Born Hilwie Taha Jomha on August 10, 1905, in Lala, a small village in the Beqaa Valley (now in Lebanon). Her family was the most respected in the village, they were a culturally mixed with members of the Sunni & Shi'a sects of Islam and minority religions. Most of the villagers were merchants and farmers. Her family was well-acquainted with the Hamdon family; her future husband, Ali Hamdon, emigrated to Canada in the 1900's and working with family and friends from the Beqaa Valley, establishing himself as a fur trader in Fort Chipewyan, Alberta. After he'd made a home there, he returned to Lala to marry Hilwie. The couple moved to Canada in 1923.
In Alberta, Hilwie befriended a Jewish family, likely due to similar dietary restrictions and shared educational issues for their children. Community outreach would soon become on of the cornerstones to her legacy. Hilwie and Ali moved to Edmonton in 1933, to better educate their 6 children 4 daughters, Evelyn, Lavida, Helen and 2 sons, Moneer and Lewis. In Edmonton, Hilwie became more active as a community leader, she is particularly well-remembered for advocating for the construction of a mosque; up until that time prayers had been held in individual homes. But as they couldn't gather as a community, their activities were very restricted.
Hilwie was further known for gathering members of the Islamic community together for Ramadan celebrations. She encouraged women in the Arab-speaking community to share their cooking and baked goods with the rest of the local community. They did this during Muslim holidays but also at other events put on by other religious groups in Edmonton, like Christmas. Hilwie also took part in boxed lunch socials and other cultural events, just like they did "back home". At the time, Arab businessman were having increased success in the city, steadily increasing their role in the social structure of early 20th century Edmonton. By the early 1930's there were a dozen prominent Lebanese Muslims living in the city, as well as several other related groups. It was at this time that the Muslim community began talks about building a mosque.
Hilwie and some other Muslim women, approached Mayor John Wesley Fry. They wanted to buy land, that was owned by the city in order to construct a mosque. The city wanted $5000 for the land but the community couldn't afford this price and they didn't have a centralized organization to make such a large purchase. To remedy this, the Arab Muslim Association was created, which established a formal body to back the mosque's construction. Hilwie's role in particular was crucial to the founding of the association, as she mobilized the community, to help garner support for the construction of a mosque. She also went door-to-door on Jasper Avenue, where the mosque was going to be located, with the intent of convincing business owners to lend their support to the project. After Hilwie's initial fundraising had dissipated, Arab businessman got in touch with their colleagues in other parts of Western Canada to gather enough funds to finish the mosque.
The Al-Rashid mosque finally opened in 1938, to much excitement. Hilwie and several other women prepared a meal in the basement, as people from all over the city poured in to enjoy the momentous occasion. After the mosque opened, Hilwie continued promoting other activities there: community dinners, Eid celebrations, boxed lunches & picnic sales. She wanted to create an environment where young Muslims could socialize, learn Arabic, dancing and Islam. The Al-Rashid mosque became a popular social gathering place for Muslims and other southwest Asians alike. But she also wanted to use it as a platform for the entire city to get to know their Muslim neighbours. Through her drive to elevate her community, Hilwie also changed perspectives on Muslim women, when they were mostly viewed as docile and subserviant to men.
Hilwie Hamdon died on December 14, 1988, in Edmonton. She was an inspiration to generations of Muslim women including noted education advocates, Lila Fahlman and Soraya Hafez. She also laid the foundation for a truly multicultural community, long before she received recognition by the wider Canadian community. By the 1960's the Muslim community in Edmonton had outgrown the original mosque and new land was bought in the north of the city to build a new larger mosque. The new mosque was opened in 1982 and the old one sat abandoned. The city was encouraging the Muslim community to demolish the mosque, Hilwie and her female supporters took up the cause once again and raised funds to move the mosque. After some time, approval was finally given for the mosque to be moved to a new site at Fort Edmonton Park, where many of the city's historical buildings are now located. In 2017, Hilwie had a new elementary/jr. high in Edmonton named after her.
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/hilwie-hamdon
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