BOOK REVIEW
By Alnoor Amlani
To endeavor to write the first published biography of the Aga Khan is an enormous task indeed. But as a prominent Canadian Ismaili and a career journalist; Mansoor is both an insider and an expert, which enables him to take this challenge on, and to cover more than the average reader may expect.
This work is not an official biography of the Aga Khan, but as Professor Karim H Karim explains in the foreword, “it achieves something that his authorized biographies have not, namely the act of publication. Numerous articles have appeared on the Nizari Ismailis’ 49th Imam, but it seems astonishing that no other full-length biography has previously seen the light of day.”
Mansoor has also had one-on-one interactions with the Aga Khan twice. The first in 1971 when he conducted an interview in Tanzania as a young journalist with The Standard; and the second time when the Aga Khan visited Canada for the very first time in 1978 and Mansoor was an immigrant in Canada and chairman of the Edmonton Ismaili community.
The title is appropriate; the Aga Khan has actively worked to bridge the divide between East and West, throughout his life. Now in 2024, as the Aga Khan approaches his 88th year on the planet, the modern world is confronted with its greatest crisis since the Second World War with the destruction of Gaza by Israel, the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, and a deep suspicion of China – the mighty power in the East, dominating the narrative in the Western World.
This book then comes at an appropriate time.
An Alternative Narrative
The Aga Khan has famously said that “What we have is not a clash of civilizations, but a clash of ignorance which we are facing. And the answer to ignorance is education.”
“The replacement of fear by hope is probably the single most powerful trampoline of progress. What a wonderful, liberating thing it would be if more of us, more of the time, could see diversity not as a burden, but as a blessing; not as a threat, but as an opportunity.” Aga Khan
The Global Centre for Pluralism which he established in Canada in 2017 presents this alternative narrative to the world.
In over 600 pages Mansoor takes the reader through a journey, quoting directly from the Aga Khan’s speeches and presenting the thoughts of many leaders about the Aga Khan alongside his own.
Describing the Aga Khan’s early life before he took the leadership role of the Ismaili community, through to the present day, he reveals some interesting facts as he catalogues the vast humanitarian work done by the Aga Khan Development Network in the East and South, Africa and Asia as well as in the Western World, particularly in Canada and Portugal, simultaneously covering Ismaili beliefs, traditions and history and the source of the renowned volunteerism in the Ismaili community in some detail.
Mansoor also does not stop here, but goes on to tackle relevant and much more difficult topics such as the expulsion of Asians (including almost all the Ismailis) from Uganda by Idi Amin, the portrayal of Muslims today in the global media, the growing Islamophobia in Canada, the Taliban’s threat to democracy in Afghanistan, as well as a consideration of the dichotomy of Hamas as terrorists or freedom fighters.
In conclusion Mansoor Ladha has written a detailed book that provides factual information he has gathered over the years, as well as his opinions as a seasoned journalist in a work that will be appreciated by readers interested in the Aga Khan and the philosophies and practices, he has applied in his work “to leave the world a better place”.
