CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER STEPHEN HARPER AND AGA KHAN OPEN THE ISMAILI CENTRE TORONTO AND AGA KHAN MUSEUM

HH the Aga Khan and PM Harper unveil a plaque at the opening of the Aga Khan Museum as Prince Amyn Aga Khan and Minister Glover look on - AKDN / Gary Otte).

PM Harper of Canada and HH the Aga Khan waving to crowds outside the Ismaili Centre, Toronto - AKDN / Zahur Ramji).

The Right Honourable Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada, and His Highness the Aga Khan formally opened the Ismaili Centre Toronto and Aga Khan Museum today. These projects, which are initiatives of the Aga Khan, the 49th hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims and founder and Chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network, are intended to foster knowledge and understanding both within Muslim societies and between these societies and other cultures.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Ismaili Centre, His Highness the Aga  Khan saluted the many leaders, volunteers and staff who have made possible the completion of these new institutions, including the Prime Minister, and many members of government at the federal, provincial and municipal levels. These spaces “will be filled with sounds of enrichment, dialogue and warm human rapport, as Ismailis and non-Ismailis share their lives in a healthy gregarious spirit," he remarked.

Prime Minister Harper commented that the site will be “a source of inspiration, spiritual renewal and cultural awareness,” not only for Torontonians, but for all visitors. The Prime Minister paid a special tribute to the Aga Khan’s vision of Islam, which “stresses its social traditions of peace, tolerance and pluralism."

“The decision to establish this significant initiative in Canada reflects the deep and longstanding partnership between the Imamat and Canada,” said the Prime Minister. 
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