Muslim community reflects on decades worth of growth

As Manitoba Muslims enter the last days of the holy month of Ramadan, they are counting their blessings, including the growth of their community since the establishment of the first mosque in the province 50 years ago.

“That was a great accomplishment,” said Abdo el-Tassi, who was among the 10 or so families who started the Pioneer Mosque in St. Vital in 1976.

El-Tassi — a prominent Winnipeg business leader and philanthropist — said he feels “very proud” of what the Muslim community has accomplished since that time.

Today there are as many as 20 mosques or prayer centres in the province, including in Thompson, Brandon, Niverville, Steinbach and Winkler. The most recent one to open was the Al-Haqq Masjid in Winnipeg, which serves the Nigerian Muslim community.

“I thank God for all the blessings,” said el-Tassi, who came to Canada from Lebanon in 1969. “Nothing comes without the blessing of the creator.”

The growth in the number of mosques is tied to the increase of the number of Muslims in the province. Statistics Canada figures show that in 1981 there were just under 2,000 Muslims in Manitoba. As of the 2021 census, there were more than 26,000; it could be over 30,000 today.

Many of them, like el-Tassi, came to Canada from other countries as immigrants or refugees. “We are thankful to Canada for what it gave us,” he said. “Now we are giving back and contributing in a big way.”

Ismael Mukhtar is an imam, a religious leader, and community historian. He attributes the growth to the welcoming character of the province. “Manitoba is friendly,” said Mukhtar, who came here from Eritrea. “Muslims feel comfortable here.”

“We strongly believe that Canada is our home, this is where we belong, where we want to invest our energy.”

One of the big challenges is the diversity of the community; the Muslims here come from more than 50 countries. “We all have the same faith, but there are variations depending on where people come from,” he said, comparing it to the many denominations that make up Christianity.

Mukhtar said the goal is to help everyone, no matter where they come from, learn how to be a Muslim Canadian.

“We strongly believe that Canada is our home, this is where we belong, where we want to invest our energy,” Mukhtar said. “We want to live out our values of peace, justice, equality and human rights for all, to address poverty, homelessness and addiction, to create a humane society in every sphere.”

One way the community is addressing that diversity is the establishment of Islamic schools. There are four in Winnipeg; the first one, Al-Hijra Islamic School, was founded in 1996.

“Most of them have waiting lists,” Mukhtar said.

The Muslim community is becoming known professionally in the province.

“We have people who are lawyers, doctors, accountants and business owners and many other professions,” he said. “Muslims are very involved in leadership in the wider community.”

Shahzad Musaddiq, a lawyer, knows that to be true. He is a board member of the Manitoba Muslim Professionals Association, which was started two years ago.

“It’s a way for Muslim professionals to network and be mentored,” he said about the group, which has 140 members, including lawyers, medical professionals, engineers and pharmacists.

The number of Muslims in the various professions shows how members of the community are becoming involved in many aspects of Manitoba society, Musaddiq said.

When he went to law school at the University of Manitoba in 2017, there were only two Muslims in his class. “Now there are about 12 this year,” he said. “Things have really changed.”

While the Muslim community has grown in many ways, there are still challenges said Shahina Siddiqui, who leads the Islamic Social Services Association.

“For my grandchildren, Winnipeg is their home. We want them to feel confident as Muslims and Canadians.”

These include dealing with family issues such as divorce, domestic violence, inter-generational conflict, mental health and addictions — all from the perspective of Islam and culturally compatible values. “There was a real lack in those areas for Muslims in the past,” she said.

At the same time, Siddiqui and others have spent time training police, health-care professionals, lawyers, Manitoba justice officials and others about how to understand and deal with Muslims in culturally and spiritually respectful ways, along with recognizing and countering Islamophobia.

“The community grew so fast, it was hard to keep up,” said Siddiqui, who arrived in Winnipeg in 1976. The constant challenge is finding enough resources to provide these services. “We spend a lot of time just making ends meet.”

The future of Muslim youth in Manitoba is top of mind.

“We are now into our third and fourth generations of Muslims born in Canada,” she said. “For my grandchildren, Winnipeg is their home. We want them to feel confident as Muslims and Canadians, to support each other and give back to the whole community.”

faith@freepress.mb.ca

The Free Press is committed to covering faith in Manitoba. If you appreciate that coverage, help us do more! Your contribution of $10, $25 or more will allow us to deepen our reporting about faith in the province. Thanks! BECOME A FAITH JOURNALISM SUPPORTER

John Longhurst
Faith reporter

John Longhurst has been writing for Winnipeg's faith pages since 2003. He also writes for Religion News Service in the U.S., and blogs about the media, marketing and communications at Making the News.

   Read full biography