“What we dedicate today is what we identify as an Ismaili Centre — a building that is focused around our Jamatkhana, but which also includes many secular spaces. These are places where Ismailis and non-Ismailis, Muslims and non-Muslims, will gather for shared activities — seminars and lectures, recitals and receptions, exhibitions and social events. These meeting halls and lounges, work offices and conference rooms will serve the organisational needs of the Ismaili community. But they will also, we trust, be filled with the sounds of enrichment, dialogue and warm human rapport, as Ismailis and non-Ismailis share their lives in a healthy gregarious spirit!
And soaring above it all is the great crystalline dome that you have observed, through which light from the prayer hall will provide a glowing beacon, symbolising the spirit of enlightenment that will always be at the heart of the Centre’s life…..I know that all of you will also share my profound wish that the Centre will now prolong, decade after decade, its beautiful legacy of friendship and enlightenment.”
Extracts from Mawlana Hazar Imam’s speech at the opening of the Ismaili Centre, Toronto, September 12, 2014
Read complete speech at The Ismaili
Ismailimail 