New mosque a 'good addition' for Muslim community in Winnipeg

A Palestinian man hopes a new mosque he opened with his family in Winnipeg's St. James neighbourhood will keep "the Palestinian name ... alive now and forever."

Ramsey Zeid, who's the president of the Canadian Palestinian Association of Manitoba, opened the new mosque, called Beit Nabala, with his parents Wajih (Moe) Zeid and Suad Zeid on Friday. About 150 people visited the mosque on opening day.

He said it's named after the village his parents were born in back in 1948. They were later displaced after the Arab-Israeli war.

"They were expelled from their village, and they moved from village to village, and then eventually settled in [a] refugee camp," he told Faith Fundal on CBC's Up to Speed Friday.

The village is no longer there, said Zeid.

"It's sad, but having the name stand there and people come into the mosque, I'm sure they'll ask questions about the name and we can tell that story for generations," he said.

Hakim Ghulam, who's on the board of the Manitoba Islamic Association, said the new mosque was "much-needed" in the St. James area.

"The locations are a bit diversified which is very good actually, very useful for the community," he told CBC News on Sunday.

"The people who are working in that area, it will be easy for them to go and pray."

There are about 25,000 Muslims living in Manitoba, Ghulam said.

"It's a very good addition to our Muslim community, and it will bring more togetherness," he said.

"The locations are a bit diversified which is very good actually, very useful for the community."

LISTEN: Ramsey Zeid speaks about the opening of the new mosque

For Zeid's mother and father, opening the mosque for the community has been a long time coming, but Zeid said opening day came at the right time.

"There's normally 1,200 mosques and now there's less than 200 still standing. So opening up a new mosque is very special to us," Zeid said.

"This is going to be a space for Palestinians and Muslims in Winnipeg, especially in St. James, that can gather together, pray together, just be together."

The space will also serve as offices for the Canadian Palestinian Association of Manitoba, he added.

The mosque is open for prayer every day.