Muslim group holds 'ask me anything' session in Saskatoon to dispel misconceptions some have about faith

Saskatoon -

Members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association (AMYA) were in front of city hall, hoping to have discussions with people walking by, displaying signs such as “I am a Muslim, ask me anything.”

“The purpose of this initiative is to be on the ground and have Canadians talk to us because there is a rise of Islamophobia in Canada,” Shahrukh Abid, a missionary with the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association told CTV.

“We’re just trying to tackle that, and let people know that ‘look, we’re just like you, we’re not here to fight anyone, were Canadians as well and were loyal citizens of Canada.’”

Prior to arriving in Saskatoon, the group has made stops in Montreal, Cornwall, Ottawa, Winnipeg and Regina.

“It’s been amazing. We’re having a lot of fun, we’re getting to talk to a lot of people. We’re getting a lot of positive response, people are really welcoming and nice,” Abid said.

“Saskatoon is an amazing city, I’ve been here before. People are extremely nice.”

Abid said for the most part they have been having positive experiences with the public on their journey, but he said there have been some hostile interactions along the way.

“There’s all sorts of people everywhere, so we were prepared for it,” Abid said.

“I would say 99 per cent of our interactions are good, we just have that one per cent that’s not good, but the 99 per cent of Canadians that are really welcoming and really nice to us, that’s what keeps us going,”

Shakoor Ahmad, the Imam at Saskatoon’s Ahmadiyya mosque, was in attendance to offer his support.

“We are very much excited, and as you can see our youth are here in large numbers,” Ahmad told CTV.

“Things are amazing here and people are responding very positively, and accepting our message as well.”

The next step of the journey for the group is a stop in Calgary then finishing in Vancouver.

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