Manitobans remember victims of 2017 Quebec mosque shooting

Five years after the Quebec City mosque shooting, the deaths still feel fresh for some members of the Muslim community.

On Friday, the Manitoba Islamic Association held a remembrance ceremony for those killed in a religiously-motivated attack.

Around 8 p.m. Jan. 29, 2017, a gunman opened fire on people practising evening prayer at the Quebec Islamic Cultural Centre. Mamadou Tanou Barry, Azzeddine Soufiane, Abdelkrim Hassane, Ibrahima Barry, Aboubaker Thabti and Khaled Belkacemi were killed, and five others were critically injured.

"We wanted to help our community never forget what happened five years ago on the 29th of January," said Cheikh Ould Moulaye, a spokesperson for the Manitoba Islamic Association.

Because of capacity limits in place for religious gatherings, the ceremony was recorded so people could watch on social media.

The 2017 shooting is a stark reminder that Islamophobia remains a scourge in Canada, including in Manitoba.

In July, the Islamic association launched a survey to understand different Muslims' definitions of Islamophobia and experiences with it.

The results are still preliminary, but Moulaye says 70 per cent of people who responded have been victims of it, including many cases at schools and universities.

In one case, a Winnipeg teen who wears a hijab was subjected to a verbal attack when she was doing a curbside pickup in January 2021.

The teen was accosted by a woman who used a number of slurs and told her she was going to burn in hell, referencing terrorist groups who fight in the name of Islam.

"I think the first step in the right direction was to recognize [Islamophobia] exists. But I think we need now to think about ways to help people who are facing these kind of situations," Moulaye said.

"I call on the government, the City of Winnipeg, to find ways to help people who are victims of Islamophobia."

But there are also ways average people can make changes, he said.

He suggests that people who aren't Muslims should talk to their neighbours who are, instead of relying on social media or media reports or radical groups.

"Let's start that dialogue and you know, we'll see that we are not that different. We are we have a lot more in common than differences," Moulaye said.

He also asks that non-Muslims call out Islamophobia, even if it's just a joke.

"I think if you are a witness of such situation, I wish every one of us will stop that and will speak against it ... We all hope to be able to live in a safe, diverse and peaceful country. Let's work on it."