Bosnian Islamic Association in Etobicoke, ON - Salatomatic - your guide to mosques & Islamic schools

★★★★☆ This mosque is located in an industrial type area - the other buildings around are all businesses such as parts distributers. As such the outside of the building doesn't look much like a mosque. Inside, however, the Bosnian community has transformed this 1950s/1960s building into a beautiful mosque. The prayer area is lushly carpeted and the mihrab area benefits from beautiful carvings and calligraphy. There are other such touches throughout the building. My husband and I went there for a marriage program they were hosting. In introducing the program the imam basically said that they were on a mission to reach out more to/work more with the larger GTA Muslim community. For the program there were three areas of screened off seating - one for brothers, one for sisters and an area for families/couples. It was nice to be able to sit with my husband. Prayer space - Men and women pray in the same large room. There is no barrier, sisters pray behind the brothers. Off to one side of the prayer hall there is a room set aside for small children. I think that while we prayed they had someone there to watch them. The women's bathrooms and separate wudu room were very clean and well-appointed - way above average. My experience of this mosque was of warm and friendly people. Not being Bosnian didn't seem a bar and although I was a stranger there I didn't feel that way. Another nice thing about this masjid is that there is a real community feeling here and children are included in the running of the masjid. It was children, for example, who sold us our tickets for the event and children who we saw helping to set up the tables and chairs for the event - plus one of their youth groups was meeting around the same time we were there. It will be important to the future of Islam in N. America that the youth feel involved and a sense of ownership in our masajid. From the posters around the masjid, this mosque is very involved in charity work here, and especially in Bosnia - they even sponsor orphans according the the literature I saw. This probably wouldn't be the mosque for you if you are salafi because of the fact that quite a few of the women in the congregation do not wear hijab outside of prayer times and programs such as the young people's Bosnian folk dance troupe would make you uncomfortable. If this mosque were closer to where I live I would go regularly. Unfortunately, if you do not have a car it takes a subway ride and long bus ride to get there. Posted on June 14, 2005