Moncton's growing Muslim community raising funds for new community centre, mosque

Victoria Walton · CBC News

· Posted: May 08, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

The Muslim assemblage successful Moncton is outgrowing its mosques and assemblage spaces.

So overmuch so, that community members person taken it upon themselves to conception a caller assemblage centre in northeast Moncton.

"This is simply a truly ambitious project. The Muslim assemblage is increasing and we request infrastructure, societal infrastructure," said Ibrahim Najum, 1 of the organizers of the Al Salam Community Centre project.

Currently, determination are 3 mosques successful the city — Masjid Yusuf, Moncton Mosque and Hassnain-e-Karimain Masjid. But with an ever-growing Muslim population, they're often full, particularly during engaged supplication times, similar the Friday day jummah.

"The mosques that we person presently conscionable aren't large capable … for the fig of radical that are coming to pray," said Evan "Yahya" Briggs, a Muslim person who grew up successful Moncton.

"We're really having to marque radical commune extracurricular oregon turning radical distant oregon sometimes we person to bash the aforesaid supplication 2 times. One radical comes successful and prays, and past aboriginal connected the 2nd radical comes in."

In 2021, the astir caller twelvemonth for which statistic are available, the Muslim colonisation successful the Moncton metropolitan country was 3,515, compared to conscionable 845 successful 2011. In the full province, 9,190 identified arsenic Muslim, compared to conscionable 2,640 successful 2011.

"There volition beryllium hundreds of guys determination bumping into each other, trying to compression successful done the door," said Briggs. "And unfortunately, we person to support telling radical that you're going to person to either hold for a 2nd supplication oregon you're going to person to effort to commune outside."

Not conscionable a mosque

The thought for the caller Al Salam Community Centre archetypal came astir successful 2020, and portion it's conscionable a factual instauration close now, the archetypal signifier is expected to beryllium completed this fall.

That archetypal signifier includes the mosque, with abstraction for 500 people.

"We person everything — oregon astir everything — ready. All the engineers, the designer and everything," said Najum. "It's conscionable a substance of clip to implicit the operation of this archetypal multi-purpose building."

WATCH | 'We're really having to marque radical commune outside or turning radical away' 

Later phases of the mosque volition besides see a gymnasium, concern plaza and an Arabic schoolhouse for children.

"The request is there, the assemblage is increasing and I judge we request this assemblage centre for the payment of our kids," said Najum. 

Briggs said it gives the Muslim assemblage a consciousness of independence, that they volition nary longer person to clasp Arabic classes successful rented spaces oregon people's homes.

"Hopefully this should truly assistance the assemblage to person a consciousness of 'OK, present we person a ft successful the doorway present successful New Brunswick, that this assemblage tin truly turn and consciousness safe,'" helium said.

All this volition beryllium connected 1.9 hectares of onshore astatine the extremity of Fiedmont Street, wherever Najum hopes the assemblage tin travel unneurotic to celebrate, mourn and gather.

"This is not lone for a spot to pray. We tin commune successful a parking lot, we tin commune astir anywhere," said Najum. "But it's a taste place, it's a assemblage centre. There are newcomers, radical privation to enactment successful interaction with the Islamic culture."

A assemblage effort

Individual assemblage members similar Briggs and Najum are the backbone of the project, coming unneurotic not conscionable to rise funds but besides to assistance with construction.

"People person helped with clearing up that brushwood and the trees and stuff, pouring the concrete," said Briggs. "We've saved thing similar $30,000 connected unpaid work."

"This shows that the Muslim assemblage truly cares, the Muslim community, they won't conscionable beryllium backmost and fto different radical bash each the work," Briggs added.

The archetypal $480,000 needed to acquisition the onshore was wholly assemblage donations.

"For the past 4 years, 5 years, we clasp fundraising events. For now, we don't person immoderate authorities backing yet," said Najum.

There's inactive different $300,000 needed to beryllium capable to implicit the archetypal signifier of the project. But Najum and Briggs person religion successful their community, and are besides looking guardant to welcoming each New Brunswickers to travel spot the Al Salam Community Centre erstwhile it's complete.

"Right present determination is simply a intermission conscionable due to the fact that of wintertime and we program to commencement successful the coming weeks," Najum said. "And hopefully by October 2025, the gathering volition beryllium complete, and Ramadan 2026 we'll commune here."