Masjid Dar Us Salaam

Of all the countries and masajid I've prayed in, this is the second most unwelcoming masjid I've encountered. If one is not from the predominant ethnic group, odds are that no one will give you salaams or care to notice that you exist. The school is good, again very specific to one ethnic group, but because of the school I'll rate 3/5 and insha'Allah ta'ala in the future this masjid will be more welcoming and friendly.

This masjid has a madrassah for boys and girls, Monday to Friday. It's excellent! I wish it felt more welcoming to women and English-speakers though.

I have been to Masjid Dar as-Salam a couple of times for prayer, it is quite large and situated in the very heart of Thorncliffe Park. Right across the street is Iqbal Foods, the largest Islamic grocery store in this Solar System. Dont know much about the masjid politics, but I do know that Throncliffe Park is packed with Muslims like frogs in the rainy season. They are every where, phew.

Another traditional Desi run masjid. No programs for females and females are discouraged from coming to the Masjid. The old folks hate the Muslim youth that is why the youth are shouted at so that the youth are turned away from the Masjid. The main Friday Khutbah is in Urdu. That shows how much they care about the future generation. The Masjid Shura will be there till death. More like it's being run by dictators. The Masjid has a lot of potential but alas, it is being wasted. The Masjid is quite spacious though and it's usually clean.

The brothers who worked toward establishing this masjid really had their work cut out for them. The adjacent Cyprian cultural centre fought tooth and nail for years to prevent this mosque from being built. Though citing parking concerns, the underlying issue was Xenophobia. In the end, Allah (swt) allowed the court find in favour of the masjid. In any event, I do miss the intimacy of the 'old days' when the Thorncliffe community prayed in the nearby industrial units, but times change and the communtiy grows, thus the need for more space. I do wish that the administration was more progressive and inclusive of Muslims of all ethinic backgrounds. By that I mean that there should be more programs for non-Urdu speakers and that the administration should be more diverse.