— Hundreds of refugees from Syria were able to experience religious freedom for the first time in years as they gathered at a conference of 25,000 Ahmadiyya Muslims in Mississauga, Ont., this weekend. Wissam Alburaki, 41, brought his wife and three children to Canada as refugees last month, landing in Calgary by way of Kuwait and Dubai. He was one of hundreds of Syrian refugees attending the conference, according to Safwan Choudhry, a spokesperson for the Canadian chapter of the group. Persecution is especially present in Syria, Choudhry said, where many Ahmadiyya Muslims are forced to practise in secret. Many of the Syrian refugees… could have never imagined going to such a convention in Syria.”

Source: National Post October 09, 2016 19:18 UTC