Featured Stories
This section of The.Ismaili/USA features important stories and information.
How climate change affects all of us and our responsibility to care for the environment
On Sunday, March 3rd, The Water Works Buffalo Bayou Park was transformed into a kaleidoscope of colors and joyous sounds as the Ismaili Council for the Southwestern USA hosted the third annual Navroz Spring Festival. Navroz, often referred to as Nowruz, holds profound cultural significance for communities across the globe. Originating in ancient Persia, the celebration marks the first day of spring and the beginning of the Persian solar year. Its roots originate from agrarian customs, symbolizing renewal, rebirth, and the promise of a new dawn.
On Sunday, March 3, 2024, the youngest awarded Nobel laureate and renowned advocate for girls’ education Malala Yousafzai visited the Ismaili Jamatkhana Harvest Green in Richmond, Texas located around the corner from Malala Yousafzai Elementary School. Malala commented on educational initiatives championed by the Malala Fund and Zindagi Trust, an educational non-profit organization in Pakistan. Shehzad Roy, the CEO of Zindagi Trust and a famous Ismaili Muslim Pakistani singer was also in attendance at the event accompanied by his wife Dr. Salma Alam, and son Sikander Roy.
International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction on 13 October reminds us that the growing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events cannot be ignored. As climate change reshapes our reality, Jamati and AKDN institutions have been instrumental in preparing communities in disaster-prone areas to help safeguard their future.
For more than 100 days now, Hollywood writers and actors have been on strike, bringing TV and film production in America to a standstill. One of their major concerns centres on the increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI). Why is this the case, and how much of a threat to livelihoods does AI present?
The Kennesaw State University Department of Architecture, in collaboration with the Ismaili Council for the Southeastern United States, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and commemorated the fifth anniversary of The Global Centre for Pluralism in Ottawa, Canada on April 13, 2022.
A former IBM executive’s new book encourages women to harness their power to propel them to success.
How might we prepare for al-Akhira or the Hereafter? Perhaps one way is to remember the promise we made to our Lord at the time of creation–that we will remain obedient and worship Allah.
From sources of inspiration, we can understand that focusing on our blessings, on the many things that have been provided to us, and performing dhikr or remembrance of Allah’s attributes are ways in which we can fulfill our covenant to worship God.
For many of us who are not from Central Asia, our knowledge of the Ismaili tradition of this region begins and ends with the figure of Nasir-i Khusraw (d. after 1070).1 Without a doubt, Nasir-i Khusraw is a towering figure not only for the history of the Ismaili Tradition, but more generally for the intellectual history of the Islamic world.
A short and poignant new film captures the imagination and underscores social issues leading to suicides among girls in Northern Pakistan. Depicting the strains caused in families and villages by the impact of higher education, the film Darya Kay Iss Paar (This Bank of the River) makes its statement with little dialogue. The emotions, confusion, and despair are all too obvious in the actress who plays the part of a tormented young girl.
“Mars tugs at the human imagination like no other planet. With a force mightier than gravity, it attracts the eye to the shimmering red presence in the clear night sky...” - Author, John Noble