Suchergebnisse

The community of Khojas, chiefly from Cutch or Kathiawar, began to settle in Zanzibar & the mainland of East Africa early in the 19th cent. Originally Hindus, they were converted to the Eastern Isma'ili religion & accepted the Agha Khan as their Imam & successor to the Prophet. The Agha cannot only interpret but even abrogate the prescriptions of the Quran. This means that their beliefs have very concrete & practical implications. The Khojas find a full & overriding authority for any innovation in the fact that the Imam can speak with the divine voice. There is a reconciliation between the principle of absolute authority & great initiative on the part of the community itself. The Isma'ili pattern of life seems to combine all that they consider best in both the Eastern & Western system, as is shown in their latest Constitution of 1962, which deals with the personal law of the community, mainly re marriage & connected rights or duties. It is considered likely that territorial law will acknowledge the new constitution as valid. IPSA.