There was a respectful hush and sense of anticipation at Toronto’s Ismaili Centre on Wednesday morning. The day before, the Aga Khan died at age 88, ending a nearly seven decade reign as the spiritual leader of the world’s 20 million Ismaili Muslims.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Aga Khan’s will was read out by a lawyer in Lisbon, Portugal, where the hereditary office of the imam is headquartered. The will named the Aga Khan’s son, Prince Rahim Al-Hussaini, as the 50th hereditary imam.
“The community has embraced this for 1,400 years,” Dr. Moez Rajwani, the executive director of Toronto’s Ismaili Centre, told Canadian Affairs before the will was read out. “Change has been something that’s happened. He was our 49th Imam, and we will have a 50th Imam. As much as there’ll be a point of grieving, there will be another moment — the new imam who will work with us.”
Prince Karim Al-Hussaini became the 49th Aga Khan in 1957, when he was then just a 20-year-old student at Harvard University. Unexpectedly, his grandfather named Karim as his successor, passing over Karim’s father, Prince Aly Khan.
Early on, the young Aga Khan found himself bound for Canada, which welcomed thousands of Ismailis from Uganda, where they faced persecution under President Idi Amin. In 2010, the Aga Khan was named an honorary Canadian citizen by Prime Minister Stephen Harper — a move that recognized his longstanding relationship with Canada.
“He’s always found an alignment between Canadian values and the values of the [Ismaili] community,” said Rajwani. “As he spent more time in this country and with the members of the community, he saw a great alignment with a country that allowed people to practice their faith.”
For the 49th Aga Khan, Canada was the natural home of the Global Centre for Pluralism, which he established in Ottawa in 2006. In 2014, he founded the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, which is home to between 30,000 and 40,000 Ismailis. The Ismaili Centre is situated next door to the 130,000 sq. ft. museum, which cost an estimated $300 million to construct.
The Aga Khan, who lived like royalty, was “one of the world’s great philanthropists,” said Andy Harrington, executive director of Canadian Foodgrains Bank, a global hunger organization. “His generosity has benefited millions in great need in the world and improved the quality of life of so many, particularly in countries in Asia and Africa.”
The Aga Khan also led the Aga Khan Foundation Canada, which provides support for international development efforts around the world.
The foundation played an important role in convening and supporting the Canadian aid sector, says Richard Morgan, executive director of The Humanitarian Coalition, a coalition of 12 leading Canadian aid organizations. The foundation hosted conferences and brokered meetings “between representatives from aid groups and international leaders, funders and stakeholders in a way that few others do,” Morgan said.
“[The foundation] has been a force for good throughout the world,” said Harrington.
It “has been instrumental in improving food security, providing quality education, working for better health and nutrition and building sustainable development pathways for many of the world’s most vulnerable,” he said.
‘Supporters of refugees’
Nizari Shia Ismailis — the largest segment of Ismaili Muslims — believe the Aga Khan is the direct descendent of the Prophet Muhammad, through his daughter Fatima and his son-in-law Ali.
Influenced by Greek philosophy, the Ismailis emphasize the role of reason in understanding God and reality. They have a strong tradition of legal interpretation and a deep commitment to social justice.
Like many Shia Muslims, the Ismailis interpret the Quran, their principal religious text, in mystical and metaphorical ways.
Since their 1972 exodus from Uganda, Ismailis in Canada have involved themselves in sponsoring and settling refugees themselves. The Ismailis — like Catholics, Mennonites and other groups — have an agreement with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to privately sponsor refugees and provide for them while the newcomers adjust to life here. More than 70 per cent of sponsored refugees in Canada are sponsored and supported by a religious community.
“We’ve always been a welcoming community. So I wouldn’t say we’re just a refugee community,” said Rajwani. “For sure we have always been supporters of refugees.”
In addition to Uganda, today’s 120,000 Ismaili Canadians come from India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and most of the countries of central Asia. Ismailis are present throughout the United States, Europe and around the world.
من در پاکستان مهاجر هستم و در بسیار یک وضعیت دشوار میخوایم آقا خان به ما کمک کند ک از این وضعیت زود تر برایم