September 26, 2010
EVEN THE RIGHT PROBABLY THINKS THAT'S OUTSIDE THE CONE OF MUSLIM SILENCE:
Little mosque on the tundra (Nicki Thomas, 9/24/10, Toronto Star)
The 1500-square foot building left Winnipeg by semi-trailer September 1. On secondary highways and back roads, the mosque made its way across the prairies. But restrictions on holiday travel kept the wide load stalled in Edmonton over the Labour Day weekend.Posted by Orrin Judd at September 26, 2010 7:28 AMThen, across the border into the Northwest Territories, the bridge across Reindeer Creek proved too narrow for the semi-trailer. The driver removed the back wheels and a second truck was brought in to balance the back of the flatbed as the mosque was pulled precariously across the bridge.
By then they were running out of time. The last barge from Hay River to Inuvik was supposed to leave September 30. With the Mackenzie River receding after a summer of little rain, the date was pushed up to September 10.
Guisti successfully pleaded with the shipping company to hold the barge for two days. Bad weather kept them for another four.
Now the mosque is on a plot of land on the edge of town. It’s expected to be ready for worshippers by the end of October.
“They are elated. They’re excited,” said Guisti. “They feel a sense of pride that history is being made here.”
Guisti calls it the world’s northernmost mosque, though towns in Norway and Siberia make the same claim. He also said it was the longest journey of a building over land.