Never be afraid of people; always fear your Creator

Why did they ban a Founding Member?

Deviant Khutbas

Usurped Control

The Missing Minaret

Masjid in the Park was envisioned as part of a multi-function complex consisting of an Institute of Islamic Studies in Western Canada. The project was first presented to the Muslim community of Sherwood Park in 2000. There were less than 10 Muslim families in Sherwood Park at that time and the idea of establishing a Center of Islamic Studies was reconsidered as a stepwise process, with Center for Islam and Sciences as its first step.

Center for Islam and Science (CIS) was established in 2000 and quickly became a leading international voice in the academic world. It started a journal, Islam & Sciences in 2003; the journal was renamed as journal of Islamic Sciences in 2013.

In 2009, CIS initiated an international project to produce the first Encyclopedia of the Qur’an by Muslims in any Western language–the Integrated Encyclopedia of the Qur’an (IEQ). The first volume was published in 2013 and the second in 2024; the third volume is scheduled to appear in 2025.

The Masjid in the Park project was re-activated in 2011 and search for a suitable lot gained momentum. But the project soon hit a roadblock. In a meeting of the board of directors of the Center for Islam and Science, held on Sunday, November 6, 2011, one director took the position that the plot of land which was identified, should only be bought after the County issues a Permit to construct a masjid. The seller was willing to give 90 days to close the sale. This meant: making a design, having the engineering drawings, land survey, environmental studies, and many other aspects done in a month or so because the county would take at least 2 months to make a decision. This was an impossibility, but the person insisted. The following minutes summarize what transpired:

The inconclusive meeting led to a cul-de-sac, but Dr. Salim Sabir called Dr. Iqbal on Tuesday and asked ,if we can open a new account for the Masjid Project. There was no mention of what happened at the meeting and there was no harm in opening an account.

Dr. Sabir made arrangements with TD and On November 16, 2011, an account was opened at TD Bank in the name of Center for Islamic Sciences. Dr. Sabir brought his daughter Mariam, who was not a member of CIS with him and asked if she could be one of the signing authorities. This was done. The account required two to sign, so effectively, the account was in the hand of Sabir family. An initial deposit of two checks was made by Dr. Sabir and his daughter.