The Prince George Muslim Centre is a place of religious worship and a gathering point of diverse cultures to serve the needs of the Muslim community.
It is also a beacon helping the city attract medical doctors and other skilled professionals.
Dr. Firas Mansour, an internal medicine specialist at UHNBC, made the move to Prince George from Quesnel in 2006 when he learned of plans to build the mosque, which opened two weeks ago.
"I was looking at a mid-sized city with good medical facilities and I had a good relationship with the physicians here and a lot of friends as well, but you also have to take into account the family, your kids and their future," said Mansour.
"I knew in 2006 the Muslim community had the land and was working on the centre in the next few years and that would be a major plus in keeping me here. A centre adds another incentive for Muslims to move to Prince George. It doesn't matter how close they are to religion or not, it's something they feel they must have at least for the future of the family. Having a centre does give you a sense that this community is established and welcome, and support is in place."
At least 18 of the nearly 400 members of the Muslim Centre are medical doctors. Dr. Mostafa Mohamed, president of the Prince George chapter of the British Columbia Muslim Association (BCMA), knows of three other specialists of the Muslim faith expected to come to UHNBC in the next year.
"A few members of our community are medical doctors and a few of them accepted their offers knowing that a mosque was being built," said Mohamed.
"It does help them to settle in Prince George and move in because they are looking for something to support their kids and families.
"Definitely, the centre will help our city to retain those highly-qualified personnel."
Based on his own experience, Mohamed knows what can happen in the absence of a mosque. Eight years ago, when he was a UNBC physics professor, he was part of a hiring committee to recruit three computer science instructors.
"Two of them were Muslims and we offered them the contract and they refused to come to Prince George because we didn't have a [Muslim] centre," said Mohamed.
"It was very tough to find qualified professors at that time and the job market was really hot. They had kids and a family and they ended up going to a city that had a centre."
Originally from Egypt, Mohamed taught physics at UNBC for 15 years, from the day UNBC opened in 1994 until he left to establish his own business 2 1/2 years ago.
"When we came to Prince George we were looking for a place to practice our religion and we started by using classrooms at UNBC and CNC, and rented a room in a motel and for almost 10 years we rented a room at Knox United Church.
"Finally, we have our own place now."
The $2 million, 7,000 square-foot mosque is located at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Foothills Boulevard.
The mosque is open for five prayer periods daily.
