Dear Readers,
Environment Canada has issued a storm warning over the weekend. I woke up to significant snowfall, and icy wind travelling at 53 km/hr. Even in the cold weather, Toronto feels brighter than ever. This is an experience in itself. I have decided to dedicate this week's column to a special community – the Ismaili Khojas. A group that stands as a stark contradiction of the general representation of Islam. For the uninitiated, the Ismailis are followers of Aga Khan - one of the world's most respected figures and only the fifth person to be named an honorary citizen of Canada.
Who are the Ismailis?
A minority within a minority in the Muslim world, the Ismailis broke out from the Shia minority in the 8th century over disagreement about which of the prophet's descendant should they follow and branched separately. They formerly controlled areas of North Africa and Egypt until the 12th Century, only for their numbers to decline and often persecuted. Ismailis today, accept the Aga Khan as a direct descendant of Muhammad and their 49th Imam.
Who is Aga Khan?
Prince Shah Karim Al Hussaini, or His Highness the Aga Khan IV, 80, is the spiritual leader to over 15 million Ismailis around the world. He is a philanthropist and runs one of the world's largest private charities- the Aga Khan Development Network. He was among the world's 10 richest royals in 2010 with a net estimate of $800 million.
Ismaili migration in Canada
The history of Ismaili migration to the country began in the early 1970s. The community today, is found in every single aspect of the society and its competence perhaps remains unmatched by most other migrant groups. The jamaat (as they are called) is well represented in business, political and cultural circles. They are also represented by individuals like Rahim Jaffer, Canada's first Muslim MP, Nadir Mohamed, former Rogers CEO, Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi, and of course, the Giller Prize-winning novelist MG Vassanji. These are just a handful of people who depict the true potential of the jamaat.
The first group of Ismailis landed in Canada in 1972, during the infamous expulsion of 80,000 South Asians in Uganda by Idi Amin. The Aga Khan secured refuge for approximately 6,000 Ugandan Ismailis in Canada, thanks to his personal friendship with the then prime minister Pierre Trudeau (father to current PM Justin Trudeau). How did he make this happen? Well, there is a popular anecdote which was told to me by a fellow acquaintance. His Highness the Aga Khan was meeting with Canadian immigration officials. The meet coincided with the 1972 hockey Summit Series and Team Canada was locking heads with USSR. One of the officials had apparently asked a junior to keep him updated on the score. By the end of the evening, when the Aga Khan asked how many Ugandan Ismailis Canada would be willing to take, the official's attention was grabbed by the junior who held up three fingers on each hand indicating a tie of scores.
However, the official misinterpreted the gesture and that is the story of how double the original number of Ugandan Ismailis were allowed refuge. Approximately 3,000 Ismailis initially accepted federal financial assistance for their resettlement and surprisingly less than 150 were still receiving government aid by the end of their first year in the country. Members of this community were not your normal day refugees. Over half of them had at least a high school education, almost all spoke English and most of them at that time could have easily cleared Canada's regular skill-based immigration points system. Impressive? To say the least.
High level education and sets of skills that allowed them to enter any sector only boosted the transition of these “refugees” to citizens. Today, the well-established Canadian Ismaili community accounts for over 120,000 people scattered across Vancouver, Toronto, Edmonton, Calgary, Ottawa, Montreal, and other regions. The once persecuted community has now become a shelter for other unfortunate people, giving back as much as they had received in their time of need.
Under the spiritual leadership of the Aga Khan, the comparatively passive and highly educated community shares a collective commitment to contribute to the broader well-being of other societal groups. At a time when the West raises eyebrows and harbours a steady level of skepticism towards Muslim immigration, history of the Ismailis is one for the books.
