Tariq Ramadan, Prof. of Islamic Studies, University of Freiburg

By Tamir Abu As-Su`ood, IOL Canada Correspondent

TORONTO, January 2 (IslamOnline.net) - Over 6,000 people from all over North America will head Friday, January 2, to Toronto to attend the second annual “Reviving the Islamic Spirit” conference. The conference, organized by a group of young, active Muslim students and news activists, is counted as the largest held across Canada.

The conference hosts a diversity of domestic and international Islamic scholars from Friday January, 2 till Sunday, January 4, according to a press release by the organizers.

Entitled “Changing Our Condition” – Reviving the Islamic Spirit, the conference brings together scholars, speakers, activists, and experts who will mainly focus on dialogue, diversity and open discussion.

“The hope of the conference is to bring together the diverse faces that comprise the Muslim Community to revive the Islamic traditions of education, tolerance and introspection,” said Conference coordinator Fouzan Khan.

He added that “this is the perfect forum for Canadian Muslims to represent Islam as a lived reality in Canada.”

Jeewan Chanicka, Media Relations director for the conference, told IslamOnline.net that he hopes the conference may help strengthen the commitment and resolve of Muslims to being full and active participants in the Canadian society. “The vision,” Chanicka added, “is one of active citizenship.”

David Miller, Toronto mayor

The event, which attracted more than 3500 people last year, gathers a myriad of almost 20 scholars and speakers including Dr. Tariq Suwaidan, a prominent Kuwaiti scholar, Dr. Tariq Ramadan, Prof. of Islamic Studies (University of Freiburg), the renowned Muslim activist Amr Khalid, Imam Siraj Wahhaj of Masjid Al-Taqwa (Brooklyn, New York), Sheikh Mokhtar Maghroui, member of the Fiqh council of North America, among others.

The conference will also feature a couple of non-Muslim speakers including the Mayor of Toronto, David Miller, and an RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) commissioner, Giuliano Zaccerdelli.

The Muslim community of Eastern Canada has become increasingly active over the past few years, spearheading Islamic events such as camps, workshops, media relations and conferences. 

Strong drives towards unity between the various Islamic organizations working in North America as a whole have come as a result of 9/11/2001 attacks on the United States.