Calgary hosts largest annual Muslim convention in Western Canada

The Jalsa Salana Western Canada conference was held in Calgary at the Genesis Center this weekend.

The two-day event that took place on Saturday and resumed on Sunday returned to the city after a pandemic hiatus.

“Words cannot express how important this event is and today as I walked around many people have come up to me and mentioned that they are so delighted we are able to gather together again,” said Malik Agyemang, one of the organizers.

“This is the time where we talk about spirituality, but we also talk about interrelationships, we renew our friendships, we make new friends and for two years during COVID we couldn’t have that interaction.”

The conference is a time where Muslims can gather to pray together and be reminded of their religious obligations and obligations to fellow humans, according to Lal Khan Malik, a local Muslim.

“We should be loving each (person) and have hatred against none, this message is important, particularly because of the divide which is taking place in society these days and we hope that this conference will be furthering this cause,” said Malik.

The conference focused on building connections with Indigenous communities. The event featured a special Indigenous prayer, highlighting the community’s commitment to interfaith harmony and reconciliation.

“We owe it to them (to show) that we are here in peace and we should know them and we have been having various events with them and we invite them into our community,” said Malik.

The event used to move between cities in western Canada, but organizers chose Calgary as a permanent host since it was a central location.