Winnipeggers learn about Muslim faith at Grand Mosque open house
'Don't judge us from our veil,' says Winnipeg Muslim woman Eptisam Esshaki
More than a thousand people packed Winnipeg's Grand Mosque on Waverley Street Sunday for an open house event.
The event was designed to bring people from all walks of life together to taste some food, tour the mosque and provide information about the Muslim faith.
"Don't judge us from our veil, or a guy with a beard," said Esshaki. "We are just like you. We are normal human beings."
Since attacks in Paris that left 129 people dead and dozens more injured, which ISIS has claimed responsibility for, there have been somereports across Canada of people lashing out against Muslims.
On Nov. 14, the day after the attacks, amosque inPeterborough, Ont., was set ablaze.
In another case, two Muslim women wereaccosted and verbally assaultedon a Toronto subway trainon the evening of Nov. 18, the Toronto Transit Commissionsaid.
In Manitoba on Sunday, a member of achurch in Dauphintold CBC News of a man who had called its associatedfoodbankclaiming he hoped the church would burn down because it is sponsoring Syrian refugees.
Esshaki said the events make her feel nervous.
"Muslims here, especially women here, they can identifyme, they know I'm Muslim because of the veil and I'm scared sometimes someone will grab me and beat me up," she said.
Carey Jackson took advantage of the mosque's open house invitation to learn more about Islam and its believers.
"Knowledge is everything," Jackson said. "Without it people go out [with] rumours and innuendos, and this just clears it all up."
Mary Macdonald started "Have tea with me" last week. Macdonald is urging Winnipeggers to open their doors and invite Muslims in for tea and to share stories.
"Then our society is stronger and hopefully the ultimate result is that things we see going on are diminished," Macdonald said.
Tasnim Jagani said she thinks Macdonald's idea is "brilliant."
"It's not like going to Starbucks with somebody you don't know, it's real connections, meeting with real people from all different places and getting to knowthem," she said.