AGA KHAN OPENS ACADEMIC CENTRE IN LONDON AS BRITAIN PAYS TRIBUTE TO ISMAILI LEADER ON HIS DIAMOND JUBILEE AS IMAM OF THE COMMUNITY
ISMAILI spiritual leader the Aga Khan met British prime minister Theresa May, international development secretary Penny Mordaunt as well as Prince Charles, as the latter inaugurated the Aga Khan Centre in north London last week.
This year marks the diamond jubilee (60 years) of the Aga Khan as the 49th hereditary imam (spiritual leader) of the world’s Shia Ismaili Muslims and the UK government celebrated the milestone by hosting a series of events in his honour.
Last Tuesday (27) saw the opening of the Aga Khan Centre (AKC), an academic building for teaching, research and cultural exchange, in London’s King’s Cross. The Prince of Wales praised the Aga Khan for being a source of inspiration to the more than 15 million Ismaili Muslims spread across 25 countries.
“In holding dear the values of humility, honour, magnanimity and hospitality, the Ismaili community takes its inspiration from their imam, and from his extraordinary greatness of soul,” Prince Charles said.
Designed by renowned architect Fumihiko Maki, the AKC will be the new permanent home for three institutions – the Aga Khan Foundation (UK), the Institute of Ismaili Studies (IIS) and the Aga Khan University’s Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations (ISMC). The centre will serve as an academic centre, and will not have a religious function.
In his remarks at the launch, the Aga Khan said he hoped that “from this new home, these education-oriented institutions would contribute powerfully to building new bridges of understanding across the gulfs of ignorance”.
“One of the central challenges that faces our world today is the challenge of harmonising many highly diversified voices within an increasingly globalised world,” the Aga Khan noted.
“I use the word ‘harmonising’ carefully – for our ideal here is not a chorus that sings in unison, but one that blends many distinctive voices into an intelligent, resonant whole. But to do that requires a deep understanding of what makes each voice distinctive. And that is the essential function of the educational endeavours that will make this place their home.”
The centre features terraces and courtyards inspired by different Muslim civilisations around the world, including North Africa, Spain, the Middle East, Iran and India.
The gardens will be open to the public from September and serve to enhance understanding of the values of Muslim culture. All six gardens take cues from the Islamic world – for instance, the Garden of Life is inspired by the gardens of the Mughal world, and the Garden of Light reflects the Islamic courtyards of Andalusia.
“We see the garden not merely as an adjunct to other constructions, but as a privileged space unto itself,” the Aga Khan said.
Describing them as an eloquent tribute to the diversity of the Muslim world, the spiritual leader added, “What they will make possible for those who walk these pathways, the people who will live and work here and public visitors as well, is a wonderful journey of refreshment and discovery”.
The Aga Khan also pointed out that King’s Cross was the “ideal” location for the AKC as the north London hub is one of the “central connecting points for a city which itself has been one of the great connecting points for the entire world” and it has been shaped by many diverse influences.
“And among them we now welcome the rich traditions of Islamic architecture,” he said.
The Aga Khan was accompanied at the inauguration by members of his family including his brother Prince Amyn Aga Khan, his daughter Princess Zahra, his son Prince Rahim with his wife Princess Salwa, and sons Prince Hussain and Prince Aly Muhammad.
Also in attendance were London mayor Sadiq Khan, who tweeted that he was “humbled” to visit the Aga Khan Centre, and Foreign and Commonwealth Office minister Lord Tariq Ahmad of Wimbledon.
Lord Ahmad said the AKC was a “concrete example of the privileged relationship the UK enjoys with the Aga Khan and the Ismaili community and is the ideal way to mark the diamond jubilee tour of His Highness the Aga Khan”.
“The work we do together makes a huge difference to people’s lives, not least in Afghanistan where 300,000 more girls are going to school thanks to our girls’ education programme there,” he added.
“One of the foreign secretary’s key priorities is ensuring the world’s poorest girls receive 12 years of quality education. Appallingly, 90 per cent of the world’s poorest children leave school unable to read and write. That’s why we have committed £500 million of UK aid to help more than 1.5 million vulnerable girls to learn,” Lord Ahmad said.
Last Wednesday (28), the Aga Khan met May, who congratulated him on his longstanding leadership of the Ismaili community.
Reiterating the British government’s commitment to freedom of religion or belief as a fundamental right, the prime minister spoke of working with the Aga Khan and other faith leaders to promote “better respect, collaboration and tolerance between religious communities internationally.”
In his remarks, the 81-year-old spiritual leader praised the UK for being a leader in the field of development and noted their partnership in girls’ education, with the impact felt not only on young people today but for generations to come.
“For over 40 years, our institutions have contributed actively to the fabric of British civil society and its rich heritage of academic endeavour and international development, while fulfilling an international mandate which has a far-reaching, global impact,” he said.
According to a Downing Street spokesperson, the prime minister also thanked the Aga Khan for his foundation’s activities around the world to improve understanding of Islam as a peaceful and tolerant religion. In addition, she praised him for his support of the government’s activities to improve understanding of Muslim cultures.
“The prime minister welcomed the educational and cultural contribution to the UK made by the Aga Khan’s institutions, demonstrated by the new Aga Khan Centre in King’s Cross. She also commended the vital work being done between the Department for International Development and the Aga Khan Foundation to deliver girls’ educational programmes in Central Asia, Tanzania and Afghanistan,” the spokesperson said.
Among other events to mark the Aga Khan’s diamond jubilee celebrations, Britain’s secretary of state for international development and minister for women and equalities, Penny Mordaunt, hosted a luncheon last Wednesday at London’s Lancaster House. It was aimed at commemorating the long partnership between the UK government and the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) – the global network founded by the spiritual leader.
The organisation, which spends around $925 million (£704m) on non-profit social and cultural development activities, employs more than 80,000 people across 30 countries. The AKDN also operates more than 90 project companies, including a large-scale hydropower project in Uganda and a mobile phone company in Afghanistan, which generates more than $4.1 billion (£3.1bn) in revenues.
Britain has partnered with the AKDN on several projects designed to help improve the quality of life for people worldwide. Girls’ education, community development, clean energy, financial inclusion and conflict resolution are some of the projects that aim to benefit not just the Ismaili community, but people from other backgrounds too.
The spiritual leader, whose full title is His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV, is currently on a worldwide tour to launch new initiatives that benefit the Ismaili Muslims and the communities where they live. These new initiatives are part of his diamond jubilee celebrations, which kicked off last year.
New projects that have been launched to commemorate his diamond jubilee celebrations include programmes to alleviate poverty, increased access to finance for health, housing and education and infrastructure projects in developing countries.
The Aga Khan and the UK government have a long history of co-operation. In 1988, the overseas development administration of the government signed a strategic partnership with AKDN for the improvement of the quality of life of disadvantages communities across the world.
This partnership led to development projects in Afghanistan, Pakistan, central Asia and east Africa. The programmes are built on the principle that women and girls should be involved for development to be effective and sustainable.
The Aga Khan, who assumed the role as iman of the Shia Ismaili Muslim community at the age of 20, believes that tension and violence in today’s world was due to a clash of ignorance and not because of a clash of cultures, especially between the Islamic world and the West.
Born in Geneva, Switzerland, and educated in Harvard in the US, the Aga Khan has been exposed to the best of both the Islamic and the Western world, and believes in collaboration between different people and faith communities.
“When I came to my role as imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslim community just 60 years ago, I found it impossible to accept the notion of inevitably clashing civilisations,” the Aga Khan said. “My own early life experiences were in both worlds, and so were those of millions of Muslim peoples.
“So rather than talk about clashing civilisations, I began to talk again and again, as some of you may recall, about a clash of ignorances. And the assumption behind that phrase was that ignorance could yield to understanding through the power of education.”
This continuing conviction is what keeps him going, he said during the AKC launch.
“The world we seek is not a world where difference is erased, but where difference can be a powerful force for good, helping us to fashion a new sense of cooperation and coherence in our world and to build together a better life for all,” the Aga Khan said.
In recognition of his work to improving the lives of the under privileged, the Aga Khan has received numerous decorations, awards and honours from nations across the world.
He was bestowed the title of “His Highness” by the Queen in 1957, the same year he became the leader of the Shia Ismaili Muslims. He was appointed Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 2004.
In 1960, he was conferred the honour of “Grand Cross of the Order of Prince Henry” by the Portuguese government and in 1977, he was invested with the “Order of the Knight of the Grand Cross” by the then prime minister of Italy, Guilio Andreotti.
King Charles, wearing a black armband to pay respects to the victims of Air India plane crash, attends the Trooping the Colour parade on his official birthday in London. (Photo: Reuters)
A MINUTE's silence for the victims of the Air India plane crash was observed on Saturday during the Trooping the Colour parade in London marking King Charles's official birthday. Some members of the royal family wore black armbands during the ceremony.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said King Charles, 76, had requested changes to the parade “as a mark of respect for the lives lost, the families in mourning and all the communities affected by this awful tragedy”.
The crash on Thursday involved a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner that was taking off from Ahmedabad in eastern India and heading to London's Gatwick Airport. A total of 279 people, including passengers, crew and individuals on the ground, were killed.
Among the victims were 52 Britons. The only survivor identified so far is British national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh from Leicester.
Following the disaster, King Charles said in a written statement that he was “desperately shocked by the terrible events” and extended his “deepest possible sympathy”.
Royal family attends parade
Trooping the Colour is a military tradition that dates back over 200 years and marks the monarch's official birthday. The event begins at Buckingham Palace, proceeds down The Mall, and concludes at Horse Guards Parade, where the King receives a royal salute and inspects the troops.
Hundreds of people gathered along The Mall and outside the palace to view the event. A small group of anti-monarchy protesters were present, carrying yellow signs that read “not my king” and “down with the crown”.
King Charles, who continues weekly treatment for an unspecified cancer, was accompanied by Queen Camilla. Also present were Prince William, 42, his wife Catherine, and their children George, 11, Charlotte, 10, and Louis, seven.
No appearance by Harry and Meghan
Catherine, 43, the Princess of Wales, had earlier announced in March 2024 that she had been diagnosed with an unspecified cancer. In January 2025, she said she was “in remission” and has since gradually resumed public engagements.
Prince Harry and his wife Meghan did not attend the event. The couple stepped down from royal duties in 2020 and now live in the United States. Reports in the UK media suggest that relations between Harry and other members of the royal family remain strained, with minimal communication between him and his brother William.
Although Trooping the Colour is held in June, King Charles was born in November. The tradition of a second birthday celebration was introduced in 1748 by King George II to ensure the monarch’s birthday could be marked in better weather.
Saturday's parade coincided with a major military parade in Washington led by US President Donald Trump on his 79th birthday.
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They were all remanded in custody, except Bashir, who absconded before the trial began. (Photo: Greater Manchester Police)
SEVEN men were convicted on Friday in the UK’s latest grooming trial, after a jury heard that two girl victims were forced to have sex “with multiple men on the same day, in filthy flats and on rancid mattresses”.
Jurors at the court in Manchester, northwest England, deliberated for three weeks before finding the seven men, all of whom are of South Asian descent, guilty of rape.
Mohammed Zahid, 64, Mushtaq Ahmed, 67, Kasir Bashir, 50, Mohammed Shahzad, 44, Naheem Akram, 48, Roheez Khan, 39, and Nisar Hussain, 41, will be sentenced at a later date, but judge Jonathan Seely warned that they face “lengthy prison sentences”.
They were all remanded in custody, except Bashir, who absconded before the trial began.
Operation Lytton and police investigation
The men were prosecuted as part of Operation Lytton, an investigation launched by Greater Manchester Police in 2015 into historical child sexual exploitation in Rochdale, a town near Manchester.
The issue has long been seized upon by far-right British figures, including notorious influencer Tommy Robinson, but has also been adopted as a rallying cry by the Conservatives and Nigel Farage’s hard-right Reform UK party.
The issue of grooming gangs received international attention earlier in the year when US tech billionaire Elon Musk launched incendiary attacks on his X platform against the UK government after it resisted calls for a national inquiry.
Over the course of several decades, men of mostly South Asian origin in various English towns are suspected of having sexually abused thousands of mostly white girls from working class families, often from troubled homes.
Court testimony on abuse
Prosecutor Rossano Scamardella said during the trial that the men had abused the two girls for several years from the age of 13 — between 2001 and 2006.
“They were often forced to have oral sex and vaginal sex with multiple men on the same day, in filthy flats and on rancid mattresses,” he said.
“On other occasions they would be required to have sex in cars, car parks, alleyways or disused warehouses. Wherever and whenever these men wanted it.
“They were children passed around for sex; abused, degraded and then discarded,” he added.
One of the alleged victims was also “being exploited and abused by many other Asian men” not in the dock, said Scamardella.
Police response and apology
Following the verdicts, detective superintendent Alan Clitherow, of Greater Manchester Police, apologised for not acting earlier.
“There was information at the time that police and other agencies could, and should, have done something with, and we didn’t,” he said.
“The way those victims were dealt with at the time is indefensible and inexcusable. We have made comprehensive apologies for that.”
(With inputs from agencies)
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Karun Thakar is a leading textile collector with a lifelong focus on Asian and African textiles
THE KARUN THAKAR FUND, established by textile collector Karun Thakar in collaboration with the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), supports the study of Asian and African textiles and dress through scholarships and project grants.
The fund offers one-time Scholarship Awards of up to £10,000 for university students worldwide focusing on any aspect of Asian or African textiles and dress. Undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate students from any accredited university are eligible, provided their research or practice is clearly linked to these areas. The next round of Scholarship Award applications opens on 1 May 2025 and closes at 23:59 on July 15, 2025.
Karun Thakar is a leading textile collector with a lifelong focus on Asian and African textiles. He began collecting in the early 1980s and has built an extensive private collection ranging from 14th-century Indian trade cloths to West African loom weavings.
“From July 2021, The Karun Thakar Fund will offer scholarships to student practitioners and researchers studying any aspect of Asian or African textile/dress design or history,” the fund states. “Awardees’ work will be shared here, creating a platform for international conversation and knowledge exchange.”
Project Grants of up to £5,000—and up to £10,000 in exceptional cases—are also available for projects focused on Asian or African textiles or dress. The last round of Project Grants was allocated in 2024. These grants are open to emerging and early-career researchers, curators, practitioners, community leaders, and small not-for-profit groups operating in the UK or internationally.
“I am really excited to see what light we can shine through this fund,” said Karun. “The committee is looking at innovative ways to reach potential applicants who have new and radical approaches.”
The Selection Committee includes Karun Thakar, Gus Casely-Hayford, Christine Checinska, Ben Evans, Avalon Fotheringham, Lulu Lytle, Divia Patel, and Siddhartha Shah.
Ambulance are seen parked near the post-mortem room at a hospital before transferring victims' dead bodies to a mortuary in Ahmedabad on June 13, 2025, a day after Air India flight 171 crashed in a residential area.
GRIEVING families waited on Saturday for updates after one of the deadliest aviation disasters in recent decades, as the death toll from the Air India crash rose to 279.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner issued a mayday call shortly before crashing around midday on Thursday. The aircraft burst into flames as it hit residential buildings in the northern Indian city of Ahmedabad.
A police source confirmed to AFP on Saturday that 279 bodies had been recovered from the site. The crash is among the worst aviation disasters of the 21st century.
There was one survivor among the 242 passengers and crew members on board. The tail section of the aircraft remained lodged in a hostel for medical staff.
At least 38 people on the ground were also killed.
"I saw my child for the first time in two years, it was a great time," said Anil Patel, whose son and daughter-in-law had come to visit before taking the flight.
"And now, there is nothing," he said, breaking down. "Whatever the gods wanted has happened."
Search for black box continues
Relatives of the victims have been providing DNA samples in Ahmedabad. Some family members have flown in to assist in the identification process.
The final casualty figure will only be confirmed once DNA testing is completed.
According to Air India, the aircraft was carrying 169 Indian nationals, 53 British, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian citizen, along with 12 crew members.
The victims included a senior politician and a teenage tea seller.
The only survivor, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, spoke to national broadcaster DD News from his hospital bed. A British citizen, Ramesh said, "Initially, I too thought that I was about to die, but then I opened my eyes and realised that I was still alive."
Aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said on Friday that a flight data recorder had been found. "It would significantly aid" the investigation, he said.
Forensic teams are still searching for the second black box as investigators try to determine why the aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff, reaching a height of only 100 metres (330 feet).
US aircraft manufacturer Boeing said it was in contact with Air India and "ready to support them" regarding the incident. A source close to the investigation said this was the first crash involving a 787 Dreamliner.
(With inputs from agencies)
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A view shows the wreckage of the tail section of an Air India aircraft, bound for London's Gatwick Airport, which crashed during take-off from airport in Ahmedabad. (Photo: Reuters)
THE INVESTIGATION into the Air India crash that killed more than 240 people is focusing on the aircraft's engine, flaps, and landing gear.
The Indian aviation regulator has ordered safety checks on the airline’s entire Boeing 787 fleet, reported Reuters.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, with 242 people on board and headed to Gatwick Airport near London, began losing altitude shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad. CCTV footage showed the aircraft crashing into a residential area and erupting into a fireball after hitting buildings.
Only one passenger survived. Local media reported that up to 24 people on the ground were also killed when the plane hit a medical college hostel during lunchtime.
This is the deadliest aviation accident globally in the past ten years.
Probe focuses on aircraft components
A source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters the investigation is examining several factors, including engine thrust, flap deployment, and why the landing gear was still down during take-off. The plane lost height and crashed moments after leaving the runway.
The probe is also looking into possible maintenance issues and whether Air India was at fault, the source said.
A bird-hit is not among the primary areas being investigated, the source added. Anti-terrorism teams are also involved in the probe.
The Indian government is considering whether to ground the Boeing 787 fleet during the investigation. Air India, Boeing, and the aviation ministry have not commented on this yet.
Air India operates more than 30 Dreamliners, including Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 aircraft. An Air India source said the airline has not received any communication about grounding the fleet so far.
Safety checks ordered on Dreamliner fleet
India’s aviation regulator has directed Air India to carry out additional maintenance checks on its Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 aircraft with GEnx engines. This includes a "one-time check" of take-off parameters before each flight starting from midnight on 15 June.
The regulator also asked the airline to add flight control system checks during transit inspections and to complete power assurance checks within two weeks. These are aimed at confirming the engine can generate the necessary power.
Flight data recorder recovered
The aviation ministry said investigators have recovered the digital flight data recorder from the rooftop of the building where the plane crashed. The cockpit voice recorder, the second black box, has not yet been found.
The Tata Group, which took over Air India from the government in 2022 and later merged it with Vistara, is part of the investigation. Tata Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran said in an internal memo that investigators from India, the UK, and the US have arrived. “We don’t know right now,” he said. “We want to understand what happened and will be fully transparent.”
GE Aerospace, which manufactures the aircraft engines, said it supports the regulator’s actions. “Safety is our top priority,” a GE Aerospace spokesperson said. “We are committed to providing all technical support necessary to understand the cause of this accident.”
Rescue operations completed
On Friday, rescue workers completed search operations at the crash site. Teams were searching buildings for missing people, bodies, and aircraft parts that could assist the investigation.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the site in Gujarat, where he was briefed on rescue operations and met some of the injured in hospital. “The scene of devastation is saddening,” he said on X.
This is the first crash involving a Boeing Dreamliner since the aircraft began commercial service in 2011, according to the Aviation Safety Network. The aircraft involved in Thursday’s crash first flew in 2013 and was delivered to Air India in January 2014, according to Flightradar24.
The passengers included 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese and one Canadian.