MUSLIMS` PARTICIPATION IN Canadian SOCIAL

p _MUSLIMS` PARTICIPATION IN CANADIAN SOCIAL : PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS .doc

The history of Muslim population in Canada

The industrial revolution , scientific advancements , technological dexterity , the democratic and socially sound western societies at first became a heavenly abode for the entire populations of the poorer countries of the southern and eastern parts of the world . Canada being the most welcoming western country for the refugees and economic emigrants with its enormous potentials was not an exception

The earliest records have revealed the presence of only 13 Muslims in Canada during 1871

. In Edmonton the first mosque was built in 1938 when there were about 700 Muslims in the country . In the postwar years the numbers of Muslims in Canada increased significantly but remained below 100 ,000 till 1981 census

The Muslims are an integral part of the East and stand equal if not worse in terms of social oppression , economic depravity , ignorance and disease to the other communities of the East and the traditional South like China , Korea , Japan , the Middle East , Africa and India

Terrible social , economic and political conditions are a common factor for the people of the East to migrate to the world of opportunity in the west . Canada , though a far situated country yet offered all the facilities and opportunities not only to the Canadians but also kept no discrimination in settling the migrating large population groups from the eastern world bringing a large number of Muslims along with

While Chinese took oriental habits the Muslims took their faith with a set of Islamic believes with them to Canada

Since the early fifties this migration is continuing ceaselessly even the numbers are increasing by every passing day

Demography : Muslims in Canada and 2001 census

The 2001 census in Canada reveals the population of Muslims as 579 ,640 in numbers that comprises 1 .96 of the population of Muslims in Canada is estimated to increase to 783 ,700 i .e 2 .5 by 2006

The Labenese Civil War during 1980s and the Somali Civil War in the 1990s resluted in major arrival of muslim population to Canada as refugees . Before these refugees , skilled proffessional emigrated to Canada for decades .The muslim community is divided into many linguistic cultural and intellectual groups

Canadian muslims live mostly in the province of Ontario

Somali muslims are living in large proportion in Toronto though this region houses diverse muslim population . The Scarborough region of Toronto has considerable muslim residents . Lebanese and Somali muslims specially reside in the Ottawa region . Mississauga has large Pakistani muslim community . Waterloo houses the muslims from Bosnia and Albania mostly . While Monterial

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Vancouver , Calgary , Edmonton , Winnipeg and Halifax are also well known to have significant muslim populations

The Muslims in Canada are mostly living in the urban city centers . As mostly deprived of agricultural lands farms and livestock business activity the Muslims have negligible presence in the large and vast countryside of Canada . This concentration of one religious group in selected locations makes matters reflect a demographic imbalance...