A Masjid is a House of Allah, a place that is to be respected and revered, a place of worship, a place of learning, a place to build community, a place to teach our children the deen of Islam, a place for one united Muslim family to gather irrespective of color, creed, nationality or gender. Therefore, there is no reason why Waterloo Masjid has only 76 members in a community of 10,000 Muslims. There is no reason for our Masjid to be controlled by a select group of people who have the power to decide who is a good enough Muslim to become a member and who is not. The discriminatory practice of screening Muslims has to stop. Our Masjid should be a face of the Muslim community, a place that is welcoming to all, a place that everyone feels attached to and wants to be part of, a place where the community has a role in the decision making process in a democratic way, a place where our leaders reflect the wishes of the community at large, a place where everyone has a voice, a place where our leaders have a vision for our youth and children, a place where all-men, women, born Muslims and reverts to Islam, youth and children- are treated with equity, respect, dignity and honor. We therefore request the Imam, the Masjid Board, Masjid Directors to open the Masjid membership to every Muslim, rich or poor, man or woman and use the collective wisdom, experience, talent and resources of the community to enrich the Waterloo Muslim community. The current discriminatory practices and closed door policies must come to an end. If you support our efforts to make Waterloo Masjid a House of Allah in the true Islamic spirit of fairness, equity and justice, please consider signing this petition and also becoming an active member of the community by filling out a membership form on the Masjid link provided. JazakAllahkhairan.