Who are the Ishmaelites?
The Ismaili Muslim community, or Ismailis for short, belongs to the Shia branch of Islam. A culturally diverse community, it is now spread across 25 countries. Over the centuries they left Asia and Africa and settled in Europe and North America. The Middle East was where they spent most of their time after passing through North Africa. In the 19th century, they were concentrated in what is now India and Pakistan. These remain countries with large numbers of Ishmaelites. But not alone. In the 20th century, a wave of emigrants moved to the African continent. Today there are about 15 million individuals who have been led by a living and hereditary Imam in their more than one thousand years of history, who believe to be a direct descendant of Muhammad through Ali, cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet. Followers of moderate and liberal Islam, the Ismaili community has eight thousand to ten thousand members in Portugal, many coming from Mozambique after independence in 1975.
Who is your leader?
Prince Karim al Hussaini succeeded his grandfather – Muhammed Shah, an important man in colonial India, who moved to the United Kingdom and presided over the League of Nations – as Aga Khan in 1957. Born in Geneva in 1936, he was the son of Ali Khan, a playboy who filled the pages of pink magazines, including his marriage to Hollywood star Rita Hayworth and who served as Pakistan’s ambassador to the United Nations. His mother was Princess Tajuddawlah Ali Khan, born Joan Barbara Yarde-Buller, a British woman who converted to Islam in order to get married. The 49th Imam of the Ismailis grew up in Nairobi, Kenya, later studied in Switzerland and studied Islamic history at Harvard. He is the fourth Aga Khan, a title bestowed by the Shah of Persia in the 1830s. With a fortune estimated by Forbes at over $13 billion, the Aga Khan holds British, French, Swiss and Portuguese nationality. Since assuming leadership of the Ismaili community, he has worked to improve the quality of life of the most vulnerable, based on an idea of Islam as a faith that preaches compassion and tolerance and defends human dignity. To this end, he founded the Aga Khan Development Network.
What is the work of the Aga Khan Development Network?
The network, a group of private agencies, develops its work in areas ranging from education to health, through architecture, rural development and the promotion of private sector businesses. The network is active in more than 30 countries (employing nearly 100,000 people), mainly in Africa and Asia. It aims to help improve the quality of life of the most disadvantaged population groups, regardless of their origin, gender or religion.
What about the Aga Khan Foundation?
The Aga Khan Foundation is one of the agencies of the Aga Khan Development Network. Founded in Portugal in 1967, the Foundation works on research in areas such as child development, education, civil society, economic inclusion and seniors, always in “collaboration with public, private and civil society organizations that share its objectives,” it reads. on the Aga Khan Development Network website.
What is the presence of the Ishmaelites in Portugal?
The Ismaili Center in Lisbon, opened in 1998 and where yesterday’s attack took place, is the center of the Ismaili community in Portugal. A community whose economic influence (for example, they own the SANA hotel chain) goes far beyond its small size. In 2015, the arrival of the international headquarters of the Ismaili community to Lisbon was announced, with the Imamat Ismaili buying the Palacete Leitão for the sum of 13.5 million euros to receive some services. In 2018, the Aga Khan chose the Portuguese capital to celebrate its Diamond Jubilee, and the following year, Portugal hosted the Aga Khan Foundation’s first music awards ceremony.
Source: DN
