For Ismaili Muslims, a Toronto milestone

TORONTO (RNS) When the Aga Khan set out more than a decade ago to build a landmark museum to house his family's collection of Islamic art, he wanted to locate it in London. When those plans fell through, he chose Toronto.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper shakes hands with His Highness the Aga Khan, the 49th hereditary Imam of the Ismaili Muslims, at the opening of the Ismaili Centre Toronto and the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto on Friday (September 12, 2014.) Photo courtesy of THE CANADIAN PRESS/Aaron Vincent Elkaim
*Note to Eds: Our rights to use this photo expire 3 months from the original publish date of Sept. 16, 2014. Please delete the image at this time.*
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper shakes hands with His Highness the Aga Khan, the 49th hereditary Imam of the Ismaili Muslims, at the opening of the Ismaili Centre Toronto and the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto on Friday (September 12, 2014.) Photo courtesy of THE CANADIAN PRESS/Aaron Vincent Elkaim *Note to Eds: Our rights to use this photo expire 3 months from the original publish date of Sept. 16, 2014. Please delete the image at this time.*

His Highness the Aga Khan, left, the 49th hereditary imam of the Ismaili Muslims, shakes hands with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper at a ceremony Friday (Sept. 12) in advance of the opening of the Ismaili Centre, Toronto, and the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto. Photo courtesy of The Canadian Press/Aaron Vincent Elkaim

TORONTO (RNS) Two new Muslim attractions opening soon should help dispel negative stereotypes of Islam, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said.

The country’s first museum of Islamic art is scheduled to open Thursday (Sept. 18) in the heart of Canada’s largest city, Toronto. An adjacent Ismaili center is expected to follow. Harper and the Aga Khan, spiritual leader of the world’s 15 million Ismaili Muslims, attended a ceremony last week inaugurating the $300 million complex, which sits on 17 acres of lush gardens and parkland.


The Aga Khan Museum will house some 1,000 artifacts spanning a millennium of Islamic history. The adjacent Ismaili Centre, Toronto, will include a prayer space and rooms for social, educational and cultural events.

“The center creates an understanding of the values, ethics, culture and heritage of Ismaili Muslims,” a statement from Canada’s 90,000-strong Ismaili community said.

Ismailis are an offshoot of Shiite Islam. They are spread across 25 countries but united in their allegiance to Prince Karim Aga Khan.

In opening the museum, Harper praised the Aga Khan, who “has greatly contributed to demystifying Islam, throughout the world, by stressing its social traditions of peace, of tolerance and of pluralism.”

In his remarks, the Aga Khan, the 49th hereditary imam (spiritual leader) of Ismaili Muslims, lauded Canada for having accepted thousands of Ismailis who fled persecution in Africa and Asia.

When the Aga Khan set out more than a decade ago to build a landmark museum to house his family’s collection of Islamic art, he wanted to locate it in London. When those plans fell through, he chose Toronto because of the city’s large Ismaili population and his strong ties to Canada.


The connection grew stronger, and in 2010, the Aga Khan was named an honorary Canadian citizen, one of just six people on whom the honor has been bestowed.

The Ismaili Centre, Toronto, which is winning kudos for its modernist architecture, is the sixth in a network of such facilities in Vancouver, Canada; London; Lisbon, Portugal; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; and Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan.

YS/MG END CSILLAG

Donate to Support Independent Journalism!

Donate Now!