YUKON – After long months of work, a new mosque opened Saturday, September 29, in Yukon, the westernmost and smallest of Canada’s three federal territories, and this has been celebrated as a milestone for Canada.

“This completes the North. This completes the territories. I call it the Star Trek mosque,” said Hussein Guisti, from the Zubaidah Tallab Foundation, a small charity that helped build a mosque in Thompson, Man, CBC reported.

“Congratulations for turning a trucking warehouse into a mosque. Well done,” said Angelique Bernard, the commissioner of Yukon, garnering cheers from the crowd.

The Muslim community was celebrating turning the old Canadian Freightway building on 2nd Avenue into the Whitehorse Islamic Community Centre and Mosque.

Getting $75,000 support from the territorial government, the Muslim community’s journey to find a home began in 2005 when the Whitehorse United Church welcomed Muslims to use the space to pray.

Then in 2009, Muhammad Javed, the society’s organizer, said they rented a small apartment in the city to use for prayer.

Fathallah Farajat of Hamilton, Ont. started the work on the metal-plated warehouse in April.

“It’s done now, everything’s done,” said Farajat.

“I’m so happy here. The community’s happy here.”

The Yukon Muslims Society website estimates that there are about 40 Muslim families in Whitehorse.

For them, the mosque works a venue for social gatherings and religious study, not just a place of worship.