By Nini S. Moorhead, Crimson Staff Writer – Published: Sunday, June 01, 2008
The summer before his senior year, Prince Karim Khan ’58 received unexpected news. His grandfather, His Highness Aga Khan III, had died, and his will named Karim—fondly known by his classmates as ‘K’—as his successor, making him Aga Khan IV. And so, at 20 years old, Karim became the leader of the Ismaili Muslims, a sect of Shia Islam with over 15 million followers who consider him a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad.
“The enormous responsibility that had come to me—I didn’t feel prepared for it,” the Aga Khan told the BBC that year. “It was a very, very heavy burden to take over.”
Celebrating his 50th year as the Aga Khan last year, the former Leverett House resident has become a bridge between East and West, traditionalism and modernity. – More –
Ismailimail 