May/June 2011 above & beyond 49

New polar mosqueCanada’s Arctic Muslims establish roots

Northern Canada’s growing Muslim communities recently completed an ambitious construction project in order

to build the first mosque, (masjid) above theArctic Circle. The plan entailed the purchaseand transport of a 473-square metre structure(delivered in two sections and prefabricatedin Winnipeg, Manitoba) across western Canadaand the North by tractor-trailer truck andbarge.

Last September, the new pre-fabricatedstructure began its long journey; first hauled2,400 kilometres by road (Winnipeg to Hay River) and then floated another 1,800kilometres by river barge all the way down theMackenzie River to Inuvik, in the NorthwestTerritories, accomplishing what is believed tobe the world’s longest-ever move of anybuilding structure. It wasn’t always easy, andoccasionally problems were encountered such

as bridges too narrow for the load and highway restrictions on the movement ofoversized loads; even weather became a factor at times. Still, the two-piece structuredid arrive safely in Hay River, fortunately just in time to make the last barge of the 2010shipping season.

Funds for the now named, Midnight Sun Mosque, came from the Zubaidah TallabFoundation, representing the Muslim

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By Victoria Gaitskell and Edward Atkinson

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community of Thompson, in Manitoba’s farNorth. Inuvik community member, Amier Suliman, says that, owing to the high cost ofnorthern labour and material, the initial bidsfrom contractors amounted to close to a half million dollars. When Zubaidah TallabFoundation’s Dr. Hussain Guisti calculated thecosts associated with purchasing a prefabricatedstructure from a Winnipeg manufacturer instead, he found it would, in total, still becheaper, even after adding all long-distanceshipping charges.

Shortly after the structure’s arrival at Inuvik’s port on October 22, local engineerand project manager, Ahmad Alkhalaf, oversaw its permanent installation on a dou-ble-sized lot, which the local Muslim commu-nity had pre-purchased for $90,000. A 30-footminaret tower, constructed entirely in Inuvik,was attached to its right front corner. FatehAllah, a Toronto carpenter, volunteered to stayon in Inuvik for another two months to helpfinish the building.

For many reasons, including the unique-ness of the entire project and its obvious allure as a proud new symbol in support ofthe Canadian multiculturalism concept, theInuvik Muslim community mosque project attracted considerable attention from inter-national media, along with endless comparisonsto the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’stelevision’s long-running show, Little Mosqueon the Prairie.

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Top: (L-R)Amar Alawad, Khalid Alkhateb and Amier Suliman inside Inuvik’s new place of worship.

Bottom: The local Muslim community’s happiness isevident at the Inuvik waterfront after the transfer oftheir new building from barge to shore.

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Suliman is of Sudanese extraction andmoved to the Arctic seeking employment.Now, 14 years later, he has married there andruns his own security company. He says before the mosque’s arrival, Inuvik Muslimsworshipped communally for the previous 10years in a 50-year-old rented trailer, measuring9 by 14 feet and holding 25 occupants at best.Their new mosque is spacious by comparison,consisting of a main prayer hall for men and another for women that doubles as acommunity centre, a library donated by a listof sponsoring organizations, a full kitchen,and small dining area.

On November 10, Inuvik Muslims held aninaugural all-day open house at their newmosque, followed by a dinner at the localarena to which they invited the entire town.“It’s a small place where people know eachother and see each other a lot, and the Muslimcab drivers especially get to know everybodybecause of their job. Lebanese and Palestinianfamily members of one of the town’s restau-rateurs brought supplies from Edmonton andarranged a Middle Eastern dinner that 500 or600 people attended,” recalls Nilufer Rahman.“The day was filled with a lot of emotion. Itwas refreshing to see so many grown mencry,” she later wrote. One visitor travelled to the opening from as far away as Dubai,bringing with him a luxurious carpet for themosque.

Muslims traditionally pray five times a day, including before sunrise (iftar) and aftersunset (maghrib). But the prayer schedules ofArctic Muslims involve different lighting con-ditions, since 24 hours of sunlight accompanyArctic summers and only a sliver of sun appears briefly around noon in Arctic winters.Because their community is linguistically andculturally diverse, they hold services in bothArabic and English. In total, they have some 80members with origins in such diverse placesas Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Palestine, Somalia,Croatia, Pakistan, and Burma. Their futureplans include summer religion and Arabicclasses for the approximately 14 children offamilies.

Nilufer and her sister, Saira Rahman, areWinnipeg filmmakers and the hijab-wearingdaughters of Bangladeshi parents. After Dr. Guisti asked the sisters to produce a documentary film about Inuvik’s MidnightSun Mosque, the two young women travelledtwice to the community to film critical episodesand people connected to the building over afive-week period.

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52 arcticjournal.ca May/June 2011

“In Inuvik we’re very much like a microcosmof Canada, very diverse and multicultural,”says Inuvik’s Newfoundland-born mayor, DennyRodgers. “We’re an Aboriginal community first,one-third Inuvialuit and one-third Gwich’in,but we also have a large community of peoplefrom different regions of Canada and aroundthe world.”

While in Inuvik, the Rahman sisters reportobserving similarities between aboriginal andMuslim culture, including respect for the environment, elders, extended family, andsharing. “We also found that Inuvik’s Muslimswere quite a mixed bag in terms of culture,language, religious practices, and livelihood,”says Nilufer Rahman. “Quite a few are originally from Sudan, but one gentleman ofAlbanian descent has been in Inuvik for almost 40 years and is likely one of the area’sfirst Muslims.

Syed Ali belongs to the Muslim communityin Iqaluit, Nunavut’s capital (population 6184).Trained as a mechanical engineer, Ali retiredearly from his commission as a Colonel in thePakistani army to immigrate to Canada. He is Chief Boiler Inspector for the Nunavut Government.

“Our community in Iqaluit has about sevenfamilies with children whose parents work forgovernment, but most of the other Muslimsare transients,” he explains. “At any given timethere are maybe 50 or 60 additional individualsfrom different countries, but it’s hard for us to get together. Ali continues: “One of my passions is to do something to help the Muslim community, so in 2009, I incorporatedthe Islamic Society of Nunavut as a non-profitorganization. Its goal is to establish prayersamong Muslims living in Nunavut.

Saira Rahman concludes: “The Inuvik mosqueprovides an opportunity to examine questionsof how people view their place in the worldand how home communities are formed. ItsMuslim community is so small and diverse.They all share the same space and same fundamental beliefs, yet differ in language,culture and practice.”

“The new mosque is a nice addition to thecommunity,” enthuses Rodgers. “Except for asymbol on top, the old trailer had nothing todistinguish it. But now the minaret tower is litup all the time. At night it’s quite spectacular.We’re already known for the Igloo [RomanCatholic] Church, but now the mosque providesanother feature to help us attract quality pro-fessionals to move here, bring their families,and become part of the community.”

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