(Quebec) The Islamic Cultural Center of Quebec is organizing a virtual event on Friday and Saturday to mark the fourth anniversary of the attack on the Grand Mosque in Quebec that left six people dead and 19 wounded on January 29, 2017.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, this year will be celebrated on Zoom and on the social network Facebook. On Friday, the recitation of the Qur’an was scheduled to begin at 10:45 am, and prayers for two imams would begin on the dead and their families. A press conference was scheduled to take place at 11 am.
In the afternoon, there was an activity on combating Islamophobia and the Muslim Women Council of Quebec to deal with building together to counter the polarization in Quebec.
The program also includes a memorial in Montreal with, in addition to Mayor Valerie Blunt, Samir Majzoub, President of the Canadian Islamic Forum (CMF) and Muhammad Khabar who was injured during the attack.
Commemoration of the attack on the Great Mosque of Quebec was also planned and a conference organized by the Islamic Cultural Center of Quebec was held.
Quebec Prime Minister Francois Legault recorded a message Thursday to mark the commemoration.
Other conferences will be held on Saturday in addition to a film screening.
The Islamic Cultural Center of Quebec indicates that the online gathering will also seek to recall the solidarity of citizens and institutions regarding the Muslim community in Quebec after the tragedy.
On Thursday, the Canadian government announced its intention to make January 29 the national day to commemorate the attack on the Quebec mosque and to work against Islamophobia.
“Eliminating Islamophobia is an important pillar of Canada’s strategy to combat racism,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement issued Friday morning to commemorate the tragedy.
“Total creator. Evil zombie fan. Food evangelist. Alcohol practitioner. Web aficionado. Passionate beer advocate.”