Canada - Friday Night Reflections (English)

With Friday Night Reflections on pause for the summer, we bring you the first episode of Summer Reflections, a look back at some of the best of recent programming. We kick off our first week with a retrospective on fifty years of the Ismaili community's settlement in Canada. Keep your chai and nastho ready, as we watch an encore presentation of "Canada, Our Home.

This week, we reflect on how we can help to build a better country for all. Marking the anniversary of the country's creation and reflecting on recent events that highlight how it remains a work in progress, Member of Parliament for Parkdale-High Park Arif Virani offers a perspective on how we can each serve our home in ways that advance the values of justice, pluralism and inclusion. Building upon Mawlana Hazar Imam's guidance on the importance of strengthening democracy and ensuring a robust civil society, we will hear from special guests on how they are contributing to a better Canada.

From Mombasa to Maputo to Hyderabad and beyond, the Aga Khan Academies have begun to realize an enduring vision for primary and secondary education: to provide outstanding students with an outstanding education, rooted in a commitment to service, pluralism, and integrity. This week, Aga Khan Academy (AKA) graduate Anoushka Rajan recounts her own transformative experience at the Mombasa campus and sits down with founding and current AKA Directors Salim Bhatia and Dr. Graham Ranger to explore the remarkable journey of the Academies to date and catch a glimpse into what a worldwide network of Academies, from Nairobi to Bishkek to Damascus, will mean for the future. We end as always with Musical Expressions to refresh and renew.

This Friday, join three generations of the Jinnah and Premji family as they consider these questions and the concept of Aging in Place. Hosts Roshan Jinnah, Nazirah Premji, and Zahra Premji explore the importance of planning to ensure healthy, active, and happy lives. President Ameerally Kassim-Lakha will announce a new partnership with the United Way – launching the Aging in Place tool, a self-guided tool for families to plan their future. Always Karim Gulamali will provide insight into how our faith guides us to prepare for the future. We will hear from members of the Jamat on how they have navigated life transitions with their family, and we will get an understanding of the new Aging in Place tool with its creator Kahir Lalji, the executive director of the United Way for the Southern Interior of BC. The evening ends, as usual, with Musical Expressions.

Journalist Farah Nasser joins The Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson, 26th Governor General of Canada, to reflect on the roots of racism and sectarianism, and point the way to a more just and peaceful future. Also included are a special message by President Ameerally Kassim-Lakha and insights by Alwaeza Dr. Taslim Alani-Verjee.

Why and how do Jamatkhanas hold such a central and cherished place in the life of a murid? What is the significance of congregational prayer? How do we continue to ensure that we embrace the gift of the Jamatkhana as a means towards personal and spiritual fulfillment? Host Marline Aizouki and special guest Alwaez Karim Jiwani reflect on these questions as Jamatkhanas start to re-open in Canada. Jamati voices comment on what they missed, and what Jamatkhana means to them and musical expressions remind us of our strength in unity.

Host Huse Madhavji, Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi, Council for BC President Samir Manji, and FOCUS Canada's Aysha Rajwani discuss the resilience of the human spirit, the risk of natural disasters, and the steps we can take to migitage the resulting suffering and devastation.

Join host Zulekha Nathoo this Friday as we sit down to hear some of the unique and inspiring stories from multi-faith family members in our Jamat. Always Karim Thomas, Vice President of the Council for Canada, joins us to share reflections on how we can continue to build a more inclusive community, and embrace a cosmopolitan ethic in our daily lives. As always we will conclude the evening with some musical expressions to refresh and renew.

Learn along with host Ziyana Vasaya as Chef Ali Jadavji teaches us to make Kadahi Chicken and Skillet Naan. This is followed by a trivia competition, The Ultimate Mind Challenge: Post-Sec edition and ends with a classic music party featuring old favorites performed by Jawani.

This week on Friday Night Reflections, join us for an important conversation about how we can better cope with the stresses and strains of life in difficult times, and support our loved ones to do the same. Join host Aliya Noorani in conversation with psychotherapist Alwaeza Dr. Saira Sabzaali as they explore how we can help ourselves and others bust the stigma around mental health and illness, and speak more openly and honestly about the feelings and emotions that we all face.

This week on Friday Night Reflections, we will cap off Earth Month with a special show reflecting on our responsibility toward nature. Host Aliya-Jasmine Sovani will be our guide as we explore the intersection between our community and the environment. Alwaeza Hamida Babool will explore the guidance embedded in our faith in our responsibility towards creation. We will meet members of the Jamat who are making an impact to improve our planet through their work. We will conclude by learning about what changes the Jamati Institutions are making to improve their environmental footprint.

Friday Night Reflections caps off National Volunteer Week with a special show honoring our volunteers. Host Salima Remtulla is joined by the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia, the Honourable Janet Austin, and the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, the Honourable Salma Lakhani, for an inspiring conversation on the meaning of service, its importance to us and our communities, and how we can continue to stay motivated during these overwhelming times. Following this inspiring discussion, hear from volunteers across the country about their experiences and what keeps them driven to volunteer their time and knowledge, and end with a Family Challenge game show where volunteers from the East face off against the West to settle who is dominant in volunteer trivia.

This week on Friday Night Reflections, Council for Ottawa President Shakeel Bharmal is joined by Council for Canada President Kassim-Lakha, and Khairrunnissa Rhemtulla to introduce the Family Mentorship Program, a pillar of the Future Ready Initiative. We situate the program within the context of our faith and understand the value of a holistic approach to family goal setting and progress. We will hear stories of success, where the Jamat, working together has enabled progress in the lives of our brothers and sisters. Together, we will learn how the Family Mentorship Program works, what it takes to be a mentor, and how the program can help any member of the Jamat.

Whether through film, design, or other media, the arts allow individuals to express themselves and their communities and remake the world at large through their work. By harnessing imagination and creativity, filmmaking has the potential to transform people’s lives and mindsets. This evening on Friday Night Reflections, host Kamil Karamali is joined by international broadcast journalist Faridoun Hemani to share his story from behind the camera, traveling the world on assignment, and capturing the work of the Ismaili Imamat over the past four decades. We then meet a group of Canadian Ismaili filmmakers at different stages in their careers to learn more about what it takes to thrive in their field and hear some of the stories they have brought to life through film, television, and broadcasting.

This week on Friday Night Reflections, join host Rahim Ladhani as he sits down with Dr. Ulrike Al-Khamis, Interim Director and CEO of the Aga Khan Museum to explore how the Museum has fared through the pandemic, what lies on the horizon, and how the Museum continues to offer new insights and perspectives that connects cultures and brings communities together. We then journey through the Museum, with a guided tour of the newest exhibition, taking in a performance in the auditorium, and making a final stop at the Museum shop. This Friday, travel with us to Toronto to explore the treasures of the Museum from your very own home. And don't miss the quiz at the end to test your Museum knowledge!

Navroz festivities kick-off with Friday Night Reflections, Canada's weekly show, where host Zain Velji takes us on a retrospective journey of the Jamat over the past year, reflecting on strengths, talents, and connections that have sustained us. In a wide-ranging interview with President Ameerally Kassim-Lakha, the two explore the events that have shaped the past twelve months and reflect on the hope and optimism in the future that lies ahead.

This week marks one year since our Jamatkhanas were closed, introducing us to an entirely new way of life, with little warning. What ensued, both literally and figuratively, was isolating and distancing. In the midst of crisis, the need for connection to others, and the divine, was felt by many more acutely than ever before. This evening we will explore the importance of mental health for all of us in these troubling times, as well as in more stable ones. How do I recognize common signs and symptoms of mental illness in myself or others? How do I support others with mental health concerns? How should we respond to the issue of stigma? Join host and author Riaz Meghji as he sits down with Dr. Ayaz Kurji and Alwaeza Dr. Taslim Alani-Verjee to answer these questions and more. We are also privileged to have President Ameerally Kassim-Lakha join us to explore the importance of mentorship, networking, and supporting each other for our collective success.

Join journalist, actor, and filmmaker Farah Merani as she explores women’s stories of resilience, courage, and determination and discusses barriers faced as well as strategies for success with distinguished panel members: Rumina Velshi, President & CEO, Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. Dr. Karima Velji, Clinical Services Vice-President, Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Science, and Dr. Salima Bhimani, Chief Equity & Inclusion Strategist, Alphabet Companies.

To commemorate the occasion of Yawm-e-Ali, host Reena Jessa sits down with Dr. Hussein Rashid, professor at Columbia University to reflect on the life and example of Hazrat Ali. As Caliph and Imam, Hazrat Ali exemplified a notion of justice that became a model of Muslim leadership, centered on the ethics of Islam. He believed a person’s ability to act justly was intimately connected to their relationship to God and orientation towards the divine spirit.

Devotional music, poetry, and literature - including ginans and qasidas - have long been a central feature of the Shia Ismaili tradition. Expressions of yearning as well as stories of suffering and triumph have offered hope and inspiration to Jamats across different cultures and civilizations, and especially so during times of difficulty and challenge. This evening, host Saba Rawjani is joined by Dr. Shafique Virani to draw on our rich history of devotional expression, sharing stories of service and sacrifice to help situate our current challenges against the backdrop of centuries of hope faith and courage that sustained our ancestors.