Quebec commemorates the fifth anniversary of the massacre at the Great Mosque of Quebec which took place on January 29, 2017. This massacre left 6 fathers killed, 6 widows, 17 orphans and 1 father quadriplegic. Several people who were at the mosque at the time of the killing will be traumatized for life.
Posted yesterday at 11:00 a.m.
Commemoration activities will take place in several cities across Canada. We will pay tribute to Boubakr, Khaled, Abdelkrim, Izziddine, Mamadou and Ibrahima who lost their lives in the mosque shooting. We will also show our solidarity with Ayman Derbaly, who was paraplegic in the shooting.
Unfortunately, all these commemoration activities will not be able to bring back to a widow her husband or to an orphan his father or to Ayman Derbaly the quality of life he had before the tragedy. Sadly, the lives of the Aymans and the 6 widows and 17 orphans are changed forever.
Five years ago, on February 3, 2017, during my tribute to the victims of the massacre, I made a sincere appeal asking that the post-January 29, 2017 be different from before January 29, 2017. I also appeals to our leaders and to all of society to take the necessary measures to ensure that these victims are the last victims of acts of hatred and hate propaganda.
Sadly, there was another murder in Toronto and four more in London, Ontario. The three killers did not know their victims, they chose them at random for one and only one reason: “they are Muslims”.
Following each of these bloody attacks, there were condemnations and numerous speeches of sympathy and solidarity with the victims.
On March 23, 2017, the House of Commons passed Motion 103 condemning Islamophobia and “all forms of racism and systemic religious discrimination”. He also recommended that a committee undertake a study on how the government could eliminate this problem and collect data on hate crimes.
On January 28, 2021, the federal government announced its intention to make January 29 a National Day of Commemoration of the Quebec City Mosque Attack and of Action Against Islamophobia, to honor the victims and express its solidarity with the survivors of this tragedy.
On July 22, 2021, a Canadian National Summit was held to combat Islamophobia. These are steps in the right direction. Sadly, we have heard condemnations and witnessed commemorations, but we have seen no real action to protect society from Islamophobia.
Now is the time to act!
Islamophobia exists and kills people. It threatens not only Muslims, but also our whole society.
In the same way that the slogan “Black Lives Matter” was repeated after the murder of George Floyd, and that “All Children Matter” was repeated after the discovery of the remains of First Nations children, it is time to declare the slogan “Muslim lives matter”.
The victims of the Quebec and London killings were academics and professionals who made a very positive contribution to Canadian society. They chose this society and this society welcomed them and they served it with dedication and loyalty. Therefore, we can say that the greatest loser, after the families of the victims, was not their countries of origin, but rather Canadian society.
Combating Islamophobia is the responsibility of federal, provincial and municipal governments, the media, academic institutions, the private sector, and the responsibility of each of us.
It is time to enact laws and regulations to define and prohibit Islamophobia like all other forms of discrimination and acts of hate, and to regulate social media to stop the spread of the culture of hate.
Moreover, according to alarming reports, supremacist individuals and groups have managed to infiltrate the ranks of the armed forces and some police forces. It is important that these forces remain neutral to better serve and protect all Canadians, regardless of religion or ethnicity.
Our greatest enemy is ignorance. We live next to each other without opening up to each other. We need to get to know each other better.
It is time to review our school and university curricula to teach our students that their Muslim colleague is a fellow citizen and a partner and not an enemy or a threat.
After all, and probably above all, it is everyone’s responsibility to be part of the solution and not to make the problem worse.
We are required to condemn acts of injustice, discrimination and hatred, regardless of the origin of the perpetrators or victims. This is the best way to commemorate and honor our victims and ensure a better future for our children.