Salima Tejpar-Dang | 09 July 2017 | Canada

The Future Is Here

As Canada celebrates its 150th anniversary of Confederation, it is emerging as a beacon among industrialized countries whilst the rest of the world seems to be losing its bearings. 

The country is taking on the daunting challenges of poverty alleviation, national reconciliation, climate change and immigration, to name just a few.

Canada is a country that is constantly transforming itself for the betterment of its people. The future is here. The process of integration that welcomed us Ismailis, as we fled the brutality of the Idi Amin regime in Uganda in the early 70s and made us proud Canadian Ismailis, has been honed to cope with the massive arrival of Syrians fleeing the horrors of war. These refugees bring with them a five- thousand year old civilization, which is showcased at the Aga Khan Museum’s groundbreaking exhibition – Syria: A Living History. These newcomers will hugely enrich Canada’s already remarkable diversity, and contribute to stimulating the Canadian economy in the long run.

However, the challenges to the integration process should not be underestimated. In his address after accepting the inaugural Adrienne Clarkson Prize for Global Citizenship in September 2016, Mawlana Hazar Imam discussed the complexities of today’s world and their impact on pluralistic attitudes. He said that we should “respect our differences” instead of ignoring them and integrate diversity, not depreciate it. He suggested six values that he believed contribute to the ideals of global citizenship: a sense of balance, the capacity for compromise, patience, humility, forgiveness, and a genuine welcoming of human difference.

Canada has started the process of integration with its multicultural policy, and Ismailis are proud to have made Canada their home. Our community is now a visible part of mainstream Canadian society with architectural creations dotting city landscapes, fundraising for different causes as well as individual contributions as illustrated through our stories in this issue.