Hawzah News Agency (Calgary, Canada) - Muhammad Abbas, outreach director at the association, says it’s become a tradition for younger members of the center for about five years now.

“They shovel snow in the neighborhood,” Abbas said.

“They share the best wishes of the season with our neighbors.”

He said about 100 members were out this year.

“We want to make a positive contribution to our community.”

It’s been a tough year for the association. It’s was targeted twice in October by vandals who smashed windows.

Another Calgary Islamic center was left to deal with broken windows, a burnt Qur’an and hateful letter weeks earlier.

There’s been a string of anti-Muslim actions across the province in recent months.

 A Christian resident of the neighborhood said, “Thank you for showing me the real purpose of this time of year, which doesn’t belong to any religion,” she said.

“It’s time to express love, concern and interest for each other.”

End.