The first Islamic museum in North America was
formally opened in Canada on Friday by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and His
Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan, spiritual leader of the world’s Ismaili
community.
Speaking during a landmark opening ceremony,
Harper said the the museum devoted to Islamic art will help promote an
understanding of a religion that is based on tolerance and pluralism.
The Ismaili centre was also inaugurated during
the landmark opening ceremony in Toronto on Friday. The two buildings have been
built on 6.8-hectare site with a total cost of $300 million.
“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,” Prince Aga Khan said.
More than 1,000 objects and pieces of art —
manuscripts, drawings, paintings, tapestries, metalwork, ceramics — from the
8th through 19th centuries sourced from various countries will be on display in
the museum.
The project aims to foster knowledge and
understanding within Muslim societies and between these societies and other
cultures.
The museum at Eglinton Avenue and Don Mills Road
opens to the public on Sept. 18.
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