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“Communities are built on common interest, shared histories, need for information, the desire for connection and for a safe place to disagree,” said Professor Stephen J. Toope, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of British Columbia, speaking at the Ismaili Centre, Burnaby, on Tuesday, 31 January 2012.

Praising Mawlana Hazar Imam for his passionate articulation of pluralism and his call to action, President Toope suggested that for students, it is through individual experience and learning – not only about themselves, but others – that they encounter people whose views and backgrounds differ from their own. A university education, he suggested, can be a “transformative experience.” Students need to be able to build successful networks and collaborations that are diverse and global in order to pragmatically understand and experience pluralism.

President Toope emphasised that creating an environment that fosters “global citizens” is crucial to seeing pluralism in action: “We transform ourselves into citizens, and that transformation is sustained by a recognition, that, as moral beings, we are here to help one another. That we cannot set someone outside our circle, we cannot turn our back on someone less fortunate than ourselves without in some way compromising ourselves and our own humanity.”

The inaugural Ismaili Centre Lecture in Burnaby was attended by civil society leaders, members of academia, and representatives from the government and diplomatic corps. Azim Verjee

President Toope's address marked the inauguration of The Ismaili Centre Lectures, a series of intellectually stimulating speaker-based events held at the Centre. The lectures encourage exchange and mutual understanding between diverse peoples, communities and faiths, while broadening intellectual horizons and fostering an appreciation of pluralism.

Speaking at the Foundation Ceremony of the Ismaili Centre, Burnaby in 1982, Mawlana Hazar Imam expressed a vision for the Centre: “This will be a place of congregation, of order, of peace, of prayer, of hope, of humility, and of brotherhood. It has been conceived and will exist in a mood of friendship, courtesy, and harmony... it is my hope, a very deep hope, that it will become a symbol of a growing understanding in the West of the real meaning of Islam.”

The Ismaili Centre Lectures aim to raise consciousness on issues of universal importance and relevance through dialogue and community engagement. Commencing the programme, Ismaili Council for Canada President Mohammed Manji welcomed guests to the Ismaili Centre.

Ismaili Council for Canada President Mohammed Manji presents UBC President Stephen J. Toope with a gift – the Bismillah Whale by Sherazad Jamal. Azim Verjee

“Today is a very special day for us, as it marks the launch of the Ismaili Centre Lectures, and continues a long-standing tradition within Islam of bringing people together to share knowledge and wisdom,” said President Manji to an audience that included leaders of civil society, members of academia, and representatives from the government and diplomatic corps. “In today's world, gatherings and dialogues are more important than ever before, and we must continue to know one another and celebrate our shared values.”

An international Law scholar, President Toope's academic interests include public international law, legal theory, human rights, international dispute resolution, and family law. He continues to conduct research on many aspects of international law including human rights and culture, and the origins of international obligation in international society.

President Toope said that universities have a role in developing human potential through what he described as the “twin lenses” of pluralism and pragmatism. “A university should be the place where students, staff, faculty, and alumni begin to discover both the common humanity and the deep difference between them, and where it's safe enough to explore the discomfort and the vulnerability inherent in such encounters. It should be the place where open, authentic engagement with people whose appearance or customs or worldviews are different from ours becomes a habitual practice, part of our daily lives.”

UBC President Stephen J. Toope receives a standing ovation at the Ismaili Centre, Burnaby. Azim Verjee

“It is the task of our lives to find out [what our potential is], and to help others to do the same,” said President Toope. “And it is the task of our universities along with our partners to create, together, a global community of practice in which that may happen – for our students, staff, and scholars, and for all of the people we serve. The time for the best of deeds has come.”