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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.

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

The Aga Khan Museum held an event in the Presence of Prince Amyn Aga Khan to celebrate and recognize donors on a Donor Wall. Prince Amyn in his remarks said, "It is a distinct pleasure to welcome you here today to celebrate your generosity which has done so much to enable the Aga Khan Museum to educate, inspire and connect cultures through the arts."

Held at the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat in Ottawa, Princess Zahra was present, alongside Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand, former Prime Minister Joe Clark, and former Governors General Adrienne Clarkson and Michaëlle Jean. Leaders of the Jamat and AKDN were also in attendance.

Mawlana Hazar Imam sent a video message, in which he spoke of the vital importance of pluralism, and encouraged learning from the diversity we encounter more and more each day.

Held at the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat in Ottawa, Princess Zahra was present, alongside Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand, former Prime Minister Joe Clark, and former Governors General Adrienne Clarkson and Michaëlle Jean. Leaders of the Jamat and AKDN were also in attendance.

Mawlana Hazar Imam sent a video message, in which he spoke of the vital importance of pluralism, and encouraged learning from the diversity we encounter more and more each day.

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.

At the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, an exhibition celebrating the past 20 years of Islamic art features works that brim with inspiration from ancient traditions while remaining inseparable from the contemporary context in which they were made.

Filtered through modern perspectives, the show’s spectacular calligraphy, ornamentation, painting and poetry depict artistic tradition as an evolving form of contemporary expression, says Ulrike Al‑Khamis, the museum’s director and CEO, who also co-curated the exhibition.

The Aga Khan Museum was honoured to welcome distinguished guests this week to celebrate the opening of As the Sun Appears from Beyond: Twenty Years of the Al Burda Award, a landmark exhibition illuminating two decades of contemporary Islamic art.

Co-curated by Dr Ulrike Al-Khamis, Director and CEO of the Aga Khan Museum, and Al Burda Fellows Fatma Mahmoud, Sara bin Safwan and Shaikha Al Zaabi, the exhibition bridges historic and modern artistic expressions, exploring themes of light, spirituality and creativity through calligraphy, ornamentation, poetry, contemporary paintings and more.

SPEECH BY PRINCESS ZAHRA AGA KHAN AT CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY, MONTREAL ON BEING ON BEING AWARDED AN HONORARY DOCTORAT
JUNE 9, 2025

Madame la Chancelière, Monsieur le recteur, invité d'honneur, chers diplômés, parents et amis. C'est un véritable honneur et un vrai plaisir pour moi d'être parmi vous aujourd'hui, en ce jour de célébration pour l'université de Concordia, pour l'Académie, pour toutes les familles et les amis des diplômés et surtout
pour tous les diplômés de 2025, bravo a vous tous, congratulations.

At a convocation ceremony on 9 June for the Faculty of Arts and Science at Concordia University, Montreal, Princess Zahra was awarded an honorary doctorate for her contributions over many decades to improving the quality of life of vulnerable communities around the world.

Concordia University Chancellor Gina Cody presided over the ceremony, and Professor Anne Wade formally presented Princess Zahra’s achievements to graduands, faculty, and guests.

At a convocation ceremony on 9 June for the Faculty of Arts and Science at Concordia University, Montreal, Princess Zahra was awarded an honorary doctorate for her contributions over many decades to improving the quality of life of vulnerable communities around the world.

Concordia University Chancellor Gina Cody presided over the ceremony, and Professor Anne Wade formally presented Princess Zahra’s achievements to graduands, faculty, and guests.