Asteroid named after Ismaili scientist
It is a rare and historic honor to have an object in space named after an individual. This is usually reserved for someone who first discovers the object, generally after years of painstaking observation of the night sky. So to be recognized in this manner is indeed an occasion worthy of note. This is precisely what happened for Alaudin Bhanji at the end of 2018.
Asteroid Bhanji was named by the International Astronomical Union after Alaudin Bhanji, a manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), in Pasadena, California. His entire professional career has been with JPL, conceiving and implementing NASA’s next generation Deep Space Network (DSN). For more than four decades, his vision and leadership were instrumental and crucial to NASA's mission successes.
Says James K. Erickson, manager of JPL's Mars Science Laboratory Project: “On all the projects that I have managed, the one thing that we always counted on was Alaudin Bhanji and the DSN delivering services when we needed them. He was always there for us, no matter what or when we needed it.”
The DSN is an international array of three giant radio antennas, each 230 ft. in diameter, and nine others at 112 ft., that monitor and support interplanetary spacecraft missions, as well as some that are in earth’s orbit. The DSN also provides radar and radio astronomy observations to increase our understanding of the universe. It is the world's largest and most sensitive scientific telecommunications system.
Photos and more...
https://the.ismaili/our-stories/asteroi ... -scientist
Ismaili Community in Contemporary Situation
Champions of internationalization recognized for their impact
University of Calgary Internationalization Achievement Award winners honoured for excellence
On April 29, individuals from across campus and the Calgary community came together to celebrate the winners of the University of Calgary Internationalization Achievement Awards. The event recognizes and celebrates the outstanding contributions of students, faculty, staff and community members in progressing our institutional commitment to excellence in internationalization, and achieving the goals set in our International Strategy.
https://www.ucalgary.ca/utoday/issue/20 ... eir-impact
....
Student Award (Domestic Graduate): Ismat Ali, Cumming School of Medicine
Tanzania - Mama na Mtoto
https://cumming.ucalgary.ca/community/g ... s/node/197
University of Calgary Internationalization Achievement Award winners honoured for excellence
On April 29, individuals from across campus and the Calgary community came together to celebrate the winners of the University of Calgary Internationalization Achievement Awards. The event recognizes and celebrates the outstanding contributions of students, faculty, staff and community members in progressing our institutional commitment to excellence in internationalization, and achieving the goals set in our International Strategy.
https://www.ucalgary.ca/utoday/issue/20 ... eir-impact
....
Student Award (Domestic Graduate): Ismat Ali, Cumming School of Medicine
Tanzania - Mama na Mtoto
https://cumming.ucalgary.ca/community/g ... s/node/197
Remarks by President Velshi at Innovation Showcase
May 9, 2019
Toronto, Ontario
Good afternoon.
My name is Rumina Velshi, and I am the President and CEO of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, or the CNSC.
It is my great pleasure to be here with you this afternoon to participate in this intellectually stimulating event – the first of many more to come, I hope. I am hearing great things about the hackathon currently underway and think the judges are going to have some tough decisions tonight deciding amongst all the great ideas and innovations. I hope that the healthy competition embodied in this event will encourage ever bolder and more innovative ideas.
My intent over the next 15 minutes or so is to share with you a little bit about my organization and then consider some of the innovative technologies presently impacting various industries, how we deal with regulating innovation in Canada’s nuclear industry, the potential impacts of not doing innovation right, and the importance of collaboration.
More...
http://www.nuclearsafety.gc.ca/eng/reso ... owcase.cfm
May 9, 2019
Toronto, Ontario
Good afternoon.
My name is Rumina Velshi, and I am the President and CEO of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, or the CNSC.
It is my great pleasure to be here with you this afternoon to participate in this intellectually stimulating event – the first of many more to come, I hope. I am hearing great things about the hackathon currently underway and think the judges are going to have some tough decisions tonight deciding amongst all the great ideas and innovations. I hope that the healthy competition embodied in this event will encourage ever bolder and more innovative ideas.
My intent over the next 15 minutes or so is to share with you a little bit about my organization and then consider some of the innovative technologies presently impacting various industries, how we deal with regulating innovation in Canada’s nuclear industry, the potential impacts of not doing innovation right, and the importance of collaboration.
More...
http://www.nuclearsafety.gc.ca/eng/reso ... owcase.cfm
We are pleased to announce the top finalists for our 11th annual RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards. We received hundreds of nominations, and our judges have had a tough task of choosing the top 75 finalists from such an inspiring and deserving group of individuals. Help vote for the Top 25 by visiting the link below and viewing the finalists’ outstanding stories.
https://canadianimmigrant.ca/canadas-to ... rants/vote
Areef Abraham
Founder and CEO, Community Power
City: Vancouver
Country of Origin: Tanzania
Areef Abraham is a natural community collaborator who loves to connect with people and help them move from ideas to on-the-ground action. Throughout his career, Abraham has combined his entrepreneurial and technical skills with his passion for helping people to impact diverse communities, such as new immigrants, Indigenous communities and commercial businesses, in a measurable and meaningful way. He has been a tireless champion for improving the lives of hard-to-reach communities in Canada through energy efficiency.
https://canadianimmigrant.ca/canadas-top-25-immigrants
https://canadianimmigrant.ca/canadas-to ... rants/vote
Areef Abraham
Founder and CEO, Community Power
City: Vancouver
Country of Origin: Tanzania
Areef Abraham is a natural community collaborator who loves to connect with people and help them move from ideas to on-the-ground action. Throughout his career, Abraham has combined his entrepreneurial and technical skills with his passion for helping people to impact diverse communities, such as new immigrants, Indigenous communities and commercial businesses, in a measurable and meaningful way. He has been a tireless champion for improving the lives of hard-to-reach communities in Canada through energy efficiency.
https://canadianimmigrant.ca/canadas-top-25-immigrants
Sirbaz Khan from Hunza Valley becomes first Pakistani to climb Mount Lhotse
History has been made early morning in Nepal as Sirbaz Khan, a mountaineer from the Hunza district of Gilgit-Baltistan, successfully climbs, Lhotse, world’s 4th highest peak.
The 30-year old climber from Hunza Valley accompanying a 12-member team.
Climber Mingma G made the announcement on his Facebook page. According to Mingma Sherpa, the team reached the summit of Mont Lhotse at 09:47 am on May 14, 2019.
More and photo...
https://gbee.pk/2019/05/sirbaz-khan-fro ... nt-lhotse/
*******
Introducing NorQuest College’s 2019 honorary diploma recipients
Salma Lakhani: businesswoman, education and youth advocate
Salma Lakhani is a longtime community philanthropist with a passion for education, health care, and human rights. She believes strongly in providing opportunities to those who are facing challenges in life—a mindset that has guided her service to community and earned her a NorQuest College Honorary Diploma in Community Services Leadership.
More and photo...
https://norquest.ca/media-centre/news/2 ... ients.aspx
History has been made early morning in Nepal as Sirbaz Khan, a mountaineer from the Hunza district of Gilgit-Baltistan, successfully climbs, Lhotse, world’s 4th highest peak.
The 30-year old climber from Hunza Valley accompanying a 12-member team.
Climber Mingma G made the announcement on his Facebook page. According to Mingma Sherpa, the team reached the summit of Mont Lhotse at 09:47 am on May 14, 2019.
More and photo...
https://gbee.pk/2019/05/sirbaz-khan-fro ... nt-lhotse/
*******
Introducing NorQuest College’s 2019 honorary diploma recipients
Salma Lakhani: businesswoman, education and youth advocate
Salma Lakhani is a longtime community philanthropist with a passion for education, health care, and human rights. She believes strongly in providing opportunities to those who are facing challenges in life—a mindset that has guided her service to community and earned her a NorQuest College Honorary Diploma in Community Services Leadership.
More and photo...
https://norquest.ca/media-centre/news/2 ... ients.aspx
Ismaili mountaineer becomes first Pakistani man to scale The Seven Summits
Ismaili mountaineer Mirza Ali, from Shimshal Valley, Hunza, successfully climbed Mount Everest on Wednesday, 22 May, becoming the first Pakistani man to scale The Seven Summits — the highest mountains of each of the seven continents. Climbing The Seven Summits is regarded as one of the foremost exploration and mountaineering accomplishments.
Mirza Ali’s sister, Samina Baig, became the first Pakistani woman to climb Mount Everest — the world’s highest peak — in 2013 and completed all seven summits by 2014. Mirza and Samina have become the world’s first siblings to accomplish this feat.
Mirza Ali, 35, who has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Karachi University, started his career in mountaineering and adventure tourism at the age of 16. He promotes women’s empowerment and gender equality through mountain adventure and, together with his sister Samina, provides training and organises expeditions for students in schools and colleges. He trained Samina from the age of 15, supporting her to achieve the feat of climbing The Seven Summits at the young age of 23. The siblings have founded an NGO called Pakistan Youth Outreach which aims to promote gender equality through education and adventure sports among women and youth in Pakistan.
The pair have followed in the footsteps of storied Pakistani Ismaili climber Nazir Sabir — also from Hunza — who, after having conquered numerous other peaks since the 1970s (including a uniquely difficult ascent of K2), became the first Pakistani and the first Ismaili to summit Everest on 17 May 2000.
Mountain climbing is rooted in the history, geography, and culture of people living in Gilgit-Baltistan, though many are unable to pursue it due to a lack of resources. Even though other parts of Pakistan also offer mountaineering opportunities, the sport requires greater national support in order to motivate potential newcomers.
https://the.ismaili/news/mountaineer-be ... en-summits
Ismaili mountaineer Mirza Ali, from Shimshal Valley, Hunza, successfully climbed Mount Everest on Wednesday, 22 May, becoming the first Pakistani man to scale The Seven Summits — the highest mountains of each of the seven continents. Climbing The Seven Summits is regarded as one of the foremost exploration and mountaineering accomplishments.
Mirza Ali’s sister, Samina Baig, became the first Pakistani woman to climb Mount Everest — the world’s highest peak — in 2013 and completed all seven summits by 2014. Mirza and Samina have become the world’s first siblings to accomplish this feat.
Mirza Ali, 35, who has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Karachi University, started his career in mountaineering and adventure tourism at the age of 16. He promotes women’s empowerment and gender equality through mountain adventure and, together with his sister Samina, provides training and organises expeditions for students in schools and colleges. He trained Samina from the age of 15, supporting her to achieve the feat of climbing The Seven Summits at the young age of 23. The siblings have founded an NGO called Pakistan Youth Outreach which aims to promote gender equality through education and adventure sports among women and youth in Pakistan.
The pair have followed in the footsteps of storied Pakistani Ismaili climber Nazir Sabir — also from Hunza — who, after having conquered numerous other peaks since the 1970s (including a uniquely difficult ascent of K2), became the first Pakistani and the first Ismaili to summit Everest on 17 May 2000.
Mountain climbing is rooted in the history, geography, and culture of people living in Gilgit-Baltistan, though many are unable to pursue it due to a lack of resources. Even though other parts of Pakistan also offer mountaineering opportunities, the sport requires greater national support in order to motivate potential newcomers.
https://the.ismaili/news/mountaineer-be ... en-summits
A Run for the Florida State Senate
Few have the vision and courage to run for public office. It is a difficult path to traverse, but one that allows those with a commitment to voice their concerns and stand up for their values. Annisa Karim, from southwest Florida, did just that. She ran for the Florida State Senate in 2018.
Although she came just short of winning the Senate seat, where she received 34 percent of the votes, in an area where her party-affiliated population is only 25 percent, she was able to leave a legacy of inspiration to a whole generation and helped pave the way for others in the Jamat to follow. She joins others in the country who have been elected to public office, most notably, Safiya Wazir, a refugee from Afghanistan, who was elected to the New Hampshire House of Representatives in 2018.
More...
https://the.ismaili/usa/run-florida-state-senate
Few have the vision and courage to run for public office. It is a difficult path to traverse, but one that allows those with a commitment to voice their concerns and stand up for their values. Annisa Karim, from southwest Florida, did just that. She ran for the Florida State Senate in 2018.
Although she came just short of winning the Senate seat, where she received 34 percent of the votes, in an area where her party-affiliated population is only 25 percent, she was able to leave a legacy of inspiration to a whole generation and helped pave the way for others in the Jamat to follow. She joins others in the country who have been elected to public office, most notably, Safiya Wazir, a refugee from Afghanistan, who was elected to the New Hampshire House of Representatives in 2018.
More...
https://the.ismaili/usa/run-florida-state-senate
Monument at Spruce Meadows honours Alberta leaders
Alberta Champions Society honours six outstanding individuals who made a lasting impact on the province
https://troymedia.com/2019/06/04/monume ... a-leaders/
Haider Dhanani (1939-1990) entrepreneur, community leader and philanthropist was one of the early pioneer leaders of the Ismaili Muslim community in Canada. He lived a life of service. With a profound dedication to bridging cultural differences, Haider made a significant impact on Canada’s civil society. Haider Dhanani’s commitment to advancing community development was in harmony with his professional life as an entrepreneur as the founder of Bri-mor Developments.
During his 20 years in Calgary, Haider held a number of leadership positions including President of the Ismaili Council for the Prairies; Member, Aga Khan Foundation Canada National Committee; Chairman, Refugee Settlement Committee, Ismaili Council for Canada; Chairman, Immigration and Settlement Services, Government of Alberta; and Member on the Federal Board for Visible Minorities, Canada, to name a few. Haider worked to build strong communities and was dedicated to the well-being, settlement and upward mobility of newly arrived immigrants to Canada. He championed the integration of community into Canadian society, breaking down barriers and fostering a common understanding and celebration of diversity.
Alberta Champions Society honours six outstanding individuals who made a lasting impact on the province
https://troymedia.com/2019/06/04/monume ... a-leaders/
Haider Dhanani (1939-1990) entrepreneur, community leader and philanthropist was one of the early pioneer leaders of the Ismaili Muslim community in Canada. He lived a life of service. With a profound dedication to bridging cultural differences, Haider made a significant impact on Canada’s civil society. Haider Dhanani’s commitment to advancing community development was in harmony with his professional life as an entrepreneur as the founder of Bri-mor Developments.
During his 20 years in Calgary, Haider held a number of leadership positions including President of the Ismaili Council for the Prairies; Member, Aga Khan Foundation Canada National Committee; Chairman, Refugee Settlement Committee, Ismaili Council for Canada; Chairman, Immigration and Settlement Services, Government of Alberta; and Member on the Federal Board for Visible Minorities, Canada, to name a few. Haider worked to build strong communities and was dedicated to the well-being, settlement and upward mobility of newly arrived immigrants to Canada. He championed the integration of community into Canadian society, breaking down barriers and fostering a common understanding and celebration of diversity.
Local Educator to be Awarded 2019 Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Early Childhood Education
BURNABY, BC, MAY 21, 2019) – SFU Childcare Society (SFUCCS) is pleased to
announce that Saaiqa Bhanji, Senior Educator in the Society’s 3-5 programs has been awarded a 2019 Regional Certificate of Achievement from the Prime Minister’s Awards (PMA) for Excellence in Early Childhood Education.
Recipients are honoured for their leadership, exemplary early childhood education practices, and their commitment to help build the foundation young children need to make the best possible start in life.
“I am truly humbled by this prestigious award. This honour takes on special distinction for me because of the very high value I attach to the award’s purpose, that is to increase awareness and re-conceptualize best practice in the field of early childhood education,” said Bhanji upon finding out that she would be a recipient of this year’s award. “As I look back upon my journey, I cannot help but reflect upon my image of early childhood institutions; moving past the thought of viewing childcare as a service to actually creating authentic
spaces for children, educators, and families. I feel fortunate to work in an organization whose values are in alignment with my own.”
More...
https://ismailimail.files.wordpress.com ... d-capu.pdf
BURNABY, BC, MAY 21, 2019) – SFU Childcare Society (SFUCCS) is pleased to
announce that Saaiqa Bhanji, Senior Educator in the Society’s 3-5 programs has been awarded a 2019 Regional Certificate of Achievement from the Prime Minister’s Awards (PMA) for Excellence in Early Childhood Education.
Recipients are honoured for their leadership, exemplary early childhood education practices, and their commitment to help build the foundation young children need to make the best possible start in life.
“I am truly humbled by this prestigious award. This honour takes on special distinction for me because of the very high value I attach to the award’s purpose, that is to increase awareness and re-conceptualize best practice in the field of early childhood education,” said Bhanji upon finding out that she would be a recipient of this year’s award. “As I look back upon my journey, I cannot help but reflect upon my image of early childhood institutions; moving past the thought of viewing childcare as a service to actually creating authentic
spaces for children, educators, and families. I feel fortunate to work in an organization whose values are in alignment with my own.”
More...
https://ismailimail.files.wordpress.com ... d-capu.pdf
SGH Wins APEX Business of the Year Award!!!
Dekalb County Chamber of Commerce presented Stablegold Hospitality (SGH) with the APEX Business of the Year Award, in the applicable revenue category, on June 26th.
SGH was presented with its sparkling trophy during the Awards Ceremony at the Courtyard By Marriott Atlanta venue in Decatur Downtown.
Only two months earlier, Atlanta Inno, partnering with Atlanta Business Chronicle, prophesied SGH correctly on this year's '50 on Fire' list for being one of Atlanta's 50 Most Innovative Startups in the Government, Advocacy and Education Category.
"Our business model is to go into areas and acquire assets that, many time, people don't want ... and then convert these units to help create opportunities for employment and various sectors of the economy," said SGH CEO Ali Jamal during the acceptance speech at Dekalb County's Chamber of Commerce Awards Ceremony. "We're really excited to be a part of Dekalb County, they have been a great support for our company," said Jamal.
Dekalb County Chamber of Commerce presented Stablegold Hospitality (SGH) with the APEX Business of the Year Award, in the applicable revenue category, on June 26th.
SGH was presented with its sparkling trophy during the Awards Ceremony at the Courtyard By Marriott Atlanta venue in Decatur Downtown.
Only two months earlier, Atlanta Inno, partnering with Atlanta Business Chronicle, prophesied SGH correctly on this year's '50 on Fire' list for being one of Atlanta's 50 Most Innovative Startups in the Government, Advocacy and Education Category.
"Our business model is to go into areas and acquire assets that, many time, people don't want ... and then convert these units to help create opportunities for employment and various sectors of the economy," said SGH CEO Ali Jamal during the acceptance speech at Dekalb County's Chamber of Commerce Awards Ceremony. "We're really excited to be a part of Dekalb County, they have been a great support for our company," said Jamal.
Canadas Top 25 Immigrants 2019
Nizar Ladak
President and CEO, Compute Ontario
City: Toronto
Country of origin: Uganda
Paying it forward
Gratitude and giving back have defined much of Nizar Ladak’s personal and professional life since he came to Canada as a refugee in 1973. These values have framed his business leadership style, too, in an impressive health care management career helping lead organizations such as Health Quality Ontario, North York General Hospital and Canadian Institute for Health Information. He has focused on mentoring and developing diverse teams.
Today, Ladak serves as president and CEO of Compute Ontario, where he leads a team that brings together scientific, technical and policy-making communities using big data with access to advanced research computing (supercomputers).
More...
https://canadianimmigrant.ca/canadas-to ... izar-ladak
Nizar Ladak
President and CEO, Compute Ontario
City: Toronto
Country of origin: Uganda
Paying it forward
Gratitude and giving back have defined much of Nizar Ladak’s personal and professional life since he came to Canada as a refugee in 1973. These values have framed his business leadership style, too, in an impressive health care management career helping lead organizations such as Health Quality Ontario, North York General Hospital and Canadian Institute for Health Information. He has focused on mentoring and developing diverse teams.
Today, Ladak serves as president and CEO of Compute Ontario, where he leads a team that brings together scientific, technical and policy-making communities using big data with access to advanced research computing (supercomputers).
More...
https://canadianimmigrant.ca/canadas-to ... izar-ladak
Aga Khan envoy’s tribute to Karmali
In Summary
In the few years that I have been in Uganda, I have lost count of the number of people who have shared with me stories of how their lives, and the lives of their communities and families, have been transformed by the generosity of Mzee Mukwano and his family.
The nation lost a loyal citizen this week. The passing of Amirali Karmali – Mzee Mukwano as he was affectionately known – marks a sad moment for the nation and for the multitudes of people whose lives were touched by this remarkable man.
Karmali began life with the most humble of beginnings. As a truck driver, his early life included periods spent largely on the roads across Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Burundi. It was a time when life may have been simple, but the terrain was rough.
Driving through the rough roads of the time required a level of resilience that signalled, early on, the determination and strength of the man. It was an attribute that would serve him well in what was to follow.
The political upheaval of 1972 saw the dispersal of the Karmali family. But Karmali stayed back – reluctant to leave the country he loved and anticipating that the family would be able to return soon.
Although the Ugandan supply chain for coffee was largely disrupted during this period, coffee prices were high and the enterprising Karmali trucked the coffee to Kenya, returning with goods with a ready market in Uganda.
His inventories of textile fabrics ensured a ready supply of the latest fashion in fabrics to local tailors and seamstresses. The tailoring hub along Luwum Street in Kampala owes much of its foundation to that enterprise. The Mukwano empire broadened its reach, but Karmali never lost his eye for quality fabric.
His wife, affectionately known as Mama Mukwano, told me recently that even now, he would often want to feel the fabric of the saree (Indian-made women’s garment) she was wearing and admire its quality.
As the Mukwano businesses grew, so did their investment in local manufacturing. Karmali committed himself to developing a fast-moving consumer goods industry in Uganda, leading to local manufacturing of products such as soap and other consumer goods.
Political upheavals in Uganda did not make for an easy path to growth and Karmali was personally a target through each period of civil unrest.
However, as peace and security returned under President Museveni, the business climate improved. I recall President Museveni once telling me how, in those early days, he had called Amirali Mukwano and enlisted him to the development cause of Uganda through building manufacturing facilities for products such as soap.
The Mukwano family’s generosity, under the patriarchy of Mzee Mukwano, is legendary. I know from my first-hand experience of their support to many of the development programmes of the Aga Khan Development Network and their broad support to many communities across Uganda. It is a tradition that his children, including Alykhan and Rukhsana, carry on with grace.
In the few years that I have been in Uganda, I have lost count of the number of people who have shared with me stories of how their lives, and the lives of their communities and families, have been transformed by the generosity of Mzee Mukwano and his family.
More remarkable was his ability to offer his hand of friendship without in any way diminishing the dignity of the beneficiary. Mzee Mukwano – named after the hand of friendship – set an example for us all.
Our world is a poorer place for his passing on. May his soul rest in peace.
Mawji is the Diplomatic Representative, Aga Khan Development Network
https://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National ... index.html
More information in the related thread at:
Uganda: We need more Mukwanos
http://www.ismaili.net/html/modules.php ... highlight=
In Summary
In the few years that I have been in Uganda, I have lost count of the number of people who have shared with me stories of how their lives, and the lives of their communities and families, have been transformed by the generosity of Mzee Mukwano and his family.
The nation lost a loyal citizen this week. The passing of Amirali Karmali – Mzee Mukwano as he was affectionately known – marks a sad moment for the nation and for the multitudes of people whose lives were touched by this remarkable man.
Karmali began life with the most humble of beginnings. As a truck driver, his early life included periods spent largely on the roads across Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Burundi. It was a time when life may have been simple, but the terrain was rough.
Driving through the rough roads of the time required a level of resilience that signalled, early on, the determination and strength of the man. It was an attribute that would serve him well in what was to follow.
The political upheaval of 1972 saw the dispersal of the Karmali family. But Karmali stayed back – reluctant to leave the country he loved and anticipating that the family would be able to return soon.
Although the Ugandan supply chain for coffee was largely disrupted during this period, coffee prices were high and the enterprising Karmali trucked the coffee to Kenya, returning with goods with a ready market in Uganda.
His inventories of textile fabrics ensured a ready supply of the latest fashion in fabrics to local tailors and seamstresses. The tailoring hub along Luwum Street in Kampala owes much of its foundation to that enterprise. The Mukwano empire broadened its reach, but Karmali never lost his eye for quality fabric.
His wife, affectionately known as Mama Mukwano, told me recently that even now, he would often want to feel the fabric of the saree (Indian-made women’s garment) she was wearing and admire its quality.
As the Mukwano businesses grew, so did their investment in local manufacturing. Karmali committed himself to developing a fast-moving consumer goods industry in Uganda, leading to local manufacturing of products such as soap and other consumer goods.
Political upheavals in Uganda did not make for an easy path to growth and Karmali was personally a target through each period of civil unrest.
However, as peace and security returned under President Museveni, the business climate improved. I recall President Museveni once telling me how, in those early days, he had called Amirali Mukwano and enlisted him to the development cause of Uganda through building manufacturing facilities for products such as soap.
The Mukwano family’s generosity, under the patriarchy of Mzee Mukwano, is legendary. I know from my first-hand experience of their support to many of the development programmes of the Aga Khan Development Network and their broad support to many communities across Uganda. It is a tradition that his children, including Alykhan and Rukhsana, carry on with grace.
In the few years that I have been in Uganda, I have lost count of the number of people who have shared with me stories of how their lives, and the lives of their communities and families, have been transformed by the generosity of Mzee Mukwano and his family.
More remarkable was his ability to offer his hand of friendship without in any way diminishing the dignity of the beneficiary. Mzee Mukwano – named after the hand of friendship – set an example for us all.
Our world is a poorer place for his passing on. May his soul rest in peace.
Mawji is the Diplomatic Representative, Aga Khan Development Network
https://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National ... index.html
More information in the related thread at:
Uganda: We need more Mukwanos
http://www.ismaili.net/html/modules.php ... highlight=
Pakistan’s Prime Minister appoints four Ismailis to National Youth Council
Four young Ismailis from Pakistan have been appointed onto the 33-member National Youth Council (NYC) recently established by the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan. The council’s mandate is to work for the upliftment of Pakistani youth and influence national policy and decision-making. Its members are prominent figures from various fields including Education, Sports, Religion, Economics, and the Arts.
The NYC aims to support young people to get involved in their communities and democracy locally, nationally, and internationally, and strive to make a difference as volunteers, campaigners, decision-makers, and leaders.
Representing different parts of Pakistan, young Ismailis Samina Baig, Karishma Ali, Sonal Dhanani, and Khurram Lalani have been nominated for the National Youth Council, and will serve to empower young people in the country who have been deprived of economic opportunities; aiming to create more sustainable livelihoods for all.
Samina Baig, from Gojal, Gilgit-Baltistan, is the first Pakistani woman to conquer Mount Everest, and first to conquer The Seven Summits, all at the age of 23. Her training in mountaineering began from the age of 15 aided by her brother, Mirza Ali, also an accomplished mountaineer. The siblings have jointly-founded an NGO called Pakistan Youth Outreach, which aims to promote gender equality through education and adventure sports among women and youth in Pakistan.
Karishma Ali, who hails from Chitral, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, is a professional footballer and has represented Pakistan at International level. She is among five Pakistanis who have appeared on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2019 list, for her efforts to promote sports at a local level. She represented Pakistan at the Jubilee Games in Dubai in 2016, and her team was the first women’s team from Pakistan to participate in the AFL International Cup.
Sonal Dhanani, from Sindh, is a neuro-linguistic programming trainer and art therapy practitioner in Pakistan. She actively promotes education, mental health initiatives and social action in Pakistan. Sonal is a 2016 Atlantic council Fellow, and among 29 change makers from South Asia participating in the Young Connectors of the Future programme of the Swedish Institute. She currently works as a Project Manager with the Family Educational and Services Foundation. In 2015, she established an initiative entitled Parindey which focuses on healing communities through creative therapy. An active volunteer with the Aga Khan Youth and Sports Board, she uses arts and culture as a tool to serve the Jamat and wider humanity.
Khurram Lalani, also from Sindh, graduated as a Fulbright scholar with a master’s degree in Energy Policy from the University of Delaware in 2013. He is an energy and infrastructure consultant with over ten years of experience in international finance, sustainable development, and energy policy issues, and has served as a senior economic and policy advisor to the Federal Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Energy and Ministry of Climate Change, among various other provincial government assignments.
Youth Ministers from all provinces will be part of the NYC, along with notable national figures and youth icons. Prime Minister Imran Khan will serve as the Patron-In-Chief, while Usman Dar, the current the Special Adviser on Youth Affairs has been nominated as Chairman of the Council.
https://the.ismaili/news/pakistans-prim ... th-council
Four young Ismailis from Pakistan have been appointed onto the 33-member National Youth Council (NYC) recently established by the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan. The council’s mandate is to work for the upliftment of Pakistani youth and influence national policy and decision-making. Its members are prominent figures from various fields including Education, Sports, Religion, Economics, and the Arts.
The NYC aims to support young people to get involved in their communities and democracy locally, nationally, and internationally, and strive to make a difference as volunteers, campaigners, decision-makers, and leaders.
Representing different parts of Pakistan, young Ismailis Samina Baig, Karishma Ali, Sonal Dhanani, and Khurram Lalani have been nominated for the National Youth Council, and will serve to empower young people in the country who have been deprived of economic opportunities; aiming to create more sustainable livelihoods for all.
Samina Baig, from Gojal, Gilgit-Baltistan, is the first Pakistani woman to conquer Mount Everest, and first to conquer The Seven Summits, all at the age of 23. Her training in mountaineering began from the age of 15 aided by her brother, Mirza Ali, also an accomplished mountaineer. The siblings have jointly-founded an NGO called Pakistan Youth Outreach, which aims to promote gender equality through education and adventure sports among women and youth in Pakistan.
Karishma Ali, who hails from Chitral, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, is a professional footballer and has represented Pakistan at International level. She is among five Pakistanis who have appeared on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2019 list, for her efforts to promote sports at a local level. She represented Pakistan at the Jubilee Games in Dubai in 2016, and her team was the first women’s team from Pakistan to participate in the AFL International Cup.
Sonal Dhanani, from Sindh, is a neuro-linguistic programming trainer and art therapy practitioner in Pakistan. She actively promotes education, mental health initiatives and social action in Pakistan. Sonal is a 2016 Atlantic council Fellow, and among 29 change makers from South Asia participating in the Young Connectors of the Future programme of the Swedish Institute. She currently works as a Project Manager with the Family Educational and Services Foundation. In 2015, she established an initiative entitled Parindey which focuses on healing communities through creative therapy. An active volunteer with the Aga Khan Youth and Sports Board, she uses arts and culture as a tool to serve the Jamat and wider humanity.
Khurram Lalani, also from Sindh, graduated as a Fulbright scholar with a master’s degree in Energy Policy from the University of Delaware in 2013. He is an energy and infrastructure consultant with over ten years of experience in international finance, sustainable development, and energy policy issues, and has served as a senior economic and policy advisor to the Federal Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Energy and Ministry of Climate Change, among various other provincial government assignments.
Youth Ministers from all provinces will be part of the NYC, along with notable national figures and youth icons. Prime Minister Imran Khan will serve as the Patron-In-Chief, while Usman Dar, the current the Special Adviser on Youth Affairs has been nominated as Chairman of the Council.
https://the.ismaili/news/pakistans-prim ... th-council
B.C. author launches children's book about Muslim girl forced to flee to West
After a long and thorough search, after Shaista Kaba Fatehali had exhausted every avenue in her quest for stories that Muslim immigrant children could relate to, the kindergarten teacher and doctoral student sat down and wrote one herself.
Back Home, published by Brandylane Publishers, was launched on Monday, a wonderfully written and illustrated tale about a little girl’s first day at school in her new country, when all goes from being strange to the realization that people are people (and children are children) everywhere on the planet, that more similarities than differences exist between cultures.
Video and more...
https://vancouversun.com/news/local-new ... ee-to-west
After a long and thorough search, after Shaista Kaba Fatehali had exhausted every avenue in her quest for stories that Muslim immigrant children could relate to, the kindergarten teacher and doctoral student sat down and wrote one herself.
Back Home, published by Brandylane Publishers, was launched on Monday, a wonderfully written and illustrated tale about a little girl’s first day at school in her new country, when all goes from being strange to the realization that people are people (and children are children) everywhere on the planet, that more similarities than differences exist between cultures.
Video and more...
https://vancouversun.com/news/local-new ... ee-to-west
Receiving Amazon’s “Just Do It" Award
“I didn’t believe it until I was shaking his hand,” Zameer Rayani admits. When his presence was requested at Amazon’s recent All-Hands Meeting in Seattle, he didn’t even share with his family or friends. After all, no one from the HR department had ever won the award in the company’s 25-year history, but with numerous Ismaili Amazonians live-streaming the event around the world, messages like this spread like wildfire on social media: “Do you know Zameer Rayani? Sounds Ismaili, he just got an award from Bezos at our company All-Hands!”
Amazon CEO and founder Jeff Bezos created the “Just Do It" Award to recognize employees who exemplify two of Amazon’s core values: innovation and bias for action. Bezos himself makes the final decision on who receives the award, which is only bestowed twice a year across the 600,000+ person company and has become one of Amazon’s most coveted honors. This March, Zameer -- a Principal Recruiter who’s been with the company for 7 years –- was recognized for creating a tool that is helping reinvent talent acquisition at Amazon.
“I never thought I’d get some sort of award like this,” Zameer remarks as he discusses his colorful history, which includes dropping out of college, delivering flowers, waiting tables, running a photography business, and much, much more. In fact, the only common thread in his uncommon background is that Zameer, now a UCLA graduate, consistently manages to push boundaries through innovation. The results speak for themselves -- his kudos range from winning Employee of the Month at his first job bagging groceries to receiving a national gold advertising award for an anti-smoking TV commercial he wrote.
While Zameer largely attributes his success to the strong work ethic his parents modeled and instilled in him, he’s actually turned down promotions that threatened what he cites as another secret to his success—balance. When asked why he eschewed opportunities many others would consider prized, Zameer reflects on his time delivering flowers: “The people working at the flower shop were the happiest. That’s when I realized happiness wasn’t linked to money.”
Zameer is adamant that neither his choices nor those of others should be emulated: “Everyone must plot their own journey.” He is, however, steadfast in the belief that having the courage to walk on one’s own path can lead to extraordinary outcomes, which in the case of Zameer’s latest achievement, fittingly came in the form of a shoe.
https://the.ismaili/usa/receiving-amazo ... o-it-award
“I didn’t believe it until I was shaking his hand,” Zameer Rayani admits. When his presence was requested at Amazon’s recent All-Hands Meeting in Seattle, he didn’t even share with his family or friends. After all, no one from the HR department had ever won the award in the company’s 25-year history, but with numerous Ismaili Amazonians live-streaming the event around the world, messages like this spread like wildfire on social media: “Do you know Zameer Rayani? Sounds Ismaili, he just got an award from Bezos at our company All-Hands!”
Amazon CEO and founder Jeff Bezos created the “Just Do It" Award to recognize employees who exemplify two of Amazon’s core values: innovation and bias for action. Bezos himself makes the final decision on who receives the award, which is only bestowed twice a year across the 600,000+ person company and has become one of Amazon’s most coveted honors. This March, Zameer -- a Principal Recruiter who’s been with the company for 7 years –- was recognized for creating a tool that is helping reinvent talent acquisition at Amazon.
“I never thought I’d get some sort of award like this,” Zameer remarks as he discusses his colorful history, which includes dropping out of college, delivering flowers, waiting tables, running a photography business, and much, much more. In fact, the only common thread in his uncommon background is that Zameer, now a UCLA graduate, consistently manages to push boundaries through innovation. The results speak for themselves -- his kudos range from winning Employee of the Month at his first job bagging groceries to receiving a national gold advertising award for an anti-smoking TV commercial he wrote.
While Zameer largely attributes his success to the strong work ethic his parents modeled and instilled in him, he’s actually turned down promotions that threatened what he cites as another secret to his success—balance. When asked why he eschewed opportunities many others would consider prized, Zameer reflects on his time delivering flowers: “The people working at the flower shop were the happiest. That’s when I realized happiness wasn’t linked to money.”
Zameer is adamant that neither his choices nor those of others should be emulated: “Everyone must plot their own journey.” He is, however, steadfast in the belief that having the courage to walk on one’s own path can lead to extraordinary outcomes, which in the case of Zameer’s latest achievement, fittingly came in the form of a shoe.
https://the.ismaili/usa/receiving-amazo ... o-it-award
Budhwani receives K01 grant to study HIV Prevention
Dr. Henna Budhwani, assistant professor in the department of health care organization and policy, has been awarded a Mentored Research Scientist Development Grant (K01) of $900,000 from the National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH).
Budhwani's research will focus on the field of HIV prevention. Her proposed project seeks to address the HIV crisis in Alabama, where rates of undiagnosed HIV in black young men who have sex with men (YMSM) exceed 20%.
This project will adapt and test a behavioral intervention to promote HIV rapid testing in the community, deliver culturally appropriate prevention education, offer sociostructural supports, and refer eligible participants for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).
The five-year project includes intensive training at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and from other prominent institutions.
https://www.soph.uab.edu/news/budhwani- ... XfwF5FuE0I
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Zainub Verjee Appointed to the Board of the Cultural Human Resources Council
BY ISMAILIMAIL POSTED ON JULY 24, 2019
At its recently held 25th Annual General Meeting in Toronto, Zainub Verjee was ZVblogpixappointed to the Board Directors of the Cultural Human Resources Council (CHRC).
In Canada, the Cultural Human Resources Council brings together cultural workers and employers to address training, career development and other human resource issues.
The Cultural Human Resources Council (CHRC) strives to be at the centre of vision and forward thinking in the area of cultural human resources development. CHRC brings together representatives of arts disciplines and cultural industries in the cultural sector to address the training and career development needs of employers and cultural workers including artists, technical staff, managers and all others engaged professionally in the sector.
More..
https://ismailimail.blog/2019/07/24/zai ... s-council/
Dr. Henna Budhwani, assistant professor in the department of health care organization and policy, has been awarded a Mentored Research Scientist Development Grant (K01) of $900,000 from the National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH).
Budhwani's research will focus on the field of HIV prevention. Her proposed project seeks to address the HIV crisis in Alabama, where rates of undiagnosed HIV in black young men who have sex with men (YMSM) exceed 20%.
This project will adapt and test a behavioral intervention to promote HIV rapid testing in the community, deliver culturally appropriate prevention education, offer sociostructural supports, and refer eligible participants for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).
The five-year project includes intensive training at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and from other prominent institutions.
https://www.soph.uab.edu/news/budhwani- ... XfwF5FuE0I
******
Zainub Verjee Appointed to the Board of the Cultural Human Resources Council
BY ISMAILIMAIL POSTED ON JULY 24, 2019
At its recently held 25th Annual General Meeting in Toronto, Zainub Verjee was ZVblogpixappointed to the Board Directors of the Cultural Human Resources Council (CHRC).
In Canada, the Cultural Human Resources Council brings together cultural workers and employers to address training, career development and other human resource issues.
The Cultural Human Resources Council (CHRC) strives to be at the centre of vision and forward thinking in the area of cultural human resources development. CHRC brings together representatives of arts disciplines and cultural industries in the cultural sector to address the training and career development needs of employers and cultural workers including artists, technical staff, managers and all others engaged professionally in the sector.
More..
https://ismailimail.blog/2019/07/24/zai ... s-council/
Transnationalizing Multiple Secularities: A Comparative Study of the Global Ismaili Community
Mohammad Magout
Abstract
:
»Transnationalisierung von Multiple Secularities: eine komparative Studie der globalen ismailitischen Gemeinschaft« . This article starts with and proceeds from empirical observations about the ways international Ismaili stu-dents at two institutes for Islamic studies in London draw boundaries between religion and other spheres in their everyday life. According to these observa-tions, students from Ismaili communities in Iran, Tajikistan, and Syria tend to make more explicit distinctions between a religious domain and a secular one in comparison with their Khoja coreligionists of East African descent. In order to explain this disparity, structural, ideological, and social conditions in their respective countries and communities are analyzed using the framework of multiple secularities. It is argued that while Ismaili communities in Iran, Tajiki-stan, and Syria have each internalized a motif of secularity from its broader na-tional context, Khoja Ismaili communities have developed their own form of secularity, which can be described in terms of internal secularization. This arti-cle makes a contribution to the multiple secularities framework by extending its application to the transnational domain and to the analysis of secularity within religious communities. Furthermore, the article offers a comparative ap-proach to the study the role of religion in global Ismailism
Keywords
Secularity, internal secularization, Isma’ilism, transnational religious movements, Khoja, East Africa, Aga Khan III.
The article can be accessed at:
https://www.academia.edu/39875886/Trans ... kly_digest
Mohammad Magout
Abstract
:
»Transnationalisierung von Multiple Secularities: eine komparative Studie der globalen ismailitischen Gemeinschaft« . This article starts with and proceeds from empirical observations about the ways international Ismaili stu-dents at two institutes for Islamic studies in London draw boundaries between religion and other spheres in their everyday life. According to these observa-tions, students from Ismaili communities in Iran, Tajikistan, and Syria tend to make more explicit distinctions between a religious domain and a secular one in comparison with their Khoja coreligionists of East African descent. In order to explain this disparity, structural, ideological, and social conditions in their respective countries and communities are analyzed using the framework of multiple secularities. It is argued that while Ismaili communities in Iran, Tajiki-stan, and Syria have each internalized a motif of secularity from its broader na-tional context, Khoja Ismaili communities have developed their own form of secularity, which can be described in terms of internal secularization. This arti-cle makes a contribution to the multiple secularities framework by extending its application to the transnational domain and to the analysis of secularity within religious communities. Furthermore, the article offers a comparative ap-proach to the study the role of religion in global Ismailism
Keywords
Secularity, internal secularization, Isma’ilism, transnational religious movements, Khoja, East Africa, Aga Khan III.
The article can be accessed at:
https://www.academia.edu/39875886/Trans ... kly_digest
40 Under 40: Sports Media Talents 2019
#25 Shams Charania (Stadium and The Athletic)
Still under 30 years old, Shams Charania is already a prominent NBA news-breaker. While mostly known for his scoops on Twitter, Charania now does segments for Stadium and writing for The Athletic.
https://thebiglead.com/2019/08/05/top-4 ... r-40-2019/
#25 Shams Charania (Stadium and The Athletic)
Still under 30 years old, Shams Charania is already a prominent NBA news-breaker. While mostly known for his scoops on Twitter, Charania now does segments for Stadium and writing for The Athletic.
https://thebiglead.com/2019/08/05/top-4 ... r-40-2019/
Taleeb Noormohamed, working hard for you in Vancouver Granville
Taleeb Noormohamed is a dedicated community leader and technology executive with a proven record of community service and business leadership, and he is the Team Trudeau candidate for Vancouver Granville.
The son of immigrants who came to Canada to build better lives for their family, Taleeb understands the challenges that middle class families face every day and is committed to working with Justin Trudeau to make a real difference for Vancouver Granville.
Taleeb has worked hard in support of homeless and at-risk youth, serving on the board of Covenant House Vancouver. He also is an avid supporter of the arts and culture, serving on the boards of the Confederation Centre for the Arts and the Koerner Foundation, and has advocated for better public policy through the Allan J. MacEachen Institute of Public Policy. Taleeb firmly believes in strengthening our diversity, having extensive involvement in Ismaili community organizations, and his community service includes time on the board of the Lions Gate Hospital Foundation.
More...
https://taleebnoormohamed.liberal.ca/
Taleeb Noormohamed is a dedicated community leader and technology executive with a proven record of community service and business leadership, and he is the Team Trudeau candidate for Vancouver Granville.
The son of immigrants who came to Canada to build better lives for their family, Taleeb understands the challenges that middle class families face every day and is committed to working with Justin Trudeau to make a real difference for Vancouver Granville.
Taleeb has worked hard in support of homeless and at-risk youth, serving on the board of Covenant House Vancouver. He also is an avid supporter of the arts and culture, serving on the boards of the Confederation Centre for the Arts and the Koerner Foundation, and has advocated for better public policy through the Allan J. MacEachen Institute of Public Policy. Taleeb firmly believes in strengthening our diversity, having extensive involvement in Ismaili community organizations, and his community service includes time on the board of the Lions Gate Hospital Foundation.
More...
https://taleebnoormohamed.liberal.ca/
Harvard University | Global Ambassador | Zohra Lakhani
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_cont ... mL_v1cG7aU
https://hesec.extension.harvard.edu/
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SHELINA DILGIR AWARDED THE CERTIFIED FUND RAISING EXECUTIVE (CFRE) DESIGNATION
We are thrilled to announce that CFRE International(new window) has named Neil Squire Society’s Director of Development, Shelina Dilgir, a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE).
Individuals granted the CFRE credential have met a series of standards set by CFRE International which include tenure in the profession, education, and demonstrated fundraising achievement. They have also passed a rigorous written examination testing the knowledge, skills, and abilities required of a fundraising executive, and have agreed to uphold Accountability Standards and the Donor Bill of Rights.
More...
https://www.neilsquire.ca/shelina-dilgi ... signation/
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_cont ... mL_v1cG7aU
https://hesec.extension.harvard.edu/
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SHELINA DILGIR AWARDED THE CERTIFIED FUND RAISING EXECUTIVE (CFRE) DESIGNATION
We are thrilled to announce that CFRE International(new window) has named Neil Squire Society’s Director of Development, Shelina Dilgir, a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE).
Individuals granted the CFRE credential have met a series of standards set by CFRE International which include tenure in the profession, education, and demonstrated fundraising achievement. They have also passed a rigorous written examination testing the knowledge, skills, and abilities required of a fundraising executive, and have agreed to uphold Accountability Standards and the Donor Bill of Rights.
More...
https://www.neilsquire.ca/shelina-dilgi ... signation/
Travelling Etobicoke optician offers education and eyeglasses
'I’m not there to sell a product. I’m there to build a relationship': Zahra Lavji
Etobicoke resident Zahra Lavji is the owner of Eyewear on the go. - Veronica Appia/Torstar
Fitting someone for eyeglasses at Starbucks over coffee is not out of the ordinary for south Etobicoke resident Zahra Lavji, who works as a travelling optician.
In fact, she’ll travel just about anywhere to meet her clients, bringing the optical shop to them at homes, businesses or elsewhere around the GTA and beyond.
While it’s becoming increasingly common for people to shop online for their eyeglasses, Lavji said it’s an impersonal experience that does not always result in the customer receiving the best options.
She said that's one of the reasons she created her business, Eyewear on the go, a mobile optical shop.
“Buying online is not the best solution because you don’t know which prescription you are getting, what lenses you are getting, your measurements aren’t accurate,” she said.
More....
https://www.toronto.com/news-story/9547 ... yeglasses/
'I’m not there to sell a product. I’m there to build a relationship': Zahra Lavji
Etobicoke resident Zahra Lavji is the owner of Eyewear on the go. - Veronica Appia/Torstar
Fitting someone for eyeglasses at Starbucks over coffee is not out of the ordinary for south Etobicoke resident Zahra Lavji, who works as a travelling optician.
In fact, she’ll travel just about anywhere to meet her clients, bringing the optical shop to them at homes, businesses or elsewhere around the GTA and beyond.
While it’s becoming increasingly common for people to shop online for their eyeglasses, Lavji said it’s an impersonal experience that does not always result in the customer receiving the best options.
She said that's one of the reasons she created her business, Eyewear on the go, a mobile optical shop.
“Buying online is not the best solution because you don’t know which prescription you are getting, what lenses you are getting, your measurements aren’t accurate,” she said.
More....
https://www.toronto.com/news-story/9547 ... yeglasses/
Pakistani footballer-turned-powerlifter Zulfia wins gold medal in Dubai
KARACHI: Midfielder of Pakistan women football team, Zulfia Nazir, has now set her eyes on winning laurels in the sport of powerlifting after winning gold medal in Dubai.
Zulfia, who represented the Pakistan women football team in the SAFF Women Championship in 2014, is currently in Dubai where she has been playing football for a local club and works as a fitness trainer.
On Friday, she proved her mettle by winning a gold medal in the Desert Barbell Power Meet in Dubai.
Contesting in the under 52 kg weight category, Zulfia lifted 110 each in squats and deadlift. In the chest press category, she lifted 57.5 to win the gold medal.
Video and more...
https://www.geo.tv/latest/247505-pakist ... i41j3xiezk
KARACHI: Midfielder of Pakistan women football team, Zulfia Nazir, has now set her eyes on winning laurels in the sport of powerlifting after winning gold medal in Dubai.
Zulfia, who represented the Pakistan women football team in the SAFF Women Championship in 2014, is currently in Dubai where she has been playing football for a local club and works as a fitness trainer.
On Friday, she proved her mettle by winning a gold medal in the Desert Barbell Power Meet in Dubai.
Contesting in the under 52 kg weight category, Zulfia lifted 110 each in squats and deadlift. In the chest press category, she lifted 57.5 to win the gold medal.
Video and more...
https://www.geo.tv/latest/247505-pakist ... i41j3xiezk
Anything But Orthodox: Dr. Amina Jindani is a pillar of #IsmailiExcellence
Dr Jindani is presently conducting a global clinical trial to eradicate the disease .The Aga Khan University Pakistan and the Shaukat Khanum Hospital are part of the trial. We sit down and discuss her work that has spanned over 40 years in the field of medicine, her childhood decision to become a doctor and her recent receival of professorship, awarded to her by St. George’s University.
“I am unorthodox.”
From the looks of her office, you would assume that Dr. Amina Jindani is everything but unorthodox. The office is small and is located on the second floor in the far corners of St. George’s University. Amina herself is a short spritely woman with cropped dark hair, wearing a red sweater and (unlike myself) sensible shoes. With over 50 years of experience in medical research, it would seem probable that life has been quite orthodox for Amina. At the end of my interview I would come to realize that Amina is anything but orthodox.
“Sorry for the wait. I must tell you; it is quite a trek to my office,” she lets me know as she collects me from the reception area. Her statement is no hyperbole. After taking the elevator to the second floor and walking through not one, not two, but six separate doors we finally settle into her office. By now I regret my choice of wearing heels and I have worked up quite a sweat. Luckily Amina is no rush and allows me a few moments to collect myself and cool down. “I’m always rushing! Sometimes life is like that,” she says, in response to my anecdote of scarfing my lunch down on the way here, “try not to rush too much though.”
I heed her advice, using that moment to take in the decoration of the small office. Her desk is organized with various papers piled into neat stacks . Her PC monitor sits front and center and she is no stranger to using it. There are a few moments of exasperation with PowerPoint however, “oh god, this silly thing” she sighs as she shows me photos of her childhood. To the left there is a small table with a kettle and two mugs. Above the table, a poster outlining her clinical group INTERTB hangs on the wall as well as a map of the world studded with tacks indicating all the countries she has visited. Behind me there is a photo of her in 2018, accepting the Ibn Sina Award for Medicine. I comment that it must have been a great honour to receive the reward and recognition from the wider Muslim community. Amina nods her head, she says she is immensely gratified but adds, “I’m not for gongs. I don’t go looking for gongs. I’d much rather the money to do my research and leave the gongs for other people.”
The recognition is flattering, and Amina is no doubt grateful for it but she remarks, “for one thing my English education taught me that a woman should be modest. My Indian upbringing taught me that a woman should be completely subservient, so between the two I am a mess!” she laughs. “So it took me a long time to finally put in an application [for professorship].” And although Amina may not be one for such pomp and circumstance she is no doubt a well accomplished individual whose research in Tuberculosis (TB) is very deserving of the bestowal of professorship at St. George’s University.
Born in Zanzibar in 1936, Amina’s childhood was quite unorthodox. Her father was a diwan of Sultan Mohamed Shah and she was no stranger to sharing her musings with the Aga Khan or having the honour of listening to his thoughts. She even used to play with the current Aga Khan (Prince Kareem) as a child. As such, commitment to the Imamate has been “steeped right from babyhood” according to Amina, so much so that it even determined her future career.
“He said I should be a doctor.” Amina tells me matter-of-factly. “Usko doctor benao, he used to tell my parents. And after that there was no deviating from that. I was only seven-years old!” Naturally there was no going back, it was a direct order from Sultan Mohamed Shah himself, something I can only imagine was both daunting and awe-inspiring.
“There was one point where I even said I don’t want to be a doctor can I come home? And they [her parents] replied ‘do not ever think of coming home till you are a qualified doctor.’ Now today if anyone said that to their child they would be held to the courts for violating their civil liberties. But in our household, [in] those days, that was a firman. So that’s how I became a doctor.”
After receiving her Bachelor’s degree from the University of London in 1962 she began dipping her toes into various fields of medicine. “I practiced for a bit. Those days woman could only be two things a paediatrician or a gynaecologist. But the first time I had to tell a couple that their baby was dying, I cried more than they did. So, I thought this is not my scene. I could not bear to see them suffer. Then I thought I could do dermatology; you don’t get emergencies in dermatology.” Hoping for a change of pace Amina shifted her focus to this area of medicine until one day a woman came into her clinic with sulphide burns. “Her whole skin was peeled off. All of it. And I thought, my God that’s not my scene either!” Both fields of practice were not for her. “She survived. But I could not bear to see sick people. And I still cannot, which is a funny thing for a doctor to be.”
She never intended to be so deeply embedded in researching Tuberculosis. In the year 1966 she had the opportunity to work with a hospital in Nairobi (the Infectious Diseases Hospital) that looked after people infected by TB and Leprosy – an area of medicine, that according to Amina,
not many local African doctors wanted to work in “…because it’s not very exciting. So, they pushed me to go there.” This time it would be different, the work she would carry out amongst people inflicted with this disease would soon prove to be rewarding. “I could see I was curing them. I lost some, but I cured more. So, I thought okay, this is for me. I will cure people; I do not want to see them die.”
Her work has culminated into two major projects, the first are her series of clinical trials that started with the East African and British Medical Research Council in the 1960s and the creation of a her research program International Consortium for Trials of Chemotherapeutic Agents in Tuberculosis (INTERTB). The current focus of these clinical trials is to reduce the length of treatment time for those infected with the bacterium. TB is a bit more complex to treat. In the past, treatment times ranged anywhere form 18 months to two years. Amina’s first set of clinical trials reduced the time in half – to six months “but still that is too long for people.” Her hope is to eradicate TB all together but “that won’t happen in [her] lifetime.” I ask her why?
“It’s the nature of the beast.”
What is left is to reduce the duration of treatment. With her next set of trials Amina wants to reduce the treatment time to four months but the ideal window would be one month. TB is a finicky disease, and Amina has worked hard to understand its complex nature. Her hard work and dedication has been funded entirely by her pursual of grants and donations, so much so that in 2006, she registered World Without TB, a civil society NGO to strengthen research capacity globally to conduct clinical trials. In February of this year Amina raised enough money to donate a new centrifuge to a hospital in Guinea that was carrying out treatment and research on TB. However, this is simply not enough for Amina, “our mindset needs a modification” she says, referring to the ever growing materialistic nature of our world. The rate of TB is not decreasing – it is increasing. And although there are some contributing environmental factors like population growth, the rate of growth for this disease is disappointing. “TB is a poor person’s disease. You don’t see rich [people] getting it.”
Has it always been this easy for Amina? One can only imagine that being the only ethnic girl at an all-girls boarding school in 1950s England could prove to be challenging.
“I’ve been very lucky in that respect,” she tells me, “…there was not really any racial prejudice amongst these posh British girls. They’re funny [English people], if you speak like them your colour doesn’t matter…and converse with them at their level like Shakespeare or Jane Austen, your colour doesn’t matter.” In fact, during holiday breaks when most of the girls would go back home to visit family, Amina was always invited along. “Looking back, I think I have been really lucky in that respect.” But how about in her professional life? Amina did not hold back when speaking about her inauguration as a professor.
“You know, it’s very…well the patriarchy still exists. I mean come on after all this time and I am now getting my professorship.” She says as we walk to her office. This does not mean she is not grateful for the recognition, but she explains that in the end these are all just trivial labels and what really matters is her ability to continue securing funding for her research and clinical trials.
“I am not on the payroll,” she says as we discuss the issue with ageism, retirement ages and the paradox between young people struggling to find a job while the older generation continue to work well past retirement.
“When you talk about ageism, you must admit that an 83-year-old woman should not be working. I mean I started a piece of knitting 20 years ago and I still haven’t finished,” she laughs. Yet, age doesn’t seem to be hindering Amina nor does she plan on stopping. “You’ve got to keep going! If you’ve got something to do, pursue it with everything you have.”
“All this,” Amina notes, pointing around the room, “They’ve given me this room, now the rest is up to me. Having said that I have brought millions of pounds into St. George through grants. And I get [my salary] from the grants. But I am not on the payroll. No one is going to put an 83-year-old on the payroll. The NHS is broke. The intention is there [to pay me] but it has now come down to the recognition of a professorship.”
None of this seems to faze Amina, nor slow her down. She continues to reiterate that labels – and even salaries are trivial matters in the grand scheme of things. “Do we need to be rich?” she asks me. “What we need is a roof over our head and one meal a day, seriously.” It appears that her years of traveling and aiding poor communities around the world has shaped the way Amina perceives wealth and charity. “Because whatever we have, one day we will leave it behind.”
“I am happy here with my [research], I don’t even have time to look out the [office] window. Give me money and give me space to keep a roof over my head and one meal a day and the rest to improve what needs improving on this planet.”
Her approach to a charity and her over all world view is collectively situated rather than individually based. Amina tells me that we need to “…look at what we do on a planetary basis.” This extends beyond her research in TB and we start to talk about the current state of the planet and climate change. “You know I even take transit now, to keep my carbon footprint low.” I am surprised to hear this. At 83, Amina’s world view is not stuck in the past. She is constantly examining her actions and the impact it has on others.
This in turn makes her an excellent pillar for Ismaili Excellence. When I mention this to her, asking her about her thoughts behind ‘Ismaili Excellence’, she instead asks me “What does it mean to Hazer Imam?” It would appear that after all these years her steadfast belief in the Imamate has not wavered. “All faiths teach charity. It’s not just Ismailis. In many ways, Ismailis already embody excellence…I think. And those who are not poor are able to help others.”
Amina shares with me a small example of charity that in her mind speaks volumes. “One example, and it is a very small example, but to me it is astonishing, is young men getting up at three, four in the morning to drive old ladies for morning Khane. That may be a small thing but to me it is a huge thing. It’s that kind of thing that you wouldn’t even think of as embodying excellence but to me it does.”
Dr. Amina Jindani is an honourary lecturer and researcher at St. George’s University. She heads to major foundations, a research program carrying out clinical trials for TB treatment (INTERTB) and an NGO that raises funds for TB treatment (World Without TB). On October 16, Dr. Jindani will be bestowed with a professorship by St. George’s University in honour of her years of service and momentous contribution to the treatment of TB. She is #IsmailiExcellence.
Update: As of publishing, Dr. Jinadni has also been awared the 2019 Princess Chichibu Memorial TB Global Award in recognition of her achievement in the field of global tuberculosis control.The Award is granted by the Japan Anti Tuberculosis Association and will be presented in Hyderabad India on November 2, 2019.
Interesting childhood photos with MSMS:
https://the.ismaili/united-kingdom/anything-orthodox
******
Professor Amina Jindani: Global Award for Champion of Tuberculosis Eradication @UnionConference @AKUGlobal @SKMCH @StGeorgesUni @wwtb_uk
https://ismailimail.blog/2019/11/14/pro ... i-wwtb_uk/
Dr Jindani is presently conducting a global clinical trial to eradicate the disease .The Aga Khan University Pakistan and the Shaukat Khanum Hospital are part of the trial. We sit down and discuss her work that has spanned over 40 years in the field of medicine, her childhood decision to become a doctor and her recent receival of professorship, awarded to her by St. George’s University.
“I am unorthodox.”
From the looks of her office, you would assume that Dr. Amina Jindani is everything but unorthodox. The office is small and is located on the second floor in the far corners of St. George’s University. Amina herself is a short spritely woman with cropped dark hair, wearing a red sweater and (unlike myself) sensible shoes. With over 50 years of experience in medical research, it would seem probable that life has been quite orthodox for Amina. At the end of my interview I would come to realize that Amina is anything but orthodox.
“Sorry for the wait. I must tell you; it is quite a trek to my office,” she lets me know as she collects me from the reception area. Her statement is no hyperbole. After taking the elevator to the second floor and walking through not one, not two, but six separate doors we finally settle into her office. By now I regret my choice of wearing heels and I have worked up quite a sweat. Luckily Amina is no rush and allows me a few moments to collect myself and cool down. “I’m always rushing! Sometimes life is like that,” she says, in response to my anecdote of scarfing my lunch down on the way here, “try not to rush too much though.”
I heed her advice, using that moment to take in the decoration of the small office. Her desk is organized with various papers piled into neat stacks . Her PC monitor sits front and center and she is no stranger to using it. There are a few moments of exasperation with PowerPoint however, “oh god, this silly thing” she sighs as she shows me photos of her childhood. To the left there is a small table with a kettle and two mugs. Above the table, a poster outlining her clinical group INTERTB hangs on the wall as well as a map of the world studded with tacks indicating all the countries she has visited. Behind me there is a photo of her in 2018, accepting the Ibn Sina Award for Medicine. I comment that it must have been a great honour to receive the reward and recognition from the wider Muslim community. Amina nods her head, she says she is immensely gratified but adds, “I’m not for gongs. I don’t go looking for gongs. I’d much rather the money to do my research and leave the gongs for other people.”
The recognition is flattering, and Amina is no doubt grateful for it but she remarks, “for one thing my English education taught me that a woman should be modest. My Indian upbringing taught me that a woman should be completely subservient, so between the two I am a mess!” she laughs. “So it took me a long time to finally put in an application [for professorship].” And although Amina may not be one for such pomp and circumstance she is no doubt a well accomplished individual whose research in Tuberculosis (TB) is very deserving of the bestowal of professorship at St. George’s University.
Born in Zanzibar in 1936, Amina’s childhood was quite unorthodox. Her father was a diwan of Sultan Mohamed Shah and she was no stranger to sharing her musings with the Aga Khan or having the honour of listening to his thoughts. She even used to play with the current Aga Khan (Prince Kareem) as a child. As such, commitment to the Imamate has been “steeped right from babyhood” according to Amina, so much so that it even determined her future career.
“He said I should be a doctor.” Amina tells me matter-of-factly. “Usko doctor benao, he used to tell my parents. And after that there was no deviating from that. I was only seven-years old!” Naturally there was no going back, it was a direct order from Sultan Mohamed Shah himself, something I can only imagine was both daunting and awe-inspiring.
“There was one point where I even said I don’t want to be a doctor can I come home? And they [her parents] replied ‘do not ever think of coming home till you are a qualified doctor.’ Now today if anyone said that to their child they would be held to the courts for violating their civil liberties. But in our household, [in] those days, that was a firman. So that’s how I became a doctor.”
After receiving her Bachelor’s degree from the University of London in 1962 she began dipping her toes into various fields of medicine. “I practiced for a bit. Those days woman could only be two things a paediatrician or a gynaecologist. But the first time I had to tell a couple that their baby was dying, I cried more than they did. So, I thought this is not my scene. I could not bear to see them suffer. Then I thought I could do dermatology; you don’t get emergencies in dermatology.” Hoping for a change of pace Amina shifted her focus to this area of medicine until one day a woman came into her clinic with sulphide burns. “Her whole skin was peeled off. All of it. And I thought, my God that’s not my scene either!” Both fields of practice were not for her. “She survived. But I could not bear to see sick people. And I still cannot, which is a funny thing for a doctor to be.”
She never intended to be so deeply embedded in researching Tuberculosis. In the year 1966 she had the opportunity to work with a hospital in Nairobi (the Infectious Diseases Hospital) that looked after people infected by TB and Leprosy – an area of medicine, that according to Amina,
not many local African doctors wanted to work in “…because it’s not very exciting. So, they pushed me to go there.” This time it would be different, the work she would carry out amongst people inflicted with this disease would soon prove to be rewarding. “I could see I was curing them. I lost some, but I cured more. So, I thought okay, this is for me. I will cure people; I do not want to see them die.”
Her work has culminated into two major projects, the first are her series of clinical trials that started with the East African and British Medical Research Council in the 1960s and the creation of a her research program International Consortium for Trials of Chemotherapeutic Agents in Tuberculosis (INTERTB). The current focus of these clinical trials is to reduce the length of treatment time for those infected with the bacterium. TB is a bit more complex to treat. In the past, treatment times ranged anywhere form 18 months to two years. Amina’s first set of clinical trials reduced the time in half – to six months “but still that is too long for people.” Her hope is to eradicate TB all together but “that won’t happen in [her] lifetime.” I ask her why?
“It’s the nature of the beast.”
What is left is to reduce the duration of treatment. With her next set of trials Amina wants to reduce the treatment time to four months but the ideal window would be one month. TB is a finicky disease, and Amina has worked hard to understand its complex nature. Her hard work and dedication has been funded entirely by her pursual of grants and donations, so much so that in 2006, she registered World Without TB, a civil society NGO to strengthen research capacity globally to conduct clinical trials. In February of this year Amina raised enough money to donate a new centrifuge to a hospital in Guinea that was carrying out treatment and research on TB. However, this is simply not enough for Amina, “our mindset needs a modification” she says, referring to the ever growing materialistic nature of our world. The rate of TB is not decreasing – it is increasing. And although there are some contributing environmental factors like population growth, the rate of growth for this disease is disappointing. “TB is a poor person’s disease. You don’t see rich [people] getting it.”
Has it always been this easy for Amina? One can only imagine that being the only ethnic girl at an all-girls boarding school in 1950s England could prove to be challenging.
“I’ve been very lucky in that respect,” she tells me, “…there was not really any racial prejudice amongst these posh British girls. They’re funny [English people], if you speak like them your colour doesn’t matter…and converse with them at their level like Shakespeare or Jane Austen, your colour doesn’t matter.” In fact, during holiday breaks when most of the girls would go back home to visit family, Amina was always invited along. “Looking back, I think I have been really lucky in that respect.” But how about in her professional life? Amina did not hold back when speaking about her inauguration as a professor.
“You know, it’s very…well the patriarchy still exists. I mean come on after all this time and I am now getting my professorship.” She says as we walk to her office. This does not mean she is not grateful for the recognition, but she explains that in the end these are all just trivial labels and what really matters is her ability to continue securing funding for her research and clinical trials.
“I am not on the payroll,” she says as we discuss the issue with ageism, retirement ages and the paradox between young people struggling to find a job while the older generation continue to work well past retirement.
“When you talk about ageism, you must admit that an 83-year-old woman should not be working. I mean I started a piece of knitting 20 years ago and I still haven’t finished,” she laughs. Yet, age doesn’t seem to be hindering Amina nor does she plan on stopping. “You’ve got to keep going! If you’ve got something to do, pursue it with everything you have.”
“All this,” Amina notes, pointing around the room, “They’ve given me this room, now the rest is up to me. Having said that I have brought millions of pounds into St. George through grants. And I get [my salary] from the grants. But I am not on the payroll. No one is going to put an 83-year-old on the payroll. The NHS is broke. The intention is there [to pay me] but it has now come down to the recognition of a professorship.”
None of this seems to faze Amina, nor slow her down. She continues to reiterate that labels – and even salaries are trivial matters in the grand scheme of things. “Do we need to be rich?” she asks me. “What we need is a roof over our head and one meal a day, seriously.” It appears that her years of traveling and aiding poor communities around the world has shaped the way Amina perceives wealth and charity. “Because whatever we have, one day we will leave it behind.”
“I am happy here with my [research], I don’t even have time to look out the [office] window. Give me money and give me space to keep a roof over my head and one meal a day and the rest to improve what needs improving on this planet.”
Her approach to a charity and her over all world view is collectively situated rather than individually based. Amina tells me that we need to “…look at what we do on a planetary basis.” This extends beyond her research in TB and we start to talk about the current state of the planet and climate change. “You know I even take transit now, to keep my carbon footprint low.” I am surprised to hear this. At 83, Amina’s world view is not stuck in the past. She is constantly examining her actions and the impact it has on others.
This in turn makes her an excellent pillar for Ismaili Excellence. When I mention this to her, asking her about her thoughts behind ‘Ismaili Excellence’, she instead asks me “What does it mean to Hazer Imam?” It would appear that after all these years her steadfast belief in the Imamate has not wavered. “All faiths teach charity. It’s not just Ismailis. In many ways, Ismailis already embody excellence…I think. And those who are not poor are able to help others.”
Amina shares with me a small example of charity that in her mind speaks volumes. “One example, and it is a very small example, but to me it is astonishing, is young men getting up at three, four in the morning to drive old ladies for morning Khane. That may be a small thing but to me it is a huge thing. It’s that kind of thing that you wouldn’t even think of as embodying excellence but to me it does.”
Dr. Amina Jindani is an honourary lecturer and researcher at St. George’s University. She heads to major foundations, a research program carrying out clinical trials for TB treatment (INTERTB) and an NGO that raises funds for TB treatment (World Without TB). On October 16, Dr. Jindani will be bestowed with a professorship by St. George’s University in honour of her years of service and momentous contribution to the treatment of TB. She is #IsmailiExcellence.
Update: As of publishing, Dr. Jinadni has also been awared the 2019 Princess Chichibu Memorial TB Global Award in recognition of her achievement in the field of global tuberculosis control.The Award is granted by the Japan Anti Tuberculosis Association and will be presented in Hyderabad India on November 2, 2019.
Interesting childhood photos with MSMS:
https://the.ismaili/united-kingdom/anything-orthodox
******
Professor Amina Jindani: Global Award for Champion of Tuberculosis Eradication @UnionConference @AKUGlobal @SKMCH @StGeorgesUni @wwtb_uk
https://ismailimail.blog/2019/11/14/pro ... i-wwtb_uk/
Last edited by kmaherali on Thu Nov 14, 2019 6:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.
AU’s 2019 Distinguished Alumnus embodies lifelong learning
Volunteerism, self-sacrifice, and lifelong learning have been central to Esmail Bharwani’s life since he was a young man in Tanzania, where he struggled to get access to education.
Through hard work and perseverance, he has seen success after success in his life earning several graduate degrees, running a successful business, and setting up a charitable foundation to support students.
“The desire to advance myself was there always. I was restricted by my parents’ financial condition, as I had to help the younger ones in the family and make sure they were all educated,” he said.
Esmail Bharwani, Athabasca University's 2019 Distinguished Alumni Award winner, embodies lifelong learning.
The newest accolade he can add to an already lengthy list is being recognized as Athabasca University’s 2019 Distinguished Alumni Award winner.
More...
https://news.athabascau.ca/alumni/aus-2 ... -learning/
Volunteerism, self-sacrifice, and lifelong learning have been central to Esmail Bharwani’s life since he was a young man in Tanzania, where he struggled to get access to education.
Through hard work and perseverance, he has seen success after success in his life earning several graduate degrees, running a successful business, and setting up a charitable foundation to support students.
“The desire to advance myself was there always. I was restricted by my parents’ financial condition, as I had to help the younger ones in the family and make sure they were all educated,” he said.
Esmail Bharwani, Athabasca University's 2019 Distinguished Alumni Award winner, embodies lifelong learning.
The newest accolade he can add to an already lengthy list is being recognized as Athabasca University’s 2019 Distinguished Alumni Award winner.
More...
https://news.athabascau.ca/alumni/aus-2 ... -learning/
Jamat of British Columbia awarded for contributions to world-class healthcare
The VGH and UBC Hospital Foundation recognised the Ismaili community of British Columbia for its support of mental health initiatives and its contribution to the broader provincial community with the 2019 Leadership Award at the Telus Night of a Thousand Stars Gala in Vancouver on 26 October.
The award, which recognises contributions to the advancement of world-class healthcare in British Columbia (BC), is typically presented to individuals or families. But this year, the VGH and UBC Hospital Foundation chose to recognise the contributions that have been made by the entire Ismaili community as a whole.
“We chose the Ismaili community because they have done so much to build social infrastructure and enhance the quality of life for British Columbians,” said Barbara Grantham, president and CEO of the VGH and UBC Hospital Foundation.
Vancouver’s Ismaili Walk partnered with the VGH and UBC Hospital Foundation in 2015 and 2016 to raise funds for the construction of the Joseph and Rosalie Segal Family Health Centre, a facility that helps patients and families dealing with mental illness at the Vancouver General Hospital.
“By raising awareness and supporting critical facilities and programs, we are able to improve the quality of life of those individuals and families who are impacted by mental health challenges,” Samir Manji, President of the Ismaili Council for B.C. said at the time.
Grantham’s relationship with the Ismaili community began in the early 1990s, when she served as Director of Development of the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation. The community was launching the Ismaili Walk, which grew into an annual event fundraising for local community organisations, and had decided to raise funds for the Children’s Hospital Foundation. In those days, the community was still learning how to set up the basics such as permits, parking, safety, and food service, recalls Grantham.
“By the time we came to working with the Walk in 2015, the infrastructure that the Ismaili community had built was so robust that it made our job as a beneficiary quite different,” said Grantham, adding that she admired the Ismaili community’s ethic of service to the wider community.
Past recipients of the UBC and VGH Hospital Foundation’s Leadership Award include the Ilich Family, Jack Poole, and Coast Capital Savings.
“The Ismaili community as a whole has done so much and are so emblematic of what all of us strive to be as thoughtful and engaged citizens,” said Grantham.
“That notion of giving one’s time and one’s treasure to your faith and to the wider community in which you live is so deeply held within the community.”
Photos at:
https://the.ismaili/canada/jamat-britis ... -173435533
The VGH and UBC Hospital Foundation recognised the Ismaili community of British Columbia for its support of mental health initiatives and its contribution to the broader provincial community with the 2019 Leadership Award at the Telus Night of a Thousand Stars Gala in Vancouver on 26 October.
The award, which recognises contributions to the advancement of world-class healthcare in British Columbia (BC), is typically presented to individuals or families. But this year, the VGH and UBC Hospital Foundation chose to recognise the contributions that have been made by the entire Ismaili community as a whole.
“We chose the Ismaili community because they have done so much to build social infrastructure and enhance the quality of life for British Columbians,” said Barbara Grantham, president and CEO of the VGH and UBC Hospital Foundation.
Vancouver’s Ismaili Walk partnered with the VGH and UBC Hospital Foundation in 2015 and 2016 to raise funds for the construction of the Joseph and Rosalie Segal Family Health Centre, a facility that helps patients and families dealing with mental illness at the Vancouver General Hospital.
“By raising awareness and supporting critical facilities and programs, we are able to improve the quality of life of those individuals and families who are impacted by mental health challenges,” Samir Manji, President of the Ismaili Council for B.C. said at the time.
Grantham’s relationship with the Ismaili community began in the early 1990s, when she served as Director of Development of the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation. The community was launching the Ismaili Walk, which grew into an annual event fundraising for local community organisations, and had decided to raise funds for the Children’s Hospital Foundation. In those days, the community was still learning how to set up the basics such as permits, parking, safety, and food service, recalls Grantham.
“By the time we came to working with the Walk in 2015, the infrastructure that the Ismaili community had built was so robust that it made our job as a beneficiary quite different,” said Grantham, adding that she admired the Ismaili community’s ethic of service to the wider community.
Past recipients of the UBC and VGH Hospital Foundation’s Leadership Award include the Ilich Family, Jack Poole, and Coast Capital Savings.
“The Ismaili community as a whole has done so much and are so emblematic of what all of us strive to be as thoughtful and engaged citizens,” said Grantham.
“That notion of giving one’s time and one’s treasure to your faith and to the wider community in which you live is so deeply held within the community.”
Photos at:
https://the.ismaili/canada/jamat-britis ... -173435533
Ameer M. Keshavjee: Highest Canadian Award given to Volunteer touching more than 40000 hearts @nenshi @AKFCanada @IsmailiCivic @GGJuliePayette
Photos and story by Richard Harding – Lawyer–Mediator, Calgary, Alberta.
More...
ismailimail.blog/2019/11/08/ameer-m-keshavjee-highest-canadian-award-given-to-volunteer-touching-more-than-40000-hearts-nenshi-akfcanada-ismailicivic-ggjuliepayette/
Photos and story by Richard Harding – Lawyer–Mediator, Calgary, Alberta.
More...
ismailimail.blog/2019/11/08/ameer-m-keshavjee-highest-canadian-award-given-to-volunteer-touching-more-than-40000-hearts-nenshi-akfcanada-ismailicivic-ggjuliepayette/
Ugandan Ismailis and Idi Amyn Dada's time
https://montrealgazette.com/news/local- ... rom-uganda
History Through Our Eyes: Nov. 9, 1972, new arrivals from Uganda
Over a six-week period in the fall of 1972, several chartered planes bearing members of Uganda's South Asian minority arrived in Montreal.
Montreal Gazette
Updated: November 9, 2019
Garth Pritchard / Montreal Gazette
Over a six-week period in the fall of 1972, several chartered planes bearing members of Uganda’s South Asian minority arrived in Montreal. Dictator Idi Amin was expelling them from the only country that many had ever known. The deadline was Nov. 8.
Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau agreed to welcome a few thousand after receiving a request from his friend the Aga Khan, the leader of the Ismaili Muslims, the religious group to which most belonged.
Between Sept. 28 and Nov. 9, 4,450 flew in, able to bring few possessions. In a well-oiled operation, they were taken to the Longue Pointe military base. The next day, they were asked to select a destination within Canada after talking with job counsellors, loaned money for a ticket, and quickly sent on their way. About 450 opted to stay in Montreal, we reported.
Canada, which had sent officials to Uganda to process applications, picked the “cream of the crop,” as one official put it. Many had entrepreneurial and/or professional skills. Britain took a larger number, however.
Manpower and Immigration Minister Bryce Mackasey greeted the first contingent at the airport. In our Sept. 29 edition, we quoted his words of welcome: “You are following in the footsteps of Hungarians, Czechs, Tibetans and others who have come to Canada after they were displaced as a result of turbulence in world events. I am sure you will greatly enrich our cultural mosaic.”
The last group landed on Nov. 9. Garth Pritchard’s photo of one of the earlier arrivals — identified only as Mrs. Varu, holding a baby — was published that day along with a column by Peter Desbarats, headlined “Ugandan airlift ends and Canada can be proud of part it played.”
History Through Our Eyes: Nov. 9, 1972, new arrivals from Uganda
Over a six-week period in the fall of 1972, several chartered planes bearing members of Uganda's South Asian minority arrived in Montreal.
Montreal Gazette
Updated: November 9, 2019
Garth Pritchard / Montreal Gazette
Over a six-week period in the fall of 1972, several chartered planes bearing members of Uganda’s South Asian minority arrived in Montreal. Dictator Idi Amin was expelling them from the only country that many had ever known. The deadline was Nov. 8.
Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau agreed to welcome a few thousand after receiving a request from his friend the Aga Khan, the leader of the Ismaili Muslims, the religious group to which most belonged.
Between Sept. 28 and Nov. 9, 4,450 flew in, able to bring few possessions. In a well-oiled operation, they were taken to the Longue Pointe military base. The next day, they were asked to select a destination within Canada after talking with job counsellors, loaned money for a ticket, and quickly sent on their way. About 450 opted to stay in Montreal, we reported.
Canada, which had sent officials to Uganda to process applications, picked the “cream of the crop,” as one official put it. Many had entrepreneurial and/or professional skills. Britain took a larger number, however.
Manpower and Immigration Minister Bryce Mackasey greeted the first contingent at the airport. In our Sept. 29 edition, we quoted his words of welcome: “You are following in the footsteps of Hungarians, Czechs, Tibetans and others who have come to Canada after they were displaced as a result of turbulence in world events. I am sure you will greatly enrich our cultural mosaic.”
The last group landed on Nov. 9. Garth Pritchard’s photo of one of the earlier arrivals — identified only as Mrs. Varu, holding a baby — was published that day along with a column by Peter Desbarats, headlined “Ugandan airlift ends and Canada can be proud of part it played.”
Muslim Canadians Who Won in the 2019 Federal Election
https://muslimlink.ca/news/muslim-canad ... l-election
Ismaili Muslims
Yasmin Ratansi, Liberal Member of Parliament for Don Valley East
Arif Virani, Liberal Member of Parliament for Parkdale–High Park
Details at:
https://muslimlink.ca/news/muslim-canad ... l-election
https://muslimlink.ca/news/muslim-canad ... l-election
Ismaili Muslims
Yasmin Ratansi, Liberal Member of Parliament for Don Valley East
Arif Virani, Liberal Member of Parliament for Parkdale–High Park
Details at:
https://muslimlink.ca/news/muslim-canad ... l-election
Two Ismailis chose the path less traveled – a career in sports journalism
Two young Ismailis, Shams Charania and Sabreena Merchant, are now in the forefront of reporting for the National Basketball Association (NBA).
There are twenty seconds left and you are at the edge of your seat. It could be anyone's match and suddenly there is a power outage. You suddenly remember that you follow Shams Charania and Sabreena Merchant on Twitter, among the most-followed and high-profiled NBA-reporters in the business. And as you realize that your team has won, you get the satisfaction of being the first to message your friends as you heard it directly from the best in the industry.
Photos and more...
https://the.ismaili/usa/two-ismailis-ch ... rce=Direct
Two young Ismailis, Shams Charania and Sabreena Merchant, are now in the forefront of reporting for the National Basketball Association (NBA).
There are twenty seconds left and you are at the edge of your seat. It could be anyone's match and suddenly there is a power outage. You suddenly remember that you follow Shams Charania and Sabreena Merchant on Twitter, among the most-followed and high-profiled NBA-reporters in the business. And as you realize that your team has won, you get the satisfaction of being the first to message your friends as you heard it directly from the best in the industry.
Photos and more...
https://the.ismaili/usa/two-ismailis-ch ... rce=Direct