Calgary: The University of Calgary, one of Canada’s most esteemed universities, conferred Prince Karim Aga Khan, the spiritual leader of the Shia Ismaili Muslim Community, with a Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, in recognition of his exceptional contributions to humanity.
The conferral of an honorary Doctor of Laws is the highest academic award given by the University and reserved for the most select individuals who have made extraordinary achievements in community, national, and international services. University President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Elizabeth Cannon paid tribute to the Aga Khan’s achievements at a special conferral ceremony that included University supporters and various notable leaders from across the country.
“In the great chain of thinkers, those who encapsulate the poetry and vision of human reason, His Highness has fostered social justice as a dream that all yearn to achieve. He stands as a living legend, a model for every conscience,” remarked President Cannon reading the citation.
She further described the Aga Khan as “a living manifestation of how we must work together to support human advancement, at home and around the world”. Against this backdrop, President Cannon noted that the award of this academic distinction recognises “the friendship, partnership, and the spiritual example of His Highness the Aga Khan, the Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims”.
President Cannon also expressed admiration for the scope and impact of the Aga Khan’s’ work through the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) describing the Network as “his tangible way of bringing together faith and action, actively seeking solutions to hunger, poverty, illiteracy and ill-health”.
The Aga khan will also receive honorary Doctors of Laws degrees from the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University in an unprecedented and historic joint conferral ceremony in Vancouver on 19 October 2018.
