Al-Salam Centre Open House Experience
On March 19, 2023, I had the pleasure of visiting Al-Salam Centre in Ranchlands for their open house event. This invitation was sent to communities in the hopes to build bridges between the Muslim community of Calgary and people from other walks of life. This was an opportunity to learn more about the Islamic faith and meet some neighbours.
Perfectly timed before Ramadan, Al-Salam Centre’s Open House was very welcoming. I wish to thank you for the vast amounts of food and beverages that you had available. There were so many children! I was especially impressed by the two young boys who stood in front of an audience and spoke about why Islam and prayer are important to them. This was all done impromptu which was very impressive!
The Al-Salam Centre offered the Qur’an to anyone interested which was offered in many different languages. The henna station allowed young ladies and women to get beautiful designs done on their hands, and mine lasted for weeks after. Men were allowed to choose and try on a keffiyeh. Women were allowed to try on a hijab, and I chose a gorgeous grey-silver one which I needed help putting on. There were many different colours to choose from. Children enjoyed creating crafts and colouring but were more preoccupied with the myriad of children to play with.
I am very humbled and honoured by this invitation and I am so glad that I was able to attend. Many thanks to those from the Al-Salam Centre who were very kind, generous, and so very friendly. You were able to answer so many of my questions and I learned more than I could have expected. This was a delightful event for any age group. I got to meet the Imam, Ebrahim, who was very welcoming, had a wonderful sense of humour, and one could easily ascertain that he genuinely cares about people.
Last year, Banff Trail Community was saddened to learn about the passing of Nurul Khan (see February issue, 2022). Nurul was a very active community member as a former member of the board and founder of the Conversation Club at the Banff Trail Community Hall. He was respectfully very curious about my culture and spirituality, and I was very curious about his, so we were always sharing and asking questions about each other. Last year, I observed Ramadan in his honour. This year, I did the same.
It is my sincere hope that there will be more events such as these that provide educational opportunities as well as build bridges between our diverse people. Many thanks to the Ranchlands Community and the Al-Salam Centre for allowing opportunities for people to connect and respectfully learn from each other.
Eid Mubarak to you and your families,
Ravenmoon Spicer
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