Toronto and Region Islamic Congregation
Encyclopedia
Toronto and Region Islamic Congregation, commonly referred to by its acronym as TARIC Islamic Center is one of the largest and oldest Islamic Centers in the city of Toronto
, Canada
. With its distinct box-shaped oriental motif, TARIC makes a rather unusual and highly visible landmark in the city of Toronto, primarily due to its location on a vacant space near the very busy multi-level Hwy 401/Hwy 400 interchange
.
, weekend classes on Arabic and the basics of the Islamic religion are taught, as well as dawah
programs and dialogue with local community and neighbourhood organizations.
TARIC's goal is to bring the simple, honest message of Islam to Muslims and non-Muslims alike. This means stressing the importance of the five pillars of Islam encouraging Muslims to read the Qur'an, and to constantly practice zikkir (the remembrance of Allah).
A large number of programmes are carried out at the Centre. Some of these include, Adult Tarbiya class on Sundays, Arabic language classes, A marriage introduction service, Marriage and family counseling, Conducting marriages and funerals, An Islamic bookstore, Interfaith dialogue, Dawa programmes for non Muslims, Mosque visits, Political and social awareness programmes, Seminars on Islamic and secular subjects, Family nights, Summer camps, Weekly youth activities, and other Women’s programmes as well.
At one time, TARIC had also established a full-time Islamic school from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 8 in a building leased from the Toronto District School Board
. This was however discontinued in 2003.
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. With its distinct box-shaped oriental motif, TARIC makes a rather unusual and highly visible landmark in the city of Toronto, primarily due to its location on a vacant space near the very busy multi-level Hwy 401/Hwy 400 interchange
Interchange (road)
In the field of road transport, an interchange is a road junction that typically uses grade separation, and one or more ramps, to permit traffic on at least one highway to pass through the junction without directly crossing any other traffic stream. It differs from a standard intersection, at which...
.
History and Organization
Building of TARIC was originally conceived after securing a grant from the The World Islamic Call Society, following which purchase of 2.2 acres (8,903.1 m²) of land was completed in 1977. However, it was to take well over a decade to accumulate the necessary additional funds for the construction of a building. The current building structure was completed and opened to public in 1991, and is in fact only the first of a two-phase complex of a much larger building. The TARIC building houses a library, a gymnasium and the main prayer hall. With a full-time imamImam
An imam is an Islamic leadership position, often the worship leader of a mosque and the Muslim community. Similar to spiritual leaders, the imam is the one who leads Islamic worship services. More often, the community turns to the mosque imam if they have a religious question...
, weekend classes on Arabic and the basics of the Islamic religion are taught, as well as dawah
Dawah
Da‘wah or Dawah usually denotes the preaching of Islam. Da‘wah literally means "issuing a summons" or "making an invitation", being the active participle of a verb meaning variously "to summon" or "to invite"...
programs and dialogue with local community and neighbourhood organizations.
TARIC's goal is to bring the simple, honest message of Islam to Muslims and non-Muslims alike. This means stressing the importance of the five pillars of Islam encouraging Muslims to read the Qur'an, and to constantly practice zikkir (the remembrance of Allah).
Activities
The issue of Gulf Weekly of 25–31 May 1995 said "..The TARIC Islamic Centre, probably the most vibrant and effective in reaching out to non-Muslims is, perhaps the premier Muslim outfit in Metropolitan Toronto."A large number of programmes are carried out at the Centre. Some of these include, Adult Tarbiya class on Sundays, Arabic language classes, A marriage introduction service, Marriage and family counseling, Conducting marriages and funerals, An Islamic bookstore, Interfaith dialogue, Dawa programmes for non Muslims, Mosque visits, Political and social awareness programmes, Seminars on Islamic and secular subjects, Family nights, Summer camps, Weekly youth activities, and other Women’s programmes as well.
At one time, TARIC had also established a full-time Islamic school from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 8 in a building leased from the Toronto District School Board
Toronto District School Board
Toronto District School Board, also known by the acronym TDSB, is the English-language public school board for Toronto, Ontario, Canada...
. This was however discontinued in 2003.