Throne of Gold: The Lives of the Aga Khans.(book reviews)
Date: 10/21/1996; Publication: The Journal of the American Oriental
Society; Author: Daftary, Farhad
The Ismailis, a major community of Shi Muslims, number several
millions, and an overwhelming majority of them, representing the
Nizari branch of the community, currently acknowledge Prince Karim
Aga Khan IV as their forty-ninth spiritual leader, or imam. Prince
Karim succeeded to the hereditary leadership of the Nizari Isma ilis
in 1957 on the death of his grandfather, Sultan Muhammad Shah Aga
Khan III. It was the latter's grandfather, Hasan Ali Shah (d. 1881),
the forty-sixth Nizari imam, who had originally received the
honorific title of Aga Khan from the contemporary Qajar monarch of
Persia, Fath Ali Shah. Henceforth, this title, meaning lord and
chief, remained hereditary among the Nizari imams. Anne Edwards' book
aims to deal with the lives and careers of the Aga Khans, the Nizari
Isma ili imams of modern times. But it does so only in a highly
sensational and distorted manner.
Ever since medieval times the Nizari Ismailis, made famous in Europe
as the Assassins, have held a particular fascination for Europeans.
In time, the Crusaders and their Occidental observers fabricated
fanciful tales about the secret practices of this mysterious oriental
sect and its leader, the Old Man of the Mountain. These legends were
all concocted to provide explanations satisfactory to Europeans for
the absolute devotion of the Ismailis to their leader. The European
myths of the Assassins, rooted in "imaginative ignorance," proved too
sensational to be relegated to the domain of fiction by the more
sober investigations of modern times. And despite modern progress in
Ismaili studies, vestiges of the older fantasies and misconceptions
about the Isma ilis continue to find periodic expressions in new
disguises. Anne Edwards's book is the latest manifestation of what
may be called modern popular orientalism on the Isma ilis.
Throne of Gold opens with a historical section on Islam and Ismailism which is replete with errors and misconceptions and reveals the
author' s less than full knowledge of these matters. A few examples
will suffice. The Abbasids did not descend from the Prophet's
brother, but from his uncle; the author's discussion of the beliefs
of the early Isma ilis reflects the stance of the medieval anti-Isma
ili polemicists; the Nizari Isma ilis did not use hashish as reported
in the Assassin legends of the European sources; and the term
Assassin did not enter European languages via the writings of Marco
Polo. The author's carelessness also finds expression in many of the
less technical and more biographical and descriptive aspects of her
book. For instance, the birth dates of Aga Khan IV and that of his
brother Amyn are both incorrect (pp. 137, 148). Aga Khan III did not
visit Cairo in 1937 to see his Egyptian followers (pp. 157-58); he
never had followers there and, in fact, Isma ilism had disappeared
from Egypt soon after the collapse of the Fatimid dynasty in 1171.
The Aga Khan Foundation, responsible for promoting and financing
projects in the areas of health, education, rural development, social
welfare and humanitarian aid, was not established by Aga Khan III
(pp. 262-63); it was founded in 1967 by Aga Khan IV. Indeed, Anne
Edwards' book is permeated throughout with factual errors and
inaccuracies.
Like the Crusaders, who, though ignorant of the basic facts of Islam,
yet claimed to possess reliable information about the secret
practices of the Isma ilis, Anne Edwards, too, readily resorts to her
imagination in order to enhance the "sensational" appeal of her book -
which is, of course, also filled with details about the secret,
anonymous mistresses of Aga Khan III and his generous gifts to them.
The author is truly in her own element in describing the romantic
activities of Aga Khan III's son, Aly Khan (1911-60), devoting a
large part of her book to him. However, Edwards adds nothing to the
several biographies of this popular figure. Needless to recall that
Aly Khan was bypassed by his father in the succession to the imamate
and never acquired the title of Aga Khan. In the final chapters of
the book (pp. 217-314), the author deals in a superficial, though
more sympathetic, way with the activities of Aga Khan IV.
Anne Edwards's Throne of Gold is a poorly researched and ill-
conceived book that almost completely ignores the Isma ili context
within which the Aga Khans as imams have unified and led several
million Isma ili Muslims in turbulent times. This is perhaps the
book's most serious shortcoming. The last two Aga Khans have indeed
been very successful in combining their spiritual leadership with
numerous modernizing policies of a secular nature. As a result, the
Nizari Isma ilis have entered the modern world as a progressive and
prosperous community with very high standards of education. The same
Isma ili context would also explain the strong devotion of the Isma
ilis to their imam and their extraordinary communal solidarity. Anne
Edwards, of course, misses all of this and, therefore, implicitly
portrays the Isma ilis as a group of naive sectarians who somehow
share a blind obedience toward their leaders, very much reminiscent
of the earlier Assassin legends and the curious hold of the Old Man
of the Mountain on his followers.
FARHAD DAFTARY INSTITUTE OF ISMAILI STUDIES, LONDON
Daftary, Farhad, Throne of Gold: The Lives of the Aga Khans.(book
reviews). Vol. 116, The Journal of the American Oriental Society, 10-
21-1996, pp 787(2).
Book Review of Throne of Gold by Dr. F. Daftary
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Boob REVIEW by Mr Akbar S. Ahmed.
Here's another review of the same book by yet another author. The review by Dr Daftary is posted above.
Throne of Gold: The Lives of the Aga Khans.(book reviews)
Date: 07-28-1995; Publication: New Statesman & Society; Author:
Ahmed, Akbar S.
The tabloid frenzy generated by Imran Khan's wedding is fed by an
old racial stereotype: dusky Oriental male desiring white woman. It
not only suggests racism but plain silliness. The skin of the women
in Imran's family - for those to whom it matters - is as fair as that
of Jemima.
The dangerous combination of deep-rooted, perhaps unconscious,
prejudice and lack of knowledge lies at the heart of Anne Edwards'
Throne of Gold. (Skin colour is important as a motif to her: only
European women need dark glasses and parasols to protect themselves
from the sun in Saudi Arabia, for example). Edwards sets out to tell
the story of the present Aga Khan, his father and grandfather: the
leaders of the Ismaili sect of Muslims. In its scope, it has promise.
All the ingredients of exotica are present, including the court of
Queen Victoria.
Edwards has written about figures like Vivien Leigh and Ronald
Reagan; perhaps she had a Hollywood script in mind when she undertook
this book. It is not to be relied on for accuracy: Sind, a major
province of Pakistan, is placed in Afghanistan; the birth dates of
the main characters are inaccurate, and so on.
The single impression that emerges of the senior Aga Khan is of a
dark-skinned male forever lusting after white-skinned women. His
story as one of the triumvirate who changed Muslim history in South
Asia and gave the community a sense of identity is not explored. Born
in 1877, at about the same time as the other two figures, the Aga
Khan' s financial and political acumen combined with Iqbal's poetic
vision and Jinnah's leadership to form a major force in Indian
politics.
Similarly, the central focus of the present Aga Khan's life is
missed. His rural development programmes in north Pakistan are the
one glimmer of hope in converting entire villages from poverty into
self-respecting self-sufficiency. His hospital in Karachi is the best
run in Pakistan; his patronage of Islamic architecture based in
Harvard-MIT has generated global interest. Most important, he has
become a bridge between east and west, between Muslims and non-
Muslims, tradition and modernity.
Yet Edwards panders to the fantasy of the Aga Khan in popular
mythology: as an oriental despot of fabulous wealth, forever linked
to fast horses and fast women. She is a political innocent. Along the
way she insults - I suspect unwittingly - not only the Ismaili
community and the larger Muslim one but also revered national figures
like Gandhi and Jinnah.
We come away with little idea of the spiritual needs and sociological
compulsions of the Ismailis. Why do they respond to the person of the
Aga Khan? What role does he fulfil for them, both spiritually and
materially, and how does their faith in him survive in this age of
secularism? Reading Edwards' book raises the question of how we are
to treat belief and tradition in an age dominated by a cynical and
irreverent media.
The best way to deal with "offensive" books by those who are
sensitive to them is either to ignore them or to refute the arguments
through debate. Burning them will simply raise their sales. The
Ismailis appear to have learnt this cardinal lesson. I am not an
Ismaili, but I believe that attacking a spiritual figure like the Aga
Khan or a royal one like the Prince of Wales is an unfair sport. They
cannot respond. As for the idea of free speech and expression, in our
world of violent ethnic conflict, it needs to be taught with respect
for others, for ordinary human feelings, for the diversity of plural
societies and mixed communities.
Akbar Ahmed, Fellow of Selwyn College Cambridge, was chief consultant
for the BBC series "Living Islam"
Ahmed, Akbar S., Throne of Gold: The Lives of the Aga Khans.(book
reviews). Vol. 8, New Statesman & Society, 07-28-1995, pp 38(1).
Throne of Gold: The Lives of the Aga Khans.(book reviews)
Date: 07-28-1995; Publication: New Statesman & Society; Author:
Ahmed, Akbar S.
The tabloid frenzy generated by Imran Khan's wedding is fed by an
old racial stereotype: dusky Oriental male desiring white woman. It
not only suggests racism but plain silliness. The skin of the women
in Imran's family - for those to whom it matters - is as fair as that
of Jemima.
The dangerous combination of deep-rooted, perhaps unconscious,
prejudice and lack of knowledge lies at the heart of Anne Edwards'
Throne of Gold. (Skin colour is important as a motif to her: only
European women need dark glasses and parasols to protect themselves
from the sun in Saudi Arabia, for example). Edwards sets out to tell
the story of the present Aga Khan, his father and grandfather: the
leaders of the Ismaili sect of Muslims. In its scope, it has promise.
All the ingredients of exotica are present, including the court of
Queen Victoria.
Edwards has written about figures like Vivien Leigh and Ronald
Reagan; perhaps she had a Hollywood script in mind when she undertook
this book. It is not to be relied on for accuracy: Sind, a major
province of Pakistan, is placed in Afghanistan; the birth dates of
the main characters are inaccurate, and so on.
The single impression that emerges of the senior Aga Khan is of a
dark-skinned male forever lusting after white-skinned women. His
story as one of the triumvirate who changed Muslim history in South
Asia and gave the community a sense of identity is not explored. Born
in 1877, at about the same time as the other two figures, the Aga
Khan' s financial and political acumen combined with Iqbal's poetic
vision and Jinnah's leadership to form a major force in Indian
politics.
Similarly, the central focus of the present Aga Khan's life is
missed. His rural development programmes in north Pakistan are the
one glimmer of hope in converting entire villages from poverty into
self-respecting self-sufficiency. His hospital in Karachi is the best
run in Pakistan; his patronage of Islamic architecture based in
Harvard-MIT has generated global interest. Most important, he has
become a bridge between east and west, between Muslims and non-
Muslims, tradition and modernity.
Yet Edwards panders to the fantasy of the Aga Khan in popular
mythology: as an oriental despot of fabulous wealth, forever linked
to fast horses and fast women. She is a political innocent. Along the
way she insults - I suspect unwittingly - not only the Ismaili
community and the larger Muslim one but also revered national figures
like Gandhi and Jinnah.
We come away with little idea of the spiritual needs and sociological
compulsions of the Ismailis. Why do they respond to the person of the
Aga Khan? What role does he fulfil for them, both spiritually and
materially, and how does their faith in him survive in this age of
secularism? Reading Edwards' book raises the question of how we are
to treat belief and tradition in an age dominated by a cynical and
irreverent media.
The best way to deal with "offensive" books by those who are
sensitive to them is either to ignore them or to refute the arguments
through debate. Burning them will simply raise their sales. The
Ismailis appear to have learnt this cardinal lesson. I am not an
Ismaili, but I believe that attacking a spiritual figure like the Aga
Khan or a royal one like the Prince of Wales is an unfair sport. They
cannot respond. As for the idea of free speech and expression, in our
world of violent ethnic conflict, it needs to be taught with respect
for others, for ordinary human feelings, for the diversity of plural
societies and mixed communities.
Akbar Ahmed, Fellow of Selwyn College Cambridge, was chief consultant
for the BBC series "Living Islam"
Ahmed, Akbar S., Throne of Gold: The Lives of the Aga Khans.(book
reviews). Vol. 8, New Statesman & Society, 07-28-1995, pp 38(1).