Canada’s Growing Muslim Community in Moncton Builds New Centre to Meet Demand
“The Muslim community is growing and we need infrastructure, social infrastructure,” said Ibrahim Najum, one of the organizers behind the Al Salam Community Centre project, according to CBC News.
Currently, Moncton is home to three mosques — Masjid Yusuf, Moncton Mosque, and Hassnain-e-Karimain Masjid — but these facilities are increasingly unable to accommodate worshippers during peak times, particularly the Friday prayer.
Evan (Yahya) Briggs, a Moncton native who converted to Islam, described how crowded it has become: “The mosques that we have currently just aren't big enough for the number of people that are coming to pray. We're actually having to make people pray outside or turning people away… sometimes we have to do the same prayer two times.”
According to the 2021 census, the Muslim population in the Moncton metropolitan area had grown to 3,515 — more than four times the figure recorded in 2011. Province-wide, New Brunswick’s Muslim population rose from 2,640 in 2011 to 9,190 in 2021.
“There will be hundreds of guys there bumping into each other, trying to squeeze in through the door,” Briggs said. “And unfortunately, we have to keep telling people that you're going to have to either wait for a second prayer or try to pray outside.”
Read More:
Plans for the Al Salam Community Centre began in 2020, and although construction is still in its early stages — currently at the foundation level — the first phase is slated for completion by fall. This initial stage will include a mosque capable of hosting up to 500 people.
“We have everything — or almost everything — ready. All the engineers, the architect and everything,” Najum said. “It’s just a matter of time to complete the construction of this first multi-purpose building.”
Future development phases will expand the site to include additional facilities such as a gymnasium, a business plaza, and an Arabic school for children.
“The need is there, the community is growing, and I believe we need this community centre for the benefit of our kids,” said Najum.
Briggs echoed that sentiment, emphasizing that the centre will offer a permanent space for Arabic classes, which are currently held in temporary locations. “Hopefully, this should really help the community to have a sense of ‘OK, now we have a foot in the door here in New Brunswick, that this community can really grow and feel safe,’” he said.
The centre is being constructed on a 1.9-hectare plot at the end of Fiedmont Street. Najum hopes it will become a gathering place for the community, serving purposes beyond religious worship.
“This is not only for a place to pray. We can pray in a parking lot, we can pray almost anywhere,” Najum explained. “But it’s a cultural place, it’s a community centre. There are newcomers, people want to stay in touch with the Islamic culture.”
Read More:
The Al Salam project has been largely propelled by grassroots support. Both Najum and Briggs have been personally involved in the physical work, alongside other volunteers.
“People have helped with clearing up that brush and the trees and stuff, pouring the concrete,” said Briggs. “We’ve saved something like $30,000 on volunteer work.”
Briggs added that this level of involvement speaks to the community’s commitment: “The Muslim community really cares — they won’t just sit back and let other people do all the work.”
The initial $480,000 required to purchase the land was raised entirely through community donations. “For the last four years, five years, we’ve held fundraising events,” said Najum. “For now, we don’t have any government funding yet.”
An additional $300,000 is still needed to complete the first phase, but both Najum and Briggs remain optimistic and hope the centre will eventually welcome people from all across New Brunswick.
“Right now there is a pause just because of winter and we plan to start in the coming weeks,” Najum said. “And hopefully by October 2025, the building will be complete, and Ramadan 2026 we’ll pray here.”
Source: Agencies
