Speech by His Highness the Aga Khan at the Inauguration
of the Ismaili Jamatkhana and Center, Houston, June 23,
2002
Because
this Center also incorporates the permanent home of the
Ismaili Council of the United States and other Ismaili constitutional
bodies responsible for the well being of the Community all
over this country, the Center we inaugurate today is equally
important for every Ismaili in the United States. We are
honoured that you have taken time on a day of rest amidst
your heavy schedules to share this moment of celebration,
gratitude and reflection with us.
The
conception and completion of a project as complex as this
requires dedicated and sustained contributions from many
people -- too many to recognise individually. I congratulate
the design architect, The ARCOP Group of Montreal, Canada,
and the General Contractor for the project, Durotech of
Houston. I would also like to acknowledge the contribution
of the Aiglemont Construction Department and the Imara Volunteers.
The
person who unquestionably deserves individual mention is
the senior design architect, Mr. Romesh Khosla of New Delhi,
India. Mr. Khosla’s career has been marked by many accomplishments
and awards. Among them is the design for the Mughal Sheraton
Hotel in Agra, which faced the challenge of creating a contemporary
structure with clear references and reflections of deep
historical and cultural elements, and to do so within sight
of the Taj Mahal! For his success with that assignment,
Mr. Kholsa was selected by an independent jury of his peers
to be among the winners of the triennial Aga Khan Award
for Architecture in 1980, the first year of the Award’s
existence.
In
the Center we inaugurate today, the design brief charged
Mr. Khosla and his colleagues to create a contemporary building
that would similarly express Islamic values, ethics and
attitudes but, in this instance, in the context of Southwestern
and Texas architecture and materials, and in harmony with
elements of the site’s natural setting and surrounding buildings.
Many
of you may be surprised by the amount of time I have devoted
to talking about architecture on this occasion. Those familiar
with my understanding of the importance of architecture
in the teachings of Islam and Islamic history will not have
the same reaction. 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. As the
leader of a Muslim community, and particularly one that
now resides in twenty-five countries on four continents,
the physical representation of Islamic values is particularly
important to me. It should reflect who we are in terms
of our beliefs, our cultural heritage and our relation to
the needs and contexts in which we live in today’s world.
Some
years ago we gathered a group of eminent scholars of Islamic
culture and distinguished architects and designers representing
all major faiths, in a series of seminars to wrestle with
the challenge of coming up with a definition of Islamic
architecture. One of the first outcomes of the effort was
the conclusion that no single definition exists because
over its long and distinguished history, Islamic architecture
has reflected different climates, times, materials, building
technologies and political philosophies.
But
this is a very important finding in itself. It shows that
trying to establish a norm would be counter productive,
because it would stifle that strength which comes from the
diversity and pluralism of Muslim societies, past and present,
and the creativity of those who will build around us in
the years ahead. Unfortunately there are forces at work
in the Islamic world that seek to establish just such a
norm. This makes it all the more important that we strive
to counter such efforts by employing all the means of intellectual
discourse -- research, discussion, celebration of innovative
projects, and the commissioning of freshly conceived but
well researched new buildings.
I
think it would be appropriate for me to say something on
this occasion about the Ismaili Community – in Houston,
Texas, the United States and around the world. Today the
Ismailis are a global community that comprises a multiplicity
of peoples ranging in their origins from the north-west
of the Arab world and the Middle East, through Iran and
the Indian sub-continent to Afghanistan, Central Asia and
Western China. Migrations in the late 19th and
early in 20th centuries created a substantial
presence in sub-Saharan Africa as well. As Shia Muslims,
the Ismailis are united by their recognition of the Prophet
Muhammad’s appointment of his cousin and son-in-law Hazrat
Ali as the first Imam and his declaration entrusting his
Authority to his progeny through Hazrat Ali and his wife
Fatima, the Prophet’s daughter.
In
1957, I was still a student at Harvard when I inherited
the responsibilities of the Ismaili Imamat from my Grandfather,
Sir Sultan Mohamed Shah. It seemed inconceivable then that
there would ever be substantial communities in the West.
The Ismailis were too deeply rooted in their ancestral homes,
indeed frozen there by the Cold War in Asia, the Middle
East and Africa. But dislocations in the wake of decolonialisation,
and more recently the collapse of the Soviet Union and the
prolonged difficulties in Afghanistan, have caused a number
of Ismailis to seek new lands and homes. These migratory
movements over the last half-century have resulted in a
substantial Ismaili presence in Russia, in Western Europe,
the United Kingdom and Portugal, and particularly in the
United States and Canada.
In
these settings Ismailis have found themselves rejoicing
with new opportunities, but also confronted by new challenges.
Bolstered by a long tradition of self-reliance, and a strong
system of Community organisations, Ismailis have established
themselves quickly as productive members of society in their
new homelands. This has been particularly true in the
United States with its long history of welcoming immigrants,
its sense of opportunity and hope, and its recognition of
accomplishment and merit. I express my gratitude to the
people and leadership of the State of Texas for giving concrete
expression to these important American values.
Nine
eleven has scarred America, but not just America. It has
scarred the Islamic world, and hundreds of millions of devout
and practicing Muslims for whom the word of the Quran is
the word of God. We have clarity and direction enough when
the Quran affirms that to save a life is, as if, to save
humankind altogether. It is in this context that I request
that you view the Ismaili Jamatkhana and Center, Houston,
as much, much more than a place of congregation, and a home
for administrative offices. The Center will be a place
of peace, humility, reflection and prayer. It will be a
place of search and enlightenment, not of anger and of obscurantism.
It will be a center which will seek to bond men and women
of this pluralist country to replace their fragility in
their narrow spheres by the strength of civilised society
bound together by a common destiny. It is already a symbol
of the hopes of people who lived through change and turbulence,
and have ultimately found security and opportunity here
in the United States, the majority of whom have chosen the
State of Texas.
Thank
you for sharing this important occasion with us.
Governor Perry,
First Lady of Texas, Anita Perry,
Mayor Wallace,
Leaders and representatives of the Congress of the United
States, the State of Texas and the City of Houston, Consuls
General,
Distinguished Guests
It is a great pleasure to be here today to welcome one and
all to the Inauguration of the Ismaili Jamatkhana and Center
at Houston. I am particularly thankful for your presence
Governor Perry, and of the First Lady of Texas, and for
that of many other elected officials on an occasion of great
significance for the Ismaili Community of greater Houston.
Speech by His Highness the Aga Khan at the Opening Ceremony of the Ismaili Centre in Houston, Texas
Speech by His Highness the Aga Khan at the Banquet Hosted in Honor of Governor Perry at the Opening Ceremony of the Ismaili Centre in Houston, Texas
Speech by His Highness the Aga Khan at the Foundation Laying Ceremony of the Ismaili Centre in Dubai
His Highness the Aga Khan's Speech Foundation Ceremony of the Ismaili Jamat Khana and Center Burnaby July 1982
His Highness the Aga Khan's Speech Foundation Ceremony of the Ismaili Jamat Khana and Center London, U.K. September 1979
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