This Year's Massive "Reviving the Islamic Spirit" Conference Will Emphasize "The True Message of Islam"

Apparently, this year's confab is still replete with by-the-book Islamist "scholars," but, for the sake of optics, they're attempting to repackage/reposition the "true message" such that it has more to do with "social justice" and socialism than it does with supremacist teachings calling for Muslims to wage jihad on infidels until and unless they capitulate--and the Toronto Star is definitely on board with that (my bolds):

Around 20,000 people are expected to attend the Reviving the Islamic Spirit conference at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. The event runs from Dec. 25 to 27, and will feature speakers that include scholars, imams and authors.   

Kutty predicted the event would draw criticism, noting the unfair assumption that “Muslims have to answer for the actions of the extremists.”   

The theme of the 2015 event is “Alliance of Virtue,” which organizer Summayah Poonah said speaks to a need to “[form] cross cultural alliances in order to aid and facilitate social justice.”  

“We need to be able to diversify our portfolio as a community and contribute in a significant way to other social platforms, like the issue of race or income inequality,” said Poonah.   

Past conferences had focused on more basic needs, Poonah said: “a roof over your head and food on the table."  

Poonah said she is looking forward to hearing Linda Sarsour, the executive director of the Arab American Association of New York. The New York Times credited Sarsour with “[helping] to partly dismantle the New York Police Department’s program of spying on the city’s Muslims.”

Good going, Linda! Now NYPD cops and city authorities have no way of knowing whether or not jihad is being preached within its precincts. But, hey, I suppose if Islam is now nothing more than a sort of religious "Occupy" movement, there's nothing to worry about. ;)

And the fact that the convention is behind held on Christmas? I wouldn't read any "replacement theology"/supersessionism into that, not with Islam's new "true message" sounding no more threatening than, say, the Liberal Party policy book, I mean.

I have to say, though, that, as a Jew, this line gave me pause:

An interfaith dialogue is planned for Saturday, featuring a cardinal, imam and pastor.

Way to diss the Jews, RIS!



Update: You see that little icon for Islamic Relief, the one with minarets, in the right hand corner? Were RIS really turning over a new leaf re Islam's true message, there's no way Islamic Relief, which is a Muslim Brotherhood entity, would be funding it.

Update: Here's a Ceeb interview with one of the RIS speakers, Imam Zaid Shakir.