35,000 Muslims to Converge on San Antonio

[Preserved]

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/TopStories/stories/MYSA040508.01C.AgaKhan.2cb1e9f.html

This was a shock to me when I found out, I wonder what John Hagee will say with this happening in his back yard.

The event, called the Golden Jubilee, will bring a gathering of 35,000 Ismaili Muslims and their spiritual leader Prince Karim Aga Khan to the Alamodome and the Convention Center starting Friday.


Does any one know the back ground of the Ismaili Muslims?

[Biblenuggetlady]

hmmmmmmmmmm

"The economic impact of this is going to be like an Alamo Bowl. We were only given several weeks to plan this when normally a group this size will plan for four years."

City officials say this is the largest three-day event San Antonio has seen since HemisFair in 1968. It's estimated the group could spend about $37 million while here.

Sawaya said even though visitors here for religious gatherings typically don't spend as much as business travelers, this group is affluent.

This group is Shiite...from the Persian branch of Islam. (Iran) He claims he's a direct descendant of Mohammed, same as the King of Jordan. :scratch

Born in 1936 in Geneva, the Aga Khan spent his early childhood in Nairobi, Kenya, and graduated from Harvard in 1959.

Wonder if Obama will attend? :hide

"You can say he's like a pope."

Wonder if Benedict will attend? :hide

[lyngraphics]

I am creeped out and San Antonio is 2-1/2 hours away from me... :wha

[Biblenuggetlady]

More on this group:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ismaili

The Ismāʿīlī (Urdu: اسماعیلی Ismāʿīlī, Arabic: الإسماعيليون al-Ismāʿīliyyūn; Persian: اسماعیلیان Esmāʿīliyān) branch of Islam is the second largest part of the Shī'a community, after the Twelvers (Ithnāʿashariyya). The Ismaili get their name from their acceptance of Ismail bin Jafar as the divinely appointed spiritual successor (Imam) to Jafar al-Sadiq, wherein they differ from the Twelvers, who accept Musa al-Kazim, younger brother of Ismail, as the true Imam. The Ismaili and the Twelvers both accept the same initial Imams from the descendants of Muhammad through his daughter Fatima Zahra and therefore share much of their early history.

Tracing its earliest theology to the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad, Ismailism rose at one point to become the largest branch of the Shia religion, and climaxed as a political power with the Fatimid Empire in the tenth through twelfth centuries.[1]

After the passing away -- or occultation (according to Sevener Ismailis) - of Imam Muhammad ibn Ismail in the 8th century CE, the teachings of Ismailism further transformed into the belief system as it is known today, with an explicit concentration on the deeper, esoteric meaning (batin) of the Islamic religion. With the eventual development of Twelverism into the more literalistic (zahir) oriented Akhbari and later Usooli schools of thought, Shiasm developed into two separate directions: the metaphorical Ismaili group focusing on the mystical path and nature of Allah, and the manifestation of himself in the personage of the "Imam of the Time" as the "Face of Allah", while the more literalistic Twelver group focusing on divine law (sharia) and the deeds and sayings (sunnah) of Muhammad and his successors (Ahl al-Bayt) who as Imams were guides and a light to Allah.[2] Because of their generally heterodox beliefs and general disassociation with shariah, there is controversy over the acceptance of Ismailis as Muslims.
Though there are several sub-groupings within the Ismailis, the term in today's vernacular generally refers to the Nizari community, who are followers of the Aga Khan and the largest group among the Ismailis. While many of the branches have extremely differing exterior practices, much of the spiritual theology has remained the same since the days of the faith's early Imams. In recent centuries Ismailis have largely been an Indo-Iranian comunity,[3] but Ismaili are found in India, Pakistan, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Saudi Arabia[4], Yemen, China[5], Jordan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, East Africa and South Africa, but have in recent years emigrated to Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and North America.[6]

[Preserved]

I am creeped out and San Antonio is 2-1/2 hours away from me... :wha

I am creping out and I LIVE in San Antonio. Our Pastor and his wife have been asked if they can use the parking lot of our church as a vehicle staging area! We lease our church building from a Muslim at least he asked if he could use it.

[lyngraphics]

I am creping out and I LIVE in San Antonio. Our Pastor and his wife have been asked if they can use the parking lot of our church as a vehicle staging area! We lease our church building from a Muslim at least he asked if he could use it.

Maybe you need to take a vacation! :panic

Seriously!

[icebear]

when was the pope going to visti the US?

[vhowell]

Wonder if that's why San Antonio had the earthquake..........:aha

[Rebecca S]

I had no idea about this!! This seriously creeps me out, especially since the Islamic center of San Antonio isn't too far from where I work. I can actually see it out of my window. It's kind of odd that a couple blocks away is the Baruch HaShem.....

I wonder if I can just skip work Friday?

[funmudder]

Sounds like a good opportunity to witness to the religion of peace to me.