Ken Ahamad | “In the wake of our latest terrorist attack on a mosque in Quebec it would be a tragedy for peace if we failed to stand up for the protection of others.”
On Monday, a gunman opened fire at a Quebec City mosque during evening prayers. A Quebec City imam was pronounced dead and five other people were wounded. No one has been arrested, and the suspect is still at large.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took to his Facebook page on Sunday evening to defend Canadian Muslims who spoke out against violence against mosques.
“I’m proud of the way Muslims in Canada speak out in support of our values of peace, respect for each other, and in defence of religious pluralism,” Trudeau wrote.
“What I am most proud of is the openness and accessibility of Muslim and all Canadians to say something important.”
In a statement, a spokesman for The Islamic Society of Hamilton said the group has “no plans to leave Canada” and was saddened by the attack and “our prayers go out to all who were impacted and their families.”
The statement said they will be co-operating with investigators and had been in contact with a number of law enforcement agencies.
“As a Muslim community at the centre of this tragic situation, the IHS is in constant contact with its members to facilitate the healing process.”
‘We are deeply shocked’
“We are deeply shocked and deeply saddened by what happened [Sunday],” Hamilton Imam Ali Sohail said, adding the Muslim community is “very close knit.”
“All we are asking of people is to support each other. We are always being ready to lend support to anyone if they need it.”
‘This is an incident of hate. I can understand why everybody wants to say, this is an attack on Muslims. This is an attack on Islam. This is an attack on everybody who is a Muslim. We were attacked here.”
Mohamed Abdiqadir, a spokesman for the Council of Canadians, a group of community leaders in Toronto, called the attack “disgusting,” given the Islamic faith’s tolerance of free speech and pluralism.
“These events are part of the ongoing assault on Canadian values, as we see hate crimes against Muslims become more common,” said Abdiqadir.
“We want to see more Muslim leadership rise up to condemn this violence. Because the more leadership