Article Added On: January 03, 2006 - over 2 years ago
Title: Imam expects new mosque will build bridges between faiths
Author: Zev Singer
Publication: The Ottawa Citizen
Publication Date: January 01, 2006 - over 2 years ago
Faith Groups: Muslim
Themes: Religion and society

Abstract: $5M Bells Corners project called beginning of 'community'

Tuesday, January 03, 2006

Imam Anver Malam is thinking a lot lately about building -- concretely and metaphorically. If he succeeds, he'll have a new mosque in Bells Corners and strengthened relationships between Muslims and other faith groups.

After years of working their way through every detailed submission required by the city, his congregation has cleared the zoning hurdles for a new Omar Mosque at Moodie Drive and Richmond Road.

The vision is "ambitious," the imam says. It will have space for about 750 people to pray, and will be part community centre. It will include a gymnasium, library and classrooms. The project, he says, will come in two phases, at an estimated cost of $5 million. It will be built on the same site where the group's current, smaller mosque sits.

It's something the Muslim community desperately needs, he says. Although the city's Muslim population is growing, there is little religious infrastructure to accommodate them.

"We are always lagging behind," the imam says. He attributes that in part to the fact so many Ottawa Muslims are newcomers, struggling to establish themselves. Another factor is the challenge to find unity in the Muslim community when so many come from such vastly different places and bring ethnic, cultural and religious diversity.

"People tend to polarize," he says. He wants to combat that, convince Muslims that they need to concentrate on what unites them and plan for the future.

A gymnasium means an opportunity to draw in the youth and make the mosque a place to learn positive values.

The imam says that at a time when there has been such a challenge for the Muslim community over how it is perceived by others, he wants his mosque to be a role model for building bridges. He got a head start on that by working with the nearby United church to accommodate parking. Since services are not at the same times, the houses of worships now use each other's parking lots for overflow. It's a small thing, but it inspires him.

"I was so moved by the co-operation," he says.

In his vision to provide a Muslim seniors residence at the site, he says he might be able to learn from the Jewish community, which established a community campus of a community centre, school and seniors residence.

"I would love to learn from people," he says, "to build bridges and work together."

He hopes his library will one day play a part in educating non-Muslims about what the religion stands for.

"I want to change people's perceptions. I want to use what Islam teaches me to show true Canadianness."

The 47-year-old imam is from India, where, as a young man, he earned two religious degrees. He says he knew the Koran by heart by age 10. He came to Canada in 1978 and studied engineering at the University of Windsor.

After working in Toronto, he came to Ottawa in 1987 to work for Nortel, then left the company in 2001 and is now a consultant. The job at the mosque is part-time at this point, although it could soon become full-time, depending on how rapid the expansion of the mosque is.

He is married and has four children, aged seven to 19, and lives in Kanata.

Getting the site plan for the mosque wasn't easy. Neighbours challenged it at the Ontario Municipal Board over traffic and parking issues. The imam was patient.

Bell-South Nepean Councillor Jan Harder called the plan a success story and credited the imam for making it happen.

Now, having passed through the city hurdles, the imam has one more challenge: raising the money to build it. So far, he's less than halfway to raising the first million, but he is hopeful the community will step up and make the building a reality.

© The Ottawa Citizen 2006