Muslim groups ask PM to commemorate mosque massacre with ‘day of remembrance and action’
Canadian Muslim organizations and community partners are calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to designate January 29th as a National Day of Remembrance and Action on Islamophobia.
The open letter comes in the lead up to the first anniversary of the devastating terrorist attack on the Centre Culturel Islamique de Québec (CCIQ) on January 29, 2017, that claimed the lives of 6 Muslim men, seriously injured many others and left 6 widows and 17 orphans.
“The ongoing impact being felt within the Quebec Muslim community and more broadly, Canadian Muslim communities, one year after the attack speaks to the urgent need for our elected leaders to stand firmly against Islamophobia and the agents of bigotry,” said the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) Executive Director Ihsaan Gardee.
The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), a prominent civil liberties and advocacy organization sent the open letter today to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
“With the rise of far-right extremist groups that continue to threaten the safety of Canadian Muslim institutions and congregations, it is critical that our elected leaders stand firmly against Islamophobia and the agents of bigotry who aim to foment hateful division between Canadians and their fellow Muslim citizens,” says the letter.
“We must not allow voices of hate, even ones that may initially appear to be on the margins, to permeate our public discourse and damage our social fabric.”
“In light of the upcoming anniversary, we believe such a designation would enable Canadians to join together in remembering the victims of the attack, while also increasing public awareness about the threats posed by hate, bigotry and Islamophobia to the Canadian social fabric,” added NCCM Public Affairs Coordinator Eve Torres.
The open letter echoes a previous call for January 29 to be declared a National Day of Remembrance and Action on Islamophobia, which was made by a coalition of national and Quebec-based Muslim organizations, led by the NCCM, in the immediate aftermath of the Quebec mosque attack.