INTRODUCED BY MALIK MERCHANT
Publisher/editor Barakah, Simerg and Simergphotos

“He is the 49th hereditary Imam of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims. He is a direct descendant of the Prophet Mohammed, peace be upon him, through the Prophet’s cousin and son-in-law Ali, the first Imam and his wife Fatima, the Prophet’s daughter…Through his words, through his actions, and through the results obtained by the institutions that he has pioneered, he is a beacon of light in much of the world’s conflicting darkness…He manifests the creative relationship of spiritual values and material concern which is unique in the world today…In his own being, His Highness encompasses the world.” — Excerpts from speeches by the Rt. Hon Adrienne Clarkson made on November 25, 2013 and September 21, 2016.

I was present at Koerner Hall in Toronto four years ago on Wednesday September 21, 2016 when Mawlana Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan, became the first recipient of the Adrienne Clarkson prize for Global Citizenship.

Being a member of the press in a cramped section, does not allow you to attend to every single proceeding that is underway, and I largely missed the introductory video that was presented by the Rt. Hon. Adrienne Clarkson, who had previously served from 1999-2005 as the 26th Governor General of Canada. It was only during a recent visit to the Aga Khan Museum’s Bellerive Room that I would admit I watched the entire video, fully engrossed in it because it encapsulates Mawlana Hazar Imam’s work so well in just six minutes! I welcome readers to watch this excellent video, which is presented below.

One thing that particularly struck me at the event was when Mawlana Hazar Imam defined what it takes for each one of us to be a Global Citizen. Here is a shortlist he presented for ALL of us:

1. A vital sense of BALANCE;
2. an abundant capacity for COMPROMISE;
3. more than a little sense of PATIENCE;
4. an appropriate degree of HUMILITY;
5. a good measure of FORGIVENESS; and
6. a genuine WELCOMING of HUMAN DIFFERENCE.

I think we can all be Global Citizens, if we sincerely work on these values.

Video on His Highness the Aga Khan

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Flashback to June 6, 2005: Presentation of Order of Canada Decoration to His Highness the Aga Khan

The following pictures are from June 6, 2005 when Canada’s 26th Governor General, the Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson, presented the Order of Canada decoration to His Highness the Aga Khan. The photographs were supplied to us by Rideau Hall’s photographer Sgt Eric Jolin. Some of the photos shown below appeared earlier on Barakah’s sister websites Simerg and Simergphotos.

Date posted: September 23, 2020.

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Before departing this website please take a moment to visit Barakah’s Table of Contents for links to more than 200 pieces dedicated to Mawlana Hazar Imam, his family and the Ismaili Imamat.

This website, Barakah, is a special project by http://www.Simerg.com and is dedicated to the textual and visual celebration of His Highness the Aga Khan and members of his family, as well as the Ismaili Imamat.