TORONTO,
August 2 (Islamonline.net) – A conference on Islam’s Vision for
Humanity concluded Sunday, August 1, in this southeastern Canadian
city with a call for creating a just world order.
“Morality
and Justice: Islam’s Vision for Humanity”
was the theme of the fifth annual two-day conference of the Islamic
Circle of North America (
)
that brought together a cohort of renowned Muslim leaders and Canadian
Members of Parliament.
“The
convention offers a unique opportunity to acquire as much knowledge of
our deen (religion) as possible from the best Muslim scholars
in the continent,” ICNA President Talat Sultan told the
conference attendees in his welcoming message.
Chief
among Muslim scholars who attendant the conference are Jamal Badawi,
Munir El-Kassem, Ekram Bashir and Mumtaz Ahmad.
“We
spend at least 60 hours in an Islamic environment permeated by the
resounding call of Allahu Akbar (God is the Greatest), the blessings
of Assalaamu ‘alaikum (peace be upon you), Islamic manners and
etiquettes and the spirit of brotherhood,” Sultan added.
MAC
President Sharaf Sharafeldin said that the much-celebrated conference
is more than just lectures.
“We
have come together as a community in this activity to come closer to
pleasing God,” he said.
“Our
vision is to establish an Islamic presence in Canada that is balanced,
constructive and integrated, though distinct, within the social fabric
and culture of Canada.”
The
conference included sessions for youths, children and women and also
featured special Urdu, Bengali and Arabic language lectures.
The
recently produced
on Canadian Muslims and their history, “A New Life in A News
Land”, was also introduced to the conference by producer and
director, Michael Milo.
Reaching
Out To Others
 |
|
“You
must reach out to others, ” Parrish
|
Carolyn
Parrish, a federal Member of the Canadian Parliament, thanked the
Muslims for their support in the recent elections and urged the
conference organizers to invite other faith and civic leaders to
future conferences.
“You
must reach out to others,” she said. “Other Canadians don’t
understand your culture. Invite them to your conference and show them
that you are like regular people.”
Wajid
Khan, one of the first Muslim MPs elected to the federal parliament,
said that the face of Canada is changing.
“We’re
the largest non-Christian faith group in this country,” he told the
audience. “But we’re not less Canadian than anyone else.”
“Let’s
make Canada a beacon for the rest of the world,” Khan urged the
Muslims.
Mumtaz
Ahmed wrapped up the session with an eloquent plea to Muslims to stand
up for justice.
“The
time has come for all to work to create a just world order,” he told
the audience.
“Justice
denied anywhere is justice denied everywhere,” Ahmad said.
