Muslim Community holds their service in Spencer Smith Park

By Pepper Parr

June 11th, 2021

BURLINGTON, ON

They gathered quietly at the edge of Lake Ontario to take part in a Muslim Call to Prayer.

It wasn’t a large crowd. It was an exceptionally well behaved crowd with members of the Halton Mosque ensuring that people knelt on their prayer rugs well within the required space.

Burlington’s Muslim community celebrating their faith in a park on a Friday afternoon.

For those who did not bring a Prayer blanket there were replacements, hand sanitizer and bottles of water.

The actual Call to Prayer had a poetry to it. It was said in Arabic and sounded strong.

The women were separated from the men as is the custom.
The man who spoke after the Call to Prayer told the crowd that he was a Canadian, born in Scarborough, educated in Canada and did not believe that the tragedy in London earlier in the week, that took the lives of four people who were out for a walk leaving a fifth boy in hospital, is what Canada is about.

A very powerful statement from a community that struggles to heal.

Those of us who are not Muslim see it as a tragedy; the Muslims see it as a threat to their lives every day of the week. They don’t want to live this way.
There is healing to be done; understandings to be created and customs for those of us who are not Muslims to get used to and respect.

The Muslim community opened itself up to the people of Burlington Friday afternoon. It was an act we should be grateful for and use it as the occasion to help them heal and at the same time work towards tighter ties between the communities.