Ambassador Sheikh Attends Inauguration of Houston Ismaili Center
By Elaine Pasquini
Houston: Rizwan Saeed Sheikh, Ambassador of Pakistan to the United States, attended the inauguration ceremony of the Ismaili Center in Houston on November 6, 2025.
“I had the singularly significant honor of interacting with His Highness Prince Rahim Agha Khan V,” the ambassador enthused. Prince Rahim became the 50th hereditary imam of the Shi’i Ismaili Muslims upon the death of his father, Karim al-Hussaini, on February 4 of this year, a position passed down from the Prophet Muhammed.
The Agha Khan, considered by his followers to be a direct descendant of Prophet Muhammed, is the leader of an estimated 15 million Muslims of the Ismaili sect – a branch of Shi’i Islam – in more than 70 countries.
The five story 150,000-square-foot structure designed by London-based architect, Farshid Moussavi, is the first Ismaili center in the United States and the seventh in the world. Renowned landscape architect, Thomas Woltz, created a beautifully designed urban space which complements the building’s contemporary design.
“The imposing and beautiful structure of the center completed under His Highness’s patronage will serve as a venue for community services and interfaith harmony as envisioned by the late Prince Karim Agha Khan,” the ambassador said.
Ambassador Sheikh praised the “services to humanity” of the Agha Khan, stating he stands out as “a symbol of leadership, foresight and compassion. Great to see Agha Khan V following in the footsteps of his illustrious father,” he said.
(Elaine Pasquini is a freelance journalist. Her reports appear in the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs and Nuze.Ink.)
