Simerg is an independent initiative dedicated to Ismaili Muslims, the Aga Khan — their Hereditary Imam — and the Ismaili Imamat, and Islam in general through literary readings, photo essays and artistic expressions
Conceived and created by Nurin Merchant, this Navroz greeting incorporates roses and jasmine, which are extremely popular in Iran during Navroz. The base of the picture shows shoots of wheat grass, signifying robust evergreen health throughout the year..
Eid al-Fitr Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada, the Right Honourable Mark Carney
March 19, 2026 Ottawa, Ontario
“Tonight, Muslims in Canada and around the world will celebrate Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
Over the coming days, Muslims will gather with family and friends to enjoy feasts, exchange gifts, recite prayers, and reflect on the spiritual lessons of Ramadan. Before this sacred celebration starts, Muslims will give Zakat al-Fitr. This is an act of charity that reflects the spirit of generosity at the heart of Islam.
As Eid sheds light on the importance of community, unity, and faith, we are reminded that these values are embedded in the many contributions Canadian Muslims make to building a stronger, more resilient country.
I wish a blessed and happy Eid al-Fitr to all those celebrating. Eid Mubarak.”
Read the Prime Minister’s Eid al-Fitr statement at source in English HERE and in French HERE.
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Nowruz Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada, the Right Honourable Mark Carney
NOTE: The image of the haft-sin table is not part of the Prime Minister’s statement.
March 20, 2026 Ottawa, Ontario
“Nowruz – also known as the Persian New Year – marks the arrival of spring and the promise of renewal for millions of people in Canada and around the world, including Iranian, Kurdish, Afghan, and Central Asian communities.
Today, families and friends gather around the haft-sin table to share meals, read poetry, and welcome the year ahead with optimism. This is also a time when loved ones will pause to reflect on the moments over the year that brought them joy, and the people in their lives who made them special.
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To celebrate the new year, families gather around a specially prepared holiday table to make wishes for the coming months. Items on the haft sin table refer to new life and renewal. Haft sin table at the Freer|Sackler’s, 2013 Nowruz celebration. Photograph: Freer|Sackler staff photographer.
During this time of profound uncertainty for Canadians with ties to people and communities throughout the Middle East, this spirit of renewal and optimism is especially important. The moments that bring people together and deepen our sense of belonging can be a source of peace and stability.
Nowruz underscores the strength that comes from Canada’s diversity. The communities who celebrate Nowruz have helped build a more prosperous and resilient country.
I wish all those celebrating a happy Nowruz.
Har Ruz etan Nowruz, Nowruz etan Pyrouz.”
Read the Prime Minister’s Nowruz statement at source in English HERE. and in French HERE.
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Nowruz Message by the United Nations Secretary General, António Guterres
Click HERE for a video message by António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, on the International Day of Nowruz 2026. The text follows:
“Dear friends,
For more than 300 million people around the world, Nowruz represents renewal.
A new year.
A new spring.
A new chance to build bridges of understanding and mutual respect among all cultures and peoples.
In these difficult and divided times, the message of Nowruz is vital.
Its timeless values of diversity, dialogue, understanding and reconciliation represent a powerful path to achieving the peace, human rights and dignity that the United Nations works for each and every day.
The challenges faced by the human family are immense.
But Nowruz can be our guide.
Across all nations and cultures, let’s walk together as we build a more peaceful, sustainable and inclusive world for all people.
May this Nowruz bring joy, health, prosperity and peace”.
Read the Secretary General’s message at source HERE. Also, read a post on the history and significance of Nowruz on the UN website HERE.
Date posted: March 20, 2026. Last updated: March 21, 2026 (reformatting).
I am among the millions of Canadian who have received “Season’s Greetings” from the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, and his wife Sophie Grégoire Trudeau. Their message in a card filled with family photos reads: “Let’s cherish the bonds of love, family and friendship, near or far. We are one big Canadian family. We will have each other’s backs and hearts in the moments when it’s needed the most. We will pull through together!”
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau with members of his family. Credit: Greeting card issued by Justin Trudeau; collage prepared by Simerg / Malik Merchant.
I thank the Prime Minster for the greetings as well as for seeking to ease the burden for millions of Canadians who are living through one of the most challenging periods in the nation’s history. He has tried to work across party lines both federally and provincially as well as with mayors around the country to bring relief and hope during the Covid-19 pandemic. Through his spontaneous briefings, he has kept the country united. He has recognized the work of the front-end workers, whose spirit and dedication for our well-being during the pandemic will remain in our hearts forever.
The Aga Khan’s Messages
In addition to the Prime Minister’s message, within my own Ismaili community, His Highness the Aga Khan, or Mawlana Hazar Imam as we affectionately and respectfully address him, has sent us messages also known as Talikas, throughout the pandemic year. He has given is guidance, blessed us with his prayers and singled out volunteers for their extraordinary work, offering them his “best affectionate blessings.” In the latest message on the occasion of his 84th birthday which was celebrated on December 13, 2020 by millions of Ismailis, either remotely or in person in Jamatkhanas that were open, His Highness referred to the encouraging development of vaccines and asked his community members to “be guided by the advice and directives of their health authorities to benefit from the protection these vaccines will provide.” I am confident that the Ismaili community will seriously participate in the vaccination program. It was gratifying to watch the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, created by the husband-and-wife team of Dr. Ugur Sahin and Dr. Özlem Türeci, being administered to long-term care workers at the Ottawa Hospital’s civic campus on the morning of Tuesday, December 15, an occasion which prompted a visit from the Prime Minister.
Mawlana Hazar Imam Online?
In addition to the Talika’s that are now being read by Ismailis and non-Ismailis alike, my hope is that we will soon be able to hear and see the Imam speaking and addressing about the challenges that we have gone through, and on “building for the future from a position of strength and wisdom.” With Jamati visits now possibly a thing of the past for sometime to come, the digital media offers us the opportunity to see and hear the Imam at opportune times to make that connection even stronger. My own daughter, when she was a student some years ago, and other youth recognizing that Mawlana Hazar Imam cannot be travelling to every Jamat in the world on a regular basis, raised the possibility of the youth of the Jamat being particularly singled out and being spoken to by the Imam for his guidance on numerous aspects of their lives on an annual basis via an online platform. This interaction with their beloved Imam would help increase their awareness about their future responsibilities and paths to success, as well as their greater and more meaningful involvement with the Jamat and its institutions.
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A view of the Ismaili Jamatkhana dome across the ponds of the Aga Khan Park, with the sun setting in the west end of Toronto. A jet plane leaves a white trail in the sky and, in this photo, cloud cover does not provide a clear view of the crescent moon. See next photo.Photo: Simerg / Malik Merchant.
A Walk for Inspiration and Hope
Buoyed by the message of hope in Mawlana Hazar Imam’s most recent Talika and the Prime Minister’s greeting, I decided to walk over to my favourite place in the world — none other than the site of the Aga Khan Museum, the Ismaili Centre and the Aga Khan Park that has added value to my life over the past several months of the pandemic. The grounds were empty of people. There was a dusting of snow on the ground, while some parts of the USA had already seen several inches of snow. Armed with a compass, I knew the 3 day old new moon, still in its beautiful crescent state, was exactly above me but cloud cover prevented me from seeing it clearly. Patience is a good virtue to have, and we have all built that over the pandemic months.
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The crescent moon emerges from the clouds over the dome of the Toronto Headquarters Ismaili Jamatkhana located at 49 Wynford Drive. Photo: Malik Merchant / Simerg.
The Crescent Moon and Covid-19 Impacts
After about 30 minutes, as the clouds drifted away, the crescent moon came to my full view. Being in the earlier stages of development, the crescent moon reminded me of the blessed night of Chandraat (new moon night) that fell on Monday, December 14th, and which Mawlana Sultan Mahomed Shah, the 48th Imam, had told us would bring us spiritual peace and happiness. Some prayers on the blessed night of Chandraat are also dedicated to the souls of the deceased. That reminded me of Mawlana Hazar Imam’s Talika of December 11 for the occasion of his birthday in which he gave his best loving blessings for the souls of all his ruhani (deceased) spiritual children, and his prayers for the eternal peace and rest of their souls. My thoughts turned to the thousands of souls who have departed this world during the pandemic, most often without the presence of their families around them or not having ceremonies that they would normally have had.
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Scotia Bank building, at left of Aga Khan Museum, with Aga Khan Park ponds at foreground. Photo: Simerg / Malik Merchant.
Then, as I walked away from the Ismaili Centre towards the Aga Khan Museum, the Scotia Bank building with its red logo at the top came to my view. It raised my consciousness of the financial impact Covid-19 has had on the livelihood of millions of individuals and their families, as well as businesses.
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The Aga Khan Museum (left), the Ismaili Centre Jamatkhana dome, the crescent moon over highrises, and the flags of Canada, Ontario, Toronto and the Ismaili Imamat. Photo: Simerg / Malik Merchant.
As I began my homeward walk, I turned around and in a single shot captured the glory of nature, the iconic spaces that the Aga Khan has built in a country that values and respects diversity and pluralism, and the flags of Canada, the Province of Ontario, and the City of Toronto flying in unison, alongside the flag of the Ismaili Imamat.
And Greetings from Simerg
The Big Heech sculpture outside the Aga Khan Museum and the Toronto Headquarters Jamatkhana dome on the night of December 18, 2020. Photo: Simerg / Malik Merchant.
Thus with this small collection of photographs and messages of hope from the Aga Khan and the Prime Minister, the ingenuity of the human mind in developing a vaccine in record time, the dedication of front-line workers in alleviating the sufferings of millions upon millions of people, I send my SEASONS GREETINGS filled with hope to all Canadians as well as friends subscribers and supporters of Simerg and its sister websites Barakah and Simergphotos. My family joins me in wishing everyone happiness.
Date posted: December 18, 2020. Last updated: December 19, 2020 (new photo added).
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Before departing this website please take a moment to review Simerg’s Table of Contents for links to hundreds of thought provoking pieces on a vast array of subjects including faith and culture, history and philosophy, and arts and letters to name a few.
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Simerg’s Malik at Aga Khan Museum courtyard.
Malik Merchant is the founding publisher/editor of this website, Simerg (2009), as well as two other blogs Simergphotos (2012) and Barakah (2017). Formerly an IT consultant, he now dedicates his time to family projects and his 3 websites. He is the eldest son of Alwaez Jehangir Merchant (1928-2018) and Alwaeza Maleksultan Merchant who both served Ismaili Jamati institutions for several decades in Mozambique, Tanzania, Pakistan, the UK and Canada in both professional and honorary capacities as teachers and missionaries. Malik’s daughter, Dr. Nurin Merchant, assists him as an honorary editor of the three websites. She received her veterinary medicine degree with distinction from the Ontario Veterinary College (2019, University of Guelph) and now works as a veterinarian.
“Despair not of the Spirit of Allah. Lo! None despaireth of the Spirit of Allah save disbelieving folk.” (Holy Qur’an, Chapter 12, Verse 87).
The recent tragedy in Karachi, where dozens of innocent Ismailis were the subject of wanton violence is extremely disquieting. Besides questioning the humanity of our fellow citizens, it may serve to bring to the fore the insecurities of a people who have been subject to religious persecution in the past and are today, without exception, minorities in every single land they live in. As the Ismailis of Karachi (and of Pakistan in general) reflect on the aftermath of this terrible tragedy, perhaps it would natural for them to give in to despondency. This, however, should be cautioned against, for the following reasons.
Today, Ismaili Jamats globally unite in prayers and solidarity with their brethren of Karachi sending a strong message that their brethren are not just a forgotten minority in a big state, but an indivisible part of a strong global brotherhood. Equally, and no less significant, is the Imam’s global work and name, which has resulted in condemnation across the globe by world leaders, and which will ensure that this tragedy will not end up as just another footnote in an unending series of attacks on religious minorities in Pakistan. As K. N. Pandita says in a recent article:
“But given the international influence and reach of Prince Aga Khan and the great humanitarian works that his Foundation is doing in many parts of the world including Karachi, the massacre is bound to cause ripples in Pakistan politics. This is the reason why the Prime Minister of Pakistan and the Army chief both lost no time in flying into Karachi to take stock of things”. [1]
There is reason to hope that from this tragedy, and from the blood of innocents, a reaffirmation of the rights of religious minorities in Pakistan will result, Inshallah.
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