Muslim community growing in Whitehorse

When Muhammad Javed arrived in Whitehorse in 2001, there were just two Muslim families.

"We felt very alone at that time, says the organizer of the Yukon Muslim Society.

Today there are about sixty Muslims in the Yukon capital.

When more families started coming, we were feeling like we are a community, Javed says.

The Muslim Society began meeting in a local church.

Two years ago, many local Muslimsbegan meeting for daily prayers in a former office space on Strickland Street.

"And the more community we get, we can probably afford a mosque of our own in the near future, Javed says.

Javed says a new mosque is still likely several years away.

He also says that Muslims do enjoy the holidays, even if theyre not celebrating Christmas.

"We participate in our friends' and in our community's holiday season, he says. We just don't do the traditional gift exchange and we don't have Christmas trees in our houses, but other than that, we do go to dinners and lunch... we like the treats, we like the parties, so we are kind of in the middle of the holiday season as well."