Muslims
Population
In 1999, there were 1.2 billion Muslims world-wide. In Canada,
Islam is said to be the fastest growing religion. In 1991, a
national census found 253,000 Canadians reporting religious
affiliation with Islam, while 98,000 Canadians reported affiliation
in 1981. The 2001 Census found that there were 579,640 Muslims
in Canada.
More Muslims live in Toronto than in all the provinces and territories.
According to the 2001 Census, there are 254,110 Muslims living
in Toronto.
Muslim History in Canada
Even though the numbers suggest a recent increase in Muslim
immigration to Canada, Muslim history in this country dates
from the 1800s. The first Muslim Canadian was born in Ontario
in 1854. Another Muslim couple, described in government documents
dated about 1871, migrated from the United States to settle
in Ontario.
Although the pioneers made their homes in Ontario, the early
settlers went to the western provinces. Many Muslims came to
work on building the Canadian Pacific Railway that connects
the west to Ontario and Quebec and others arrived in the early
1900s to fully settle Alberta.
But the Muslim population didn't start to boom until the
1960s. It was in the mid-sixties that Canada removed immigration
quotas on Asians and Africans and replaced the quotas with selection
criteria based on skills and education.
There was also a draw to Canada for Muslim students beginning
in the 1950s when, in 1952, McGill University brought Islamic
studies into its study possibilities. Ten years later, the University
of Toronto follows suit.
Since then, many Muslims have held prominent, nationally recognized
positions. In the 1970s, Larry Chabin was Canada's first
Muslim provincial cabinet minister in Alberta. A Muslim woman
was among 10 people in the Canadian business community chosen
for the Excellence in Business Award in 1993. In addition, Tyseer
Aboulnasr is currently the dean of engineering at the University
of Ottawa and Firoz Rasul is the CEO of Ballard Power Systems
in Vancouver, a company that is getting international attention
for its research on solar-powered cars.
The President of the Canadian Islamic Congress, also a professor
of computer and electrical engineering at the University of
Waterloo, Mohamed Elmasry, is also a respected member of the
Muslim community. So too is Daood Hassan Hamdani, an Ottawa
economist, who analyzes Muslim immigration and birth rates and
is one of the world's leading authorities on the measurement
of innovation in industry.
Background on Religious
Practices
Muslims believe in the religious idea of Islam. Allah is viewed
as the sole God, as creator, sustainer and restorer of the world.
Allah's will is made known in the Koran, Islam's sacred
scriptures. Allah revealed the Koran to his messenger, the prophet
Muhammad. The religion, part of the Semitic family, was promulgated
by Muhammad in Mecca, Arabia in the 7th century AD.
Muhammad is considered the last prophet of God. Previous prophets
included Noah, Abrahim, Moses, Isaac and Jesus.
There are two main sects in the Muslim religion: Sunnites and
Shi'ites. According to the Canadian Society of Muslims:
"The difference between these two sects is based on a political
question, whether the succession to the Prophet should take
place by election (Sunnites) or by inheritance among the close
relatives of the Prophet (Shi'ites). This became a question
of dogma to the Shi'ites, and the schism split into ramifications
of its own and occasioned civil wars... In our days there are
probably ten percent Shi'ites among the Muslims of the world,
the rest being almost all Sunnites, not to speak of the infinitesimally
small sect of the Kharijites, which also came into existence
at the same time."
Muslims are not the only people to embrace the Islam religion
and the difference lies in the laws, beliefs and practices.
Islam is practised world-wide. Not all Arabs are Muslims, and
certainly not all Muslims are Arab, African or Asian.
Beliefs and Practices
There are five duties (sometimes known as the five pillars of
Islam) that Muslims must do, which Muhammad said directs everyone
to the same idea: submission of daily behaviours of the individual
to a strict discipline. This very earthy religion is rooted
in the acts of daily life, but also allows believers to find
their place in the cosmos.
The first duty is shahada. Shahada is a profession of faith
consisting of recognizing that Allah is the sole God and that
Muhammad is his prophet.
The second duty is Salat. Salat incorporates praying five times
a day. While extremely rapid, Salat is an exercise in intense
meditation. The first prayer is said at dawn, the second when
the sun is at midpoint, the third when the sun begins its descent,
the fourth at sunset and the fifth when night has fallen. At
each of these certain points of the day Muslims must, no matter
where they are, stop what they're doing, face Mecca (in
Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Muhammad, and the city where
he focussed his efforts), and try to transcend their daily problems
and put themselves in contact with the divine in a short period
of time.
The third duty is fasting. During the month of Ramadan, the
ninth and holiest month of the Islamic calendar, which is based
on the moon, Muslims abstain from eating, drinking and sexual
activity from sunrise to sunset.
The fourth duty is to give alms or zakah.
Finally, the fifth duty is hajj -- making the pilgrimage to
Mecca for those who can.
I
slamic Law
Sharia is the law of Islam. It is based on the Koran and the
Sunna -- collections of sayings and acts of Muhammad and the
first Muslims. Sharia literally means "the right path'
or "guide' and indicates the path of righteousness.
Sharia really goes beyond law and encompasses religious, political,
social, domestic and private life. It bears a strong affinity
to revelation in that it is only to be accepted by humans since
it is based on the will of God.
The regulations of the Sharia are in two groups: regulations
on worship and ritual duties and regulations of judicial and
political nature. While being of great importance to those in
domestic fields such as family and marriage, many parts of the
Sharia have little importance in most Muslim societies (except
those in Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Iran). Through these regulations,
the Sharia provides clear rulings on the fundamentals of Islam,
like its basic moral values and practical duties such as the
five duties, and civil law like criminal law and government
policy. Sharia lays out general guidelines for civil law and
is flexible in most areas except the hudud or prescribed punishments.
Not all Muslims agree with all aspects of the Sharia because
some don't think that all actions taken are directly part
of the Koran. For example, the Canadian Islamic Congress opposed
the highly publicized caning of a teenage girl in Nigeria.
Also, some oppose Sharia being imposed upon countries like Nigeria.
The forced introduction of Sharia to Zamfara State in November
1999 was received with mixed feelings. It was placed on the
Nigerian state as a remedy for cultural disintegration and abandoned
secular activity as well as to achieve economic stability and
autonomy (Research and Marketing Services, 2000). A Gallup Poll
found that Nigerians' opinion of the implementation of Sharia
was largely negative. While 38 percent approved of the imposition,
49 percent rejected it, with 9 percent having no opinion.
Glossary
Fiqh: the science of Sharia which is collected in books and
studied by students.
Hadith: also known as the Sunna, it is collections of sayings
and acts of Muhammad and the first Muslims from the first two
centuries of Islam. Halal: permissible. Often used to signify
meat that is acceptable to eat under Muslim dietary laws. To
be permissible, the animal must be acceptable (cows, sheep,
chickens, goats are acceptable) and clean (it cannot have consumed
human feces within a certain period of time); the slaughter
facilities must be cleaned according to Islamic law and a stainless
steel knife must be used which must be cleaned after each kill.
The animal must be slaughtered by a Muslim, the person slaughtering
has to recite Bismillah ("Bism Illah, Allahu Akbar"
which means "in the name of God, God is the Greatest"),
the slaughterer has to sever the respiratory tract, esophagus
and jugular vein. The blood flowing out of the animal has to
be left to take its natural course until the animal's body
is empty of blood. Food cannot be consumed which has been in
contact with unclean products during preparation.
Haram: forbidden. Muslims are forbidden from consuming pork,
alcohol and blood.
Qur'an: correct term for the sacred scripture delivered
to Muhammad by Allah (Canadian Press style is Koran) Contacts
This organization provides settlement and integration services
for new immigrants. Also has family support programs and a job
referral service available:
Muslim Community Services
Suites 107 and 304
150 Central Park Dr.
Queen St., Brampton, Ont.
L6T 2T9
(905) 790-8484
hrs: Monday-Friday 9 - 4:30
A great website with a webmaster who answers general or specific
questions about the Muslim faith and life, and has a complete
listing and calendar of Muslim prayer times for Toronto, 2001:
http://www.muslim-canada.org
Canadian Islamic Congress website:
President Mohamed Elmasy
http://www.cicnow.com
The Canadian chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations:
Executive Director: Riad Salooje
1-866-524-0004
http://www.caircan.ca
Researched by Rosanne Van
Vierzen
