Literary Nonfiction. This book gives us a detailed look at the Muslim presence in Canada, starting with the pioneer settlers from Syria/Lebanon and the Balkans in the early twentieth century and moving on to the more modern mid-century arrivals from South Asia and Africa. Told in their own words, the stories collected here give us a rare insight into the lives and struggles of these pioneer Muslims. Gangs of Punjabi men in the timber mills of British Columbia; Lebanese Arabs on foot or with horse carts peddling wares along the rural highways of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba; men venturing north on dog sleighs to trade for fur with the Natives; young women arriving to start families and soon to become matriarchs; peddlers and shopkeepers serving small provincial towns and big cities; finally, students and professionals arriving in the postwar urban centres. Wherever they went, they bore the brunt of xenophobia and acknowledged kindnesses. Adapting to their new country, they sought out fellow worshippers and set up small centres and mosques. A Muslim identity was retained but diversified.
