Mahmood Mosque built with environmentally friendly ideals

Regina's first purpose-built mosque was built with Qur'an teachings in mind.

Imam Zeeshan Ahmed said the MahmoodMosque should reflect the ideals of its builders.

"One of the main concepts of Islam, andespecially being Muslims, is theQur'anteaches us that you should eat and drink whatever you like on the Earth," he said. "But you should not corrupt the Earth."

"We always try to be energy-friendly and green at the same time."

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Whatever the localAhmadiyya Muslim community builds should reflect those ideals, Ahmed said.

The doors to the mosque and the majority of its flooring are made from recyclable materials, he added. Ahmed said it was the volunteers who put the green initiative forward and scanned the market for energy-efficient supplies.

"They tried their best to keep this building as environmentally friendly as possible," the imam said.

Safeer Ahmed was one of the volunteers who helped build the mosque. He also helped coordinate the volunteers and the materials needed.

He estimates there were 10 to 15 volunteers helping on a regular day.

"Even during the winter times when there's snow out there, 30, 35, we still had volunteers showing up and working through those conditions," he said.

Ahmedsaid he volunteered between four and 10 hours a day on a regular basis, when he wasn't working.

He calls the mosque a historic project, due to its volunteer effort and its location in Saskatchewan.

"We are hoping and expecting that there will be a great number of projects, similar projects that will come up in the future."

Ten solar panels alsofully powerthe mosque's LED lighting. The panels are so efficient, the imam quipped SaskPoweractually owes them money some months.

MahmoodMosque is the first purpose-built mosque in Saskatchewan. According to the imam, it was builtentirely by more than 200 volunteers from across the country over a course of two years.