MUSLIM IMMIGRATION
Four years after Canadian Confederation, as noted in the 1871 Canadian Census, thirteen Muslim Europeans were living in Canada. By 1938, the population had increased to approximately 700, and the country’s first mosque was constructed in Edmonton. In 2007, Islamic History Month was established by the Federal Government.
Vernon has a relatively small Muslim population, with the first members arriving in the 1960s and ‘70s. In 1999, the Vernon Muslim Association was granted charity status.
In 2012, the
first mosque in the Okanagan, was built with the support of the 40 Muslim families in the area as well as other Muslim communities across Canada.
In 2022, the local Muslim population continues to attend prayers at the Vernon Mosque & Islamic Center, with this year marking the building’s 10th anniversary.
The Vernon Morning Star published an article on its opening, which is reproduced in part below.
A second Okanagan Mosque, to be built in Kelowna, is in the works at this time.