On Jan. 21, the Saskatoon Ahmadiyya Students’ Association (AMSA) rallied to condemn the radicalization of Muslims in the Middle East and emphasize the peaceful teachings of Islam.

A panel discussion was held in the University of Saskatchewan’s Health Science Building with the aim of dispelling the myth that most Muslims are radicals. The event was part of a nation-wide campaign, Stop the CrISIS, that began in November in response to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and radicalization of youth in Canada and around the world.

The discussion began with an address from Zahid Abid, an Imam from Saskatoon.

“Unfortunately, in light of recent events, there is a growing thought among some that, perhaps, there is something inherent in the religion of Islam which incites people to violence and extremism,” said Abid. “As a result, the public discourse on radicalization is the notion that Islam is the cause behind it all, but this is quite far from the truth.”

Abid emphasized that the teachings of the holy book of Islam — the Qur’an — promote peace and tolerance, and that ISIS is not representative of Muslims around the world.

“The very word ‘Islam’ is actually derived from the Arabic word for peace,” Abid said. “Unfortunately, sometimes the perspective on Islam within the general Canadian public can be entirely based on what is seen on television, which often only shows a tiny handful of extremists.”

He stated that radicalization cannot be traced to any particular religion but can occur among people of all creeds and convictions, usually frustrated youth who are dissatisfied with society.

“We should know that it is not Islam that motivates [extremists],” said Abid. “They are just another set of warped individuals who use violence in order to further their political goals… this is the recipe for radicalization.”

The overwhelming majority of Muslims, Abid said, are peaceful, law abiding citizens who love Canada as their home and that radicalization “causes extreme pain to any sincere Muslim, watching in horror at all the havoc being wreaked in the name of their faith.”

According to Abid, the solution to the issue of extremism is “a massive awareness campaign that shows how far removed these radical jihadists are from the true teachings of Islam.

“It is our hope that eventually this campaign becomes a movement and that radicalism is snuffed out and defeated,” said Abid.

After Abid’s address, the event continued with a panel discussion which answered written questions from the audience. The panelists were Abid, Imam Syed Taha from Edmonton and Imam Tariq Azeem from Lloydminster, Alta.

According to the panelists, the Ahmadiyya Muslim community is the only Muslim organization to publicly condemn terrorism in any form.

In 2014, radical Muslims killed two Canadian soldiers in the name of jihad. On Jan. 7, 10 cartoonists and two police officers were killed in Paris as masked gunmen shouting “Allahu akbar” stormed the offices of Charlie Hebdo, a weekly newspaper that caricatured the Prophet Muhammad. These attacks have fueled the West’s continued distrust of Muslim communities.

Rashid Ahmed, the event’s organizer and president of AMSA, urged the audience not to paint all Muslims with the same brush.

“I want to inform you that we will do everything we can to educate youth across the country on this critical issue,” said Ahmed. “We will continue to spread this campaign across the country.”

The event was hosted to coincide with Islam Awareness Week, taking place Jan. 26–30 on the U of S campus, and was sponsored by the U of S Students’ Union, the Arts and Science Students’ Union and the U of S Student Teachers Anti-Racism Society. There were more than 100 people in attendance.

Abid hopes the campaign will start a broader discussion within the community which will, in the long run, help deter youth from radicalization and create better communities.

“We are all on the same side,” said Abid. “If we don’t work hard and urgently on changing the tide of this threat, both here in Canada and in the world at large, we could be in serious trouble.”