'Give and receive love': Friend of Quebec mosque attack victim finds strength in community
Quebec professor Larbi Yahia remembers a colleague shot dead in the attack on a mosque as a father, a husband, a teacher and a friend — and vows not to allow the killings destroy his faith in humanity.
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Larbi Yahia's close friend Khaled Belkacemi (left) was among those killed in a shooting at a Quebec City mosque on Sunday night. Yahia says he finds strength in the show of solidarity seen across the country, such as the vigil pictured here in Montreal. (Universite Laval/Ryan Remiorz/CP)
The community has asked that the six men who were murdered be remembered as more than victims of their killer's hate. They were fathers and sons. They were friends.
Quebec mosque victims, clockwise from left: Azzeddine Soufiane, Mamadou Tanou Barry, Khaled Belkacemi, Aboubaker Thabti, Ibrahima Barry and Abdelkrim Hassane (CBC) Larbi Yahia was at the Islamic Cultural Centre on Sunday. He saw the gunman kill his closest friend, Laval Professor Khaled Belkacemi. Larbi spoke with As It Happens guest host Helen Mann about his friend and why he is heartened by the outpouring of support for his community. Here is part of their conversation.
The social harmony promised by Quebec's leaders after the shooting has failed to materialize. (Paul Chiasson/Canadian Press) Helen Mann: Mr. Yahia, first of all we're very sorry about the loss of your friend. What can you tell us about Mr. Belkacemi?
Larbi Yahia: We were friends because we knew each other for more than 40 years. We were students together in Algeria before we came here. When I came to Quebec we in touch again. We were always meeting — every day almost. We do our things. We practice sport. We do all our social activities together. Time to time it happens that we go to the mosque. It's not quite often but it happens that we go to the mosque.
Boufeldja Benabdallah, centre, co-founder of the Quebec Islamic Centre, flanked by two members of the Muslim community, recite a verse from the Qur' an, at a service for victims of the shooting. (Jacques Boissinot/CP) HM: You were there when he died. Can you tell us what you remember about the attack?
LY: The only thing I can say is that I wish that no one can attend this kind of event. I don't really want to speak about the event itself, no. The facts, no. It was too horrible and the minutes that I spent there — it was too, too long. I'd like to talk more about other things — to provide a message of peace and love. I can tell you that Quebec City, and all Quebec, it's a wonderful place and wonderful people. It's where I shared love. I shared activities. I have a lot of friends. I have never had a single problem since 20 years here.
I hope that the world, as a whole, will stop this question of hate. All this hate message has to stop, enough is a enough. We have to be humans — that's it.- Larbi Yahia
LY: We never thought that those things could happen here. Quebec people they are very, very nice and very friendly. What they showed yesterday, all the solidarity movements that went through all of Canada and especially here in Quebec City, I hope that this movement will continue. Enough is enough, you know, the world is very sick. Enough is enough.
Iman Dr Shabir Ally leads a prayer as members of the community gather for a vigil on Jan. 31, in support of the victims of Sunday's shooting in a Quebec City mosque. (Chris Young/CP) HM: We spoke with a member of the mosque who said that he was at this point still frightened about his safety and the implications of what happened. Do you feel the same way?
LY: No, not at all. Personally, I don't feel like that. I'm quite confident that it's a separate act that happened because of the hate. It would be really, really difficult to put solutions to avoid this kind of event. But at least we can make sure, with a good relationship. There's a lack of communication. Ignorance, lot of ignorance. People, they don't know. Who is that person? They just listen or go through the mass media or social network and take things that have nothing to do with the reality. I live here in Quebec. I'm very happy with my Quebec friends. I'm very happy with all the people that I've met since 20 years.
Khaled Belkacemi, pictured here with his wife, Safia Hamoudi, was a professor at Laval University. (Facebook) HM: You spoke with such praise for your friend Professor Belkacemi. Can you tell us a little bit about his family?
LY: I spent the last two days in their house. He has three children. One girl, she's a lawyer, The other is a student at university, the third one – his young one – is a student at a secondary school. He left three children, very nice children. His wife, she's a doctor. Exactly like him, she works at University of Laval with him at the same department. They are very well-educated people. The people that were killed, they're all nice people. They go, they pray from time to time, and they go back home.
The city of Victoria and the Muslim community held a vigil on Jan. 31 to honour the victims of the Quebec City mosque shooting. (Chad Hipolitio/CP) HM: Where are you getting your strength to support the family, to help out the way you are, and to speak to us today?
LY: Well, thank you. To tell you the truth, I'm still under shock. But it's my personality. I've always been like this — positive. To try to give and receive love — that's my message now, and for the future. You have to be tolerant. You have to be respectful and you have to bring love. You have to know each other to go to the other and let the other come to you as well...Right now, all the Quebec people, plenty of messages from Quebec friends, Canadian friends. Quebec and Canada are peaceful places. I hope that it will continue like this. I hope that the world, as a whole, will stop this question of hate. All this hate message has to stop, enough is a enough. We have to be humans — that's it.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity. For more on this story, listen to our full interview with Larbi Yahia.
