By Muneeb Nasir
Canada’s largest Muslim convention concluded on a high note Sunday evening in Toronto with praise for the group of youths who organized the event.
“I congratulate you for the highest attended RIS (Reviving the Islamic Spirit Convention) in history,” Dr. Tareq Al-Suwaidan, a popular educator and TV personality in the Arab countries, told the delegates.
The event, which was started seven years ago by youths after 9/11, has grown to be the largest Muslim gathering in Canada and has the unique distinction of being run entirely by youth volunteers.
“Over 15,000 people attended and this number exceeded our expectations,” Nadir Shirazi, the event’s Press Secretary, told IQRA.
“There was a real sense of purpose and energy this year due to the high caliber of speakers and presentations,” Shirazi said.
The convention’s theme was “Answering the Call of God’s Messenger – Setting Prophetic Priorities for Muslims in the West.”
Distinguished Speakers The three day program was jammed packed with lectures by motivational speakers, Islamic scholars and thinkers. “Muslims must be a people of principle and conscience,” said Dr. Abdal Hakim Jackson. "The Prophetic priorities that urge peace and brotherhood, integrity and consideration for rights of others, and concern for creatures in time of ecological destruction – it is time for us to emphasize these," said American, Imam Zaid Shakir.
Dr. Abdal Hakim Jackson, the American Muslim scholar, urged the attendees to understand their role in history.
“When we live up to this we can become a moral force in the society.”
Dr. Tariq Ramadan, one of the most renowned Muslim scholars in the West, challenged the delegates to engage in critical thinking. He launched his new book, Radical Reform – Islamic Ethics and Liberation, during the convention and his book signings drew record crowds.
Amr Khaled, the charismatic speaker and popular televangelist, and Egyptian actress, Hanan Turk, drew wildly enthusiast applause as they spoke about personal empowerment and living a wholesome life.
Throughout the convention, the developing news of the situation in Gaza prompted prayers for the victims of the bombings and Amr Khaled led one such emotional supplication.
Monia Mazigh, who gained national prominence in Canada for her courageous struggle to free her husband from a Syrian jail after he was abducted by the American government and deported to Syria while in transit in New York in 2002, also addressed the convention.
"It was tough to expose our life like this, to reflect on all those terrible memories," Mazigh told the convention.
Mazigh recently released her memoir, Hope and Despair My Struggle to Free My Husband, Maher Arar, which recounts her personal story of the fight to rescue her husband, the impact on her family and then his return, physically and emotionally ravaged.
"The reaction we get has made up for that. We get a lot of encouragement,” she said."
Other well known speakers scheduled to address the convention include Shaikh Abdallah Bin Bayyah (Mauritania), Shaikh Hamza Yusuf (USA), Shaykh Sulaiman Moola (South Africa), Mufti Muhammad ibn Adam (UK), Ustad Yahya Rhodus (USA), Ustad Muhammad AlShareef (Canada), Shaykh Mukhtar Maghraoui (USA), and Imam Tahir Anwar (USA).
The Premier of the Canadian province of Ontario, Dalton McGuinty, also sent a welcoming message to the delegates congratulating them for choosing Toronto for their deliberations on the important issues affecting Canadian Muslims.
“I applaud the enthusiastic delegates who have come together this weekend in a spirit of openness and optimism to explore ways in which Muslim youth can make a greater difference in the life of their community – and make the world a better place,” the Premier said.
In addition to the plenary sessions, this year’s event also showcased a Grand Souk (bazaar) with vendors from all across North America selling and promoting their products and services.
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