Featured Stories
This section of The.Ismaili/USA features important stories and information.
Ismaili Women in Leadership Roles: Closing Gender Gaps and Challenging Biases
14 September 2019
It’s no secret that a gender leadership gap exists in many fields, including technology and business. According to Forbes magazine, in 2018, women represented 5% of Fortune 500 CEOs and held 24% of senior roles across the world. Despite setbacks, women leaders – many of whom come from the Jamat – are continuing to emerge in their respective fields, challenging systemic biases while also serving as role models for future generations.
Why Architecture Matters: Part Two
11 September 2019
In the first part of this article, we explored definitions of architecture, and the complexities involved in designing buildings and spaces in the modern world. If buildings and cities do indeed ‘speak’ to us, then what should they speak of?
Why Architecture Matters: Part One
11 September 2019
On September 13, 2019, Mawlana Hazar Imam will preside over the 14th cycle of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture. To mark this occasion, we explore some of the important questions surrounding the theme of architecture and the built environment.
What it Takes to be an Effective Woman Leader
7 September 2019
Do you recognize your power and potential? Do you believe that it’s possible to thrive as a working mother and a successful business executive? Yes, it is. Despite evidence that gender diversity at the management level enhances a company’s performance, research shows that among the world’s largest 500 companies, only 10.9 percent of senior executives are women. Let’s stop the leaky leadership pipeline and accelerate women’s success into leadership roles. Below are some tips to help you excel as a leader:
Artificial Intelligence: Will it Transform Civilization?
21 April 2019
“Just as electricity transformed almost everything 100 years ago, today I actually have a hard time thinking of an industry that I don’t think Artificial Intelligence will transform in the next several years.” states Andrew Ng, Chief Scientist at Baidu.
Sports As Recreation: More Than Just Exercise
19 April 2019
Sports have been part of the human experience since history has been recorded, as far back as Sumerian times (4000 BCE), and ancient Egypt. They were generally associated with religion, making sports a sacred activity, with such events being consecrated to the gods. In those times, sports included wrestling and archery, and Zen Buddhism was the foundation for the martial arts, requiring meditation and intense concentration.
On Women’s Day 2019, A Look at American Ismaili Women in Leadership
7 March 2019
Four Definitions of Success, One Message from Ismaili Women Leaders: Your Story is Your Own.
Ismaili women in America fit no singular mould. But in interviews with four women leaders, one key aspect shines through: Ismaili women are breaking new grounds and setting bars extremely high, equipped with education, critical thinking, humility, and a thirst for excellence.
The Journey from a Refugee to a State Legislator
9 February 2019
At just six years old, Safiya Wazir fled from Afghanistan as a refugee of the civil war. Wazir lived in Uzbekistan for a decade before arriving in the USA as a high school student. At the age of 16, she had to master a new language, and become familiar with a new culture - and lots of snow.
An Education to Last Two Lifetimes
4 November 2018
The.Ismaili USA is presenting a series of articles on Education, the Future, and New Skills, that appeared in the Winter 2017 edition of The Ismaili USA magazine. Quality higher education is a key priority of the Jamat and this series of articles explores some of the new scientific areas worth considering as careers, as well as the need to adapt to the changing work environment, and the skills needed for advancement. Additionally, as technology develops, so too are the media through which knowledge is disseminated, and new avenues to acquire learning are becoming prominent.
An interview with Dr Karen Armstrong: The Golden Rule and Religion
26 August 2018
The.Ismaili brings you Sahil Badruddin’s interview with Karen Armstrong, an internationally acclaimed scholar and bestselling author of numerous books on religion. She won the 2008 TED Prize launching The Charter for Compassion, which has over two million signatories. She discussed her insights on compassion, the Golden Rule, nationalism, materialism, cosmopolitan ethics, religious literacy, the future of religion, perceptions of religious people, religious institutions, personal search, and her vision for the future.
An Interview with Dr. Ali Asani about contemporary issues facing Muslims
30 July 2018
The.Ismaili is pleased to bring you Sahil Badruddin’s interview with Dr. Ali Asani. He is a Professor of Indo-Muslim Religion and Cultures, the Director of the Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Islamic Studies Program at Harvard University, and part of Harvard’s Online Religious Literacy Project. He discussed his insights on the necessity of religious literacy, Harvard EdX and online courses, intellectual diversity and pluralism, rise of the non-religious in America, media, storytelling and perception of Muslims, nationalism, Harvard’s courses on Shi’ism and Ismaili Thought, and his vision for the future.
A Discussion with Professor Hussein Rashid
28 May 2018
Professor Hussein Rashid discusses his work, perceptions of Muslims, cosmopolitan ethics, attitudes towards faith, materialism, and religious and cultural literacy.
