Lal Khan Malik, President of the Ahmaddiya Muslim Community of Canada
Lal Khan Malik, president of the Ahmaddiya Muslim Community of Canada speaks as the Saskatoon congregation of the organization holds a ceremony to mark the groundbreaking for a new Mosque to be built on the corner of Highway 16 and Boychuk.
Photograph by: Derek Mortensen, The Starphoenix , The Starphoenix
Ground has been broken for a $6-million, 27,000 squarefoot mosque on Saskatoon’s eastern edge, and an official hopes it will foster goodwill among all religions and cultures.
“We hope this place will convey a sense of multiculturalism and peace. We will promote love for all, hatred for none,” said Zahid Abid, missionary of the future Darul Rahmat Mosque.
The mosque will house the city’s growing numbers of Ahmadiyya Muslims. The current 1,000 members conduct services at a much smaller location on McKercher Drive and Boychuk Drive.
Nearly 400 people attended Saturday’s ground breaking ceremony.
“Our community is growing, so the needs are growing,” Abid said.
The new building, at the intersection of Highway 16 and Boychuk Drive, should be complete by 2015, he said. It will contain a prayer space, gymnasium, library, offices and classroom space. The estimated $6-million construction cost has been partly raised, and mosque members will fundraise for the remainder, he said.
Categories: Ahmadiyyat: True Islam, Americas, Canada