From the Archives: Marking Lebanese Heritage Month

The Lebanese diaspora in Canada has been shaped by many waves of migration, for the most part beginning in the late 19th century and continuing on to the present. Records and materials at MiCA tell multiple stories of Lebanese communities in Canada: stories of settlement, of struggle, and of preserved cultural heritage. In many instances, these experiences also reveal sustained diasporic connections. From this lens, the Canadian experience can be understood as intertwined with the dreams of immigrants, refugees & exiles both participating in Canadian civil society and responding to conflict and other happenings ‘back home’.

Early settlement
In May 1938, a permit was issued for the construction of the Al Rashid Mosque in Edmonton, now commonly known as Canada’s first masjid. But Al Rashid was not the first place in Edmonton that Muslims congregated — rather, it's the result of community building that was already taking shape among Muslims in the area, including a largely Lebanese & Arab community.

In "Muslims in Canada: A Century of Achievement", a 1999 publication, many journeys from Lebanon to Canada are chronicled. For example, the story of Bedouin Ferran (also known as Peter Baker) documents a journey marked by frequent stops, changes, as well as experiences with immigration detention. Beginning on horseback, Ferran travelled from his small village to the city of Sidon where he then took a horse drawn carriage to Beirut. In Beirut, Ferran boarded a steamship to Marseille and soon made his way to Liverpool. After living in Liverpool for two years, Ferran left for Halifax. In Halifax, Ferran was detained at an immigration hospital for “abour a week” until he passed a medical examination. After a few months, Ferran left for Maine and then continued moving around the US, living in Boston and South Bend. Having learned about the growing community in Edmonton, which included Lebanese friends of Ferran, he decided to make his way to Edmonton. Later, Ferran would move to the Northwest Territories and, under the name Peter Baker, be elected as a member of the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly.

Other excerpts from the archives document relationships that Lebanese immigrants were forging with each other and with other communities in Canada across faith and cultures.

Across the country Many of the materials in our collection from the 80s discuss war and, more specifically, Canadian Muslim responses to war in Lebanon. In the 1982 edition of Islam Canada, a newsletter published by the Council of Music Communities of Canada (CMCC), the feature article takes focus on “condemning Israeli invasion of Lebanon” and the targeting of Lebanese and Palestinian civilians as well as “civilian targets such as hospitals and schools”. Some writings mirror more recent writings of Muslim Canadian individuals and organizations, expressing solidarity and humanitarian care for the people of Palestine and Lebanon. CMCC also published a statement in support of Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau’s stand on the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, namely the “call of our House of Commons for a cease fire and withdrawal of Israeli troops.” The records and materials at MiCA suggest that, for many Lebanese Canadians, migration was not a rupture of Lebanese identity but rather a new and continued relationship to Lebanon, from Canada. As we celebrate Lebanese Heritage Month, we invite you to consider the archives as a repository for rich stories of diasporic exchange.