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A philanthropist, Aga Khan IV was devoted to his people, the Ismailis, many of whom live in remote areas of some of the world’s poorest countries. / AKDN
Prince Karim Aga Khan IV obituary Bruce Pannier
Prince Karim Aga Khan IV,
the spiritual leader of some
15 million Ismaili Muslims worldwide, died in Portugal on February 4 aged 88.
The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) announced the passing of the “49th hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims and direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad” on their website.
The Aga Khan was born into a wealthy family. He lived what most people would call a lavish life, mingling with heads of state and royalty, and devoted much time to his passion of horse- breeding and horse racing.
His horses won the Derby Stakes five times. One of the horses, Shergar, won in 1981 by the widest margin in Derby history, only to be kidnapped two years later. The horse was never found, and no suspects were ever apprehended.
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But the Aga Khan was also a philanthropist, and impact investor, who was always devoted to his people, the Ismailis, many of whom live in remote areas of some of the world’s poorest countries.
For these people in particular, the Aga Khan was not only their spiritual leader,
but also the source of better education, the builder of needed infrastructure, and in some cases, their saviour in desperate times.
Matt Reed, the global director of Institutional Partnerships for the Aga Khan Foundation, told bne IntelliNews that the Aga Khan was “a spiritual leader
Aga Khan IV's grandfather, Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan III, who died in 1957, chose his successor as a person of the world for the post-World War II times (Credit: AKDN).