Faculty, staff and alumni of IIS remember the legacy of the late Dr Aziz Kurwa, a beloved governor and pioneer in Ismaili religious education in the United Kingdom.
Aitmadi Dr Aziz Kurwa has a storied career of service to the Ismaili community in the United Kingdom. In the 1970s, he served as the Mukhi (functionary designated by the IsmailiImamateto officiate ceremonies) of the Birmingham jamatkhana, where he helped resettle newly arriving refugees from Uganda. Dr Kurwa was driven by his passion for religious education, introducing Baitul-Ilm (Ismaili religious education classes) to the BirminghamJamatAssembly or religious congregation; also a term used by the Nizari Ismailis for their individual communities.. He also worked to distribute educational materials to IsmailisAdherents of a branch of Shi’i Islam that considers Ismail, the eldest son of the Shi’i Imam Ja平far al-畊diq (d. 765), as his successor. across the UK, including a bilingual magazine,Al-Misbah, featuring religious content and childrens stories in English and Gujarati.
Dr Kurwa was appointed to theIIS Board of Governorsin 1986 where he, together with Aitmadi Niaz Nathoo, the late Aitmadi Mirza Pardan, Dr Aziz Esmail, Vazir Shams Vellani, and Dr Rafique Keshavjee, oversaw some of theearly IIS publicationsand the introduction of theGPISHin 1994. He contributed towards the conceptualisation of the 1988 ITREB chairpersons conference which was held at Aiglemont (secretariat and residence of His Highness theAga Khanin France), as well as the 5-year planning process that emerged following the conference. A fellow member of the Board of Governors at the time, Dr Mohamed Keshavjee shares fond memories in his personal correspondence.
In all my encounters with Aziz, I can only recall a very friendly and helpful individual with a priceless sense of humour coupled with a deep sense of warmth and friendship. He always had the pulse of theJamatwith him.
Dr Aziz Kurwa will be fondly remembered, with his legacy living on, not just with IIS, but with countless generations of Ismaili students in the UK who remember him with great warmth and admiration.
