The Aga Khan, spiritual leader of the Ismaili branch of Shiite Islam, is opening a yearlong jubilee to mark his 60th anniversary leading the community with a call Tuesday for greater respect for pluralism in the Islamic world and action to reduce poverty.
Among Muslim leaders, the Aga Khan holds a unique position. The community he leads as “imam” is not large — around 20 million adherents, compared to the estimates of several hundred million followers of Shiism's main branch, known as the “Twelvers.” Sunnis make up the majority of the approximately 1.5 billion Muslims around the world.
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