413)VOTE for the remarkable HAWKERS MARKET GIRLS CENTRE in Nairobi, Kenya, spearheaded by SHARIFFA KESHAVJEE, finalist in the WORLD CHALLENGE '08

Quotes and excerpts of Aga Khan IV:

1)"Islam’s ethics establish an inextricable link between spiritual and material life, Din and Dunya. Consequently, my responsibilities as spiritual leader and interpreter of the faith are coupled with a deep commitment to improving the quality of life. These activities are not limited to the Ismaili community but extend to those who share their lives, whether on a local, national or international scale.

Our duty is to try to free people from poverty. And to me, poverty means being without shelter, without protection, without access to healthcare, education, or credit, and without hope of ever controlling one’s own destiny. This means condemning one’s children and grandchildren to unacceptable living conditions.

A voluntarist and innovative strategy is needed in order to break this chain of despair and total imprisonment"(Aga Khan IV, Madagascar, November 27th 2007)


2)“There are those who enter the world in such poverty that they are deprived of both the means and the motivation to improve their lot. Unless they can be touched with the spark of individual enterprise, they will only sink into apathy, degradation, and despair. It is for us, who are more fortunate, to provide that spark"(Aga Khan IV, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan, March 16th 1983)


3)“Ours is a time when knowledge and information are expanding at an accelerating and, perhaps, unsettling pace. There exists, therefore, an unprecedented capacity for improving the human condition. And yet, ills such as abject poverty and ignorance, and the conflicts these breed, continue to afflict the world. The Qur’an addresses this challenge eloquently. The power of its message is reflected in its gracious disposition to differences of interpretation; its respect for other faiths and societies; its affirmation of the primacy of the intellect; its insistence that knowledge is worthy when it is used to serve Allah’s creation; and, above all, its emphasis on our common humanity"(Aga Khan IV, Institute of Ismaili Studies, October 19th 2003)



I came accross a worthwhile and remarkable humanitarian project the other day and I thought I'd share it with my readership in the hope that we can all move it along and help it get the accolade it deserves. The HAWKERS MARKET GIRLS CENTRE in Nairobi, Kenya was born of noble concerns in the hopes of improving the lives of some of Nairobi's slum dwellers. One of the persons spearheading this project is SHARIFFA KESHAVJEE and, in a short video clip, she describes how this project came about:

Shariffa Keshavjee's Project description and video:
http://www.theworldchallenge.co.uk/html/project08_hawkers.html

As I read about this project and watched the video presentation I was not at all surprised that it was chosen as a finalist in the WORLD CHALLENGE '08 Competition, sponsored by BBC World News, Newsweek and Shell.

I give this project a two thumbs up vote of confidence and have already marked my ballot for it to win the first prize, a cash sum of $20,000 which, if won, it plans to use to install a solar-powered lighting system to provide better lighting for the HAWKERS MARKET GIRLS CENTRE. I encourage my readership to consider this remarkable and worthwhile project in the same light.

To vote for this project visit

http://www.theworldchallenge.co.uk/html/home.html

Fill in your name and e-mail address on the voting form, select the country in which this project is being carried out, KENYA, and select the project name: HAWKERS MARKET GIRLS CENTRE. Voting opened on October 1st 2008 and will close at midnight on November 21st 2008.

The much-visited and wildly popular ISMAILI MAIL website has graciously also publicised this project as a finalist entrant in the competition:
http://ismailimail.wordpress.com/2008/10/02/kenya-hawkers-market-girls-centre-project-initiated-by-shariffa-keshavjee/



Easy Nash

The Qur'an itself repeatedly recommends Muslims to become better educated in order better to understand God's creation: Aga Khan IV(2007)
The Quran tells us that signs of Allah's Sovereignty are found in the contemplation of His Creation: Aga Khan IV(2007)
This notion of the capacity of the human intellect to understand and to admire the creation of Allah will bring you happiness in your everyday lives: Aga Khan IV(2007)
Islam, eminently logical, placing the greatest emphasis on knowledge, purports to understand God's creation: Aga Khan IV(2006)
The first and only thing created by God was the Intellect(Aql): Prophet Muhammad(circa 632CE)