First Halal Fest hosted in Regina, organizers look to educate public on Islam

WATCH: A new festival premiered in Regina over the weekend, giving visitors a taste of Islamic culture. Damian Smith reports.

For the first time in Regina history, Halal Fest took place in the city.

Hosted at the Darul Falah Islamic Centre on Saturday, a group of about 10 organizers came up with Halal Fest to show the religion of Islam.

“I think what’s unique about this community is that in many ways, we are trying to figure out a mode of engaging Islam that can speak to this cultural context, without losing some of the things that we value from the places that we’ve come from,” said Aasif Bulbulia, who is the youth and community engagement officer at the Darul Falah Islamic Centre.

“It’s a very exciting moment to be living through,” he added.

Bulbulia moved from Johannesburg, South Africa this February to work at the Islamic Centre, but also at the Regina Youth Institute.

The Muslim population in Regina sits at around 20,000 people. Clothing and Quran education were some of the booths set up at the event - but food seemed to be the most attractive event.

Taste and Twist, a halal food truck business, used Halal Fest as a way to gain exposure in their first year of being in business.

Selling food options such as chicken hotdogs, poutine and even AAA steak – Taste and Twist hopes that this can be a yearly tradition in the Regina area.

“I can say that for the organizers, for it [Halal Fest] being the first time, they are very brave,” said Habib, who is the owner of the food truck. “It’s a big event for them. But they’re trying really hard. On top of that, those volunteers have done a really good job.”

Habib moved to Canada in 2013 from Bangladesh and wants the festival to educate people on Islam and the difference between halal and non-halal food.

“When people shoot an animal and kill the animal, that’s not the halal way,” Habib said. “So, in the halal process, before we cut the animal, we pray to God and then we slaughter the animal. There’s no difference, it’s the same animal, same things. Just when they cut the animal instead of shooting, we cut the animal in the name of God,” he explained.

• Download the CTV News app to get breaking news alerts sent to your device

For Bulbulia and the other organizers, they’re hoping that the festival can be a mainstay for many years to come, along with educating on Islam on a “deeper level”.

“We recognize and we understand that there may be many misconceptions that people have about Islam and about Muslims,” he said. “I think we are living in a time where there’s a deepening of polarization, there’s a deepening of misunderstandings. There’s a deepening of a lot of the racism and the bigotry that is tearing communities apart.”

“We believe it is necessary, especially to take proactive measures that will allow us to foster a deeper level of understanding so that we can get together, get to know one another, and hopefully strengthen the bonds of relationship, and kinship within our communities,” he added.

If the festival returns next year, it’s possible that it will switch locations due to capacity reasons.