Knowledge Society

In recognition of his contribution to the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), Professor Dr Farouk Mohamedhusein Tharia Topan was recently awarded an Honorary Fellowship at SOAS, where he worked from 1993 until his retirement in 2006. In a wide-ranging interview with The Ismaili, Dr Topan reflects on his life in teaching, academia, and service to the Jamat.

At The Institute of Ismaili Studies (IIS), more than 50 students arrive in London every autumn at the start of the academic year to embark on a voyage of discovery. For those studying at the IIS, there is a deep sense of pluralism inherent in the student experience.

The 20th century writer William Arthur Ward once wrote that “The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” On the occasion of World Teachers’ Day 2021, we celebrate the teachers and educators in our Jamat that continue to inspire us week after week, and thus help to positively shape the future of humanity.

In today’s global environment, engineers, scientists, and inventors from different backgrounds collaborate on a global scale to create the technologies that impact human life on a daily basis. Against this backdrop, the Ismaili Council for the Southwestern US is collaborating with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to host an In-flight Education Downlink live from the International Space Station with Expedition 65 astronaut Megan McArthur on 17 May 2021. 

Take any highly successful person and chances are that person had a mentor to guide his or her journey, but when Kenyan-born Azan Virji set out to obtain a world-class medical education in the United States, he didn’t know whose path he could follow.