Muslims go on cross-country tour to thank Canadians, dispel myths

A group of Muslims are on a cross-Canada tour of more than 25 cities to debunk misconceptions about their religion. 

The roving band of faithful, part of the Ahmadiyya branch of Islam, are in Montreal July 24 and 25 with their campaign called #MobileMuslims.

"What we're trying to teach people is that Islam is completely removed from violence and terror," spokesperson James Sinclair told CBC News. 

"People who do acts of violence or any type of terrorism or extremism are completely removed from the faith."

Some of the misconceptions they say they want to address involve the veil, jihad and the Prophet Muhammad.

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"The best thing for a person who wants to learn about hijab is to ask the women who are actually wearing the hijab," said imam Ferhad Ghaffar, who is part of the caravan.

Ghaffar added that violent events in the Middle East don't represent Islam. 

"We want to educate people about the true jihad. The jihad is not a physical war," Ghaffar said.

The tour started in St. John's, N.L. on July 13 and will end in Vancouver, B.C.

Sunday the exhibition stopped in Montreal for two days.

In addition to addressing misconceptions, the tour was created to thank Canada for the freedom it's given the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community to practice freely since it came here 50 years ago.

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