{"id":13773,"date":"2025-02-05T16:31:52","date_gmt":"2025-02-05T16:31:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ugandaupdatenews.com\/?p=13773"},"modified":"2025-02-05T16:31:58","modified_gmt":"2025-02-05T16:31:58","slug":"aga-khan-leader-of-ismaili-muslims-dies-at-88","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/aga-khan-leader-of-ismaili-muslims-dies-at-88\/","title":{"rendered":"Aga Khan, leader of Ismaili Muslims, dies at 88"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>He was the owner of the Nation Media Group in East Africa that publishes the Daily Monitor in Uganda<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>There are many development projects owned by the Aga Khan Foundation including the Aga Khan Medical University and specialised hospital being constructed in Nakawa<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The Aga Khan, the spiritual leader of the world\u2019s Ismaili Muslims for almost seven decades, a man who combined moral leadership and philanthropic activities with a vast personal fortune, died Tuesday in Lisbon, according to a statement released by his spokesperson, Fayyaz Nurmohamed. He was 88.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHe was a unique historic figure,\u201d said Arif Lalani, a former Canadian ambassador who ran the Aga Khan\u2019s diplomatic service from 2016 to 2020, comparing the span and influence of his reign to that of the late Queen Elizabeth II.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"579\" data-attachment-id=\"13775\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/aga-khan-leader-of-ismaili-muslims-dies-at-88\/aga-khan-and-museveni\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/aga-khan-and-museveni.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"640,579\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"aga-khan-and-museveni\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/aga-khan-and-museveni.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/aga-khan-and-museveni.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/aga-khan-and-museveni.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13775\" srcset=\"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/aga-khan-and-museveni.jpg 640w, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/aga-khan-and-museveni.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>That role began in 1957, when the 20-year-old prince was catapulted from his life as an undergraduate student at Harvard University to become the 49th hereditary imam of the world\u2019s estimated 15 million Ismailis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Though Ismaili communities are spread over two dozen countries, primarily in Asia, Canada became an important focus for the group during the Aga Khan\u2019s reign, after the government of Pierre Trudeau welcomed more than 6,000 Ismaili refugees from Uganda who had been expelled by dictator Idi Amin in 1972.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The community now numbers more than 80,000 and includes many business and community leaders, notably Canada\u2019s first Muslim justice minister and first Muslim Supreme Court Justice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere was a special relationship between Canada and his Highness,\u201d said Mr. Lalani, who arrived in Canada from Uganda with his family as a small boy. The Aga Khan addressed a joint session of Parliament in 2014 and was instrumental in the construction of the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto and the establishment of the Global Centre for Pluralism in Ottawa in partnership with the Canadian government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHe was a visionary and an extraordinary person,\u201d said Adrienne Clarkson, the former governor-general and chair of the Pluralism Centre\u2019s executive committee, who presided over the ceremony appointing the Aga Khan an honorary companion of the Order of Canada in 2005. \u201cThere was nobody else like the Aga Khan.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theglobeandmail.com\/opinion\/article-canadian-society-is-at-its-best-when-we-mirror-our-geography-broad\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">From 2022: The Aga Khan should inspire Canada to be a powerful catalyst for change, David Johnston writes<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Ismailis belong to a sect of Shia Islam that emerged from Persia and whose leadership fled to British-controlled India in the 19th century, where the group was revitalized. The group\u2019s followers, inspired by successive leaders who trace their origins to the Prophet Muhammad, spread from their Asian roots to Africa, where they prospered as traders and professionals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Aga Khan was the top Ismaili spiritual authority, but also a globe-hopping statesman and very much a man of the material world, reportedly worth billions of dollars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He lived a life of luxury as the owner of palatial homes, yachts and a Bombardier business jet, as an investor in business ventures around the world and as the proprietor of the Aga Khan Studs, one of the world\u2019s leading breeders of thoroughbred horses. And his relationships \u2013 he married and divorced twice \u2013 were often the stuff of the celebrity press.Yet the Aga Khan never made any excuses for these seeming contradictions, blaming it on a Western misunderstanding of Islam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe have no notion of the accumulation of wealth being evil,\u201d he once said, saying the important thing was \u201chow you use it.\u201d He told another interviewer, \u201cIn the Muslim religion, there is no clear-cut division between the spiritual and the temporal. There are many passages in the Quran dealing with mundane problems. Was the Prophet himself not a businessman?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The work of his ventures, including the Aga Khan Development Network, was facilitated by an Ismaili form of \u201czakat\u201d where adherents donate 10 to 15 per cent of their income to the Aga Khan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Shah Karim al-Husayni was born on Dec. 13, 1936, in Geneva, the eldest son of Prince Aly Khan and his first wife Joan Yarde-Buller, a British aristocrat. Prince Aly was a high-flying socialite and racehorse owner, who divorced and later married the actor Rita Hayworth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Prince Karim spent his early years in Nairobi and later attended the Institut Le Rosey, an exclusive boarding school in Switzerland. In 1957, the prince\u2019s grandfather, Aga Khan III, died and in his will designated Karim as his successor, skipping over Karim\u2019s father, Prince Aly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That thrust huge responsibility on the Harvard student, who became Aga Khan IV. He later admitted that the news had been \u201ca shock,\u201d adding that \u201cI don\u2019t think that anyone in my situation would have been prepared.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1969, the Aga Khan married Sarah Croker Poole, a former fashion model who converted to Islam and changed her name to Salima. They had three children before divorcing in 1995.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;In 1998, he married Princess Gabriele zu Leiningen, a onetime German pop singer and UNESCO consultant. They split after six years of marriage and the birth of a child. They finally divorced in 2014 after a messy court battle and a hefty cash settlement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Canada\u2019s close ties with the Aga Khan began in the 1970s, when crisis hit the Ismailis in East Africa. The Aga Khan called his friend, Pierre Trudeau.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhen Uganda\u2019s Idi Amin decided in 1972 to expel Asians, I picked up the phone and Trudeau offered there and then that Canada would wish to help. His response was magnificent,\u201d he recalled. Canada set up a special immigration office in Kampala to issue visas to Asian refugees, 70 per cent of whom were Ismailis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe would not have been Canadians if we had turned our backs on them,\u201d Mr. Trudeau later said. A strong personal connection was forged. The Aga Khan was an honorary pallbearer at Mr. Trudeau\u2019s funeral in 2000, alongside Fidel Castro, Jimmy Carter and Leonard Cohen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These ties later landed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in trouble after he took a family vacation in 2016 to the Aga Khan\u2019s private island in the Bahamas. Ethics Commissioner Mary Dawson excoriated Mr. Trudeau for breaching the ethics code by accepting the free holiday and placing himself in a conflict of interest. She rejected his contention that the Aga Khan, whom he called Uncle K, was a close family friend, noting that they had had few interactions over the previous 30 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While the Aga Khan was often associated with the Trudeaus, he also maintained close connections with successive Canadian prime ministers, notably Stephen Harper, who called the Aga Khan \u201cmy dear friend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201d In 2008, the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamate, a sort of embassy, opened a stunning building on Sussex Drive in Ottawa, adjacent to the headquarters of Global Affairs Canada. The Harper government also provided a $30-million grant for the establishment of the Aga Khan-led Centre for Global Pluralism, housed in the onetime quarters of the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa and Canada co-operated with the Aga Khan in overseas development aid programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Among his business ventures were hotels, telecoms companies and a hydroelectric project in Uganda. The Aga Khan Development Network, which he founded, was also active in social, cultural and educational projects, including the construction of the University of Central Asia in Tajikistan, home of a large Ismaili minority. He invested heavily in predominantly Ismaili regions, but that presence often led to political clashes with the central Tajik government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2015, the Aga Khan\u2019s Imamat moved its global headquarters from France to Lisbon after it came to an agreement with the Republic of Portugal that gave it quasi-diplomatic status, similar to that of the Vatican. There were considerable tax advantages as well, including the absence of a wealth or gift tax for expatriate property owners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There was drama during the Aga Khan\u2019s long career as well. In 1983, the thoroughbred winner of the Espom Derby, the stallion Shergar, was abducted from the Aga Khan\u2019s stud farm in Ireland by masked gunmen, suspected to be linked to the Irish Republican Army. The Aga Khan refused to pay a GBP2-million ransom. The horse was never found and presumed killed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1990, the Aga Khan quit the British Jockey Club, which governs horse racing in the country, after one of his winning horses tested positive for a banned substance. He moved his collection of 90 racehorses out of the United Kingdom, only ending the boycott in 1994 after British anti-doping regulations were changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Aga Khan received a string of national honours, including Knight Commander of the British Empire (KBE) and the Grand Cross of France\u2019s Legion of Honour and was bestowed with numerous honourary degrees, including from nine Canadian universities. He was designated His Highness by Queen Elizabeth in 1957.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Aga Khan leaves his children, Zahra, Rahim, Hussain and Aly Muhammad; four grandchildren; his younger brother, Prince Amyn Muhammad; and half-sister, Princess Yasmin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His successor was designated in his will, which will be read in the presence of his family and religious leaders in Lisbon before the name is made public. A date has not been announced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Editor:msserwanga@gmail.com<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Aga Khan, the spiritual leader of the world\u2019s Ismaili Muslims for almost seven decades, a man who combined moral<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13774,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[65],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13773","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/OIF.jpg","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":8399,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/late-justice-kenneth-kakuru-was-a-human-rights-champion-chief-justice\/","url_meta":{"origin":13773,"position":0},"title":"Late Justice Kenneth Kakuru was a Human Rights Champion-Chief Justice","author":"UgandaUpdate","date":"March 7, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"The Chief Justice, Alphonse Owiny Dollo has described \u00a0the late Court of Appeal Justice Kenneth Kakuru as an invaluable defender of human rights that will be missed greatly . The outspoken Justice Kakuru died at Aga Khan Hospital in Kenya\u2019s capital, Nairobi aged 65. 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TAAG Angola will host the 57th\u00a0AGA in Luanda \u2013 Angola from 30 November \u2013 02 December 2025. The event will discuss issues on the development of air transport in Africa in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;National News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"National News","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/category\/national-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/taag-TO-HOST-ag57.jpg","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":10636,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/afraa-55th-aga-opens-in-kampala-with-strong-call-to-connect-africa-by-reducing-air-travel-costs\/","url_meta":{"origin":13773,"position":2},"title":"AFRAA 55th AGA Opens In Kampala With Strong Call To Connect Africa By Reducing Air Travel Costs","author":"MOSES SSERWANGA","date":"November 20, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Over 500 guests are attending this global event By end-Sep 2023, USD1.68 billion of airlines\u2019 foreign revenue was trapped in African countries experiencing foreign exchange reserves shortages 65% of the 1.4bn African people are below the age of 25 and need digitalized jobs 23 of all African nations including Uganda\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;AFRAA 55th AGA IN KAMPALA UGANDA&quot;","block_context":{"text":"AFRAA 55th AGA IN KAMPALA UGANDA","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/category\/afraa-55th-aga-in-kampala-uganda\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/IMG-20231120-WA0233.jpg","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/IMG-20231120-WA0233.jpg 1x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/IMG-20231120-WA0233.jpg 1.5x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/IMG-20231120-WA0233.jpg 2x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/IMG-20231120-WA0233.jpg 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5778,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/state-house-driver-arrested-for-violating-traffic-rules\/","url_meta":{"origin":13773,"position":3},"title":"STATE HOUSE DRIVER ARRESTED FOR VIOLATING TRAFFIC RULES","author":"UgandaUpdate","date":"May 30, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Traffic police in Kampala arrested a State House driver after he allegedly attempted to make a U-turn at Aga Khan Primary school gate and intimidating officers who tried to stop him. \"We are opening a war at government vehicles now in addition to boda bodas who exhibit impunity,\" Commissioner Transport\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;National News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"National News","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/category\/national-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/traffic.jpg","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/traffic.jpg 1x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/traffic.jpg 1.5x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/traffic.jpg 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10682,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/the-55th-afraa-annual-general-assembly-takes-strides-to-transform-aviation-for-development\/","url_meta":{"origin":13773,"position":4},"title":"Egypt To Host The 56th AFRAA AGA : Kampala Meet Ends With Commitments to Transform Aviation for Development","author":"UgandaUpdate","date":"November 23, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Uganda\u2019s premium products the Kayoola EVS (fully electric \u00a0and the Kayoola Diesel Coach Buses were deployed to transport foreign delegates at the global event Kampala- Egypt Air will host next year 's 56th African Airlines Association (AFRAA) AGM in Cairo after Uganda Airlines hosted one of the most successful and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;AFRAA 55th AGA IN KAMPALA UGANDA&quot;","block_context":{"text":"AFRAA 55th AGA IN KAMPALA UGANDA","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/category\/afraa-55th-aga-in-kampala-uganda\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/jen7.jpg","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/jen7.jpg 1x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/jen7.jpg 1.5x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/jen7.jpg 2x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/jen7.jpg 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9075,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/minister-of-works-and-transport-gen-katumba-wamala-launches-55th-african-airlines-association-agm-to-be-held-in-uganda\/","url_meta":{"origin":13773,"position":5},"title":"Minister of Works and Transport Gen. 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