Toronto’s first mosque opens in 1969
The Story
“Where once worshippers sat on pews, they now kneel on a new carpet oriented to Mecca.
In 1969, Toronto’s estimated 5,000 Muslims have a place to worship in the city’s [second] mosque, built in a renovated Presbyterian church.
CBC-TV’s The Day It Is visits the Jami Mosque on opening day to observe the prayer service and speak to imam Mirza Qadeer Baig about how it came together.”
“The Day It Is joins the worshipers of Toronto’s [second] mosque, simultaneously celebrating opening day in the converted Presbyterian Church near Roncesvalles, and the holy feast day of Eid-al-Adha.
Though it’s not Canada’s first Muslim place of worship (Al-Rashid Mosque, Edmonton, 1938), this clip is likely the first time non-Muslim viewers in Canada, particularly the GTA, had a glimpse inside one.
The clip also features broadcasting legend Barbara Frum 2 years before she joined the show that introduced her to all of Canada, CBC Radio’s As It Happens.”
Medium:
Television
Program:
The Day It Is
Broadcast Date:
Feb. 27, 1969
Hosts:
Barbara Frum, Warren Davis
Guests:
Mirza Qadeer Baig, Seitali (Babe) Kerim, Rajjab Assim
Duration:
6:35
