RASC News Agency: Prince Karim Aga Khan, the spiritual leader of the Ismaili Muslims and the 49th Imam of the Shia Ismaili sect, has passed away at the age of 88. According to an official statement from his humanitarian organization, he died peacefully on Tuesday, February 4, in Lisbon, Portugal. The statement further noted that his designated successor would be announced in the coming days. The Aga Khan Development Network extended its deepest condolences to his family and the global Ismaili community. As the spiritual leader of approximately 35 million Ismailis across 35 countries, including Afghanistan, Prince Karim Aga Khan guided the community for several decades, shaping its religious, cultural, and socio-economic landscape.
Born on December 13, 1936, in Geneva, Switzerland, Prince Karim Aga Khan was a billionaire philanthropist and entrepreneur who dedicated his life to fostering social development, economic empowerment, and cultural preservation across some of the world’s most impoverished regions. He spent his early childhood in Nairobi, Kenya, before returning to Switzerland to attend the prestigious Le Rosey School. He later pursued Islamic history at Harvard University in the United States. At the age of 20, on July 11, 1957, he succeeded his grandfather, Aga Khan III, as the Imam of the Ismaili community, assuming the mantle of leadership at a critical juncture in modern history.
During his time at Harvard, he was bestowed with the distinguished title of “His Highness” by Queen Elizabeth II, continuing a tradition upheld by monarchs for his ancestors. He held British, French, Swiss, and Portuguese citizenships while maintaining strong ties with Canada. This bond was further reinforced when, under Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau’s leadership, Canada welcomed thousands of Ismaili refugees expelled from Uganda in 1972. On February 4, at the age of 88, Prince Karim Aga Khan passed away in Lisbon, marking the end of an extraordinary era of leadership and humanitarian service that profoundly impacted the Ismaili community and beyond.
