Ismaili.NET - Heritage F.I.E.L.D.

His Highness the Aga Khan Imam (spiritual leader) of the Shia Ismaili Muslims on Friday addressed a crowd of over three thousand people who had gathered at the Great Mosque of Djenne, a stately edifice dating back to the 14th century. Mali's Prime Minister Ahmed Mohamed Ag Hamani accompanied the Aga Khan. Addressing the gathering he said 'Today, we face a delicate situation in which all Muslims need to unite to present to the world the true face of Islam, which consists of peace, unity intelligence and conviction.' He said, 'I see the great mosques of the Ummah as symbols of the past but also as hopes for the future. 'We should not forget the great periods of Muslim history have always been marked by intelligence, by competence and by knowledge-of science, for the quality of life of men and women of the Ummah.'