Aga Khan III: A Study in Humanism
Keywords: Aga Khan III, Sultan Mahomed Shah, humanism, humanist, Islam, leadership, imam, Ismailism, Ismaili, contemporary, modernity, character, biography, emancipation, women, education.
Abstract: In this study, the author examines the character of Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah, Aga Khan III, with particular attention to the trait of humanism in his character. Articulated by way of his speeches and writings, the article sheds light on his vision for the equality of race and gender; the value Aga Khan III placed on education, culture and spirituality and his inclination for peace and a stable world order. The study also provides insight on his personal faith and philosophy of religion.
Author
Professor K.K. Aziz
Professor K.K. Aziz was one of Pakistan's leading historians and the author of numerous books on the history of Pakistan and Muslim India. He served on the academic staff of the Government College, Lahore, and the Universities of the Punjab, London, Khartoum and Heidelberg. He had also lectured on history, politics and Islam at the Universities of Karachi, Peshawar, Dacca, Islamabad, Hull, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Geneva, Oxford, Cambridge, Durham and Bergen. In Pakistan his appointments have included: Deputy to the Official Historian; Chairman of the National Commission on Historical and Cultural Research; and Special Policy Adviser to the Prime Minister. Professor Aziz was the editor and compiler of Aga Khan III Selected Speeches and Writings (London: Kegan Paul, 1998. 2 vols.).
