The Aga Khan says he knows his work will never end because humans are not natural pluralists, and the value of pluralism must be inculcated anew in each generation.
But its rewards of peace, material progress, and social unity are worth the ongoing effort.
“Building and sustaining a pluralist society is always going to be a work in progress. It doesn’t have a finite end.”
Charles Enman , Canwest News Service
Published: Saturday, September 27, 2008
A middle power can only smile when a world leader says not only is small beautiful, but the particular small country in question is not just competitive with the rest of the world, but holds a leading spot.
The Aga Khan, leader of millions of Ismaili Muslims around the world, says that and more about Canada in his latest book.
“Canada has an experience of governance of which much of the world stands in dire need,” he writes in Where Hope Takes Root: Democracy and Pluralism in an Interdependent World, published here by Douglas & McIntyre.
Canada, he argues, has done a superlative job in bringing peoples of disparate race, ethnicity and religion together.
With people moving easily around the world today, there are more collisions between different groups than ever before. The result is “a world of increasing dissension and conflict, in which different ethnic, tribal, religious or social groups have often failed to search for, and agree upon, a common space for harmonious coexistence,” he writes.
But for Canada, inclusiveness has always been a necessary starting point because of its three founding peoples – the First Nations, the French and the British.
All nations, but particularly those in the developing world, need several forms of instruction: First, in pluralism, the set of arrangements in which distinct groups find a place and are tolerated within a society, but also in how to build a strong civil society.
The Aga Khan quotes former prime minister Paul Martin on the subject: “One of the distinct way in which Canada can help developing nations is to provide the expertise and experience of Canadians in justice, in federalism, in pluralistic democracy.”
Related:
Where Hope Takes Root – By: His Highness The Aga Khan
Where Hope Takes Root made it to the top 10 bestselling non-fiction books in Canada
New Book ‘Where Hope Takes Root’ is now available
The Aga Khan’s Adoring Message to Canada
Why the world needs more Canada – Muslim leader – (His Highness the Aga Khan) gives us high marks in new book
Ismailimail 
PLURALISM AND TOLERANCE
The unity of mankind
And the inherent diversity
Was revealed by Allah
He warned us to be mindful
Of our duty to Him
He created us from a single Soul
And from it He created
A multitude of men and women
A vast diversity within individual
Faiths and cultures
Understand O man that PLURALISM
Can be healthy and enriching
Respect individual conscience
A gift from God
Have a posture of humility before the Divine
Accept your own human limits so that
You can see the other as a fellow seeker of truth
Find common ground in our common quest
Animosities are born out of fear
Confident generosity born out of hope
Therefore replace your fear by hope
The single most effective
Trampoline to progress
When hope takes root
A new level of tolerance is achieved
Forget the clash of civilizations
Put an end to the clash of religions
Drive out the clash of ignorance
Destroy the fragmenting impulse
The fraying of society
Build on a strong culture of TOLERANCE
Follow your profound impulse
To bridge divisions
Become more secure in your own identities
And thus more effective in reaching out to others
O mankind come together and work as one
Toward a better future
Use this sacred religious imperative
The virtue of tolerance
As a powerful positive force
To expand your horizons and enrich your lives
(Based on speech by Mawlana Hazir Imam)
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