The goal [of AKDN’s strategy] is clear: the aim is to create or strengthen civil society in developing countries. This single goal, when it is achieved, is in fact necessary and sufficient to ensure peaceful and stable development over the long term, even when governance is problematic…. The essence… Read more

I am often struck by the imbalance of comprehension between the Christian and Islamic cultures. Of course, in government and well-informed specialised institutions — universities for example — the perception is accurate. But the general public in the West is too often shown the Ummah — the worldwide… Read more

When we talk about the ethical realm, when we attack corruption, we are inclined to think primarily about government and politics. I am one, however, who believes that corruption is just as acute, and perhaps even more damaging, when the ethics of the civil and private sectors deteriorate. We know f… Read more

Date: 2009-04-22 00:00:00 Location: Speaker: Source URL: https://the.ismaili/gb/en/speech/global-philanthropy-forum Source: Ismaili website Full Text President Jane Wales, thank you for those very generous comments. I’d like to say how happy I am to share in this year’s Global Philanthropy Forum. Participants, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, It is a special pleasure for me to be with you… Read more

One of the principal reasons, I believe, for the great rapport between the Ismaili and Canadian communities through the years is our shared commitment to a common ethical framework — and especially to the ideals of pluralism. By this I mean not only social pluralism, which embraces a diversity of et… Read more

In a world that claims to be globalised, there are some who might regard cultural standardisation as natural, even desirable. For my part, I believe that marks of individual and group cultural identity generate an inner strength which is conducive to peaceful relations. I also believe in the power o… Read more

The background to this initiative is very simple. The background is to illustrate to the peoples of our world the history of the civilisations of the Ummah. We don’t do enough to illustrate to the peoples of our world the greatness of the Islamic civilisations, of the cultures of the past. And becau… Read more