SASKATOON, Canada – Welcoming an increasing number of refugees, Saskatoon hosts a two-day conference to promote a better understanding of Islam and Muslims, addressing misconceptions about refugees and their faith.

“I’m sure there are lots of incidents where there are miscommunications, misunderstandings, something lost in translation,” Naqaa Abbas, a scholar of Islam and one of the conference organizers, told CBC Radio’s Saskatoon Morning on Saturday, May 14.

Held under the title, Islam on the Prairies, the two-day event kicked off on Saturday at the University of Saskatchewan.

Conference participants will hear from Saskatoon Police, the Open Door Society and local academics.

Abbas denied claims that Muslims don’t want to integrate in Canada or that they are not willing to accept Canadian culture.

She pointed to an Environics survey that recently came out, and said the survey suggests “the Muslim community here wants to integrate, both culturally and also linguistically, as much as they can.”

When asked how proud they were to be Canadian, an average of 83 per cent of Muslims who responded to the survey said they were “very proud.”

The Muslim scholar added she hopes the conference brings discussion about unity, pluralism and tolerance, especially as Saskatchewan continues to welcome newcomers.

“I think Saskatoon is going to see even more changes happening within the next 10 to 20 years because it’s not just that generation of Syrians, but it’s also their children and grandchildren that are going to be integrating here and going to be living here,” she said.

She was already witnessing a change with increased interest in learning Arabic.

“I teach Arabic and I am already getting calls from people all over saying ‘where can I take Arabic classes?’ “