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Mosque’s epic journey across Canada

The extraordinary journey in 2009 of a mosque which was built in Winnipeg, then transported 4,000km across Canada to Inuvik in the Arctic Circle.

In 2009, Inuvik’s Muslim community needed a mosque, but building one in such a remote location was proving too expensive.

Instead, an ambitious plan was born: to build it in the city of Winnipeg and then move it - 4,000km across Canada.

Megan Lawton speaks to Hussain Guisti, the man behind this extraordinary journey, about the challenges, near disasters, and determination that made it a reality. Produced by Sam Gruet.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic’ and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy’s Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they’ve had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America’s occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.

(Photo: Mosque on the move. Credit: Snow Angel Films)

Release date:

9 minutes

On radio

Thursday 08:50GMT

Broadcasts

  • Thursday 08:50GMT
  • Thursday 12:50GMT
  • Thursday 18:50GMT
  • Thursday 23:50GMT
  • Friday 03:50GMT

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