BY AMIR KARIM, THE GAZETTE FEBRUARY 28, 2014
The Aga Khan, hereditary Imam (spiritual leader) of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, delivered an address to the Canadian Parliament last Thursday at the invitation of Prime Minister Stephen Harper. It was a moment of great joy for me, and for all Shia Ismaili Muslims in Canada.
But many people in Montreal, Quebec or the rest of Canada may ask: Why is the Aga Khan receiving such a rare privilege, normally reserved for heads of state and other government leaders?
The relationship between the Aga Khan and Canada goes back four decades and eight different prime ministers. It all began in the early 1970s, when political and racial tensions in many African and Asian countries led to the arrival of a large number of Ismailis who settled in Canada. As a result of other waves of immigration, including of Ismailis who fled war-torn Afghanistan in the 1990s, there are now more than 100,000 Ismailis in Canada.
Ismailimail 