In Canada’s East, a Growing Muslim Community Builds for the Future

Moncton’s Al Salam Community Centre set to open by Fall 2025 as demand for prayer space and cultural connection surges

By Abdullahi Yusuf

In the quiet northeastern stretch of Moncton, a small city in New Brunswick, Canada, a concrete foundation is rising — not just of a building, but of identity, belonging, and community resilience.

Driven by rapid population growth and a deep desire for cultural space, Moncton’s Muslim community is building the Al Salam Community Centre — a multi-purpose facility that will house a mosque, classrooms, a gym, and spaces for communal life. The first phase, including a prayer hall for 500 worshippers, is expected to open in fall 2025.

“This isn’t just about prayer,” said Ibrahim Najum, one of the project’s organizers. “It’s about creating a place for newcomers, children, families — a space where faith, language, and culture can thrive side by side.”

Moncton is home to three existing mosques, but on Fridays and religious holidays, they overflow. “Sometimes people are praying outside or we’re forced to hold two separate sessions,” said Evan (Yahya) Briggs, a lifelong Moncton resident and Muslim convert. “It’s a beautiful problem — growth — but we needed to respond.”

Census figures reflect this shift: from just 845 Muslims in Moncton’s metro area in 2011, the population jumped to over 3,500 by 2021. Across the province, it more than tripled.

The project began in 2020, funded entirely through community donations. The initial $480,000 land purchase came from local pockets, and volunteers helped clear land and pour concrete, saving thousands in labour. Now, with $300,000 still needed to complete phase one, the fundraising continues.

“We’re not waiting for government support,” said Najum. “This is a people-powered project.”

In a region where Islamic institutions are still relatively few, the Al Salam Community Centre offers more than bricks and mortar. “This will be our space,” said Briggs. “A place where our children can learn Arabic, where we can gather for Eid, funerals, weddings. A place that says: We belong here too.”

And when the doors open in 2025, Najum hopes the entire province — Muslims and non-Muslims alike — will walk through them.

“This is for all of New Brunswick,” he said. “To learn, to connect, to build something together.”

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