November 20, 2008 – The Canadian Press
TORONTO — Canadian Ismaili Muslims are marking a half-century of leadership of the Aga Khan, as the spiritual leader to millions around the globe embarks on an eight-day visit across the country to mark the milestone.
The Aga Khan, imam to 15 million Ismaili Muslims, including between 80,000 to 100,000 in Canada, will meet with government leaders and dignitaries as he commemorates the occasion of his Golden Jubilee.
The Aga Khan met Wednesday with Gov.-Gen. Michaelle Jean at Rideau Hall. He is slated to next visit Toronto to meet Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty.
He will head west next week, first to Calgary to meet with Alberta Lt.-Gov. Norman Kwong and officials from the University of Alberta, followed by a stop in Vancouver to meet British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell and Burnaby, B.C., Mayor Derek Corrigan, whose city is home to a sizable Ismaili community.
The Aga Khan will also meet and address gatherings of the Ismaili community to discuss the nature of the work he is doing with Canada, how the community has evolved and where he sees it going, said Amir Karim, a Montreal volunteer with the Aga Khan Council for Canada.
“He will give guidance on and direction on how we should practise our faith, how we should live, and how we should basically understand what’s going on around the world from a broader perspective, whether it’s economic, social, and some of major trends that we’re seeing at the moment.”
Born in Switzerland and now residing in France, His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan became the 49th hereditary Imam of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims – generally known as the Ismailis – in 1957 at age 20 following his grandfather’s death.
Beyond his role as spiritual leader, he is known for his work helping to improve the lives of those in developing nations through the Aga Khan Development Network, which he founded more than 40 years ago.
The network has forged a long-standing relationship with Canada, which has seen AKDN, particularly through Aga Khan Foundation Canada, a charitable organization, collaborate with universities, government departments, civil society organizations and the private sector in providing various resources to help developing nations.
One such example involves Hamilton’s McMaster University, which worked with the Aga Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan to bring the first international standard school of nursing to that part of the world, said Khalil Shariff, CEO of Aga Khan Foundation Canada.
The Aga Khan will preside over the signing of a memorandum of understanding between McMaster and AKU during his visit to Toronto.
In October 2006, the Aga Khan and Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced the Imam and Ottawa would each contribute $30 million to a new Global Centre for Pluralism, a think-tank and research facility to be housed in the old Canadian War Museum.
“I think he understands that all the work he does in international development and addressing the great issues of our day as part of the mandate of his office,” Shariff said.
“He has often said that he has to be concerned not only with the spiritual welfare of the Ismaili community but also about the quality of their lives and the quality of the lives of the people among who they live globally, and so this has led him to be concerned with the great questions of peace and development in our times.”
The migration of Ismaili Muslims to Canada included two big waves of settlement: the first, in the 1970s, saw the expulsion of Ismailis from east African nations; the second, in the early 1990s, saw many Ismaili refugees arrive in Canada from Afghanistan, Karim said.
During both waves, the Aga Khan was instrumental in ensuring the community being displaced was able to resettle promptly and effectively and that Canada would welcome them, he said.
“For community members here who have made Canada their home, who have prospered here, who live here, who have settled here permanently, this is a period for them to express their gratitude and their love for their imam or their spiritual leader, for all the guidance and direction he’s been giving them, including bringing the community here,” Karim said.
The Aga Khan is slated to return to Ottawa on Dec. 6 for the official inauguration of the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat building, which will house the offices of the Aga Khan Foundation Canada and be involved in working with the Canadian government on efforts to assist developing nations in Asia and Africa.
The commemoration of his Golden Jubilee officially ends Dec. 13.
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