Today is the birthday, in 1877, of Sir Sultan Muhammad Shah, known as Aga Khan III. He was the 48th imam of the Nizari Ism’aili branch of Shia Islam. He is considered one of the founding fathers of Pakistan, serving as the first permanent president and founder of the All-India Muslim League (AIML). Shah sought the advancement of Muslims and the protection of Muslim rights in British India.
From a religious perspective, Shah followed a modernist approach to Islam. He believed there to be no contradiction between religion and modernity, and supported Muslims in their endeavor to embrace modernity. Shah was critical of the traditional religious establishment, particularly their emphasis on formalism, legalism, and literal interpretations of scripture. Shah opposed sectarianism, which he believed sapped the strength and unity of the Muslim community. In specific, he called for a rapprochement between Sunnism and Shīʿism.
Shah advocated for women’s rights not solely on the basis of their roles as mothers or wives, but as a matter of individual empowerment and social equity. He endorsed the spiritual equality of men and women in Islam, and he also called for full political equality. This included the right to vote and the right to an education. In regards to the latter issue, he endorsed compulsory primary education for girls.
He married four times and had three sons. He died in 1957 in Versoix, Switzerland, surrounded by his family members. His last words were repeating the verses of the Quran.
Muhammad Shah in 1936
If you’re planning to travel…
Today is the birthday, in 1961, of Canadian pop and country singer-songwriter Kathryn Dawn Lang, (k.d. Lang). She had the 1993 UK No.15 single ‘Constant Craving’. Lang’s career received a huge boost when Roy Orbison chose her to record a duet of his standard, ‘Crying’, a collaboration that won them the Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals in 1989. In 2003, she won her fourth Grammy Award, for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album for her collaboration with Tony Bennett on A Wonderful World. She is a vegetarian, and her “Meat Stinks” campaign in the 1990s created much controversy, particularly in her hometown, in the middle of Alberta’s cattle ranching industry, where she was banned from more than 30 Alberta radio stations. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTx7XHqKYgk
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