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AGA KHAN

The descendant of Prophet Muhammad celebrated in Lisbon, the 60 years as leader of the Ismailis. An exclusive interview with the wealthiest spiritual leader in the world
By Alexandra Carita
Photographs by Tiago Miranda

[Interview]

“This is a faith of reason”

Portugal President Marcelo Rebelol honours The Aga Khan

Friday July 21 2017

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•Portugal’s President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa bestowed the Grand Cross of the Order of Liberty on the Aga Khan with at Lisbon’s Belem Palace on Thursday.

•The Aga Khan was in Lisbon at the invitation of the Universidade NOVA de Lisboa to receive an Honorary Doctorate for his longstanding commitment to improving the quality of life for some of the world’s vulnerable populations.

Portugal’s President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa bestows Portugal’s highest honours— the Grand Cross of the Order of Liberty— on The Aga Khan at the Belem Palace on July 20, 2017 in recognition of his efforts in uplifting lives around the world . PHOTO | ANTONIO PEDROSA | AKDN

Bismillah-ir-Rahman-ir-Rahim
Your Excellency, President of Parliament, Eduardo Ferro Rodrigues
Distinguished Members of Government and Members of Parliament
Honourable Mayor of Lisbon, Fernando Medina
Excellencies
Distinguished guests
Ladies and Gentlemen

Let me begin by expressing my most sincere gratitude to the President and the members of the Parliament, for your very warm welcome in this remarkable setting, and to the President of the Republic for the invitation to visit Portugal.

I recognise what a great honour it is to have been invited to speak to you today.

Toronto, Canada, 11 July 2018 - To mark His Highness the Aga Khan’s Diamond Jubilee Celebrations taking place in Lisbon, the Aga Khan Museum has loaned a special exhibition of 17 artifacts to Portugal’s Assembly of the Republic. The exhibition is titled Ideals of Leadership: Masterpieces from the Aga Khan Museum Collections and includes captivating folios and colourful ceramics as well as exquisitely decorated wood and steel artifacts from Mughal, Ottoman, Persian, and Chinese empires dating from the 10th to the 19th centuries.

Tens of thousands of Ismailis from all over the world gathered in Lisbon, Portugal for a week of celebrations to commemorate a once in a lifetime event of the Diamond Jubilee of our 49th Holy Imam Mawlana Shah Karim Al-Husayni who is the 5th Imam in our history to celebrate 60 years on the throne of Imamat.

The event was situated in FIL (Feira Internacional De Lisbon) during the week starting July 5th 2018 and reaching the high mark of Holy Deedar on July 11th 2018.

Members of Noorani family also visited the exhibition sites and the performances by various Ismaili artists.

Prince Hussain and Prince Aly Muhammad visited Diamond Jubilee Exhibits in Lisbon, Portugal on July 7, 2018 at Parque Das Nacoes where thousands of Ismailis from all over the world had gathered

Hazar Imam arrived in the United Kingdom of Great Britain on July 26, 2018 to start His Diamond Jubilee visit to grant Holy Deedar to Murids and inaugurate the Aga Khan Centre at King's Cross, London.

Hazar Imam gave Mulaquats to the Jamat at the Darkhana in London at South Kensington

Hazar Imam also visited 10 Downing Street to meet the Prime Minister Theresa May on Thursday June 28 2018

She congratulated him on his longstanding leadership of the Ismaili community and on his visit to the UK as part of his Diamond Jubilee tour.

Bismillah-ir-Rahman-ir-Rahim
Your Royal Highness,
Lord Ahmad, Foreign Office Minister, Mr Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London,
The leadership of Camden,
Your Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen

What a pleasure it is to welcome you to this celebration!

We celebrate today a beautiful new architectural accomplishment. As we do so, we also honor those who have made this Centre possible - and the values that have inspired their work.

LONDON, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News, app - 27th Jun, 2018 ) :The United Kingdom (UK) here on Tuesday welcomed High Highness Prince Karim Agha Khan for the opening of new academic center in London.
According to a UK government statement issued here, Foreign Office Minister for Human Rights Lord Tariq Ahmad of Wimbledon attended the official opening of the new Aga Khan Centre in King's Cross today (26 June) as part of the Diamond Jubilee tour of His Highness the Aga Khan.

Hazar Imam today opened the Aga Khan Centre in London, England. The Prince of Wales Prince Charles also joined Hazar Imam in the opening of this historic centre which be the headquarters of various Aga Khan Institutions in the U.K.

The Aga Khan Centre in King’s Cross, designed by Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki, will have six landscaped open spaces inspired by different Muslim cultures from around the world.

There will also be four other havens of calm surrounding the ten-storey building, in what is the heart of one of London’s biggest regeneration districts.

The Aga Khan used to be thought of in terms of beautiful women, hotels, and racehorses, but these days the millionaire spiritual leader is more likely to be associated with hospitals and the preservation of endangered forms of culture.

s a banker and someone involved in the community, one of the ways I measure success is by taking a good hard look at results. Focus on what has been achieved, how have people been better served and how has community been fostered.

Over the years, I have served on many boards and been involved with dozens of community initiatives. I am grateful for the people I’ve met through this work. I have learned a lot from those who have challenged me and those who have offered me a differing perspective than my own.

His Highness the Aga Khan, left, is greeted by Lois Mitchell, Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, and Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi upon arrival in Calgary Monday evening. Supplied photo, courtesy organizers of Aga Khan diamond jubilee celebrations in Calgary. May 7, 2018.

Earlier today, Mawlana Hazar Imam arrived in Vancouver to begin the Western Canada portion of his Diamond Jubilee visit. Shortly after his arrival, Mawlana Hazar Imam met with the Honourable John Horgan, Premier of British Columbia, who extended a warm welcome and congratulated him on his Diamond Jubilee.

Premier Horgan and Hazar Imam spoke about the Ismaili community's spirit of service and pluralism, and how this is an ideal reflection of the strength that diversity has brought to British Columbia.

Hazar Imam is welcomed to Vancouver by the British Columbia Premier John Horgan 2018-05-04

Hazar Imam arrives at His hotel in Vancouver, Canada 2018-05-04

His Highness the Aga Khan meets Canada's Governor-General Payette at Rideau Hall, Ottawa 2018-05-02

Earlier this evening, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Julie Payette, Governor General of Canada, hosted a dinner at Rideau Hall in honour of Mawlana Hazar Imam’s Diamond Jubilee.

Guests included Princess Zahra Aga Khan, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, past Prime Ministers Jean Chrétien and Joe Clark, and past Governors General David Johnston and Adrienne Clarkson, as well as Jamati and AKDN leaders.

Hazar Imam welcomed at Rideau Hall, Ottawa for dinner hosted by Governor-General Julie Payette and attended by Princess Zahra and other former Prime Ministers of Canada