Source: Simcoe Reformer –

Members of a Muslim youth group will knock on doors in Simcoe Tuesday as part of a campaign to promote religious harmony and understanding.

Nearly a dozen members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association of Canada will rise at 3:45 a.m. that morning and say a prayer for Simcoe before coming to town.

According to Rizwan Rabbani, executive director of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, the youths will pray for the well-being of Simconians, the betterment of the town, and peace and harmony among religious faiths. The youths will also “pray that everyone becomes a believer of their faith.”

While in Simcoe, the youths will hand out literature that seeks to dispel some of the myths and misconceptions that have arisen around the Islamic faith in recent years. The Islamic holy book, the Koran, will be handed out free to anyone who wants one.

“Islam is a religion of peace,” Rabbani said Friday. “We are coming to promote religious harmony. We are not coming to convert. We can’t convert anybody. We don’t want to convert anybody. We want to promote harmony and understanding. We have no agenda to covert you.”

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is in the midst of a nationwide outreach program to non-Muslims. A key part of this campaign, according to AMC literature, is “condemning terrorism.” Over the past 14 months, nearly 2,700 AMC volunteers have visited more than 337,300 homes in more than 200 communities in Canada.

While in Simcoe, the youth volunteers have set a goal of visiting 500 homes. Rabbani says the exercise is good for young Muslims because it helps them understand how others perceive their faith. Muslim youth enjoy visiting small towns in Canada, Rabbani added, because people tend to be more receptive to their message.

“Going to small towns is more effective because they tend to be more religious,” he said. “They tend to listen to what you are saying.”

On the day before their visit to Simcoe, the youths will observe a traditional Muslim fast from sunrise to sunset. This means no food or drink for the entire day, which will be spent praying for the well-being and betterment of Simcoe.

Youth volunteers canvassed St. Thomas on Friday and Beamsville on Sunday. Lindsay was on deck Monday while Kingston is scheduled for Wednesday. Cambridge is up May 31.

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is a non-profit charitable organization with branches around the world. It has 65 chapters in Canada.