of the two groups, are led by the aga khan, a
descendant of the Nizari caliph-imams, whom
they call “the Imam of the Age” (Imam-i zaman).
As a result of their need to conceal themselves and
their missionary activities in times of persecution,
Khoja religious language has adapted many terms
and concepts from Sufism and devotional Hindu-
ism (bhakti), evident in terms such as pir and guru
(Sufi master), dhikr and samaran (remembrance
of God), tariqa and sath panth (Sufi order, “true
path”). God was known as allah and Alakh (a
Sanskritic name for the transcendent God), or as
Rahman (the most merciful) and Ram (an ava-
tar of the Hindu god Vishnu). The key religious
texts for the Khojas are the ginans, which contain
sacred hymns that are sung at their religious gath-
erings. The Ismaili Bohras, who are mainly from
the region of Gujarat in India, are led by a man
known as the dai mutlaq (the absolute dai), who
maintains continuous contact with the hidden
imam. Their main headquarters since the 19th
century has been in Mumbai.
Khojas and Bohras are typically involved in
business and finance. They tend to avoid politics,
but they embrace edUcation and scholarship.
The Institute of Ismaili Studies in London was
founded in 1977 by the Aga Khan in order to sup-
port research on Shiism and enhance interfaith
understanding. Both communities have supported
projects relating to the preservation of the Islami-
cate architectural heritage and adapting it to meet
the needs of Muslim communities today. They
have also contributed significantly to humanitar-
ian causes.
See also ahl al-bayt; assassins; bohra; breth-
ren oF pUrity; drUze; Fyzee, asaF ali asghar;
hindUism and islam; sUFism; tWelve-imam shiism.
Further reading: Ali S. Asani, Ecstasy and Enlighten-
ment: The Ismaili Devotional Literature in South Asia
(London: I.B. Taurus, 2002); Jonah Blank, Mullahs on
the Mainframe: Islam and Modernity among the Daudi
Bohras (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2001);
Farhad Daftary, A Short History of the Ismailis (Edin-
burgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1998); John Nor-
man Hollister, The Shia of India (1953. Reprint, New
Delhi: Oriental Books Reprint Corporation, 1979).isra and miraj See night journey and ascent.
Israel
The modern country of Israel was created in 1948
as a homeland for the Jewish people. Located on
the eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea, it
covers an area of 8,017 square miles not includ-
ing the occupied territories of palestine (the
West Bank and Gaza). It is comparable in size
to the state of New Jersey and smaller than Los
Angeles County, California. The western limit of
the country is defined by a coastline that extends
from north to south, with the land sloping east-
ward across a coastal plain up to the Judean Hills.
East of the Judean Hills lie the Jordan Rift Valley
and the Dead Sea. The southern part of the coun-
try is desert, including a narrow corridor leading
down to the tip of the Gulf of Aqaba in the Red
Sea. The countries that border Israel are lebanon
and syria to the north, Jordan to the east, and
egypt to the west-southwest. The Palestinian
Authority has legal jurisdiction of the West Bank,
a large area between JerUsalem and the Jordan
Valley, and Gaza, a narrow coastal strip on the
Israeli-Egyptian border. Israel also occupies the
Golan Heights, a border area that is claimed by
Syria.
Israel’s political capital is in the modern city of
Tel Aviv. Although Israel lacks a formal constitu-
tion, it does have a set of Basic Laws that provide
guidelines for governance. Establishing a consti-
tution has been delayed because of disagreements
between Jewish secular and religious parties over
the nature of the nation’s laws. The country is
ruled by an elective parliamentary democracy led
by a prime minister. Israeli Arab citizens, like its
Jewish citizens, have voting rights and representa-
tion in the parliament, known as the Knesset, butIsrael 379 J