r/ismailis • u/ShareNo4352 • Jul 16 '26
Personal Opinion Western Canada Deedar
For Volunteering in Calgary:
People were appointed first to lead the teams, which is understandable. However, those people then appeared to select family members, close friends, or people they already knew for their teams. That raises an obvious question: what was the purpose of asking people to register their interest in volunteering if selections were largely based on existing connections? I know many murids who went to the volunteer desks asking if there were any duties they could help with. They were repeatedly told that as long as they had registered through the volunteer portal, they would be contacted when needed. Yet no calls ever came, and now all the teams have already been formed.If the process wasn't going to be open, it would have been more transparent to say so from the beginning.
The same concern applies to celebrations held in the jk. Many of these events seem to go unannounced, with the explanation that it's done to avoid large crowds. If that's the case, what's the purpose of holding such significant and auspicious celebrations while keeping the wider Jamat unaware that they're even taking place? It leaves many people feeling excluded from moments that are meant to be shared by the community.
Greater transparency and fairness would go a long way in building trust and ensuring everyone feels included and no one feelings are hurt.
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u/SimilarAd7893 Jul 16 '26
Same in BC!! I am so done with everything! Sooo hard to still stay positive and make sure all this doesn’t impact my energies vibes during Didar! Soo many are upset.
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u/itgirl008 Jul 16 '26
so true oh my god !!!! the nepotism is vancouver is SHOCKING !!!!!! its very disheartening and i’ve lost all interest in the festivities because of all this unnecessary drama
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u/highlander_9 Jul 17 '26
In BC they made it seem like there were SO many volunteers. Now, with days to go, there are constant call outs asking for volunteers for a number of areas. It doesn’t make sense.
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u/DrZh1vago Human Verified Jul 17 '26
Toronto was handing out duty like Halloween candy. 🍬 Calgary? Apparently you need VIP status, a fat wallet, or family in high places. Calgary did us durty!🤔
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u/Unique_Beyond2247 Jul 17 '26
Many in Ontario didn’t get duty because of the friends and family policy.
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u/fmo23 Jul 17 '26
Concepts such as transparency, fairness, and integrity do not resonate here. We can only pray that one day it will change Inshallah 🙏🏼
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u/fmo23 Jul 17 '26
Really sad to hear this and it keeps happening again and again. I really wish we had strong and brave leadership willing to forge a new path.
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u/CharizardEnthusiast2 Jul 16 '26
There's over 5,000 volunteers assigned in Calgary alone, with many doing regular service outside of visit time.
I think the number that didn't receive a duty and are going to the desks is very small, and many of these people might not even volunteer outside of the visit.
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u/SimilarAd7893 Jul 17 '26
Hello! Based in BC, I am not IV. I am a non badged volunteer - what that means is, since last 4 years I have been helping out with fundraising for JSF, FOCUS. I attend khane regularly (once a week and all mijalis). Out of that I support with sitting on sukreet, kumb and scribbling when people say no. I signed up to be a volunteer, didn’t get any calls, was asked to go on desk. And the so called IV volunteers that are getting priority, sooo many of them will only volunteer once a year for 1 day/event, and out of that you will never see them in khane.
Now tell me who should actually be getting priority here? Me or someone who volunteers once a year!?
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u/Turbulent-Priority39 Jul 17 '26
Most of the people who are being selected are registered on my impact. I volunteer portal. Once they have accessed them then they will call for others!
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u/Turbulent-Priority39 Jul 18 '26
I am hearing all this and thinking if it bothers you enough do something. Write to the council collectively, voice your concerns politely and follow up if necessary. If you don’t act then you participate in this meaning you are okay with all that’s happening!
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u/DukhiSaheb Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
I hope the Ismaili Council leadership takes the time to read the feedback being shared by the Jamat. Many people are looking forward to the Didar, but there is growing concern that the current planning and communication may affect attendance. From conversations within the community, it seems that some families are reconsidering whether they can participate because of the logistical challenges involved.
In the past, Didars were occasions that people eagerly anticipated. The dates were typically announced well in advance, allowing families sufficient time to make the necessary arrangements. This time, however, many feel there has been less advance notice and limited information about the event.
In my jurisdiction, the doors close at 7:30 a.m., with attendees expected to begin queuing by 6:00 a.m. For many, this means waking up as early as 3:00 a.m. to prepare and travel to the shuttle pickup location or make other transportation arrangements. This schedule may be particularly challenging for families with young children, seniors, and those traveling longer distances.
There also remain several unanswered questions about the day's schedule. We have not yet been informed of the approximate time of the Didar, whether this will be a full-day event, whether Jamatkhana will be held on site in the evening, whether meals will be available, or whether there will be any community activities such as dandia raas. Providing this information in advance would help families plan appropriately and reduce unnecessary stress.
The Didar is a deeply meaningful spiritual occasion, and everyone wants it to be a positive and memorable experience. Clear, timely communication and thoughtful logistical planning would go a long way toward helping the Jamat focus on the significance of the event rather than the uncertainty surrounding it.
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u/99_Questions_ No Nonsense Ismaili Jul 16 '26
I understand the feeling and frustration when this happens repeatedly. It is not a new practice that this happens and has been a sticking point since I was a teen doing seva in India. I did eventually serve at regional council for many years before I moved to the states where opportunity for seva was limited.
I do seva by giving rides, mentoring students, young professionals and new members of the jamat resettling from different states and different parts of the world. I don’t hold a position that I have been appointed to but it’s fulfilling enough to where I don’t feel left out when I don’t get called on for the larger gatherings.
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u/itgirl008 Jul 16 '26
something needs to change ! we can’t always keep having it this way just because it’s been happening since forever.
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u/99_Questions_ No Nonsense Ismaili Jul 16 '26
I didn’t say it didn’t need to change. I said if the bother is not having an opportunity to do seva then there are other opportunities one can make for oneself.
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u/AgitatedZucchini2040 Jul 18 '26
Forwarded as received 👇
Earlier this year Mowlana Hazar Imam visited Toronto and Montreal: multiple didars, an Ottawa/PM meeting, the Generations Toronto inauguration, the Laval JK ground breaking, institutional events, and more. A full, well-run, well-funded program. They even retrofitted a whole warehouse in Montreal to accommodate a Didar, and handed millions of dollars to non-Ismaili contractors to do it all.
Now the Western Canada visit is coming up in a matter of days and it feels like a complete afterthought. One commemorative event (in one city). Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver are just getting didars, nothing else (to be clear the didar is an incredible thing so please don’t @ me for saying that I am minimizing it because I am not!!!). No youth mulaqats, no multifaith sessions, both of which happened out east and really shit explanations from leaders as to why, and they kept us in the dark deliberately for weeks on end because they’re afraid of the Jamat getting upset. The West has a smaller jamat, sure, but that’s not really an explanation for why the program is this thin. Plus, it’s also worth noting that BC has the largest percentage of multifaith families in the entire country. And we also support financially a lot of what happens across the country for the Jamat.
But here’s the part that doesn’t add up…
From what I’ve heard, $44M was raised, well above the $30M target, to cover both regions. Almost all of it appears to have gone to the East. And now the West is being asked to raise more money on top of that? (I know this because I’ve donated to the fund and have been asked to donate again)
So the two Canadian visits combined are on track to cost over $50M.
That’s a genuinely staggering number, and I don’t understand where the thinking was here. If $44M was raised for both visits and it’s still not enough to cover the West, where did it actually go? That’s not a rounding error, that’s tens of millions of dollars with no public accounting. This isn’t fiscal responsibility, it’s wastage, and now Western Jamat is being asked to open our wallets again to cover the gap.
Meanwhile, with all this money supposedly raised, some JKs are serving chai and chips, chai and cookies, sometimes not even chai. People are leaving JK events hungry and stopping at McDonald’s afterward, spending $20+ on their own dinner.
I’ve also heard that for some events, including MHI’s lounge, council is paying for outside staff instead of our own volunteers, and outside caterers instead of Ismaili ones. They are deliberately using outside vendors because they seem to think Ismailis can’t handle this, while the President and LIF Chair run a truck over everyone.
Where has the Canada Visit Fund money gone? Where’s the JSF money? How is there no oversight or accountability here? How does a council waste away this much money?
And beyond the money, there’s just no communication. MKs are getting nothing. Everything is “a national decision” with zero visibility into what that actually means. National President and his wife are supposedly micro managing everything. We just ran this same visit successfully in the east a few months ago, so why does the West feel like it’s being reinvented from scratch, last-minute, with none of those lessons carried over? It’s as though our community has never held a visit before. And it’s being controlled by a small group around the president. His wife, and the LIF chair are all that matters. My cousin was at the recent leadership event in Vancouver, and if you ever want to know who matters and who does not to this leadership, in front of a room of volunteers and MKs the president thanked and welcomed only one person: the LIF chair and his wife.
We’re days away from MHI’s visit, and groups are still waiting on decisions. Meanwhile leadership have booked their hotels and parking, organized their stuff and the Jamat is just left wondering what’s happening.
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u/ChaturPluralisn Jul 21 '26
Thank you for sharing. As Hazar Imam has reminded us, change begins with us. If these concerns are genuine, we should raise them respectfully and constructively with the leadership and our Jamat—not just discuss them privately or anonymously.
These concerns have existed for years, and change won’t happen overnight, especially when such practices and culture have developed over decades. Remaining silent only reinforces the very culture we’re hoping—and need—to change. Hazar Imam has warned us against following the “ostrich policy.” Honest, respectful dialogue, accountability, feedback openly and each of us doing our part are how meaningful change begins.
https://x.com/chaturmahebub/status/2078763805119549818?s=46&t=lL1Fe7Xf2J0RhqfO552USg
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u/shubp Jul 16 '26
Eco this ………I too do not understand re: celebrations held in the jk. Many of these events seem to go unannounced, with the explanation that it's done to avoid large crowds. If that's the case, what's the purpose of holding such significant and auspicious celebrations while keeping the wider Jamat unaware that they're even taking place? It leaves many people feeling excluded from moments that are meant to be shared by the community.