By Angela Lee

The Ismaili community knows how to throw a party. Not even a civic strike that forced a change in venue or a finicky sound system dampened the celebration on Sunday, Oct. 14th.

Sixty renowned performers from all over the Muslim world took to the stage in two sold-out performances at The Centre in Vancouver for the Performing Arts.

It was an event the likes of which the Ismaili community in Vancouver, the sponsors of the local leg of the event, had not seen for many years, said Iqbal Ahmed, Ismaili Council of BC volunteer.

A lung specialist, Dr. Ahmed was looking forward in particular to the evening’s spiritual component. “As a physician, you’re always busy. It takes an event like this to remind you to connect with the divine whenever you can throughout the day.” The catchphrase for the evening was diversity. The performances featured music, dance and poetry performed by artists hailing from North Africa, the Balkans, the Middle East, and South and Central
Asia, whose devotional expressions traversed different geographies, languages, and traditions. Featured were musical pieces, qawallis, ilahis, kalams, rock songs, and the mesmerizing dances of whirling Sufi dervishes.

“A Mystical Journey brings to life the rich pluralism within the Muslim world and the important role of music in Islam,” explained Farid Damji, Ismaili community spokesman. “It demonstrates that Islam is not a monolithic block.” It’s a sentiment shared by Derryl MacLean, Director of the Centre for the Comparative Study of Muslim Societies and Cultures at SFU, also in the audience. “Too often we get preoccupied with issues of fundamentalism and politics that we forget the cultural and deep religious traditions,” he said. “It’s a chance for those of us not part of the Ismaili community to see Muslim peoples in a different light.”

Perhaps the evening’s most prolific artist was Junoon founder, Salman Ahmad. The biggest band to come out of South Asia, Junoon was the first band invited to perform at the UN General Assembly. After a technical glitch caused the rock musician to restart his set, Ahmad launched into songs about life as a Sufi disciple in search of his true self and punctuated his lyrics with lightning-fast guitar work.

“I was totally blown away by the evening,” says SUCCESS CEO Tung Chan, still feeling the effects of jet-lag from a recent trip. “I’m glad I came. The emotion expressed through all the performances was something to behold.”

A Mystical Journey was held as part of the international Golden Jubilee commemoration of His Highness the Aga Khan’s enthronement as spiritual leader (Imam) of the Shia Ismaili Muslims.

The performance next heads to Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto and Montreal.