H.H Aga Khan Visited Los Alamos Lab 50 Years Ago – Revealed He Was In Top Physical Condition

Los Alamo, New Mexico, November 27, 1959: A surprise Thanksgiving Day visit was paid to the health research center of the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory (LASL) by Aga Khan IV, youthful spiritual leader of 20,000,000 Moslems in the Middle East, Asia and Africa.
The 23-year-old Imam of the Shiah Moslem Ismalli sect is currently touring medical [...]

Aga Khan University-PDCN: Through support of mothers

School improvement initiatives taken from the outside do not have an effective impact on change processes without the involvement of communities and parents in the school teaching and learning process.
In order to increase maximum capacity building of the communities and their participation in the school improvement activities, the Aga Khan University-Professional Development Centre’s (AKU-PDCN) Whole [...]

An Afghan Development Model: Small Is Better

Small grants given directly to villagers have brought about modest but important changes in this corner of Afghanistan, offering a model in a country where official corruption and a Taliban insurgency have frustrated many large-scale development efforts.Much of that money was funneled through the central government, which has been increasingly criticized as incompetent and corrupt. [...]

Ageing gracefully: Caring for elders with dignity

Roshan Budhwani never wanted to leave her surroundings, let alone her country. After all, she had worked hard to make her home what it was — a safe haven in her old age. But in their 70s, she and her husband, Tajuddin, made the gut-wrenching decision to leave their Karachi home, and move in with [...]

Detail Article: What Is Double Vision? What Is Diplopia? What Causes Double Vision?

Written by Christian Nordqvist
Double vision, also known as Diplopia, is the simultaneous perception of two images of a single object – the patient sees two images of a single thing either all the time, or some of the time. The displacement may be horizontally, vertically or diagonally. Diagonal double displacement (double vision) means both the [...]

Sir Sultan Muhammad Shah Aga Khan III – Recollection of Imam’s Visit to a Family Shop

For complete collection of the Imam’s Scale and other photographs of Sir Sultan Mohammad Shah Aga Khan III visit Source

Travel Article: Cholistan Desert

by Mairas

Cholistan Desert is situated 30 km from Bahawalpur City. It is spread over an area of 16,000 square kilometers. Its history can be traced back to 1200 BC. The Hakra Valley in Cholistan has 300 sites of Indus Valley Civilization. The Hakra River was the main source of life and signs of agriculture till [...]

Canadian Government honours FOCUS and the Ismaili Council for Canada

Each year, millions of people around the world are forced to flee their homelands to escape persecution, war or severe human rights abuses. Often, these people are permanently displaced and are never able to return home. Following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, and the subsequent civil war, millions of people sought refuge in [...]

Legends: Our great knight Sir Sultan Mohammad Shah Aga Khan III

Article By Sabiha Essa Khan
“The present condition of mankind offers surely, with all its dangers and all its challenges, a chance too — a chance of establishing not just material peace among nations but that better peace of God on earth. In that endeavour Islam can play its valuable constructive part, and the Islamic world can [...]

Acquire a Rare Piece of History – Framed Stamps Commemorating the Golden Jubilee of His Highness the Aga Khan

This  framed set of Stamps and First Day Covers has a unique permanence and is an enduring record to be cherished by present and future generations.
In the extraordinary life of  His Highness the Aga Khan, his contributions around the world since he became the 49th Imam of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims at the age [...]

Ismaili Student Network introduces young Ismailis to university life

This autumn, many young Ismailis in the United Kingdom, like myself, began the transition to university. Although it is a time of excitement and eagerness for independence, many of us will also feel apprehension at the prospect of living away from home for the first time, and being responsible for ourselves.
Suddenly, the idea of managing [...]

Pak-US varsities join hands to help poor

KARACHI – The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and the Aga Khan University (AKU) signed a memorandum of understanding today to advance their common goal to promote equitable human advancement and social justice in the less privileged parts of the world. The agreement was signed at the Capitol Building in Sacramento by Haile T. [...]

Article: Prince Karim Aga Khan – A True Leader of Islam

11. July 2007 marks a milestone in the history of the Ismaili Muslim community, since that day the age of 50 Year of Imamat the leader of the Ismaili Muslim community marks, Prince Karim Aga Khan 1V. He is the current (49.) Imam of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims. His contribution in the field of [...]

Article: Mukhi Bandali Muhammad Ladha (Ladhani)

Bandali Muhammad Ladha (Ladhani) was a dedicated servant of the Imam of kutch. He migrated to Karachi with his family, and became the third Mukhi of Garden Jamatkhana in Karachi in 1905.
In those days, the Ismailis from Kutchh flocked in Karachi, making the population of Garden area over 1500. The existing premises of the Jamatkhana became [...]

Aga Khan III: A great leader and a social reformer

Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan-III (1877-1957) was a renowned nineteeth and twentieth century leader of international stature. Born in Karachi on November 2, 1877, he became a world statesman, “guide, philosopher and the friend of the world of Islam” (Qayyum, 1969).
Through his intimate knowledge of Eastern as well as Western cultures (K.K Aziz, 1998), [...]

A special series of articles on the 48th Ismaili Imam, Sir Sultan Muhammad Shah Aga Khan III (1877 – 1957)

A special series of articles on the 48th Ismaili Imam, Sir Sultan Muhammad Shah Aga Khan III (1877 – 1957) will be published throughout the month of November 2009 at www.simerg.com. The series will include his biography, excerpts from his speeches and writings, anecdotes as well as  rare photographs from photographic and portrait libraries from [...]

Bridging the divide…

Soulafa al-Abbasi, a fellow student with the Aga Khan Foundation Canada 
In an ever-shrinking world, Canada’s role in international development is becoming increasingly significant. This is the focus of Bridges that Unite, a traveling exhibit that opened earlier this month at Pier 21. The exhibition celebrates Canada’s part in global development, as well as our country’s [...]

First Ismaili Centre in Central Asia Opens

FIRST ISMAILI CENTRE IN CENTRAL ASIA OPENS —CELEBRATING A THOUSAND YEAR LEGACY IN THE REGION
His Highness the Aga Khan, Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims and His Excellency President Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan, jointly inaugurated the first Ismaili Centre in Central Asia — a region that has been home to Ismaili Muslims for more than a [...]

Tiraz – Imam al-Mustansir

What is Tiraz? It is a fabric with an inscription band added in a technique different from the ground weave. In the early Islamic period textiles were often decorated with inscriptions containing good wishes and the caliph’s name and titles, and these fabrics were made up into robes of honour worn by the caliph or [...]

New Additions in THE ISMAILI.ORG

TheIsmaili.org is pleased to launch a new section of the website dedicated to the Ismaili Centres around the world. The section includes a selection of speeches, photographs, video clips, press releases, as well as architectural and historical information for each Centre. It also links to existing stories on the website that highlight the various ways [...]

How microinsurance reduces poverty ??

Acumen Fund, a global venture capital fund that invests in sustainable, scalable businesses that provide affordable water, housing, health, and energy services to people who earn less than $4 per day in South Asia and Africa, announced today four new investments in Pakistan. Even in uncertain economic and political times, Acumen Fund is committed to [...]

The Governor General of Canada speaks with young British Columbians at the Ismaili Centre, Burnaby

On Monday, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada, led a Truce Dialogue as part of Canada’s expression of the Olympic Truce in the run-up to the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games. The Dialogue, which took place at The Ismaili Centre, Burnaby, aimed at engaging youth in meaningful and action-oriented conversation [...]

World Heart Day observed

World Heart Day is commemorated on September 27 every year to encourage people around the globe to adopt a heart-healthy lifestyle to reduce the risk of heart attacks which, together with strokes, kill over 17 million people every year.
Chairman, National Alliance for Tobacco Control and Head, Section of Respiratory Disease, Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH), [...]

The women – A symbol of Hunza’s history

As the nine hundred years old Altit Fort gets completely restored  in the year 2010, not only would facade of the ancient fort have changed in the middle of Hunza valley, a deeper social change would also have taken roots  in terms of perceptions regarding gender roles  in the society.
Traditionally labour of the the female folk of Hunza was limited to bringing up [...]

Eid ul-Fitr

Eid ul-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan, the holy month in which Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) received the first revelation of the Holy Qur’an.
In Muslim tradition, Ramadan is a time of heightened commitment to piety and purification through special observances such as fasting, the performance of good deeds, including charitable [...]

Scoring the sounds of Bollywood

As young boys, Salim and Sulaiman Merchant enjoyed watching their father, Sadruddin, sing and perform in public.
A composer and 14-year veteran of the Telugu-language film industry in South India, Sadruddin Merchant moved to Mumbai in 1969 where he manufactured musical instruments. He also played the piano, saxophone, guitar and drums, recorded devotional albums, led the [...]

Coffee With: Going off island

Laura Wright and student Ida at a school in Kampala, Uganda; Wright is working in Kampala with the Aga Khan Foundation on an educational project.

It is not often The Undercurrent can make following statement: by the time you read this profile, its subject, whom we spoke to in Snug Cove on Monday, will be in [...]

Laylat al-Qadr

Laylat al-Qadr — the Night of Power — commemorates the night during which the first verses of the Holy Qur’an were revealed to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family). It is symbolic of the spiritual dimension of life, which for Muslims, gives meaning and purpose to their existence and holds the promise [...]

“Rays of Light” shines on both sides of the Atlantic

Rays of Light: Glimpses into the Ismaili Imamat had its North American debut at the Gwinnett Center, in Atlanta, on Sunday, 2 August 2009. A Golden Jubilee International Programme, this exhibition depicts 50 years of Mawlana Hazar Imam’s Imamat, against the backdrop of the 1 400 year history of Ismaili Imamat.
In the Muslim tradition of leadership, going back [...]

Aga Khan University Bulliten: Suicides on the rise in Pakistan

Suicides are steadily rising in Pakistan, with an estimated 6,000 to 8,000 suicides per year, according to a study at Aga Khan University (AKU). Almost 34 per cent of the population, mostly under 30 years of age, suffer from common mental disorders and more than 90 per cent of suicides can be linked to depression, [...]