SUNNI The Niagara region saw its first Muslim inhabitants in the late 1950s. By the mid 1960s, an informal community had began to form where a small number of individuals would gather at each other’s homes for congregational daily and Friday prayers and partake in Ramadan meals together. The first major step for the Niagara Muslim community came when a plot of land was purchased in Niagara Falls on Lions Creek Road. This building, although modest, served the needs of the growing Muslim community at that time. From there, the Masjid expanded its capabilities by adding a weekend Islamic school and subsidizing an Imam from the prestigious Al-Azhar University to lead religious observances. In 1992, with the help of the Canadian government, the Niagara Falls masjid was expanded to include a lecture hal /gym and classrooms. In 1998, a full-time school sanctioned under the Ontario teaching curriculum was established and functions until this day with licensed teachers and a growing student body.
Added on August 24, 2005 and last updated 15 years ago