On July 11, 2014, we celebrate the 57th anniversary of the Imamat of our beloved Mawlana Hazar Imam. The Council for Ontario, ITREB Ontario, Jamati, Majalis, and Campus Mukhi Sahebs, Kamadia Sahebs, Mukhiani Sahebas and Kamadiani Sahebas, and all Jamati Institutions extend our warmest felicitations and Mubarakis to the entire Jamat on this happy occasion.

On Imamat Day, we celebrate Mawlana Hazar Imam’s accession to the Ismaili Imamat. We take this opportunity to express our shukhrana for the blessings we have had in Mawlana Hazar Imam’s guidance in helping the Jamat navigate the enormous social, political and economic changes around the globe over the past 57 years.

In Ontario, we have had a busy few months. Our recent ISTAR 2014 celebrations highlighted the achievements of our exemplary students, including four Ontario winners who ranked amongst the top students nationally. We also celebrated International Women’s Day with two keynote speakers, Senator Mobina Jaffer and entrepreneur Rosemin Manji, who in their unique ways apply the principles of pluralism, cultural diversity and gender equality in their daily lives.  In addition, an all-party panel of federal representatives inspired the Jamat in a civic engagement event. Through the 2014 Gold Cup Tournament, 1,160 players and approximately 2,000 Jamati members came together to participate and spectate.  And we are particularly proud of the Ismaili cricketers, who through their spring tournament, raised $10,000 for the Go Green Cricket initiative in the Wynford Drive neighborhood, as a contribution towards a new $2 million cricket ground at Valley Park Middle School. They also raised funds for The Scarborough Hospital’s Cancer Care program by participating in The Scarborough Hospital Foundation's Scarborough World Cup of Cricket tournament. We hope that our cricketers will continue the spirit of giving back that started with the 10k Run in Ontario many years ago. We are also proud of the members of the Jamat who stepped up to volunteer for various political candidates in the last provincial election.

As the Bait-ul Ilm (BUI) school year comes to an end, we would also like to recognize the wonderful work of over 800 BUI leadership, teachers, parents and volunteers who run our BUI centres across Ontario supporting close to 3,000 students. We urge parents to register their children for BUI for the upcoming school year, and Jamati members to volunteer as teachers and make a difference in shaping the future of our children.

In early spring, we launched several seminar series, webinar lectures and interactive discussions to share knowledge with the Jamat on the Ismaili Centre Toronto, the Aga Khan Museum and their Park. These included a presentation by Council for Canada President Malik Talib, which was live cast to 22 Jamatkhanas, as well as one by Henry Kim, Director of the Aga Khan Museum, which was live cast to 13 Jamatkhanas. As we eagerly await the opening of these beautiful new initiatives, we should continue to seek out and better understand how these projects will foster relationships across faith and cultures and create a better understanding of Islam locally, nationally and internationally. We take this opportunity to recognize the hard work and dedicated services of our waezeens in the critical role they have played and will continue to play in the engagement of the Jamat with these initiatives.

We thank the Ontario Jamat for coming together to celebrate Imamat Day Khushiali across the various Jamatkhanas on June 21, 2014.  During this year’s Khushiali, as part of our continual focus on improving the quality of life of our Jamat, volunteer teams delivered Khushiali meals to seniors living in long-term care homes. We convey our sincere appreciation and gratitude to the many donors for their support, and to the volunteers for their hard work, creativity, and passion in making the Khushiali celebrations a momentous occasion for the Ontario Jamat.  As one Jamat, we stand together to celebrate our strength but also to make sure that the vulnerable members of our Jamat are supported in their time of need. Help is always available from your Jamati Mukhi Kamadia Sahebs, Mukhiani Kamadiani Sahebas, Institutional leaders or our Social Support Services 24-hour access line at 1-888-722-5555.

On this Imamat Day, let us reaffirm our allegiance and gratitude to Mawlana Hazar Imam for his benevolence and guidance, and renew our commitment to the ethics of the faith. We pray for unity, barakat, good health, safety, and spiritual and material success for all of the Jamat worldwide, and we remember those who are no longer with us, and pray that their souls rest in eternal peace. Ameen.

IMAMAT DAY MUBARAK

Sheherazade Hirji
President, Council for Ontario

Nurez Jiwani
Chairman, ITREB Ontario

Afzal Murji
Mukhisaheb, Headquarters Jamatkhana