RASC News Agency: Prince Rahim al-Husseini, 53, has been appointed as the 50th hereditary Imam and spiritual leader of the Ismaili Shia Muslim community, following the directives outlined in the will of his late father, Prince Karim Aga Khan IV. As the eldest son of Aga Khan IV, Prince Rahim assumes this esteemed position after the passing of his father, who died at the age of 88 in Lisbon, Portugal, on Tuesday. Born on October 12, 1971, Prince Rahim Aga Khan is the senior-most heir of Aga Khan IV. His first wife, Princess Salima, is the niece of Sarah Croker-Poole, a former British model. The couple has one daughter and two sons.
Educated in the United States, Prince Rahim has held significant leadership roles within the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), an organization recognized as one of the world’s most extensive and influential development networks. AKDN operates across multiple sectors, including healthcare, housing, education, and rural economic development. The Aga Khan Foundation has stated that it is active in more than 30 countries, with an annual budget of approximately $1 billion dedicated to non-profit development initiatives. Karim Aga Khan IV, the late father of Rahim Aga Khan, was born in Switzerland in 1936. He assumed the position of Ismaili Imam in 1957 following the passing of his father, Shah Amir Aga Khan III. Beyond his spiritual leadership, Aga Khan IV earned global recognition for his philanthropic and humanitarian contributions, particularly in the promotion of interfaith dialogue, human development, and the strengthening of multicultural relations.
Aga Khan IV was also the visionary founder of the Aga Khan Development Network, which has played a transformative role in healthcare, education, economic development, cultural preservation, and environmental sustainability across various countries. The network has maintained a particularly robust presence in Afghanistan, focusing on initiatives in healthcare, education, rural development, microfinance, private sector growth, and the restoration of historical sites. For over 1,400 years, the Ismaili Shia community has been led by a living, hereditary Imam. Today, Ismaili Muslims reside in more than 35 countries, with their global population estimated to be between 12 and 15 million.
