Foundation Ceremony of the Ismaili Jamat Khana and Center London U.K.
September 6 1979
Your Excellencies, My Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen.
I am particularly happy to welcome our distinguished guests this morning and to thank them for
their presence on this occasion which is one of special significance to members of my community.
Your presence to me is a symbol of the friendship which the different countries and institutions
you represent have shown to Ismailis all over the world, to my family and to me personally. It
gives me deep satisfaction to be here today at the Foundation Ceremony for the new Ismaili
Centre in London. Not only do I welcome most warmly the creation of this important focus for
the religious and social life of the community but I also appreciate the strengthening of the
traditional ties with Britain which it represents. For, while there are a number of Ismailis
permanently resident in the United Kingdom, many more come to London from all over the world
and particularly the Commonwealth, to renew old bonds of friendship, language and culture
dating from the numerous and close associations in the past .
The Ismailis are grateful to the British people for their understanding, especially at the time when
so many of them arrived as refugees after their expulsion by ex-President Amin from Uganda not
so long ago. Ismailis are proud of their reputation for industry and self-help which I think is
correct; but none of their achievements including the new Centre which we shall soon see rising
from this ground would have been possible without the faith and cooperation of their neighbours.
In this connection I should like particularly to thank the Greater London Council for all their care
and patience in helping us to acquire this site. I am also grateful to the Royal Borough of
Kensington and Chelsea, the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 and the local amenity
groups for making it possible to construct a building here which, by its nature and location, must
seek to bridge the cultures of East and West.
In drawing up their plans, the architects faced a new and unusual challenge as this Centre must
serve the requirements of the Ismaili Community as well as establish a presence worthy of its
proximity to the distinguished public and historic buildings which surround us. The mass and
silhouette of the new structure are therefore strong and simple and in no way attempt to compete
nor interfere with the varied and imposing facades of the neighbouring buildings. The Ismaili
Centre being designed for a Muslim Community must reflect, even if only discreetly, an Islamic
mood whilst being sympathetic to the character of its surroundings. In this endeavour, I have been
patiently and constantly helped by the architects and other participants who are too numerous to
name individually. To all of them I express my deepest thanks for the imagination and sheer hard
work with which they addressed a singularly unusual commission.
The buildings will rise three storeys and the second floor will be a large hall for prayer. The
remaining floors will accommodate a library and reading room areas for education, social rooms
and a roof garden. There will also be space available for a public art exhibition gallery and for use
by the institutions of the Ismaili Community in the United Kingdom.
It is my conviction that the building of this Centre is symbolic of a growing understanding of
Islam. For some centuries past, the Muslim world has lived in shadow as far as the West was
concerned. Muslim civilization and society were poorly understood, or not understood at all.
Apart from a few exceptional and dedicated men, there was no communication and almost no
desire to be informed. Now we see that conditions have changed. This building and the
prominence of the place it has been given indicate the seriousness and the respect the West is
beginning to accord Muslim civilization of which the Ismaili Community, though relatively small,
is fully representative. May this understanding so important for the future of the world, progress
and flourish.
I sincerely believe that when this centre is completed it will be both by its presence and the
function it fulfils, an important addition to the institutions of London, a source of pride to all who
took part in its creation, and a pledge and token of understanding between East and West.
Few men alive today have done so much in breaking down historic and traditional national
barriers and replacing them by common objectives in the hope of a better future than Lord
Soames. He is not only a very close family friend but his achievements as a statesman bring to this
ceremony today its special significance. His outstanding contribution to Britain's entry into the
European Common Market is known to all; but what would never have been possible, had he and
those who worked with him not also convinced the Commonwealth nations, particularly those of
the developing world, that such a partnership would eventually be as much in their interest as of
Europe's and of Britain herself.
It is as a highly creative internationalist and in the best and broadest sense a Man of the World
that I welcome Lord Soames today and request him to perform this Foundation Ceremony.
Madam Margaret Thatcher Speech - At the Opening Ceremony of the Ismaili
Centre
April 24, 1985
Your Highness, Ladies and Gentlemen,
It gives me great pleasure to be here today for the official opening of this
new Ismaili Centre in London.
I am most grateful to His Highness the Aga Khan for the honour he has
done me in inviting me to perform the opening ceremony.
The building of this splendid new Centre, which will provide facilities for
religious observance and for social functions within the Ismaili Community,
must reflect a sense of stability and confidence in the future.
But I know that many members came here comparatively recently, having
been uprooted from settled and successful lives in East Africa.
For them, leaving East Africa must have been a sad, deeply disturbing and
in some cases, terrible experience.
But clearly the Ismaili community who made Britain their new home
triumphed over these adversities and have found here a new sense of
security and belonging.
This Centre is a powerful symbol of that feeling of belonging, and in return
Britain, like so many other parts of the world where there are Ismaili
Communities, benefits from the contributions that Ismailis make to society.
The Ismaili community in London is self-sufficient and independent,
energetic and highly talented. It contributes to society in every sort of way
and at the same time its powerful sense of community, both spiritual and
cultural, provides a firm and unchanging basis for living.
Many migrants who have come to this country to settle in recent years
have had to come to terms with a life that is very different from their old
one.
In the process of change and adaptation they have been sustained by a
sense of purpose derived from a firm faith and a valued heritage.
Britain is now, more than ever, a society of many cultures. And I think that
we are beginning to appreciate the challenges and the opportunities that
this diversity offers.
There are many practical examples to show how much your community
values service to the wider community.
Many of the Aga Khan hospital and educational services are open to all
regardless of race or creed.
The work of the Aga Khan Foundation in other continents also shows how
your community adopts this positive approach.
I am proud that the British Government, with the Foundation, are together
financing projects of benefit the people of Pakistan. And I understand
and welcome that many of the facilities of this Centre will be available for
other Londoners to use.
London itself is enhanced by the construction of the new centre, for which
we are all most grateful to His Highness the Aga Khan. It is a splendid
contribution to the architecture of London, fitting in easily with the other fine
buildings of South Kensington, yet having its own distinctive and beautiful
character.
It is a monument to the determination of your community to play a full part
in the life of our society, while at the same time retaining their own identity
and independence.
As I believe a great Islamic poet of the 19th century, Mohammed Iqbal,
said:
"For the individual to be bound to society is a blessing: it is in a
community that his work is perfected".
This new centre is a splendid testament to the words of the poet to the
vitality of the Ismaili community here, and it is with great pleasure that I
now formally declare the Ismaili Centre open.
April 24, 1985
Lisbon
Ismaili Center Opening Fatimid times are here again!
