Aga Khan IV
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The Āgā Khān IV, or His Highness Prince Karīm al-Ḥussaynī Āgā Khān IV, KBE, CC, GCC, (Arabic: سمو الأمیر شاہ کریم الحسیني آغا خان الرابع) -- (born December 13, 1936) is the current (49th) Imām of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims. He has held the title since July 11, 1957. A British citizen, he is a notable philanthropist and world renowned horse breeder who operates from Aiglemont, his estate at Gouvieux, Oise in France.
The Āgā Khān is referred to by members of his community as Hazar Imam (حاضر إمام, "Present Imām"). He is a direct descendant of the Prophet Muḥammad through the Prophet's daughter, Fāṭima, and her husband, ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, the first Shīʿa Imām.<ref>Khoja Case before Justice Sir Joseph Arnould, High Court of Bombay, 1886. Retrieved on 2006-12-01.</ref><ref>Haji Bibi Case before Mr. Justice Russell, 1905 - Bombay Law Reporter. Retrieved on 2006-12-01.</ref>
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[edit] Birth and childhood
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Born Prince Karim Khan, the Āgā Khān IV is the eldest son of Prince Aly Khan (1911–1960) and his first wife, Princess Tajudowlah, formerly the Hon. Joan Guinness (1908–1997), a daughter of the 3rd Baron Churston and the ex-wife of Group Capt. Loel Guinness, M.P. The couple was married after Joan Guinness's divorce from her first husband became absolute in May 1936,<ref>"Prince Aly Khan Weds Briton", The New York Times, 19 May 1936, p. 6.</ref> and Karim Khan was born in Geneva, seven months later. His parents divorced in 1949, after which his father married the American movie star Rita Hayworth and his mother, popularly known as Joan Aly Khan, became the longtime mistress, and eventual wife, of the newspaper magnate Seymour Berry, 2nd Viscount Camrose.
Of Persian, Italian, and English descent, the Āgā Khān spent his childhood in Nairobi, Kenya, where his early education was done by private tutoring, along with his brother Prince Amyn Aga Khan, by Mustafa Kamil, a scholar from Aligarh Muslim University engaged by his grandfather Āgā Khān III. He then attended the Institute Le Rosey in Switzerland, and graduated from Harvard University in 1959 with a BA Honors Degree in Islamic history.
His stepmother was the American movie star Rita Hayworth, by whom he has a half-sister, Princess Yasmin Aga Khan. He also has a brother, Prince Amyn Aga Khan.
[edit] Imamate of Shi'a Ismaili community
Following the death of his grandfather, Sultan Muhammed Shah Aga Khan, Prince Karim, at age 20, became the 49th Imām of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, bypassing his father, Prince Aly Khan, and his uncle, Prince Sadruddhin Aga Khan, who were in the direct line of succession. This generational jump was the first in the Ismaili sect's 1,300-year history.
According to Āgā Khān III's will, a statement of which was presented to the press by his secretary after his death:"In view of the fundamentally altered conditions in the world in very recent years due to the great changes that have taken place, including the discoveries of atomic science, I am convinced that it is in the best interests of the Shia Muslim [sic] Ismaili community that I should be succeeded by a young man who has been brought up and developed during recent years and in the midst of the new age, and who brings a new outlook on life to his office."<ref>"Aly Khan's Son, 20, New Aga Khan", The New York Times, 13 July 1957, p. 1</ref>
[edit] Marriages
The Āgā Khān married his first wife, Sarah Frances (Sally) Croker-Poole, titled HH Begum Salima Aga Khan, on 22 October1969 (civil) and 28 October1969(religious) , at his home in Paris, France. A prominent English fashion model, she was the former wife of Lord James Crichton-Stuart, a younger son of the 5th Marquess of Bute. The Āgā Khān's first marriage, which ended in divorce after 25 years, produced three children. According to The Times, the divorce settlement amounted to £20,000,000 <ref>[1]</ref>. After the end of the marriage, the Begum became known as Princess Salima Aga Khan.
He married his second wife, HSH Dr. Gabriele Princess of Leiningen (Gabriele Thyssen), in Aiglemont on 30 May, 1998. She holds a doctorate of law. Prior to the marriage, the bride converted to Islām, and the couple jointly chose the bride's new Muslim name "Inaara" (derived from arabic nur, meaning "light"). She is now the HH the Begum Aga Khan. By her, the Āgā Khān has a son, Prince Aly Muhammad Aga Khan (b. 7 March 2000), and a stepdaughter, HSH Princess Theresa of Leiningen, who is 110th in line to the throne of the United Kingdom. On 8 October, 2004, an announcement was made that the Aga Khan and the Begum Aga Khan were to seek a divorce <ref>[2]</ref>. The couple presently live separated although still married.
[edit] Children
By Princess Salima (formerly HH Begum Salima Aga Khan);
- Princess Zahra Aga Khan (b. September 18 1970)
- Prince Rahim Aga Khan (b. October 12, 1971)
- Prince Hussain Aga Khan (b. April 10, 1974)
By HH Begum Inaara Āgā Khān;
[edit] Philanthropy
The Āgā Khān is founder and chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), one of the largest private development networks in the world. Its partners include numerous governments and several international organizations. AKDN agencies operate in social and economic development as well as in the field of culture, with special focus on countries of the Third World.
The network includes the Aga Khan University (AKU), the University of Central Asia (UCA), the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED), the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC), the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF), the Aga Khan Health Services (AKHS), the Aga Khan Education Services (AKES), the Aga Khan Planning and Building Services (AKPBS), the Aga Khan Agency for Microfinance (AKAM), and more. The Aga Khan Award for Architecture (AKAA)is the largest architectural award in the world.
In addition, Focus Humanitarian Assistance (FOCUS), an affiliate of the AKDN, is responsible for emergency response in the face of disaster. Recent examples include the massive earthquake in Pakistan (AKDN earthquake response) and the South Asian Tsunami.
He is also the Chairman of The Institute of Ismaili Studies, which he founded in 1977.
Significant recent or current projects led by the Āgā Khān include the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat on Sussex Drive in Ottawa, Canada, the Global Centre for Pluralism (GCP) in Ottawa, Canada, the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, Canada, the Al-Azhar Park ([3]) in Cairo, Egypt, and a network of full IB residential schools known as the Aga Khan Academies (AKA}. See [4]
[edit] Awards
The Aga Khan has been recognized by several national and international organizations for his service to humanity. Recent examples of note include the 2005 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Philanthropy, the 2005 Die Quadriga and the 2005 Vincent Scully Prize. He was also recently named Honorary Companion of the Order of Canada, one of only five non-Canadians ever to receive this honour.
[edit] Thoroughbred horse racing
At his Aiglemont estate, at Gouvieux in the Picardie region of France, about 4 kilometres west of the Hippodrome de Chantilly in Chantilly, France, he operates the largest horse racing and breeding operation in the country. In 1977, he paid £1.3 million for the bloodstock owned by Anna Dupré and in 1978, £4.7 million for the bloodstock of late Marcel Boussac.
In March of 2005, the Āgā Khān purchased the famous Haras d'Ouilly in Pont-d'Ouilly, Calvados that had been owned by such famous horsemen as the Duc Decazes, François Dupré and Jean-Luc Lagardère. In 2006, he became the majoity shareholder of Arqana, a French horse auction house.
[edit] References & Notes
[edit] See also
- Ismāʿīlīs
- Nizari
- Imamah (Shi'a Ismaili doctrine)
- Aga Khan III
- Aga Khan Award for Architecture
- Inaara Aga Khan
[edit] External links
- About His Highness the Aga Khan (AKDN)
- Aga Khan Development Network
- The Institute of Ismaili Studies
- Order of Canada Citation
- Aga Khan article at SIPA (Columbia University)
- Brown University President Vartan Gregorian's introduction of the Aga Khan (1996 baccalaureate address)
| Preceded by: Aga Khan III | Aga Khan 1957– | Succeeded by: Incumbent |
de:Karim Aga Khan IV. fr:Karim Aga Khan IV pl:Aga Khan IV fi:Aga Khan IV zh:阿卡汗
Categories: Ismailis | British philanthropists | British racehorse owners & breeders | French racehorse owners & breeders | Aga Khan Development Network | Roseens | Harvard University alumni | Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire | Companions of the Order of Canada | 1936 births | Living people
