Baitun Nur Mosque

Baitun Nur (also spelled Baitunnur or Baitun Noor) (Arabic for "House of Light"[1]) is an Ahmadiyya mosque in Calgary, Alberta.[2][3][4] Baitun Nur is the largest mosque in Canada.[2][5]

Baitun Nur mosque
Religion
AffiliationIslam
ProvinceAlberta,  Canada
LeadershipAhmadiyya Muslim Community
Year consecrated2008
Location
Location4353 54 Avenue NE
MunicipalityCalgary
Location within Calgary
Geographic coordinates51.101667°N 113.971944°W / 51.101667; -113.971944
Architecture
Architect(s)Manu Chugh Architects
TypeIslamic architecture
Groundbreaking2005
Completed2008
Construction costC$15 million
Specifications
Minaret(s)1
Minaret height97 feet (30 m)
Website
www.baitunnur.org

Public opening
Prime Minister Stephen Harper (left) seated with Mirza Masroor Ahmad (right) at the grand opening of Baitun Nur
Masroor Ahmad (left) and Liberal Opposition Leader Stephane Dion at the inauguration of Baitan Nur

The cornerstone of the mosque was laid in 2005.[2] Construction was completed in 2008 at an estimated self-funded cost of C$15 million,[1] with roughly C$8 million coming from the approximately 3,000 local Ahmadi Muslims.[4][6]

5,000 people attended Baitun Nur's grand opening on July 5, 2008, including dignitaries such as Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Opposition Leader Stéphane Dion, and Calgary Mayor Dave Bronconnier.[2] The Roman Catholic Bishop of Calgary, Fred Henry, also attended.[7] Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the supreme head of the worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, oversaw the opening.[2]

While members of various faiths were invited, the Sunni Muslim group Islamic Supreme Council of Canada, led by Syed Soharwardy, was not invited, due to its belief that Ahmadiyya Muslims are not real Muslims,[8] and because it did not consider Baitun Nur a mosque.[7]

At the opening, Prime Minister Harper said "Calgarians, Albertans and Canadians will see the moderate, benevolent face of Islam in this mosque and the people who worship here." [2] Afterward, a governing party insider said "It's an important signal the prime minister is sending, not just to militant Islamists abroad, but to their sympathizers here at home, that he's perfectly prepared to ignore them and side with persecuted minorities within the faith."[8]

Mosque complex
Baitun Nur's steel dome and steel-capped minaret tower

Baitun Nur is located in the Castleridge community of Calgary.

The mosque complex is 4,500 m2 (48,000 sq ft) in size.[1] A 97-foot-tall (30 m) [9] steel-capped minaret tower and large steel dome are its most prominent external features.[4]

Around the exterior of the building are written 99 Arabic words, each an attribute of Allah's character as stated in the Qur'an.[10]

In addition to serving as a place of worship, the mosque complex includes classrooms, office space, a children's area, a kitchen and a community centre.[2] In the prayer hall of the mosque hangs a 400-kilogram chandelier[2] that cost $50,000.[9]

Baitun Nur was designed by Naseer Ahmad and Manu Chugh Architects; it was the seventh Ahmadiyya mosque designed by Ahmad.[9][11]

See also

References
  1. "Canada opens its largest mosque". afp.google.com. AFP. 2008-07-05. Archived from the original on 2008-09-07. Retrieved 2008-07-12.
  2. Morton, Graeme (2008-07-05). "Politicians and faithful open Canada's largest mosque". canada.com. Canwest News Service. Archived from the original on 2008-10-12. Retrieved 2008-07-12.
  3. Morton, Graeme (2008-07-06). "Canada's largest mosque opens in Calgary". Calgary Herald. Canwest. Archived from the original on 2008-10-12. Retrieved 2008-07-12.
  4. "Harper: Mosque shows 'benevolent face of Islam'". ctv.ca. The Canadian Press. 2008-07-05. Retrieved 2019-06-06.
  5. "Big mosque on the Prairie opens in Calgary". cbc.ca. CBC News. 2008-07-05. Retrieved 2019-06-06.
  6. Jeffrey, Jones (2008-07-04). "Small Muslim community builds Canada's biggest mosque". ca.reuters.com. Reuters. Retrieved 2019-06-06.
  7. Kaufman, Kaufman (2008-07-12). "New mosque a bridge to other faiths". Edmonton Sun. Canoe Inc. Archived from the original on 2008-10-11. Retrieved 2008-07-14.
  8. Davis, Jeff (2008-07-09). "PM Stirs Debate By Cozying Up to Moderate Muslims". Embassy Magazine. Hill Times Publishing Inc. Archived from the original on 2010-08-19. Retrieved 2008-07-14.
  9. Platt, Michael (2008-06-23). "Calgary's $15M not-so-little mosque on the prairie -- the largest of its kind in Canada -- will officially open July 5". Calgary Sun. Canoe Inc. Retrieved 2008-07-14. Alt URL
  10. Morton, Graeme (2008-06-29). "Muslims open new house of worship: Calgary's new northeast landmark is Canada's largest mosque". Calgary Herald. Canwest. Archived from the original on 2008-10-12. Retrieved 2008-07-13.
  11. "Canada's largest mosque under construction: Manu Chugh Architects act as local architect for the largest mosque in Canada". WorldArchitectureNews.com. 2008-01-15. Archived from the original on 14 July 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-15.
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