www.ismaili.net

Ismaili Imamat acquires Henrique Mendonça Palace in Lisbon

The Palace Henrique Mendonça / Casa Ventura Terra, in Lisbon, will be sold by the State to the Aga Khan Foundation for 12 million euros, according to a resolution of the Council of Ministers published Monday in the Official Gazette.

Currently occupied by Nova School of Business and Economics, the Henry Mendonca Palace / Casa Ventura Terra, in Lisbon, will be sold by the State to the Aga Khan Foundation for 12 million euros. The Ismailis are committed to invest another six million euros in the rehabilitation and adaptation of the building and employ Portuguese architects for these jobs.

According to the resolution of the Council of Ministers, published in the Official Gazette in paragraphs 18 to 28, the fitting sale, closed two weeks ago, will now be the headquarters of the Aga Khan Foundation in Portugal – and the world’s first seat of this branch of Shiite Islam.

Translated from Portuguese via Google Translate – May 9, 2016

Sources
•www.cmjornal.xl.pt
•www.idealista.pt/news
•www.diarioimobiliario.pt
•www.parlamento.pt
•https://dre.pt/application/conteudo/74385263

http://expresso.sapo.pt/economia/2016-0 ... a-Portugal

ENGLISH GOOGLE TRANSLATION BELOW THE TEXT

Príncipe Aga Khan de visita a Portugal

11.05.2016 às 9h36



FRED DUFOUR/Getty
Príncipe Aga Khan, líder da comunidade ismaili, vai encontrar-se com Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa e António Costa. A capital portuguesa vai ser a casa da Fundação Aga Khan, que comprou um palecete de €12 milhões na Rua Marques de Fronteira
Lusa

Lusa

O príncipe Aga Khan, líder da comunidade ismaili, inicia esta quarta-feira uma visita a Lisboa, onde se vai encontrar com o Presidente da República, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, o primeiro-ministro, António Costa, com o ministro dos Negócios Estrangeiros.

O líder da comunidade ismaili encontra-se hoje à tarde com o ministro dos Negócios Estrangeiros, Augusto Santos Silva, no Palácio das Necessidades, em Lisboa, e a partir das 20h vai estar presente no jantar oferecido pelo Presidente da República, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, na Cidadela de Cascais.

Na quinta-feira, Aga Khan reúne-se, de manhã, com o ex-Presidente da República Cavaco Silva e, após uma visita à Assembleia da República, encontra-se com o primeiro-ministro, António Costa, no Palácio de São Bento.

Na passada segunda-feira, uma resolução do Conselho de Ministros publicada em Diário da República indicava que o Palácio Henrique Mendonça/Casa Ventura Terra, em Lisboa, vai ser vendido pelo Estado à Fundação Aga Khan por 12 milhões de euros.

O edifício, situado na Rua Marquês de Fronteira e onde está instalada parte da Faculdade de Economia da Universidade de Lisboa, vai ser a sede da Fundação Aga Khan em Portugal.

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Prince Aga Khan's visit to Portugal

05.11.2016 at 9:36 a.m.


FRED DUFOUR / Getty
Prince Aga Khan, leader of the Ismaili community, will meet Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and Antonio Costa. The Portuguese capital will be the home of the Aga Khan Foundation, which bought a palecete of € 12 million in Marques Border Street


Prince Aga Khan, leader of the Ismaili community, starts this Wednesday a visit to Lisbon, where he will meet with the President, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, the prime minister, António Costa, with the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The leader of the Ismaili community is today in the afternoon with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Augusto Santos Silva, the Palace of Needs in Lisbon and from 20h will be attending the dinner hosted by the President, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa in Cidadela de Cascais.

On Thursday, Aga Khan meets in the morning, with the former President of Cavaco Republic Silva and, after a visit to the National Assembly, meets with the Prime Minister, António Costa, the São Bento Palace .

Last Monday, a resolution of the Council of Ministers published in the Official Gazette indicated that the Palace Henrique Mendonça / Casa Ventura Terra, in Lisbon, will be sold by the State to the Aga Khan Foundation for 12 million euros.

The building, located on the border of Marquis Street and where it is located part of the Faculty of Economics, University of Lisbon will host the Aga Khan Foundation in Portugal.

http://portugalresident.com/historic-li ... 6vGYf.dpuf


Posted by portugalpress on May 10, 2016

Historic Lisbon palace set to become Aga Khan’s official residence?



The ins and outs of the deal that sees a Lisbon palace of “exceptional public interest” sold for €12 million to the Shia Muslim order of the Ismaili Imamat appears shrouded in uncertainty in Portuguese media.

Diário de Notícias claims it cannot establish why the building - last year valued at between €13-€14 million - has been effectively sold for a million euros less, nor why the Universidade Nova has decided to get rid of it.

The paper also queries what the order led by the Aga Khan - otherwise known as British business magnate, racehorse owner and breeder Prince Shah Karim Al Husseini - to buy it.

What does seem certain is that another €6 million will be ploughed into the stunning property to rehabilitate it - and that the job will be given to a Portuguese firm of architects.

Which firm, again “is not yet known, nor is it likely to be revealed”, says DN - neither is it clear what will happen to the cultural treasures currently housed within it.

But what does seem likely is that Casa Ventura Terra is to become the Aga Khan’s official residence.

Less than a year ago, the former government signed an agreement with the famous Imam to establish the global headquarters of his order in Portugal (click here).

At the time, Portuguese media made much of the fact that competition for the deal had been tough, with Canada also vying for the chance of housing an institution that spends hundreds of millions every year on humanitarian initiatives.

natasha.donn@algarveresident.com

His highness will meet with the President, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, the prime minister, António Costa, and with Augusto Santos Silva, the Minister of Foreign Affairs. He will be attending a dinner hosted on his behalf by the President, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa in Cidadela de Cascais.

Last Monday, a resolution of the Council of Ministers published in the Official Gazette indicated that the Palace Henrique Mendonça / Casa Ventura Terra, in Lisbon, will be sold

Photos from theismaili.org

President of Portugal Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa welcomes His Highness The Aga Khan during a dinner he hosted in His Highness’ honour on 11th May 2016



Senior Protocol Officer António Barroso welcomes Hazar Imam to Portugal on behalf of the government. #AgaKhan


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Photos tweeted by TheIsmaili

Mawlana Hazar Imam in Portugal for first official visit after establishment of the Seat of the Ismaili Imamat

TheIsmaili.org

12 May 2016

https://www.theismaili.org/news-events/ ... eat-imamat

Lisbon, 12 May 2016 — Mawlana Hazar Imam is in Portugal for his first official visit since a landmark agreement establishing the global Seat of the Ismaili Imamat in Portugal came into effect.

Also see:
» AKDN: Aga Khan arrives in Portugal for first official visit after establishment of the Seat of the Ismaili Imamat

Yesterday, Mawlana Hazar Imam met with Foreign Affairs Minister Augusto Santos Silva before meeting with the President of the Portuguese Republic, His Excellency Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who hosted a private dinner in Hazar Imam’s honour.

Welcoming Mawlana Hazar Imam to the dinner, President de Sousa spoke of the relationship between Portugal and the Ismaili Imamat.

“What really brings us together is a joint commitment to defend and apply the principles and values that honour the ethical importance of human life, pluralism of societies and respect for the dignity of human beings,” said the President.

“The values of your civil society are the same values that we defend,” responded Hazar Imam. “We have therefore great commonality in the work we do, not only here in Europe, but in Africa, Asia, and elsewhere.”

Today, Mawlana Hazar Imam is expected to meet with Prime Minister António Costa and the President of Parliament, Eduardo Ferro Rodrigues.

On 3 June 2015, the Ismaili Imamat and the Portuguese Republic entered into an agreement establishing Portugal as the global Seat of the Ismaili Imamat. It was subsequently adopted by the Assembly of the Portuguese Republic and ratified by the President of the Republic, coming into effect in November 2015.

Building on a long relationship and a series of earlier accords dating back to the first Protocol of Cooperation signed in 2005, the agreement upholds the promotion of quality of life and the preservation of human dignity, while promoting economic and social development, interfaith dialogue, and the peaceful resolution of conflict as ways of achieving justice and peace.

At the dinner, Mawlana Hazar Imam introduced the first five Senior Officials of the Imamat, to Portugal’s President: Dr Shafik Sachedina, Head of Community Affairs; Jane Piacentini-Moore, Head of the Department for International Financial Affairs; Ambassador Arif Lalani, Head of the Department of Diplomatic Affairs; Nazim Ahmad, Head of the Department of Portugal and other Lusophone Countries and Maitre Laurent Chambaz, Head of the Department for International Legal Affairs.

Once its restoration is complete, the Henrique de Mendonça Palace will house the Seat of the Ismaili Imamat.

AS RECEIVED

Yesterday, the Aga Khan – Imam (leader) of the Shia Ismaili Muslims and founder and Chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) – met with Foreign Affairs Minister Augusto Santos Silva before meeting with the President of the Portuguese Republic, His Excellency Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who also hosted a private dinner in his honour.



Welcoming His Highness to the dinner, President de Sousa spoke of the relationship between Portugal and the Ismaili Imamat.



“What really brings us together is a joint commitment to defend and apply the principles and values that honour the ethical importance of human life, pluralism of societies and respect for the dignity of human beings,” said the President.



“The values of your civil society are the same values that we defend,” responded His Highness. “We have therefore great commonality in the work we do, not only here in Europe, but in Africa, Asia, and elsewhere.”



Today, the Aga Khan is expected to meet with the Portugues Prime Minister, His Excellency António Costa and the President of Parliament, His Excellency Eduardo Ferro Rodrigues, who will host a private lunch in his honour.

http://www.akdn.org/press-release/portu ... -agreement

Portuguese Republic and Ismaili Imamat sign Research Cooperation Agreement


Lisbon, Portugal, 12 May 2016 - The Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education of the Portuguese Republic and the Ismaili Imamat today signed an Agreement of Cooperation to strengthen research capacity and to improve the quality of life in Portugal and in Portuguese-speaking countries, particularly in Africa. This endeavour will be supported by the Ismaili Imamat with a 10 million euro grant over 10 years.

The agreement emphasises research in the areas of poverty alleviation, food security and biodiversity, early childhood development, sustainable energy systems and urban development, resettlement of migrants, civil society and pluralism. It will also build research capacity to support the forthcoming establishment in Lisbon of the International Centre for Advanced Training of Researchers from Portuguese speaking Countries.

The Agreement, which was signed by His Excellency Professor Manuel Heitor, Portugal’s Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education, and Nazim Ahmad, Representative of the Ismaili Imamat to the Portuguese Republic, exemplifies the deepening of diplomatic relations between the Portuguese Republic and the Ismaili Imamat, following the establishment of the global Seat of the Ismaili Imamat in Portugal in June last year.

“The Agreement establishes a joint initiative aimed at fostering academic, scientific and technological cooperation with countries and regions in development, based on the experience of the Aga Khan Development Network in the improvement of the quality of life in Africa and in the world,” said Nazim Ahmad.

Professor Heitor described the agreement as a significant step in improving the quality of life in those parts of the world that have lacked access to scientific knowledge. "I believe this is a step forward in building the future and building certainly conditions for the improvement of life in parts of the world that have not been able to derive the opportunities to understand science and all the new opportunities that knowledge can drive us," he noted.

His Highness the Aga Khan is on a two-day official visit to Lisbon. Yesterday (Wednesday) he attended a dinner hosted in his honour by the President of the Republic His Excellency Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, and met with the Foreign Minister His Excellency Mr Augusto Santos Silva. Earlier today, the Aga Khan met with President of the Parliament His Excellency Mr Eduardo Ferro Rodrigues and parliamentary representatives, and attended a lunch hosted in his honour.

This is the first official visit of His Highness the Aga Khan to Portugal following the entry into force of the Agreement between the Portuguese Republic and the Ismaili Imamat for the establishment of the Seat of the Ismaili Imamat in Portugal in November 2015. The landmark agreement builds upon a series of earlier accords dating back to the first Protocol of Cooperation signed in 2005, and a longstanding relationship with the country that spans several decades.

2016-05-12 Portugal

His Excellency Professor Manuel Heitor, Portugal’s Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education, and Nazim Ahmad, Representative of the Ismaili Imamat to the Portuguese Republic shake hands after signing a Research Cooperation Agreement. His Highness the Aga Khan and Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Mrs. Teresa Ribeiro look on.
AKDN / Luis Filipe Catarino

http://observador.pt/2016/05/12/portuga ... -lusofona/

Investigação
Portugal e Comunidade Ismaelita apoiam investigação para África lusófona
12/5/2016, 21:04
1

Portugal e a comunidade muçulmana Ismaelita, através da Rede Agan Khan, vão financiar anualmente dois a cinco projetos científicos, para a África lusófona.


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Portugal e a comunidade muçulmana Ismaelita, através da Rede Agan Khan, vão financiar anualmente dois a cinco projetos científicos, para a África lusófona, no valor de 100 mil euros a dois milhões, informou hoje o ministro da tutela.

O ministro da Ciência, Tecnologia e do Ensino Superior, Manuel Heitor, adiantou, em declarações à Lusa, que cada uma das partes apoiará, por ano, a partir de 2016, e durante dez anos, com um milhão de euros, projetos científicos para a África lusófona.

Os projetos serão selecionados em concursos, a lançar, em Portugal, pela Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, entidade pública, na dependência do Governo, que subsidia a investigação.

O primeiro concurso será aberto “antes do verão”, disse Manuel Heitor, após a assinatura, em Lisboa, do protocolo de cooperação científica e tecnológica entre o governo português, representado pelo ministro, e a Comunidade Ismaelita, através do representante em Portugal da Rede Agan Khan para o Desenvolvimento, Nazim Ahmad.

Os projetos de investigação vão incidir em temas ligados à qualidade de vida em sociedades em desenvolvimento, incluindo segurança alimentar, biodiversidade, desenvolvimento infantil, sistemas sustentáveis de energia e desenvolvimento urbano, redução da pobreza, reinstalação de migrantes, sociedade civil e pluralismo.

Manuel Heitor adiantou que os projetos serão desenvolvidos por cientistas portugueses, dos Países Africanos de Língua Oficial Portuguesa (PALOP) e da rede de universidades Agan Khan.

O ministro da Ciência, Tecnologia e do Ensino Superior espera que o protocolo hoje assinado possa ser “uma alavanca” para, em parceria com “fundações com presença em África”, dinamizar o programa Ciência Global, criado em 2009, para proporcionar maior capacidade científica aos PALOP.

Na assinatura do protocolo, que decorreu no Ministério dos Negócios Estrangeiros, esteve o príncipe Aga Khan, líder espiritual da Comunidade Ismaelita. A cooperação entre o Estado português e a Comunidade Ismaelita enquadra-se no acordo assinado por ambos, em junho de 2015. Ao abrigo do acordo, a sede mundial da Comunidade Ismaelita será em Portugal. Esta comunidade muçulmana é oriunda de um ramo do Islão xiita.

http://www.la-croix.com/Urbi-et-Orbi/Mo ... 1200759612


Le futur siège mondial des Ismaéliens à Lisbonne

Claire Lesegretain (avec AFP), le 12/05/2016 à 16h58

L’Aga Khan, chef spirituel des musulmans ismaéliens, devait rencontrer le président puis le premier ministre portugais à Lisbonne, après un accord signé en 2015 avec l’État portugais pour l’installation du siège de la communauté ismaélite.

En mars dernier, le conseil des ministres portugais a autorisé la vente du palais Henrique de Mendonça à Lisbonne pour 12 millions d’euros au prince Karim Aga Khan IV, chef spirituel des musulmans ismaéliens. Celui-ci prévoit en effet d’installer le siège mondial des Ismaéliens dans ce vaste hôtel particulier avec pelouses et palmiers, longeant l’avenue Marquès-de-Frontera. Et ce, à la suite de l’accord signé à ce propos en juin 2015 avec l’État portugais.

Depuis 1840, le siège des musulmans ismaéliens est à Mumbai (anciennement Bombay) en Inde. Selon la presse portugaise, le Canada était aussi sur les rangs pour accueillir le siège mondial de la communauté, qui bénéficiera au Portugal de larges avantages fiscaux et de privilèges diplomatiques, accordés en échange d’investissement dans les domaines de la recherche scientifique et du développement. En juin 2015, le prince Aga Khan avait en effet promis que sa fondation investirait pendant cinq ans au Portugal dans la santé et la protection sociale.
10000 ismaéliens au Portugal

Les Ismaéliens, nés d’une fraction au sein du chiisme, compte 15 millions de fidèles répartis dans 25 pays sur les cinq continents, dont 10 000 au Portugal. L’Aga Khan (titre d’origine turque « âghâ » et mongole « khân ») actuel, âgé de 79 ans, est le 49e imam héréditaire des Ismaéliens.

Très implantés en Inde, en Iran, en Asie centrale et en Jordanie, ils le sont aussi en Europe et en Amérique du Nord, d’où le richissime Agha Khan coordonne l’énorme réseau Development Network, qui œuvre principalement en Asie et en Afrique, et dont les programmes relèvent, selon le site akdn.org, d’une « initiative contemporaine de l’imamat ismaélien visant à concrétiser, à travers l’activité institutionnelle, la vision éthique de la société inspirée par le message de l’islam ».

À Lisbonne pour quelques jours, l’Agha Khan devait rencontrer mercredi 11 mai au soir, pour un dîner, le président portugais Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, et jeudi 12 mai, le premier ministre portugais Antonio Costa, ainsi que l’ex-président Anibal Cavaco Silva.
Claire Lesegretain (avec AFP)

http://www.dn.pt/sociedade/interior/pri ... 68355.html

O príncipe Aga Khan (esq.) com o Presidente da República, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, em Belém

| Miguel Figueiredo Lopes/Presidência da República
Pub

Uma resolução do Conselho de Ministros publicada em Diário da República indica que o Palácio Henrique Mendonça, em Lisboa, vai ser vendido à Fundação Aga Khan

O príncipe Aga Khan, líder da comunidade ismaili, inicia hoje uma visita a Lisboa, onde se vai encontrar com o Presidente da República, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, o primeiro-ministro, António Costa e o ministro dos Negócios Estrangeiros.

O líder da comunidade ismaili encontra-se hoje à tarde com o ministro dos Negócios Estrangeiros, Augusto Santos Silva, no Palácio das Necessidades, em Lisboa, e a partir das 20.00 vai estar presente no jantar oferecido pelo Presidente da República, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, na Cidadela de Cascais.

Na quinta-feira, Aga Khan reúne-se de manhã com o ex-Presidente da República Cavaco Silva e, após uma visita à Assembleia da República, encontra-se com o primeiro-ministro António Costa no Palácio de São Bento.

Ismaili Imamat and Portugal agree to boost research into enhancing quality of life

TheIsmaili.org

12 May 2016

There are nice photos at:

https://www.theismaili.org/news-events/ ... ality-life


Lisbon, 12 May 2016 — The Portuguese Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education and the Ismaili Imamat signed an agreement today that will strengthen research capacity and improve quality of life in Portugal and in Portuguese-speaking countries. The Ismaili Imamat is supporting the agreement with a €10 million grant over 10 years.

Also see:
» AKDN: Portuguese Republic and Ismaili Imamat sign Research Cooperation Agreement
» Mawlana Hazar Imam in Portugal for first official visit after establishment of the Seat of the Ismaili Imamat

Admin wrote:http://observador.pt/2016/05/12/portuga ... -lusofona/

Investigação
Portugal e Comunidade Ismaelita apoiam investigação para África lusófona
12/5/2016, 21:04
1

Portugal e a comunidade muçulmana Ismaelita, através da Rede Agan Khan, vão financiar anualmente dois a cinco projetos científicos, para a África lusófona.

Portugal e a comunidade muçulmana Ismaelita, através da Rede Agan Khan, vão financiar anualmente dois a cinco projetos científicos, para a África lusófona, no valor de 100 mil euros a dois milhões, informou hoje o ministro da tutela.

Google translation:

Portugal and the Ismaili Muslim community , through Aga Khan Network , will fund each year two to five scientific projects , for Lusophone Africa.

Portugal and the Ismaili Muslim community , through Agan Khan Network , will fund each year two to five scientific projects , for Lusophone Africa, worth 100 thousand euros to two million , informed the Minister

Admin wrote:
O príncipe Aga Khan (esq.) com o Presidente da República, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, em Belém

| Miguel Figueiredo Lopes/Presidência da República
Pub

Uma resolução do Conselho de Ministros publicada em Diário da República indica que o Palácio Henrique Mendonça, em Lisboa, vai ser vendido à Fundação Aga Khan

Google translation:

Prince Aga Khan ( esq. ) With the President , Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa , in Bethlehem

| Miguel Figueiredo Lopes / Presidency
Pub

A resolution of the Council of Ministers published in the Official Gazette indicates that Henrique Mendonça Palace in Lisbon, will be sold to the Aga Khan Foundation

Admin wrote: Le futur siège mondial des Ismaéliens à Lisbonne

Claire Lesegretain (avec AFP), le 12/05/2016 à 16h58

L’Aga Khan, chef spirituel des musulmans ismaéliens, devait rencontrer le président puis le premier ministre portugais à Lisbonne, après un accord signé en 2015 avec l’État portugais pour l’installation du siège de la communauté ismaélite.

En mars dernier, le conseil des ministres portugais a autorisé la vente du palais Henrique de Mendonça à Lisbonne pour 12 millions d’euros au prince Karim Aga Khan IV, chef spirituel des musulmans ismaéliens. Celui-ci prévoit en effet d’installer le siège mondial des Ismaéliens dans ce vaste hôtel particulier avec pelouses et palmiers, longeant l’avenue Marquès-de-Frontera. Et ce, à la suite de l’accord signé à ce propos en juin 2015 avec l’État portugais.

Google translation:

The future world headquarters of Ismailis in Lisbon

Claire Lesegretain (with AFP) on 05/12/2016 at 16h58

The Aga Khan , spiritual leader of the Ismaili Muslims , was to meet the President and the Prime Minister of Portugal in Lisbon, following an agreement signed in 2015 with the Portuguese State for the installation of the seat of the Ismaili community.

Last March , the Council of Portuguese Ministers authorized the sale of Henrique de Mendonça palace in Lisbon for 12 million euros in Prince Karim Aga Khan IV , the spiritual leader of the Ismaili Muslims . This provides for installing the global headquarters of the Ismailis in this vast mansion with lawns and palm trees along the avenue Marques de Frontera. And , following the agreement signed in this regard in

http://www.sabado.pt/ultima_hora/detalh ... tugal.html

GOOGLE TRANSLATION BELOW THE TEXT

Aga Khan investe 10 milhões em projectos científicos em Portugal
Acordo é assinado hoje com o Governo português e o dinheiro destina-se a projectos nas áreas de qualidade de vida, sociedade civil e acolhimento de migrantes.

12 Maio 2016 • Negócios
Por Tiago Freire - Jornal de Negócios

O Aga Khan, líder da comunidade ismaelita que está em visita oficial em Portugal, assina esta tarde um acordo de cooperação com o Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Educação Superior, no valor de 10 milhões de euros.
O montante, a investir ao longo dos próximos 10 anos, será canalizado para projectos de investigação conjunta com a Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, incidindo sobre áreas relacionadas com a qualidade de vida, incluindo, entre outros, a segurança alimentar, a biodiversidade, o desenvolvimento na infância, o habitat, sistemas de energias renováveis, acolhimento de migrantes, a sociedade civil e o pluralismo.

Este é o último de vários protocolos de cooperação entre Portugal e o Imamat Ismaili, que teve como ponto alto a escolha do país para a sede mundial da Comunidade Ismaelita. Já esta semana foi conhecida a compra à Universidade Nova de Lisboa do Palácio Henrique de Mendonça, em Lisboa, por 12 milhões de euros, exactamente para acolher essa sede.
O Aga Khan esteve ontem com o Ministro Augusto Santos Silva e jantou com Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa (na foto), na Cidadela de Cascais. O programa de hoje inclui uma visita à Assembleia da República e uma reunião com António Costa. O dia começou com um encontro com Cavaco Silva, que teve um papel fundamental na aproximação de Portugal à Comunidade Ismaelita.

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Google translation

Aga Khan invests 10 million in scientific projects in Portugal
Agreement is signed today with the Portuguese government and the money is intended for projects in the areas of quality of life, civil society and reception of migrants.

May 12, 2016 • Business
Tiago Freire - Business Journal

The Aga Khan, leader of the Ismaili community who is on an official visit in Portugal, signed this afternoon a cooperation agreement with the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education in the amount of 10 million euros.

The amount to invest over the next 10 years, will be channeled to joint research projects with the Foundation for Science and Technology, focusing on areas related to quality of life, including, among others, food security, biodiversity, development in childhood, habitat, renewable energy systems, reception of migrants, civil society and pluralism.

This is the latest of several cooperation agreements between Portugal and the Ismaili Imamat, which was to highlight the choice of the country to the world headquarters of the Ismaili community. Already this week has been known to purchase the New University of Lisbon's Henrique de Mendonça Palace in Lisbon for 12 million euros, just to host this office.

The Aga Khan was yesterday with the Minister Augusto Santos Silva and had dinner with Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa (pictured), the Citadel of Cascais. Today's program includes a visit to the Parliament and a meeting with Antonio Costa. The day began with a meeting with Cavaco Silva, who played a key role in bringing Portugal to the Community Ismaili.

Ismailis, the Muslim elite of business and diplomacy will have their world headquarters in Lisbon

http://clubofmozambique.com/news/ismail ... in-lisbon/

They pray to Allah, dance the Zumba, and teach their children about the right to vote. They started out as traders but now work in banking and real estate and are steadily permeating the law, engineering and medical professions.

And the Ismailis, the Muslim diplomatic and business elite, are establishing a new global headquarters in Lisbon. The Portuguese capital’s discrete Ismaili community believes that the new world headquarters of the Ismaili imamate will bring changes.

In the corner of a garden in Lisbon’s Laranjeiras neighbourhood, a dozen children with beige shirts and coloured neckscarves are playing with wooden staves. They make up Troup 36 of the National Scout Association, and are all Ismailis, members of a Shiite Muslim minority led by millionaire Prince Aga Khan.

On Saturdays afternoons, these 20 boys and girls gather for activities in the gigantic limestone and glass building which forms the community’s main gathering place in the country.

The younger Scouts are in one of the corridors preparing for their next camp, outside a room where they gather to decide which voluntary activities they will participate in. “Recently, we’ve collected food for the a charity food bank, helped paint the Piaget Institute facilities, and participated in a fund-raising campaign for Audi de Berço,” scoutmaster Safik Cassamo, 31, explains. He leads the Scout group created almost four decades ago, when much of the present Ismaili community came to Portugal from Mozambique.

When their activities are finished, the children, between six and 14 years of age, will stay in the centre to welcome other Ismailis to the Navroz Spring celebrations – one of the three most important festivals for Ismailis.

There will be a dinner, music and dancing in two of the building’s rooms, already prepared with tables and flowers. “The older Scouts will serve the drinks,” explains Safik, who divides his time between scouting and managing his family’s hotel and stationery business in the Arroios neighbourhood. Everybody lends a hand. “I cannot think of anyone who has never worked voluntarily for the community,” he says.

The Ismaili Centre in Lisbon, together with the Aga Khan Foundation in Portugal, currently provides a diverse range of services to the faithful. The Ismailis don’t see volunteering as charity work. “It is a tradition that dates from the origin of the community and helped to create an exemplary organization,” argues Master of Islamic Studies Faranaz Keshavjee.
Aga Khan IV, the religious leader of the Ismaili Shiite Muslim community
Participation in voluntary activities and internal structures has one goal: to implement the guidelines of Aga Khan IV, the religious leader of the community.

The Ismaili organization is spread over 25 countries and has a network of financial, business and development institutions that between them spend more than EUR550 million on social and cultural activities alone.

The ultimate aim, says anthropologist and expert on ethnic minorities José Gabriel Pereira Bastos, is to ensure that “the Ismailis continue to be a well-integrated elite, recognized with respect and dignity in the various countries where they live”.

“They want to maintain their status, but not to dominate. They want to be at the top, but on an equal footing. In the world threatened by radicalism, they defend their vision of a pacifist Islam and support development,” he explains.

The eight thousand faithful who live in Portugal like to be discreet, almost invisible. “They hate media attention and rarely appear in the newspapers,” he concludes.

On Sunday mornings, the Ismailis often meet for gymnastics or to dance zumba in Lisbon’s First of May stadium. It is not by chance: Prince Aga Khan has issued direct ordinances for his followers to exercise and have regular medical check-ups.

Karim Al Hussaini, the 79-year-old Swiss-born aristocrat with a British passport who graduated from Harvard in the United States, inherited the Persian title of Aga Khan when he succeeded his grandfather. He is the 49th spiritual leader of the Ismailis, and regulates almost all aspects of the community’s life. All Ismailis swear an oath of allegiance and loyalty to him.

“We are the only Muslim Shia who are led by a living Imam who is a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad,” says Riaz Issa, a member of the institution that manages the religious and cultural aspects of the community.

As Imam, the Aga Khan must interpret the Koran for present times, and is responsible for improving the lives and ensuring the well-being of his community and the countries through which it spreads. “In Islam, there is no separation between the spiritual and material life. There is a pursuit of excellence in intellectual and material life, which must also be used for the benefit of others,” says Issa.

So the Imam’s guidelines go far beyond questions of faith, defining how his followers should integrate in the societies where they live, how they should be educated, study, conduct business and remain healthy.

The basis of Ismaili organization is the constitution it adopted in 1986, which defines religious aspects of obedience to the prince and the various institutions that embody community life. These include national and regional councils and even a system of arbitration for the resolution of disputes, which can be used as an alternative to the courts in a jurisdiction.

First and foremost, however, Ismailis have to obey the laws of the countries they live in.

The Portuguese faithful are directed by a national council, chosen every three years to implement the directions of the leader. At the head of this structure is Firozali Rahim, who was appointed last year and is also director general of the Combined Insurance Company of Portugal. The council vice president is businessman Azim Manji, who has led the economic department of the Portuguese Ismailis.
The former home of Lisbon’s Universidade Nova Management School will be the new Ismaili world headquarters
The 19 members of this council meet in the Ismaili Centre in Lisbon. Around a large oval table, they organize programs that ensure the functioning of the national community, as well as those in Spain, Mozambique and Angola.

This pseudo-government has ministers responsible for specific portfolios, such as education, youth, health and economy, who coordinate activities in the various sectors.

Implementation of projects on the ground is made possible by financing from the Aga Khan, who personally decides levels of support. “Whenever a new board is chosen, the president and vice president discuss the programs directly with His Highness,” said a former member of the structure. The meetings have traditionally been held in Aiglemont, a 40-hectare property on the outskirts of Paris where the prince lives and which houses most of his offices. These meetings will from now on be held in Portugal.

The new headquarters of the Ismaili Imamate is Henrique Mendonça House, a mansion on Lisbon’s Marques da Fronteira street surrounded by gardens filled with palm and lime trees. From there, the prince will coordinate the Aga Khan Development Network, which employs 80,000 people in 30 countries.

The network includes agencies with annual revenues of EUR 3 billion, and owns nearly a hundred companies, including power plants, airlines, banks, pharmaceutical, insurance and media companies and hotel chains. According to the Ismaili community, its funds are then reinvested or used in social development agencies, such as the Aga Khan Foundation, universities, hospitals and programs for education and culture, ensuring support for millions in places as far afield as Afghanistan, Syria and Burkina Faso.

The sale of Henrique Mendonça House got the green light from the government on March 17, 2016. The Portuguese newspaper Publico reported that the matter was brought before the Council of Ministers meeting a day after the Aga Khan’s family contributed EUR200,000 to a Museum of Ancient Art campaign to buy the painting The Adoration of the Magi by 19th-century Portuguese master Domingos Sequeira.

Although the Ismailis do not constitute a state, the Ismaili world headquarters will work under special rules similar to those which govern foreign diplomatic delegations. The facilities are “inviolable”, and the Imam and his staff will have legal immunity and important tax benefits, as set out in an agreement signed in June 2015 between the prince and the then Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rui Machete. Many of these prerogatives had already been granted to members of the Imamate delegation who settled in Portugal in 2006 and work in the Rua de São Domingos à Lapa.

Nearly 500 people will work in the new headquarters, including 400 recruited in Portugal. The initial 100 will come with the Aga Khan, who is still looking for a location for his official residence in the country. Until then, the Imam will continue to travel between Paris and Lisbon on his private jet and stay at the Ritz Hotel a few hundred metres away from the future world headquarters.
The Ismaili Centre in Lisbon is the main meeting place of the Portuguese Ismaili community
The prince leaves behind in France his racehorses, one of the family traditions inherited from his father, Aly Khan, who was married to the actress Rita Hayworth. Karim Aga Khan has hundreds of stallions worth millions of euros on properties in France and Ireland and is one of the leading breeders in Europe.

His jockeys race all over the world wearing silk jackets the emerald green and red of the Imamate flag, and fortunes are paid for the pedigree of his horses. Crossing a mare with 2009 Arc de Triomphe winner See the Stars, one of the world’s best racehorses, costs EUR125,000, and the champion foals sell for EUR 308,000 euros on average and have reached EUR 935,000 euros, according to official stud farm data.

The oldest of the Aga Khan’s four children, Zahra, 45, now takes care of this family’s business affairs, allowing the Imam to divide his time between managing the Imamate and the Aga Khan Development Network. Last year he visited 14 countries, including Kenya, where he lived with his family as a child, India, Uganda, Canada and the USA, where he graduated in Islamic history.

“His Highness coming to Portugal will have a great impact on the Ismaili community, and also on the country itself,” says 48-year-old businessman Zahir Remtula, alluding to the ability of the religious leader to attract investment within and outside the Ismaili community. “But we will have to wait to see how big a difference he will make,” he emphasizes.

Like all Ismailis, Zahir Remtula maintains the tradition of having a framed photograph of the Aga Khan in all his interior design shops. Owner of the Safira store in Almirante Reis Avenue and responsible for neighbouring store INCASA Design, he was among the first Ismailis to move to Lisbon. With his mother and two brothers, he left Angoche in Mozambique, where his ancestors had moved from India, in 1974.

The successful immigration of Ismailis to Portugal even before Mozambican independence in 1975 is seen as testament to the Aga Khan’s diplomatic skills. “He learned to anticipate events and helped the community move their businesses to Portugal,” anthropologist Pereira Bastos explains. “Already installed in the country, they ended helping the Portuguese returning from Mozambique who had left most of their assets behind.”
At the Olivais Sul Childcare Centre in Lisbon, three-year-olds decide what they want to do
Remtula’s family started a barbecue restaurant in Lumiar, and a few years later opened their first furniture store in Benfica. In the late 1970s, he moved to Almirante Reis, where his Safira stores thrived, the family eventually running more than a dozen businesses in Lisbon.

Ismailis are still active in the furniture, clothing and hotels sectors. Among the best known are the four brothers who, in the late 1980s, opened a family store in Lisbon’s Pascoal de Melo Street, and now have over 80 Sacoor stores in countries as far afield as Dubai and Kuwait. Other well-known Ismaili-owned brands include VIP Hotels, with 16 hotels in Portugal, the Azores and Mozambique, and the Azinor Group, owner of the Sana chain, with hotels in Portugal, Berlin and Luanda.

These Muslims, says the researcher Jorge Malheiros from Lisbon University’s Centre for Geographical Studies, “always had a higher economic level than the other populations of Indian origin who came to Portugal, like the Hindus or the Goans”. They started as small businessmen in areas like Almirante Reis, but have been diversifying ever since, he says.

A growing number of Ismailis now work in banking, services, real estate and car hire, and are starting to enter the law, engineering and medical professions. One such is Zahir’s cousin, Sofia Remtula, 26, a doctor in the Family Health Unit in Oeiras. “There are at least two other Ismailis of my generation practicing medicine and four or five working towards their degrees,” she says.

The focus on education and self-development is one of the guiding principles of the community. “Almost all the younger generation have higher education, either in Portuguese universities or abroad,” says Nazim Ahmad, a representative of the Aga Khan Foundation.

The ultimate purpose is that “the Ismailis remain a well-integrated elite, recognized with respect and dignity in the various countries where they live,” anthropologist José Gabriel Pereira Bastos explains.

Zahir Remtula studied in public high schools and never finished a course he took in hotel management, but his daughters now attend private schools. The oldest is studying management at the Catholic University and the 16-year-old is in the 11th Grade at the Doroteias College.

Most of the Ismailis in Portugal still live in the capital, where they first settled, but there are faithful scattered all over the country, with community centres and places of worship in Seixal, Oeiras, Porto, Faro and Portimão.

Ismailis can pray in mosques, but Sunnis and non-believers cannot participate in Ismailis prayer meetings. Only those who accept the Aga Khan as the Imam of the time and undertake the bai’at, or baptism, and swear loyalty and fidelity, can attend these. The guidelines that the prince preaches in his meetings with the community cannot be revealed to outsiders.

Ismailis do not pray five times a day like Sunni Muslims, but have three mandatory daily prayer sessions. At the Ismaili Centre in Lisbon, the last two of these prayers are made by the assembled congregation, chaired by a minister of worship. Under a portrait of prince Aga Khan, believers pray barefoot, with the elderly or sick sitting on benches facing Mecca.
Riaz Issa
Riaz Issa, 53, owner of the Partyland store chain and a member of the Ismaili Centre management committee, is one of the few of his generation married to a Catholic. The Ismaili Centre has been the venue for many marriages, although Ismaili marriage is not a sacrament, as it is among Catholics. Riaz Issa says that “there is a blessing, a prayer” led by a minister after the civil union, which is the only one recognized in Portuguese law.

But the situation is changing. “Today there is more and more openness, and more mixed marriages involving Portuguese Ismailis”, he says. The Ismaili faith allows inter-faith marriages, with no need to convert to Islam. But pressure to marry within the community is still there. Anthropologist Bastos explains: “They prefer to marry within the community because it helps to ensure their specificity. They want to integrate, but do not want to be assimilated.”

In a 2006 study for the Immigration Observatory co-authored by Bastos, Ismaili youths admitted that it was easier for families to accept marriage with Catholics than with Sunni or Hindus. “On a day-to-day basis, there is some rivalry between different Muslims, due to the need to preserve their identities,” he explains.

At the top level, “relations are excellent” between the two great Muslim branches, says Sunni Abdul Vakil, chairman of the Islamic community of Lisbon. The link between his family and the Ismaili leader is old and dates back to his time in Mozambique. “I remember, as a child in Maputo, Aga Khan III came to visit my father in his office and I sat on his knees. For years, the Ismailis have reminded me of the privilege of having sat in his lap,” he says.

Like all Muslims, Ismailis do not eat pork or drink alcohol, and fast in Ramadan. Learning about Islam is deeply embedded in the family and community. On Saturday mornings, children and adolescents have classes at the Ismaili Centre to deepen their understanding of the faith. That is also where they learn about their obligation to make religious donations to the Imamate.

Portuguese Muslims make a mandatory payment called ‘zakat’ as part of the precepts of their faith. Sunnis donate 2.5 percent of their income annually; Ismailis fulfil this precept by donating the equivalent of one-eighth of their profits.
Prince Charles and wife Camila, in a prayer with Aga Khan in London’s Ismaili Centre in 2007
“I was brought up to make this donation from childhood,” says Faranaz Keshavjee. Ismaili children learn to give up an eighth of the value of gifts they receive on birthdays or religious festivals. “This is a personal requirement, a test of faith and fidelity that is part of the ancient ethics of Islam,” explains Keshavjee.
Farah Pahlavi, Aga Khan and Bernardette Chirac, former first lady of France, attend the wedding of prince Albert of Monaco in 2011.
Ismailis families and business owners also support the Imamate during religious festivals, and support specific Aga Khan Network projects as community members, but no-one in the community actually monitors donations and no data on the amount that the faithful around the world give to the prince personally is kept.
Prince Amyn Aga Khan, brother of the leader of the Ismaili community, delivers a cheque for EUR200,000 to the Portuguese National Museum of Ancient Art for the campaign to purchase “The Adoration of the Magi”
When his grandfather, Aga Khan III, celebrated 50 years of spiritual leadership in 1936, he allegedly received from his followers in India an amount of gold equal to his weight.

In Portugal, donations from the community and other entities in 2009 included EUR 3.7 million for the celebrations of 50 years of Prince Karim’s Imamate and the Aga Khan University. Donations to the Imam and the Imamate became totally free of Portuguese taxes and exempt from capital gains last November under the agreement reached with the Portuguese government.

“The funds received by His Highness are used only to finance projects of the Aga Khan Development Network” representative of Aga Khan Foundation in Portugal Nazim Ahmad says.

Over the past 30 years, the foundation has funded several social integration programs in partnership with the state, the Catholic church and local authorities, and has many other projects in the pipeline.

In December it started training nannies, under a new Portuguese law that regulates and liberalizes the profession. The task was deputized to the Olivais Sul Childcare Centre by the Social Security Institute, based on its seven-year track record.

The public centre, which is managed by the foundation, is attended by 165 children and has an innovative teaching program. It also supervises and monitors nannies who look after children at home.

In the single-storey building, which stands out on a street of tall buildings in the Olivais neighbourhood, it’s not only about providing care. “The centre is an educational intervention focused on children from the nursery up to six years,” says Director of Education Alexandra Marques. Teaching follows what Marques calls the “model of pedagogy by participation”, which “has democracy as a fundamental value”, with students choosing learning material and taking an active part in their own education.

In the room for the three-year-olds, children start the day sitting round the teacher, who asks them what they want to do. Each in turn decides whether to begin the day drawing, playing with building blocks or playing in the “corner of make-believe”. In the afternoon, they all sit again to review the day. This is how, says one teacher, you learn to manage time, know yourself, express yourself, and learn to be fair and respect the choices of others.

By the age of five, they are holding their own student meetings and proposing topics to learn about. The teachers then plan and conduct the activities in the classrooms, where there is always a couch for parents who wish to attend.

Now the centre has moved on to providing training for professionals from three other institutions in Lisbon. “We want to replicate the model,” says Marques.

The foundation’s projects look beyond pre-school. By the end of the year, they hope to have found a site for the first Aga Khan Academy in the Western world. The elite school for thousands of students between 5 and 18 years, half on scholarships, was destined to be built in Cascais, a cosmopolitan suburb 30 km from the capital. The EUR 100 million project stalled last year, mired in controversy, but has gained new momentum with the coming of the Aga Khan to Portugal.

http://www.efe.com/efe/america/portada/ ... mpaign=rss

PORTUGAL ISMAILÍES
Lisboa se prepara para acoger la sede mundial de la comunidad ismailí

EFE

Lisboa 6 jun 2016


El príncipe Aga Khan, fundador de la Red Aga Khan para el Desarrollo. EFE/Archivo


Lisboa se prepara para acoger la sede mundial del Imamat Ismaili, una comunidad religiosa del islam chií que promete dejar en suelo portugués una importante inversión en proyectos culturales, científicos y de ayuda al desarrollo.

Con 15 millones de fieles en todo el planeta y unos 9.000 miembros en Portugal, esta comunidad no tiene territorio definido pero está presente en una treintena de países a través de una red de agencias empresariales y sociales concentradas en la Red Aga Khan para el Desarrollo (AKDN).

Los ismailíes siguen las directrices del Aga Khan, su líder espiritual, que se calcula mueve un presupuesto anual de entre 600 y 900 millones de euros para proyectos sociales en todo el mundo.

A pesar de su amplia presencia alrededor del globo, el Imamat Ismaili, como se denomina al gabinete del Aga Khan, no tenía una sede permanente hasta ahora, que ha decidido fijarla en Portugal, uno de los países europeos donde más presente está la comunidad.

"Hubo invitaciones de varios países que querían ser la sede, pero Portugal se adelantó y mostró una gran capacidad negociadora", dijo a Efe el representante de la AKDN en Portugal, Nazim Ahmad.

La elección de Lisboa se hizo efectiva con el acuerdo firmado en junio de 2015 entre el Gobierno portugués y el Aga Khan, que establece en la capital lusa una estructura que será responsable de los proyectos desarrollados en Portugal y el resto de países donde está presente la institución.

La relación entre Portugal y los ismailíes se remonta a 1983 con la llegada al país de una de las principales agencias de la AKDN, la Fundación Aga Khan -cuya sede global se encuentra actualmente en Ginebra y va a permanecer en suelo suizo-, reconocida en 1996 como una fundación portuguesa por decreto ley.

La mayor parte de los miembros de la comunidad, que se definen como portugueses y están totalmente integrados en el país, comenzó a llegar a Portugal hace cuatro décadas procedente de Mozambique, antigua colonia lusa.

"Nuestras relaciones con la comunidad portuguesa comenzaron en África y las relaciones con el Estado portugués desde aquel momento han sido muy próximas", explicó Ahmad, que también representa a la Red en Mozambique.

Los acuerdos firmados entre la comunidad y el Estado luso en los últimos 20 años muestran que esa relación es "fuerte, transparente y, por encima de todo, de confianza mutua", defiende Ahmad, que también destaca la elección de Portugal para acoger la sede por sus buenas relaciones con la Unión Europea (UE).

No se ha fijado la cifra de inversión que puede llevar a Portugal la sede del Imamat Ismaili, pero los desembolsos ya han comenzado: la comunidad compró el mes pasado el céntrico Palacio Henrique Mendonça, hasta ahora propiedad de la Universidad Nova de Lisboa.

La operación permitirá al Estado portugués encajar 12 millones de euros y el proyecto de recuperación y rehabilitación del inmueble supondrá un desembolso extra cercano a los 6 millones de euros.

Pero Portugal no va a ser sólo el lugar físico desde donde trabaje el Aga Khan, también va a recibir proyectos en diversas áreas sociales, como la educación, la ciencia o la salud.

"Vamos a concentrarnos mucho en el área que nos ha pedido el Gobierno, que es donde hay más necesidad, la educación", dijo Ahmad.

La Fundación Aga Khan ya cuenta con experiencia en este área en Portugal, ya que gestiona desde 2009 un centro de educación infantil en el barrio lisboeta de Olivais, donde han implantado un método de pedagogía participativa para niños de diferentes orígenes.

"El Gobierno nos pidió hace 6 o 7 años gestionar el centro de educación infantil. Ha tenido un papel muy importante y hemos tenido visitantes de países como España, China, Francia, Alemania y Angola para ver cómo pueden aplicar el método de enseñanza", explicó Ahmad.

En el ámbito de la cultura también se han puesto en marcha varias iniciativas, entre ellas la donación de 200.000 euros al Museo Nacional de Arte Antiga para financiar la adquisición de un cuadro del pintor portugués Domingos de Sequeira.

La colaboración más reciente entre el Imamat Ismaili y el Estado portugués fue firmada en mayo: una iniciativa para promover proyectos de cooperación científica y tecnológica en los países de la África lusófona para la que la comunidad liderada por el Aga Khan va a invertir 10 millones de euros.

La actividad del Imamat Ismaili gozará a cambio de varios beneficios fiscales, como la exención del pago de impuestos sobre los bienes inmuebles o sobre los donativos realizados.

http://expresso.sapo.pt/sociedade/2016- ... m-Portugal

Aga Khan Academy in Portugal - Budget: 100 Million of Euro

Google translation - See botom of this post (after the Portuguese text)



Sociedade
Aga Khan investe 100 milhões em Portugal

03.07.2016 às 9h00

Projeto educativo na grande Lisboa é a primeira aposta do Imamat Ismaili

Expresso

Vai ser a primeira academia Aga Khan na Europa. Está preparada para receber cerca de mil alunos logo na primeira fase — a abertura está prevista para 2018 — e aceita crianças desde os cinco anos até à idade universitária. O investimento está orçamentado em cem milhões de euros e acontece no seguimento da instalação da sede mundial do Imamat Ismaili em Lisboa. A decisão foi tomada ainda antes da assinatura do acordo com o Estado português nesse sentido. Porém, em cima da mesa ainda está a escolha do local onde irá funcionar a academia, uma opção que dependerá das negociações para a aquisição de terrenos que neste momento decorrem.

A academia integrará estudantes de todas as classes sociais. Os testes de admissão são feitos em função do mérito e talento dos candidatos, que pagarão propinas de acordo com o rendimento das famílias. As bolsas da Fundação Aga Khan incluem alojamento para os alunos sem capacidade financeira e regime de internato a partir dos 12 anos. O objetivo é proporcionar um ensino de excelência a alunos portugueses, dos PALOP e das academias existentes noutros países em regime de rotatividade (Índia, Quénia e Moçambique).

Além da educação, a cultura é outra das áreas de investimento da fundação em Portugal. Hoje inaugura em Toronto, no Canadá, a primeira exposição fruto dessa atuação. Trata-se de “Reconstruindo o Alhambra no Museu Aga Khan”, um trabalho do arquiteto Siza Vieira.


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GOOGLE TRANSLATION

Society
Aga Khan invests 100 million in Portugal

03/07/2016 at 9:00 am



Educational project in the Greater Lisbon is the first bet of the Ismaili Imamat in the country

It will be the first Aga Khan Academy in Europe. It is prepared to receive about a thousand students in the first round - the opening is planned for 2018 - and accepts children from five years to college age. The investment is budgeted at one hundred million euros and takes place following the installation of the world headquarters of the Ismaili Imamat in Lisbon. The decision was made even before the signing of the agreement with the Portuguese State accordingly. But on the table is still the choice of where they will work the academy, an option that will depend on the negotiations for the acquisition of land which currently arise.

The facility will include students from all social classes. Admission tests are made on merit and talent of the candidates, who will pay fees according to household income. The grants the Aga Khan Foundation include accommodation for students without financial and boarding from 12 years. The goal is to provide an education of excellence for Portuguese students, PALOP and existing academies in other countries in rotation scheme (India, Kenya and Mozambique).

In addition to education, culture is another of the foundation's investment areas in Portugal. It opens today in Toronto, Canada, the first exhibition result of this action. It is "Rebuilding the Alhambra in the Aga Khan Museum" a Siza Vieira architect's work.

Luís Amado vai ser o braço do Governo nas relações com príncipe Aga Khan

http://economico.sapo.pt/noticias/luis- ... 53641.html

Ex-ministro dos negócios estrangeiros vai fazer a ligação entre o governo e Imamat Ismaili.

Luís Amado foi o nome escolhido pelo executivo para liderar a delegação portuguesa que vai garantir a implementação do acordo entre a fundação Aga Khan e o governo português.

A nomeação do ex- ministro dos Negócios Estrangeiros de José Sócrates e ex- chairman do Banif está publicada no Diário da República de hoje com a assinatura do actual ministro dos Negócios Estrangeiros, Augusto Santos Silva. Para além de Luís Amado foram também nomeados Mário Jesus dos Santos e João Pedro Lourenço Antunes. Os três nomes farão parte do Comité Misto, do qual constarão ainda mais três elementos nomeados por Imamat Ismaili, do príncipe Aga Khan.

O Comité Misto tem como função garantir e resolver litígios que possam surgir, uma vez que a sua alçada está fora da alçada dos tribunais.

O acordo entre o governo português e Imamat Ismaili foi assinado em 2015. Através deste acordo Imamat Ismaili, uma comunidade religiosa com mais de 15 milhões de muçulmanos irá construir a sede em Lisboa trazendo investimento para o país, em troca a comunidade trará benefícios equiparados a um Estado.

Google Translation:

Luís Amado will be the arm of the Government in relations with Prince Aga Khan

Former foreign minister will make the connection between the government and the Ismaili Imamat.

Luís Amado was the name chosen by the executive to lead the Portuguese delegation that will ensure the implementation of the agreement between the Aga Khan Foundation and the Portuguese government.

The appointment of former Foreign Minister José Sócrates and former chairman of Banif is published in the Journal of the Republic today with the signing of the current foreign minister, Augusto Santos Silva. Besides Luís Amado they were also named Mario Jesus dos Santos and João Pedro Lourenço Antunes. The three names will be part of the Joint Committee, which shall contain a further three members appointed by the Ismaili Imamat, Prince Aga Khan.

The Joint Committee aims to ensure and resolve disputes that may arise, since its jurisdiction is outside the purview of the courts.

The agreement between the Portuguese government and the Ismaili Imamat was signed in 2015. Through this agreement Ismaili Imamat, a religious community with over 15 million Muslims will build headquarters in Lisbon bringing investment to the country in return the community will bring equivalent benefits a state.

http://www.jornaldenegocios.pt/economia ... _khan.html

English google translation in the bottom

Luís Amado faz a ponte entre o Governo e o príncipe Aga Khan

Negócios | jng@negocios.pt | 04 Julho 2016, 10:34

O acordo entre a República portuguesa e o Imamat Ismaili, do príncipe Aga Khan, está fora da alçada dos tribunais nacionais. Luís Amado lidera o comité de árbitros do lado do Estado e garante a sua implementação.

Luís Amado foi indicado pelo Governo para liderar a delegação portuguesa que vai garantir a implementação do acordo com a confissão religiosa do magnata e príncipe Aga Khan, e resolver os litígios que possam surgir – já que o contrato está fora da alçada dos tribunais nacionais.

A nomeação do ex-ministro dos Negócios Estrangeiros de José Sócrates e antigo chairman do Banif consta do Diário da República desta segunda-feira, a par com os nomes de Mário Jesus dos Santos e João Pedro Lourenço Antunes, cabendo aos três representarem os interesses da República portuguesa. O Imamat Ismaili indicará outros três nomes.

Ao todo, serão seis as figuras que integrarão o designado "comité misto", um comité que, segundo o acordo assinado em 2015 entre Portugal e o Imamat Ismaili e ratificado em Outubro de 2015 terá duas funções: garantir que ele é implementado e dirimir litígios que possam surgir ao longo do tempo.

O acordo prevê que o Imamat Ismaili, uma comunidade religiosa com 15 milhões de muçulmanos espalhados pelo mundo, funde a sua sede em Lisboa, o que fará afluir investimento e emprego. Em troca, recebem benefícios e prerrogativas como se de um Estado estrangeiro se tratassem.

Tal como o Negócios já teve oportunidade de explicar, o Imamat e o próprio príncipe ficarão isentos da generalidade dos impostos, não se sujeitarão aos tribunais tributários e garantiram um acordo irrevogável para os próximos 25 anos.

O acordo foi assinado com o Governo de Pedro Passos Coelho, mas as ligações do magnata Aga Khan a Portugal são transversais a vários quadrantes políticos, nomeadamente ao PS.

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Google translate


Luís Amado is a bridge between the Government and the Prince Aga Khan

Business | jng@negocios.pt | July 4, 2016, 10:34 [/ b]

The agreement between the Portuguese Republic and the Ismaili Imamat, Prince Aga Khan, is outside the jurisdiction of national courts. Luís Amado leads the referees committee of state side and ensures their implementation.

Luís Amado was appointed by the Government to lead the Portuguese delegation that will ensure the implementation of the agreement with the religious confession of the tycoon and Prince Aga Khan, and settle disputes that may arise - as the contract is outside the jurisdiction of national courts.

The appointment of former Foreign Minister José Sócrates and former chairman of Banif contained in the Official Gazette on Monday, along with Mario names of Jesus dos Santos and João Pedro Lourenço Antunes, leaving the three represent the interests of Portuguese Republic. The Ismaili Imamat indicate three other names.

In all, six figures that integrate the designated "Joint Committee" a committee that, according to the agreement signed in 2015 between Portugal and the Ismaili Imamat and ratified in October 2015 will have two functions: to ensure that it is implemented and settle disputes that may arise over time.

The agreement provides that the Ismaili Imamat, a religious community with 15 million Muslims around the world, merges its headquarters in Lisbon, which will flow into investment and employment. In return, they receive benefits and prerogatives as if a foreign state if they were.

As the business has already explained, the Imamat and the prince himself shall be exempted from general taxes, not will be subject to the tax court and secured an irrevocable agreement for the next 25 years.

The agreement was signed with the government of Pedro Passos Coelho, but the links tycoon Aga Khan to Portugal cut across various political persuasions, including the PS.

Interview in English of President Rasul of the AKU at Portugal's Science Encounter 2016 in regards to the recent agreement between the Imamat and the Portugal on various joint scientific initiatives between the two parties

VIDEO at:

http://www.ciencia2016.pt/videos/?d=5

Ya Ali Madad.
I just saw the caliph series on Al Jaazera channel.
that Imam Moizz shifted his base during fatimid era fro Al Mahendiya in Tunisia to Cairo,Egypt.Our MHI is now shifting base from Paris to Lisbon.
the distance between them is similar.it was followed by 100 years of glorious
golden period.
this IT WILL BE ALI SPEAKING AS FIRST PERSON THAT 'WHO HE IS'
Ismaili scholars may have much to study from it.

http://www.sulinformacao.pt/2016/08/fun ... m-aljezur/

Fundação Aga Khan quer ajudar Estado português a valorizar monumento em Aljezur

Por Elisabete Rodrigues • 30 de Agosto de 2016 - 9:43

A Fundação Aga Khan quer fazer uma «parceria» com o Estado Português para valorizar o Rîbat da Arrifana, as ruínas da fortaleza-mosteiro fundada por Ibn-Qasî no século XII, na costa de Aljezur, classificado como monumento nacional desde 2013.

O objetivo é prosseguir as escavações arqueológicas, que vêm sendo feitas desde 2002, sob a responsabilidade dos arqueólogos Mário e Rosa Varela Gomes, e construir, neste promontório da Costa Vicentina, um Centro de Interpretação. Só que, para isso, é preciso resolver primeiro a questão da propriedade dos terrenos onde estão as ruínas do Rîbat, grande parte deles privados.

Para discutir tudo isto, o ministro da Cultura Luís Castro Mendes visitou, na sexta-feira, o Rîbat da Arrifana, para se reunir com o presidente da Câmara José Amarelinho, membros da Associação de Defesa do Património Histórico e Arqueológico de Aljezur, a diretora regional de Cultura do Algarve e o diretor de Bens Culturais da DRC, numa deslocação que contou ainda com a presença do comendador Nazim Ahmad, representante em Portugal da Fundação Aga Khan para o Desenvolvimento.

As negociações com o proprietário de grande parte dos terrenos decorrem há anos, sem qualquer resultado até agora, já que ele, um cidadão alemão, ao que o Sul Informação apurou, tem exigido 1,2 milhões de euros. É uma quantia que tanto o Ministério da Cultura como a Câmara de Aljezur consideram exorbitante, uma vez que, naquela zona, à beira da falésia, em pleno Parque Natural e agora classificada como monumento nacional, não pode ser construído nenhum equipamento turístico que justificasse de alguma forma a inflação no preço.

Em declarações ao nosso jornal no fim da visita ao Rîbat, o ministro da Cultura frisou o interesse que o Governo tem na defesa deste monumento. Para já, anunciou, «vamos ver primeiro a questão da apropriação deste espaço pelo poder público, de forma a podermos construir aqui as estruturas necessárias e a contratualizar também a prossecução dos trabalhos arqueológicos».

Se a via negocial não der resultado, como tem acontecido até agora, será que o Ministério da Cultura admite recorrer à expropriação? «Com certeza! A lei existe para isso. Isto é um monumento nacional, classificado desde 2013 e há um decreto que restringe a utilização do espaço. Desde que é um monumento nacional e está incluído numa ZEP, numa Zona Protegida, é evidente que o Estado pode sempre exercer o seu direito de se apropriar deste território», respondeu o ministro Castro Mendes.

http://www.tsf.pt/sociedade/interior/pr ... 73656.html


Google translation in English below the text.

Sociedade
Príncipe Aga Khan vai doar 500 mil euros para incêndios de Pedrógão Grande
19 de JUNHO de 2017 - 11:13[/b

Aga Khan é o imã dos ismailis, os descendentes do Profeta Maomé. Lisboa é a sede mundial do Imamat Ismaili, a comunidade ismaelita, desde 2016.
Foto: Mike Cassese/Reuters

O príncipe Aga Khan vai doar meio milhão de euros para ajudar as vítimas dos incêndios no distrito Leiria, conta o Observador. Segundo a publicação online, a chegada ao destino do dinheiro ficará a cargo do Ministério da Solidariedade e Segurança Social.

Aga Khan é o imã dos ismailis, descendentes do Profeta Maomé. Lisboa é a sede mundial do Imamat Ismaili, a comunidade ismaelita, desde 2016.

Em 2016, a Forbes indicou que Aga Khan contava com uma fortuna pessoal de 800 milhões de euros.

---------------------------

Society
Prince Aga Khan will donate 500 thousand euros to victims of fires of Pedrógão Grande
JUNE 19, 2017 - 11:13 [/ b

Aga Khan is the Imam of the Ismailis, the descendants of the Prophet Muhammad. Lisbon is the world headquarters of Imamat Ismaili, the Ismaili community, since 2016.
Photo: Mike Cassese / Reuters

Prince Aga Khan will donate half a million euros to help the victims of the fires in the Leiria district, says the Observer. According to the online publication, the arrival of the money will be the responsibility of the Ministry of Solidarity and Social Security.

Aga Khan is the Imam of the Ismailis, descendants of the Prophet Muhammad. Lisbon is the world headquarters of Imamat Ismaili, the Ismaili community, since 2016.

In 2016, Forbes indicated that Aga Khan had a personal fortune of 800 million euros.

http://www.coastweek.com/4025-special-report-03.htm


Monday, 3 July 2017

H.H. The Aga Khan Contributes 500,000
Euros towards Central Portugal Fire Victims

Coastweek-- His Highness the Aga Khan today announced a contribution of Euros 500,000 towards the support of victims of the deadly forest fire in Pedrógão Grande in central Portugal.

The fire left more than 60 people dead and several more injured.

“My heartfelt condolences go to the families of those who have lost their lives in this tragic fire,” the Aga Khan said.

“We wish to assure His Excellency President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, and the people of Portugal, of our unconditional support at this very trying time.”

The Aga Khan spoke directly with the President over the weekend to offer his sympathy and support.

The half a million euro contribution from the Ismaili Imamat – the office of His Highness the Aga Khan – will be channelled through the Ministry of Solidarity.

The funds together with others raised by local and international organisations in response to the crisis, will aid victims affected by the tragic fire, which was one of the worst such disasters in Portugal’s recent history.

A formal Seat of the Ismaili Imamat was established in Portugal on 3 June 2015, following the signing of a landmark agreement with the Republic of Portugal.

The Agreement came into effect after it was approved by Portugal’s Parliament and ratified by the President of the Portuguese Republic.

His Highness the Aga Khan is the 49th hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, a global community spread over 25 countries worldwide and who represent a rich tapestry of cultures, languages and nationalities.

He is founder and Chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), one of the largest private development networks today.

The Aga Khan Foundation, one of the agencies of the AKDN, has been working in Portugal for over 30 years.

SOCIETY

November 23, 2017

Aga Khan donates 100 thousand euros for recovery of Pinhal de Leiria

This is not the first such initiative on the part of the prince Aga Khan. In September, it distributed half a million euros to the victims of the Pedrógão fires

Aga Khan, the millionaire leader of the Ismaili community in Portugal, has announced that he will donate one hundred thousand euros to reforest the areas most destroyed by the last major fires. The one hundred thousand euros that it makes available will be used to clean the Pinhal de Leiria and later plantation. It is estimated that the area covered will be 75 hectares and will receive 156,000 trees.

The donation was announced today in Lisbon by Prince Amyn Aga Khan, brother of the leader of the Ismaili community, during a reception he presided over to mark Imamat Day, an event that gathered hundreds of people at the capital's Ismaili Center.

More...
https://sol.sapo.pt/artigo/590231/aga-k ... -de-leiria

Aga Khan’s foundation gives €100,000 towards post-fire reforestation

With news of how the country means to recover the devastation of last summer’s forest fires updating by the day, one of the latest highlights is a donation of €100,000 for reforestation efforts from the Aga Khan’s Ismaili community, based in Lisbon.

The offer was announced yesterday (Thursday), with the money going towards reforesting Leiria’s ‘mata nacional’ - one of the areas worst hit by the fires that are now thought to have killed as many as 50 people in October (see below).

The initiative is going ahead in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and ICNF, with tree planting due to take place between January and March next year, said a note issued by the foundation.

This is the second time that Imamat Ismaili community based in Lisbon has stepped in to help post-fire recovery.

In June it handed over €500,000 to “support the victims of Pedrógão Grande”.

Meantime, the government is busy announcing new initiatives. Just in the last few days, the ministry of planning has launched a raft of measures allocating €100,000 to attract new businesses to the areas devastated in October.

These funds join measures announced at the start of the month, explains Dinheiro Vivo - both involving the same amount: €100,000.

More..
http://portugalresident.com/aga-khan%E2 ... orestation

Relations between Portugal, AKDN and the North-South Centre

Portugal is hosting in Lisbon the headquarters of the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe, is member of the Bureau of the Executive Committee of the North-South Centre and is contributing to its activities through several voluntary contributions. The Aga Khan Development Network is also cooperating with the Centre earmarking its voluntary contributions to some of its activities.

Intervention of Mr. Nazim Ahmad, representative of the Imamat Ismaili in Portugal, at the Diplomatic Institute of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Portugal, on the relations with the Portuguese Republic

https://www.coe.int/en/web/north-south- ... uth-centre


PRESENTATION OF THE ISMAILI IMAMAT, AGREEMENTS
BETWEEN PORTUGAL AND AKDN
LISBON –22 February 2018

The Queen’s Library – Ministry of Foreign Affairs
INTRODUCTORY NOTES OF THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE
IMAMAT ISMAILI, COMMENDATORE NAZIM AHMAD

Dear Secretary of State of the Portuguese communities, Mr. José Luis Carneiro
Dear President of the Diplomatic Institute, Ambassador Freitas Ferraz
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,

A few words in the first place to thank Ambassador Freitas Ferraz, distinguished president of the Diplomatic Institute, his cooperation, and that of the Institute, in organizing this presentation. I hope you get to know better, what is Imamat
Ismaili and what its activities, especially that of the Aga Khan Network for development.

Secondly, I would take the opportunity to, in the person of the Secretary of State, Mr. José Luis Carneiro-whose presence I thank, express the appreciation of Imamat Ismaili for the commitment that the Portuguese Government has expressed in the development of the relations between both parties. This is
what we have found too, either in other high instances of the Portuguese Republic or in the administration, and which have been translated into the conclusion of various bilateral agreements and cooperation actions.

I would like to thank all those present in this sitting, who have wanted to be with us today in this event, which fits the letter and spirit of the International cooperation Protocol signed in 2008. More precisely, and by happy coincidence, on 11 July, very significant date for the Ismaili community, since it was
on July 11, 1957, that His Highness the Aga Khan took up his mission as a spiritual leader of the Ismaili community.

A happy coincidence, reinforced by the fact that this presentation take place during the celebrations of the Jubilee of His Highness, which will have its highest point, on 11 July next in Lisbon, the city where we have our headquarters, under the agreement signed in this House in 2015.

The Foreign secretary is, as he could not be, our privileged interlocutor. Therefore, at the time when we are completing the installation phase of the seat of the Imamat Ismaili unprecedented task, because in 1,400 years of history this is the first time that the Imamat has a physical headquarters in
the current moulds, finding only parallel in the period Fatimid-thought It would be useful to provide structured information about our institutions, our history and the context of our relationship, as well as the potential of the same in
Portugal and abroad, now and in the future.

It is a great honor and a great pleasure-and also a great responsibility-to do so today here in this Ministry and before the members of a career known for their great preparation, high level of demand and rigour.

I would like to reiterate our thanks for your presence, in this organised initiative jointly with the Diplomatic Institute, in a collaboration that I am sure will continue in the future.

Thank you

https://rm.coe.int/notas-introdutorias- ... 168078d082

What happens inside the Palacete Mendonça?

We entered the future world headquarters of Ismaili Imamat to see the restoration works of the Mendonça mansion. In July, the first phase will be completed. At the time of the closing of the celebrations of the 60 years of Aga Khan ahead of the Ismailis

Photos and more...
https://www.dn.pt/artes/interior/o-que- ... 10772.html

SEAT OF THE ISMAILI IMAMAT: WHAT’S HAPPENING INSIDE THE PALACETE MENDONÇA? PHOTOS OF RESTORATION WORK AND THE PALACE’S 3 HECTARES OF GARDENS

barakah.com/2018/04/07/seat-of-the-ismaili-imamat-whats-happening-inside-the-palacete-mendonca-photos-of-restoration-work-and-the-palaces-3-hectares-of-gardens/