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

No matter how intellectually compelling we find such international objectives as 'Health for all by the year 2000' or the International year of Shelter scheduled for 1987, or the concept of universal primary education, these worthy objectives will not be achieved - not even be approached - if the world's rural populations do not participate in them.

Hazrat Ali said: “No honour is like knowledge. No belief is like modesty and patience. No attainment is like humility. No power is like forbearance. And no support is more reliable than consultation.”

I also wanted to tell you that the Ismaili community's relationship with Quebec is more long-established and perhaps deeper than what the general public imagines. In fact, Ismailis settled in Quebec as early as in the sixties, that is almost a quarter of a century now.

But the general public, whether in Europe, the United States or in Canada, is often presented by the media especially with a facile, not to say distorted, image. On the contrary, it is my deepest conviction that the silent majority of the Islamic world seeks to heal divisions amongst sects and between faiths, not to exacerbate them, and to hold high the basic tenets of Islam, including the brotherhood of man and the appreciation of the wonder of God's creation.

Canada is uniquely well placed to correct misconceptions about Islam because of the open-mindedness and genuine interest in other peoples of the world which was so clearly stated in the Honourable Premier's speech a few minutes ago. Furthermore, Canada has within her frontiers the necessary centres of learning to explain and to put into perspective those international trends which are important in the closing decades of the 20th century.

Speech by His Highness The Aga Khan IV

Toronto April 27, 1983

(at the banquet with Ontario political government leaders including Premier William Davis)

Your Honour, Honourable Premier, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. It is a great pleasure for my wife and I to be here this evening. And we are most grateful to you, Mr. Davis, and to you, Mr. McLaren, both for your welcome and for your appreciative remarks about the Ismaili community in Canada.

The broad aim would be to give the workers a recognition of the value of their leisure in providing opportunities for spiritual, aesthetic and intellectual pursuits, for delight in nature and art in their manifold forms and, above all, for direct communion with the Unseen. The effort would be to enrich life through many channels

Speech by His Highness The Aga Khan IV at McMaster University, Canada

(His Highness The Aga Khan was conferred with an honorary Doctor of Laws degree (LLD) honoris causa in recognition of his leadership in the advancement of health and education in the third world)

May 15, 1987

Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

……………..The great bulk of the 7 million people of Karachi and the 100 million people of Pakistan are not ruled by the assumptions of science. Their lives are bounded by family, tradition, and belief

James Evans explores the Aga Khan’s lifelong obsession with speed: the yachts it created, the records it broke and the technical advances it generated - especially in his parallel quest for silence.

Whatever the means of travel, the late Aga Khan – His Highness Karim al-Hussaini – yearned to go fast. Racehorses, sports cars, yachts: he owned and loved them all. A Maserati 5000 GT made for him in the 1950s was, for a time, the fastest road car in the world. It was certainly an appropriate form of transport.

On 3 December, Mawlana Hazar Imam granted a didar for the Jamats of Portugal and Spain.

The Mukhi of Darkhana submitted bayʿa to the Imam on behalf of the Jamat, and President of the Ismaili Council Yasmin Bhudarally delivered a loyalty address.

In his Farman, Mawlana Hazar Imam said that he was sorry to hear about the President of Portugal’s ill-health, and extended best wishes for a speedy recovery on behalf of his family and the Jamat.

On 3 December, Mawlana Hazar Imam granted a didar for the Jamats of Portugal and Spain.

The Mukhi of Darkhana submitted bayʿa to the Imam on behalf of the Jamat, and President of the Ismaili Council Yasmin Bhudarally delivered a loyalty address.

In his Farman, Mawlana Hazar Imam said that he was sorry to hear about the President of Portugal’s ill-health, and extended best wishes for a speedy recovery on behalf of his family and the Jamat.

REMARKS BY HIS HIGHNESS THE AGA KHAN IV AT THE PRESIDENTIAL PALACE IN DUSHANBE, TAJIKISTAN IN PRESENCE OF HIS EXCELLENCY PRESIDENT RAKHMONOV
Source: Golden Jubilee visit to Central Asia video

November 1, 2008

France-based gelding bettered Almond Eyes' previous course record for the 2,400 meters set in 2018 while becoming the first foreign-trained horse to win the race since 2005.

Aga Khan Studs' Calandagan, Europe's newly minted Horse of the Year and world's top-rated racehorse, became the first foreign-based runner in 20 years to win the Japan Cup (G1) Sunday at Tokyo Racecourse and did so in record time.

Once we take time to listen to another who we see as different from ourselves and we start to understand their story, we may find we have more in common than we thought, and our conception of “we” begins to expand.

Often pluralism feels like a hard task, an almost unattainable ideal. But the beauty of the Global Pluralism Awards is that it shows us how ordinary people are making an impact on their societies every day in the face of huge challenges. These organisations, through ordinary actions, are making an enormous impact on their communities, and engaging partners — often unlikely ones — to work together to solve the biggest issues of our time

Championing pluralism in our societies is not only the goal – it is the solution. Pluralism is the road map to bridging the schism between people and even institutions.

LONDON, Nov. 23, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The world's music industry came together to celebrate eleven groundbreaking artists being honoured as this year's winners of the Aga Khan Music Awards in a ceremony last night at Southbank Centre, London.

Speech by Prince Rahim Aga Khan V (sent as video message) on the occasion of the 2025 Global Pluralism Awards ceremony held in Ottawa, Canada at the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat

November 25, 2025

Bismillah-ir-Raheman-nir-Rahim

Your Excellencies, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen.

Ottawa, Canada, 25 September 2025 – The Global Centre for Pluralism announces today the 10 laureates for the 2025 Global Pluralism Award. These leaders are being recognised for their exceptional and courageous work to support full participation by marginalised groups in their societies, build trust and cooperation between warring parties, and create systems that foster the protection and celebration of differences around the world.

Ottawa, Canada, 25 September 2025 – The Global Centre for Pluralism announces today the 10 laureates for the 2025 Global Pluralism Award. These leaders are being recognised for their exceptional and courageous work to support full participation by marginalised groups in their societies, build trust and cooperation between warring parties, and create systems that foster the protection and celebration of differences around the world.