Funeral set for ‘pioneer’ who helped build London’s Muslim community

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When Hanny Shousher arrived in London in 1949 as a 19-year-old from Lebanon, he spoke no English and there were two other Muslim families in the city.

When he died at 94 on Saturday, he left behind two mosques and an Islamic association he helped build, and a community in the region of about 35,000 that owes much to him and his generation.

“Hanny was the spark. He would always be encouraging: ‘We can do this. We can get this done,’” longtime family friend Adeeb Hassan recalled. “We lost one of the original pioneers of our community.”

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Shousher was a mentor and father figure to many, said Ali D. Chahbar, a close family friend.

“He was loved by all. There wasn’t a bad word that could be said about him. He was the epitome of positivity and pride in his native country Lebanon and Canada.”

The first couple of Muslim families in London arrived before the Second World War, but racist immigration policies prevented more arrivals until post-war.

In the early 1950s, a couple of dozen young men from their late teens to early 20s, largely related, arrived in London thanks to the efforts of their parents and other relatives, Hanny Hassan, himself 83, recalled.

One of those men was his uncle and namesake, Hanny Shousher.

Ten years younger, he spent a lot of time with his uncle and those slightly later arrivals because they needed a translator in those early years, Hanny Hassan recalled.

The young men were full of dreams and drive.

“They prevailed on elders to form an Islamic association (the Canadian Moslem Benevolent Society) in 1952,” he said.

His uncle “was the sparkplug for the group of young men who really pushed for the London Muslim Mosque and worked with the Islamic society to raise the funds,” he said.

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Founded in 1957, London’s mosque was the first in Ontario and second in Canada. The mosque and the strong community drew more Muslims to the city.

Shousher initially worked as a labourer, at McCormick’s spice, Kelvinator and GM Diesel, then later moved into sales and real estate as well as dabbling in some of his own businesses.

His experience in real estate helped when a group of people at the London Mosque wanted to take a different approach to their faith and build a separate place of worship.

A former GM Diesel training facility was for sale, for more than $1 million, Hassan said.

It languished on the market and the price dropped to about $600,000. Shousher talked the company into selling it for $300,000, Hassan recalled.

But no one had that kind of money.

“So my uncle organized with 10 people in the group to lend $30,000 to this fledgling organization to buy the place and renovate it” Hassan said. “Hanny was not only instrumental in being the sparkplug for that idea, but also for putting the deal together.”

That was the creation of the Islamic Centre of Southwest Ontario.

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Shousher helped people quietly, behind the scenes as well.

Chahbar’s father died in 1981, leaving his mom a widow with five children from five to 12 years old, he said.

Every day in winter, their driveway was mysteriously shovelled so she could get her children to school. Only years later by some coincidence did his mother learn it was Shousher doing the shovelling.

“My dad died 43 years ago, and I saw Hanny a few months ago, and this has been consistent for 43 years, Hanny would see us and his eyes would well up. He’s one of a kind,” Chahbar said.

The generation of Shousher and his father worked hard to make the city and the country better, Abeed Hassan said.

“They wanted both our community and this country to be strong and safe. They loved their community and they loved their religion and they loved this country,” he said.

Shousher took so much pride in the accomplishments of the community, he wrote a book called Now and Then, An Historical Overview of the Muslim and Arab Communities of London, Ontario.

That was just another example of Shousher giving to the city, Chahbar said. “He’s left an indelible mark on anyone who ever came in contact with him and witnessed his compassionate and radiating smile and spirit.”

The funeral service for Hanny Hussein Shousher is set for 12:30 p.m. July 1 at the Islamic Centre of Southwest Ontario on Pond Mills Road, with burial to follow at the Islamic Cemetery on White Oak Road.

Shousher leaves behind his wife, four children and many other family members and friends.

rrichmond@postmedia.com

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