Saskatoon Muslims begin crowdfunding for new mosque

A social media campaign has been launched to raise money for a new mosque in Saskatoon.

It is currently Ramadan and people of faith in the city's Muslim community are gathering inside a soccer centre for prayers.

It's a big enough building but the community is considering building a new mosque.

During prayers on Friday, a local imam said the mosque could be realized if 5,000 people donated $500 each, for a total of $2.5 million.

Mahja Yaqoob took to the internet to start a campaign.

"We're so addicted to social media and it's just the easiest way to grab the attention of young adults," Yaqoob said Tuesday. So far, the effort has generated almost $900 in a modest crowdfunding campaign.

"For myself, I started small because first I just wanted to get friends and family involved, and I put a goal there of $3,000," Yaqoob said.

It has been estimated that the current number of Muslims in Saskatoon is around 8,000 to 10,000.

"On Friday prayers, we reach capacity, and we have to have a second prayer just to allow people to make it in," Omair Jamil, from the Islamic Association of Saskatchewan, noted. 

The first step would be buying the land for a new mosque. That alone is expected to cost $2.5 million.