Thousands gather to celebrate Aga Khan at BC Place

The spiritual leader of the world's Ismaili Muslims, the Aga Khan, was in Vancouver Saturday and Sunday to celebrate his Diamond Jubilee at BC Place. (Photos by CTV Vancouver)

Thousands of Ismaili Muslims gathered at BC Place on Saturday to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of their spiritual leader, the Aga Khan.

“It’s a really joyous occasion for us,” said Khaleel Meghji, one of more than 5,000 volunteers who have been working for months to prepare for the Aga Khan’s visit.

British Columbia is home to roughly 20,000 Ismaili Muslims, who are part of a community that numbers 120,000 in Canada and more than 15 million worldwide.

The Aga Khan is their Imam, a hereditary spiritual leader directly descended from the Prophet Muhammad. He is also an honorary Canadian citizen, one of only six people to have been granted that honour, which was given in recognition of his philanthropic efforts around the world.

Volunteer Rahim Talib told CTV News that the Aga Khan “emphasized the importance of living the values of the faith,” including service, generosity, compassion, tolerance, and pluralism.

“I think that those values have great impact on us not just as Canadians or as Ismailis, but as Ismaili-Canadians because those values are the values of Canada,” Talib said.