Opinion: A spot of sharing and solace for Montreal's Dawoodi Bohras

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On a quiet stretch of avenue in St-Laurent, a neighborhood centre comes alive in the course of the holy month of Ramadan, which is now drawing to a detailed. What is exclusive about this explicit centre is the neighborhood that gathers right here.

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The Dawoodi Bohras are a small neighborhood that comply with the Fatimi Ismaili Tayyibi faculty of thought. They’re a contemporary Muslim neighborhood unfold over 40 international locations. They’ve their very own distinct tradition, customs, costume and language. In Canada, they’re settled in Montreal, Toronto, Mississauga, Calgary and Vancouver amongst different cities. Their distinctive tradition means they’ve their very own mosques or markaz (neighborhood centres).

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The Montreal Bohra neighborhood consists of round 25 households and quite a few college students and younger professionals who hail from many international locations and have chosen Montreal to both settle as immigrants or research and work right here. The Bohras in Montreal mirror the diasporic and numerous nature of the neighborhood coming from international locations reminiscent of France, Madagascar, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Tanzania. They communicate totally different languages and dwell everywhere in the metropolis, from the West Island to Anjou, downtown and the South Shore.

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Though it’s their connection as Dawoodi Bohras that introduced them collectively, the relationships which have developed over time amongst long-term members, and the openness and help with which they welcome newcomers, run deeper than simply being from the identical neighborhood. After I arrived in Montreal 4 years in the past as a pupil with a household, these individuals whom I had by no means met earlier than not solely helped me in quite a few methods — from discovering a spot to dwell to creating positive I had meals once I had my youngster — but in addition grew to become our quasi-family.

Ramadan is without doubt one of the instances when this sense of neighborhood and household is clear. Like many different Muslims, Dawoodi Bohras collect at sundown to wish the night prayers and break their fasts collectively. The centre is supplied with a prayer corridor, and a eating space and kitchen within the basement. Attendees vary from 20 to over 50 adults and youngsters on any given night time, all of whom contribute in numerous methods to serve and clear up the iftar meals and the centre each day. Conversations round dinner are reflective of the range of the members the place the Bohra language, Lisan-ud-Dawat, is interspersed with snippets of French, English, Urdu and Gujarati.

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The iftar dinners are served on the centre all 30 nights with every household often taking up the duty for one dinner they prepare dinner themselves or have catered. Feeding others is without doubt one of the prime tenets of Islam that’s notably exemplified throughout this month. The iftar meals additionally mirror the range of the congregants as households will typically embody delicacies and meals that had been a part of their homeland delicacies such coconut-based curries from Sri Lanka, vegetable dishes from Madagascar or avenue meals reminiscent of Pav Bhaji from India. These are sometimes tailor-made to the native palate however are seamlessly woven into the menu alongside different Bohra dishes, echoing the best way the neighborhood members have shaped a household.

Within the latest ice storm the neighborhood centre and most members misplaced energy. One particular person generously opened their residence for prayers and everybody pitched in to contribute no matter they might for the iftar meals in addition to distribute to those that couldn’t come. Many opened their properties for others to remain, and other people knew they might depend on one another for no matter they wanted.

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Ramadan is a time when many Muslim college students and professionals really feel alone and remoted once they transfer from their communities to a different metropolis — however for the Montreal Bohra neighborhood, the familial environment on the centre is a solace the place they’ll come and share within the blessings of the month, and nobody is unwelcome.

Arwa Hussain is a 2022-’23 public scholar and PhD candidate within the division of faith and cultures at Concordia College.