Yusuf was performing for the first time in Canada

TORONTO, December 26 (IslamOnline.net) - Sami Yusuf, the British Muslim singer, capped off the second day of the 3rd Reviving The Islamic Spirit Convention in Toronto with a concert that captivated the audience.

Yusuf, whose recent album, Al-Muallim (Teacher), has taken the Muslim world by storm, was performing for the first time in Canada.

His concert was much anticipated by the convention goers who sang along to the popular songs he performed from his album and cheered him on throughout the performance.

The 24 year-old Yusuf was born into a musical family of Azeri origin and showed a keen interest in music from an early age.

Thousands of Canadian Muslims flocked Friday, December 24, to the Toronto Skydome, in the heart of downtown Toronto, for the opening of the three-day convention, which seeks to promote greater understanding of their faith and a more active citizenry.

A cohort of local and international Muslim figures and scholars is taking part in the convention, themed “Legacy of the Prophet (peace be upon him).”

Openness

“Unless the Muslim people speak out they will continue to be governed by dictators and autocrats who can be controlled by the US,” Khan said.

Pakistani cricket legend, Imran Khan, also addressed the convention and made a strong plea for greater openness and debate in Muslim societies.

“Muslim societies will only evolve when critical thinking and debate is encouraged,” he said.

Khan also told the audience that true democracy is needed in Muslim countries.

“Unless the Muslim people speak out they will continue to be governed by dictators and autocrats who can be controlled by the US,” he said.

Khan went on to encourage young Muslims in Canada and the US to become actively engaged in civic affairs.

“You have a voice, use that voice,” Khan told an enthusiastic audience.

Khan was a cricket superstar during the 1980’s and 90’s when he was a leading fast bowler and the captain of the Pakistani team.

He led Pakistan to numerous victories all over the world and to the World Cup championship in 1992.

During his presentation Khan encouraged young Muslims to study the early history of Islam, especially the period of the rightly guided Caliphates, as this was the period in which he said justice was a hallmark of the societies.

“Justice was the number one principle that made the early Muslim community great,” he said.

Justice and Inner Peace

Encouraging justice and developing inner peace were two themes that ran throughout the day’s sessions.

Dr. Bilal Philips, the Dubai based scholar, spoke on developing inner peace.

“If we can accept Allah, we can find inner peace,” he said. “Change yourself and you change the world.”

Shaykh Mokhtar Maghroui from the US and South African, Shaykh Suliman Mulla, spoke on justice (Adl) and righteous conduct (Ihsan) and how these virtues were exemplified throughout the life of Prophet Muhammad.

Dr. Tareq Al-Suwaidan dealt with the topic of gender and the role of women in Islam.

He warned the audience that Muslims need to address the issue of women’s role in society.

“It is easy to blame others but it is not easy to correct ourselves,” he said.

“We must look at the way we treat women and the way we utilize women - we need both sides to build a civilization,” Al-Suwaidan added.

Imam Zaid Shakir, a senior lecturer at the Zaytuna Institute in California, told the convention that there is a need to go beyond the superficial manifestations of religion and revive the deeper messages of Islam.

“What are we contributing to define the communal characteristics of the Muslim community?” he asked the audience.

“It is our collective responsibility to change the perception that people have of Islam,” Shakir said.

Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, the Director of the Zaytuna Institute and a well-known personality in North America, gave an inspiring lecture on the topic, “In the Spirit of Love: Reflections on Prophet Isa and the secrets of his return.”

Reflecting on his own conversion to Islam he said, “My movement from Christianity to Islam was not an abandonment but a fulfillment.”

The convention, which is taking place in one of the major venues in the city, the Toronto Skydome, will conclude later Saturday, December 26.

The 2003 round of the convention drew an unanimous praise for the group of students who organized the event.

The media said the university students instilled into the event youthful dynamism, exceptional organizational skill, and a genuine sincerity for their religion that pleasantly surprised everyone.

Toronto, the capital of Ontario, the province that one in three Canadians call home, has the largest concentration of Muslims in the Canada.

The number of Canadian Muslims has increased dramatically over the last decade, according to a national census.

With approximately 600,000 Muslims in the country, Islam became the number one non-Christian faith  in Canada.