An hour and a half travel is the distance Mohamed Desouki had to take on a weekly basis from Okotoks, Calgary, to High River to perform Friday Jumu`ah prayer in the mosque.

Now, thanks to an arrangement with the local church to rent the Muslim community a place for the weekly prayer, the distance has been cut into two minutes only.

“I used to go pray in High River,” said Mohamed Desouki, who lives in Calgary but works in Okotoks, CBC News reported.

“I had to leave work for an hour-and-a-half and now it’s two minutes away. It’s more convenient,” said Desouki.

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The Muslim community’s partnership with Okotoks United Church offered Muslims a focal point and gathering place that has been missing for many years.

“It was very important for me when I moved here six months ago from Toronto. That’s one thing I was missing,” said Salam Akhtar.

“Now with the support of our extended community in Calgary, we were able to establish this, and it’s just a first step. And it means a lot,” said Akhtar.

First Gathering

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Around 30 people turned up for the first prayer earlier this month led by Calgary Imam Syed Soharwardy.

“We had been planning to have Friday prayers and finally the church allowed us to rent the space,” said Soharwardy.

“There was nothing in Okotoks and there’s a large Muslim population now growing so there’s a need for it.

“Now they have their own space. The church has been very flexible.”

Canada is one of the world’s most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations with a population of 35 million.

Muslims are the fastest-growing religious community in Canada, according to the country’s statistical agency, Statistics Canada. Canada’s Muslim population increased by 82 percent over the past decade to more than 1 million in 2011.

Muslims now represent 3.2 percent of Canada’s total population. The Calgary area’s Muslim population is around 100,000 and growing.