In celebration of Mawlana Hazar Imam’s Diamond Jubilee, the Ismaili Council for USA launched Rays of Light in Dallas, Texas, on November 24, 2017. Over five days, the general public was able to engage with the exhibit, which highlights the Imam’s life experiences, work, and achievements. Public officials, including the Mayors of Frisco, Carrollton, and Irving, as well as Honorary Consuls from more than a half dozen countries, were invited to view the exhibit at a reception.

“I appreciate your presence here today and your curiosity to explore more of these stories of hope and opportunity,” said Texas State Senator Van Taylor, the event’s Keynote Speaker, in his address. “As I toured the Rays of Light just now, I was reminded how His Highness was given the responsibility of spiritual leadership of Ismaili Community when he was only 20, and a student at Harvard University, who loved playing soccer. Incredibly, my father Nick Taylor, Harvard ’59, played soccer with him at Harvard. As a boy, my father regaled me with tales of His Highness’s soccer skills, kindness, and wisdom.”

The exhibit highlights Hazar Imam’s life from infancy to the present, and includes 250 photographs illuminating his humanitarian work. The exhibit also incorporates different media to fully engage the viewer, including music, and virtual reality.

Samina Hooda, a member of the Ismaili Council for Central USA, said, “As the pictures offer visitors glimpses of the work of His Highness the Aga Khan, they tell us a story of partnerships that aim to invoke, promote, and enable powerful human conditions.” These conditions, featured as panels in the exhibit, include Inspiring Hope, Engaging in Dialogue, Fostering Harmony, Affirming Identity, and Enlightenment; all are notions that the exhibit seeks to inspire.

One Jamati member, Nausheen Habib, invited her interfaith friends to the view the exhibit alongside her, hoping they could learn more about the work of the Imam, “It’s difficult to fully articulate to the larger community the vast number of endeavors the Imam seeks to fulfill. I often ask myself, “ ‘Where do I begin? How do I even begin to select the most important successes?’ " Nausheen said. “The Rays of Light exhibit provided me a perfect space to invite some of my closest friends to fully experience a synthesis of what the Ismaili community represents.”

Both the Rays of Light exhibit and the outreach event were carried out with the help of many volunteers. Heena Jiwani, a local religious education teacher, volunteered to be a tour guide during the outreach event. Other tour guides included professionals from non-profit organizations such as PepsiCo, the Plano police department, as well as leaders from the Ismaili community. The tour sparked an eagerness to learn more about the Imamat.

“With such a diverse group, questions ranged from, ‘How does the AKDN ensure these projects are self-sustainable?’ to ‘What does the word Mawla mean, that we see in the timeline on top?’” Heena said. “And while it is too premature to say what the lasting effect may be, there was a definite sense of admiration and curiosity for the work of the Imam, his role in the Ismaili community, and in the larger global community.” She added, “I mean, talk about civil society and pluralism in action.”

With the help of volunteers, the Rays of Light exhibit and outreach event garnered interest from people of all walks of life, who left the exhibit inspired by its lessons. In his address to the luncheon, Frisco Mayor Jeff Cheney thanked the many volunteers involved with the exhibit, saying: “I also learned that each and every aspect of this international exhibition is carried out by volunteers of the community who aspire to provide exceptional service, and are trained in every domain area for quality execution of the program. I want to appreciate all volunteers for their time and commitment for implementing this exhibition and for planning this lunch reception for all the guests.”

“I look forward to continue to stay curious about the work of His Highness and stay engaged with his community in Texas,” said Senator Taylor, and, “In many ways, the community strives to apply the ideals of compassion and pursues education and meritocracy to positively impact the societies in which they live.”