The Aga Khan, spiritual leader of Ismaili Muslims meets with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger

 

Source : Yahoo News
Related : Governor to meet with Aga Khan today

MHI Visit to Texas – USA Pictures

      

Source : TheIsmaili.Org
Related : MHI Visit to USA – Pictures
MHI Arriving at Austin – USA

Governor to meet with Aga Khan today

SANTA MONICA – Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will meet today in Santa Monica with the Aga Khan, the spiritual leader of the 20-million-strong Ismaili branch of Shia Islam.

A statement from the governor’s office said he would meet late this morning with Prince Karim al Husseini, the Aga Khan IV, in recognition of his golden jubilee, marking his 50th anniversary as Imam of the Ismailis.

The 49th Aga Khan traces his ancestry to the Prophet Mohamed through his daughter Fatima and her husband Ali, the first Shia Imam. His responsibilities include interpreting the faith for his followers, who live throughout the world, including the United States.

A billionaire British subject and Harvard graduate, the 71-year-old Aga Khan is a celebrated philanthropist who has been an advocate for the elimination of global poverty, the advancement of women and cooperation among people of different ethnic and religious backgrounds.

He heads the Aga Khan Development Network, one of the world’s largest private economic development agencies, which focuses on advancement in Asia and Africa.

His eight-day U.S. visit, which includes stops in Georgia, Illinois and California, began in Texas Friday.

The Aga Khan succeeded his grandfather as the 49th hereditary imam of the Ismaili Muslims in July 1957. He was selected by his grandfather over his father and his uncle on grounds that, given the advent of nuclear power, the position needed a young man with a fresh outlook.

Daily Breeze.com

Aga Khan University and The University of Texas at Austin Form Academic Partnership

From University of Texas at Austin

AUSTIN, Texas — The University of Texas at Austin has established a five-year exchange agreement with Aga Khan University (AKU) in Pakistan, which has campuses in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. The agreement includes research collaborations, special events and lectures, secondary teaching training programs, and faculty and student exchanges.
William Powers, Jr., president of The University of Texas at Austin, and Firoz Rasul, president of Aga Khan University, signed the agreement on Saturday, April 12 at a private ceremony hosted by Texas Governor Rick Perry. Powers was joined by His Highness the Aga Khan, a descendant of the prophet Muhammad, and Richard Flores, senior associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts, who facilitated the agreement.

Flores and Farzana Karim-Haji, manager of the Partnerships Office at Aga Khan University, will spearhead the academic exchanges under the agreement.

Research areas identified for collaboration include: liberal arts; architecture and human settlement; management, government, public policy and civil society; economic growth and development; tourism and leisure; media and communications; education, science and technology; continuing education; health sciences, including joint research, and training; and, human development.

The agreement will expand UTeach-Liberal Arts’ Muslim Histories and Cultures Program, a training program for Texas high school teachers established in 2004. Teachers in the program learn about the Muslim history and cultures in seminars and workshops, and then write their own lessons to use that knowledge in the classroom.

More than 80 secondary teachers from school districts in Austin, Carrollton-Farmers Branch, Fort Worth, Plano and Houston have participated in the program since its inception. Under the agreement with AKU, the program will train additional Texas teachers from an expanded number of districts during the next three years.

“The agreement formalizes many relationships that are already in place between our two universities,” Flores said. “Our hope is that the collaborations will help to dispel many of the myths and stereotypes about Islam that persist, and foster greater understanding between Texas and the Muslim world.”

Founded in 1983, Aga Khan University operates 11 campuses in eight countries, including Afghanistan, Kenya, Pakistan, Tanzania, Uganda, Syria, Egypt and the United Kingdom.

Source : University of Texas at Austin
Related : An ‘Understanding’ – Between University of Texas and Aga Khan University
UT SIGNS PACT WITH AGA KHAN UNIVERSITY

An ‘Understanding’ – Between University of Texas and Aga Khan University

By: Maya Srikrishnan Posted: 4/14/08 – The Daily Texan

UT signed an agreement Saturday at the state Capitol with Aga Khan University.

This weekend, Gov. Rick Perry hosted the Aga Khan, the spiritual leader of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims, part of the Shiite branch of Islam and descendent of the Prophet Muhammad. The agreement, a Memorandum of Understanding, was signed by UT President William Powers and President Firoz Rasul of the Aga Khan University in the presence of Perry and the Aga Khan.

“It’s a very general agreement with the university,” said Richard Flores, liberal arts associate dean for academic affairs. “UT has these agreements with lots of exchange partners. The exchange is for faculty and staff if they are interested down the road.”

Flores said the agreement was being handled primarily by the governor’s office. Perry and the Aga Khan became friends years ago and facilitated the relationship between the universities, he said.

The Aga Khan University was founded by the Aga Khan in 1983. It is an international university with campuses in Afghanistan, Kenya, Pakistan, Tanzania, Uganda, Syria, Egypt and the United Kingdom, according to the school’s Web site.

Gail Minault, a UT history professor, said the group of Muslims that follow the Aga Khan are well known in trade and commerce. They are a fairly well-off group of people who often do charity work all over the world and are very involved in education, Minault said.

“Naturally, the university is pretty well funded,” Minault said. “It is involved in medical education, engineering and technical education, but also in teaching about Islam, so sort of cultural education as well. The Aga Khan is a good guy. He’s a wealthy man, but he wants to spend his wealth to benefit not just Muslims, but the world at large.”

Shahina Virani, an education junior, is a follower of the Aga Khan. Virani said she has been anticipating the leader’s trip to Texas for a long time, since the signing of the agreement coincides with the 50th year of the Aga Khan’s guidance to the sect. Virani and her family helped plan the leader’s visit by aiding in logistics, such as registration for the Golden Jubilee Dinner that was hosted Saturday night.

She said the agreement between UT and the Aga Khan University will be beneficial to all students, not just the Islamic ones.

“I know there are a lot of stereotypes out there, and people still have the perception that people from Islamic countries are bad from past experiences,” Virani said. “It will make people realize that Muslim people are not bad. It will make people see that the faith isn’t bad and that just because one person is bad, does not mean everyone is.”

Source : The Daily Texan
Related : UT SIGNS PACT WITH AGA KHAN UNIVERSITY