Ifpress.com- News London

I’ve spent the past eight Sundays at a London mosque, learning about Islam, the fastest-growing religion in the world.

Though two months is hardly enough time to scratch the surface of a complex religion dating back hundreds of years and with more than a billion followers worldwide, it was ample time to discover London’s Muslim community, estimated at nearly 30,000, is welcoming.

I was literally received with open arms at the Islamic Centre of Southwest Ontario for a weekly public lecture series, where topics ranged from Jesus in the Qur’an to understanding why people die young and Islam in the media.

There were Sundays, I admit, when I wanted to hit the snooze button a few dozen more times rather than wake up and attend class.

Thankfully, I never chose sleep over schooling, because the lectures always left me feeling uplifted and alive.

The instructor, Munir El-Kassem, didn’t just speak about religion. His lectures blended life lessons, current events and community building — things a person of any faith would stand to gain from hearing.

“Islam isn’t just a religion; it’s a way of life,” one of my classmates told me.

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