By A. Abdul Aziz. Press Secretary, Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at – Sri Lanka.

 According to media reports, Prime Minister Stephen Harper was in Mississauga Friday afternoon (28 August) to address tens of thousands in attendance at Canada’s largest annual Islamic convention.

Speaking during the opening day of Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at (Community) Canada’s Jalsa Salana (annual convention), the Conservative party leader emphasized the government’s ongoing support of religious rights and freedoms.

“In Canada, we know that religious tolerance is an indispensable building block in a free and democratic society,” Harper said.

“That’s why as Canadians, we value religious freedom so strongly at home and why we work to advance it without fear or favour around the world, but today, almost three quarters of humanity live in countries where religious freedom is only just a dream, where the right for minorities to worship as they please is violated with increasing frequency.”

The Prime Minister was introduced as a “Global champion of religious freedom” by Julian Fantino, Associate Minister of National Defence and MP for Vaughan, home of the Office of Religious Freedom that the government established two years ago.

Harper took the opportunity to remind those in attendance of the Conservatives pledge to invest in a new three-year program under the office of religious freedom to support persecuted religious minorities in the middle east if re-elected on Oct. 19.

The office will also work with organizations operating in areas under threat of terrorist group ISIS to protect places of worship and religious artifacts.

This weekend’s convention comes days after ISIS destroyed an ancient temple in Palmyra, Syria.

“We know this because ISIS brags about it,” Harper said.

“They videotape these deeds and then share them with the world through the internet. These terrorists are trying to revert Islam for their own purposes. They’re trying to deceive the world and to destroy the world and they must be stopped.”

This three day Convention (Jalsa Salana) features several sessions of speeches, presentations and discussion groups aimed towards offering practical solutions to combat various forms of religious extremism.

Last October, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec was the victim of an ISIS-inspired attack when Martin Couture-Rouleau ran over two RCMP officers. The infamous attack on Parliament Hill occurred two days later.

Harper credited Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at Canada for promptly speaking out against the attackers.

“As we all know, these shocking acts were perpetrated by killers claiming to act in the name of Islam,” Harper said.

“How important it was that the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at Canada quickly, categorically and unequivocally condemned the attacks and the terrorists who committed it … By your words and by your actions, Canada’s Aamadiyya community has earned the respect and admiration of all Canadians.” Harper added..