Reviving The Islamic Spirit

Reviving the Islamic Spirit (RIS) is an annual Islamic conference typically held during the winter holiday season in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

The first conference was held in 2003, and has since become one of North America's largest Islamic conferences, alongside the ISNA convention in the United States. The conference has grown from 3,500 attendees in its first year to over 20,000 in 2011, making it the largest Islamic conference in Canada. Attendees come from a wide array of countries and regions (e.g. Australia, United States, Middle East, Europe, etc.). While criticism of the event is seen from both anti-Islamist observers, ultra-leftism Muslims and fundamentalist Muslims, organizers maintain that the event as an attempt to revive Islamic traditions of education, tolerance, and introspection. In May 2010, RIS held its first American conference in Long Beach, California. Since then, a U.S. edition of the conference has been held at the Long Beach Convention Center on Memorial Day weekend.