Remembering January 29 & Leading Change

Abdelkrim Hassane, Mamadou Tanou Barry, Ibrahima Barry, Azzeddine Soufiane, Khaled Belkacemi, and Aboubaker Thabti. These are the men whose lives were taken on January 29, 2017 at the Islamic Cultural Centre of Quebec City.

We’re taking time to reflect on the impact this violence has had on Muslims across Canada, the ways in which Islamophobia persists in different communities, and how individuals are leading change. In partnership with Muslim Link, we’ll be bringing you stories and reflections from Muslims across the country. We are hearing from Nasra Adem, Aquil Virani, Mohamed Salih, Idil Kalif, Aatif Baskerandi, Farah Islam, Hanan HazimeNakita Valerio, and Sarah Jama.

Learn more here:

Remembering January 29

 

Transcript:

Today, thousands of individuals across Canada are marking the Quebec City Mosque attack. We are remembering Abdelkrim Hassane, Mamadou Tanou Barry, Ibrahima Barry, Azzeddine Soufiane, Khaled Belkacemi, and Aboubaker Thabti. These six men were praying at the Islamic Cultural Centre of Quebec City when their lives were taken. We think of their families and communities, as well as the five people who were left in critical condition that evening.

While honouring those affected by the January 29th attack, we are holding space for all those affected by anti-Muslim sentiment. Sometimes these are incidents we hear about on the news, but often these are moments of intimidation or violence in public, workplaces, schools, etc. that may not be widely known or for various reasons may never be reported. When we think about the urgent response needed to January 29th, we must also remember it is critical we seek solutions to eradicate all Islamophobia.
This requires better understanding how our experiences of Islamophobia are also impacted by and intersect with our class, race, gender, sexual orientation, ability, immigration status, and location in this country.

Islamophobia happens everyday. And organizations, individuals, activists, policy makers, and others are responding in hopeful, powerful, and heartening ways.

In considering how we can remember January 29th and learn what leading change can look like, Muslim Link and Inspirit Foundation found an opportunity to come together and hear from Muslims across Canada. These individuals told us about the lasting impact of January 29, how Islamophobia manifests in everyday life, and the ways people are responding in their communities. We heard from a city councillor, artists, mental health advocates, researchers, activists, and more. We’ll be sharing their stories on Muslim Link and Inspirit Foundation’s social media channels all week at @InspiritFdn and @Muslim_Link.

Please join us.

Leave a Comment