From China to Shia Islam: Conversion in Canada Amid Controversy Over Killer’s Release in Syria

From China to Shia Islam: Conversion in Canada Amid Controversy Over Killer’s Release in Syria
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Two contrasting events involving the global Shia community highlight simultaneous growth and governance crises, with a Chinese youth embracing Shia Islam in Canada and controversy erupting over a crime in Syria.

In a ceremony at the Grand Ayatollah Shirazi World Center and the Iranian Islamic Center in Montreal, Canada, a young man from China named Quentin Long formally converted to Islam and the Twelver Shia Ja’fari school of thought.

The conversion ceremony was conducted in the presence of Hujjat al-Islam wal-Muslimin Sheikh Saleh Sibawaih, the representative of Grand Ayatollah Shirazi. Following the conversion, Long formally announced his membership with the religious center, marking an act of faith and expansion for the Shia community in Canada.

Meanwhile, in northern Syria, a move by the Al-Jolani government has sparked widespread public outrage. Local sources in northern Aleppo reported that two individuals accused of murdering a Shia youth in the Bayanoun area were released just one month after their arrest.

This controversial action has triggered a wave of public anger and protests in Bayanoun and Rityan. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, demonstrators are demanding that the accused be brought to justice and tried for the murder. The release highlights ongoing tensions and challenges regarding law and justice in the region controlled by the Al-Jolani government.