"Our motto of the Ahmadiyya is 'Love for all, hatred for none,' so that is what we will try to achieve with this mosque, to spread a message of peace."
Source/Credit: The Regina Leader-Post
By Natascia Lypny | September 24, 2014
Ground will be broken next week for what is intended to be Regina's first purpose-built mosque.
At a ceremony on Oct. 1, members of the local Ahmadiyya Muslim Community will lay the foundational stone at 3810 Eastgate Dr., some 20 years after the idea was first conceptualized.
When Habib Rehman, president of the local group, moved to Regina eight years ago, the community only consisted of 20 members. It has now grown to 100 people, in line with a larger influx of Muslims to Regina.
"Once we have a mosque, we will hope that more people will move in," Rehman said.
Like other Muslim groups across the province, the community currently prays in a rented building. And, just like many of those groups, it has outgrown the space.
City council first approved an application for a smaller mosque in 2005, but the development was delayed as the group struggled to collect donations.
Approved again in April 2012, the current building plans include a main room, two prayer halls to accommodate 160 people, a community hall, kitchen, library, children's room and small apartment for a missionary.
"We, as Muslims, our life revolves around the mosque," said Rehman, who is looking forward to the building being able to accommodate the community's needs.
"I think this mosque will bring the community together. It will enhance their experience of prayers."
The lowest quote the group received from contractors was $1.8 million - no easy price for a 100-person group funding the building through donations. Rehman said that with the assistance of volunteers on the build, he hopes that figure can come down to $1 million.
The proposal invited some opposition from the surrounding neighbourhood, mainly related to traffic and parking concerns. The building must include designated parking spaces to alleviate that problem.
The mosque is anticipating an opening date of mid-2016. A name has yet to be selected.
The Ahmadiyya movement was found in the late 1800s in India.
Followers were heavily persecuted in Pakistan in 1980s. Ahmadi Muslims currently live in 189 countries around the world.
"Our motto of the Ahmadiyya is 'Love for all, hatred for none,' so that is what we will try to achieve with this mosque, to spread a message of peace," said Rehman.
Construction of a purpose-built Ahmadiyya mosque is also underway in Saskatoon, with plans to open in 2015. Another Muslim group in Regina is planning its own mosque as well.
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