ONTARIO – On this day last year, six Muslim men were killed and nineteen others injured, some gravely, at the Centre Culturel Islamique de Québec when a gunman entered the mosque and opened fire on worshippers during evening prayers.
The names of the six victims are: Azzedine Soufiane, Khaled Belkacemi, Aboubaker Thabti, Abdelkrim Hassane, Mamadou Tanou Barry and Ibrahima Barry. The men are survived by six widows and 17 orphans.
As Canadian Muslims remember the victims, they also lament the rise of hate crimes nationwide, affected by the rhetoric of their southern neighbors in the White House.
This file sheds light on how Muslims remember the deceased and voice hope for a better future.
One year after the Quebec mosque shooting that left six worshipers killed, Canadian Muslims are expressing rising fear of becoming a target of Islamophobic attacks and casual racism, as politicians’ promises of social harmony failed to materialize.
“Survivors of a tragedy like this one can find a way to move forward, they receive help and signs of solidarity. But the emptiness left by the person will never be filled. That’s the hardest part. Knowing that the person will never be there to see their children grow up.”
The Canadian city council of Hamilton has recognized January 29 as the Day of Remembrance and Action on Islamophobia, the day marking the first anniversary of the Quebec mosque shooting in which six worshippers were killed.
Rallies against Islamophobia are planned in three Montreal neighborhoods next Monday on the first anniversary of the Quebec mosque massacre.
One year after the fatal shooting that resulted in the death of six Muslim worshippers, the Islamic center in Quebec, Montreal, joined a national campaign to help the homeless facing freezing winter weather.
A Canadian Muslim civil rights group sent an open letter on Friday to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urging the government to designate January 29 as a National Day of Remembrance and Action on Islamophobia.
Canadians have started a new fundraising campaign for a Canadian Muslim who took seven bullets when he tried to distract the gunman inside Quebec mosque last January, after which he was paralyzed.