Hawzah News Agency-Stratford Mosque in Ontario is offering Arabic language classes for children and adults of all abilities.

“Everyone was asking for it, Muslim and non-Muslim,” said Imam, Omar Alshehri.

Because five Syrian refugee families were coming to Stratford, the mosque received enquiries from residents who wanted to learn some Arabic before they came, he said.

Prospective students will be split into classes based on their level of experience with Arabic.

Arabic is an ancient Semitic language that dates back thousands of years.

“Arabic is a beautiful language. The way it's structured it's very poetic,” Alshehri said.

For those with zero knowledge of Arabic, Alshehri wants to make sure they feel welcome. He noted many immigrants went through the process of learning a new language.

“There's no shame in learning,” he said.

Jessica Manuel is a recent convert to Islam. She knows some phrases but she can't read or write Arabic. She's attending the classes so that she will be able to read the Qur'an in its original language.

“I'm not intimidated. I always want to learn,” she said.

The classes will be held on Saturday mornings. The first month is free and after that there's a fee.

Alshehri is hopeful local schools will encourage their students to attend the mosque and learn Arabic.

Area Muslims have been worshipping at the Woods St. mosque since 2014. A fundraising campaign to buy the former New Apostolic Church began in September 2015. That campaign reached a successful conclusion this summer.

Alshehri hopes more people come to the sermons and that he will get invitations from schools and community groups to lecture on Islam. He would like to see more collaboration between the mosque and the community.

“Up to now the Stratford community has embraced us and we have embraced them back. The story of the mosque is a truly genuine Canadian story,” Alshehri said.