# 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 2001, 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. Attendees and speakers attend from around the world, including the United States, Europe and the Middle East. In May 2010, RIS held its first American conference in Long Beach, California. 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 Islamic prophet Muhammad, Canadian-Muslim identity, and Islamic civilization.

## Concert

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: Junaid Jamshed, Sami Yusuf, Maher Zain, Najam Sheraz, Raihan, Native Deen and Danish hip-hop group Outlandish.

## Criticism and accusation of religious fundamentalism

The conference has invited some figures like Tariq Ramadan and Bilal Philips. Even Justin Trudeau has participated. Trudeau was criticized later by some media outlets, and other Jewish and Muslim groups, and as well by some members of his own party because they argued that the conference was problematic and had indirect connection with Hamas and that there were aspects of religious radicalism. Among other, there was a sponsor, IRFAN, which was said had sent suspicious funds to Hamas, apparently about 15 million dollars. The sponsor denied the allegations, but decided to withdraw from the conference in order not to cause more controversy. Trudeau himself rejected the criticism.

## Notable speakers

Two scholars have made an appearance at the conference every year since it began: Zaid Shakir and Hamza Yusuf except the 2017 conference, which Hamza Yusuf was unable to attend. Other notable speakers who have appeared over the years include:
Muhammad bin Yahya al-Ninowy
Mustafa Hosni
Hamza Yusuf
Abdullah bin Bayyah
Habib Ali Al-Jifri
Zaid Shakir
Tariq Suwaidan
Bilal Philips
Siraj Wahhaj
Jamal Badawi
Tariq Ramadan
Attallah Shabazz, eldest daughter of Malcolm X
Justin Trudeau
Eric Margolis, journalist
Robert Fisk, journalist
Karen Armstrong, author
Imran Khan, Pakistani cricketer and politician
Michael Lerner, Rabbi
Zakir Naik
Suhaib Webb
Yasir Qadhi
Mark Siljander, former Republican U.S. Representative
Chris Hedges, journalist
Nouman Ali Khan
Linda Sarsour
Maulana Tariq Jameel
List of conferences
RIS
Theme
Venue
Date
1
Reviving the Islamic Spirit
Metro Toronto Convention Centre
January 4–5, 2001
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
15
The Promise of God: Conditions for Renewal
Metro Toronto Convention Centre
December 23–25, 2016
16
Whither Islam? Rebooting Our Faith
Metro Toronto Convention Centre
December 22–24, 2017
17
RIS Reimagined
Metro Toronto Convention Centre
December 21–23, 2018
18
His Character was the Quran: Restoring the Quranic Narrative in Modern Times
Metro Toronto Convention Centre
December 20–22, 2019
19
An Unconventional Convention
Online
December 26–27, 2020
20
Together in Spirit
Online
December 25–26, 2020
21
A Blessed Reunion
Metro Toronto Convention Centre
December 23–25, 2022
22
Where Hearts Meet
Metro Toronto Convention Centre
December 22–24, 2023
References
↑ "Canadian Islamic convention attracts record breaking attendance". 27 December 2011.
↑ "Reviving The Islamic Spirit - History". www.revivingtheislamicspirit.com. Archived from the original on 2011-10-03.
↑ https://torontosun.com/2012/12/22/justin-trudeau-addresses-controversial-muslim-conference-in-toronto/wcm/a0bab017-6dbf-4477-9071-b2a604b62fe6. ”Justin Trudeau addresses controversial Muslim conference in Toronto”. torontosun.com. December 22, 2012.
↑ https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-defies-critics-in-muslim-conference-speech-1.1150769. ”Trudeau defies critics in Muslim conference speech”. CBC.ca. Dec 22, 2012.
↑ https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/sponsor-withdraws-from-islamic-event-trudeau-to-attend-1.1185669. "Sponsor withdraws from Islamic event Trudeau to attend". CBC.ca. Dec 17, 2012.
↑ https://torontosun.com/2012/12/14/justin-trudeau-should-respond-to-conference-critics-marc-garneau-says/wcm/da759335-a48a-4ceb-b05d-20d73c2d693b. ”Justin Trudeau should respond to conference critics, Marc Garneau says”. Toronto Sun. Jessica Hume. December 14, 2012.
External links
Reviving the Islamic Spirit
RIS Talks
IslamicFinder
vteIslam in CanadaOrganizations
NCCM
Islamic Supreme Council of Canada
Canadian Muslim Union
Muslim Association of Canada
Events
Reviving the Islamic Spirit
MuslimFest
Fast-a-Thon
Islamic centres and mosques
An-Noor Mosque
Al-Rashid Mosque
Baitul Hamd Mosque
Baitul Islam
Baitun Nur Mosque
Jami Mosque
Islamic Foundation of Toronto
Islamic Institute of Toronto
Mahmood Mosque, Regina
Masjid-an-Noor, Newfoundland
Midnight Sun Mosque
Ottawa Mosque
Salaheddin
TARIC
ISCC
Other topics
List of Canadian Muslims
Little Mosque on the Prairie
Me and the Mosque
Islam in the Arctic :