OTTAWA – Empowering the youth in the city and bringing together the Muslim community, Ottawa’s largest Muslim community conference, I.LEAD 2019, is coming back to Canada next month.

“The aim of the conference is to engage, empower and support the Muslim community to work together and actively participate in building a vibrant community and a greater Canada while maintaining a Muslim Identity,” the conference website read.

“The ILEAD conference was created and is run by the United Muslim Organizations of Ottawa – Gatineau (UMO-OG). It is an initiative that acts as a coordinating group for the 12 prominent Islamic organizations in the National Capital Region.”

For the past seven years, the team of I.LEAD has been focused on the vision of empowering the youth in the city and bringing together the Muslim community.

After a process of planning and brainstorming, the chosen I.LEAD’s theme for this year is “The Art of Perseverance”.

It also aims at addressing problems facing youth including a charged political climate, the hijab ban in Quebec, Islamophobia, the legalization of marijuana, substance abuse, failed marriages, to crime, and social media misinformation.

The speakers confirmed for now are Amal Kassir, Ibn Ali Miller, Imad Bayoun, Ibrahim Hindy, Megan Wyatt, Saad Tasleem, and Taimiyyah Zubair.

It will also include entertainment shows and a bazaar.

With a vision to empower the youth, the event organizers also plan a new exciting event prior to the actual iLEAD and that would be iLEADx.

ILEADx is a conference for the youth by the youth, in the form of a competition for the best speaker and best talent, with valuable prizes.