And synchronicitously — ran into him in an elevator! — I met Al-Riaz Adatia, a successful entrepreneur and social activist of Indian Canadian heritage (by way of Uganda), who divides his time between Vancouver and San Francisco. Those of you who recall the dot-com era (and haven’t blocked it from your memories) might know him as one of the founders of Sonique, the second most popular MP3 player of the era, after Justin Frankel’s WinAMP. Al-Riaz sold Sonique to Lycos for a nice piece of change, and has since then run and invested in a string of businesses, while pursuing his interests in global development work…and dirt bike racing.
He shared with me some really interesting insights on the social and political roots of Canada’s pluralistic society (as well as its dark underbelly), while also giving me an introduction to the Ismaili Muslim faith; led by their spiritual leader the Aga Khan, Ismailis are a unique branch of Shia Islam distinguished by their outward-facing philanthropic activities, many of which are related to encouraging understanding and acceptance among different cultures, races and religions.
Which is in part why the Aga Khan has had a special admiration for Canada, one of the few countries in the world that has embedded the idea of multiculturalism into its very Constitution — he has launched a well-funded and thriving subsidiary of the faith’s global development network in Vancouver, the Aga Khan Foundation Canada, and the Global Centre for Pluralism in Ottawa. Anyway, meeting Al-Riaz was terrific.
http://originalspin.posterous.com/my-latest-san-francisco-chronicle-column-asia
Ismailimail 