Misinformation rampant surrounding Karim "Aga Khan" al-Husayni and Ismailis, as media rush to put out poorly researched obituaries.

As usual, we see the same false information parroted ad nauseam. Let's clarify a few myths.

• Aga Khan is not a hereditary title. It is not an official title at all. It has nothing to do with Ismailism. It was a pet name used by the Qajar Shah to refer to Hassan al-Husayni, Karim's great-great-grandfather. It's usage may have been sarcastic at the time; it is certainly improper now.

• The al-Husayni family (the "Aga Khans") are not "Princes" or "Princesses", despite being descendents of the Qajar Shah. The titles of prince only pass hereditarily along the male line, whereas the al-Husaynis claim descent from a daughter of the Shah. Thus, even if the Qajar dynasty still on the throne, they would not have any claim to those titles.

• Karim Aga Khan's net worth is not $800 million, nor is it $13.3 billion. $800 million was an estimate of Karim's grandfather's net worth in 1943. $13.3 billion was an estimate made by the French court in Karim's divorce proceedings, after Karim refused to disclose his assets. In fact, Karim's assets have been improperly intermingled with those of the Ismaili community, and a proper estimate of his net worth based on contributions from the Aga Khan Cult is well over $100 billion.

• There are not 15 million Ismailis in the world. An accurate estimate if between 2-3 million, as admitted by Karim's first wife, his cousin who runs the Institute of Ismaili Studies, his putative biographer, and substantiated by numerous demographic studies and common sense.

• Ismailis do for all intents and purposes believe that Karim is God. Karim's public denials of divinity stand in stark contrast with the doctrines of the Aga Khan Cult and the beliefs of everyday Smileys.

• **The Aga Khan Development Network is not non-profit. It is a for-profit institution. "Private Development Network" is marketing speak for "Family-Owned Conglomerate operating Capitalistic Enterprise." The Aga Khan Foundation is a charity within this conglomerate, and used to move money around without proper oversight.

• Karim "Aga Khan" al-Husayni was not a great philanthropist. Relative to how much money Karim "Aga Khan" took in from his followers, charities, and businesses, his contributions to society were meagre. Philanthropy was little more than a façade. The lavish and lascivious lifestyles of the "Aga Khans" are the truest indicator of who the al-Husayni family really is behind all the pomp and pretense.