Feds committed to doing more to fight Islamophobia, day of remembrance named for mosque shooting
Posted January 29, 2021 4:01 pm.
Last Updated January 29, 2021 5:12 pm.
QUEBEC CITY – Four years after the Quebec City mosque attack left six men dead and 19 injured the Canadian government announced Jan. 29 will now be a national day of remembrance.
On Jan. 29, 2017, Alexandre Bissonnette entered the Quebec Islamic Cultural Centre and opened fire just before 8 p.m.
ORIGINAL STORY: 6 dead, 5 in critical condition in Quebec mosque attack
The attack lasted less than two minutes. Children lost their fathers, six wives lost their husbands and many lives were changed forever.
Ibrahima Barry, Mamadou Tanou Barry, Khaled Belkacemi, Aboubaker Thabti, Abdelkrim Hassane and Azzedine Soufiane all died.
Ayman Derbali was shot seven times that night. He was called a hero as he tried to protect others when the gunman came in.
FULL INTERVIEW: OMNI speaks to survivor of the 2017 Quebec mosque attack Ayman Derbali
He spent two months in a coma and was left paralyzed.
“All the time I feel pain because I received some bullets in nervous places in all my parts of my body almost,” said Derbali.
Multiple commemorative events took place virtually Friday, including from the mosque itself in Quebec City.
WATCH: Honouring the victims of the Quebec City mosque shooting
The Muslim community’s pain is still fresh and many are calling on federal and provincial governments to do more to combat racism and gun violence.
“We need to fight against this problem which is Islamophobia and all other forms of [bigotry] and racism in Canada,” said Derbali.
“We know that in many years–just like Dec. 6 and what happened at Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal–that Jan. 29 and the tragedy that happened will never be forgotten. We will always remember that this isn’t a random act of violence but targeted violence against six Muslim men,” said Nora Loreto, a member of the citizen-led “I remember January 29” initiative.
The federal government says it’s committed to doing more.
“No one should ever be afraid because of the way they pray. Not in Canada and not anywhere around the world. Today and always, we must stand strong and united, because that will be our path forward,” said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
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NDP leader Jagmeet Singh says he wants more concrete action to fight Islamophobia.
“It is not good enough to just remember what happened and commemorating the lives lost. We need to go behind to make sure this never happens again. We need concrete steps to end this form of hate and the violence that flows to it. It has to be ended,” said Singh.
WATCH: NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh marks the 4th anniversary of the Quebec mosque shooting
For Derbali, Quebec still has a long way to go in recognizing Islamophobia and political engagement on the issue is lacking.
“You might know the premier of Quebec didn’t even recognize the existence of Islamophobia. So, if you don’t recognize the existence of something you cannot fight against this thing. For him, [Islamophobia] doesn’t exist,” said Derbali.
-with files from OMNI
