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.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Poilievre supports Israel 'proactively striking' Iranian nuclear sites to defend itself
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is supporting Israel's right to defend itself against Iran following last week's ballistic missile attack, saying that right includes 'proactively striking Iranian nuclear sites and oil installations to defund the terrorist regime.'
Hurricane Milton strengthens into a Category 5 storm. Florida orders evacuations
Florida's storm-battered Gulf Coast raced against a Category 5 hurricane Monday as workers sprinted to pick up heaps of appliances and other street debris left over from Helene two weeks ago and highways were clogged with people fleeing ahead of the storm.
'Selfish billionaire': Chip Wilson's mansion vandalized after political sign erected outside
Days after a political sign was erected outside Lululemon founder Chip Wilson's Vancouver mansion, the waterfront property has been vandalized with graffiti.
'Feel free to get naked,' witness testifies Toronto councillor told her during 'networking' weekend
Toronto Coun. Michael Thompson 'forced himself on' a woman who awoke to find him standing over her after she fell asleep drunk, the Crown alleged Monday, as the five-day sexual assault trial of the six-term politician began in Bracebridge, Ont.
Is Disney World still open as Hurricane Milton strengthens to a Category 5?
Despite Hurricane Milton evolving into a Category 5 storm, Walt Disney World Resort remains open to the public and will operate as normal. However, the park announced Monday a few closures in an abundance of caution.
Disgraced former Winnipeg football coach sentenced to 20 years in prison for sexual assault
A disgraced Winnipeg high school football coach convicted of sexual assault and luring will spend 20 years behind bars.
Two people injured in apparent road rage incident, shooting in Toronto
Two people are in hospital after they were chased and shot at in what appears to be an act of road rage before eventually flipping their car while trying to escape, police say.
Sammy Basso, longest living survivor of rare rapid-aging disease progeria, dies at 28
Sammy Basso, who was the longest living survivor of the rare genetic disease progeria, has died at the age of 28, the Italian Progeria Association said on Sunday.
Prayers, protests and police as Canada marks anniversary of Oct. 7 Hamas attack
With prayers, protests, and a heavy police presence, Canada has marked the anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas on Israel that killed about 1,200 people and triggered an ongoing war.