JEDDAH, 11 March 2007 — A leading Canadian Muslim leader said Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world, especially in the West, in spite of a strident smear campaign against the religion and its Prophet.
Ibrahim Malabari, director of the Islamic Center in Toronto, said, “There was a dramatic increase in the quest for finding the truth about Islam after 9/11, thus encouraging many people in the US to embrace Islam.”
Malabari, a graduate of Madinah’s Islamic University, made the comment in a lecture to teenage girls organized by the Women’s Committee of the World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY) in Jeddah. Malabari also called on Muslim intellectuals and scientists to make greater contributions to human civilization like their forefathers did. “Muslims have a golden history and have played a big role in the development of Western civilization,” he said.
He commended efforts to promote Islam by converts like Murad Hofmann, a former German ambassador to Algeria and Morocco, and Yvonne Ridley, a British journalist whose capture by the Taleban in 2001 led to her conversion to Islam.
Hofmann has predicted that the revival of Islam “will be in the West with American Muslims playing a leadership role in bringing about a new Islamic renaissance.”
“Of course, 9/11 has caused a lot of problems for Muslims, especially because of a negative media hype. However, it has encouraged thousands to study about Islam. They visited Islamic centers, mosques, libraries and bookstores to get books on Islam, especially the Qur’an,” he said, stressing the need for presenting Islam to the West in a convincing manner.
Sarah Abdullah, an American journalist working for Arab News, urged the audience not to completely imitate the West and differentiate between what is good and bad in light of Islamic teachings.
Abdullah, who converted to Islam in 1995, attributed problems of growing drug addiction, teenage pregnancy, alcoholism, depression, divorce and crimes in the West to uncontrolled freedom.
Abdullah also answered questions from the audience dealing with the wearing of hijab and ways of conveying the message of Islam to non-Muslim friends.
Rahmathunnisa, a teacher at the Italian School in Jeddah, presided over the event. She urged the girls to read more about Islam in order to strengthen their faith.
“Be proud of your religion and culture,” she told the audience advising them not to be distracted by media misinformation about their religion. “We should set a good example to other communities by following the teachings of Islam,” she added.
Bayan Abu Ghaida of WAMY translated the speeches in English to Arabic. The program started with the recitation from the Qur’an by Muhsinah Abdul Ghafour. Raheena Raheem welcomed the guests and Abrar Ahmed gave a vote of thanks.
