skills of the students by introducing the HRE Presentations among all the HRE students of the Jurisdiction. The event was a successful one and was appreciated by all the parents, teachers and other invitees.

Independence Day Celebrations All students of Clifton Religious Education Centre celebrated Independence Day on Aug 13, with lot of fun fare. The message of independence was conveyed; children sang Independence songs and presented a special drama, highlighting the importance of this occasion. Students of class 4 presented Anmol Moti. Students and teachers having highest attendance in June and July, in REC and morning Jamat Khana were honoured. Movie was shown, depicting the role and struggle of Imam Sultan Mohammed Shah, in the creation of our beloved country. Furthermore, the other 3 RECs of the Jurisdiction; Kharadar, Lassi and Korangi RECS, also celebrated the Independence Day within their premises.

REC Ginan Mehfil All the students of Nursery to Class 8 participated in the Ginan Mehfil at Clifton Religious Centre on September 11, and sang curriculum Ginans. The background, history and meaning of Ginans were presented through large Audio Visual screens. Parents and Grand Parents greatly appreciated that few students were not selected, but instead, all students performed, which increased the interest level of students and their parents towards Ginans.

Parents Day

Ongoing research shows that parental involvement in schools improves student achievement, reduces absenteeism, and restores confidence among parents in their children's education. On this principle Parents' day for Preschool, Lower Primary and Upper primary Sections were organized on 11th October, 19th October and 24th October respectively. Features of these programs was to educate all the Parents about the content of second theme of Talim curriculum through multimedia presentation and role play by the students . A new technique of parent involvement in R.E.C Talim Curriculum was introduced by playing games in the classroom with the coordination of parent and student. The Class with highest attendance of parents was declared as THE BEST CLASS of the Parents' Day. All 3 Programs turned out to be a huge success with extremely high turnout of Parents, and Grandparents.

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The End