.imamat
| Status: | Delegated |
| Registry Provider: | Afilias |
| Type: | gTLD |
| Category: | Culture |
More information: 
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.imamat is a gTLD delegated to the Root Zone in ICANN's New gTLD Program on 16 April 2016. The registry operator is Fondation Aga Khan (Aga Khan Foundation).[1][2]
Mission and Purpose[edit | edit source]
Excerpted from the public response to question 18a in the gTLD application:
"The .IMAMAT TLD is being sought as a way to bring together on-line activities of the Ismaili Imamat. By way of context, the following provides some historical background to the institution of the Ismaili Imamat.
Throughout their history, the Ismailis have been led by a living, hereditary Imam. They trace the line of Imamat in hereditary succession from Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of Prophet Muhammad (may peace be upon him). The followers of Ali, or Shia, already in existence during the lifetime of the Prophet, maintained that while the revelation ceased at the Prophet’s death, the need for spiritual and moral guidance of the community continued. They firmly believed that the legacy of Prophet Muhammad could only be entrusted to a member of his own family, in whom the Prophet had invested his authority through designation before his death. That person was Ali, Prophet Muhammad’s cousin, the husband of his daughter and only surviving child, Fatima. The institution of Imamat was to continue thereafter on a hereditary basis, succession being based on designation by the Imam of the Time.
In time, the Shia were sub-divided. The Ismailis are the second largest Shia Muslim community. The Ismailis gave their allegiance to Imam Jafar as-Sadiq’s eldest son Ismail, from whom they derive their name. The Ismailis trace the line of Imamat in continuing hereditary succession from Ismail to His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan, who is their present, 49th Imam in direct lineal descent from Prophet Muhammad.
The Ismailis are the only Shia Muslims to have a living hereditary Imam; it is the presence of the living Imam that makes the Ismaili Imamat unique. Hence the term “Imamat” refers to more than just the concept of Imamat, but rather to the institution of the Ismaili Imamat, which today encompasses numerous activities and organisations, including the institutions of the Ismaili Muslim community around the world and the agencies of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN).
The Aga Khan Development Network is a group of private, international, non-denominational agencies working to improve living conditions and opportunities for people in some of the poorest parts of the developing world, in Central Asia, South Asia, Africa and the Middle East. AKDN institutions serve mandates in education (pre school to tertiary including research); health (from primary to tertiary care, including teaching and research); culture; rural development; human habitat; crises response; micro finance; and economic development."[3]
Objection[edit | edit source]
Saudi Arabia's Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) filed an objection against the TLD.[4]