Ismailis

Ismailis constitute a minority branch of Shi'a Islam that has become a transnational and global religious group. Ismailis can be found in numerous countries around the world, but the majority of the population is located in the Middle East, India, and North Africa. As a religious group, they have been historically misunderstood and maligned; most commonly, they are associated with mysterious assassins and concealed mystic knowledge. Over the course of the last couple of centuries, under the guidance of their Agha Khan [Page 598]imams, a concerted effort has been made to disentangle the largely fictitious from the actual history of the Ismailis and to provide a space in modernity for them. Much of the misunderstanding concerning Ismailis stems from limited sources documenting their history combined ...