Secretary Pablos Welcomes His Highness The Aga Khan To Texas
HOUSTON, TX – Texas
Secretary of State Rolando Pablos today welcomed His Highness the Aga Khan, the
spiritual leader of the worldwide Shia Ismaili Muslim community, to Texas on
the occasion of his Diamond Jubilee. Texas is home to the largest Ismaili community
in the United States; Ismailis reside throughout the U.S. and in 30 countries
globally.
The
State of Texas and the Ismaili Imamat and Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN)
have been collaborating since 2002, initially focusing on primary education and
in jointly inaugurating the Ismaili Jamatkhana and Center in Sugar Land. Today,
the Center is a place to encourage exchange between civic
organizations, civil society, and faith communities. This partnership was
formalized through an Agreement of Cooperation in 2009, and expanded into other
areas including post-secondary education, disaster recovery, health, and
culture.
Houston's Ismaili Muslim
community embodies the ethic of service to others, having recently received
the Points of Light award from five former U.S. presidents in October 2017 for
organizing and dispatching more than 2,500 volunteers to assist in recovery
efforts throughout southeast Texas following Hurricane Harvey. Secretary
Pablos expressed his sincere appreciation and honor to host His Highness in
Texas and congratulated Texas Ismailis on their exemplary community
engagement and humanitarian efforts throughout the Lone Star State.
"It is my distinct
honor to welcome His Highness the Aga Khan to Texas, where the Ismaili
community has shown its commitment to strengthening and empowering our state
through service, entrepreneurship, and spiritual leadership," Secretary
Pablos said. "I would like to thank His Highness for
his vision, his leadership, and his community's deep friendship with the State
of Texas."
 (Secretary Pablos welcomes His Highness the Aga Khan at Sugar Land Regional Airport. Office of the Texas Secretary of State, 3/18/2018)
 (From left to right: Sugar Land Mayor Joe Zimmerman, President of the Aga Khan Council for the United States Dr. Barkat Fazal, His Highness the Aga Khan, Secretary of State Rolando Pablos. Office of the Texas Secretary of State, 3/18/2018)
His
Highness the Aga Khan, the founder and chairman of the Aga Khan Development
Network (AKDN), is the 49th hereditary Imam (spiritual leader) of the world’s 15
million Shia Ismaili Muslims. The AKDN is a group of private,
international, non-denominational agencies working in over 30 countries to
improve living conditions and opportunities for people in specific regions of
the developing world. The AKDN's organizations have individual mandates ranging
from health and education to architecture, rural development and the promotion
of private-sector enterprise.
Learn more about the Aga Khan Development Network.
Learn more about His Highness' visit to the United
States.
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