Ismaili Population

Recent history (19th-21st Century)
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TheMaw
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Joined: Sat Feb 14, 2009 9:57 pm

Ismaili Population

Post by TheMaw »

I was reading an old lecture by Aga Khan III in which he describes the state of Ismailism in his day:
In the mountainous regions of Syria, for example, are to be found the Druzes, in their fastness in the Jebel Druze. They are really Ismailis who did not originally follow my family in their migration out of Egypt but remained with the memory of my ancestor, Al-Hakim, the Fatimid Caliph of Egypt, but they established their doctrines on lines very similar to those of the Syrian Ismailis, who, in present times, are my followers. Similar Ismaili "islands" exist in southern Egypt, in the Yemen and of course in Iraq.

In Iran the centres are around Mahalat, westward toward Hamadan and to the south of Tehran; others are in Khorassan to the north and east around about Yezd, around Kerman and southward along the coast of the Persian Gulf from Bandar Abbas to the borders of Pakistan and Sind, and into Baluchistan. Others are in Afghanistan, in Kabul itself; there are many in Russia and Central Asia, around Yarkand, Kashgar and in many villages and settlements in Sinkiang. In India certain Hindu tribes were converted by missionaries sent to them by my ancestor, Shah Islam Shah, and took the name of Khojas; a similar process of conversion occurred in Burma as recently as the nineteenth century.
Today most Ismailis I have encountered are Khojas; I know one Pashtun Ismailiyya but she is a convert from Sunnism.

Does anyone know how the (non-Druze) populations centres have fared, particularly the Arabic-speaking ones? I know there are Syrian Ismailis, but are there still Sa3iidi (Upper Egyptian) centres or any Nizaris in the Maghrib, in Iraq and Iraq? I know there are Ismailis in Yemen, but only about Bohras (Musta3lids). Are there Nizari Ismailis there?
agakhani
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Post by agakhani »

I think they fared due to lack of Ismaili missionaries, lack of Ismaili Dawat, lack of contact with them by any Ismaili institutions and other ismailies from other part of the world, and the political pressure, there is a waez on this topic why they forget their Ismaili sect by Rai Abu Ali.
Yes there are some Ismailies still living in Iraq and Iran.
kmaherali
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Post by kmaherali »

There has been a related discussion at:

Current Issues --> How many Ismaili-Muslims are actually there in the world?

http://www.ismaili.net/html/modules.php ... population
Mehreen1221
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Post by Mehreen1221 »

agakhani, for some odd reason, I am kinda wondering about what you said that Ismailies are 'still' living in Iraq and Iran...why shouldn't they or were they not supposed or something? I can imagine the situation in Iran particularly after 1979 but in Iraq what exactly has been the problem...or in any other Arab area...like Saudi Arabia or Egypt or North Africa...I'm just little curious and wondering what others think about the issues pertaining to the almost total absence of ismaili Imamat's connections from thier historical homelands...I assume that people think it is the contemporary political envirnoment that is not welcoming for them...is it really so...and/or what else. I am just little unconvinced and wondering....
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