New mosque officially opens in former Catholic Church as Eid celebrations begin
Muslim Association of N.L. bought the church late last year, with goal of opening this weekend
For Muslims in Newfoundland and Labrador, Sunday represented both the end of Ramadan and a new beginning for the community.
When the community met for morning prayers in honour of Eid al-Fitr, they gathered in a new mosque located in the former Mary Queen of Peace Catholic Church on Torbay Road in St. John's.
With around 6,000 in attendance for a pair of prayer sessions, Muslim Association of Newfoundland and Labrador President Haseen Khan says the event is a big day for his community for several reasons.
"People are very happy, people are excited, people have sense of ownership, they have sense of joy that now they have a place where they can all pray as one group, as one community," said Khan.
After buying the church in December, the Association worked hard to renovate in time to have it open for Eid, one of the holiest times in the Muslim calendar.
"This is a big celebration for Muslims. This marks the completion of one month of fasting, one month of training. Training for God consciousness, training for self-discipline, self-restraint, caring and sharing and it is one of the five pillars of Islam," Khan said.
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"We are celebrating Eid, but we are also celebrating praying of Eid for the first time in this new mosque," he said. "It's a very special day for Muslims in Newfoundland and Labrador. They are able to pray under one roof as one community. So it is exciting, it is reassuring and it is pleasing."
Khan said such a big crowd shows off the range of diversity within the Muslim community.
"At the same time it shows the unity of the faith," he said. "Spiritually we are all united, but we have our own cultural diversity, our own values. But again, we all believe in one God and we all believe in one kind of ritual, which is the fasting of one month and then celebrating the completion of that fasting through this prayer."
Others in attendance loved the way the new mosque united the community.
"It's really beautiful to see all these different people from all different walks of life coming to one place to worship God and practice their faith, and it just shows the acceptance and the love that we have here in Newfoundland," said Hady Ghoneim, one of the people present for the morning prayer.
"You feel safe, you feel the love … you feel really welcomed. The love and acceptance we have in this community is very awesome to see."
Ghoneim said it's nice that the former church still serves a similar purpose.
"It's still being used to worship God," Ghoneim said. "We're all the same. We're all one, just from one side to the other. I'm glad to see it."
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With files from Julia Israel