In an increasingly individualistic, polarised world, Canada has served as a prime example of an open, pluralistic society, where all members are considered equal and their contributions valued.
No less remarkable is the history of Canada’s Ismaili Muslim community, which, since arriving to Canada, has woven itself into its societal fabric to a degree that is perhaps, unmatched among non-Western migrant communities.
The first wave of Canadian Ismailis arrived in 1972 after dictator Idi Amin ordered the expulsion of some 80,000 residents of Asian origin from Uganda.
His Highness Karim Aga Khan IV – widely regarded as a builder of bridges between Muslim societies and the West – secured refuge for roughly 7,000 Ismaili Muslims in Canada with the help of Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan - the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees at the time – and thanks to a personal friendship with the Prime Minister of Canada, Pierre Elliott Trudeau. The Aga Khan attended Harvard with the Prime Minister in the 1950s.
Aga Khan leaves behind a very rich philanthropic legacy worldwide
“Make Canada your home,” the community were told by the Aga Khan. Today, Canada stands as a testament to the shining example of the potential of a community and what it can achieve with enabling parameters in place.
This exceptional partnership would not have been possible without the compatibility of Canada’s approach to cultural pluralism with the Ismaili community’s commitment to integration and reciprocity – and in that, one of the world’s best examples of a thriving, successful and peaceful Muslim community in the West – one that was adamant about giving back to the country that had given them much.
The community, today, is well represented in business, political and cultural circles and has achieved a series of successive firsts.
Prominent Ismaili Canadians include Giller-Prize-winning novelist M.G. Vassanji, and Rahim Jaffer – Canada’s first Muslim member of Parliament. Similarly, Senator Mobina Jaffer arrived in Canada as a refugee and became the first South Asian woman to practise law in Canada as well as the first Muslim senator.
Former mayor of Calgary, Naheed Nenshi, shares a similar story, as does Member of Parliament Arif Virani and Diplomat Arif Lalani.
As the community grew in size, as did the institutions and monuments – an investment by the visionary Aga Khan for all Canadians – and the global community at large.
Since it’s inception the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) has partnered with Canada for over five decades, and whose mandate is to improve the quality of life of all peoples, irrespective of their faith, race, ethnicity or gender.
Together with the blessing of successive Canadian governments, they have built a portfolio of institutions and partnerships anchored by their shared values and goals.
“Canada’s pluralism, inclusiveness and global outlook have helped make it a leader in international development, and a country with whom AKDN shares core values. The permanent partnership between the Ismaili Imamat and Canada includes diplomatic cooperation and exchanges,” as described by the AKDN.
“How can humankind honour what is distinctive about our separate identities and, at the same time, see diversity itself as a source of inspiration and blessing? Rather than fearing difference, how can we learn to embrace difference so that we can live together more peacefully and productively? This city and this country have been among the world leaders in providing positive answers to that ancient question,” the Aga Khan said in Toronto, May 2015.
Notably, the Aga Khan maintained friendly relations with Canadian leaders through the decades, despite party stripe.
During former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney’s tenure, the first Canadian Ismaili Center was established in Vancouver in 1985, serving both religious and ambassadorial functions as well as to promote interfaith dialogue.
At the opening, Prime Minister Mulroney, in a tribute, said “the tolerance, honesty and generosity which are such an important part of the Ismaili Faith are all essential in that unique blend of cultures, languages, religions and histories which we know as Canada”.
The Ismaili Centre in Toronto was opened by the Aga Khan and former Prime Minister Stephen Harper in 2014 and has since welcomed many state and public officials and regularly engages in civic activities.
“On behalf of the government and the people of Canada and especially Torontonians, I want to thank the Aga Khan Foundation for choosing this great city as the site for the museum,” Mr Harper said during the ceremony.
“The Ismaili Centre is a symbol of how the Canadian Ismaili community has so successfully joined our society.”
At the opening ceremony of the iteration in London in April 1985, the Aga Khan had said, “This building is more than simply a place of congregation. Through the quality of its design and workmanship, it will be a bridge between the culture of the community’s roots and that of its future as well as a symbol of the hopes of people who have lived through change and turbulence and have ultimately found security.”
Toronto is also home to the Aga Khan Museum – the first of its kind in the Western world. Initially slated to be built in London, along the banks of the River Thames – which when did not materialise, the Aga Khan moved to Canada.
The 10,000-square-metre structure, designed by Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki, houses collections of Islamic art, including ceramics, metal work and paintings covering a 1,000-year period of Islamic history.
The Aga Khan and the Government of Canada jointly founded The Global Centre for Pluralism in 2006 to influence perspectives, inform policies and inspire pathways to advance pluralism.
It is located on Sussex Drive among other parliamentary buildings and in close proximity is the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat – another architectural marvel – that serves as the diplomatic enclave for community outreach.
These landmark institutions have become synonymous with the Ismaili community’s presence in Canada.
Through the course of this partnership, the Government of Canada appointed the Aga Khan as an honorary Companion of the Order of Canada in 2005 and granted him honorary Canadian citizenship in 2009 – only the the fifth person to receive the honor.
In 2014 he became very first Muslim to address both Houses of the Parliament of Canada – during Prime Minister Harper’s tenure, which he delivered in Canada’s national languages – English and French.
“I believe that Canada is uniquely able to articulate and exemplify three critical underpinnings of a quality Civil Society — a commitment to pluralism, to meritocracy, and to a cosmopolitan ethic,” he had said during the address.
In 2022, former mayor of Toronto, John Tory awarded the Aga Khan a Key to the City for his work in improving the quality of life of people around the world.
The ceremony also celebrated the naming of Aga Khan Boulevard on signs adjacent to the Aga Khan Museum, the Aga Khan Park and the Ismaili Centre.
Canadian universities – McMaster, McGill, the University of Toronto, and the University of Alberta, have collaborated with the Aga Khan University (AKU) and the University of Central Asia – helping enhance their tertiary capacity.
In 2022, as the community celebrated the 50th anniversary of their arrival into Canada, AKDN signalled partnership agreements for the next 50 years of development.
Today, during Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s tenure, Canada is home to more than 100,000 Ismaili Muslims, with the most recent waves arriving from Afghanistan and as well as Syria.
No surprise then, the Aga Khan was commemorated on the front pages of prestigious Canadian newspapers the day following his demise.
On December 13, 2024, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wished His Highness for a final time, “Today, I join Shia Ismaili Muslims in Canada and around the world in celebrating the 88th birthday of His Highness the Aga Khan.”
“On behalf of the Government of Canada, I extend my best wishes to His Highness on this special occasion and look forward to continue advancing our shared commitment to making the world a better place for all,” he shared in a press statement released by his office.
Adrienne Clarkson, the former Governor-General of Canada and co-founder of the Institute for Canadian Citizenship, wrote a touching tribute entitled ‘The Aga Khan believed in Canada’, in the Globe and Mail last week.
“He thought very highly of Canada and had a great belief in our values. He wrote that he wanted his people to live here, ‘where the threat to democracy is minimal and seeks to draw on the experience of established democracy to make a vibrant and civil society and is sensitive to cultural difference. In this way, they can be effective in improving the quality of life of all their citizens. Canada is a prime example of such a country’.”
The Ismaili community has a great debt to pay to Canada. But then, so does Canada, for the Aga Khan leaves behind a legacy of depth, brilliance, integrity and tolerance – for generations of Canadians to come.
A true global citizen who championed pluralism, the Aga Khan IV’s funeral prayers were carried out in Lisbon, Portugal as world leaders paid their respects and was later laid to rest in Aswan, Egypt as Sunni Nubians carried his casket and Coptic Christian Churches rang the bells through the streets – both glorious and symbolic.
Earlier this week, as His Highness Rahim Aga Khan V formally became his successor, Canada can remain assured that this partnership will only continue to strengthen in the decades to come.
The article does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Business Recorder or its owners
The writer is Features Editor at Business Recorder
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