Call it Little Mosque on the Island. Last week, the CBC ran a news story about a Muslim doctor whose efforts to build the first mosque in P.E.I. have thus far come to naught. The “disappointed” doctor asked the province for financial assistance, only to be “turned down.”
The CBC story also suggested that there was reason to believe the city might step in. It quoted Charlottetown Coun. David MacDonald as saying he would be willing to meet with Muslims and “see if the city can assist in building a mosque.” But when Maclean’s spoke to MacDonald, he said, “We wouldn’t give any assistance to a religious group any more than we would to anybody else. We don’t provide financial assistance to any kind of developer.” The meeting, MacDonald says, will be little more than an “information session.”
When interviewed by Maclean’s, the doctor (who asked to remain anonymous, citing “upsetting” online responses to the CBC story) was still adamant that the province should step in to help the Island’s 250-300 Muslims, but stressed that he is not looking for a government handout. “We’re not looking for something for free,” he says. “Our main goal was to get a loan without interest, or cheap land, or a cheap building.”
The doctor worries that the province will pay a dear price if it doesn’t lend a hand. By his estimates, “two or three” Muslims, two of whom are doctors, have already left the Island because it lacks a place of worship—a big loss for a province struggling with an acute doctor shortage. “If [the government] thinks [building a mosque] is going to make professionals stay, they should go for it.”
Ultimately, he doesn’t know whether he’ll be able to stay in P.E.I.: “At a certain point, when my kids grow up, I may have to leave. And I’d feel really bad—who is going to take care of these patients?”
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MISGUIDED, MISLEADING and deliberately biast. All of em have started to follow the footsteps of FOX if u knw what i mean.
I read all these articles about muslims in new york times etc and i see delibrate misguidance and what is more dissappointing that an entire opinion about muslims, islm or any nation would be developed by relying on these articles.
I must say that there is an incredible display of ignorance in a few of these comments that is indeed embarrassing to any self-respecting Canadian. Despite the aforementioned, it is true that church property concerns should not be the concerns of the government, or civil courts for that matter, as they inevitably succumb to involvement at one point or another.
The government officials run the risk of expressing favouritism, though for those who claim that separation of church and state is a celebrated facet of modern society should perhaps try and develop a higher understanding of Canada's Criminal and Civil codes. Law and legal code in its entirety stems from Christian moral and ethical standards – even the smallest review of any section will illustrate that.
The greatest sustenance of any religious body is member contribution and has been so since confederation and the development of the Constitution Act. The Muslim Society of P.E.I. has denied that they requested government financial assistance for the construction in this forum, yet the article claims they did and so clearly one of the organizations is lying or is seriously misinformed.
Nonetheless, the goals of the Society, as stated in this forum, are completely irrelevant in this discussion. Every religious body expresses religious goals similar to the ones described but it is not a legitimate reason for requesting government funds to fullfil those goals.
Ultimately there are two plights to consider: that of the Muslim peoples of P.E.I. (for which I do struggle to understand given the incredible amount of tolerance and understanding they receive in Canada [not considering some of the comments made in the above forum]); and that of the rest of the P.E.I population who are threatened with a doctor shortage if they don't address the absence of proper place of worship. If this is indeed true, though people should remain skeptical of what they read, even in a renowned magazine such as MacLeans, than the Muslim community of P.E.I has abandoned its good will.
Why, this is just another sly attempt by the Moslems to build more Mosques in Canada. Why can't they go to New Brunswick or Nova Scotia to pray? It's only about 4.5 hours to Halifax.
Who cares if they are full tax-paying Canadians, with equal rights, and positive contributing members of society?
It is our duty to assume that these are all foreigners, coloured people, not true Canadians, who have no right to be in PEI in the first place. That's what Brampton's for.
Shame on some of these responses. I'm not saying that the PEI Mosque should be fully publically funded, but some of you act like Christian insitutions never received any government assistance. Catholic schools get a ton of money here in Ontario, and on average are FAR superior in resources to normal public schools. But I didn't expect close minded individuals to acknowledge that. I don't disagree that they should fund it themselves, but maybe not entirely. Some of you need to give your heads a shake.
Some of you are responding like you are Americans or something. Like you have some sort of greater right to be Canadian than someone else. Embarrassing.