At the age of 88, the spiritual leader of the Izmailite branch of the Shiite Islam Karim Aga Khan IV died.who was also a well -known philanthropist, owner of racing horses and personal friend of the late British Queen Elizabeth II. Sky News reported on Wednesday. According to the announcement on the website of the AGA Khan Development Network, which he founded at his time, Aga Khan died on Tuesday in Lisbon in the circle of his loved ones.
The name of the successor of AGA Khan as a spiritual leader of about 12 million people claiming to be united in the foreseeable time. Aga Khan has determined it in his last will and should be one of his male relatives. Members of this sect believe that their imam is a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad. The Izmailites sect originally originated in India, where it spread to major communities in East Africa, Central and South Asia and the Middle East.
Aga Khan, who in 1957 – at the age of 20 as a college student at Harvard – inherited the title of 49, hereditary Imam of Izmailites, had more than £ 11 billion at the time of his death. As AP said, AGA Khan was born in Switzerland and spent a large part of his life in France, although he had British citizenship. He was a friend of the late British Queen Elizabeth II, who awarded him the title of His Highness when he became the leader of Izmailite Muslims.
UN Secretary -General António Guterres described AGA Khan as “a symbol of peace, tolerance and compassion in our restless world”. According to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the world lost “an extremely compassionate global leader”. The Pakistani Nobel Peace Prize bearer Malola Jusufzijová expressed the belief that Imam’s legacy would continue “through the incredible work he has done in favor of education, health and development in the world”.
He was a well -known defender of Islamic culture and values and was considered a bridge builder between the Muslim world and the Weststated AP. She added that he had a restrained attitude to entering politics. Its main philanthropic organization AGA Khan Development Network is mainly devoted to the availability of health care, housing, education and economic development of rural areas. It operates in more than 30 countries and has an annual budget of approximately a billion euros.
The Imám Name Network of Hospitals is in places where healthcare was missing for the poorest, including Bangladesh, Tajikistan and Afghanistan, where he spent tens of millions of dollars for local development.
AGA Khan was also known as a horse breeder and owner and as a skier represented Iran at the Winter Olympics in 1964. He founded the Award for Architecture and Courses of Islamic Architecture at MIT and Harvard. He contributed to the restoration of ancient Islamic buildings around the world.
