{"id":3258,"date":"2013-12-28T08:26:42","date_gmt":"2013-12-28T08:26:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/wp3\/?p=3258"},"modified":"2013-12-28T08:26:42","modified_gmt":"2013-12-28T08:26:42","slug":"muslims-set-to-rekindle-faith-in-toronto","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sunnionline.us\/english\/2013\/12\/28\/3258\/","title":{"rendered":"Muslims Set to Rekindle Faith in Toronto"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"images\/stories\/news3\/muslims-set-to-rekindle-Faith-in-Toronto.jpg\" border=\"0\" style=\"float: right; margin: 5px;\" \/>Thousands of Muslims from across North America and beyond started arriving in Toronto for one of the largest gatherings of Western Muslims, the annual Reviving the Islamic Spirit Convention (RIS).<\/span><\/p>\n<p>  <!--more-->  <\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cThis year\u2019s convention will revolve around the theme of \u2018Changing our Condition: Rekindling the Light of Faith\u2019,\u201d RIS Chairman, Fouzan Khan, told OnIslam.net.<\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cThe Qur\u2019an makes a strong call to the practice of introspection and self-improvement.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cThis year\u2019s conference aims to contextualize this message and remind us how it applies today,\u201d Khan added.<\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The event, to run from December 27 through December 29, will be held in the heart of downtown Toronto at the Metro Toronto Convention Center, next to the iconic CN Tower.<\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The convention has become a staple in Toronto&#8217;s downtown core during the Christmas holiday season and an estimated 20,000 attendees are expected from all over North America and beyond, adding a boost to the local economy.<\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #000000;\">RIS is regarded as a premiere global event among Muslims in the Western world and an annual meeting place for leading thinkers and theologians.<\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cAiming to instill cohesion between diverse faith communities, RIS speakers have included Karen Armstrong, Rabbi Michael Lerner, Reverend Rob Oliphant and Dr. John Ralston Saul,\u201d said Fouzan Khan. \u201cPolitical and civil engagement is also a key focus of the event.\u201d<\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cWe want to help inspire open-minded agents of change and not absent citizens,\u201d noted Khan.<\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #000000;\">This year\u2019s rostrum of speakers include some of the most well-known Muslims personalities in the English speaking world such as Dr. Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Habib Ali Al-Jifri, Ambassador Shabazz, Professor Tariq Ramadan, Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, Sr. Dalia Mogahed, Imam Zaid Shakir, Imam Suhaib Webb, Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan and Sr. Yasmin Mogahed.<\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The Convention will begin at the Friday congregational prayer with the sermon to be delivered by Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan, a popular speaker among youths.<\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Later that evening, organizers will host the Annual Appreciation Dinner for conference speakers, dignitaries, politicians, business leaders and media.<\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #000000;\">This year\u2019s dinner will feature a keynote address by Dr. John Esposito, a leading professor of Religion and International Studies at Georgetown University.<\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #000000;\">In addition to being a place for intellectual thought, RIS hosts an exciting line-up of entertainers including Malaysian musical artists, Raihan, and well-known stand-up comedian, Maz Jobrani.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Social Gathering<\/strong><\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Gathering scholars, intellectuals and entertainers, the RIS has turned into an event for all Muslims.<\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cThe unique aspect of the convention is there is something for everyone,\u201d RIS spokeswoman Farhia Ahmed told OnIslam.net.<\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cWhether you are inclined intellectually or artistically, young or old, practitioner or someone just curious, RIS will always have something to offer.\u201d<\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #000000;\">A bustling grand bazaar will once again be a major feature during the three-day event showcasing products and services from around North America and the Muslim world.<\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The convention will also host the annual food and coat drive to assist the needy in the Greater Toronto Area.<\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cOur goal is to bring people together in a wholesome, judgment-free setting, regardless of one\u2019s background,\u201d added Ahmed.<\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The Islamic Spirit convention was first launched in 2003 by Muslim youth to tackle the backlash on Islam and Muslims after the 9\/11 and to build a bridge of understanding with non-Muslims.<\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cThe overarching vision of the RIS Convention is to address pertinent issues relating to Muslim youth and inculcate a strong identity that is true to both faith and modern realities,\u201d said Fouzan Khan.<\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cIt is an attempt by the youth to help overcome new challenges of communication and integration.\u201d<\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Toronto, the capital of Ontario, the province that one in three Canadians call home, has the largest concentration of Muslims in Canada.<\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #000000;\">A recent survey showed that the overwhelming majority of Muslims are proud to be Canadian, and that they are more educated than the general population.<\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Muslims are the fastest growing religious community in Canada, according to the country\u2019s statistical agency, Statistics Canada.<\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Canada\u2019s Muslim population increased by 82 percent over the past decade \u2013 from about 579,000 in 2001 to more than 1 million in 2011.<\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Muslims represent 3.2 percent of Canada\u2019s total population.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Source:<\/span> <em><strong>OnIslam<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Thousands of Muslims from across North America and beyond started arriving in Toronto for one of the largest gatherings of Western Muslims, the annual Reviving the Islamic Spirit Convention (RIS).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3258","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-c102-muslim-minorities"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Muslims Set to Rekindle Faith in Toronto - SunniOnline<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sunnionline.us\/english\/2013\/12\/28\/3258\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Muslims Set to Rekindle Faith in Toronto - SunniOnline\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Thousands of Muslims from across North America and beyond started arriving in Toronto for one of the largest gatherings of Western Muslims, the annual Reviving the Islamic Spirit Convention (RIS).\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sunnionline.us\/english\/2013\/12\/28\/3258\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"SunniOnline\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2013-12-28T08:26:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"majed\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"majed\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sunnionline.us\\\/english\\\/2013\\\/12\\\/28\\\/3258\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sunnionline.us\\\/english\\\/2013\\\/12\\\/28\\\/3258\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"majed\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sunnionline.us\\\/english\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/26da0e970ff572e94f1b7d9009ab39be\"},\"headline\":\"Muslims Set to Rekindle Faith in Toronto\",\"datePublished\":\"2013-12-28T08:26:42+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sunnionline.us\\\/english\\\/2013\\\/12\\\/28\\\/3258\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":683,\"commentCount\":0,\"articleSection\":[\"Muslim Minorities\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/sunnionline.us\\\/english\\\/2013\\\/12\\\/28\\\/3258\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sunnionline.us\\\/english\\\/2013\\\/12\\\/28\\\/3258\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sunnionline.us\\\/english\\\/2013\\\/12\\\/28\\\/3258\\\/\",\"name\":\"Muslims Set to Rekindle Faith in Toronto - SunniOnline\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sunnionline.us\\\/english\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2013-12-28T08:26:42+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sunnionline.us\\\/english\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/26da0e970ff572e94f1b7d9009ab39be\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sunnionline.us\\\/english\\\/2013\\\/12\\\/28\\\/3258\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/sunnionline.us\\\/english\\\/2013\\\/12\\\/28\\\/3258\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sunnionline.us\\\/english\\\/2013\\\/12\\\/28\\\/3258\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sunnionline.us\\\/english\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Muslims Set to Rekindle Faith in Toronto\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sunnionline.us\\\/english\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sunnionline.us\\\/english\\\/\",\"name\":\"SunniOnline\",\"description\":\"The Official Website of Sunni Community in Iran\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sunnionline.us\\\/english\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sunnionline.us\\\/english\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/26da0e970ff572e94f1b7d9009ab39be\",\"name\":\"majed\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/d14a5567692b3eb9bd620c2cb94ec98fcf8d44e4ec418fc172b76b04163a7ee9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/d14a5567692b3eb9bd620c2cb94ec98fcf8d44e4ec418fc172b76b04163a7ee9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/d14a5567692b3eb9bd620c2cb94ec98fcf8d44e4ec418fc172b76b04163a7ee9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"majed\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sunnionline.us\\\/english\\\/author\\\/majed\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Muslims Set to Rekindle Faith in Toronto - SunniOnline","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sunnionline.us\/english\/2013\/12\/28\/3258\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Muslims Set to Rekindle Faith in Toronto - SunniOnline","og_description":"Thousands of Muslims from across North America and beyond started arriving in Toronto for one of the largest gatherings of Western Muslims, the annual Reviving the Islamic Spirit Convention (RIS).","og_url":"https:\/\/sunnionline.us\/english\/2013\/12\/28\/3258\/","og_site_name":"SunniOnline","article_published_time":"2013-12-28T08:26:42+00:00","author":"majed","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"majed","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/sunnionline.us\/english\/2013\/12\/28\/3258\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sunnionline.us\/english\/2013\/12\/28\/3258\/"},"author":{"name":"majed","@id":"https:\/\/sunnionline.us\/english\/#\/schema\/person\/26da0e970ff572e94f1b7d9009ab39be"},"headline":"Muslims Set to Rekindle Faith in Toronto","datePublished":"2013-12-28T08:26:42+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/sunnionline.us\/english\/2013\/12\/28\/3258\/"},"wordCount":683,"commentCount":0,"articleSection":["Muslim Minorities"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/sunnionline.us\/english\/2013\/12\/28\/3258\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sunnionline.us\/english\/2013\/12\/28\/3258\/","url":"https:\/\/sunnionline.us\/english\/2013\/12\/28\/3258\/","name":"Muslims Set to Rekindle Faith in Toronto - SunniOnline","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sunnionline.us\/english\/#website"},"datePublished":"2013-12-28T08:26:42+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/sunnionline.us\/english\/#\/schema\/person\/26da0e970ff572e94f1b7d9009ab39be"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sunnionline.us\/english\/2013\/12\/28\/3258\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sunnionline.us\/english\/2013\/12\/28\/3258\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sunnionline.us\/english\/2013\/12\/28\/3258\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sunnionline.us\/english\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Muslims Set to Rekindle Faith in Toronto"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sunnionline.us\/english\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sunnionline.us\/english\/","name":"SunniOnline","description":"The Official Website of Sunni Community in Iran","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sunnionline.us\/english\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/sunnionline.us\/english\/#\/schema\/person\/26da0e970ff572e94f1b7d9009ab39be","name":"majed","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d14a5567692b3eb9bd620c2cb94ec98fcf8d44e4ec418fc172b76b04163a7ee9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d14a5567692b3eb9bd620c2cb94ec98fcf8d44e4ec418fc172b76b04163a7ee9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d14a5567692b3eb9bd620c2cb94ec98fcf8d44e4ec418fc172b76b04163a7ee9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"majed"},"url":"https:\/\/sunnionline.us\/english\/author\/majed\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sunnionline.us\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3258","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sunnionline.us\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sunnionline.us\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunnionline.us\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunnionline.us\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3258"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sunnionline.us\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3258\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sunnionline.us\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3258"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunnionline.us\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3258"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunnionline.us\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3258"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}