www.ismaili.net

Sarah Rahimi, a third-year undergraduate with senior status, is working on an Engaged Learning project considering the stories of African immigrants like Ondari. Rahimi’s plan is to record the oral histories of 30 African immigrants in total, made up of ten immigrants from each of the black, white, and Indian races.

https://ismailimail.wordpress.com/2015/ ... mmigrants/

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Interview with Nabila Pirani, alumnus of UBC, Department of Asian Studies

UBC Alumni Spotlight: Nabila Pirani

Nabila Pirani – BA’09 (Asian Language and Culture)

Could you go into some detail about your career path until now?

I’m currently a 1L law student at the University of Toronto, with an M.A in Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies from Columbia University (2011), and a double major in Political Science and Asian Language & Culture from UBC (2009).

Between my M.A and the start of law school, I was a Post-Graduate Research Fellow at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada in Vancouver.

https://ismailimail.wordpress.com/2015/ ... n-studies/

Anar Simpson, Technovation: Promoting Women in the Technology Sector, receives Gem Tech Award 2015

December 17, 2015: The ITU and UN Women hosted the GEM Tech Awards in New York. Anar Simpson received the award on behalf of Technovation as its global ambassador.

Category: promoting women in the technology sector

Anar Simpson, Technovation Challenge program

The Technovation Challenge program has engaged thousands of girls between the ages of 10-18 in 64 countries in a mobile app entrepreneurship competition and three month online curriculum program to develop apps and business plans that address local challenges such as access to clean water, early marriage, education and employment, and health care. The program simultaneously offers professional development opportunities for female professionals to serve as mentors.

https://ismailimail.wordpress.com/2015/ ... ward-2015/

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Ferial Nathoo appointed CEO of American Chamber of Commerce, Kenya

Ferial Nathoo was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the American Chamber of Commerce, Kenya in June 2013. Her role includes restructuring the Chamber to ensure that the Chamber is the voice of US business in Kenya, and strengthening US-Kenya commercial ties by providing high-quality business information and resources.

Ferial is Canadian-Kenyan and graduated from York University in Toronto, Canada with an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. She has 14+ years of management experience in New Business Development,

International Relations, Commerce, Fundraising, Event Management, Public Relations and Marketing. She has lived in Kenya, Canada and the United States, and her accomplishments include solely managing the Patient Welfare Programme in Regional Africa, a programme that caters to raising money, institutions and specialized equipment for people who cannot afford specialized care.

Ferial steadily increased funding and assistance from 40 patients in 2006 to 1,600 patients in 2011 with over $2,000,000 disbursed in aid. Other accomplishments include creating the first braille magazine for local distribution in Kenya, and organizing the first ever Terry Fox Run in East Africa to raise funds for cancer research.Ferial has a sound knowledge of Regional Africa and its customs and traditions which has facilitated her approach and understanding in her work, and allowed her to develop a strong client service and business background. Her network crosses Sub-Saharan Africa as well as internationally.Other significant organisations Ferial has worked with include the Canadian High Commission, British High Commission, UNESCO, Trust for African Rock Art, PACT and Kenya Society for the Blind.

Ferial also spent a year living and working in the Masai Mara and Samburu.Ferial held the title of Director of Events with the Canadian Association of Kenya, and was a PR consultant for the Nile Expedition – the first ever white water rafting expedition undertaken from the source of the Nile to the end. She is a member and volunteer for Paediatric Cancer Care Limited (PCCL) and has also volunteered with Mama Fauzia’s Children’s Home, the Aga Khan Education Programme, Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) and Pueblito (A South American NGO that assists children).

https://ismailimail.wordpress.com/2015/ ... rce-kenya/

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Iqbal Manji: The refugees who’ve sought safety in Peterborough, England


Over the past few centuries thousands of people have fled their home countries to find safety in the Anglia region.

Iqbal Manji came to Peterborough in 1972 when he was 14-years-old. He was one of 60,000 Asians expelled from Uganda by General Idi Amin. 27,000 of them came to Britain, including Iqbal who flew into Stansted.
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"I remember coming out of the airplane and I remember the first thing that hit me was the cold and the fog, because I could hardly seen anyone. They ushered us in as families into the place, a hot cup of tea, a biscuit and I still remember crisps. This was the first time I tasted that."

– Iqbal Manji - Ugandan Asian refugee

http://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2015-12- ... s-gone-by/

Dr. Shahin Jaffer reappointed as Chair of Avicenna Physicians Society

: Chairperson

Qualification: BMedSci, MD, MHSc, FRCPC

Dr. Shahin Jaffer is an internal medicine specialist with expertise in cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. She has been in clinical practice for over 20 years. She also holds a Master’s degree in health care and epidemiology from UBC and is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at UBC She tutors first and second year medical students in Program Based Learning, and acts as examiner in the medical school curriculum. She is also involved in phase 3 clinical research. Adult education is one of Shahin’s passions.An exciting part of Shahin’s career involved her participation in the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Vancouver as the Medical Officer for the Opening, Closing and Victory ceremonies at Olympic Stadium (BC Place).

https://ismailimail.wordpress.com/2015/ ... s-society/

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Aliya Lakhani wins CEMF Engineering Ambassador Award

The Canadian Engineering Memorial Foundation is committed to creating a world where engineering meets the needs and challenges of society by engaging the skills and talents of both women and men alike. To that end, we are dedicated to attracting women to the engineering profession so they may fully contribute to the development of our society and in so doing, honour the memory of the 14 women from L’ École Polytechnique whose contributions to Canada ended on December 6, 1989.

Aliya Lakhani wins CEMF Engineering Ambassador AwardThe Foundation offers up to five $5,000 annual awards to Canadian women in engineering at the undergraduate level. Applicants must already be enrolled full-time in an accredited engineering program at a Canadian university, and cannot be in their final year of study.

Aliya Lakhani is in her 5th year of chemical biomedical engineering co-op at the University of Alberta. She joined the Canadian Center for Welding and Joining (CCWJ) in the Fall of 2014 doing research for her biomed co-op term. Under the mentorship of Dr. Patricio Mendez, she is working on rapid prototyping (3D printing) of pediatric hearts for use in planning cardiac stent surgery in children.

https://ismailimail.wordpress.com/2015/ ... dor-award/

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Farhan Thawar: One of Toronto’s Top 25 Most Powerful People

Farhan has been named one of “Toronto’s Top 25 Most Powerful People”, and is a well-known and respected figure in Toronto’s tech community. Before joining the Xtreme team, Farhan held the positions of Chief Software Architect at Achievers, Canadian Head of Search & MSN Platform for Microsoft and Technical Lead at Trilogy Software. In addition to being a programming and engineering guru, Farhan also uses his wealth of industry and mobile expertise to mentor aspiring mobile and tech startups. Farhan has a degree in Computer Science from the University of Waterloo and an MBA in Financial Engineering from Rotman. Farhan has been published in TechCrunch, Wired, VentureBeat, and Forbes Magazine.

https://ismailimail.wordpress.com/2015/ ... ul-people/

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Zahra Ebrahim: Why we need to let cities break [TEDxToronto]

On October 22, 2015, some of Toronto’s greatest thinkers and change-makers joined together onstage at TEDxToronto to deliver powerful talks and performances that embodied our theme, Thresholds.

Zahra Ebrahim is the principal of the design think tank, archiTEXT, working with Canada’s largest charities, governing bodies, and philanthropic organizations to introduce design and design process to their change-making efforts. She has taught at OCAD University, the Museum of Modern Art, and is currently a faculty member at the University of Toronto. She serves as Chair of the board of Jane’s Walk, and serves on the board of St. Stephen’s House as the Chair of the organization’s advocacy efforts.

https://ismailimail.wordpress.com/2015/ ... dxtoronto/

Almas Jiwani Foundation Launches – Aims to Empower Girls and Women in the Global Fight to End Poverty

Press Release, Jan 1, 2016: Today, the Almas Jiwani Foundation (AJF – almasjiwanifoundation.org) is proud to announce its launch of a paradigm shifting organization that will usher in a new era of fighting poverty. Its namesake, Almas Jiwani, has been a tireless pioneer of the women’s empowerment movement. Through her work travelling the world and inspiring others to see the light, Almas discovered that more must be done in the global fight against poverty. “The more I travelled and built relationships with partners working towards the same goals, I found each conversation had the same conclusion. We must do more,” says Ms. Jiwani.

https://ismailimail.wordpress.com/2016/ ... d-poverty/

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The dozen who will dominate politics in 2016 | Toronto Star

Five women and seven men appear to be ready to influence by word or deed in the coming year.

Tim Harper, Jan 01 2016: By word or by deed, 12 people, five women and seven men, including a prime minister, a mayor, three premiers and a First Nations leader, are set to be the most influential dozen political personalities in 2016.

1.Naheed Nenshi (Calgary)
The political future of Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi, 43, is whatever he chooses it to be, writes Tim Harper for The Star
The Calgary mayor has had a national profile since his election in 2010 when he first introduced the country to the new, multicultural Alberta. The first Muslim to lead a major North American city was re-elected with 74 per cent of the vote in 2013.

But in 2015, he became the country’s most eloquent voice in support of Canadian diversity and against intolerance. He has spoken far and wide on Canada’s need to welcome refugees, something that will continue to top the news as government-sponsored Syrians arrive in this country in 2016 and the Donald Trump echo chamber from the south continues to receive Canadian attention.

Nenshi is only 43. Given his influence on the national stage, his political future is whatever he chooses it to be.

https://ismailimail.wordpress.com/2016/ ... onto-star/

Justice Visram receives Kenya’s 2nd highest National Award

Elder of the Burning Spear (E.B.S.)

On the occasion of the 52nd anniversary of Kenya’s independence, December 12, 2015, HE President Uhuru Kenyatta, awarded The Hon. Mr. Justice Alnashir Visram, Judge of The Kenya Court of Appeal, with the 2nd highest national award, Elder of the Burning Spear (E.B.S.) in recognition of distinguished services to the nation.

More...
https://ismailimail.wordpress.com/2016/ ... nal-award/

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A Look Inside the Candidacy of Danisha Bhaloo, for Edmonton City Council Ward 12

Danisha is running for the office of city council, to ensure that vulnerable Edmontonians have the same opportunity to thrive and contribute positively to the city. This can be achieved through crime prevention, education and the arts.

More...
https://ismailimail.wordpress.com/2016/ ... l-ward-12/

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Member Profile_India 2015 – Sheny Bhanji

November 20, 2015 / India 2015, Missions, Volunteers


Hello, this is Sheny on my 2nd trip with ORC.

Cambodia 2014 was my first mission with ORC. During that same year, I also volunteered with Indo African Charities in Gujarat where we held clinics in the rural areas. In 2007, I volunteered at the Agakhan Education Services in Ranava and Porbander in Gujarat as well. Currently, I work as a pharmacist at Point Grey Pharmacy and am an instructor for the Pharmacy Practice Lab in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at UBC

More...
http://operationrainbowcanada.ca/2313-2/

Salima Ebrahim appointed to the Advisory Panel on Metro Edmonton’s Future

Salima Ebrahim is the Executive Director of the Banff Forum, a national public policy organization whose mission is to reinvigorate public debate in Canada and to find ways to strengthen our country through engaging young leaders from diverse backgrounds and industry sectors.

More..
https://ismailimail.wordpress.com/2016/ ... ns-future/

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Ali Velshi receives the 2015 Humanitarian Champion Award from New York’s Center for Urban Community Services

October 29, 2015 – Excerpt: After a short Al-Jazeera video presentation on homelessness, an emotional Ali Velshi was presented the inaugural 2015 Humanitarian Champion Award for his dedicated volunteerism with the organization’s Street to Home program.

https://ismailimail.wordpress.com/2016/ ... -services/

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Ya Ali Madad.
My sincere request to Admin one section ' PROUD TO BE ISMAILI'.
We are a living Jamat which achievements of great Ismailis.In the past photos of hero's were put up on Jk.
Such important message deserves better spot n hilight.
Just in paper today the highest donor in India in the year 2015.It is an Isamili Mr Azim Premji who donated US$ 4.25 billion.
This new Fatimid era will great Ismailis in making in all fields. Inshallah they would as International level with significant impact and stature.
This make Ismaili proud n feel good.
Nobody is least interested in data of dead era where everyone wishes to specialize.

There is a section on PEOPLE. This is where achievements of Proud Ismailis should be added.

There is an interesting article about Asians in East Africa, Ismailis (khojas)being part of it.

Of places called home

Excerpt:

Generation of tycoons

With the advent of British and German colonialism in the early twentieth century, Zanzibar’s commercial power and political influence waned, while the interior of East Africa opened up with new infrastructure and increasing trade. As a result, the Indians spread out all over the mainland, which now consisted of the three colonies of Kenya, Uganda, and Tanganyika. (In 1964 Tanganyika and Zanzibar joined to form Tanzania. The Indians went on to be called “Asians”.) The new generation of tycoons included Sewa Haji Paroo, whose caravans went from Bagamoyo (near Dar es Salaam) all the way north to the Kilimanjaro region. His apprentice, Allidina Visram, topped him to become “the uncrowned king of Mombasa,” supplying the dukas (shops) that had sprung up from Mombasa to Uganda, and further in eastern Congo and southern Sudan. In 1890 A.M. Jeevanjee, a Bohra from Karachi, arrived in Mombasa and made his fortune supplying goods (and workers) to the Uganda Railway. Much of early wood-and-iron Nairobi was constructed by his firm; the city’s Jeevanjee Gardens was his donation.

By the mid-twentieth century every small town in East Africa had the characteristic Indian strip of shops, and in even the smallest village you would find an Indian family branch running the solitary Indian shop. The Asian population totalled 366,000, with the highest number, 176,000, in Kenya with its total population of around 9 million. Unlike elsewhere, Indians had settled in East Africa as communities; there were Bhatias and Khojas, Jains, Shahs, Patels, Lohanas, Sikhs, Bohras, Memons, Kumbhads, and others. In the cities, the larger communities like the Khojas had their own primary and secondary schools for girls and boys, hospitals, dispensaries, and community halls. Dar es Salaam, with roughly 100,000 people at the end of the 1950s, had at least five Asian cricket teams. Abject poverty was rare, and even the most straitened household could afford three simple meals a day. For us growing up in East Africa, it was India that was poor and backward, as revealed to us in the newsreels and Indian films of the period.

Complex and multicultural

East African Asian society was complex and contradictory as any truly multicultural society needs to be (and perhaps as only Indians can make it). Asians tended to live close to their own communities; caste discrimination persisted, as did Muslims sectarian differences. Yet by the standards we see today in the world, East Africans were largely tolerant. It was understood that you did your thing. The azaan would go off in the mosques, the Khoja ginans would blare out over loudspeakers from their jamat khanas, a temple procession would block a road, the Diwali fatakdas would explode in the Hindu sections (and elsewhere). There was hardly any inter-communal violence, and nothing to compare remotely with the communal and caste slaughter that seems so routine in India.

Undoubtedly the Asians were racist — looking up to the “Europeans” and down on the Africans, by whom, as middlemen, they were often resented. Intermarriage between communities and races was a taboo that was just beginning to yield as I emerged from my teen years. Because the poorest people were among the Africans, it has been broadly claimed and often in Shylockian language that Asians were their exploiters. Asian liberals like to wallow in self-guilt. I have often retorted that my widowed mother worked from eight in the morning to ten at night, running her small shop, barely making ends meet while raising five children; whom did she exploit? Today many Tanzanian African women run small businesses similar to my mother’s. We often forget the wealthy and sophisticated African peoples who owned land and cattle; and while many Africans had homes in their villages, most Asians in Africa did not. If Asians did not marry Africans, the Africans, with ancient traditions of their own, had their own taboos; to imply that they panted to lay hands on Asian women is itself racist.

http://m.thehindu.com/opinion/of-places ... 031992.ece

In Kenya, there is a very tribal situation. There are 42 "Kenyan" tribes and one "Asian" tribe.

Al the 43 Kenya Tribes discriminate. All of them, without exception. This means a Kikuyu would consider a Luya inferior and a Luya would consider a Kamba inferior and a Kamba would consider an Asian inferior etc... What is needed in Kenya and other East African Countries is to follow the example of Rwanda, (one of the E.A. Countries) and stop identifying by tribe and start identifying as ONE nation. But the discrimination which flared in the post election violence of 2006 does not permeate the society today. The Middle Class in Kenya is becoming powerful in number and they are looking for peace, stability and predictability.

There is an effort done in this direction. For example there was a ONE Kenya conference in 2009 which tried to implement this idea but the effort was not sustained. though it had an impact I remember seeing there President Kibaki but also as special invitee, the ex-president Moi. The participants were not confined to the locals, there was a wide variety of tribes represented. Equally, there were observers from many countries. Aziz Bhaloo was there to represent the AKF. Numerous stake-holders were invited and the conference at that time seems to take the right direction for unity in diversity among the Tribes.



Heritage Photo.

Majid Mangalji awarded Doctor of Letters

Industry leaders from music, health, business, hospitality and engineering were bestowed with honorary degrees from the University of West London, at ceremonies at Wembley Stadium this week. The honorary recipients were recognised alongside 1,600 students.

Majid Mangalji, international hotelier, was awarded a Doctor of Letters by the London School of Hospitality and Tourism. He said, ‘I am honoured to be recognised for my work by the University, and hope my story will inspire current students to achieve their goals.

https://ismailimail.wordpress.com/2016/ ... f-letters/

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Dr. Mohammed Shamji, Neurosurgeon, Featured on CTV National News | Brain Campaign

Dr. Mohammed Shamji, a neurosurgeon of the Krembil Neuroscience Centre, has been featured by CTV National News for his unique surgical application of neurostimulation implants for chronic spinal cord pain.

More...
https://ismailimail.wordpress.com/2016/ ... -campaign/

Azim Premji gives away Rs 27,514 crore, stays most generous Indian

BENGALURU: Wipro chairman Azim Premji has been named the most philanthropic Indian for the third consecutive year, according to a report from Hurun Research Institute, which ranks the most generous individuals in the country.

Premji's contribution for education through the Azim Premji Foundation more than doubled to Rs 27,514 crore in 2015, from Rs 12, 316 crore, a year earlier, the Hurun Philanthropy List 2015 said. With contribution of Rs 2,404 crore, Nandan and Rohini Nilekani climbed up the list at the second position, from sixth in 2014 while former Infosys chairman Narayana Murthy came in third with contribution of Rs 1,322 crore.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... s?from=mdr

More on Azeem Premji at:

http://www.ismaili.net/html/modules.php ... opic&t=213

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President Amreen Poonawala: Women in Science and Engineering, University of Toronto (WISE)

As President, Amreen oversees organizational strategy and vision. As an engineering student with a background in business, Amreen is always looking to take on leadership roles at the intersection of technical and people management. Her future aspirations include serving at the Aga Khan Development Network.

The University of Toronto’s Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) mandates to provide an enriched experience for women in the fields of science and engineering. WISE provides exciting opportunities with the aim to cultivate a safe environment for growth in both the academic and professional fields.

https://ismailimail.wordpress.com/2016/ ... onto-wise/

Dubai Holiday Inn CEO Roxana Jaffer receives Women Leadership Achievement Award 2015

I am deeply honored and most grateful to WWLCA for considering me worthy for this very special recognition. Thank you WWLCA, Thank you Dr Bhatia & the Jury.

Like most leaders I did not wake up one morning and decide I wanted to be a leader; nor was I driven at any time to seek recognition or accolades for being a guide and role- model to my followers.

It is humbling to know that as a leader, standing in for what’s right and displaying courage to uphold my convictions, that I should be nominated. I thank my team who took time to complete the rigorous document.

https://ismailimail.wordpress.com/2016/ ... ward-2015/

Issa Premji: The man with an unrivaled height of bravery – Westgate mall massacre hero

Issa Premji is a figure well-known not just in the Ismaili community, but in extension, the entire Nairobi security fraternity. He presents the epitome of selfless service as he constantly puts his life on the line to save others. Just like the rising sun, he is a surety. Premji, with a credible amount of experience under his belt, was at the forefront of the rescue and evacuation efforts during the appalling September 21, 2013 Westgate Shopping Mall siege.

One year on as wounds begin healing and life slowly but surely resumes with some level of normalcy, Issa – the man who dares not mince his words – speaks to The Asian Weekly on his role during that fateful day as we reflect on the day that was and the status quo of the country’s security sector.

By Hussein Jiva for Asian Weekly Nairobi. Posted at Ismailimail with permission.

Click here to read (PDF).

https://ismailimail.wordpress.com/2016/ ... acre-hero/

Professor Moyez Jiwa appointed Editor-in-Chief of Australasian Medical Journal

Professor Moyez Jiwa is the Editor in chief of Australasian Medical Journal. He is also associate dean and Professor of Health Innovation at the Melbourne Clinical School, University of Notre Dame. He is a practicing general practitioner in Melbourne, Australia. Website: http://www.leanmedicine.co


I’ve been a doctor since 1987. I have worked in four countries and know the challenge of working in different healthcare settings. I am a Professor of Health Innovation at Notre Dame University and a GP practicing in Victoria, Australia. I am also the Editor in Chief of The Australasian Medical Journal.

I have learned that people who respond to those in pain and distress often know how to help. These caring professionals are often ham strung by the system. Despite these limitations they find ways to intuitively and creatively solve problems and care for their patients. We need the insight, passion and energy of these people at the coalface.

Source:
■Australasian Medical Journal
■Lean Medicine
https://ismailimail.wordpress.com/2016/ ... l-journal/

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Qahir Dhanani: Advisor to the Senior Vice President at the World Bank

Boston Consulting Group alumnus Qahir Dhanani (Dubai, 2009-2012) has been at the bank for three years, as part of its Young Professionals Program (YPP). His interest in international development was piqued at a young age. Born in Nairobi, he lived there until his family moved to Toronto when he was ten years old.

“The difference was immense—roads were paved, everything was clean, goods and services were readily available, things just worked—a stark difference in development between a place like Canada and what I’d experienced in Kenya.”

Armed with an undergraduate degree in government and economics from Cornell, Qahir took his first job with the Aga Khan Development Network, working on microfinance and social development in Africa and the Middle East.

https://ismailimail.wordpress.com/2016/ ... orld-bank/

Cabinet of Quebec appoints Professor Bilkis Vissandjee for the commission on medically assisted end-of-life care

Bilkis Vissandjee is a professor, faculty of nursing at Montreal University. She is a 2009 Fellow of Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and winner of the “Women of Distinction” YWCA award.

Professor Bilkis has been contributing to quality nursing practices at the front lines of complex situations with intercultural context, taking account of experiences and migration trajectories, linguistic distance, sensitivity to gender relations and social inequalities in health.

More at the source: Montreal University

Québec, Wednesday, December 16, 2015 – The Council of Ministers have made ​​the following appointments at its meeting.

Commission on end of life care

Bilkis Vissandjée
ismailimail.wordpress.com/2016/01/29/cabinet-of-quebec-appoints-professor-bilkis-vissandjee-for-the-commission-on-medically-assisted-end-of-life-care/

UAB’s Henna Budhwani named Top 40 Under 40

The Birmingham Business Journal has recognized the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s School of Public Health Assistant Professor Henna Budhwani, Ph.D., and UAB Medicine’s Director of Strategy and Business Development Melissa Mancini as in its Top 40 Under 40 Class of 2016.

Each year, the BBJ recognizes talented professionals under 40 who contribute to Birmingham’s economic development, community advancement and the success of the company for which they work.

ismailimail.wordpress.com/2016/02/09/uabs-henna-budhwani-named-top-40-under-40/

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Commemorative Stamp issued by Chinese Government for Dr. Shaf Keshavjee

Chinese postage stamp with Shaf Keshavjee and Jingyu Chen, to commemorate the first successful lung transplant surgery in the country, 2005 (Photo Zahur Ramji)
ismailimail.wordpress.com/2016/02/09/commemorative-stamp-issued-by-chinese-government-for-dr-shaf-keshavjee/

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Nazir Valani: National Leader, Actuarial Practice, KPMG Canada

Nazir Valani: Leading Actuaries of 2015 – Acquisition International – January 2016

KPMG LLP is a professional service company offering a wide range of services including auditing. We spoke to Nazir Valani, Partner and North American Leader for AXIS Implementation at KPMG. Nazir is also the National Leader of the Actuarial Practice at KPMG in Canada.

ismailimail.wordpress.com/2016/02/09/nazir-valani-national-leader-actuarial-practice-kpmg-canada/

Aghakhanis in Gwadar

Near the south eastern part of the emerging port town of Gwadar lies an old neighborhood of Baloch fishermen. Near their little homes are some narrow streets with abandoned locked shops of a few Hindus who left long ago during 1940s-50s. Going along that line, a few other shops lead to 20 feet high boundary walls lined up from the four sides opening with an ornate wooden gate. Entering to that particular compound, one can find a community with a totally different culture, language and religion.

Gwadaris often experience some sort of astonishing expressions from the outsiders when talking about the diversity they have in the town. Gwadar and its nearby districts have a large number of Balochi speaking communities and it is very hard to find minorities living there however other than Baloch community Gwadar is home to more than 150 Agha Khanis or “Kojas” as locally known. It has been more than four centuries since they have been living here.

According to our ancestors, a large number of Agha Khanis migrated from India to different parts of the district including Gwadar, Pasni and Ormara during the 17th Century. While most other areas of the province were part the British colony, Gwadar remained a part of Omani Sultanate.

During that period for the protection of the minorities including Hindus and Agha khanis, the Omani government constructed a compound with boundary walls on four sides. Within it the Agha khanis had their homes, “Jamat Khana” or “Kojayani Aano” (as Balochs say) which still exist and the Hindus had their temple. Two famous Omani forts still seen from Shahi Bazar (Old Market) are inside the compound and were used by Arab soldiers to protect the minorities during the days and nights.

Things changed with time and specifically when Gwadar became a part of Pakistan in 1958. The Omani soldiers went back to their country, few Hindus moved to India and Karachi. Along with them several Aagha Khanis moved to Karachi and foreign countries, yet many chose to live in the harbor village in the same colony that their ancestors lived.

Today a number of Agha khanis still live peacefully in Gwadar and work as teachers, journalists, traders, some have their own department stores and few work in different government departments. One of the famous and widely known whole-sale store in the market belongs to Tariq Koja an Agha Khani.

“We have always found Gwadar a peaceful place for minorities since we Agha Khanis are always treated as a part of the local population,” said Tariq Koja while dealing with some customers “I have had my department store for a long time and sometimes I have even seen Balochs leaving out the stores owned by other Balochs and making straight for my store to shop.”

It is hardly mentioned somewhere that the Agha Khanis somehow have a role in the educational development of the town as well. They were indeed the first ones to establish an English Medium High School in Gwadar. Perhaps the biggest benefit it provided was not only the education but a mind shift it introduced which was “educating girls”. It was among the first schools that encouraged parents to educate their daughters.

“We have many Balochs who have done their metric from this school and many who got opportunities to work there,” said a Gwadari.

Although the school closed in 2008 but it left behind hundreds of innovative minds and it did complete its 100 years before closing.

Madam Kalsoom an Agha Khani teacher served in the government Girls’ High School for almost twenty years. It has been eight years since she retired. Remembering the days when she first started teaching she says, “We hardly had any Baloch female teachers in the school but today it makes me glade to see my students as teachers.”

This specific community has not only exerted toward the education sector or gender equality within the town but they have played major role in the field of journalism as well. The first journalist from Gwadar Abdul Majeed Jindani belonged to the same community. Following him today his son Akbar Jindani and several Baloch journalists work together for better society through their expressive work.

The Agha Khanis of Gwadar have set excellent examples of entrepurship and are perhaps the first Gwadaris to initiate trade and business. Today three major fish factories in Gwadar for instance; Gaba, Karim Impex and Sea Food Corporation are owned by the same minority.

According to the locals “Kojas” are somehow the pioneers of the social change in the region. Even if they were just a minority, their innovative efforts somehow played a vital role in the positive changes we experience in today's Gwadar.

Midst the political unrest in the province, they had always remained moderate and peaceful and stood with the Balochs when needed.

http://mariyamanalblog.blogspot.ca/2015 ... wadar.html

The Ismailis of Tanga 1950s, 1960s

http://theismailisoftanga50s60s.blogspo ... hotos.html

Dr Malyha Alibhai receives award from the Saskatchewan College of Family Physicians

ismailimail.wordpress.com/2016/02/17/dr-malyha-alibhai-receives-award-from-the-saskatchewan-college-of-family-physicians/

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Zainul Lalani & Sherry Lynn Hanna: Helping Syrian refugee families settle in Canada, Waterloo region

ismailimail.wordpress.com/2016/02/16/zainul-lalani-sherry-lynn-hanna-helping-syrian-refugee-families-settle-in-canada-waterloo-region/

Zainub Verjee to speak on the feasibility of opening a new Public Art Gallery for the Town Huntsville, Muskoka region, Ontario

ismailimail.wordpress.com/2016/02/18/zainub-verjee-to-speak-on-the-feasibility-of-opening-a-new-public-art-gallery-for-the-town-huntsville-muskoka-region-ontario/

Azim Alibhai: Chair, Board of Directors, UNITY

/ismailimail.wordpress.com/2016/02/18/azim-alibhai-chair-board-of-directors-unity/

MLA Sultan on B.C.'s Ismaili Community

MLA Sultan presents a statement in the legislature on how B.C.'s Ismaili community has helped shape the province.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpZIgglNyAI

"I leave it to readers to decide whether the Ismailis or Taliban we should emulate"

You can read the whole text on:

http://www.malaysia-today.net/suaris-in ... -malays-5/

Extract:

It would be more meaningful if I were to give an example of an Islamic society and leader I hold in high regards and compare both with another I would be very hesitant in emulating. It is not my place to say which one is more Islamic and would enter Paradise. Only Allah knows that, and He is not telling me or anyone else.

There are fewer than 15 million Ismailis in the world, about the same number as Malays in Malaysia. Those Ismailis do not even have a country of their own, but their power, influence and contributions to the world generally and Muslim community specifically far exceed their number.

Ismailis emphasize the giving of zakat (tithe), and with that money they build schools and universities, as well as invest in companies that among other things manufacture pharmaceuticals. The Aga Khan University Hospital in Pakistan was built only in 1985 but it is already a well known center. The Ismailis could not care less whether their women don their hijab; they are more concerned that their women be trained as doctors, teachers and engineers so they could contribute to society, to be makhlok soleh (exemplary beings).

Compare them to the Talibans in Afghanistan. Taliban means students, but those students are busy burning schools and splashing acids on young girls wanting to go to school. Taliban youths are busy leaning how to use C4 explosives and high-powered AK47 rifles; young Ismailis are busy solving problems in science and calculus.

A society reflects its leaders. The leader of the Ismailis is the Aga Khan. Yes, he is wealthy, raises thoroughbreds, and his father was once married to Rita Hayward, the famed American actress. The current Aga Khan however, graduated from Harvard; he leveraged his networking with American intellectuals to entice them to teach at the universities he built in Asia.

The leader held in high regards by the Taliban was Osama. He too was wealthy and qualified as an engineer from a Saudi university, but he expended his wealth and skills to destroy buildings and kill people.

Who better “command good and forbid evil,” Aga Khan or Osama? I let readers determine whether Malay society today is closer to the Ismailis or the Taliban. Again, I leave it to readers to decide whether the Ismailis or Taliban we should emulate.

ralphsultanmla.ca/bcltv_videos/mla-sultan-on-b-c-s-ismaili-community/

Ralph Sultan; on Ismailis in BC.

16 February 2016 - Statement

See video on http://ralphsultanmla.ca/bcltv_videos/m ... community/

Interesting, talks of progress done by Ismailis since Idid Amim Dada kicked them from Uganda about 40 years ago [With a small mistakes as he said Kenya followed the example of Idi Amin later, whcih is inaccurate)

http://aranews.net/2016/02/as-isis-proc ... s-yezidis/

As ISIS progresses in western Syria, Ismaili minority fears similar fate as Yezidis

February 28, 2016

In Depth

As ISIS progresses in western Syria, Ismaili minority fears similar fate as Yezidis

Islamic State executed more than 1000 civilians in Mosul in less than a year Turkey defends Syria’s Islamists by combatting Kurds Wife of ISIS leader charged in death of American aid worker Kayla Mueller ISIS executes dozens of its own militants for attempting dissidence ISIS holds thousands of civilians hostage in Syria’s Shaddadi American volunteer in Rojava: Suffering of Yezidis sparked my passion to join Kurds in fight against ISIS Turkmen to join Kurdish Peshmerga forces in fight against ISIS south Kirkuk

ARA News

HAMA – Militant fighters of the Islamic State (ISIS) have made new gains near the city of Salamiya in Syria’s western Hama province.

ISIS militants have captured several villages in the countryside of Salamiya–main bastion for Syria’s Ismaili minority group.

“Subsequent to clashes with Syrian army troops, ISIS fighters took control of a number of villages in the area, including Taiba and Salm,” rights activist Edib Barazi told ARA News in Hama.

“The recent progress by ISIS militants has raised concerns among members of the Ismaili minority in Salamiya,” Barazi said. “People are afraid of facing a similar fate as Yezidi Kurds of Iraq if ISIS takes over Salamiya city.”

ISIS leadership issued a statement on Saturday, warning the Ismailis to surrender “or face the justice of Allah”.

The extremist group considers religious minorities like the Ismailis, Yezidis and Druzes as apostates.

Speaking to ARA News in Salamiya, Ismaili cleric Haidar al-Saleh said: “We are a peaceful minority and we had taken a neutral position towards the ongoing conflict in Syria.”

“The Ismailis try to avoid clashes with any armed group,” he said. “We are aware of the ongoing progress by ISIS in the countryside of Salamiya, and our community is highly concerned about its fate in case this radical group took over the city.”

The Ismaili cleric appealed to the international community to intervene and protect his community against possible atrocities by ISIS.

“With ISIS advance in Hama province, local minorities remember images from the ISIS atrocities against the Yezidi Kurds. We hope this nightmare won’t come true,” al-Saleh told ARA News.

In August 2014, ISIS extremists had taken control of the Yezidi Shingal district in northern Iraq, causing a mass displacement of nearly 400,000 people. Tens of thousands of Yezidi Kurds remained trapped in Mount Sinjar, suffering mass killings, kidnappings and rape at the hands of ISIS militants. Also, more than 3000 Yezidi girls have been taken by the radical group as sex slaves. The Kurdish Peshmerga troops regained control of the Yezidi Shingal region in November of 2015, after fierce battles against ISIS. The Kurdish forces have recently discovered more than five mass graves in the Yezidi region, where hundreds of Yezidi civilians have been summarily executed and buried by ISIS jihadis.

Reporting by: Jean Janie

Source: ARA News

Narmin Ismail receives The International Alliance for Women’s World of Difference Award

ismailimail.wordpress.com/2016/03/04/narmin-ismail-receives-the-international-alliance-for-womens-world-of-difference-award/

Kassam appointed to Advisory Board, ‘Sustainable Energy for All’ global initiative

ismailimail.wordpress.com/2016/03/04/lutaf-kassam-appointed-to-advisory-board-sustainable-energy-for-all-global-initiative/

Shafik Bhalloo reappointed as member Employment Standards Tribunal

ismailimail.wordpress.com/2016/03/08/shafik-bhalloo-reappointed-as-member-employment-standards-tribunal/

Mentoring a Nation: Almas Jiwani to Sit on National Mentorship Panel on the Occasion of International Women’s Day

ismailimail.wordpress.com/2016/03/08/mentoring-a-nation-almas-jiwani-to-sit-on-national-mentorship-panel-on-the-occasion-of-international-womens-day/

Alizeh Gangji honoured as 2016 Siebel Scholar

/ismailimail.wordpress.com/2016/03/15/alizeh-gangji-honoured-as-2016-siebel-scholar/

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University of Prince Edward Island appoints Dr. Gulrose Jiwani as new Dean of Nursing

/ismailimail.wordpress.com/2016/03/15/university-of-prince-edward-island-appoints-dr-gulrose-jiwani-as-new-dean-of-nursing/

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Keivan Hirji, Executive Assistant to BC Deputy Premier, presents at University of Victoria
//ismailimail.wordpress.com/2016/03/15/keivan-hirji-executive-assistant-to-bc-deputy-premier-presents-at-university-of-victoria/

Peter Willey: “…the Ismailis were people of exceptional intelligence and sophistication…”

“It is not power that rules, for power is, in the long run, neither strong nor holy. It is the rich warmth of human emotions, friendship and respect for others that builds and sustains.”
Peter Willey
Eagle’s Nest, Ismaili Castles in Iran and Syria

“Charting the discoveries he made during the course of more than twenty expeditions, over the last forty years, Willey shows that – in contrast to the lurid tales of ‘hashish-crazed assassins’ – the Ismailis were people of exceptional intelligence and sophistication, who in these remote mountain fortresses were able to cultivate a rich intellectual and spiritual life…The very opposite of the ‘assassins’ of popular imagination, their architectural, intellectual, agricultural and military achievements in many respects surpass those of the Crusaders.”
Extracts from the front flap, Eagle’s Nest, Ismaili Castles in Iran and Syria

“Whenever I travelled in the Middle East, Africa and Asia, I have taken the opportunity to meet Ismailis of all classes and conditions, and I have been struck by their practical idealism and intelligent approach to the problems of modern life. They are singularly devoted to their Imam, whose guidance touches upon virtually every aspect of their worldly and spiritual lives….They place great importance on humanitarian and development projects in the Third World, which they regard as a fundamental aspect of their faith. These projects are implemenetd through an impressive number of development agencies, institutions and porgrammes grouped under the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN). The AKDN constitutes, in fact, the world’s largest private philanthropic organisation. Its services are not restricted to the Ismailis but made available to all people in the poorest parts of the world, especially Asia and Africa, regardless of their origin or faith.

The present Aga Khan is anxious to demonstrate that Islam has contributed and continues to enrich the intellectual and cultural heritage of the world.

Above all, I have learned the power of faith, of faith that is genuine and sincere and which is used to benefit humanity. Faith and truth should be the keystones of our lives, as should justice and our duty to protect and help the poor and needy.”
Extracts from Epilogue, Eagle’s Nest, Ismaili Castles in Iran and Syria, I.B Tauris & Co. Ltd., 2005

Peter Willey (d. 2009) was the world authority on the Ismaili castles of Iran and Syria. He began his archaeological research in 1959 and, over the course of more than twenty expeditions spanning forty years, he identified and documented the ruins of many Ismaili castles. His first book, The Castles of the Assassins, was published in 1963 and also translated into Persian. Besides writing books, Major Willey also contributed articles to The Times, the Geographical Magazine and the Encyclopaedia Iranica, where he wrote about the Nizari Ismaili Monuments in Iran and Syria. His writings are also a rich personal account of the adventures of travelling in remote locations and his interactions with local people.

In Memory of Peter Willey, Authority on Medieval Ismaili Castles, The Institute of Ismaili Studies

Compiled by Nimira Dewji
/ismailimail.wordpress.com/2016/03/19/peter-willey-the-ismailis-were-people-of-exceptional-intelligence-and-sophistication/

AD Khawaja appointed new IG Sindh

KARACHI: Following the Supreme Court’s order, the federal government announced on Saturday to remove Inspector General (IG) Ghulam Haider Jamali and appoint Allah Dino (AD) Khawaja as the new IG Sindh.

According to reports, the Sindh government had submitted names of three candidates for the post as the top police chief, of which AD Khawaja was selected to replace Jamali.

More...
http://tribune.com.pk/story/1064462/ad- ... -ig-sindh/

AD Khawaja is an Ismaili...