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[Aga Khan: ‘Without a doubt, I am seriously worried’ about the world

John Stackhouse

Toronto — The Globe and Mail

Published Saturday, Mar. 01 2014, 12:06 AM EST

Last updated Saturday, Mar. 01 2014, 12:08 AM EST

The Aga Khan, spiritual leader to the world’s 15 million Ismaili Muslims and an honorary Canadian, visited Canada this week to speak to a rare joint session of Parliament, and inspect the new Ismaili centre in Toronto, due to open this summer. He also sat down with The Globe and Mail’s Editor-in-Chief John Stackhouse for an hour on Friday.

Multi-billionaire son of a notorious playboy, His Highness Prince Karim, the fourth Aga Khan, enjoys his jets, yachts, and Thoroughbreds. But since the age of 20, he has also been the spiritual leader of 15 million Shia Ismaili Muslims, building a hugely effective global development network. In Chantilly, home to France’s most prestigious horse race, James Reginato explores how the press-shy, Harvard-educated prince, at 76, fuses two worlds.

This week we travel to outskirts of Hyderabad to interview His Highness The Aga Khan, spiritual leader of the Ismaili Community and Founder and Chairman of The Aga Khan Development Network. He speaks about how he bridges the east and the west and brings different communities together. He says that the modern world suffers from ignorance rather than civilization. He also speaks about how his academy is devoid of caste, religion and sect. And about how his life changed after the World Trade Centre plane crash in 2001.

Interview with His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV

THE POWER OF WISDOM
(translated from french)
Interview by Jean-Jacques Lafaye

Prince Karim Aga Khan IV
Spiritual leader of the Ismailis since 1957

Jean-Jacques Lafaye
Author and journalist. Founder of the association « Éthique et politique » (1988) Publications include: Saint-Just, l’ombre des chimères, Rocher, 2007; David Shahar, le sacre de l’écriture, Michalon, 2007; Dialogue pour un monde meilleur, Alban, 2008.

Jean-Jacques Lafaye - Votre Altesse, en tant que chef spirituel des communautés ismaéliennes du monde entier, vous exercez une influence indiscutable sur la scène internationale. Pourtant, vous ne souhaitez pas être considéré comme un acteur politique...

Karim Aga Khan - ...ou comme un politicien. De mon point de vue, même si la foi et les États doivent entretenir des rapports de collaboration et d'estime, le religieux et le politique sont deux choses bien distinctes.

‘I’d like to see Canada more vigorous,’ he says in a Globe interview covering everything from Canada’s involvement in Afghanistan to the importance of pluralist societies

The Aga Khan, spiritual leader of the world’s 15 million Ismaili Muslims and renowned philanthropist, spoke to The Globe and Mail Friday in a conversation that ranged from the prospects for Afghanistan to his profound admiration of Canadian pluralism.

Q- Am I right that the Ismaili Faith is an esoteric one, that's to say, only real scholars and experts have read all the crucial texts that enable them to understand the inner nature of your religion?

A- "Yes, this is so."

Q- Do you consider yourself expert in these?

A- "Certainly. I think my grandfather ensured that we had a thorough knowledge of the important books."

Q- Do you think if you hadn't become Aga Khan you might have made a successful engineer? Or businessman?

A- "Who can tell?"

Q- Do you feel happier here in the West, or in the East?

AH-Men have different reasons for serving humanity and their country. What are yours, Your Highness?

The first question Mansoor asked Mowlana Hazar Imam was how had His Highness met the Begum.

The Ismaili sect, with its social and theologically liberal outlook, is probably the most progressive in the Islamic world. Spread over four continents its adherents are guided by their high profile Imam, Prince Karim Aga Khan.
Pranay Gupte profiles the life and philosophy of the unlikely patriarch. And his image of a new world order based on free enterprise.

The spiritual leader of 15 million Ismailis - of which 2500 live in France - has made his 24 year old daughter Zahra his privileged partner. The princess grew up in Paris, was schooled in Switzerland, then obtained her degree in Economic Development in the Third World at Harvard. During her trip to Pakistan with her father, the Aga Khan reserved a comprehensive social action program for her. The man who is called the 'richest man in the world', invests around 140 million dollars (700 million French Francs) in the third world each year.

Some time ago, Anne Matheson of the Australian Women's Weekly interviewed Begum Salimah in London just before Her Highness's visit with Mowlana Hazar Imam to Australia where they were invited as specia guests of honour for the 1979 Melburne Cup.

Here is a condensed version of the interview and a glimpse into the life of Begum Sahiba as wife, mother and worker.

At her Paris house, the oldest known building within the shadow of Notre Dame cathedral and once an abbey, photographer Alec Murry and I went up a circular stone staircase from the monastic entrance below street level.

THE AGA KHAN MEETS THE PRESS AGA KHAN LAUDS PAKISTAN'S EFFORTS FOR PROGRESS.

H. H. The Aga Khans Interview With Aroon Purie The Editor Of India Today During H.H. The Aga Khans Recently Holy Visit To India.

Q. Your Highness, you are the Imam of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims. It s a hereditary title. Have you ever felt burdened by being so, the 49th hereditary Imam? You are the direct descendent from the Prophet; you became the Imam at the age of 20. Did it ever come up for you where you were a reluctant Imam in any way?

On Wednesday 18th February 1981, His Highness Prince Karim Agakhan was interviewed on television by Mr. Javed Jabber, a well known personality in television and advertising. Some important questions were spotlighted to seek Hazar Imam's assessment on them and we reproduce hereunder the interview ad-verbatim for our readers-EDITOR:
T.V. INTERVIEW

PERSONAL FILE 1936 Born in Geneva as Prince Karim. Educated at the College du Rosey, Switzerland, and Harvard University 1957 Becomes Aga Khan, Imam of the Ismaili Moslems, on the death of his grandfather, Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan III 1967 Establishes the Aga Khan Foundation 1983 Founds Aga Khan University, Pakistan 1984 Establishes Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development 1990 Named Commander of French Legion d'Honneur for eminent services to humanity'

PRINCE OF DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES

The Aga Khan speaks to William Dawkins and Edward Mortimer

Jeune Afrique, hebdomadaire international
Karim Agha Khan, prince de l'islam et homme d'affaires
(Propos recueillis par Anne Loesch)

(L'Expansion, mars 1975)

J'imaginais - comme beaucoup de Français, sans doute - l'Aga Khan tel son grand-père et son père: une personnalité très parisienne, bien rodée aux charmes de la "High Society", logé dans un luxe riant et menant une vie joyeuse et en grande partie oisive.