This is an initial media report of what appears to be a Golden Jubilee photo exhibition running at Ismaili Center Lisbon.
An opinion piece by Leonídio by Paulo Ferreira in Portuguese, translated via Google Translate.
At the left edge of the image, a gentleman in his 60, the European physical type, but with a cloak and hat on the shoulders of astrakhan. In between, the Punj river runs tumultuous, but the clear waters resemble the ice of the Himalayas are not far. This includes the impressive photo exhibition dedicated to 50 years of Imamat of the current Aga Khan, head of Ismaili Muslims, descendant of Prophet Mohammed. It is the very Prince Aga Khan – Karim al-Hussaini – who appears in the foreground, during a visit to Tajikistan in the 90s. The colored dots across the river are the Ismailis of Afghanistan who were prohibited at the last moment to cross the border. But through a loudspeaker, from one country to another, they first heard the voice of their spiritual leader. They thanked, kept the faith despite the persecution, and were promised the help of the Aga Khan Network, humanitarian organization whose mission is to promote understanding between peoples.
The Ismail Center from Lisbon, where up to 28 days, you can visit the exhibition, is a beautiful building that blends Indian and Portuguese influences, with the courtyard to mimic the Moorish gardens of Andalusia. It is open to all and is a source of pride for a community of eight thousand people in Portugal. They came to Portugal in the 70s, leaving Mozambique, but its roots are in Gujarat. Today, the Ismaili Muslims are 15 million, spread from India to the United States, from East Africa and Europe. But it was in the Middle East that the sect began within the Shiite tradition that sees Ali, cousin and son-in-law of Mohammed, as successor of the prophet. Later, theological issues led to the break with the majority Shiite branch, which predominates in Iran and its history is both the sect of Assassins and the Fatimid Caliphate.
The current Aga Khan’s grandfather was president of the League of Nations and his father the ambassador of Pakistan at the UN. Born in Switzerland to a French mother, the present Aga Khan Karim al-Hussaini grew up in Kenya and graduated in Harvard. A community leader known for commitment to education, culture and secularism. Women are treated as equal and many have a profession. Moreover, Ismailis are the best evidence of the diversity of Islam.
http://dn.sapo.pt/inicio/opiniao/interior.aspx?content_id=1174243
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