The Federal Minister of Seniors, Kamal Khera, and other local politicians made a visit to the Masjid-an-Noor Mosque in St. John’s Thursday night.
President of the Muslim Association of Newfoundland and Labrador, Dr. Syed Pirzada says he got a call from Minister Khera’s office saying she would like to come by while in St. John’s, describing it as a “goodwill visit.”
📍St.John’s, NL: During the holy month of Ramadan, I visited the oldest Mosque in Atlantic Canada, Masjid-an-Noor, with MP @Joanne_NL and learned of its distinct history & leadership. 🕌
To protect our communities we need to continue to combat hate and discrimination. pic.twitter.com/NMd2nxqTQ9
— Kamal Khera (@KamalKheraLib) April 15, 2022
Last month, the outside of the Mosque was vandalized by a trio of people who threw garbage, then eggs at the building.
Video footage of the culprits was turned over to the RNC, but Pirzada says no arrests have been made.
He says he is thankful for the support that has been shown for the Mosque – especially from provincial Ministers Bernard Davis and Gerry Byrne, and from the RNC.
Pirzada states that some people don’t take Islamophobia seriously, but it is a threat and more should be done to address it.
He believes that local governments do take it seriously, but more steps should be taken to address the “menace” of Islamophobia to make sure it doesn’t get out of control.
