Khan-Sistency

To the Editors of The Crimson:

I am writing to commend The Crimson for its efforts to inform the Harvard community about the University's activities in the Third World. I refer in particular to the article appearing in The Crimson of November 12, 1985 concerning the University's involvement in the development of a medical school in Pakistan.

However, in order to avoid errors in the representation of fundamental facts, I would urge The Crimson to undertake a little more background research on stories related to non-Western cultures. Such errors are likely not only to mar the accuracy and hence the quality of the article but are also liable to be offensive.

To illustrate my point I refer specifically to the above-mentioned article on the Harvard-linked Pakistan medical school at the Aga Khan University. The founder of the Aga Khan University, Prince Karim Aga Khan, as the article correctly points out is a Harvard alumnus. The article is also correct in identifying the Aga Khan as a spiritual leader. However, he is not the spiritual leader of 14 million Pakistanis; rather he is the spiritual leader (Iman) of a Muslim minority group known as the Nizari Ismailis who live in various countries. In addition to Pakistan, these countries include India, Iran, Syria, Afghanistan, the Soviet Union, Kenya, Tanzania and more recently Britain, Canada and the United States. The Aga Khan and his ancestors base their claims to leadership of the Nizari Ismaili community on their direct genealogical descent from the Prophet of Islam, Prophet Muhammad.

The Crimson should also be aware that the words "Aga Khan" constitute a herditary title bestowed in 1817 by the Qajar rulers of Iran on the religious leadership of the Nizari Ismaili community. The present leader (Iman) of the Ismailis is thus more accurately designated as Aga Khan IV. It is therefore quite absurd for your reporter to treat the word "Khan" in "Aga Khan" as if it were a last name (e.g. Khan, the super-rich Pakistani leader....). The inappropriateness of such a usage can perhaps be best illustrated if one were to refer to the British Prince of Wales as simply "Wales."

I was really pleased to note that The Crimson no longer misspells the word "Khan" which has in the past frequently appeared as "Kahn" Now, please remember, while "Khan" does occur as a last name among peoples of the West and South Asia, in the case of this generous Harvard alumnus and benefactor, it is the second word in a title! Ali S. Asani   Assistant Professor of Indo-Muslim   Culture