Islamic Centre seeks new home
Current building for sale; negotiations underway with city to purchase lot for new facility
Shane Magee
Northern News Services
Wednesday, May 25, 2016
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The building housing the Islamic Centre of Yellowknife is up for sale, a step the president of the group says is essential before building a new place of worship for the city's Muslim population.
The Islamic Centre of Yellowknife is selling this building on Franklin Avenue across from the Arnica Inn which is the next step toward building a new, larger worship site in the city. - Shane Magee/NNSL photo |
The centre's building at 4100 50 Ave. is too small for the number of Muslims and the organization has been planning the new facility for several years. Last week the site was listed by Century 21 for $349,900.
The sale is needed to help fund construction of a larger building that would house prayer service, community events and other programs said Nazim Awan, president of the group.
The new facility is estimated to cost between $2 and $2.5 million to build, the centre's website states.
"That's the first step," he said of the building sale. "If that goes well we will buy a larger lot from the city."
He said they've started negotiations with the city for a property that would have about 28,000 square feet, which would be sufficient for a good size structure.
Awan declined to elaborate on where the lot is located until the sale of the current building is complete and a new site secured. Work is expected to quickly begin once that's done.
"Then we will start the construction as soon as possible. That's our plan," he said.
The building would incorporate both Northern design themes and Islamic themes, he said.
Plans haven't been finalized, so he didn't want to get into too many details.
"We are going to build a building that will be sufficient to meet the needs of the community," he said. "It will also be a community centre which can offer outreach services to people who are not Muslims. We want to have an open community where people can have interaction with us."
If the building is sold, the centre may negotiate to continue worshipping there until the new facility is complete.
The current building, which was previously a daycare, was constructed in 1967 and has had uneven settlement, leading to sloped floors and cracks.
There are about 80 to 90 people who cram into the space for prayer on a regular basis.
"Because of the small facility, like women, they're not coming in large numbers because it's not really accommodating. The new facility will have be a family oriented facility so women and children will have an area so they can enjoy it."
The group has raised about $100,000 already from local members to put toward construction costs.
Fundraising for the project had been dealt a blow when it was revealed two years ago that Mohamed Basha, the former president and imam of the Islamic Centre, stole more than $117,000 from the centre's funds over two years. He was sentenced to 33 months in prison in January, 2014.
