This is the first of a two-part series on Ismailism, a branch of Shiite Islam. The second story will provide background on the Shiite sect and examine whether Ismaili history supports religious tolerance.
Houston is a city known for going big. America’s ninth-largest city by land area, it is home to the world’s largest medical center, one of the nation’s biggest ports, and Texas’ second-tallest building.
Houston’s Christianity is also big, hosting some of the most mega of megachurches, including Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church and the largest Episcopal church in the nation.
But it is also one of the US’s most religiously diverse cities. And another major religious space will soon join in: The Ismaili Center Houston.
Ismailis are a branch of Shiite Muslims who believe that religious authority continues through a line of imams—divinely guided descendants of Muhammad, the prophet of Islam. The center in Houston is owned by one of two main Ismaili branches, the Nizari Ismailis, who constitute around 1 percent of the global Muslim population.
For much of their history, Ismailis suffered persecution at the hands of other Muslim authorities. Today they wield substantial political and cultural influence, primarily through the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), administered by Aga Khan V, the current imam.
Set to open November 6, it will be the first Ismaili center in the US and the seventh worldwide—with others in London, Lisbon, Dubai, Dushanbe (in Tajikistan), Vancouver, and Toronto.
The Ismaili Center will certainly match Houston’s reputation for grandness—it will sit on an 11-acre site with nine gardens and a 150,000-square-foot building featuring a theater, banquet halls, a café, and place for prayer. It also aims to become a place for dialogue between Houston’s religious communities.
According to researchers from Rice University’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research, 38 percent of Houstonians identify as Protestant, 26 percent as Catholic, and 27 percent as “nones,” people with no religious affiliation. Houston also has notable Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, and Sikh populations.
Former Houston mayor Sylvester Turner, longtime member of the evangelical megachurch The Church Without Walls, which reports more than 20,000 members, stated that the center would be more than a “magnificent building” and would have an “impact on Houston, across Texas, and throughout the United States.”
Greater Houston has the largest Muslim population in Texas and the Southern United States, said Farah Lalani, a spokeswoman for the Ismaili Council for the Southwestern USA, including a sizeable Ismaili community. There are an estimated 35,000–40,000 Ismailis in this region, she added.
That community currently gathers at five jamatkhanas in the Houston area. Derived from the Persian word for a community gathering place, a jamatkhana is similar to a mosque but also incorporates social events and cultural activities—much as some larger churches do.
The center, however, is on another scale entirely. Omar Samji, a local lawyer and volunteer spokesman for the Ismaili Council, said that along with hosting theater productions, festivals, and art shows, the center is also part of a long-term vision for Ismailis to engage with and foster connections between faith communities. This, he said, is in line with what he found to be Houston’s reputation for being a welcoming city.
When Samji moved to Houston in 2012, he said one of the first things he noticed was a sense of connection between curious people of faith. As an Ismaili, he was heartened by Houstonians who knew what they believed and were not afraid to ask questions of others. Jewish, Christian, or Muslim, his neighbors were both inquisitive and respectful, he found.
That spirit pairs well with what Samji said is his faith’s emphasis on pluralism. Ismaili scholar Mohammed N. Miraly, in his book Faith and World: Contemporary Ismaili Social and Political Thought, described how their commitment to religious diversity originates in their interpretation of the Quran. Their previous leader, Aga Khan IV, said to be a direct descendent of Muhammad, founded the AKDN not only to improve the spiritual and material lives of his followers but also to demonstrate their ethical framework by benefiting the larger community.
Through the AKDN, Ismailis administer 1,000 development, education, and health care programs in more than 30 countries. Since 1982, this has included the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme for villages in the remote, mountainous, and ethnically diverse areas of India and northern Pakistan. Since 2000, the Aga Khan Music Programme has promoted peace through the preservation of musical heritage in Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. And since 2017, the Global Centre for Pluralism in Ottawa has produced evidence-based research into policies that work toward successful and diverse societies.
“Faith is not only confined to prayers,” said Lalani, “but expressed in how we serve.”
In Houston, this service has included disaster relief, refugee resettlement, and blood drives alongside other people of faith. Ismailis have also regularly taken part in an interfaith Thanksgiving service which features songs, dances, and prayers from numerous religious communities. Samji said he hopes the center will help Ismailis scale up these efforts and build more connections through movie screenings, festivals, and events meant to foster dialogue between religious communities in Houston.
Kim Mabry, a Methodist minister who facilitates engagement and collaboration between various faith communities at IM Houston—formerly Interfaith Ministries Houston—has seen firsthand how Ismailis have pitched in to help during the city’s frequent hurricanes and floods. Several Ismailis serve on the board of her 60-year-old organization, and she notes the potential of the center to expand future collaboration. Serving together helps transcend theological differences, she believes, and reminds people of different faiths about their shared humanity.
But some Christians have raised concerns. Houston’s conservative talk radio channel KTRH has broadcast the increased wariness many have toward Muslims. And its reporter B. D. Hobbs recently featured former president of Southern Evangelical Seminary Alex McFarland, who warned about the “growth of Islam in the West” and an alleged Muslim goal of replacing the US Constitution with sharia law.
Earlier this year in North Texas, the East Plano Islamic Center (EPIC), one of the largest mosques in the region, proposed a residential development of thousands of homes centered around a mosque and Islamic school. The plans drew backlash and political attention, including a law signed by Gov. Greg Abbott to challenge development’s legal framework on the grounds of discrimination. The US Department of Justice opened an investigation into potential illegal activities by the project’s organizers but ultimately closed it for lack of evidence.
Evangelical pastor Bob Roberts Jr., founder of NorthWood Church in Dallas–Fort Worth, who has spoken about his faith at EPIC, said the development was “never going to be a Muslim-only community.” But, he said, it was a potent reminder of how religious buildings can draw out extreme opinions in a time of polarization and social media half-truths.
Having worked with Ismailis over the years as part of his bridge building between Christians and Muslims, Roberts appreciates their commitment to development at the local and global levels. Christians should not fear their Muslim neighbors, he said. And they should be wary of taking cues from extreme voices online—about The Ismaili Center or any other Muslim sacred space. He encouraged evangelicals in Houston to visit Texas’ newest megaproject.
“There is no off-limits place for Christians,” Roberts said. “The gospel is bigger than any building.”
