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7 Key Themes from the Chancellor’s Speech, With Glimpses of the 2013 Aga Khan University Convocation
Author Archives: Malik Merchant, Editor
In Photos: The Magnificent Aga Khan University, its Symbolic Logo and the Elegant Jamiapoash Worn by His Highness the Aga Khan for the University’s Convocation
THE AGA KHAN UNIVERSITY
An aerial view of the Aga Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan. The University was chartered as Pakistan’s first private international university in 1983 during the reign of President Zia ul-Haq. Photo: Aga Khan Development Network.
When the Charter of the University was first granted in 1983, His Highness the Aga Khan concluded his speech on the occasion with the words, “In everything we do we must look to the future, seeking always to think creatively, to innovate and to improve.”
In 2003, on the 20th anniversary of the University’s founding His Highness the Aga Khan said in his convocation address, “My great hope and prayer is that, in time to come, Aga Khan University will be only one of hundreds of universities in the Muslim world that are on the frontiers of scientific and humanistic knowledge, radiating intelligence and confidence, research and graduates, into flourishing economies and progressive legal and political systems.”
The Aga Khan University World. Photo: Aga Khan Development Network.
During his 2006 convocation, the 49th Ismaili Imam, spoke about the Knowledge Society, and urged the Muslim Ummah to “become full and even leading participants in the Knowledge Society of the 21st century. That will mean embracing the values of collaboration and coordination, openness and partnership, choice and diversity – which will under-gird the Knowledge Society, learning constantly to review and revise and renew what we think we know, learning how to go on learning. The spirit of the Knowledge Society is the spirit of Pluralism – a readiness to accept the Other, indeed to learn from him, to see difference as an opportunity rather than a threat.
“Such a spirit must be rooted, I believe, in a sense of humility before the Divine, realising that none of us have all the answers, and respecting the broad variety of God’s creation and the diversity of the Human Family.”
A depiction of the Aga Khan University’s future campus in Tanzania. The Arusha campus will not only be comparable to Karachi’s campus in size and scope, but it will also be the University’s first permanent campus serving students from all across the East African community. Photo: Aga Khan Development Network.
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THE SEAL OF THE AGA KHAN UNIVERSITY
The Seal of the Aga Khan University
The Seal of Aga Khan University is a visual representation of the principles which underlie the founding of the University. The circular form of the Seal, with its different levels of imagery contained in concentric circles, has its visual roots in the rosettes of early Islamic periods. The circle also symbolises the world and reflects the international presence of the University.
At the centre of the Seal is a star, or sun. Light is a universal symbol for the enlightenment that education provides.The light emanating from the star is also symbolic of Nur (Divine light).
The Aga Khan University Seal on a banner flying on the occasion of the 25th Anniversary of the University in 2008. Photo: Aga Khan Development Network.
The star incorporates 49 points to commemorate the University’s founding by His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan, the forty-ninth Imam of the Ismaili Muslims.
The outer ring circumscribes a Quranic Ayat rendered in classic thuluth script and reads as follows:
“And hold fast, All together, by the rope
Which God (stretches out for you),
And be not divided among yourselves,
And remember with gratitude
God’s favour on you:
For ye were enemies
And He joined your hearts
In love, so that by His grace
Ye became brethren” — Sura 3, Ayat 103
THE CHANCELLOR’S ELEGANT JAMIAPOASH
A close up of His Highness the Aga Khan in the Jamiapoash which comprises a Khila’at, or “robe of honour” and a Sirpoash meaning “headwear”. Photo: Aga Khan Development Network.
The academic regalia of the Aga Khan University (AKU) worn during convocation, such as the one that is expected to take place on Thursday, December 19, 2013, is called Jamiapoash.
Jamia is from the Arabic meaning ‘institution of higher learning’ and poash is from Persian meaning ‘apparel.’ The Jamiapoash comprises a Khila’at, meaning “robe of honour” in Arabic and a Sirpoash, meaning “headwear” in Persian, with a tassel on the right.
The Khila’at for the Chancellor, His Highness the Aga Khan, who built the University, is distinguished by its very elaborate and intricate gold embroidery on the upper part of the robe both back and front, but is also unique for its white colour.
White and gold were the colours of the coat of arms of the Fatimids of Egypt, who founded al-Azhar University in Cairo, one of the oldest institutions of higher learning. The foundation ceremony of the Aga Khan University was performed one thousand years after the founding of the al-Azhar University in 970 by His Highness the Aga Khan’s ancestor, Caliph-Imam Mawlana al-Muizz, during Fatimid rule.
Another magical photo of the 49th Ismaili Imam, the direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s) in the Aga Khan University regalia during a convocation ceremony. Photo: The Aga Khan Development Network.
The Sirpoash for the Chancellor is white in colour and richly gold-embroidered with a 5.5 cm band and a 2 cm secondary green band with a green and white tassel.
Date posted: Wednesday, December 18, 2013.
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IMPORTANT NOTE TO OUR READERS: We urge ALL our readers to view and download the excellent Aga Khan Development Network publications by clicking on AKDN Publications. The publications are outstanding, and will illustrate the vastness of the work of the Ismaili Imamat in all areas of human endeavour. They are also very well explained and illustrated, and will prove useful for educational projects and presentations.
Photo Essay: Karim Master’s Original Copy of “Fidai” Magazine Published in 1936 to Commemorate the Golden Jubilee of His Highness the Aga Khan
Please click on image for photo essay on Fidai magazine
Poems for Salgirah: The Noor of Imamat Breathing with the Trillion Stars….and OOops (the Optimistically Out of Poverty Society) by Navyn Naran
ThE NOOR OF IMAMAT….OOops
By Navyn Naran
The arc of the Milky Way with over 100 thousand million stars hangs over the imposing mountain fortress of Alamut in this starry scene. Photo: Babak Tafreshi. Copyright.
Find your space, under a trillion stars
In the crystal quiet of the night,
no thoughts, no bars,
Breathe softly, abreast of a beating heart,
Under the open night sky, atop a mountain’s peak,
Where all is still, the breath and the heart’s beat.A hum of air, quiet, warm,
Dark blue, black and milky way’s starry storm
a smattering of stars, incandescent light
hura and oil before any concern of dawn.
Breathing with the pulse of oceans and earths,
Under heaven of stars, as if asleep, but alert,
feel the ebb and flow in the breath of the worlddin and duniya, Ya Ali
In desert sand under a diamond sky, Ya Ali
Peace it is, Ya Ali,
The Noor of Imamat born, Ya Ali
Breathing with the trillion stars, Ya Ali
Under dome of the hearth, You as me.Hazar Imam, your firmans are pearls
the essence of the word, an individual learns
on your Birthday we reflect on Peace and Truth
on that which is not seen, that which will soothe.OOops!
i will bow before you, and begin my poem.
let’s twirl under the sunshine,
optimistically
see all the wealth around us;
out of poverty comes sunlight
and “where hope takes root” paths emerge.lift up your eyes and walk out of poverty.
in your very mind, exit poverty.
and if there is poverty of health and you can’t walk,
then move passionately, breathe deeply, sing from your heartpoverty in wealth?
a greater wealth than the wallet, is in our connection
recognizing one another is an unspoken place
look not always above you; look also below
gratefulness is greater than wealthand if wallets are full,
is there an emptiness of heart? of mind? the poverty of love?
bridge our smiles, consult, listen to each other….but walk, yes do walk.
walk out of poverty of respect. Leave.
“even the ants greet one another before they begin”
respect is greater wealth.walk also out of the poverty of knowledge.
moving out of poverty, i may apply the information
no matter how minute or detailed.
stand solidly, grounded
walk out of lack of stability
one brick after another, consistently, as putty between the bricksand in poverty of truth
speak heart and mind to self, if no other.
rich in your truth, there, is wealth.you whistle and sing, and here
there is no poverty. rise, rise, furtherpoverty of ethics?
command over self a discipline and grace,
barakah will visit you, at its patient pacepoverty of generosity? i see it not,
naught to offer, sit with me here and drink water…refresh
smile and the world will smile at you, abundant generosity
simple living with high thinking.walk.
let’s always walk.
out of poverty, i trust?
yes, yes…optimistically out of poverty,
a must.in this quiet of night , in the softness and peace of morning snow,
Full of the magic of creation
there is physical, the obvious and the unknown
You hold the rope of being.And this is a manifest world,
of the eye and the seeing
as in the surface of the ocean.
surface, recognised well, by surface.
and beyond? entire worlds and realities, hiddenthere lie truths
and through the physical Imam
lies Truth
tis a journey
a truer reality, hidden batinA birthday, the celebration of a physical reality
of a spiritual Being in a physical world.
Date posted: Friday, December 13, 2013
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About the author: Dr. Navyn Naran was born in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, to Anaar and Badrudin Naran. After beginning her high school in the UK, her family immigrated to the USA where she went to medical school at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, MA. She currently works in Paediatric Critical Care.
Poems for Salgirah: ALI by Sherali Kara
(English translation follows this transliteration from Hindi)
ALI
By Sherali Kara
Hum jiyenge aur jiyenge sirf ALI tere liye.
Ruhani bache tere hai, Haath thaam ke rakhna ALI.Tub bhi ALI he thaa, Ab hai tu Hazar Imam ALI.
Taa qayamat tak rahenga Hayul Qayum ALI ALI.Kya tariqat shaan hai teri.
Khub haqiqi jalwa hai tera.
Kya noorani tevar tere hai.
Shaan e Khuda tu hi ALI hai.Teri Hidayat se ALI hum jaamat ne taraqi ke.
Lakho Abjo sukhran karo ‘Sukran ALI Sukhran ALIIs salegrah ke jasn me kya dena hai tujhe ALI.
Khub ibaadat aur khidmat jum kar karna hume ALI.English Translation
We will again and again serve ALI, you and you only.
We are your spiritual children, hold our hands tight.You were ALI of the past, now you are Hazar Imam ALI.
You will be physically forever, Always Present and Everliving ALI ALIWhat a tariqat greatness you have.
What a haqiqi brightness you posses.
With the Noorani enlightenment in you O ALI.
You are the greatness of GOD, only you ALI.With your guidance, we jamat have prospered.
Millions and billions of thank you ALI, thank you ALIOn this Occasion of your Salgirah (Birthday),
what do we need to give you? O ALI.
Lots and Lot of Ibaadat and Khidmat by us is our gift to you. O ALI
Date posted: Friday, December 13, 2013.
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Author’s note: When I mention the word ALI, I am referring to the ALI who has been with us from the beginning of time and will remain with us till the end of time. Also, ALI here refers to all the Imams and not simply the first Imam, Hazrat Ali.
About the author: Since his teenage years, Sherali Kara, now fifty-three, has taken a keen interest in furthering his spiritual knowledge, and over the years has developed a deep spiritual and esoteric insight into several ayats from the Holy Qur’an, Ismaili ginans and qasidas. He hails from a family that has a long tradition of Khidmat (service) in the Ismaili Jamat. His mother, Malekbibi Kara, was called the “ginan queen” of her time. Mr. Kara composes poems and couplets specifically on the theme of ALI. He lives in Andheri, a suburb of Mumbai, and provides Realty Advisory services.
Pir Sadr al-Din’s Ginan “Eji Dhan Dhan Aajano” with Meaning, and Other Readings for the 77th Salgirah of the 49th Ismaili Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan
Spread in various countries around the world, the Shia Imami Ismailis have their own innumerable ways for celebrating important religious occasions according to their various cultural, social and religious traditions and backgrounds. One very important occasion in the annual calendar of the Ismailis is the Salgirah, or the birthday of their spiritual leader (Imam). His Highness the Aga Khan is their present Imam, and Ismailis around the world will be marking his 77th Salgirah on December 13, 2013. The following readings will enhance the readers’ understanding about the occasion as well as the special relationship that binds the Imam of the Time with his spiritual children.
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Mawlana Hazar Imam’s Salgirah and the Depth of His Love for the Jamat
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 In Metaphoric Ginan “Eji Dhan Dhan Aajano” Pir Sadr al-Din Asks Mu’mins to Act Righteously and Gain Spiritual Recognition of Imam-e-Zaman
The Ginan has attained a very special status because it is primarily recited during the festivities marking the Salgirah of the Imam. The appropriateness of reciting Eji Dhan Dhan Aajano during the Salgirah will become apparent as we try to understand the ginan and its underlying spiritual teachings. |
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The Preamble Of “The Constitution of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims”
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His Highness the Aga Khan and the Ismailis  . On the occasion of His Highness the Aga Khan’s 75th birthday on December 13, 2011, Simerg published a three-part photo essay tribute to the 49th Ismaili Imam. For those who may have missed, the series has been consolidated into a captivating one piece photo essay, which can be read at Simerg’s companion photo blog, Simergphotos, by clicking on the above link. |
The term Salgirah is of Persian origin. Sal means anniversary and girah means knot and hence Salgirah literally means ‘an anniversary knot added on to a string kept for the purpose’. This article approaches the subject of Mawlana Hazar Imam’s birthday in terms of the Imam’s love for his murids and the love and devotion of the murids for their Imam.
The new Ismaili Constitution was ordained, signed and sealed by His Highness the Aga Khan on December 13th, 1986, his 50th birthday. His Highness did this with the belief that the Constitution would provide a strong institutional and organizational framework for his Ismaili community to contribute meaningfully to the societies among whom they live.Date posted: December 7, 2013
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A Note to Readers: Please scroll down or click Home page for other recent posts and click What’s New for links to all articles published on this blog since March 2009. Subscribe to this Website via the box near the top right of this page.
“Madiba, My Hero” by Zulfikarali Khoja and “Renewal and Renaissance” by Nelson Mandela
“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children” – Nelson Mandela
A close-up of a detail of a South African Hundred Rand banknote, featuring an engraving of the face of iconic statesman Nelson Mandela, giving his trademark smile. South African wildlife and African designs form the watermarked background. Photo: Istockphoto. Copyright.
By Zulfikarali M. Khoja
(special to Simerg)
My diverse background has provided me with three world-class heroes. As a Gujarati speaking Canadian, Ghandi stands out as my hero. The Mahatma found the roots of his policy of non-violence in South Africa where he experienced racism in its extreme form. There is a saying that India gave South Africa Ghandi and in return South Africa gave India the Mahatma.
Heroes Gandhi, Mandela, and Pearson. Image: Wikipedia photos.
As a proud Canadian I found my hero in Lester Pearson, Nobel Prize winner for Peace. It is while sitting in a geography class in a segregated school in Pretoria that I was introduced to this figure who originated the Blue Helmeted Peace Keepers to the world. At that time I dreamt of going to Canada. My dream came true!!
As a South African born Canadian there is so much one could write about Madiba, My Hero! I shall restrict myself to two things.
Nelson Mandela was imprisoned on Robben Island for 18 of the 27 years he served behind bars before the fall of apartheid. Map: Wikipedia.
Mandela’s cell at Robben Island. Photo: Wikipedia.
His capacity for forgiveness was so deep and pure that it is difficult to imagine. I was fortunate enough to visit Robben Island. The small cell he spent 27 years and the conditions under which he had spent day after day breaking rocks was heart breaking. Tears rolled down my face as I stood in the middle of the quarry. Yet under these awful conditions he stood as a role model for his fellow prisoners, he studied at night, including Afrikaans, the language of his oppressors. How else would he be able to communicate with his prison guards and understand his enemy? How else would be able to negotiate without knowing his enemy. He believed very strongly that forgiveness does not change the past but opens the future. A future for all South Africans and for the world where is civil strife.
In one of the interviews he was asked what did you miss the most while in prison. His response was the interaction with children. Soon after he became the President of new South Africa he established the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund (NMCF). Fifty percent of his salary was donated to establish this fund. With headquarters in Johannesburg the NMCF has affiliates in various parts of the world, including Canada.
Nelson Mandela with Graça Machel created a bold new movement to turn the world around for millions of children. Photo credit: UNICEF
I was fortunate to be the NMCF Chapter Chair for Ottawa. This opportunity to share the ideals and vision of Madiba to the youth of Ottawa through Youth Conferences on the Hill and extra-curricular activities in school was an enriching experience beyond measure. The Brookfield High School Choir sang South African songs throughout the city and at a variety of public events. This was only one of the ways in which Madiba’s vision was shared with Ottawa citizens.
As an educator and mediator I have been fortunate to have had these lifetime enriching experiences which I share with my children and especially my grandchildren. They are already following in their grandfather’s footsteps.
Date posted: Saturday, December 7, 2013.
Copyright: Zulfikarali M. Khoja.
Please also see Khoja’s piece Ismaili Penmanship in 1906 contributed for Simerg’s special series I Wish I’d Been There.
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Please click: RENEWAL AND RENAISSANCE – TOWARDS A NEW WORLD ORDER
Compassion and Forgiveness After a Life of Oppression, Struggle and Profound Sacrifice Made Nelson Mandela a Great Human Being
“HE IS NOW AT PEACE”
A ZAR 5 coin, manufactured in South Africa on Nelson Mandela’s 90th birthday, resting on the South African flag. Photo: Istockphoto.com
In announcing the passing away of Nelson Mandela, the South African President Jacob Zuma said:
“Our beloved Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, the founding President of our democratic nation has departed. He passed on peacefully in the company of his family around 20h50 on the 5th of December 2013. He is now resting. He is now at peace. Our nation has lost its greatest son. Our people have lost a father.”
With tributes pouring in from around the world, Prime Minister Stephen Harper of Canada issued the following statement:
“With the death of Nelson Mandela, the world has lost one of its great moral leaders and statesmen. Mr. Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years by the former Government of South Africa, for his part in the struggle that would ultimately end the system of apartheid.
“Despite his long years of captivity, Mr. Mandela left prison with a heart closed to calls for a settling of scores. Instead, he was filled by a longing for truth and reconciliation, and for an understanding between all peoples.
“He demonstrated that the only path forward for the nation was to reject the appeal of bitterness. His forbearance was legendary: his magnanimity spared all South Africans incalculable suffering.
“Nelson Mandela’s enduring legacy for his country, and the world, is the example he set through his own ‘long walk to freedom.’ With grace and humility, he modelled how peoples can transform their own times and in doing so, their own lives.
“On behalf of the Government of Canada and all Canadians, Laureen and I extend our condolences to Mr. Mandela’s widow, Graça Machel, his entire family and all citizens of South Africa. Canada, a nation that granted Mr. Mandela honorary citizenship in 2001, mourns with you and the entire world today.”
F.W. de Klerk, left, the last president of apartheid-era South Africa, and Nelson Mandela, his successor, wait to speak in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, IN 1993. Photo credit: Photographs in the Carol M. Highsmith Archive, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.
US President Barack Obama in a statement issued from the White House said that he was among the countless of individuals who drew inspiration from Nelson Mandela’s life. The first thing that he ever did that involved an issue or a policy or politics, was a protest against apartheid. He mentioned that the day Mandela was released from prison gave him a sense of what human beings can do when they’re guided by their hopes and not by their fears. President Obama concluded his tribute with the following words.
“We will not likely see the likes of Nelson Mandela again. So it falls to us as best we can to forward the example that he set: to make decisions guided not by hate, but by love; to never discount the difference that one person can make; to strive for a future that is worthy of his sacrifice.
“For now, let us pause and give thanks for the fact that Nelson Mandela lived — a man who took history in his hands, and bent the arc of the moral universe toward justice. May God Bless his memory and keep him in peace.”
BRIAN MULRONEY’S FIRST PHONE CALL WITH NELSON MANDELA
Former Canadian Prime Minister, Brian Mulroney, in his memoirs, recalled the first phone call he had with Nelson Mandela, on February 12, 1990, the day after his release from prison. Mandela told him:
“I am honoured by your call, as the attitude of Canada is well-known. We regard you as one of our great friends because of the solid support we have received from you and Canada over the years. When I was in jail, having friends like you in Canada gave me more joy and support than I can say. There could have been no greater tangible evidence of friendship than your concern for me and my family and the strong action you and the Government of Canada took while I was in jail to help us defend the interests of the new South Africa we want to build.”
On November 17, 2001 Nelson Mandela and his wife Graça Machel began a three-day visit to Canada by attending a ceremony to rename a Toronto public school after him. He and his wife Graça Machel later receive honorary degrees from Toronto’s Ryerson University. On November 19, 2001 Canada made Nelson Mandela an honorary citizen. In the following years he was joined as Canada’s Honorary citizen by Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese opposition leader, and His Highness the Aga Khan, 49th Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims.
Earlier this year, Simerg was granted the privilege of publishing excerpts from Nelson Mandela’s speech that he delivered at Oxford University’s Centre for Islamic Studies. We invite our readers to reflect on the life of a great statesman and to read the speech excerpts by clicking on Renewal and Renaissance – Towards a New World Order by Nelson Mandela.
You may submit a tribute or a message of condolence for Nelson Mandela below or by visiting his foundation website, www.nelsonmandela.org.
His Highness the Aga Khan Receives RAIC’s 2013 Gold Medal for his Significant Contribution to Canadian Architecture
Please click on image for a report of the RAIC Gold award ceremony on November 27, 2013 in Ottawa, Canada.
360° Panorama Photos of His Highness the Aga Khan’s Delegation Building
Introduced by Malik Merchant
Publisher-Editor, Simerg and Simergphotos
Born in Woking, United Kingdom, Martin Bloomfield is a designer photographer and an expert in 3D animation. He has travelled the world over, and now lives with his family in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania. Before leaving for Africa in 2012, Bloomfield spent some time in Ottawa where he took a series of powerful and stunning panoramic and 360° views of the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat Building.
His set of five panoramic photos of the Delegation Building along with their incredible 360° views are featured at 360cities and we are pleased to offer the links below, with permission from Steve Hercher.
A couple of notes: Once you are taken to 360Cities from below, you may then do the following (4 or 5 being the highlight):
(1) Click on HIDE CONTROLS to view a clear picture;
(2) Click on FULL SCREEN MODE to see your entire screen filled with the photo (ESC to get out);
(3) When all CONTROLS are displayed, use the magnifying feature (+ or -) for close-ups; and MOST IMPORTANT
(4) Use your mouse (or finger as applicable for the device) to rotate the photo in any direction by using the compass above the magnifying option. This outstanding and superb feature will provide you with an enriching experience of the building and its architecture. You may also use the magnifying option in conjunction with the 360° rotating compass ball for yet another perspective OR
(5) As an alternative to (4) you may Left click on your mouse and drag it in the direction you want to move.
The 360Cities website has stunning photographs from all around the world taken by Bloomfield and many others like him. Also during your visit to 360Cities please learn more about panoramic picture-taking by clicking on their informative links such as How to and so on.
An Enthralling Visit to the Ismaili Imamat’s
Delegation Building in Ottawa
(Please click on images for panoramas)
The Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat – Exterior 1
The Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat – Exterior 2
The Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat – Exterior 3
The Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat – Interior 1
The Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat – Interior 2
Date posted: Tuesday, November 26, 2013.
Also click on our most recent post Photo Essay: Celebrating Sussex Drive, His Highness the Aga Khan and, Five Years on, the Crystalline Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat Building
Note: This piece is repeated at www.simergphotos.com
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