Ahlul Bayt News Agency (ABNA.ir), More than a thousand people are expected in South Florida over the weekend for a national gathering of Shiite Muslims.
Muslim Congress, a Houston-based organization, will hold its annual conference on Islam, family life and civic engagement on Saturday and Sunday at the Hyatt Regency hotel in downtown Miami.
The event will include presentations from dozens of Shiite clerics from across the country. Organizers are expecting around 1,500 Muslims to travel to South Florida for speeches and panels on topics from ``dealing with fellow Muslims'' and ``living Koran in the western world'' to ``civil rights and advocacy'' and ``dealing with marital conflicts.''
``It's a platform for all Muslims to get together, to discuss, to listen in,'' said organizer Mohammad Ali Baig, who is a prayer leader at the Madinatul Ilm Islamic Center in Tampa and the Husseini Islamic Center in Orlando.
``As Muslims, we need to get on one platform so we can involve ourselves in the process here. If we as Muslims can get together, we can effectively get involved in the world,'' Baig said.
This is the organization's sixth annual conference and its first in South Florida. Last year, about 1,800 Muslims attended its gathering in Dearborn, Mich. Members of a handful of South Florida Shiite mosques will be participating, including those of the Islamic Jaffaria Association in Hialeah Gardens.
There are two major branches of Islam, with Sunni Muslims making up the majority and Shiite Muslims the minority. The branches developed after the death of the Muslim prophet Mohammed in the seventh century, when his followers split over who would lead Islam.
While many aspects of the Muslim Congress conference are aimed toward Shiite Muslims, Baig said it's open to other Muslims, as well.
``We invite all Muslims because the issues we face are similar, such as how to maintain our Muslim identity and how to raise our youth,'' he said.
source : http://abna.ir/
