
The horrific Sunday night attack on a Quebec City mosque that left six men dead and 19 wounded prompted an outpouring of love and support for the Muslim community.
The weight of Sunday’s shooting, which Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned as “a terrorist attack,” was felt by communities all over the world, who were also reeling from the repercussions of President Donald Trump’s newly-implemented ban on immigration.
Tonight, we gathered in Quebec City as one community, as one country, and as one family. #TousUnis pic.twitter.com/NyHWR0yzqk
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) January 31, 2017
A large vigil was held in Quebec City, attended by several political leaders including Trudeau, and numerous other cities followed suit—from Toronto to Iqaluit.
Iqaluit residents stand in solidarity with Muslims https://t.co/oqB91asu4g pic.twitter.com/nMNE9Hvlhb
— Nunatsiaq News (@NunatsiaqNews) January 30, 2017
The mayor of Calgary, Naheed Nenshi, voiced his grief on Twitter with a heartfelt message to and from his community.
When Muslims hear of a death, we say Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un – We belong to God, and to him we return. I say for Quebec tonight.
— Naheed Nenshi (@nenshi) January 30, 2017
Nenshi also announced that the Calgary Tower would be dark on Monday night, and other downtown spaces lit in blue, white, and gold, “in solidarity with Quebec.”
The Calgary Tower has never been as visible as it is tonight, unlit in solidarity. #avecquebec
— Arlene Dickinson (@ArleneDickinson) January 31, 2017
In a show of support, the Eiffel Tower in Paris also went dark on Monday night.
I will turn my lights off tonight, at midnight, to show my support to Quebec and Canadian people. #EiffelTower pic.twitter.com/Tf3VCOjcjh
— La tour Eiffel (@LaTourEiffel) January 30, 2017
Activist groups, including Black Lives Matter and the Canadian arm of the Women’s March, shared messages of support. (Canada’s Women’s March has also just released a call to action to address the U.S. Muslim Ban and Islamophobia in Canada.)
We stand with the Muslim community in #QuebecCity
— Black Lives Matter (@Blklivesmatter) January 30, 2017
Our hearts are with Quebec tonight.
Nos coeurs sont au Québec ce soir.#WeAreOne #unisensembles
— Women’s March Canada (@CdnWomenMarch) January 30, 2017
French-Canadian singer-songwriter Coeur de Pirate expressed her grief on the social media platform, while singer-songwriter Ladan Hussein, better known as Cold Specks, had a message of strength.
J’ai mal au cœur
— Coeur de pirate (@beatricepirate) January 30, 2017
Somali. Muslim. Forever and always unapologetic. You will not break me.
— Cold Specks (@coldspecks) January 30, 2017
Muslim-Canadian journalists also shared their heartbreak. On the evening of the shooting, Sportsnet anchor Faizal Khamisa tweeted, “My parents just called me, rattled, to ask if I was ok in Quebec City. “Better not tell anyone you’re Muslim,” my mom said. I’m done.”
In light of stories such as Khamisa’s, CityNews journalist Ginella Massa, the first woman to anchor a Canadian broadcast while wearing a hijab, sent strength to other Muslim colleagues.
Sending love to all the Muslim journalists out there having to put away their personal emotions to do their jobs this weekend. I see you
— Ginella Massa (@Ginella_M) January 30, 2017
And Farrah Khan, a sexual violence support and education coordinator at Ryerson University in Toronto, started the hashtag #MosqueMemories, which she used to share exactly what the mosque means to her community. Twitter users quickly adopted it.
What are you favourite #mosquememories? Mine is children climbing on their father’s back and the father continuing to pray. It’s so sweet.
— Farrah Khan (@farrah_khan) January 30, 2017
Related:
What It Was Like on the Ground at Toronto’s #MuslimBan Protest
Meet the First Woman in Canada to Anchor the News in a Hijab
7 Ways People Are Protesting Trump’s #MuslimBan
You Marched. Now What? The Next Step for Canadian Women