OTTAWA, Canada — The Aga Khan, spiritual leader of millions of Ismaili Muslims, says an international center to promote pluralism will be established in Ottawa.
The wealthy philanthropist, known for his support of development projects in poor Asian and African nations, said May 19 that Canada is an ideal place for a secular and nondenominational Global Center for Pluralism because of this country’s rich cultural mosaic and strong democratic tradition.
The center will conduct research and develop education programs, he said.
“Canada has established strong institutions to sustain her democracy, the cornerstone of which is your multifaceted, robust civil society,” he said in a speech at the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Gatineau, Quebec.
The Aga Khan, the 49th hereditary spiritual leader of Shia Ismaili Muslims, was the keynote speaker at the 2004 Governor General’s Canadian Leadership Conference.
Western political leaders, journalists and educators are often ignorant of the history and diversity of the Islamic world, he said. Western universities rarely feature great Muslim philosophers, scientists and writers and the West also is poorly informed about the origins of conflicts in the Middle East, Kashmir and Afghanistan.
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