Baitun Nur Mosque

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Baitun Nur mosque
Ahmadiyya Mosque 05a.jpg
Baitun Nur Mosque is located in Calgary
Baitun Nur Mosque
Location within Calgary
Basic information
Location 4353 54 Avenue NE
Geographic coordinates Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Affiliation Islam
Province Alberta,  Canada
Municipality Calgary
Year consecrated 2008
Leadership Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
Website www.baitunnur.org
Architectural description
Architect(s) Manu Chugh Architects
Architectural type Islamic architecture
Groundbreaking 2005
Completed 2008
Construction cost C$15 million
Specifications
Minaret(s) 1
Minaret height 97 feet (30 m)

Baitun Nur (also spelled Baitunnur or Baitun Noor) (Arabic for "House of Light"[1]) is a mosque of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in the Castleridge community of Calgary, Alberta.[2][3][4] It is known for being the largest mosque in Canada.[2][5] It is estimated that there are about 3,000 members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Calgary.[6]

Public opening

Prime Minister Stephen Harper (left) seated with Mirza Masroor Ahmad (right) at the grand opening of the Baitun Nur mosque to the public on July 5, 2008
Masroor Ahmad (left) and Liberal Opposition Leader Stephane Dion at the opening inauguration of the Baitan Nur mosque on July 5, 2008

The cornerstone of the mosque was laid in 2005.[2] Construction was completed in 2008 for an estimated cost of C$ 15 million,[1] with roughly C$ 8 million of that coming from local Calgarians.[4]

Baitun Nur had its grand opening to the public on July 5, 2008, with 5000 people in attendance, 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, attended as well.[7] Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the supreme head of the worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, oversaw the opening.[2]

While members of various faiths were invited, according to Kaufman of the Edmonton Sun, 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 did not consider Baitun Nur a "mosque."[7]

Praise for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community came from attendees, including Harper, who said "Calgarians, Albertans and Canadians will see the moderate, benevolent face of Islam in this mosque and the people who worship here." [2] According to Embassy magazine, regarding Harper's remarks, 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]

Structure

File:Ahmadiyya Mosque 13.JPG
The steel dome and steel-capped minaret tower of the Baitun Nur mosque

The mosque complex is 4,500 m2 (48,000 sq ft) in size.[1] A 97 feet (30 m) tall[9] steel-capped minaret tower and large steel dome are the most noticeably externally visible features of the mosque.[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 a place of worship in Calgary, 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 is the seventh Ahmadiyya mosque by Naseer Ahmad who gave consultation to.[9] Manu Chugh Architects.[11]

See also

References

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External links

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.[dead link]
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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