Al Rashid Mosque Museum

The Al Rashid Mosque is a mosaic of determination, resilience, cooperation, and collaboration of Muslims and non-Muslims in Edmonton. It's a building not only made of mortar and bricks, but a symbol of peace for all people of all faiths to assemble and to pray. Today, it stands as a majestic reminder of what can be done when a group of like-minded individuals set a goal and work hard to achieve it in the name of Allah.

The first Muslims arrived in Canada in 1871 in hopes of living in a country that promised them peace and prosperity. They were transported by boats to Canada’s East coast; the Census of Canada registered 645 Muslim residents by 1931.

In the early 1930s a group of Muslim women requested the Edmonton Mayor, John Fry, provide them with a plot of land on which a mosque could be built to accommodate the growing Muslim community in the city. They reminded the Mayor that the other major faiths had their places of worship and therefore, the Muslims deserved their own site for communal prayers.

Mayor Fry supported the Muslim community in the purchase of land located next to Royal Alexandra Hospital at a cost of $5000.00. Mike Drewoth, a Ukrainian-Canadian, was hired as the contractor for what would become the first Mosque in Canada.