Vancouver Sun
Posted: 10 Jul 2007 08:58 PM CDT
Chantal Eustace, Vancouver Sun
Published: Tuesday, July 10, 2007
http://ismailimail.wordpress.com/2007/07/10/vancouver-ismailis-ready-to-celebrate-aga-khan/#more-1364


Vancouver Ismailis ready to celebrate Aga Khan

As a child growing up as a refugee in Uganda, Roshan Thomas said she relied on her Ismaili Muslim spiritual leader for her education, health care and well-being.

On the eve of the Aga Khan’s golden jubilee, Thomas said, she feels it is important to look back with gratitude.

“Everything I am stems from what this imam and his predecessor did for me,” said Thomas, in an interview from her Vancouver home. “For me, it’s a time of reflection.”

On Wednesday, Thomas and her family will join about 15,000 Ismaili Muslims at BC Place to commemorate the Aga Khan’s 50 years of leadership.

There will be prayers, dancing, performances - even a broadcast message from the Paris-based philanthropist himself.

The celebration is just part of the way people will pay respects to the Aga Khan.

“This day is a commemoration, it’s a very important event but the community is all about action,” she said. “We’re not just about celebrating one event, but the significance and the impact it has on our lives is actually expressed by the work that we do.”

The Aga Khan - born Prince Karim in 1936 - has inspired her with his teachings, said Thomas, who operates a school for widows and children in Afghanistan.

“We all need an inspiration in our lives and his highness has been that for me.”

Her two oldest children are paying homage to the Aga Khan by taking time out of their university studies to volunteer in developing countries.

“For us the celebration will go on a little bit longer,” she said, adding it is not just about giving things away, or charity.

“We don’t consider it charity . . . because charity is when you just give handouts,” Thomas said, of the Ismaili interpretation of the Islamic faith. “It is more about giving a helping hand to enable people to emerge out of poverty.”

Thomas is one of about 15 million Ismaili Muslims worldwide - 20,000 of whom call Vancouver home.

The Aga Khan is considered by Ismailis to be a direct descendant of Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Mohammed.

As chairman of the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development, he oversees one of the world’s largest aid and cultural organizations, spending more than $300 million US a year on schools, universities and hospitals in the Third World.

“Being the leader of the Ismaili community is not only a spiritual role, but it is also a material role,” said Iqbal Ahmed, a spokesman for Vancouver’s Ismaili Muslim community. “His responsibility is to not only interpret the faith for the Ismailis but also to look after the material aspects of life for the community, improving the quality of life - not only for the Ismailis but also for the societies in which the [Ismaili] community lives.”

Last year in Vancouver, the Ismaili Walk for Kids raised $350,000 for the United Way. And the World Partnership Walk, a cross-county initiative led by the Aga Khan Foundation Canada, raised $1.5 million toward fighting global poverty.

“Basically he told us to be good Canadian citizens, participate in the fabric of society, give back to the community,” Ahmed said.

Wednesday’s event will be very exciting, said local Ismaili, Farid Damji.

“It’s a significant milestone for the community in terms of commemorating and celebrating 50 years of leadership,” Damji said. “It will be a day that will involve a time of reflection, a time of prayer and a time of celebration.”

When Thomas thinks about the way the Aga Khan helped her, she said, she feels a good deal of emotion.

Her parents fled persecution in India in 1947, she said, and they received aid from Ismaili charities. As a child in Uganda, she said, she relied on Aga Khan agencies. Now it’s her turn to give back, she said.

“When I look at my own life and my parents were refugees from India, and here I am venturing into a totally foreign country like Afghanistan to start a school,” she said. “This is the kind of motivation and courage and encouragement that he gives us.”

But in the Ismaili community, Thomas said, she is a “very ordinary person.” Why?

“The ethics of giving is very, very big.”