Murals to be source of inspiration for Whitehorse Muslim community

Israr Ahmed calls the creation of the Yukon's first mosque in 2018 a "beautiful metamorphosis" from a storage facility.

Ahmed, who moved to Whitehorse from India two and a half years ago, did not witness the metamorphosis himself, but as the current president of the Yukon Muslim Association he is doing his part to assist in the continuous evolution of both the space and the community.

This past week, the association brought an artist from Windsor, Ont., to turn the mosque's plain, gray walls into a source of inspiration for the community.

Artist Salwa Najb arrived in Whitehorse on Feb. 21 with her assistant, Ahsia Aghbari, and the two women spent a week painting multiple, elaborate pieces of Arabic scripture on the walls. 

Najb says she has spent the better part of 20 years painting Islamic architecture, and calligraphy is an important part of that. However, focusing solely on calligraphy is relatively new to her, as is working on vertical walls. 

"It's very challenging," she said. "But I like it more than I expected. It is very spiritually fulfilling, and it's even better if I can travel and meet people in remote communities like here in the Yukon."

Najm says she proposed painting various pieces of Arabic scripture from the Qur'an, and Ahmed made some additional suggestions for names of people to be included in the works.

"This type of art connects people with their spirituality," Najm said. "When you see calligraphy on the walls, it is usually a religious message. You'll see verses from the Qur'an, and names of people respected in the religion. Each time people come in and see the walls, they will be reminded of those people and those verses."

Ahmed says his motivation to make this work happen comes from an Islamic value of pursuing excellence. 

"If you look around the Muslim world, you will find architectural marvels, and these are all, in essence, acts of worship because we are commanded to pursue excellence in whatever we do," he said.

"Calligraphy was also an art form that developed from that thought — that whatever you write, let it be so beautiful that it inspires people, and when you look at it you have that spiritual connection."

Ahmed says he hopes that when people walk into the mosque, they will see the murals and be spiritually nourished.

The Muslim community in Whitehorse is currently made up of close to 120 people, and Ahmed says that for them the mosque is more than a place of worship — it is a place to eat, to have conversations, and resolve disputes.

"It's a place that caters to all your spiritual needs," he said.