Content Tagged with Ismaili Centres
Thirty-five years ago, on 23 August 1985, the then Canadian Prime Minister, The Right Honourable Brian Mulroney, officially opened the Ismaili Centre Vancouver in the presence of Mawlana Hazar Imam, marking a moment of great historical significance for the Jamat in Canada and around the world.
The Ismaili is pleased to present Mazee Balayem, performed by the Yusuf Khirad Band at the Ismaili Jamatkhana and Centre in Khorog, Tajikistan, in 2019. The lyrics, attributed to Jalal al-Din Rumi, express the complexity of human existence and the importance of zikr. The musical composition is a blend of traditional Central Asian instruments such as the daf, doirah, rubab, and sehtar, and modern instruments including the keyboard and guitar.
The Right Honourable Dominic Raab MP, the First Secretary of State and Foreign Secretary was welcomed to the Ismaili Centre London in March, in the lead up to the occasion of Navroz
Thirty-five years ago, on 24 April 1985, a moment of great historical significance for the global Jamat took place. The Right Honourable Margaret Thatcher — then Prime Minister of the United Kingdom — officially opened the Ismaili Centre, London, in the presence of Mawlana Hazar Imam. This was the community’s first purpose-built, bespoke Jamatkhana and Centre in the western world.
The Japanese consulate and the Ismaili Centre, Dubai, recently partnered to feature the art of ‘Ikebana,’ which took participants on a journey of culture, art, time, and nature, reminding us to look within to find calm and peace.
Promoting inclusivity and accessibility, Ismaili Centres and Jamatkhanas around the world are opening their doors to dialogue and conversation – a cornerstone to pluralism and a long-standing tradition of our faith.
“Women are twice as likely as men to experience depression and anxiety, yet three times more likely to experience barriers to accessing mental healthcare,” explained Dr Simone Vigod during a session entitled Healthy Moms, Healthy Families – Breaking Down Barriers to Maternal Mental Healthcare at the Ismaili Centre Toronto in early February.
The Ismaili Centre, Dubai held its first two-day Hackathon recently, which introduced 35 young individuals to real-world technological problems and challenged them to identify sustainable global solutions.
As part of the 10th anniversary celebrations of the Ismaili Centre, Dubai, architects Rami El Dahan and Soheir Farid visited the Centre earlier this year and looked back on the successes and challenges in designing a welcoming building of timeless elegance.
On 18 December 2019, the Aga Khan Master Musicians with special guest Jasser Haj-Youssef delighted an audience at the Ismaili Centre, Lisbon. They highlighted the unity between different countries and continents, and between the present and the past by exploring various forms of classical, folk, jazz, and contemporary music.
In an effort to highlight the importance of tolerance, President of the UAE His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has proclaimed this year the ‘Year of Tolerance’. With this in mind, an event called DiversiTree was recently held at the Ismaili Centre Dubai. The project, which is part art installation and part performance art, brought together the collective creativity of the community to design a transformative experience for children and adults. This collaborative installation and performance brought to life the concept of diversity, while at the same time developing a breathtaking creation of artistic beauty.
The Global Centre for Pluralism (GCP) hosted the second biennial Global Pluralism Award ceremony in November 2019. At the ceremony, presided over by Mawlana Hazar Imam and attended by many members of the GCP’s Board, including Princess Zahra, the Centre recognised three winners who will each receive a $50,000 grant to help them continue their work.
Mawlana Hazar Imam toured the site of the Ismaili Center Houston yesterday, 22 November, alongside the Center’s design team and the leadership of the USA Jamat. During his trip, Mawlana Hazar Imam also met with City of Houston Mayor the Honorable Sylvester Turner.
Mawlana Hazar Imam presided over the Global Pluralism Award ceremony on Wednesday 20 November, a biennial event hosted by the Global Centre for Pluralism. The Award recognises the extraordinary achievements of organisations, individuals, and governments around the world who exemplify living peacefully and productively with diversity.
Global Muslim leaders gathered at the Ismaili Centre Toronto over the first weekend of October for the closing ceremony of the Concordia Forum, an initiative that brings diverse Muslim leaders together to foster collaboration in response to social problems and discuss Islam’s role in the world.
On 10 October, Prince Rahim visited the Ismaili Centre, London to inaugurate the exhibition: Dreams and Dystopias, East Africa at the Crossroads, featuring photographic work by Guillaume Bonn.
Dreams and Distopias: East Africa at the Crossroads is the fourth exhibition to be held in the Zamana Space at the Ismaili Centre, London since its reopening earlier this year. The visual exhibit navigates the East African coastline through the lens of international artist Guillaume Bonn, to reveal a region perennially poised at a crossroads between two worlds.
