The room at the Manitoba Islamic Association Grand Mosque at 2445 Waverley Street in Winnipeg was warm and inviting. The large conference table in the middle of the space was flanked by tall bookshelves, filled with literature. On one side of the room windows allowed the afternoon’s rays to shine through. The books themselves varied in size and shape but were organized neatly without being impeccably so, giving the impression that they were often handled, referenced and enjoyed.
It was here where we met Ismael Mukhtar, CPA, CGA, who walked into the room with a little bit of assistance from his son, whom Mukhtar quickly pointed out might be a future CPA. In his hands was his new book: Manitoba Muslims - a History of Resilience and Growth.
“The book is about the history and the social evolution of the Muslim community in Manitoba,” explains Mukhtar. “It talks about the first mosque in the province, which was built in 1976 and goes as far back as when the first Muslims immigrated to the province in the early 1900s. It captures the story of how the community evolved from a couple hundred people to now over 20,000.”
To fully appreciate the book – which is the first known attempt to formally record the Muslim community’s history in Manitoba – one needs to understand Mukhtar’s life journey. That story starts in Asmara, the capital city of Eritrea, a country located in East Africa.
“Asmara has a population similar to Winnipeg but with nice weather. Really nice weather,” says Mukhtar with a laugh. “I had never considered moving anywhere but when I was in my late teens, war came to my community and it was no longer safe.”
Leaving behind his warm home, Mukhtar concluded that he would have to flee in order to ensure his safety. With only some clothing and small sentimental possessions that he could carry, he began what he knew would be a dangerous journey.
“I had to secretly leave the country through the desert, which was roughly a two-week trek by foot and sometimes camel. I knew it was risky, but I also knew that I couldn’t stay where I was,” recalled Mukhtar. “All these years later I still think back to that experience and realize that everything afterwards was a piece of cake.”
From the desert in Eritrea, he successfully crossed the land border into Sudan where he waited for a resolution to the war or an opportunity abroad. “Eventually I was granted refugee status and came to Canada by myself in 1986.” By mostly chance, he was placed in Winnipeg by a Canadian immigration officer although he was aware of a few people from his home community that were already in Manitoba’s capital. One of his first goals upon arriving was to obtain a university degree.
“I enrolled at the University of Manitoba and at the time wasn’t considering accounting at all. Growing up I was always interested in history and sociology. As a boy I wanted to be a professor, but by this time I was already 28 and realized a PhD would take too long. I got some great advice from a counselor at the university who told me to consider a career in accounting,” he said.
Even though the job market was tough in 1992, Mukhtar found an entry-level job at what is now IG Wealth Management. “At the time Canada was in a recession and it wasn’t as easy for people to find a job. For someone like me, who, especially at that time, was different than many other job seekers and spoke with an accent, I felt fortunate that they gave me an opportunity.”
For the next 11 years Mukhtar would work his way up in the company through hard work and a desire to learn. By 2003 he was employed at Canada Life where he remains today as an Assistant Manager working in the area of Investment Operations. “We do all kinds of things like daily fund valuations, quarterly, semi-annually and annual reporting, as well as compliance. We have a lot of new undertakings and there really is an opportunity to try new things and be creative, which is something I’ve always enjoyed.”
Although Mukhtar has faced many challenges, it is easily apparent from sitting with him for just a few moments that his joy and passion for the world has not diminished. Not only that, but his book project allowed him to reconnect with his love of history.
“My father was an historian back home in Eritrea and he had an avid interest in books and stories of the past. So, from a young age I shared that passion with him. I am also avid reader -- that’s my hobby -- ever since I was young,” he explained.
It took the full-time accountant and family man approximately two years to research and write the book, which is 301 pages cover-to-cover and features full colour photography. The work draws from hundreds of sources fully cited in the five-page bibliography. “The book was challenging to research at times because source material was not in any one place,” Mukhtar said. “I interviewed close to 50 people from all segments of our community. I spent many hours going through the archives of the Winnipeg Free Press, Winnipeg Tribune and Brandon Sun. A little bit of it is from my own experience as I’ve been here for 30 years now and have some first-hand understanding of the more recent history. More than anything, it was just a lot of hit and misses and learning as I went.”
Now reflecting on the completed book, Mukhtar was able to appreciate the work for a several reasons. “Number one, no one had done this before so there was a dire need to document it. As new generations come, old history can be forgotten. Our community has many elders who came to Manitoba in the 1950s and are now 80 and 90 years old. Their memories are fading so it was critical to record their knowledge before it is too late.”
Just as important to Mukhtar is the opportunity to help others, including non-Muslims, get a better understanding of his community. “Our province is very diverse. We come from all over the world and the more we get to know each other and recognize our shared values, the more tolerant and open we can be. One of the challenges our community is currently facing is Islamophobia. When we blindly follow our own cultural biases and judgements unquestioned, I think we do a lot of harm. One way to combat Islamophobia or any other form of hate is to get to know people. Talk to people and to try and understand people. Or, if that is too much at first, read a book about them.”
Public reception to the book both inside and outside the Muslim community has been strong, according to Mukhtar. “I have been interviewed by the Winnipeg Free Press, CBC and others. A little while ago I was also interviewed by the Archives Department at the University of Toronto. They are interested in archiving history and persevering it for the future. It was also nice that several politicians in our area purchased a book as well.”
Mukhtar also believes his CPA designation and background in the corporate world helped him to play a leading role in his community and motivated him to complete the book. “CPAs are decision makers, they lead organizations in the private sector and are often policy makers in the public sector. One of the strong pushes you see in today’s business world is inclusion and the idea that everyone should have equal opportunities,” Mukhtar began.
“I’m not pointing to anyone but in my 30-year career being Muslim, Black, having an accent and now a disability [Mukhtar suffered a health incident in 2019 which caused him to spend half a year in physical rehab], I’ve seen and experienced instances of stereotyping and subtle discrimination, which I hope to write about as part of a future book to come.”
Mukhtar believes CPAs are well positioned to take a lead role in activating areas of diversity, equity and inclusion. “In order to accomplish what we as leaders need to do, we must have a good understanding of the people we lead. We need to be aware of our own cultural biases and lead by example rather than just talk about inclusivity as an abstract idea.”
Manitoba Muslims: A History of Resilience and Growth is available to purchase directly from Friesen Press. It can also be found on Amazon.ca and in many online bookstores.