Golden Jubilee:Visits: United States of America visit

United States of America visit



Mawlana Hazar Imam promotes pluralism and underlines the importance of education during his Golden Jubilee visit to the United States

“Experience tells us that people are not born with the innate ability nor the wish to see the Other as an equal individual in society. Pride in one’s separate identity can be so strong that it obscures the intrinsic value of other identities. Pluralism is a value that must be taught.”

Delivering The Peterson Lecture to the Annual Meeting of the International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO), as it marked its 40th Anniversary in Atlanta, Georgia, Mawlana Hazar Imam spoke about the need to encourage pluralism and diversity in educational systems. The International Baccalaureate will be the curriculum used at the Aga Khan Academies – a network of eighteen schools spread across fourteen countries in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. “We hope that the network of Aga Khan Academies will become an effective bridge for extending the IB Programme more widely into the developing world” explained Hazar Imam. “In a world of rapid change, an agile and adaptable mind, a pragmatic and cooperative temperament, a strong ethical orientation - these are increasingly the keys to effective leadership. And I would add to this list a capacity for intellectual humility which keeps one’s mind constantly open to a variety of viewpoints and which welcomes pluralistic exchange. These capacities, over the longer term, will be critically important to the developing world. They happen to be the same capacities which programmes like the IB - and the Aga Khan Academies - are designed to elicit and inspire.”
In his 45 minute address at the North Atlanta High School, Mawlana Hazar Imam shared with the assembled gathering of educationalists, what he felt were some of the challenges facing them in the future. In particular he discussed the risk that globalisation could become synonymous with homogenisation. “Why would homogenisation be such a danger?” he asked. “Because diversity and variety constitute one of the most beautiful gifts of the Creator, and because a deep commitment to our own particularity is part of what it means to be human. Yes, we need to establish connecting bonds across cultures, but each culture must also honour a special sense of self. The downside of globalisation is the threat it can present to cultural identities.” Mawlana Hazar Imam went on to explain how the current trend of fragmentation among peoples can also pose a threat. “The quest for identity can then become an exclusionary process - so that we define ourselves less by what we are FOR and more by whom we are AGAINST. When this happens, diversity turns quickly from a source of beauty to a cause of discord” he explained. “I believe that the coexistence of these two surging impulses - what one might call a new globalism on one hand and a new tribalism on the other - will be a central challenge for educational leaders in the years ahead. And this will be particularly true in the developing world with its kaleidoscope of different identities.”
Mawlana Hazar Imam’s address to the IBO in Atlanta came at the end of a nine- day trip to the United States. The visit began in Texas where Mawlana Hazar Imam was a guest of Governor Rick Perry. As he arrived in Texas, accompanied by Princess Zahra, Mayor Will Wynn of Austin, presented Hazar Imam with the Key to the City of Austin. Later, during his stay in Texas, Mawlana Hazar Imam met with Governor Perry at the State Capitol. There, they witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Aga Khan University and the University of Texas that further aims to strengthen collaborations between the two institutions.
Governor Perry and his wife also hosted a Gala dinner in honour of Mawlana Hazar Imam’s Golden Jubilee at a Game Reserve in Austin. With walls of exotic stuffed animals overlooking the audience, Governor Perry spoke of witnessing the work of Focus Humanitarian Assistance, an affiliate of the Aga Khan Development Network, in the earthquake-ravaged areas of Northern Pakistan. “This is but one example,” he said, “of the work that goes on around the world every day. It happens because 50 years ago, when he became the Imam, His Highness infused his community with a sense of purpose, aimed at lifting people out of poverty and forging a better tomorrow.” He went on to describe the Imam’s efforts in improving people’s lives through his programmes in economic development, education, healthcare and improvements in the physical environment. “From Cairo to Kabul, from Toronto to Karachi,” he said, “a vision of peace and prosperity has taken hold because of the persistence of this one man, His Highness, the Aga Khan.” In his address Mawlana Hazar Imam thanked the Governor and spoke of the warm welcome which the Jamat has received in Texas. He also announced the establishment of a new Ismaili Centre. “Most recently, the Governor’s encouragement has been instrumental in our decision to build the community’s first high-profile Ismaili Centre in the United States — and to situate it in Houston… We are confident that the new Ismaili Centre in Houston, like the Centre in Dubai, will not only enhance the physical fabric of the city, but will also serve as a tangible symbol of the values we share with our good neighbours here in Texas.”
After Texas, Mawlana Hazar Imam visited California where he met with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The Governor and the First Lady hosted a luncheon in honour of the Imam’s Golden Jubilee at the Getty Center in Los Angeles. During the luncheon Governor Schwarzenegger praised the Aga Khan Development Network and Mawlana Hazar Imam’s efforts to alleviate poverty, and promote architecture and culture. In his remarks, Hazar Imam thanked the Governor for his hospitality and stressed the need for the strengthening of human resources, which contribute towards the building of a civil society that supports fragile democracies. Later, Mawlana Hazar Imam was also a guest of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa at a dinner in Getty House, the official residence of the Mayor of Los Angeles.
The third stop in Mawlana Hazar’s Imam USA visit was Chicago where Governor Rod Blagojevich of Illinois hosted a luncheon for the Imam at the AON Centre. The luncheon was also attended by Mayor Richard Daley of Chicago. The Governor paid tribute to Mawlana Hazar Imam’s leadership and vision. “It is a great privilege to welcome to Illinois, His Highness the Aga Khan, whose humanitarian and philanthropic efforts have helped millions of disadvantaged men, women and children in developing areas to maintain their dignity and have a better quality of life,” said the Governor. Mawlana Hazar Imam thanked the Governor for his hospitality and for his presence at the foundation stone-laying of the Glenview Jamatkhana and described the purpose of his trip to the United States: “I am here to learn. I am also here to seek partnerships. The global knowledge society is led by the United States. And therefore we are looking for partnerships. Partnerships which are long, which are stable and which produce quantifiable results. We will work with anybody who wants to help us in social development, economic development, pluralism and more important than anything else, building civil society.”
Mawlana Hazar Imam’s final stop in the United States was to Atlanta. Aside from addressing the IBO Annual Meeting, Mawlana Hazar Imam also met with Governor Sonny Perdue of Georgia. The Governor and First Lady also hosted a luncheon in honour of Mawlana Hazar Imam. During the lunch, Governor Perdue paid tribute to the Imam’s work and vision. “The Aga Khan is not only a spiritual leader to millions but also a champion for causes benefiting the developing countries of the world,” said the Governor. “His devotion to lifting up others through faith and service is an example to us all.” Mawlana Hazar Imam thanked the Governor for his warm welcome to Georgia and expressed his appreciation for the United States’ relief efforts in Central Asia, referring to the assistance provided to the Pamir region of Tajikistan in the early 1990’s following the break-up of the Soviet Union, when starvation was a real threat. “Islam is a faith of generosity; it is not always seen as a faith of generosity. You have an ethic of generosity in the United States. Generosity is also an ethic of our faith. Our faith reminds us constantly to care for the poor, the weak and the marginalised in society” he explained.
During his visit to the United States, Mawlana Hazar Imam also granted Golden Jubilee Darbars in the four states he visited. Before leaving Atlanta, Mawlana Hazar Imam was guest of honour at a dinner hosted by the Jamati Institutions of the United States. In his address to the leadership, Mawlana Hazar Imam paid tribute to the leadership and expressed his admiration for the progress made by the Jamat. “This country is the leader in the knowledge society. I think that there probably isn’t an area of human endeavour, in which we do not have today a murid who is exceptional in his own or her own field.”