W hen Naheed Nenshi was recently elected mayor of Calgary, much was made nationally and internationally of the fact he was the first Muslim mayor of a major Canadian city.
And that focused attention on the new mayor's faith connection. Many people were not aware of the Ismaili Muslim faith tradition, but it has been an important part of the community in Calgary for decades.
Dr. Habib Kurwa, a dermatologist and associate professor at the University of Calgary's medical school, says there are about 10,000 Ismaili Muslims in the city and that number has grown with the city's population. "There is a strong ethic of volunteerism and giving time to strengthen society," he says.
Kurwa says the first members of the community came in the 1960s as some professionals from the United Kingdom and Asia initially made the journey to Calgary. The larger group from East Africa followed in the 1970s because of the politics at that time in their home countries.
Dr. Habib Kurwa, an Ismaili who is an associate professor at the U of C, says one of the key elements of his faith is "to give of your time, your knowledge and your means to the betterment of the community."
In 1990s, there were Ismailis who came from Central Asia.
Like all Muslims, the Ismailis believe the Prophet Muhammad was the last and final prophet of Allah (God), and that the Holy Qur'an, Allah's final message to mankind, was revealed through him. Muslims hold this revelation to be the culmination of the message that had been revealed through other prophets of the Abrahamic tradition before the Prophet Muhammad, including Abraham, Moses and Jesus, all of whom Muslims revere as prophets of Allah.
In common with the other Shiite Muslims, the Ismailis affirm that after the death of the Prophet Muhammad, his cousin and son-in-law, Ali, became the first imam (spiritual leader) of the Muslim community.
Ismailis believe that this spiritual leadership, known as the Imamat, continues through the hereditary line of Ali and his wife Fatima, the prophet's daughter. His Highness the Aga Khan is the 49th Imam of the Ismaili Muslims.
The Shiite Imami Ismaili Muslims, generally known as the Ismailis, live in more than 25 countries around the globe, mainly in Central and South Asia, Africa and the Middle East, as well as in Europe, North America and Australia.
There are 15 to 20 million around the world and about 100,000 in Canada. Locally, the community congregates at five Jamatkhanas, or community centres, in the city. They are places of worship, places for community work and places where the community engages with the wider community. The largest one is off of Deerfoot Trail and McKnight Boulevard -- a building that architecturally reflects the mountains, says Kurwa.
"One of the key elements is to give of your time, your knowledge and your means to the betterment of the community. And that's the wider community -- if you like, the principle is 'a rising tide raises all boats.'
"His Highness has always guided the community to engage in strengthening the wider community through volunteerism. So you see the community engaged with agencies like United Way, Habitat for Humanity."
Kurwa says in the Shiite tradition of Islam, it is the mandate of the Imam of the time to be concerned with the spiritual advancement of his community, as well as to improve the quality of life of the community in general.
The Aga Khan has emphasized the view of Islam as a thinking, spiritual faith: one that teaches compassion, tolerance and pluralism and that upholds the dignity of man, adds Kurwa.
The local Ismailis have played significant roles in Calgary over the years with their volunteer work for various organizations. The Ismaili community has also entered a float in the Calgary Stampede Parade for the past 25 years and hosts a Stampede Breakfast annually at the Ismaili Jamatkhana and Centre.
mtoneguzzi@calgaryherald.com
© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald
Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/life/Community+work+part+Ismailis+faith/3787649/story.html#ixzz14g6cGJua
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