Reviving the Islamic Spirit

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 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:

List of conferences

References

External links

• Reviving the Islamic Spirit
• RIS Talks

Islam in Canada
Organizations	CAIR-CAN Islamic Supreme Council of Canada Canadian Islamic Congress Canadian Muslim Union Muslim Canadian Congress Islamic Institute of Toronto Muslim Association of Canada
Events	Reviving the Islamic Spirit Fast-a-Thon Muslim Interscholastic Tournament (MIST)
Mosques and centres	List of mosques in Canada Al-Rashid Mosque Baitul Hamd Baitul Islam Baitun Nur Jami Mosque Islamic Foundation Toronto Masjid-an-Noor, Newfoundland Salaheddin Islamic Centre Toronto and Region Islamic Congregation
Other topics	List of Canadian Muslims Little Mosque on the Prairie Me and the Mosque