Ismaili.NET - Heritage F.I.E.L.D.

In the chaotic days leading up to the seven-minute nationally televised address that saved his government, at least for now, Paul Martin last week committed $30 million to studying and exporting contemporary Canada's core value, pluralism.
The news got lost in the political mayhem. But the man whose brainchild the Global Centre for Pluralism is, and who has already given it $40 million, was delighted.

The Aga Khan explained in a phone interview from his headquarters in Gouvieux, north of Paris, why he considers Canada a model nation worthy of emulation by the world.

'You can be an educated person in the Judeo-Christian world and know nothing ? I mean, nothing ? about the Islamic world.'

That's the Aga Khan talking.

The soft-spoken 68-year-old spiritual leader of the 15 million Ismaili Muslims is on the phone from his head office in France.

He has explained how his admiration of Canadian multiculturalism prompted his $40 million gift to initiate a Global Centre for Pluralism in Ottawa. He hopes it will distill the Canadian formula and export it to a troubled world. (See Thursday's column on http://www.thestar.ca)