Laid to Rest: Canada’s First Muslim Cemetary and the Archives

A talk with Waleed Kadry, in conversation with the Muslims in Canada Archives (MiCA).

Thursday, October 22, 2026 | 6:30 -8:30 pm 
SFU Harbour Centre, [Room TBD] 
515 West Hastings Street, Vancouver 

Presented as part of Islamic History Month, join us for an evening with researcher and educator Waleed Kadry. Kadry will share his findings detailing how early Muslims organized to build the infrastructure of everyday life – including Canada’s first documented Muslim cemetery. Alongside emerging archivist Alia Hijaab, this moderated discussion will also explore the role of archives in constructing and interpreting Muslim histories of Canada..  

Light refreshments will be served.  

Presented by the Muslims in Canada Archives BC, a project supported by the Centre for Comparative Muslim Studies at Simon Fraser University. 

To learn more about the Muslims in Canada Archives (MiCA), please visit muslimsincanadaarchives.ca  

Historian and educator, Waleed Kadray, has been conducting historical research on the Bible Hill Muslim Cemetery, established in Nova Scotia in 1939. His research involves scouring archives, newspapers, and interviewing community members. 

Alia Hijaab is Outreach Coordinator at the Muslims in Canada Archives BC, a participatory archive dedicated to preserving, documenting and sharing Muslim life across Canada. Alia is in her final year in the dual MAS/MLIS program at the University of British Columbia. Her research sits at the intersections of decolonial archival practice, archiving with diasporic communities, and land-based/place-anchored memory, with a particular focus on Arab and Muslim communities. At MiCA, Alia is working to expand BC collections.