Mosque may be shipped to Iqaluit from Winnipeg

The Winnipeg group that sent a mosque to Inuvik, N.W.T., is planning to send another one north, this time to Iqaluit.

The Zubaidah Tallab Foundation transported a pre-built mosque by road and barge from Manitoba to Inuvik in 2010.

People who worship there say the Midnight Sun Mosque has helped bring people in the community together. Hussain Guisti, general manager of the foundation,saidit wants to do the same for Muslims living in Nunavut's capital.

"For a Muslim community, a mosque is everything. It's the epicentre of daily life," he said.

The igloo-shaped St. Jude's Anglican church is one of Iqaluit's landmarks. There's also a Catholic church, a Pentecostal church and a place of worship for people of the Bahai faith, but no mosque.

There are few plots of land available in the quickly-expanding town and just getting the building to the city would be difficult. There are no roads to Nunavut, and the building would have to come as freight on the annual sealift, which would be expensive.

But Guisti said he's ready for those challenges and wants to help the 80 or so Muslimsthat live in Iqaluit.

"They're cold and there's not much to do. So a mosque would serve to bring the entire community together as a social and gathering place for Muslims."

He said the city could have it by this fall, if he can collect enough funds.