Prepared and compiled by MALIK MERCHANT
(Publisher/Editor Barakah, Simerg and Simergphotos)

John Kerry who served as President Barack Obama’s secretary of state has been named by President-elect Joseph R. Biden as his special envoy for climate. Nicholas Burns, a Harvard professor and a former longtime State Department official who served Republican and Democratic administrations called Mr. Kerry’s appointment a “powerful signal” that will help the United States, the world’s second-largest greenhouse gas emitter after China, start regaining global trust on the issue. In response to the announcement, Kerry tweeted:

It'll be an honor to work with our allies and partners, alongside rising young leaders in the climate movement, to tackle the climate crisis with the seriousness and urgency it deserves.

— John Kerry (@JohnKerry) November 23, 2020

The work we began with the Paris Agreement is far from done. I'm returning to government to get America back on track to address the biggest challenge of this generation and those that will follow. The climate crisis demands nothing less than all hands on deck. pic.twitter.com/xxfakodQ6d

— John Kerry (@JohnKerry) November 23, 2020

In addition to help steer the negotiation of the Paris Agreement on climate change in 2015, Mr. Kerry initiated the 2013–2014 Israeli–Palestinian peace talks and negotiated landmark agreements restricting the nuclear program of Iran, including the 2013 Joint Plan of Action and the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), with the following announcement: “Today….the United States, our P5+1 and EU partners, and Iran have taken a measurable step away from the prospect of nuclear proliferation, towards transparency and cooperation.” President Obama’s successor, Donald Trump, however, withdrew the USA from the JCPOA or the Iran deal in May 2018. President Trump lost the November 3, 2020 elections but has yet to concede defeat to President-elect Biden.

Mawlana Hazar Imam on Positive Proliferation of Nuclear Energy

“We are a long way from the democratization of nuclear energy. Maybe I’m naïve but I advocate another approach, which I call “positive proliferation.” The positive proliferation that I would dearly love to see happen is based on a simple principle: yes to energy, no to arms….Iran could even contribute to the worldwide removal of nuclear energy for military use. That is what I told the Iranians several years ago: “Your history is that of an intellectual nation several thousand years old which has brought to Islam all the richness of its culture and its philosophical thought. Keep following the path that is truly your own and the world will thank you for it.” — His Highness the Aga Khan. Please read complete interview by clicking on The Power of Wisdom.

John Kerry Extends Condolences to Ismailis Following Tragedy in Karachi

On May 13, 2015 a gun attack on a bus in Karachi killed 45 Ismailis and injured 14 others. John Kerry, at the time Secretary of State, issued the following statement on May 14, from Washington DC:

“I strongly condemn the heinous May 13 attack on a bus in Karachi, which resulted in the deaths of dozens of members of the Ismaili community.

“The American people stand in solidarity with the people of Pakistan, and with the global Ismaili community on this tragic day. Make no mistake: There is more strength by far in the respect and solidarity that we feel towards one another than there could ever be in any terrorist attack.

“I extend my personal condolences to the families of the victims, and to my dear, esteemed friend His Highness the Aga Khan, who has led the Ismaili community in investing in so many important development and education projects not only in Pakistan, but around the world. We will support efforts to bring all those responsible to justice and stand ready to provide assistance to the investigation of this tragic attack.”

Afghanistan, Mawlana Hazar Imam and John Kerry

Like his predecessor, Hillary Clinton, who served as secretary of state under President Obama’s first term in office, John Kerry joined Mawlana Hazar Imam and other world leaders in a major conference on Afghanistan in Brussels.

Mawlana Hazar Imam Attends French Ceremony Honouring John Kerry With Grand Officer Award

Date posted: November 24, 2020.

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This website, Barakah, is a special project by http://www.Simerg.com and is dedicated to the textual and visual celebration of His Highness the Aga Khan, members of his family and the Ismaili Imamate.

Malik Merchant is the founding publisher/editor of this website, Barakah (2017), as well as two other blogs Simerg (2009) and Simergphotos (2012). Formerly an IT consultant, he now dedicates his time to family projects and his 3 websites. He is the eldest son of Alwaez Jehangir Merchant (1928-2018) and Alwaeza Maleksultan Merchant who both served Ismaili Jamati institutions for several decades in Mozambique, Tanzania, Pakistan, the UK and Canada in both professional and honorary capacities as teachers and missionaries. Malik’s daughter, Dr. Nurin Merchant, assists him as an honorary editor of the three websites. She received her veterinary medicine degree with distinction from the Ontario Veterinary College (2019, University of Guelph) and now works as a veterinarian.

Before departing this website please take a moment to visit Barakah’s Table of Contents for links to more than 200 pieces dedicated to Mawlana Hazar Imam, his family and the Ismaili Imamat.