Thousands are expected to attend the grand opening Saturday of one of Canada's biggest mosques in Delta.
Dignitaries, including elected officials, will also be on hand for the opening ceremony of Baitur Rahman, or House of Gracious God, a grand mosque for the Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam.
Located at 9750 River Rd., the mosque, which covers 33,000 square feet and has a 76-foot minaret, is to be a central point for prayers, meetings as well as social and religious interfaith gatherings. A gymnasium is also part of the complex.
With an occupancy capacity of 1,100 people, the structure has a contemporary, modular design with clean, straight-edge lines aimed complementing the surrounding scenery.
The new mosque is similar, but smaller in scale, to a stunning 48,000-squarefoot facility the Ahmadiyya opened in Calgary in 2008, Canada's largest mosque complex.
Delta council originally approved an application for the River Road mosque in 2005 and a groundbreaking was held several months later. A development variance permit was also issued but had lapsed as the building's plans were revised.
The application took a few years to wind its way through the approval process, but now there's jubilation as construction is complete.
"It took a long time but now this dream is coming true. We are happy and right now what we see is a beautiful structure that Delta will enjoy," said Rizwan Peerzada, president of the Surrey-East chapter of the Ahmadiyya Movement and communications director for the Vancouver region.
"Right now, Delta doesn't have any mosques or Sikh temples. We will present our house of the worship, promoting peace and harmony from here," he said.
The local Ahmadiyya Movement chapter purchased the land in 1995 and had been using an old elementary school on the site as a place of worship.
Noting the $8 million mosque was paid for entirely through donations from local members, Peerzada said the Ahmadiyya Movement promotes peace and inter-faith dialogue.
The faith has branches in more than 178 countries with a membership in the tens of millions.
Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad in the small village of Qadian, located in the Punjab, India, established the Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam in 1889.
The Ahmadiyya sect in Islam believe that Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was a prophet, while most other Muslims claim Mohammed was the last messenger of God.
The Ahmadiyya say Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad "divested Islam of fanatical beliefs and practices by vigorously championing Islam's true and essential teachings." They say he has united the family of religions under the single banner of the true Islam by safeguarding the teachings of other religious faiths.
Ahmadiyya also note they're the leading Islamic organization to categorically reject terrorism in any form.
Also attending Saturday's celebration will be Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the spiritual and administrative leader of the Worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama`at. He's scheduled to take part in the ribbon cutting and plaque unveiling as well as talk to the media about his views on recent events around the world, including terrorism.
The opening ceremony goes from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. It's open to the public.
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