Prince Karim Aga Khan, a man of humanity and culture

Prince Karim Aga Khan, a man of humanity and culture

YOGYAKARTA (JP): Prince Karim Aga Khan, who visited Indonesia
last week, proves to be a humble personality. During his four-day
stay here he moved around with an unassuming demeanor.

The leader of 15 million Ismaili Moslems scattered in the
Middle East, Asia and Africa, met with President Soeharto,
presented the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in Surakarta and
attended a seminar on architecture in Yogyakarta.

The prince, who was accompanied by his daughter Princess Zahra
Aga Khan, did not exude an air of pomposity, which seems to be
common to many leaders, and his remarks were always clear and
easy to understand, yet carried a lot of weight.

During breaks in the seminar, held at the Melia Purosani
Hotel, he squeezed his way through the crowd to have a drink,
just like other participants. Then he settled in one spot and
talked easily with seminar participants.

Yet, it was obvious that his presence inspired reverence from
those around him. People raised from their seats when he entered
a room, without being given instructions to do so.

The 59-year old prince, a Harvard graduate of Islamic history,
is the 49th Imam of the Ismaili Moslem community, and bears the
title of Aga Khan IV.

He is head of the Aga Khan Development Network, a Geneva-based
foundation, which is responsible for a multitude of activities in
the fields of education, architecture, health, rural development,
and the promotion of private sector enterprises.

Following, are comments on the Aga Khan's personality and
works from four prominent Indonesians who attended the seminar:

Dr. Nurcholish Madjid, Moslem intellectual, member of the 1995
Aga Khan Steering Committee:

The Aga Khan is a very modest person. Even though I only met
him during the meetings his modesty is very obvious, in spite of
the fact that he is one of the richest men in the world. But then
we have to remember that he is also the spiritual leader of the
Ismaili Moslems and as such he is bound by his duty to appear
that way, although humbleness is part of his personality and part
of his faith as an Ismaili.

He is responsible for the well being of so many people and he
is a king without a sovereign territory, yet his relationship
with his followers is very close.

A gathering like this seminar is like our President's
accountability address to the People's Consultative Assembly.
This time, it is on the subject of architecture, at other times
it may be on education or health. And the projects have always
been very productive.

They also work very closely with experts from other faiths.
Many of those sitting at the speakers table are non-Moslems. This
is a manifestation of the non-sectarian characteristic of the
Ismaili. They believe that the truth in a religion is universal
in nature, it does not belong solely to the Ismaili, or Moslems,
but to all human beings.

The fact that Moslems are given prime attention is due to
several considerations but also because Moslems in many parts of
the world need help the most because of their poverty and
backwardness.

As a speaker in the seminar said that in the beginning, the
Aga Khan award for architecture had created controversy, it was
later accepted by world class architects. What's more, it has
contributed to a redefinition of architecture. If architecture is
defined as a medium to serve the poor and Moslems, what's wrong
with that?

Adhi Moersid, architect, chairman of the Board of Architects,
the Indonesian Institute of Architects:

The Aga Khan is a very refined person and shows deep concern
for the common people. But he is also a very shy person and,
therefore, he is very happy when other people can help him to
convey his ideas and turn them into reality.

Most of the Aga Khan projects are devoted to culture, like
establishing universities in a number of countries, the research
and development of Islamic architecture and most importantly, the
establishment of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture.

The award is actually second or third in importance when seen
against the opportunities of meeting and talking with many
Islamic scholars and prominent figures. This is beautiful because
it establishes worldwide Moslem brotherhood and this, in turn,
enriches the award with ideas and concepts.

In Indonesia, there are a lot of rich people too. The only
problem is how to synergize the ideas and capabilities of
different people to set up projects similar to the Aga Khan
projects.

The Aga Khan loves Indonesia more than other countries because
of its pluralism, since the ultimate goal of Islam is to realize
its own pluralism as a religion and culture.

Indonesia is fortunate to have been picked to host a symposium
on Islam pluralism next year, which will be jointly organized by
the Aga Khan Trust of Culture and the Rockefeller Foundation.

Father Yusuf Bilyarta Mangunwijaya, one of the winners of the
1992 Aga Khan Award of Architecture:

The Aga Khan comes from a very rich family but he is able to
use his wealth for the benefit of the common people for the sake
of humanism and culture.

If you go to India, Sri Lanka, or Thailand, Aga Khan projects
abound, especially in the field of health services for the poor,
hospitals for the poor, schools for the poor and orphanages.

It is my hope that in Indonesia there will be a rich man who
will do similar things. The Aga Khan is a rich man, but he has a
social responsibility in using his richness. He leads a very
simple life, which is a reflection of his responsibility over his
wealth that he gets from his grandfather and father. However,
being rich or poor is not the issue here. The issue is how to use
your richness. This is the thing that we have to learn.

So far, to become rich is our sole purpose. For me, there is
nothing wrong in becoming rich but the question is: How do we
face our responsibility of being rich in front of God and
society? (hbk)