Prince Karim Al-Husseini Aga Khan, the 49th imam of the Nizari branch of the Isma’ili branch of the Shia branch of Islam, better known as the Aga Khan IV, died on February 5, 2025.
His son, Prince Rahim al-Hussaini Aga Khan, is now the Aga Khan V, the 50th imam of the sect.
In the Crusades, the Nizari produced the Assassins, who struck terror into the hearts of Europeans. In India, during the Raj, the Nizari and the British were useful to each other. Today, the Nizari are regarded as one of the more progressive Muslim sects.
The new guy is the nephew of Yasmin Aga Khan, daughter of Rita Hayworth. Due to his grandfather’s many liaisons such as with Hayworth, the great-grandfather skipped over the prince in the line of succession.
(Perhaps you can ask a mod to give this thread a better title.)
Am I the only one who thought New Hampshire had actually followed through on one of the unrealistic ideas for replacing the Old Man of the Mountain after it crumbled in 2003?
ETA: In case the suggestion of thread title change is implemented and my statement is confusing, this thread was titled “There is a new Old Man of the Mountain.”
Of course the Mountain (Alamut) was destroyed twice by the Mongols in the 13th century, so there’s not much mountain left. Now their mountains are mostly whichever one is nearby in Switzerland. The faith is a minor but widespread one in various places throughout the world, but IIRC only is a majority in parts of eastern Tajikstan.