Speech: Commendation by the Dean, Professor Daniel Traça honoring His Highness Shah Karim al-Hussaini, Prince Aga Khan during the presentation of the Honorary Doctorate at the Universidade NOVA de Lisboa
Universidade NOVA de Lisboa awarded the Honorary Doctorate to His Highness Shah Karim al-Hussaini, Prince Aga Khan at a ceremony held at the Rectory on July 20.
The laudation was given by Professor Daniel Traça, Dean of the School of Business (Nova SBE), who highlighted the values of tolerance, respect for the individual, intercultural dialogue and solidarity among human beings that are shared by the Ismaili community and NOVA, the city of Lisbon and Portugal.
It is a great privilege to pay tribute to His Highness Shah Karim al-Hussaini, Prince Aga Khan. I would like to thank our Rector for this opportunity – and also for his extraordinary contribution to the development of our dear Nova University, over the last decade.
Professor Daniel Traça, Dean of the School of Business, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa. (image credit: Presidencia.pt)
This is a very special Honoris Causa Doctorate. By awarding the title to His Highness, Nova is not only recognizing his life and work, it is also welcoming the Ismaili Imamat and the Ismaili community of 15 million people to our neighborhood, to our city and to our country.
Although separated by 1400 years of history and geography, our city and the Imamat have for centuries shared very deep values of tolerance, respect for individuality, intercultural dialogue and solidarity among humans – this is the best side of our species and the basis of what brings us together.
Your Highness, we are proud to count you and your community among our neighbors! As an international university committed to bringing together students, academics and professionals from so many different countries, we remain devoted to the Portuguese tradition of bringing the world and its different peoples closer.
During the course of history, the Ismailis have, under the guidance of their Imams, made significant contributions to the cultural, intellectual and religious life of Muslims and the wider human society. The University of al-Azhar and the Academy of Science, Dar al-Ilm, in Egypt and indeed the city of Cairo itself, are testimony to this contribution. Among the names that flourished under the protection of the Ismaili Imams may be noted the sage Persian Nasir Khusraw, the jurist Qadi an-Numan, the philosopher Kermani, and the father of optics Ibn Haytham.
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