Source & Credit: The StarPhoenix
By Cassandra Kyle | July 2, 2010
Canada Day celebrations were in full swing Thursday at Saskatoon's Dar-Ur-Rehmat Mosque where children dressed in red and white sang the national anthem, adding patriotic joy to an already sunny afternoon.
But behind the festivities, members of the Muslim Ahmadiyya community -- who gather at the mosque on Boychuk Drive -- bore heavy hearts, still saddened by a May 28
terrorist attack on the Ahmadi sect in Lahore, Pakistan, which killed nearly 100 people and injured hundreds more.
Asad Kahn, 48, lost three uncles in the violent, militant-led attack on a mosque in the country's second-largest city. Imran Babar, 38, another member of the Saskatoon Ahmadiyya mosque, lost an uncle, too. The religious denomination is considered non-Muslim in Pakistan, making members a frequent target of violence.
The men, who both grew up in Pakistan and are now Canadian citizens, say Canada Day is a time when they reflect on the freedom and safety they have found in their new home.
"To be honest, we feel blessed to be here -- we are lucky to be here and be Canadian," Kahn said. "You look around the world and you see what kind of a country we have -- it's a beautiful land."
Babar, who has lived the past four years in Saskatoon, said he hopes the peacefulness he experiences here will one day be extended to his family overseas.
"We are a small community and even we are enjoying the freedom of expression and freedom of celebration," Babar said about the mosque's congregation.
He added loving one's country is part of the Muslim faith.
"We are ready to stand for Canada," he said. "We are Canadians."
The group's faith is also helping the community recover from the devastation of the recent attack in Pakistan, Kahn said. Following a teaching that calls for love for all and hatred for none helps extinguish feelings of anger toward the militant attackers, even though they may have killed family members.
Kahn said it's difficult not to think about relatives back home in Lahore.
"We are divided souls," he said. "Half the soul is here and half is always over there with your loved ones."
The constant threat to the safety of Ahmadiyya Muslim family members in Pakistan makes life in Canada a gift and Canada Day worth recognition, he said.
"It's a day to celebrate for our country," Kahn said. "It's a special day when you feel proud of being Canadian."
ckyle@sp.canwest.com
© Copyright (c) The StarPhoenix
Read original post here: Pakistani-Canadians grateful for safety
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