Friday, April 18, 2008

1,100,000 hits in the last 12 months

Incredible - thanks to all our readers for your continued support - Morning Chai logged 1.1 million hits in the last 12 month period - when I started this it was strictly as a hobby - something that would be fun to do and meet interesting people - I had absolutely no idea that it would morph into being something Ismailis would embrace with such gusto - and the best part has by far been the people I have met over the past 3 years.

Thank You

Zee

Summary by Month

Mar-08
92,961
Feb-08
84,535
Jan-08
97,156
Dec-07
90,868
Nov-07
83,088
Oct-07
88,535
Sep-07
87,066
Aug-07
87,081
Jul-07
97,541
Jun-07
94,642
May-07
98,856
Apr-07
98,496

Totals
1,100,825

Canada - Golden Jubilee Visit 2008

The Registration for the Canadian Jamat (Phase One) officially was launched on April 4th. Here is the website to register online - deadline is May 4th

http://www.goldenjubileecanada.org/English/home.aspx

Phase 2 will be the International Jamat Registration.

For Vancouver the site of the Darbar has not been announced - here is the venue in 2005.

Most Merciful is not welcome on Morning Chai

I run Google Ads to help pay for some of the expenses for Morning Chai. I have to let you know that a constant thorn on my site has been the gentleman who runs the MostMerciful website. I believe he is an ex-communicated former Ismaili who lives in my hometown of Vancouver. Now I have nothing against anyone who chooses to believe or not believe in following the Ismaili faith - but I am certainly not one to encourage this individual to hate monger the Ismaili faith.

I'll come straight and say I am an Ismaili homey - that is I consider myself lucky to be born into the Ismaili faith and will defend it to my last day. Any faith that preaches the ethics of generosity, kindness, hard work, voluntarism, pursuing knowledge, living a balanced life and to have a living spiritual guide is A okay with me.

Anyway, the good news is that I discovered how to block Websites on my Google Adsense account and inshallah I hope, within the next 24 hours, never to see Mr. Most Merciful on Morning Chai again.

In the next few days I hope to have some more stories on my LA Darbar visit.

Cick here for my first one...

His Highness the Agha Khan.....in Texas

Posted by jillcarroll at April 15, 2008 07:15 PM


This past weekend I attended an event hosted by Governor Perry celebrating the Golden Jubilee of the imamate of His Highness the Agha Khan, who is the 49th in a hereditary lineage of imams stretching back to Prophet Muhammad. His Highness is the spiritual leader of the world community of Ismaili Muslims, who are a part of Shi'ite Islam.
The world - at least in the West and here in Texas - doesn't know enough about the Ismailis. And it's time we do. This worldwide, transnational community of Muslims supports major intellectual, artistic, humanitarian, cultural and archaeological projects around the world. Moreover, within the next 10 years or so, Houston will become the North American headquarters for Ismaili Islam, and they will construct a worship and community center on several acres of centrally located real estate at Studemont and Allen Parkway. Houston will join and elite handful of other large international cities in being a hub for the global humanitarian efforts of this impressive group.
I still get asked all the time: "where are the moderate Muslims?" Well, they are all over the place - here in Houston, in Texas, in the United States - all over the world in fact. The Ismaili community is but one of any number of groups and branches in Islam made up of people who, like most everyone else here, works hard to raise their families, have a nice life, and contribute to the community.
I encourage you to learn about this group. You can start your inquiry at an official site of Ismaili Islam - http://www.theismaili.org/. Check it out. I hope you'll be pleased.


Video on San Antonio Preparations - type in Ismaili in Search Videos then click box and play

His Highness the Aga Khan visits Georgia

At the same time the Pope is visiting America, so too is another spiritual leader. Today, His Highness the Aga Khan arrived in Atlanta.The Aga Khan is spiritual leader to more than 15-million Ismaili Shia Muslims worldwide. More than 100-thousand Ismaili live in the U-S, including 20-thousand here in Georgia. More than three dozen supporters were on hand to greet the Aga Khan, as his plane touched down at Charlie Brown Field outside of Atlanta. He was greeted officially by Governor Perdue's Chief of Protocol. On Friday the Aga Khan will have lunch with the Governor. The trip is part of the Aga Khan’s Jubilee Celebration, commemorating 50 years leading the world’s second largest Shia community

http://gpbnews.blogspot.com/2008/04/his-highness-aga-khan-visits-georgia.html

Side Dish: Golden Jubilee requires caterer to fill large bill

Web Posted: 04/15/2008 04:01 PM CDT
Bonnie WalkerExpress-News Staff Writer
Consider your grocery list for feeding a group of more than 30,000 people over a long weekend.
Greg Kowalski, owner of The RK Group caterers, had such a list in hand as he and his staff, as well as volunteers, prepared to serve the event last weekend. It was part of the Golden Jubilee celebration marking the 50th anniversary of the Aga Khan IV. Other Golden Jubilee events will be in Atlanta, Chicago and Los Angeles.

The Aga Khan is the spiritual leader of the Shiite Ismaili Muslims and direct descendant of the Prophet Mohammad.
Two examples from the food list were 9,000 pounds of basmati rice and 200,000 bottles of water. These qualified as out of the ordinary, even for this seasoned caterer.
"This event is so big — and it happened so quickly. It's really amazing," said Kowalski last Thursday as he contemplated the magnitude of his job. The group would be convening at the Alamodome and the Convention Center.
Originally, the event was planned to be in Houston, where the population of Ismaili Muslims is far larger than the number who live in San Antonio. It reportedly was moved here because of unavailability of convention space in Houston.
The RK Group's chef and vice president of culinary operations, Jeffrey Magatagan, had been working "around the clock" since the catering company got word of the event the previous week, according to Kowalski. "He's (Magatagan) an incredible logistician."
One challenge was that there had been little notice before the announcement that the Aga Khan would be in attendance, which pushed the numbers into the stratosphere.
Contrast this to another event coming in October. The RK Group will be serving the American Dental Association at the Convention Center, with an estimated attendance of between 40,000 and 50,000, he said.
"But I knew about this convention six years ago," he said. RK won't be serving organized meals for the dental association, though. Food service for the Golden Jubilee attendees of last weekend's event started at 9 p.m. Friday and went through Saturday and Sunday, including tea breaks in between meals.
Volunteers from the group, more than 300, were to be on hand to help with the food service, said Kowalski. Part of Magatagan's job was to organize and manage these people, who all were "eager and anxious to help."
Some of the dishes included chicken "naan-wiches," sandwiches made with traditional naan flatbread, the spicy chicken tikka masala and sweet snacks such as bundi ladoo, fried balls of bean and rice flours and nuts.
Back to that grocery list: Kowalski said that his group worked directly with purveyors in New York and New Jersey to obtain the right products in mass quantity.
bwalker1@express-news.net
Side Dish appears on alternate Wednesdays in Taste.

San Antonio Side Dish...

MHI in California - April 14-15, 2008


Mawlana Hazar Imam and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger pose for a photograph at the Governor's private office in Santa Monica, California. Photo: Gary Otte