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The Manitoba Islamic Association Institute of Knowledge and Community Centre will soon welcome students and community members in a building that once housed the Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology.
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Manitoba'A blessing from Allah': Manitoba Islamic Association set to open new education centreThe Manitoba Islamic Association Institute of Knowledge and Community Centre will soon welcome students and community members in a building that once housed the Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology.'It was a dream,' says principal of Institute of Knowledge and Community Centre
CBC News · Posted: Nov 14, 2026 6:00 PM EST | Last Updated: November 14
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Members of Winnipeg's Islamic community snipped a large red ribbon outside a new school in the south end of the city alongside young students and local politicians on Saturday.
The Manitoba Islamic Association Institute of Knowledge and Community Centre will soon welcome students and community members in a building that once housed the Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology at 67 Scurfield Blvd.
In late January, the post-secondary institution said it would be closing after a steep drop in international student enrolment.
Manitoba Education Minister Tracy Schmidt said Saturday's ribbon-cutting ceremony was a bittersweet moment that turned a "bad news story" into a "beautiful celebration."
"I'm thinking about all the families and the kids, the generations of kids who are going to have an education here," Schmidt said.
The Institute of Knowledge and Community Centre is located at 67 Scurfield Blvd, which previously housed the Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology. (Jeff Stapleton/CBC)
Delvinder Zamir said the building is "nothing short of a miracle and a tremendous blessing from Allah."
"This is more than a building. It is a place where our children will learn, grow, build friendships, strengthen their faith and create memories," Zamir said of the students who have been attending school at the Manitoba Islamic Association's mosque and community centre on Waverley Street.
Principal Moushira Issa says the community quickly rallied to raise more than $7 million in a short amount of time to make the new school and centre a reality.
"It was incredible, amazing. When we started that, it was unbelievable," Issa said.
Moushira Issa is the principal of the Manitoba Islamic Association's Institute of Knowledge. (Jeff Stapleton/CBC)
Issa says the school has approximately 80 students ranging from kindergarten to Grade 7, and they learn about the Arabic language as well as Islamic studies. She acknowledges that the additional space in the new building is needed due to continued growth.
"It was a dream. Still, I feel like it's a dream," Issa said about having the new space for the students.
The plan is for the students attending school inside the mosque and community centre to move into the new facility as soon as possible, something that it will happen during the current academic year.
Wail Kassem has two children that attend school at the Manitoba Islamic Association's mosque and community centre on Waverley Street. He's excited for them to move to the association's new Institute of Knowledge and Community Centre on Scurfield Boulevard. (Jeff Stapleton/CBC)
Two of Wail Kassem's children attend the school at its current location, but he says it's time for a change.
"The school is expanding now and it's the right time to move," Kassem said.
His son, Ayub, is happy that he'll get to learn in a new space.
"It's pretty big and I got lost," Ayub said of exploring the building.
Adam Thabec, 11, left, and Adam Abdelmagid, 12, are excited to be moving to the new location on Scurfield Boulevard in Winnipeg. (Jeff Stapleton/CBC)
Adam Abdelmagid, 12, can't wait to get started in the new space.
"I feel happy because the place we were in just before this was pretty small and I'm happy that we're going to have really big classrooms to ourselves," Abdelmagid said.
His message to the elders who helped steer this project into a reality was simple: "Thank you for giving us this opportunity."
With files from Gavin Axelrod and Lauren Scott
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