This January 29th, let's commit to the road ahead

Today marks an occasion that forever changed our community and our country.
Today marks the “National Day of Remembrance of the Quebec City Mosque Attack and Action against Islamophobia” and the sixth anniversary of the attack on Janurary 29th, 2017, that took the lives of six worshippers.

As we reflect on the fight against Islamophobia and hate, we start with remembering our brothers’ names, some who perished while trying to stop the gunman from claiming more lives.

We will keep speaking their names:

Ibrahima Barry  

Mamadou Tanou Barry  

Khaled Belkacemi      

Abdelkrim Hassane  

Azzedine Soufiane

Aboubaker Thabti

Since that day, five more Muslim have perished in Islamophobic attacks in Toronto’s IMO Mosque as well as in London, Ontario.

In the aftermath of these horrors, we stood with you to convene the first National Action Summit on Islamophobia, which listed detailed policy recommendations to tackle the growing tide of anti-Muslim hate in Canada.

This week, two more major items on that list have, by the Grace of Allah swt and the hard work of many community members, become a reality.

This Thursday, Amira Elghawaby was named as the first Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia, a milestone in the fight against hate in Canada.

Also, on Wednesday night, the Peel District School Board in the Greater Toronto Area became the first school board in Canada to adopt an anti-Islamophobia strategy.

The road ahead, as we reflect on these wins, is still long. We must begin today with acts of remembrance that spur us to action. This is why I am asking you to join our #GreenSquareCampaign, which seeks to spread awareness of what happened six years ago and expand the fight against Islamophobia as widely as possible.

Wear a green square on your lapels to signify your remembrance and organize your local community In acts of remembrance, such as lighting up local monuments and landmarks in green or convening a vigil to commemorate those we lost six years ago.

For more details on what you can do, please visit our #GreenSquareCampaign page: www.greensquarecampaign.ca

Today, let us remember that we have made great strides in our journey towards a Canada without hate, but we have much more to do. Let us remember that Islamophobia, when allowed to fester, poses a danger to the fabric of this country.

And let that remembrance not dwell idly in ourselves, but let it push us into action for justice as a community.  

Thank you for continuing to stand for justice.
Sincerely,
Stephen Brown CEO of NCCM