2008.02.19
Election Pakistan 2008 : Fair Peaceful Transparent
Election Pakistan 2008 : Fair Peaceful Transparent All Credits For President Musharraf Victory For Pakistan.
President Pervez Musharraf Monday said the winning party or a coalition would form the next government and he would work with it according to the constitution. Talking to Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, who is Co-Chair of the Pakistan Caucus on the Hill, at the President’s Camp Office here he said there was no conflict in his role with the Prime Minister in accordance with the Constitution, which was based on the parliamentary system.
The President said holding of the general election have belied those who raveled in conspiracy theories and spread misperceptions.
Sheila Jackson, who is in Pakistan to observe the elections, exchanged views about the political process and the democratic elections in the country.
President Musharraf gave an overview of the developments leading up to the election and said that the government was committed to full transition to democracy and these elections were yet another evidence of the sincerity of his commitment.
He said Pakistan suffered from many misperceptions such as the doubts that were being cast over the holding of the election especially when these were briefly postponed after the tragic assassination of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto.
Sheila Jackson said as member of the House she reflected feelings of her colleagues on the Hill who desired to see democratic, stable and strong Pakistan that continues to play its important role for peace and progress in the region and in the world.
They wanted to see Pakistan emerge as a role model following the elections, she added.
She recalled that she visited Pakistan earlier while accompanying former President Clinton and was impressed by the vision of the President for Pakistan.
Sheila Jackson appreciated President’s policies especially for empowerment of women and promotion of a vibrant free media with scores of private sector TV channels operating in the country.
She praised the role of Pakistan in fighting terrorism and paid tribute to the sacrifices made by the Pakistan armed forces. She affirmed that as a friend it would remain her endeavour to present an honest and correct perception of Pakistan .
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11:48 Posted in Aga Khan Fatimid Imam Caliph , Arab World , Bangladesh , BBC Documentary , Central Asia , Community , Culture , Democracy , Economy , Environment , Fatimid Heritage Foundation , Freedom of expression , Geneva Peace Development Centre , http://ismaili.us , Islamic Republic Pakistan , Ismaili Muslims , Karen Armstrong , Middle East , Mountain Girls Education Development Program , Politics , United Nations | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this | Tags: Aga Khan, Sheila Jackson, Pakistan, Fatimid Heritage Foundation, Geneva Peace Development Centre, Mountain Girls Education Program, ismaili.us
2008.02.09
Fate of Pakistan Pivotal For The Future Of The World - Historian Karen Armstrong
Fate of Pakistan pivotal for the future of the world- historian Karen Armstrong
03 Feb 2008 09:53:26 GMT
Source: Reuters
ISLAMABAD, Feb 3, 2008 - The future of Pakistan, and how it balances the need for Muslim symbols with the secularism needed to run a modern state, will be important for the future of the world, according to historian and theologian Karen Armstrong.
Nuclear-armed and reaping the grim harvest of "extremism" resulting from the West's support for a religious war to drive the Soviet Union out of neighbouring Afghanistan, Pakistan has a big question to answer, says Armstrong. "How do you become a secular Muslim state?"
Last Thursday, Armstrong, whose writings have highlighted the tolerant and pluralistic nature of Islam, met President Pervez Musharraf, who hoped to change Pakistan into a state where "enlightened moderation" prevailed.
"Pakistan is on the frontier of this present struggle," Armstrong told Reuters during a visit to Islamabad to celebrate the golden jubilee of the Aga Khan, Fatimid Imam Caliph of Islam.
"I think it is not so much important for the future of Islam as important for the future of the world," said the 63-year-old Briton, whose book "The Battle for God: Fundamentalism in Judaism, Christianity and Islam" was released a year before 2001 attacks on the United States.
"What happens here will be very decisive in how the so-called war against terrorism proceeds in other regions."
"The kind of conversations I have about this topic remind me very much of conversations I had in Israel, another secular state born out of displacement and tragedy."
Armstrong said Israelis faced a similar struggle between secularists in tune with the vision of their country's founder, David Ben-Gurion, and ultra-orthodox Jews, some of them militant.
Even Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, realised the need to have a degree of secularism in order to run a modern state, she said. Khomeini, just before he died in 1989, told mullahs not to meddle in defence and economic policies, she said.
CORNERED BY SECULARISM
The separation of religion in the state represents a modern, major change in societies where religion is a way of life. When it happens too quickly, people feel threatened and if attacked through the media or by force, they become aggressive, said Armstrong, a former nun who describes herself as a "freelance monotheist". "Most of these extreme movements are rooted in profound fear, a fear of annihilation," she said, stressing that the same dynamics play out in Christianity, Judaism and Islam. "In small-town America there are Christians who believe they are going to be wiped out by a so-called liberal establishment."
During the interview, Armstrong cited the example of Sayyid Qutb, whose writings from an Egyptian jail in the 1950s and 60s helped craft a strain of Sunni Muslim fundamentalism that spawned the global jihad of al Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahri.
People should study Qutb's texts rather than the Koran if they wanted to understand al Qaeda, she said. But they had to be read in the context of the torture Qutb suffered and his reaction to efforts to secularise Egypt, she said. Attempts to introduce secularism, which took centuries in the West, has been done too quickly in the Middle East, according to Armstrong, resulting in religious movements that tend to become lethal if they occur in regions where violence is endemic.
Armstrong didn't see militancy in Pakistan's tribal lands, or Hamas or Hizbollah movements, or even bin Laden's al Qaeda, as being motivated principally by religion. It is more of a kind of political followup.
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10:44 Posted in Africa , Aga Khan Award for Architecture , Aga Khan Development Network , Aga Khan Fatimid Imam Caliph , Arab World , Asian Development Bank , Bangladesh , BBC Documentary , Canada , Central Asia , Community , Culture , Democracy , East and South-East Asia , Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union , Economy , Environment , Europe , Excellency Soomro , Fatimid Heritage Foundation , Freedom of expression , Geneva Peace Development Centre , Germany , Hillary Clinton , http://ismaili.us , Islamic Republic Pakistan , Ismaili Muslim Centre , Ismaili Muslims , Karen Armstrong , Latin America , Madagascar , Maghreb , Media , Middle East , Mountain Girls Education Development Program , Mozambique , North America , Politics , President Clinton , Princess Zahra Aga Khan , Rwanda , South Asia , Sport , Sub-Saharan Africa , Supreme Court of Pakistan , United Nations , United States , USAID , Western Europe , White House , White House Project | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this | Tags: Aga Khan Fatimid Imam Caliph, Central Asia, World Peace, Pakistan, Fatimid Heritage Foundation, Middle East
2007.12.05
Ismaili Muslim Center Work Starts in Glenview
After overcoming a push to keep them out, Chicago's Ismaili Muslim community took the first formal step Friday toward moving into north suburban Glenview with a festive ceremony to celebrate the groundbreaking of a 26,000-square-foot community center to be built on 9.5 acres of manicured greenery at Shermer and Golf Roads.
Gov. Rod Blagojevich and Glenview President Kerry Cummings laid mortar and pressed bricks into a facade at the conclusion of the ceremony, in a gesture of support for the center. Work began Nov. 1 and is scheduled to continue for 12 to 14 months.
"We can recall spirited discussions," said Mahmood Eboo, president of the Ismaili Council for the United States of America, referring to controversy over the center. "We are grateful to the village staff for long and deliberate discussions on this issue."
The center, called the Ismaili Jamatkhana, will include a prayer hall that faces east, toward Mecca, as well as offices, classrooms and halls for social gatherings. It will become the epicenter of the 5,000-strong Ismaili Muslim community, which now meets at two smaller centers in the Chicago area, community members said. Glenview was selected as the site for the center because many Ismailis have settled in the north suburbs since arriving from Pakistan, India and east Africa.
The Glenview Village Board unanimously approved the center in 2006, but that vote came after much wrangling from neighbors who gathered about 1,000 signatures on a petition asking the board to deny permits to the group on grounds that the center would cause too much traffic.
At the time, some residents said the real concern stemmed from fear of Islam. On Friday, some Ismailis suggested residents simply needed time to learn about their Islam, whose members emphasize charity and civic duty.
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09:04 Posted in Africa , Aga Khan Development Network , Aga Khan Fatimid Imam Caliph , Arab World , Bangladesh , BBC Documentary , Canada , Central Asia , Community , Culture , Democracy , East and South-East Asia , Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union , Economy , Environment , Europe , Fatimid Heritage Foundation , Freedom of expression , Geneva Peace Development Centre , Germany , Hillary Clinton , http://ismaili.us , Islamic Republic Pakistan , Ismaili Muslim Centre , Ismaili Muslims , Latin America , Madagascar , Maghreb , Middle East , Mountain Girls Education Development Program , Mozambique , North America , Rwanda , South Asia , Sport , Sub-Saharan Africa , United Nations , United States , USAID , Western Europe , White House , White House Project | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this | Tags: Aga Khan Trust for Culture, Hillary Clinton, President Clinton, Ismaili.us, Archnet, Fatimid Heritage Foundation, Muslim Civilization
2007.12.04
BBC Series on Aga Khan Award for Architecture Voted Favourite for Best Documentary of the Year
Building for Islam, the BBC World series on the 2007 Aga Khan Award recipients, was nominated as one of the top BBC documentaries of 2007. Your chance to choose !
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08:04 Posted in Africa , Aga Khan Award for Architecture , Aga Khan Development Network , Aga Khan Fatimid Imam Caliph , Arab World , Bangladesh , BBC Documentary , Canada , Central Asia , Community , Culture , Democracy , East and South-East Asia , Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union , Economy , Environment , Europe , Excellency Soomro , Fatimid Heritage Foundation , Freedom of expression , Geneva Peace Development Centre , Germany , Hillary Clinton , http://ismaili.us , Islamic Republic Pakistan , Ismaili Muslims , Latin America , Madagascar , Maghreb , Media , Middle East , Mountain Girls Education Development Program , Mozambique , North America , Rwanda , South Asia , Sport , Sub-Saharan Africa , United Nations , United States , USAID , Western Europe , White House | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this | Tags: Aga Khan Trust for Culture, Arcnet, Ismaili.US, Fatimid Heritage Foundation, Muslim Civilization, Geneva Peace