Mohammed Azhar Ali Khan Allah's manifold blessings embrace our lives. In Ramadan in particular, we reflect on them and thank Him with humility. After studying at the University of Michigan I returned to Karachi and became the only Pakistani journalist then who wrote analytical articles for Western papers like The Christian Science Monitor, Baltimore Sun, Ottawa Citizen and others. Writing objectively was dangerous under an authoritarian regime. I had sleepless nights but survived. I also worked for Morning News. We had no editor. The owner's representative was the part-time managing editor and I ran the Karachi paper as the news editor. Then the government took over the paper, and several others, under a Press Trust. We received and followed instructions. But where they clashed with journalistic integrity, I opted for accuracy. Asked to explain, I said you can publish anything but it won't do any good if nobody reads or believes the reports. But if a government-controlled paper presented the news with integrity it would be believed even if it largely projected the official viewpoint. Ultimately I lost my job. The government-controlled news agency offered to make me its correspondent in Tehran or Moscow but this could take ages. I decided to move to Canada My bride and I landed in Ottawa in winter. The Ottawa Citizen had no vacancy. But the editor hired me saying he did not want to lose me and that there would be a vacancy ultimately. I thanked Allah. I started as a reporter but soon became copy editor, telegraph editor and editorial board member specializing in international affairs. For 25 years I wrote editorials and a weekly column. This infuriated diplomats whose governments I criticized, including Muslim regimes. My most vocal critic was the CanadaIsrael Committee. At a time when politicians and journalists didn't dare to question Israeli policy I wrote objectively, criticizing Israeli policies and those of other countries where warranted. The Citizen investigated each complaint and found my pieces objective and accurate. However, the newspaper's management changed. I was moved from editorial writing to editing letters to the editor and the op-ed page. I continued writing opinion pieces. Then a conference was arranged in Winnipeg against "Islamic terrorism" —long before 9/11. I wrote an article stating that when Christians or Jews commit violence nobody calls it Christian or Jewish terrorism but when a Muslim is involved the act all Muslims get blamed. It was a responsible piece. But the editorial page editor told me that I was finished with the Citizen. I was aghast, hired a lawyer and consulted my former editors. Stunned, they blamed intense outside pressure. Former Citizen editor Christopher Young wrote to me in part: "You made a terrific contribution to the paper during my years as editor, and continued to do so after I left ….. Whatever we would like to think about Canadian tolerance, I know that you and your family have sometimes encountered prejudice and set-backs." When I gave him as a reference, he wrote in part to a senator: " … Journalistically, he has been a success from the time he landed, but I would like to stress something else, namely that Azhar is one of the finest human beings I have ever met or worked with. As new Canadians from a faraway and very different society, both he and his brilliant wife Nishat are role models, not only for immigrants but for all of us who know them…. He tries to build bridges between religions, and his speeches leave the message that the Muslim religion is about brotherhood and friendship, not about strife." Another former Citizen editor Keith Spicer wrote in part: "Your intelligence, dedication, imagination and unfailing good humor bring to the Citizen dimensions which are precious. … Still another quality I shall remember is your tremendous courage in taking unpopular stands in signed articles which some of your friends outside the paper did not always appreciate. Such integrity and moral fibre are almost the definition of a great journalist." Meanwhile the government set up a royal commission, the Citizens' Forum on Canada's Future, to consult Canadians. Mr. Spicer, the chairman, appointed me the director of multiculturalism. Then Citizen editor Gordon Fisher presented me a watch for 25 years of service and arranged a farewell lunch. I suggested we pay ourselves and the Citizen give the money to a charity. Graciously, Mr. Fisher paid for the lunch and gave me a cheque for a charity of my choice. At the Forum I was successful. Mr. Spicer wrote in part: "He single-handedly set up the Forum's very large effort with Canada's multicultural community. … Bolstered by his long-standing reputation as a man of sensitivity and honor, Mr. Ali Khan mobilized the multicultural sector from coast to coast .. an extraordinary achievement." After the Citizens' Forum had completed its job, I joined the government and later was appointed to the Immigration and Refugee Board for two years. My term was extended to ten years, the maximum. My superior Jean-Pierre Gaboury wrote in part: "He is a model Board Member, being a hard working, knowledgeable and efficient person. His cases are always thoroughly prepared. His hearings are always conducted with fairness and with appropriate firmness and respect. His reasons for his decisions are logical, detailed and well written…" These generous evaluations reduced my pain on having to leave the Citizen and convinced me that it stemmed from Islamophobia and prejudice. More importantly, Allah rescued me from a disaster and provided me better opportunities. Then I received the Queen's Golden Jubilee and Diamond Jubilee medals, the Order of Ontario (the province's highest award) and the Order of Canada (the country's top honor.) for my work as a journalist, leadership of Ottawa's Muslims and building bridges with Canadians of other faiths. These jobs provided me a better income than I had with the Citizen, and for a longer period. I set up an Ali Khan Foundation. Money I donate is invested and annual dividends are distributed to Canadian and UN-approved agencies as required by Canadian rules. The investment has reached about $280,000. I hope my children will continue to add to it and help provide food, shelter, medicines and a better life to the needy. I have no idea whether I'd be around for the next Ramadan. But I cherish Allah's manifold blessings and His compassion. That gives me hope for this life and the hereafter. – Mohammed Azhar Ali Khan is a retired Canadian journalist, civil servant and refugee judge.
