Scarborough Muslim Association/Jame Abu Bakr Siddique Masjid

Scarborough Muslim Association/Jame Abu Bakr Siddique Masjid

I’ve done some field research on the Jame Abu Bakr Siddique Masjid located on 2665 Lawrence Avenue. I’ll be using the same format as Rahmen did in his. Here is some back ground information regarding the mosque according to their website. (The website provides a bunch of information; take a look at if you can! I’ll link it at the bottom).

- Address: 2665 Lawrence Ave E, Scarborough, ON M1P 2S2

- The Scarborough Muslim Association (SMA) was formed as a non-profit organization in 1981 with the sole purpose of establishing a permanent mosque and Islamic academic school in Scarborough.

- “The SMA rented a hall and started offering religious services. To accommodate a growing Muslim population, in 1992 SMA purchased land and a building at a cost of $3 million Canadian dollars. (Almost all paid by donations rose from the local Muslim community)”

- Predominantly Indian/Pakistani (according to salatomatic.com, a comprehensive guide to mosques and Islamic schools)

Research

*Important to note (all these stores are all walking distance from the Masjid, 5 minutes away)

1. Halal/Islamic Stores

- I found about 15+ stores

- A variety of restaurants/bakery/grocery stores.

- Wide range of restaurants that include: Arafat Halal Pizza & Kabab House, Popeye’s, Parwan Kabob, Al-Madina Halal Pizza & Bakery, Hakka Masala. (just to name a few)

2. Non- Halal/Islamic Stores

- There were 15+ stores.

- Small/Big Businesses

- Business related (Mechanic Shops, Spas, Hair Salons, Beer Store, Fresh Co.)

- There’s a McDonald’s, Burger King, and Tim Horton’s in the area.

- It may also be important to note that there is a Baptist Church across the street, a few streets behind the Midland Lawrence Plaza.

Significance

- The Lawrence and Midland Intersection clearly contain a wide range of stores that cater to various groups of people.

- Most of the Halal/Islamic stores are located closely to the mosque. However, there are still quite a few that are in the same plazas with Non-Halal/Islamic stores.

- The Hakka Masala restaurant can definitely indicate that the owner/s of this restaurant is branching out and offering foods of a different culture. (Hakka Chinese Food)

What’s Left?

- We need to find out when these stores opened (before 1992 or after)

- What types of food do the restaurants/grocery sell?

- Where do they get their products from?

- What is their ethnic background?

- Types of communities that live near the mosques

Website Links

Scarborough Muslim Association: http://www.smacanada.ca/?p=home.html&homepage=true

http://www.salatomatic.com/spc/Scarborough/Jame-Abu-Bakr-Siddique/ux7gKnXSpg