Mosque Project

On February 12, 2003 the Planning and Development Committee of the City of Ottawa recommended to the City Council an amendment to a former City of Nepean Zoning By-law. A motion was passed and a new By-Law No. 2003 – 4 was created.

The amendment included the following: “All standard provisions of the Institutional Zone shall apply except a maximum building height of 15m excluding the dome is allowed,” This by-law amendment was for a mosque to be constructed after and subject to “A Site Plan being approved.

The By-Law was enacted and passed on the 12th day of February, 2003 and was signed by the City Clerk and the Mayor.

I was most surprised to read the following in the By-Law, “Building Height (Maximum) 15 metres, excluding an ornamental dome, church spire, church belfry, cupola, or skylight.” From the words of the original motion, “excluding the dome”, we have new words: “excluding an ornamental dome, church spire, church belfry, cupola, or skylight.” These additional words beg several questions. Where did the additional 8 words come from? Under whose authority were the additions made? Why were the additions made? Do the additional words invalidate the By-Law? Just because the new By-Law was signed by the City Clerk and the Mayor, does that make it a “legal” document? It is believed that the By-Law must incorporate the actual wording of the motion that was past without words of afterthought being provided by some party or another.

A number of appeals were made to the Ontario Municipal Board early last year with the decision order issued on Oct. 7, 2003. The Board reviewed the many facts and statements made and in its judgment concluded as follows: “the Board will dismiss the appeals, however, issuance of the order will be withheld until it is advised that the Site Plan has been approved by the City. This member will remain seized in order to adjudicate any disputes arising out of the site plan particulars.”

It behooves the City to be careful and cautious in its deliberations and activities relating to the site plan approval, its process and timing and the “site plan particulars.” The City needs to disclose to the public how it intends to proceed, whether this is to be done in openness before the public or otherwise. This project must not be delayed because of some need to have an adjudication process put in motion because of any “disputes arising out of the site plan particulars.” The Council of the City has a moral obligation to the citizens of Ottawa do what is right, to do what is proper and not to seek an easy way out of a difficult task.

I recently learned that there will be “a dome that peaks at 21m above the finished grade.”
In addition, there will be minaret; the “top of the minaret is at 35m.”

Although a dome was included in the original recommendation and passed into the By-Law, no mention was made of the minaret in the recommendation or in the By-Law, and now, we learn that there will be a minaret with a height of 35 metres which will be 14 metres higher than the peak of the dome which will be 21metres.

How high is 35metres? For me it was difficult to realize so I reviewed the heights of a number of high-rise buildings in Ottawa from the one at 100 Hinchey Ave. which stands at 35 metres for 13 floors; another building at 33 metres had 12 floors. In Ottawa there are some 86 buildings that have 12 or 13 floors; among these are the Kanata Park Towers (Towers I and II), The Vanguard Building, Ambleside III, the Jean Talon Building, the Lord Elgin Hotel, the Bank of Canada Tower and among the many other buildings, the Public Service Alliance Building. I now have a much clearer idea of what 35 metres means.

Last summer I spent 7 weeks visiting Bosnia, Herzegovina, Croatia and Yugoslavia. I was impressed with the beauty of the land, mountains, villages, towns and cities and the Adriatic Sea with its many islands. I was also impressed with both the numbers and architectural beauty of the many mosques that I saw. I took many photographs of many ancient and beautiful mosques which will be used in future articles about the history of the lands and the peoples of the former Yugoslavia.
I would call all those mosques Houses of Worship. I honour and respect the people who attend services in these buildings. They have their religious convictions. The practicing of their religion should be respected in every way possible. Diversity of religious practices will continue to grace our land. The Muslim faith will expand as the Muslim religion is fastest growing in Canada. I believe we must accommodate the increase in the numbers of mosques that will be required. Canadians will continue to learn more about the diversity of religious practices and will share in the benefits of exposure to other cultures and beliefs.

Many residents of Nepean and in particular those who reside in the Bells Corners and Westcliffe Estates areas might not know where the new mosque is to be located. Its location will be on the triangular piece of land due south of the intersection of Moodie Drive and Richmond Road. The major entrance to the mosque property will be directly in front of the intersection of Seyton Drive and Richmond Road.

The major concerns that the residents close to the proposed site have had relate to the traffic and parking problems that have occurred because of the large number of vehicles that are used to transport people to the mosque. People to the west of the future mosque will be in the shadow of the mosque during the morning time when the sun is behind the mosque. Some property owners with properties backing directly on the mosque property with be in the shadow of the mosque, during the evening time while the sun is setting. Remembering, the shadow will be caused by the building with its main height of approximately 12m at the front of the building with the “dome that peaks at 21m above (the) finished grade.” In addition, the site plan drawing shows a “yard rear” set back of only 9 metres, between the building and the rear lot line of two of the houses. There is a possibility that the 11.4 meter height of the rear of the mosque’s main building will require a set back of approximately a full 16m which is 7m more than the 9m shown on the plan. (The formula used would be the factor of 1.4 x 11.4m = 15.96m).

At present it is not known as to when and how the City will approve the site plan prior to construction. A request has been made to the Mayor to provide information on the process and timing leading to the site plan approval. The big questions are what leadership will he provide, what guidance and direction will he give to the bureaucrats at City Hall to prevent any future disputes.

I attended an executive meeting of a community association today and learned that the association does not want to be involved in any matters that smack of being “political” in nature. This is perhaps a reflection of some strong personalities who sat on the executive in years gone by.

The City of Ottawa encourages community associations to participate in activities that relate, in particular, to the development approval process leading to “better development and a better city.”

The following is a quotation from “A Community Handbook for the Development Approvals Process”: “The City of Ottawa welcomes and encourages comments from community organizations regarding the planning and development process. Community organizations have an important role to play in the process and can provide practical and useful insights into the potential impacts of the Official Plan and Zoning By-law amendments, of subdivisions, commercial and industrial site plans and other planning matters that occur in or near their neighbourhoods.”

There are times when comments are provided and advice given which the community feels is ignored by the city bureaucrats and city councilors. When initiatives of community associations are disregarded, discounted or absolutely ignored then, how can the City expect input even if on paper it is suggested that it is desired. Words on paper mean little if voices are not heard and outcomes are not achieved.

There should be a renewed effort made by all new executive members of community associations to address the topic of community associations’ involvement in matters relating to the City of Ottawa.

Bells Corners is a religious community or so it would seem if one were to count the number of churches representing different religious groups. One of the more recent arrivals is that of the Muslim community that has had a mosque, a small mosque by size of building but a mosque within which prayers of worship have been offered for the last 5 years.

It has been said that the Islamic faith is the fastest growing religion in the world. Across North America, from community to community we find mosques and associations of Muslim peoples. These people have come to Canada from many nations of our world. Yet, they hold a religious faith common to all regardless of language, culture or colour of members.

The fundamental ideals of Islam could be viewed as ideal for Canadian society, as human rights can bring religions together with a focus on the right to life and the freedom of religion. Other rights relating to family, property and justice are all included in Islamic ideals.

Followers of the Islamic faith have as their place of worship, the mosque. In the year 622 A.D., the Prophet Muhammad fled from Mecca to the City of Medina where his house was used as a place for prayer. This house became the first mosque and place of worship.

In 629 Muhammad returned to Mecca, the city of his birth. There we find the Great Mosque which is the focus of Muslim worship. All other mosques are constructed along a line that is projected or leading to Mecca. A wall of the mosque is constructed perpendicular to that line. It is called the Qibla wall and parallel to this wall are rows along which the faithful kneel to pray, all facing Mecca.

Five times a day over one billion Muslims around the world face Mecca in their prayers to Allah. On Fridays, it is compulsory for all male Muslims to go to the mosque for prayer.

Although the present mosque on Moodie Drive is small in size and the number of members is a very small fraction of the total Muslim population of the world, the fervour of prayer, the strength of religious conviction is no less than that which would be found in any other mosque, no matter where it might be or no matter its size.

The Muslim community requires a new and much larger mosque for all their religious activities, for the development of Muslim youth and to have the space for all other activities that might be undertaken. It is a requirement, a just requirement that needs to be met.

A number of residents of Bells Corners have objected to the construction of a new mosque on the property located adjacent to the older mosque and facing Richmond Road were for a variety of reasons. One major problem that has been experienced in the past has been that of parked cars on the streets close to the mosque during the Friday prayer time. It has been suggested that even with the many additional parking spots made available for the new mosque, there might still be a continuing street parking problem. Yet, a solution may be found if permission is granted by number of organization to have their properties used for parking purposes during prayer times. It is this spirit of cooperation that may lead to the City to finally approve the site plan proposal.

There are many beautiful mosques around the world that reflect the architectural genius of both non-Muslim and Muslim architects. Today we find with the rapid expansion in the number of followers of the Islamic faith and the oil-wealth from Islamic nations, more mosques are being built using designs by contemporary Muslim architects. In fact, there are awards for mosque designs coming from the Aga Khan Award for Architecture.

Although minarets were not part of the architecture of the earlier mosques, they came into use about 100 years after the first mosques were built. The minarets served as an excellent way to project the voice of the person calling the worshippers to prayer. In addition, the minarets served as structures of beauty, as embellishments to the mosques and because of their heights could be seen for many miles. The minaret on the proposed mosque should prove to be an attractive feature for the southern landscape of Bells Corners. It will be seen for miles across the greenbelt. It will serve as a symbol of tolerance and goodwill, of freedom and justice to all.

The following “open letter” was sent to Anver Malam, the Imam of the Mosque on Moodie Drive on September 12, 2005. Copies of the letter were sent to several of our leaders in the City of Ottawa.

"Everyone can see the effects of God's mercy. But who, except God himself, understands the essence of his mercy? Most people cannot understand the essence of any of God's attributes; they only know his attributes through their effects -- and also through analogy. Only mystics have eyes to see the essence of God's attributes."

-Rumi, "Masnavi"

I am aware that a number of students from the public school, as well as one teacher crossed your property on Tuesday morning, September 6. It is my understanding that the principal of the school notified all students not to use the Mosque property as a way to get to school or to return home. On September 7, I believe that only one person crossed the property in the morning and two on September 8.

On September 7, two students, separately, crossed the private property north of your property, where there is building debris present. On September 8, a group of three or four students crossed. On two occasions recently I crossed that property and took a number of photographs of the junk and construction debris that has been placed on that property. It is an unsafe area. As well, there is a deep ditch that will prove to be a hazard during rainy weather of when there is an accumulation of snow.

Some students must now take a longer walk to get to school. I can say from experience that they will survive yet during inclement weather, and in particular during very cold and windy times they will feel some discomfort.

One major problem that has been worsened is that of students crossing Richmond Road to the north of the "triangle" who would have crossed at the lights at the corner of Seyton and Richmond Road. They are breaking the law by crossing at one of the widest spots as well as where there is a curve on the highway. It is easy to understand why they do this but they do place their lives in jeopardy. The Ottawa Police Service, I trust, must assume some responsibility for not preventing this illegal and dangerous activity.

The City of Ottawa might be able to do something by providing a walkway across the property to the north of the fence that marks the northern boundary of your property, where an easement does exist. This matter has been discussed in the past.

We, in our society, are constantly reminded of situations where, if action had been taken prior to a tragedy, loss of life and property leading also economic losses could have been averted or reduced. "Acts of God" often result in serious social hardships and problems. Man also plays a role in not taking preventative measures to reduce any potential results. The public cries. Our leaders sometimes play the "blame game". Do we not now see this in the United States?

I now ask you and your Mosque community to open your property to students, teachers and school personnel to cross during the school year. I am sure that such an action would be most appreciated. It would be accepted as a privilege with the complete understanding that the property is private and will remain so. When it comes to the time of construction safety measures might preclude the privilege and this would be well understood and accepted by the local community.

Your community's generosity and goodwill would be noticed and commented upon with appropriate and positive words. As it now stands, there are questions as to earlier statements of the Mosque community's wanting to be a good neighbour.

Perhaps, if there was a point in wanting the local community to respect the ownership of the Mosque lands, it has been well made. What more is wanted? What more is needed?

The basic words used in this e-mail, with modification, will be used in a number of publications, including the Ottawa Canada World News of which I am the publisher and editor, as well as the website http://mosque.croweagle.com and my personal blog.

Reports will be made at the Westcliffe Estates Community Association meetings as well as included on the Association's website.

This e-mail is being shared with a number of key individuals within our society. We may all share in the blame for any tragedies in our community that may occur, in which we could have provide a measure of prevention.

We are dependent upon one another; this is at the heart of our democratic social order. Let us not fail our children; let us not fail in our social responsibilities. Let us do all in our power that is right and respectful of one another for the betterment of our way of life.

Twelve weeks have passed since work started on the installation of services for
the development of the mosque project. Local residents of Westcliffe Estates had to put up with
excessive noise from the drilling operations on Seyton Drive and later on Richmond
Road which was followed up by drilling on the mosque property itself. The drilling
on Seyton Drive with the resultant excavation and the later incomplete filling
caused an annoyance to many drivers. Now that the repaving job has been completed,
that irritant has been removed. The roadways are now in excellent condition.

A few questions have come up about the possible City’s participation in costs
associated with the development of the project and any revisions to the site plan
approval. As to the costs, this is a private project and will not be funded by the
City in any way.

There is a roadway modification agreement in place which permits changes to be
made to the road and the traffic signals will be upgraded; again, all associated
expenses are not the responsibility of the City. To date, this writer is not aware of
any application for a site plan revision.

As to the question or rumour that the minaret for the mosque would not be
constructed, confirmation has not been received one way or another from Anver
Malam, the Imam of the mosque. It is well known that he is a very busy man
which may explain the non-response to an enquiry. Might there be a possibility that the
height of the minaret as designed has been changed? Perhaps we will need to wait to
see the final result. This writer has seen many mosques in Europe and North
America and all those which were originally constructed as mosques all had
minarets. Can one envisage a mosque without a minaret? O course, we know that many
of the earlier mosques did not have minarets.

One can find much information about the development of the mosque site by going
to: http://www.jamiomar.org . As well, one can learn much about the Muslim mosque
community, the mission of the mosque, the services which will be offered, the
organization and other topic such as news and events.

September 27, 2006

With the closing of the year 2006 we find that much of the required excavation of the property and the adjacent roadways has been completed. Local residents experienced much inconvenience in driving in to and out of Seyton Dr. But this was minor when compared with the noise of the excavation.

If one is to visit the website therein is recorded part of the history of the development of the construction site. This recorded history will find a repository in the archives of institutions. What is not recorded are the feelings of all those individuals who were subjected to the noise and dust of those days of excavation and movement of rock and earth. These recorded memories of inconvenience and hardship with remain with those individuals until they leave this earth. Memories fade with time and this is to the good. Yet, the better good will be there when the mosque is completed.

The mosque will become the centre for many positive Muslim activities which will bring goodness to the larger community. The days of dust and noise will be somewhat forgotten when the mosque construction is completed and the site is fully landscaped.

With the passing time, season after season, the beauty of the site with mature trees, shrubs and flowers will become a focal point of community interest. The beauty of the mosque structure will also be there for the appreciation of all. There will be harmony within the local community and as those mosque facilities that are open to public are used for community purposes, deeper and positive understandings and appreciation will ensue.

The construction season of 2007 is fast approaching. The dust and sound difficulties of last year will return but will much less intensity. Progress on the building site will be recorded with photographs and the sights of the ongoing construction will be recorded in the memories of local residents. The children of the community will tell their children in the future that they were there when the mosque was being constructed. We hope that their memories will be positive not only of the days of construction but all days following as well.