AhlulBayt News Agency: On Monday evening, the Islamic Cultural Centre in the Sainte-Foy neighbourhood of Quebec City will host a public commemoration and reception to honour the six men who lost their lives in a horrific act of violence seven years ago.
The event, which will also be streamed online in both official languages, coincides with the National Day of Remembrance of the Quebec City Mosque Attack and Action against Islamophobia, CBC News reported on Monday.
On Jan. 29, 2017, a gunman stormed into the mosque and opened fire shortly after evening prayers, killing Mamadou Tanou Barry, Ibrahima Barry, Khaled Belkacemi, Abdelkrim Hassane, Azzeddine Soufiane and Aboubaker Thabti, and injuring 19 others. The attack left 17 children without their fathers.
Boufeldja Benabdallah, the mosque's co-founder, says he still feels overcome with emotion when he thinks of the men he calls his brothers. "They were cruelly killed and left their families," he said. "Children who were very young are now teenagers."
Benabdallah, along with members of a citizens committee dedicated to commemorating the victims, announced the details of the event at a news conference in Quebec City on Thursday.
He said it will be an opportunity to remember the tragedy and to work toward fostering harmony in the society.
Mohamed Labidi, president of the Islamic centre, said holding the commemoration every year is very difficult, but also a duty. "To remember this event every year and to have a lesson from it toward a society without discrimination, without racism, without Islamophobia," he said.
Labidi said he has seen some progress in building a more tolerant and inclusive society in recent years. "Since the first commemoration we have worked very hard to increase the actions of living together," he said. "So, with this theme in mind, we are holding the commemoration to eliminate racism."
Benabdallah said the anniversary is also a time to celebrate the "birth of a big inter-community solidarity movement" that emerged after the attack.
He said he will never forget the generosity and support the mosque received from the people of Quebec City. "We have to remember that within our community, within our Quebec and Canadian society there is good … Islamophobia and racism, it's only in a fraction of the population," he said.
Mélina Chasles, a member of the citizens committee, said more dialogue and awareness are needed to combat Islamophobia in Quebec. "The problem with this type of discrimination … it is part of everyday life," she said. "To address it, it's not just something we have to do once a year by taking a moment of silence. It involves breaking that silence afterwards."
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The event, which will also be streamed online in both official languages, coincides with the National Day of Remembrance of the Quebec City Mosque Attack and Action against Islamophobia, CBC News reported on Monday.
On Jan. 29, 2017, a gunman stormed into the mosque and opened fire shortly after evening prayers, killing Mamadou Tanou Barry, Ibrahima Barry, Khaled Belkacemi, Abdelkrim Hassane, Azzeddine Soufiane and Aboubaker Thabti, and injuring 19 others. The attack left 17 children without their fathers.
Boufeldja Benabdallah, the mosque's co-founder, says he still feels overcome with emotion when he thinks of the men he calls his brothers. "They were cruelly killed and left their families," he said. "Children who were very young are now teenagers."
Benabdallah, along with members of a citizens committee dedicated to commemorating the victims, announced the details of the event at a news conference in Quebec City on Thursday.
He said it will be an opportunity to remember the tragedy and to work toward fostering harmony in the society.
Mohamed Labidi, president of the Islamic centre, said holding the commemoration every year is very difficult, but also a duty. "To remember this event every year and to have a lesson from it toward a society without discrimination, without racism, without Islamophobia," he said.
Labidi said he has seen some progress in building a more tolerant and inclusive society in recent years. "Since the first commemoration we have worked very hard to increase the actions of living together," he said. "So, with this theme in mind, we are holding the commemoration to eliminate racism."
Benabdallah said the anniversary is also a time to celebrate the "birth of a big inter-community solidarity movement" that emerged after the attack.
He said he will never forget the generosity and support the mosque received from the people of Quebec City. "We have to remember that within our community, within our Quebec and Canadian society there is good … Islamophobia and racism, it's only in a fraction of the population," he said.
Mélina Chasles, a member of the citizens committee, said more dialogue and awareness are needed to combat Islamophobia in Quebec. "The problem with this type of discrimination … it is part of everyday life," she said. "To address it, it's not just something we have to do once a year by taking a moment of silence. It involves breaking that silence afterwards."
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