Oh wow! I came across the etymology of the word recognize while reflecting on the idea of recognition of that which the soul knows, that which the heart of heart knows in Kazemi's "Justice and Remembrance" (2007); and reflecting on the meaning of the word ginan (part of the Indic Shia Ismaili Muslim devotional tradition) from Virani's "Symphony of Gnosis" (2005). The 'gni' of re-co-gnize stood out and resonated with the 'gna' from ginan. Wait a minute. Could the the HEART of

I hear the voice Of every creature and plant, Every world and sun and galaxy-- Singing the Beloved's name! - Hafiz Taking a moment to share an encounter with an Ismaili elder/senior who I met in the lobby of the building where we live, sparked by another encounter had minutes before singing with the cicadas in the garden of the property. Me: Ya Ali Madad She: Mawla Ali Madad We: Catching up on how we are doing as we walk down the elevator Me: Can I show you this video I just

On July 19, 2018 I had the pleasure of presenting the Canadian National Anthem at a citizenship ceremony held at the Toronto Pearson International Airport. The Event was hosted by the Institute for Canadian Citizenship and the Greater Toronto Airport Authority. I had the chance to join with two exceptional musical colleagues to present the anthem - Master Musician Shaho Andalibi from Iran who played the ney (an Iranian wind instrument) and Benjamin Stein who played the theorb

This past weekend I had the beautiful opportunity to collaborate with the now Toronto-based world renowned master musician Shaho Andalibi from Iran, a fantastic oud player Hanna Touma from Syria, and wonderful vocalists Shifra Cooper and Nila Rajagopal. I was kindly invited by Anna Camilleri of Red Dress Productions to offer a short set of songs at the culmination of one of their always magical community arts events. We presented three songs: 1. Kad Procvatu Behari (Arr. Mari

The word 'diversity' according to etymology on line is mid-14th century, from Old French diversité (12c.). Before the word existed or was named as such, was there no diversity? Or was that 'diversity' not an issue because peoples naturally lived and worked together? Why did the term enter the English language? Was it at the naming 'diversity' that the false divisions came, that we were pitted against each other, and that we were told that ‘we are different’ from our neighbour