From Fiji to British Columbia, an interview by MiCA BC

Oromyia Ali is outreach coordinator at MiCA BC. In this guest blogpost, she reflects on her latest interview with Mr. Yakub and Mrs. Shah, Fijian Muslim Canadians living in British Columbia.

In December, I interviewed Mohammed Yakub and his daughter, Farisha Shah, to learn more about their lives as Fijian Muslims living in Canada. I have known Mr. Yakub and Mrs. Shah for many years but only recently began questioning their experiences as first-generation Muslim Canadians. The experience was eye-opening and deeply enriching. 

Mr. Yakub immigrated to Canada from Fiji in 1971 at the age of 21, describing himself as drawn by the opportunity to explore life beyond his small home country. Arriving in British Columbia, he initially felt lonely as one of the few Muslims in the area, but he soon began adapting to this new life. Over time, he was able to sponsor his wife to join him and together they began raising their family in Canada. Despite challenges like fasting and praying during his working hours at a coal mine in Sparwood, BC, Mr. Yakub remained committed to his faith. His most active involvement in the Muslim community began in 1974 when he moved from Sparwood to Vancouver. Mr. Yakub joined the BC Muslim Association and has since contributed significantly to building and supporting mosques in the region, including his current work at Masjid Abu Bakr in Surrey. 

Mrs. Shah, Mr. Yakub’s daughter, was born in Vancouver in the 1980s. Growing up as a visible minority in Canada, she often faced challenges such as racism and felt there was a lack of understanding about her faith. Moving between schools in Vancouver, Burnaby, and Surrey, she also struggled to fit in. Over time, as the Muslim community in Canada grew, Mrs. Shah embraced her Fijian Muslim identity and found opportunities to express her faith more openly.

What stood out to me in the interviews was the contrast between Mr. Yakub and Mrs. Shah’s experiences. Mr. Yakub’s early years in Canada were marked by the challenges of being one of the few Muslims in British Columbia, while Mrs. Shah’s journey involved navigating her identity as a Muslim Canadian in a multicultural yet still oftentimes unwelcoming society. For both Mr. Yakub and Mrs. Shah, community was deeply important to their daily lives.  In addition to their stories, the interviews also revealed fascinating details about the materials they collected. Mrs. Shah was diligent in keeping old report cards, photographs, and even cassettes recorded during her childhood. These cassettes were a way for their family in Canada to communicate with relatives in Fiji, exchanging recorded messages about their lives and updates. Listening to these recordings offered a heartfelt glimpse into their family’s history and the challenges of maintaining connection across continents before the internet. The materials also serve as a tangible link to their past and a reminder of the resilience it took to build their lives in a new country.  

From Mr. Yakub’s early efforts to establish community to Mrs. Shah’s reflections on shifts that happened in her lifetime, their experiences highlight changing dynamics and growth of Muslim communities in Canada. They also shed light on their legacy and the important community work that will continue to serve future generations. 

Oromyia Ali is a 4th-year student Simon Fraser University and an outreach coordinator at MiCA BC. If you have materials relating to Muslim life in British Columbia, we invite you to submit an Expression of Interest form or get in touch!