QUEBEC – A Canadian Muslim civil rights group sent an open letter on Friday to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urging the government to designate January 29 as a National Day of Remembrance and Action on Islamophobia.
“The ongoing impact being felt within the Quebec Muslim community—and more broadly, Canadian Muslim communities—one year after the attack speaks to the urgent need for our elected leaders to stand firmly against Islamophobia and the agents of bigotry,” says NCCM Executive Director Ihsaan Gardee in a statement sent to AboutIslam.net.
Supported by a wide spectrum of Canadian Muslim organizations as well as community partners, the open letter comes in the lead up to the first anniversary of the devastating terrorist attack on the Centre Culturel Islamique de Québec (CCIQ) on January 29, 2017, that claimed the lives of six Muslim men, seriously injured many others, and left six widows and seventeen orphans.
“In light of the upcoming anniversary, we believe such a designation would enable Canadians to join together in remembering the victims of the attack, while also increasing public awareness about the threats posed by hate, bigotry, and Islamophobia to the Canadian social fabric,” says NCCM Public Affairs Coordinator Eve Torres.
Today’s open letter echoes a previous call for January 29 to be declared a National Day of Remembrance and Action on Islamophobia, which was made by a coalition of national and Quebec-based Muslim organizations, led by the NCCM, in the immediate aftermath of the Quebec mosque attack.
The NCCM is an independent, non-partisan and non-profit organization that is a leading voice for Muslim civic engagement and the promotion of human rights.
Read Also:
Canadians in Shock after Quebec Mosque Mass Shooting
Who Are Quebec Mosque Victims?