Quebec Muslims uneasy after school attack

(February 12, 2015)- A Quebec Muslim group is calling on government officials to respond to the climate of violence against Muslims in the province.

The Quebec Collective against Islamphobia (CQCI) issued the appeal after shots were fired at École Musulmane secondaire de Montréal (EMM – Montreal Muslim Secondary School).

Staff at the school discovered shattered windows in two classrooms when they arrived at about 7:30 Monday morning.

Montreal police are investigating the attack on the school on Cavendish Blvd. after six windows were shot out with a gun.

“This hateful act takes place in the wake of a series of investigations on Muslim schools and other Muslim community institutions,” said Adil Charkaoui, CQCI coordinator. “It’s a further sign of a deteriorating social climate for Quebec’s Muslims.”

The CQCI is calling on municipal, provincial and federal officials to play a role in the fight against Islamophobia by responding to CQCI’s recommendations for a plan of action against Islamophobia and start a public awareness campaign to restore the social peace.

“Not only politicians have a duty to combat hate speech and violent acts targeting the Muslim community but the media must also become more conscious that, by keeping the Muslim community under scrutiny, it can greatly contribute to stigmatization,” added Charkaoui.

According to CQCI, the Muslim community has been in the spotlight recently as certain media outlets have redoubled their efforts to investigate Muslim institutions and report on topics such as religious accommodation.