From: The Encyclopedia of Canada's Peoples/Ismailis/Milton Israel
Balancing the maintenance of religious and social traditions with full participation in the life of the larger society has always been a major challenge for Ismailis. The late-nineteenth-century migration of community members to Africa and eventually to Europe and North America enhanced the difficulties, as has the imam’s patronage of progressive changes in the roles that women and young people play in community life. Arranged marriages are an exception among Ismailis and have been so for more than a generation. There has also been a steady increase in the number of mixed marriages. The old solidarity of extended family life has been only partially replicated in Canada and for many does not exist at all. The ordinary problems of marriage, business, and social relations that would have formerly been resolved within the family are now often dealt with by community conciliation and arbitration boards, first established in 1987, at both the national and local levels. Confidential advice on dispute resolution is provided by volunteer professionals.
More than 14 percent of Canadian Ismailis are over sixty years of age, and those responsible for the health and welfare of the community have developed a range of initiatives to meet the needs of these individuals. The largest concentration of Ismaili seniors is in Metropolitan Toronto, where the community has contributed to a seniors’ health centre at the North York General Hospital and a meals-on-wheels program. A variety of other services are also available to community members. Advice and information regarding marital issues, parenting, financial security, youth development, and ageing, as well as short-term financial assistance, are considered part of the community’s responsibilities. Children’s camps and scout groups have been established, and the first International Ismaili Sports Festival in the Western world was held at York University in Toronto in July 1993. Young participants from Canada, the United States, and Britain, competed for prizes and shared their common Ismaili heritage.
Another project reflecting the community’s emphasis on corporate social responsibility was its sponsorship of the Jubilee Gardens Housing Project in Toronto. Completed in 1992, this development provides affordable housing for Ismailis as well as others. For newly arrived immigrants, a National Settlement Committee arranges for host families to resolve immediate problems and refer individuals to agencies both within and outside the community that will facilitate their initial integration into Canadian life.
The humanitarian concerns of the Ismaili imamat transcend communal or denominational bounds. The Aga Khan Development Network is a group of institutions concerned with education, health, economic development, and culture in Asia and Africa. Central to this enterprise is the Aga Khan Foundation, a major nongovernment organization that cooperates with more than thirty national and international agencies. Although the foundation is based in France, Ismailis in Canada and throughout the world play various roles in facilitating its work.
The Aga Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan, is a centre for innovative development and training in education and health care. It has entered into academic partnerships with the universities of Oxford and Toronto to plan and operate an Institute of Educational Development. From this initiative, the first professional development centre for teacher training has now been established in Karachi. In addition, Aga Khan Educational Services sponsors three hundred childcare centres and primary and secondary schools in the developing world. In the area of health services, the Aga Khan University’s health sciences faculty is involved in a range of programs in cooperation with Harvard, McGill, and McMaster universities. The McMaster partnership is particularly concerned with the training of women health professionals and is funded by the Canadian International Development Agency. Aga Khan Health Services manages hospitals, clinics, maternity homes, and primary health-care programs in Kenya, Tanzania, Pakistan, and India. Many of these and other support programs were originally established for members of the Ismaili community, and some of them date from the late nineteenth century. The new initiatives have been built on this base to serve others in need.
The Aga Khan network also includes the Fund for Economic Development, which provides industrial promotion and venture capital to companies in Asia and Africa, as well as in Canada and Britain. There is also a trust for culture. The Aga Khan Award for Architecture recognizes high achievement in Islamic architecture, an aspect of a broader interest in the revival of traditional Islamic arts and crafts. The Historic Cities Support Program has designated a number of sites for preservation. In addition, a program for Islamic architecture has been established at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Ismailis around the world are connected to this work through the imam. The Aga Khan Foundation Canada plays an advisory and planning role with non-government organizations and sponsors an annual fund-raising Partnership Walk. In 1993 a total of $1,500,000 was raised in ten cities across Canada to support health programs in Kenya, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, and Tajikistan.
Shiite Imami Ismailis are a Muslim religious community that over twelve centuries has developed its own interpretation of faith within Shiism. It is also a distinctive community that supports cooperation and solidarity among its members while encouraging their integration as citizens of Canada and a number of countries throughout the world.
