For other mosques named Jami Mosque, see Jama Masjid.
| Jami Mosque | |
|---|---|
| Arabic: مسجد جامع | |
 The entrance of Jami Mosque | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Islam |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | |
| Leadership | Amjed Syed |
| Status | Active |
| Location | |
| Location | 56 Boustead Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M6R 1Y9 |
| Country | Canada |
  Location in Toronto | |
| Geographic coordinates | 43°39′12″N 79°27′16″W / 43.6532°N 79.45448°W / 43.6532; -79.45448 |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Presbyterian church |
| Funded by | King Faisal of Saudi Arabia (1969) |
| Date established | 1961 (as a congregation) |
| Completed |
|
| Website | |
| isnacanada | |
The Jami Mosque (Arabic: مسجد جامع) is a mosque, located just east of High Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the oldest Canadian Islamic centre in the city and dubbed "the mother of all the mosques in Toronto".
Built in 1930 as a Presbyterian church, the building was purchased in 1969 by Toronto's small, predominantly Bosniak and Albanians Muslim community, and converted into the city's first Islamic worship centre.
History
Jami's congregation was founded in 1961 and first met in a leather shop near Dundas West and Keele. The structure that now houses the mosque was originally built in 1930 by John Francis Brown & Son as the High Park Presbyterian Church. In 1969, the Muslim Society of Toronto secured funds from King Faisal of Saudi Arabia to secure purchase the church building as a home for the pre-existing congregation and as Toronto's first permanent mosque.
While Jami originally held a large number of Tablighi Jamaat followers, the numbers declined after a large influx of Gujarati Muslims immigration led to the leasing of a hall in eastern Toronto; and the eventual 1981 purchase of a building converted to Madina Mosque, which became the spiritual hub of Tablighi Jamaat. Jami then drifted towards finding leadership in the Muslim Students Association.
Controversies
B'nai Brith raised concerns in 2004 when Ibrahim Hussein Malabari, variously described at the time as either the current or former imam at Jami, invited Abdul-Rahman Al-Sudais to an Islamic Society of North America conference. Al-Soudais had previously described Jews as "the scum of the human race, the rats of the world, the killers of prophets and the grandsons of monkeys and pigs" sparking condemnation from the Jewish group.
In 2017, Jami was found to be raising money that was indirectly being used to fund the Jamaat-E-Islami and its armed wing Hizbul Mujahideen, on Canada's list of banned organizations. As a result, ISNA Islamic Services of Canada, the group organizing the drive was ordered to pay a CA$500,000 fine. According to the Canadian Revenue Agency: "the society’s resources may have, directly or indirectly, been used the support the political efforts of Jamaat-e-Islami and/or its armed wing Hizbul Mujahideen."
Notable congregants
- Hassan Almrei, arrested on a security certificate for his alleged membership of al-Qaeda
- Ahmed Khadr, married in the mosque
- Ahmad Kutty, an Islamic scholar, former imam at Jami
- Mohammad Zeki Mahjoub, arrested on a security certificate for his alleged membership in the Vanguards of Conquest
- Mohammed Abdullah Warsame, convicted in the United States for providing material support for terrorism
See also
References
- Kernaghan, Tom G. "Jami Mosque served changing community". OAK.
- ^ Jami Mosque. Doors Open Toronto. 2009.
- ^ "About us". Jami Mosque. Archived from the original on February 1, 2017.
- "Jami Mosque". Architectural Conservatory of Ontario. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
- Masud, Muhammad Khalid. Travellers in faith: studies of the Tablīghī Jamāʻat. p. 227.
- Sharrif, Ali (June 1, 2004). "No-show sheikh rattles Jewish-Muslim relations". NOW Magazine. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
- Bell, Stewart (October 1, 2018). "CRA suspends, fines major Islamic charity over concerns it may have 'provided resources' to armed militants". Global News. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
- McLean, Jesse (July 25, 2013). "Star Investigation: Federal audit raises concern that Canadian charity funded terror". The Toronto Star. ISSN 0319-0781. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
- Almrei, Hassan. Affidavit, November 9, 2005.
- Shephard, Michelle (2008). Guantanamo's Child: The Untold Story of Omar Khadr. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-0-470-84117-4.
- Mahjoub, (Re), 2013 FC 1092, Federal Court (Canada)
- Colin Freeze (October 1, 2018). "Somali Canadian faces U.S. conspiracy charge". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
External links
- Jami Mosque Archived 2019-12-11 at the Wayback Machine
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- 1961 establishments in Canada
- 20th-century mosques in Canada
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