Hiiraan Online
Saturday January 21, 2017
Toronto (HOL) - Members of Toronto’s Muslim community protested outside the office of Toronto Mayor John Tory’s office on Thursday to protest the closure of Sakinah Community Centre in Scarborough.
The faith-based community centre which opened its doors in 2013 was closed in February 2016 after the City of Toronto deemed the building unsafe. When Sakinah’s operators vowed to remedy the safety issues, the city ordered Muslims to stop using the space for assembly because the property was industrial.
Sheikh Said Rageh, of the Sakinah Foundation said that the reason for the office sit-in was to force a meeting with Toronto Mayor John Tory after previous discussions with Councillor Michael Thompson failed to bring about any concrete action.
“He (Mayor Tory) previously refused to meet with us, but after the Muslims came out in protest he agreed to meet with us and we will reconvene for another meeting in 2 weeks with an update."
Sheikh Rageh believes the centre is being treated unfairly, a sentiment shared by many members of the community. He told Universal TV that obtaining the necessary zoning permits is “next to impossible” and purchasing a new building in land zoned for a residential area, where property prices are high, is not economically feasible leaving the mosque’s hands virtually tied.
Sakinah has said that the group already addressed the safety issues that initiated the closure and now want the city to rezone the property.
Mayor John Tory, who was forced to push back his schedule to meet with Sheikh Rageh said that he can’t “dictate what the resolutions will be” and that ultimately be up to the city council. He also said that the existing rules are in place for a reason.
"We have zoning laws for a reason. We have fire safety rules for a reason. And we have to make sure we go along and comply with those," he said."