Malik Talib
Mr. Malik Talib, the President of His Highness the Aga Khan Shia Imami Ismaili Council for Canada, along with the Chairmen of the Ismaili Tariqah and Religious Education Board (Dr. Kabir Jivraj), Grants and Review Board (Mr. Amir Lakhani), and Conciliation and Arbitration Board (Mr. Karim Sunderji), and the Mukhi of Darkhana Jamatkhana (Mr. Zahir Bhatia) issued the following message through the Canadian Ismaili community’s special newsletter edition of “Al-Akhbar,” as tens of thousands of Ismailis gathered in jamatkhanas across the country to observe the historic 80th birthday or Salgirah of Mawlana Shah Karim al-Hussaini Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan on December 13. The celebrations will continue late into the week with special cultural events, voices from the jamat and video presentations.
COMMON ALLEGIANCE TO MAWLANA HAZAR IMAM UNITES ISMAILI MUSLIMS IN PURPOSE AND VISION
Mawlana Hazar Imam pictured at the 1998 darbar held in Lisbon, Portugal.
Institutional Message to the Canadian Jamat
This is a historic event for our Jamat. No part of our lives has been untouched by the work and dedication of Mawlana Hazar Imam. For the Jamat in Canada, our very presence here and all of the opportunities afforded to us, have been made possible by the singular concern of our Imam for our material and spiritual well-being.
The spirit of frontierless brotherhood and sisterhood that has helped the community weather many storms springs from a common allegiance to our Imam, uniting us in purpose and vision.
The volume and quality of initiatives established and sustained by the office of the Imamat are staggering. More importantly, these have improved the well-being of millions.
In light of all with which we have been blessed, what can we give back? Perhaps the most powerful form of gratitude would be a re-commitment to the principles of our faith and many of the efforts to which they give rise:
- Attending to our spiritual lives in a world increasing concerned with material well-being as the sole objective of life;
- Improving the quality of life of the Jamat and the communities in which we live;
- Strengthening community and family ties amidst the challenges of modern living;
- Enhancing our understanding of our faith and our ability to articulate the peaceful, compassionate message of Islam;
- Promoting pluralism in a world that seems ever more fragmented.
As we approach Canada’s 150th birthday and look forward to commemorating the Diamond Jubilee, it is our hope and prayer that the coming months will be a time of excitement, fulfillment, renewal and happiness.
To all our volunteers and donors who unconditionally and generously commit their time and resources, we sincerely express our special thanks and gratitude.
We offer our humble shukrana to our beloved Mawlana Hazar Imam for his continued guidance, and pray for peace and stability for the Jamats living in difficult circumstances and for our collective good health, faith, prosperity, success and unity. Ameen.
Date posted: December 14, 2016.
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Simerg - Insights from Around the World 
Mubaraki to all brother and sister Ismailis and to Ismaili leadership world-wide on this landmark birthday of our beloved Hazar Imam, which, as Malik Merchant has observed, makes Mawlana Hazar Imam to be the oldest person to be on the throne of the Ismaili Imamat through the ages. His energy is already of legendary proportions and he still devotes that to the upliftment of the Ismaili jamat and the poor throughout the world.
The message from the leadership of the Canadian jamat is very eloquent. It’s a universal message and I wish there was a joint message world-wide. But I was struck by the Canada context in the reference to “our very presence here and all of the opportunities afforded to us, have been made possible by the singular concern of our Imam for our material and spiritual well-being.” By that we all know the message is harking back to Hazar Imam’s role in negotiating a solution to the Uganda Asian expulsion crisis, 1972, with his friend Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau. That role will no doubt be acknowledged specifically at the Government of Canada level at Mawla's Diamond Jubilee next year. Similar will be the case in Uganda for being on the "sending" side of this sad-beginning/happy-ending saga.
In looking forward to the Diamond Jubilee let us pray for peace on the Muslim world. I was struck in reading http://www.IsmailiGnosis.com coverage of the birthday, how many of our Imams are buried in Salamiya, Syria, itself. We recall the love Prince Aly Khan had for that city reciprocated by its people and by the government of Syria. How he rushed out at mid-July 1957 to proclaim to the Ismailis there that the new Imam was his beloved son Prince Karim al-Husayni! His mausoleum is there. We pray for peace on Syria and pray that Hazar Imam's role is recognized by the Nobel Peace Committee.
I wholeheartedly agree with you that Hazar Imam should be recognised by the Nobel Peace Committee.