Thousands gather in Bradford for Canada's largest 3-day Muslim convention

Thousands of people are in Bradford this weekend for Canada's largest Muslim convention to gain a sense of community, spirituality and peace.

The annual convention ('Jalsa Salana' in Urdu) has been taking place in Ahmadiyya Muslim communities worldwide and has grown exponentially in Canada.

"The Jalsa Salana Canada this year is happening in Bradford in over 200 acres on our own facility on our own terms," said Safwan Choudhry, a Jalsa Salana Canada spokesperson. "We proudly created a mini city that will host tens and tens of thousands of people."

Outgrowing its International Centre in Mississauga, the land owned by the Bradford Muslim Community presented an ideal outdoor space for the 2024 edition of Jalsa Salana.

"We have a lot of exhibitions. We have scholarly presentations, and it's a great community-building aspect," said Hassaan Shahid, a member of Ahmadiyya Jama'at Canada. "We have a lot of members of the community as well who are attending from around the area."

Among those community members in attendance was Lal Khan Malik, the Vaughan-based president of Ahmadiyya Jama'at Canada.

"The Holy Qur'an, the holy book of Muslims, has all the guidance for humankind," said Malik. "We are emphasizing various aspects of it and how the Qur'an guides us in our daily lives."

Community, prayer and spirit were among the themes of the weekend convention.

Friday afternoon, Malik and the thousands in attendance held a prayer for peace in light of the conflict in the Middle East.

"There's a lot of prayer, especially to alleviate conflicts and unnecessary wars that are leading to the loss of life of tens of thousands of innocent people," added Choudhry.

The Jalsa Salana convention runs from Friday through Sunday.