脡cole Allain St-Cyr is more than a school for some on Fridays during part of March and April. By 1:30 p.m., it starts to function as a place of worship.

A steady influx of Yellowknife鈥檚 Muslim community began making their way through the front doors of the school. They smiled, greeted each other and slipped off boots and shoes alike. Their socks muffled their footsteps as each of them scurried into the gymnasium for prayer.

By 2 p.m., about half of the school鈥檚 gymnasium was packed. It鈥檚 a weekly routine for this community, as they once again build their way up to the end of Ramadan. Today, they鈥檒l have finished Ramadan and will begin celebrating Eid. But for many, this year鈥檚 holiday will feel very different.

鈥淥ur hearts are aching. We have pain,鈥� said Nazim Awan, talking about the ongoing war in Gaza.

The numbers aren鈥檛 exact, but they are high. As of February of this year, more than 33,000 people have been killed, according to Gaza鈥檚 health ministry.

On Friday, Awan also mentioned Gaza鈥檚 death toll and highlighted that much of that total figure is women and children.

鈥淔or this Eid, we cannot ignore that,鈥� he said.

Awan said he has been a part of Yellowknife鈥檚 Muslim community for decades; he said when he arrived, he was 鈥渙nly maybe the second Pakistani in Yellowknife.鈥�

Yellowknife鈥檚 Muslim community has had quite the spike since and for Awan, it鈥檚 helped him feel more at home.

鈥淚t feels good, you have more of a sense of belonging,鈥� he said. 鈥淥ne person, you do whatever you can. But two people, you can move mountains.鈥�

Awan said the Muslim community here is about 600 strong and as diverse as the city鈥檚 entire population. It鈥檚 also largely filled with youth.

鈥淓very Friday prayer, we see almost 90 per cent new faces, so that feels good,鈥� said Awan.

If anyone鈥檚 accustomed to seeing new faces, it鈥檚 Habib Hassan, who led Friday鈥檚 prayer and works for the Islamic Centre of Yellowknife.

When prayer ended, Hassan stopped to shake everyone鈥檚 hand before saying goodbye. After, he spoke about what his community has done for the Palestinian plight as well.

鈥淥ne is our prayers to them,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e held rallies about (a) ceasefire. We want the innocent people to stop dying.鈥�

Hassan added that as Muslims, they have an obligation to care and contribute for Palestinians in whatever way they can.

鈥淭hey also celebrate Eid,鈥� he said, talking about how the community has donated to local charities to support Muslims in the Middle East for Eid expenses.

鈥淲e go on different sites, different organizations and donate there,鈥� Hassan added. 鈥淲e need to give them that care.鈥�

Nearly 98 per centofallPalestinians are Muslim, according to the Palestine Children鈥檚 Relief Fund.

As for Yellowknife鈥檚 own Muslim community, there鈥檚 still much to look forward to, especially with a new Islamic centre on the horizon.

Awan said the building not just for his community, but all of Yellowknife.

鈥淓verybody who wants to know about Islam, they鈥檙e welcome. And if they need help, they鈥檙e welcome. The Islamic centre will be maintained by us, but we do not own that. It belongs to everybody.鈥�

Clarification: A previous version of this article suggested that 脡cole Allain St-Cyr functions as a regular place of worship for the Muslim community. According to the school, the Muslim community only prayed at the facility over the past month. Yellowknifer apologizes for any embarrassment or confusion that this may have caused.