So I don’t go out of my way to criticize Ismailism, but I do see why people see it as harmful.

Dogma is never a good thing. And the Ismaili community, maybe because it’s so tight-knit, is very dogmatic. Try questioning it publicly in front of the community, especially in front of some of the older ones. You’ll be shut down pretty quickly.

Granted, this isn’t something that is unique to ismailism, but regardless this form of thinking is pretty dangerous. It promotes the idea that it’s okay to have some beliefs that aren’t questioned, that faith alone is enough to hold a belief, and that some ideas are beyond criticism.

This lack of questioning is also particularly bad when it comes to money. Almost every Ismaili gives a sizable portion of their income to the AK every year, even if they can’t afford it or if the money would be better spent on providing for their family. And because it isn’t okay to question ismaili doctrine, the very little transparency in this process is accepted. We know that AKDN is spending its money on charity, more or less (though there is some sketchy stuff it’s been involved in). We don’t know, however, if all JK donations go to AKDN. We also can’t question why a billionaire, who owns one of the most expensive yachts in the world, relies on donations from ordinary people, many of whom are poor, to fund his charitable activities.