The Aga Khani

Farzana,
I have a great deal of respect for the Agha Khani
community, especially because it takes better care
of its own than most of the mainstream.
Their ``half-Muslim`` is sometimes better than our
much touted ``full-Muslim`` when it comes to the promotion of education, health care and financial support to the less fortunate.
``Muslim`` is often referred to in terms of identity and it has to be applied loosely to incorporate quarter, half, 3/4 and 100% full believers.
I saw two ``Half-Muslims`` sharing a beer yesterday. Makes me wonder what hamidm would
say if he encountered them?

Ras

Sunni fundamentalists do not consider Shias to be true Muslims. In Saudi Arabia where Wahabism has a strong hold consider Shia Islam to be a mischief of the Jews. This is what is taught in madrassahs. Look at the way Shias were killed in Afghanistan. Pakistan is going the same route. Shia doctors, professionals are being killed on a daily basis. Most of the persons killed in Shia-Sunni violence are Shias.

Aga Khanis originally were Hindus from business caste (vaishya) from Gujarat state, unlike other Muslims who were converted by Mughals from lower Hindu caste.

Farzana, interesting and informative article for a change.

My maternal uncle had a lower-class, uneducated type (Garage owner) Muslim acquaintance who was very close to him.

I remember him once talking about Khojas and how they were totally un-muslim and how they did unspeakable things. Like: The women would prostrate on the ground when the Aga Khan would arrive, with their hair in the front, on which the Khan would walk by.

Another thing he said in a hush hush tone (since I a teenager then was sitting with them) was how on a particular night every month (the Chand rat you talk about?), all men and women from the Khoja community would get together in a hall, the lights would be turned off, and then everyone would grope whoever they could of the opposite sex and do even more than that (left unspoken).

Would he be referring to the light handshake with the next person, that you mentioned in the article, and that act was blown out of proportion by him?

I could clearly see that he despised the Khojas and didnt consider them `true` Muslims. Is that a sentiment widely shared among the mainstream Muslims?

It must feel really bad to be beaten by both fellow Muslims and the neo-fundamentalist Hindus, between the devil and the deep sea. I sympathize with you.

On another note, I am always amazed by ability and willingness of Hindus to accomodate totally disparate beliefs and practices within the fold, which stands in stark contrast to Muslims in particular and followers of all other Semitic faiths in particular. Even the fundoo Hindus are OK with anyone and everyone (Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, atheists) as long as they dont loudly proclaim themselves to be non-Hindu.

Anyways, enough rambling, looking forward to hear your thoughts.

Satyavadi

What purpose does this crap serve.I have no more interest in Aga Khan than he has in me.Mohommed sat with slaves,Malcom X was not impressed with wealth of Aga Khan to embrace Islam but life of Mohommed that when a slave charged him with injustice, he disrobed himself for the black slave to lash him for being unjust ..no question asked.

Malcom spoke of white & black people in Haj talking oblivious of the colour ,yet Aga Khani cuts at the very HEART of equality by building wall no less than berlin or India & Pakistan. Come to think of it, this Aga khan was dividing the country into Pakistan & India while maintaining that he was Vishnu Incarnate of Hindu god.Aga Khani got there toast buttered on both sides... In India for being friend of Hindu... political ciorrectness?..no way jose .. which i CALL POLITICAL OPPERTUNISM & in Pakistan grabbing the monopoly of muslim consumer to sell to them everything from money to textiles.

I am a muslim by choice & i dont belong in the company of such sects like David Koresh dont belong in the same group as John Kennedy both so called christian..ahle kitab.

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Beautiful writing. You`re in your elements again.

When you say,``[F]or an outsider this might sound nothing even remotely like a religion``, a hindu might disagree. When we are not busy butchering muslims, this is how our religion is observed, mostly.

The hinduism that i used to know was as practical as ismaili. In fact it could easily comingle with that brand of hinduism. This new, ``resurgent``, nationalistic, murderous hinduism, i don`t know.

Used to know a gujarati ismaili woman from kenya married to a frenchman living in the US. Very enterprising she was, as migrants tend to be, and was a nonbeliever who went to the masjid to be a part of the community. It saved her sanity, she used to say..The staying power of ismaili may be because the community tends to be prosperous.

Farzana

A great article... I have the greatest respect for the Agha Khani belief system.. given the progressive and modern ideals of the sect.

I had contemplated on several occasions converting to Agha Khani Ismailism in the past... but now I don`t think it is necessary for me to belong to any particular sect to be modern and progressive ... More over, I am especially grateful for Agha Khan`s services to Pakistan, and also his grandfather who was the founder of the Muslim League... It is this kind of modern progressive Islam which the founders of Pakistan had in mind..

Yet, unfortunately Agha Khanis are not even considered muslims by some circles... a Pakistani sunni expat once informed me that `why do you keep talking about Jinnah... he wasn`t even a Muslim.. he was Agha Khani`.

:(

I rest my case.

-YLH

Cutnpaste wrote

``Aga Khanis originally were Hindus from business caste (vaishya) from Gujarat state, unlike other Muslims who were converted by Mughals from lower Hindu caste``

Great! So now we have found what is so great about Aghakhanism. Hindu racism. I am glad, they have nothing to do with Islam.

The essence of Islam is equality of man with man. People who worship men cannot be Muslim. Even the word Agha which means Lord,or Master is unislamic in it`s essence, as there is only one Lord, Allah, call him by any name.

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very interesting article, thanks Farzana

just a few thoughts, if you could comment on them:

why is there such a need to be identified as Muslim when the Agha Khan is the center of their being?

by the way, Agha Khanis and the Agha Khan have made a lot of significant contributions to Pakistan and India which we are all very thankful for. all in all, they are a peaceful, liberal, and educated group of people.

….hotels, newspapers, resorts and lady sarah aside….the man’s done a lot of good for pakistan…..

Ref shahgul #: 8

[Great! So now we have found what is so great about Aghakhanism. Hindu racism. I am glad, they have nothing to do with Islam.]

I suppose Allah has delegated to you the right to decide who is a Muslim and who is not. Was that a firman that came directly from Allah himself or did Allah transmit that to you through the angel Gabriel?

[The essence of Islam is equality of man with man.]

The essence of Hinduism (Advaita philosophy) is the equality of Man with God.

[People who worship men cannot be Muslim.]

Why do you walk around Prophet Muhammad`s grave? Would it be okay to dig up his bones, grind them up and use them for fertilizer?

Ref cutandpaste #: 2

[Aga Khanis originally were Hindus from business caste (vaishya) from Gujarat state, unlike other Muslims who were converted by Mughals from lower Hindu caste.]

How about all those Rajputs? I thought if one weren`t a direct descendant of Prophet Muhammad himself, the average Pakistani laid claim to descent from Genghis Khan or at least Taimur Leng and at the least peaceful and voluntary conversion from various Rajput and Jat tribes. Certainly there were no bhangis who became Muslims according to what I read on Chowk.

Will the Muslim bhangis please identify themselves?

Ref Anika Zaidi #: 4

[What purpose does this crap serve.I have no more interest in Aga Khan than he has in me.Mohommed sat with slaves,Malcom X was not impressed with wealth of Aga Khan to embrace Islam but life of Mohommed that when a slave charged him with injustice, he disrobed himself for the black slave to lash him for being unjust ..no question asked.]

Ah, but the question to be asked is, was Prophet Muhammad into sado-masochism and a leather fetish? That might explain the incident you describe.

[political ciorrectness?..no way jose .. which i CALL POLITICAL OPPERTUNISM & in Pakistan grabbing the monopoly of muslim consumer to sell to them everything from money to textiles.]

Did you recently read Mein Kampf? Are you sure they are not worshipping the Devil behind closed doors? Do they use the blood of new-born Sunni babies in their prayer rituals?

[I am a muslim by choice]

No; by birth. Get that through your thick head. And anytime you decide that you are through with being a Muslim, they cut off your head. Try saying in public in some nice Wahhabi-Sunni mosque (in Saudi Arabia or the NWFP) that you have decided to give up Islam.

Ref salwar #: 5

[A few Agakhani Ismaili scholars who have compiled a bibliography of Ismaili literature, and others who have access to these documents, are well aware of the fact that the conversion of Hindus to the Ismaili faith has not been firsthand and has gone through more than one phase. But these scholars are also cognizant of the fact that under Article 14 of the Constitution of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims (1986), any Ismaili who prints, publishes, or circulates any material or makes any statement or convenes a meeting or assembly purporting to be on behalf of, or in the name of, or relating to, the Imam, the Ismaili Tariqah, the Jama`at (a congregation or community), and any Ismaili Council or Institution without the written permission of the National Council within whose jurisdiction he or she resides shall be liable to disciplinary action, and the offender can be expelled from the community.]

Have you tried some ijtehaad on Al-Kitab? So, what else is new amongst you guys?

[It is high time that these kinds of stipulations and restrictions are lifted and that Ismaili scholars have the encouragement and support of community leaders in publishing their findings.]

How about some critical examination of the Quran? Would you support that? Oops; Word of God -- as written down by a man who could not read and write -- and thus immutable.