18(a) Describe the mission/purpose of your proposed gTLD

Prototypical answer:

Mission and purpose

The Aga Khan Foundation, whose Chairman, His Highness the Aga Khan, is the 49th hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, seeks to establish the .ISMAILI TLD for use by the Ismaili institutions, with a view to bringing together electronic activities (email and websites) under a common and centrally coordinated domain.

Reflecting the pluralism of the Muslim world generally, the Ismailis are a richly diverse community within the Shia branch of Islam. They live across Asia, the Middle East, sub-Saharan Africa, North America, Australia and Europe. Ismailis are united by a belief in a living hereditary Imam of the Time in the progeny of Islam’s last and final Prophet Muhammad (may peace be upon him) through his daughter Fatima and her husband, Hazrat Ali, the Prophet’s cousin and the first Shia Imam. In the Muslim ethical tradition, the Imam not only leads in the interpretation of the faith, but also in the effort to improve the quality of life of his community and of the wider societies within which it lives.

Ordained by His Highness the Aga Khan in 1986, the Ismaili Constitution brings the social governance of the global Ismaili community under a common aegis. Within such a framework, various institutions are appointed by His Highness the Aga Khan to serve the community in various parts of the world.

To achieve these ends, the Imam has established, within the framework of the Constitution, National, Regional and Local Councils responsible for overall social governance; and Central Institutions for the provision of services to the community in education, health, social welfare, housing, economic welfare, cultural and women’s activities, youth and sports development. The Constitution also incorporates Religious Education Boards for the provision of religious education at all levels of the community, for the requisite human resource development and for research and publication. National and International Conciliation and Arbitration Boards have been established to encourage amicable resolution of conflicts through impartial conciliation and arbitration, a service which is being increasingly used, in some countries, even by non-Ismailis. It is these institutions, existing in more than 25 countries around the world, that would be served by the .ISMAILI TLD.

The parliament of the Republic of Portugal unanimously ratified a landmark Faith Agreement with the Ismaili Imamat, with both parties committing themselves to working together in pursuing their shared goals and responsibilities to promote and uphold human dignity and pluralism, eliminate conflict, and improve the quality of life of the vulnerable, in Portugal and elsewhere. This agreement recognises the religious identity of the Ismaili Imamat and the Ismaili community, and confers formal recognition on the Constitutional bodies as established by the Imam of the Time. Similar agreements are currently being negotiated with other countries.

This TLD will be used for the activities of the institutions of the Ismaili community, which are recognised by the Ismaili Constitution. Driven by this dynamic, we expect to have 100-200 domains under management (DUMs) by the end of three years.

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