Islam In Canada

      The latest statistic shows that Muslims is 5% of the population in Greater Toronto area .     

Islam in Canada  From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 

Contents  • • • • • •

1 Demographics, concentration, and life   2 History   3 Organizations   4 References   5 See also   6 External links  

According to 2001 census, there were  579,640 Muslims in Canada, just under  2% of the population.[1]. In 2006, Muslim  population is estimated to be 783,700 or  about 2.5%[2]. 

  

Demographics, concentration, and life  Most Canadian Muslims [i.e. followers of Islam] are people who were  raised Muslim. There are also small numbers of converts to Islam from  other religions. As with immigrants in general, Muslim immigrants have  come to Canada for a variety of reasons. These include higher  education, employment, and family reunification. Others have come for  religious and political freedom, and safety and security, leaving behind  civil wars, persecution, and other forms of civil and ethnic strife. In the  1980s, Canada became an important place of refuge for those fleeing  the Lebanese Civil War. The 1990s saw Somali Muslims arrive in the  wake of the Somali Civil War as well as Bosnian Muslims fleeing the  breakup of the former Yugoslavia. However Canada has yet to receive  any significant numbers of Iraqis [Muslim or Christian] fleeing the Iraqi  Civil War. But in general almost every Muslim country in the world has  sent immigrants to Canada ‐ from Albania to Yemen.[1]  The majority of Canadian Muslims ‐‐ and not coincidentally a large  proportion of the country's immigrants ‐‐ live in the province of British  Columbia, with the largest groups settled in and around the Greater 

Vancouver Regional District. According to the 2001 Census, there were  258,500 Muslims living in the Greater Vancouver Regional District. [2]  Assuming that most immigrants from Pakistan and Iran are Muslims,  the two largest Muslim communities in the were Pakistani (>50,000)  and Iranian (>30,000).[3] Canada 's national capital Ottawa hosts many  Lebanese and Somali Muslims, where the Muslim community  numbered approximately 40,000 in 2001.[4] Greater Montreal 's Muslim  community neared 100,000 in 2001.[5] It is home to large numbers of  Canadians of Moroccan, Algerian and Lebanese descent, as well as  smaller Syrian, Iranian, Pakistani and Turkish communities.[6] These  communities are not exclusively, but predominantly, Muslim. In  addition to Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal, nearly every major  Canadian metropolitan area has a Muslim community, including Halifax  (3,070), Windsor (10,745), Winnipeg (4,805),Calgary (25,920),  Edmonton (19,580), Toronto (52,590), where more than a third are of  Iranian descent, and Victoria (1,230). [7]  Table 1: Current and Projected Muslim Population of Canada[8]  Muslim Population

2001

2017

Canada

579,700 1,421,400

Atlantic Provinces

5,300

Quebec

103,900 247,600

British Columbia

57,200 131,100

Manitoba

4,900

12,100

Saskatchewan

2,000

4,700

Alberta

49,300 100,300

Ontario

356,700 910,600

14,500

As the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees freedom of  religious expression, Canadian Muslims face no official religious  discrimination. Under Section 2(a) of the Charter, the wearing of the  hijab is permitted in schools and places of work. Religious holidays and 

dietary restrictions are also respected, but outside major urban areas it  may be difficult to find halal food. It is also often difficult to observe  Islamic rules against usury. 

History  The Muslim community in Canada is almost as old as the nation itself.  Four years after Canada 's founding in 1867, the 1871 Canadian Census  found 13 Muslims among the population.[9] The first Canadian mosque  was constructed in Edmonton in 1938, when there were approximately  700 Muslims in the country.[10] This building is now part of the museum  at Fort Edmonton. The years after World War II saw a small increase in  the Muslim population. However Muslims were still a distinct minority.  It was only with the removal of European immigration preferences in  the late 1960s that Muslims began to arrive in significant numbers.  According to the Canadian Census of 1971 there were 33,000 Muslims  in Canada . [11] In the 1970s large‐scale non‐European immigration to  Canada began. This was reflected in the growth of the Muslim  community in Canada . In 1981, the Census listed 98,000 Muslims. [12]  The 1991 Census indicated 253,265 Muslims. [13] By 2001, the Islamic  community in Canada had grown to more than 579,000. [14] Preliminary  estimates for Census 2006 point to a figure of almost 800,000. [15] The  community is expected to grow to 1.1 million by 2011 and 1.4 million  by 2017.[16]  Compared to Muslims in Europe , Canadian Muslims have not faced the  same set of problems. [17] The Muslim community in Canada is just one  among many ethnic, religious, racial and cultural communities that  together make up Canada . At the same time, it must be noted that  although Canadian Muslims may be classified as Muslims for official  governmental statistical and policy‐making purposes, that does not  necessarily mean that all who are identified as such are practicing  Muslims. In other words, they may be culturally Muslim, while at the  same leading secular lives. Among the more prominent Canadian  Muslims are Rahim Jaffer, who has sat as a Member of Parliament (MP)  for Edmonton‐Strathcona since 1997, Irshad Manji, a feminist Muslim  activist who wrote the international bestseller "The Trouble With  Islam" ‐ an excoriation of violent radical Islam, and Maher Arar, a  Syrian‐Canadian renditioned to Syria by the United States due to  misleading information received from Canadian intelligence services.  The role of Islam in Canada in the 21st century is represented by the 

success of the television sitcom Little Mosque on the Prairie, produced  by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). 

Organizations     Toronto Dawah Centre  The Muslim community in Canada is represented by several  organizations: the Canadian Islamic Congress, which represents  traditional opinions in the community and has the support of most  mosques, the Muslim Association of Canada (MAC) which has its  foundation rooted in traditional Islamic ideology with a focus on  dynamic application within the current Canadian context, CAIR‐CAN‐ Council of American Islamic Relations Canada which has now become  one of the leading advocacy and civil liberties groups on behalf of the  Muslim community, the Muslim Canadian Congress, a progressive,  liberal group that was founded in 2002 as well as other organisations  such as Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) and the Islamic Circle of  North America (ICNA). These are only some of the key organisations  within the Muslim Canadian community, the community is a large,  diverse community with well over 60 ethno‐cultural groups and so  organisations are continually emerging as they seek to meet the needs  of community members.  Student associations are strongly established at most Canadian  universities, with the MSA at the University of Toronto, started in 1966,  being the largest student organization on campus[3]. Student‐led  initiatives are generally well supported and successful, including annual  events such as MuslimFest and the Reviving the Islamic Spirit  conference, the largest Islamic event in Canada . 

References  1.     ^ 2001 Census of Canada :  http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census01/home/index.cfm   2.     ^ Canada 's Demo‐Religious Revolution   3.     ^ 2001 Census of Canada   4.     ^ 2001 Census of Canada  

5.     ^ 2001 Census of Canada   6.     ^ 2001 Census of Canada   7.     ^ 2001 Census of Canada   8.     ^ Canada 's Demo‐Religious Revolution   9.     ^ 1871 Census of Canada   10. ^ Saudi Aramco World: Canada 's Pioneer Mosque:  http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/199804/canada.s.pi oneer.mosque.htm   11. ^ 1971 Census of Canada   12. ^ 1981 Census of Canada   13. ^ 1991 Census of Canada   14. ^ 2001 Census of Canada   15. ^ Canada 's Demo‐Religious Revolution   16. ^ Canada 's Demo‐Religious Revolution   17. ^ Canada 's Muslims: An International Comparison:  http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/islam/muslim‐ survey.html  

See also  •        Religion in Canada   •        Category containing Canadian Muslims  

External links  •        Canada religious census 2001   •        Canada s Demo‐Religious Revolution: 2017   •        Canadian Muslim Business and service Directory   •        Islamic Association in Canada   •        Canadian Council Of Muslim Women  

•        MuslimFest ‐ Artistic, Innovative, Captivating  

   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Canada          The oldest mosque in Canada 1930

founded by 800 Muslims .  

Al-Rashid Mosque      

Al-Rashid Mosque, constructed in 1938, was Canada 's first mosque. Originally located at 101 Street and 108 Avenue, Edmonton , Alberta , it was moved a few blocks in 1946. Today it is preserved at Fort Edmonton Park . 

 

Maulana Abdul Aleem Siddiqui was instrumental in establishing Al-Rashid Mosque with the local Arab community.   A few months later the cornerstone for this building was laid by Abdullah Yusuf Ali (Translator of: "The Meanings of the Holy Qur'an")

 

Al-Rashid Mosque at its new location. [ 13070 113th St . Edmonton , Alberta ]   

                      

     http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=14272&l=20921&id=711951981 

        From your album: "The oldest mosque in Canada 1930 founded by 800 Muslims ." History

In the hopes of beginning a new life of peace and prosperity the first Muslims arrived in Canada in 1871. They arrived by boat on Canada 's east coast and by 1931 the Census of Canada registered 645 Muslim residents. In the early1930's in Edmonton , Mayor John Fry was approached by a group of Muslim ladies for a plot of land on which a mosque could be built for the growing Muslim community. An amount of 5000 dollars was needed to buy the land that was located next to Royal Alexandra Hospital . A Ukrainian-Canadian named Mike Drewoth was hired as the contractor for this historic undertaking that would be the first mosque built in North America . The official opening of the Al Rashid Mosque was on December 12, 1938.The ceremony was attended by various prominent figures including Abdullah Yusuf Ali, whose English interpretation of the Holy Qur'an is renowned. The mosque served the Muslims as a religious and community centre. As a result of the mosque's presence, many Muslim families were attracted to Edmonton . They immigrated here to raise their families in a new land, interacting with Canadians while maintaining their religious beliefs and cultural practices. Over the years as the community continued to flourish, their numbers grew to over 16,000 Muslims by the early 1980's. By that time the mosque was becoming over crowded so a bigger facility was needed to meet the community's needs. In November 1982 the new Al Rashid mosque opened its doors to serve over 20,000 Muslims in Edmonton . The old mosque would remain empty for another 10 years until the expansion of the Royal Alexandra Hospital jeopardized the future of this historical landmark. The Canadian Council of Muslim Women lobbied to have the building saved from the wrecking ball and in 1992 the old Al Rashid Mosque was preserved as an historical building in Fort Edmonton Park . It reopened its doors to the public on May 28, 1992. Visitors to this monument of peaceful coexistence can go on a tour and learn some of the history behind its pioneering heritage. As the community grew, more services and facilities were needed. To meet this challenge the Canadian Islamic Centre/ Al Rashid Mosque offers many services including housing, funeral services, educational programs, an accredited private school for grades K-9 and much more. Today the Muslim community boasts over 30,000 members of over 62 ethnic backgrounds. Its members have contributed to Edmonton 's dynamic character for over a century and look to the future as an opportunity to continue to live in harmony and prosperity with Canadians of all religious and ethnic backgrounds.

                             

   

SAVING A MOSQUE FROM DEMOLITION  

AND WITH IT THE MEMORIES OF A  COMMUNITY   By STEPHANIE NOLEN / The Globe and Mail / MARCH 20, 2000  

  Reprinted from "The Friday Bulletin"   published by the Canadian Islamic Congress  EDMONTON -- The building is squat and square, made of red brick. It looks, well, like a church -- and indeed, the man who drew up the plans in the 1930s had experience only with churches. But silver domes gleam on this building's twin towers and each one is crowned by a crescent moon.   Inside, there are no pews, no altar: just streams of light from six arched windows and rich Persian carpets on the floor. There is a podium at the front, on which a copy of the Qur'an rests in a gilt box, and an arched Qiblah built into the wall, showing the direction to Mecca [Makka].   This is North America 's oldest Mosque. Called the Al Rashid, it was built by the children of Muslim farmers and fur traders, people whose stories don't often make the history books. Erected in 1938, it served the burgeoning Muslim population of Edmonton faithfully for 50 years -- but it's small, just 30 by 50 feet , and eventually it fell into disuse as newer, bigger Mosques were built.   And it was very nearly demolished for a parking lot, until a feisty group of women, Muslims from all ethnic heritages, fought city hall -- and a community they say was at times overtly racist -- to have it declared a heritage building and moved into the Fort Edmonton Park historic site.   The Al Rashid Mosque was saved, but it's still empty most of the time. The women hope that when refurbishment is finished, it can be used on occasions such as the three-day Eid al-Adha celebration, which ended yesterday. And they are enormously pleased to see it settled there in the park, at the end of a row of 1920s shops, a red-brick testament to the long presence of Muslims in their country.   The first "Mohammedans," as white Canada called them then, arrived on the prairies more than 100 years ago, leaving homes in the Middle East and Southeast Asia in search of prosperity, and often fleeing wars and conscription. At first, they farmed or trapped, like so many immigrants; and some opened stores. Mothers were eager to move to town, so that their children could be educated and learn English. By the early 1900s, there was a small Muslim community in Edmonton and fund raising for a Mosque started

in the 1930s.   In the Depression years, nobody had much money for the project. All the Muslim families in town contributed what they could; so did Arab Christians, and even a few Jewish families. It was finally finished in 1938, built on a small plot near the centre of town, on land donated by the city.   Once there was a heavy green-velvet curtain that could be pulled out to divide the women's section; it has been folded away. But in one corner stands the wash basin and porcelain jug that the faithful used to wash for prayers, in the days before indoor plumbing. The Mosque became the heart of a community, drawing Muslims from all over -- including those who headed for Edmonton simply because they heard there was a Mosque there.   "Some of my truly happiest memories are here," Evelyn Hamdon said, seated comfortably on the floor on a recent winter day, with five of the other women who fought to save the building. Ms. Hamdon, 45, is an adult-education consultant; her sister Lorrine, 40, an international business consultant, sat nearby. "Do you remember," she asked, "the weddings and the parties, and us washing dishes in the basement?"  

         

    http://muslim‐canada.org/alrashidmosque.html

  History    In the hopes of beginning a new life of peace and prosperity the first Muslims arrived in Canada in 1871.  They arrived by boat on Canada 's east coast and by 1931 the Census of Canada registered 645 Muslim  residents. In the early1930's in Edmonton , Mayor John Fry was approached by a group of Muslim ladies  for a plot of land on which a mosque could be built for the growing Muslim community. An amount of  5000 dollars was needed to buy the land that was located next to Royal Alexandra Hospital . A  Ukrainian‐Canadian named Mike Drewoth was hired as the contractor for this historic undertaking that  would be the first mosque built in North America . The official opening of the Al Rashid Mosque was on  December 12, 1938.The ceremony was attended by various prominent figures including Abdullah Yusuf 

Ali, whose English interpretation of the Holy Qur'an is renowned. The mosque served the Muslims as a  religious and community centre. As a result of the mosque's presence, many Muslim families were  attracted to Edmonton . They immigrated here to raise their families in a new land, interacting with  Canadians while maintaining their religious beliefs and cultural practices.   Over the years as the community continued to flourish, their numbers grew to over 16,000 Muslims by  the early 1980's. By that time the mosque was becoming over crowded so a bigger facility was needed  to meet the community's needs. In November 1982 the new Al Rashid mosque opened its doors to serve  over 20,000 Muslims in Edmonton .    The old mosque would remain empty for another 10 years until the expansion of the Royal Alexandra  Hospital jeopardized the future of this historical landmark. The Canadian Council of Muslim Women  lobbied to have the building saved from the wrecking ball and in 1992 the old Al Rashid Mosque was  preserved as an historical building in Fort Edmonton Park . It reopened its doors to the public on May  28, 1992. Visitors to this monument of peaceful coexistence can go on a tour and learn some of the  history behind its pioneering heritage.    As the community grew, more services and facilities were needed. To meet this challenge the Canadian  Islamic Centre/ Al Rashid Mosque offers many services including housing, funeral services, educational  programs, an accredited private school for grades K‐9 and much more. Today the Muslim community  boasts over 30,000 members of over 62 ethnic backgrounds. Its members have contributed to  Edmonton 's dynamic character for over a century and look to the future as an opportunity to continue  to live in harmony and prosperity with Canadians of all religious and ethnic backgrounds.       

    For over 60 years the Canadian Islamic Centre/Al Rashid Mosque has been serving the Muslim  community of Edmonton and northern Alberta . It is located in north Edmonton on 113th Street just  south of 132nd Avenue . The original Al Rashid Mosque was located in downtown Edmonton for over 40  years but due to the growth of the Muslim community and increasing demand for services, a larger 

facility was needed. The original mosque was preserved and relocated to Fort Edmonton Park taking its  rightful place in Edmonton 's history and in the cultural heritage of North America . 

From your album: "The oldest mosque in Canada 1930 founded by 800 Muslims ." Al-Rashid Mosque at its new location. [ 13070 113th St. Edmonton , Alberta ]

For over 60 years the Canadian Islamic Centre/Al Rashid Mosque has been serving the Muslim community of Edmonton and northern Alberta . It is located in north Edmonton on 113th Street just south of 132nd Avenue . The original Al Rashid Mosque was located in downtown Edmonton for over 40 years but due to the growth of the Muslim community and increasing demand for services, a larger facility was needed. The original mosque was preserved and relocated to Fort Edmonton Park taking its rightful place in Edmonton 's history and in the cultural heritage of North America . http://www.alrashidonline.com/index.php