Aga Khan and Portugal, a story of love and millions

On a warm evening on the 4ft of July last year, Lisbon’s Palacete Henrique de Mendonça was filled with guests to celebrate Imamat Day, the day on which Karim al-Hussaini was appointed world leader of the Ismailis in 1957. The man who became known as the Aga Khan IV was 20 years old when he was appointed by his grandfather and predecessor, becoming the 49th leader of this Muslim community, which has around 15 million devotees. On the day of the celebration, at the community’s world headquarters, the Aga Khan was represented by his brother, Prince Amyn Aga Khan, since he had practically retired from public life.

He died on Tuesday in Lisbon, in the place he defined as the centre of his faith and which gave a physical ‘home’ to a community scattered all over the world. His official connection to Portugal began in 1983, with the opening of a branch of the Aga Khan Foundation in Lapa, in the Portuguese capital, as was already the case in several countries. It became a foundation under Portuguese law in 1996. The Ismaili Centre in Laranjeiras was also built at the same time.

The community’s relationship with Portugal was given a boost following the 25 April 1974 Revolution and the decolonisation process, with many people from the former colonies coming to Lisbon, particularly from Mozambique, which had a strong Ismaili community. Nazim Ahmad, a Portuguese national of Mozambican origin, is currently the Ismaili Imamat’s Diplomatic Representative in Portugal and has played a central role in this relationship to date. He was involved in all the negotiations with the Portuguese political authorities that resulted in Lisbon being chosen as the community’s world headquarters in 2015, beating out other interested cities, including those on other continents.

From then onwards, the life of the Aga Khan IV and the Ismailis would be forever linked to Portugal. The Prince was considered one of the richest men in the world, leading an empire of dozens of companies, the profits of which go to social work, namely through the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN).

Over the years, there have been many investment initiatives in Portugal, always with a view to philanthropy and support for social causes. This effort has intensified since the headquarters were set up in Lisbon and is ongoing.

Nearly 25 million euros were invested in the purchase of the Mendonça Palace and the adjoining Leitão Palace to house the headquarters. A co-operation agreement in the area of science was signed with the Portuguese government, with an allocation of 10 million euros over ten years for grants for national projects in Portuguese-speaking countries. In the area of culture, several paintings by Portuguese painters were bought and donated to national public museums, as well as supporting artistic initiatives, particularly in music. Prince Aga Khan was also responsible for donations to scholarships for children whose families were victims of the Pedrogão fires, as well as for reforestation of burnt areas.

In 2018, the Prince’s Diamond Jubilee ceremony was held in Lisbon. At the time, it was estimated that the presence of 60,000 faithful would generate around 250 million euros for the city’s economy.

But the most ambitious project, which has had a troubled birth, was not completed in time for the Prince to inaugurate it. It’s the Aga Khan Academy Portugal, a project that aims to promote excellent teaching for students from different social and economic backgrounds, with an estimated investment of more than 80 million euros. Initially planned for Cascais, after some controversy it ended up being transferred to Oeiras, and is currently in the design phase. It follows the model of other Aga Khan academies in other countries, matching students who pay tuition fees with others who benefit from scholarships offered, in order to guarantee quality education until the end of high school.

Prince Shah Karim al-Hussaini Aga Khan IV’s successor will soon be known, and it should be one of his three sons: Hussain, Rahim and Aly. The choice has been made in the will left by the 49th leader of the Ismailis.

Meanwhile, in a post on the social network X, the Portuguese Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, expressed his “deep sorrow” at the death of the Aga Khan, emphasising that the personality and work of the leader of the Ismaili Shiite Muslims “will remain forever in the memory of the Portuguese”.

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