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

OTTAWA (AFP) — Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Tuesday proposed extending honorary Canadian citizenship to the Aga Khan, imam of the world's Shia Ismaili Muslims.

Harper said his government would seek "the consent of the House (of Commons) to extend honorary citizenship to His Highness," and urged all parliamentarians to support the motion.

The Aga Khan, Prince Karim Al Husseini, 72, is the spiritual head of the world's 15 million Ismaili Muslims.

He is the forth such person to hold the post since the 19th century.

Ismailis make up the world's second largest Shia grouping and are spread throughout 25 countries.

"The Aga Khan, with his network of agencies, is a great partner and long-time friend of Canada , and a great benefactor to humanity," Harper said in parliament.

"He is truly a beacon of humanitarianism, of pluralism and of tolerance throughout the entire world."

Only four people have ever been extended honorary Canadian citizenship: Myanmar pro-democracy activist and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi last year, and before that Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama, and Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, who saved the lives of thousands of Jews during the Second World War.

Most Canadian Ismaili Muslims arrived in this country after being forced out of Uganda by its former ruler Idi Amin in the 1970s. They now number roughly 70,000 in Canada .

Canada has partnered with the Aga Khan's agencies on development projects in Asia, Africa and Afghanistan , as well as to promote ethnic, cultural and religious tolerance.