In first public event of his Diamond Jubilee, Aga Khan is bestowed Portugal’s Grand Cross and an Honorary Doctorate
“I reiterate my profound appreciation for our own partnership, and for honouring me and by extension the Ismaili Imamat and the AKDN, especially as this honour comes during my Diamond Jubilee year, marking 60 years as the 49th Imam of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims worldwide. Our commitment to Portugal reflects our deep respect for this country and our deep affection for its people.” - His Highness the Aga Khan, Lisbon, July 20, 2017.
His Highness the Aga Khan received one of Portugal’s highest honours - the Gra-cruz da Ordem de Liberdade, or Grand Cross of the Order of Liberty - in recognition of his service to uplifting lives around the world. Portugal’s President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa bestowed the honour during a ceremony held at Lisbon’s Belem Palace.
The creation of the Order of Liberty was the result of a historic event of enormous importance to Portugal, the revolution of April 25, 1974. Its aim was to recognize those individuals who stood for the defense of noble ideals such as democracy and freedom and for their devotion to the cause of human rights and social justice. Subsequently, legislation was modified for the Order of Liberty to refer to the defense of the values of civilization, of dignity and freedom.
The Aga Khan was in Lisbon at the invitation of the Universidade NOVA de Lisboa to receive an Honorary Doctorate (Honoris Causa) for his longstanding commitment to improving the quality of life for some of the world’s vulnerable populations as well as for his efforts to promote respect for tolerance and pluralism.
Aga Khan is the 49th spiritual leader of Muslim Ismaili (since 1957) and founder and president of the Aga Khan Development Network, "one of the largest private development agencies in the world."
The Network operates in more than 30 developing countries and employs more than 80,000 people. In Portugal it has been active for several decades, mostly through the Aga Khan Foundation, which mainly works in the areas of education and childhood and support to social and economic inclusion.
This visit was the first official public event for the Aga Khan since the launch of his Diamond Jubilee year on Tuesday, July 11, 2017, which marked 60 years as Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslim community.
Universidade NOVA de Lisboa was founded on the 11th of August 1973, and is the youngest of Lisbon’s three state Universities. The Aga Khan however noted that although young compared against the more than 700-year history of higher education in Portugal, the university “has quickly developed a truly outstanding reputation for the quality of its teaching and scholarship, and for its pluralistic, global outlook - foundations that will last for centuries.”
The Aga Khan also mentioned he always felt at home in Portugal, and “ever more so since the signing in 2015 of an historic Agreement between the Ismaili Imamat and Portuguese Republic to establish the Seat of the Ismaili Imamat in this country – an important milestone in the 1,400-year history of the Ismaili Imamat. It marks the culmination of our long and deep relationship here and one that will now deepen further.”
He added that “while we work in 30 countries, we hold an enduring affinity for Portugal and its institutions, its history and its people. And the historic Palacete Henrique Mendonca will become the most fitting host for the Seat.”
Culture Minister Luís Filipe Castro Mendes, PSD leader, Passos Coelho, former Prime Minister Pinto Balsemão (who sponsored his doctorate), several MPs from the PS, PSD and CDS-PP, figures of the Catholic Church and the Forces Armadas were present at the ceremony at the Rectory of Universidade Nova de Lisboa.
