Islam does not deal in dichotomies but in all encompassing unity. Spirit and body are one, man and nature are one. What is more, man is answerable to God for what man has created. Since all that we see and do resonates on the faith, the aesthetics of the environments we build and the quality of the interactions that take place within them reverberate on our spiritual lives. … reflect[ing] who we are in terms of our beliefs, our cultural heritage and our relation to the needs and contexts in which we live in todays world.
His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV
Opening Ceremony of the Ismaili Centre, Houston, Texas USA June 23, 2002
Click the image below to view a video montage of the Ismaili Centers around the world
“For many centuries, a prominent feature of the Muslim religious landscape has been the variety of spaces of gathering co-existing harmoniously with the masjid, which in itself has accommodated a range of diverse institutional spaces for educational, social and reflective purposes. Historically serving communities of different interpretations and spiritual affiliations, these spaces have retained their cultural nomenclatures and characteristics, from ribat and zawiyya to khanaqa and jamatkhana. The congregational space incorporated within the Ismaili Centre belongs to the historic category of jamatkhana, an institutional category that also serves a number of sister Sunni and Shia communities, in their respective contexts, in many parts of the world. Here, it will be space reserved for traditions and practices specific to the Shia Ismaili tariqah of Islam.”
His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV
Foundation Ceremony of the Ismaili Centre, Dubai, UAE December 13, 2003.
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Accelerate your Awareness – Explore, Discover and Learn more about the Aga Khan Projects in Toronto
Ismaili Centres Series (Perspectives on matters of the Soul and Spirit)
Aga Khan Museum Series (Perspectives on matters of the Intellect, Knowledge and Wisdom)
Aga Khan Toronto Park (Perspectives on matters of Felicity, Humanity and Nature)
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