Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the longtime family friend an ‘extraordinarily compassionate global leader,’ who was ‘was passionate about Canada’
The Aga Khan, the spiritual leader of the world’s Ismaili Muslims, has died at the age of 88.
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A post on social media from the Aga Khan Development Network says he passed away peacefully today in Lisbon, surrounded by his family.
The Aga Khan became the spiritual leader of the world’s millions of Ismaili Muslims at age 20 as a Harvard undergraduate, and poured a material empire built on billions of dollars in tithes into building homes, hospitals and schools in developing countries.
His Aga Khan Foundation announced on its website that Karim Al-Hussaini, the 49th hereditary imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, died Tuesday in Portugal surrounded by his family.
It said an announcement on his successor would come later.
The Aga Khan helped set up the Global Centre for Pluralism in Ottawa and the first Islamic arts museum in Toronto.
He was granted honorary Canadian citizenship in 2009.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, while speaking at a Lunar New Year reception in Ottawa on Tuesday, paid tribute to the longtime family friend.
“I found out just minutes ago that an honorary Canadian, the Aga Khan passed away. His Highness, The Aga Khan, was an extraordinarily compassionate global leader, a man of vision, of faith and of incredible generosity. He was passionate about Canada and what we’ve been able to create here in this country, and how we were always striving to build better and more for more and more people and his he will be deeply, deeply missed by people around the world, but particularly the Ismaili community that is grieving tonight,” Trudeau said.
“Our hearts go out to all of them, and I lost a very good friend, a friend of my father’s and a friend of mine tonight, so I am sad. And we will all reflect on his extraordinary legacy for the coming coming days, weeks, and indeed, years.”
The Aga Khan was a key figure in an ethics scandal involving Trudeau, who was found to have breached federal conflict of interest rules by vacationing on the Aga Khan’s private island in 2016.
At the time, the ethics commissioner said Trudeau broke the rules by accepting a gift that could be seen as influencing government decisions.
— With additional reporting from National Post and the Associated Press
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