'We can help one another:' Winnipeggers focus on diversity at Quebec City mosque shooting
Wednesday marks three years since six men were killed while praying in a Quebec City mosque
A crowd of more than two dozen people listened as the names, ages and jobs of all six men who died in the Quebec City mosque shooting were read aloud.
The only sound was the footsteps of those who got up to place flowers by each victim's photo.
The group, a mix of Indigenous, Jewish, Muslim, Christian and Sikh Winnipeggers, gathered at Winnipeg's First Unitarian Universalist Church on Wellington Crescent on Wednesday to mark the 3rd anniversary of the attack.
On Jan. 29, 2017, a lone gunman opened fire in a mosque, killing six men and injuring several others.The men were all husbands and fathers – 17 children lost a parent that night.
The Winnipeg memorial was organized by the Islamic Social Services Association, the Social Planning Council of Winnipeg and Independent Jewish Voices-Winnipeg. The small gathering of about 30 people spoke about strength in community, and why it's important not to forget about the effect of hate crimes.
"You want to keep it in people's consciousness that we have issues in our country," said Shahina Siddiqui, executive director of the Islamic Social Services Association. "We have issues of racism and Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, anti-Indigenous. We can't forget it."
Shooting was 'like a bad dream'
Seham Krmos and her husband moved to Canada from Libya more than 10 years ago. She said this day three years ago was "like a bad dream."
"I never imagined something like that could happen here," she said. "I love this country. I feel safe. But when you hear these stories, it puts a spot of fear in your heart and you start growing this fear for your safety, your children's safety."
As people filed into the church, they signed a petition calling on the federal government to officially recognize January 29 as a day of remembrance for the shooting, but also a day of action against Islamophobia.
Charlotte Nolin and Sandy Banman put their names on the page. The two Métis Winnipeggers have been part of memorials to mark the Quebec City massacre since it happened. On Wednesday, they opened the event by drumming two songs – one to call in ancestors to join the event, and the next a song of strong women.
"We can come together as people from all corners of the world, and we can help one another, you know?" Nolin said. "There's been too much division in the world."
Banman said the petition is a great idea — a way to try and stop history from repeating itself.
"This could happen to anybody. Hate crimes and hate speech model horrible atrocities that have happened in the past like the Holocaust," said Banman.
"It's very important to come together so that we can share each other's strengths, and you know laugh a little bit, and cry a little bit together. And to plan so that none of these things happen again."
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