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Reviving the Islamic Spirit

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Reviving the Islamic Spirit (RIS) is an annual Islamic conference typically held during the winter holiday season in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

The first conference was held in 2003, and has since become one of North America's largest Islamic conferences, alongside the ISNA convention in the United States. The conference has grown from 3,500 attendees in its first year to over 20,000 in 2011, making it the largest Islamic conference in Canada.[1] Attendees and speakers attend from around the world, including the United States, Europe and the Middle East. While criticism of the event is seen from both critics of Islam and fundamentalist Muslims, organizers maintain that the event is an attempt to revive Islamic traditions of education, tolerance, and introspection.[2] In May 2010, RIS held its first American conference in Long Beach, California.[3] Following the second U.S. edition at the Long Beach Convention Center on Memorial Day weekend the conference was discontinued.

Overview

The format of the conference typically consists of a series of lectures over three days, generally structured around a specific central theme. Each year distinguished speakers, including both fudhu and non-fudhu Islamic scholars and non-Muslims, are invited to lecture based on the selected theme of the conference. Previous conference themes have included the life of the prophet Muhammad, Canadian-Muslim identity, and Islamic civilization.

Concert

Isam Bachiri at RIS in 2009

A concert has been held at the end of the conference almost every year, usually consisting of nasheed (Islamic music) or performances by Muslim musicians. Main performers who have headlined the concert include: Sami Yusuf, Maher Zain, Najam Sheraz, Raihan, Native Deen and Danish hip-hop group Outlandish.

Notable speakers

Two scholars have made an appearance at the conference every year since it began: Zaid Shakir and Hamza Yusuf. Other notable speakers who have appeared over the years include:

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List of conferences

RIS Theme Venue Date
1 Reviving the Islamic Spirit Metro Toronto Convention Centre January 4–5, 2003
2 Changing Our Condition Metro Toronto Convention Centre January 2–4, 2004
3 Legacy of the Prophet Rogers Centre December 24–26, 2004
4 Islamic Civilization Direct Energy Centre December 23–26, 2005
5 The Neglected Sunnah: Patience in the Face of Rejection Metro Toronto Convention Centre December 22–24, 2006
6 Family Matters: The Basis of a Civil Society Metro Toronto Convention Centre December 28–30, 2007
7 Answering the Call of God's Messenger: Setting Prophetic Priorities for Muslims in the West Metro Toronto Convention Centre December 26–28, 2008
8 SOS: Saving the Ship of Humanity Metro Toronto Convention Centre December 25–27, 2009
9 Rules for the Road of Life: Reviving the 10 Commandments in the Modern World Metro Toronto Convention Centre December 24–26, 2010
10 Control, Chaos or Community: Three Ways, One World, Our Choice Metro Toronto Convention Centre December 23–25, 2011
11 Divine Light for Living Right: Prophetic Guidance in the Midst of Modern Darkness Metro Toronto Convention Centre December 21–23, 2012
12 Changing Our Condition: Rekindling the Light of Faith Metro Toronto Convention Centre December 27–29, 2013
13 He Came To Teach You Your Religion: Prophetic Answers to Angelic Questions Metro Toronto Convention Centre December 26–28, 2014
14 Alliance of Virtue Metro Toronto Convention Centre December 25–27, 2015

References

  1. ^ http://iqra.ca/2011/canadian-islamic-convention-attracts-record-breaking-attendance/
  2. ^ http://www.revivingtheislamicspirit.com/convention/index.php
  3. ^ http://www.revivingtheislamicspirit.com/convention/history.php?id=14
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