6 years later, public invited inside Quebec City mosque for 1st time since 2017 attack

Six years after the deadly mosque attack in Quebec City, the Muslim community will gather in the same room where six men were killed and 19 injured on Jan. 29, 2017.

Mamadou Tanou Barry, Ibrahima Barry, Khaled Belkacemi, Abdelkrim Hassane, Azzeddine Soufiane and Aboubaker Thabti were killed shortly after evening prayers when a gunman opened fire just before 8 p.m. in the Islamic Cultural Centre in the Sainte-Foy neighbourhood.

The attack that left 17 children fatherless and a community forever scarred will be commemorated as organizers also point to the importance of continuing to reflect on Islamophobia — particularly as hate and far-right extremism continues across Canada.

"It's very emotionally charged," said Maryam Bessiri, a spokesperson for the Commémoration citoyenne de l'attentat, the group organizing the event.

Speaking at a news conference at the mosque on Thursday, she said it will be the first time the community gathers inside the mosque on the anniversary. This year, it falls on a Sunday, the same day the attack occurred six years ago.

"It's very significant for us. We're asking the population and all Quebecers who want to participate, to come to the Islamic Cultural Centre on Sunday … [It's] part of our mission to be open and share with people."

The mosque's doors were open most of the week to the public. In addition to private events held for the Muslim community, the public can visit the mosque between 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. on Sunday for the first time since the completion of the renovations in 2021. The public is also invited to the ceremony of remembrance in-person or online at 5:30 p.m.

Bessiri notes that organizers and volunteers tried to use this anniversary as a jumping-off point — an opportunity to remember the lives lost while showcasing the work the Muslim community is doing to move past pervasive racism.

"For us, it gives us a voice to talk about Islamophobia, racism and also about how we have overcome the past six years and give the young people an opportunity to speak.… Each year we ask ourselves the same question about the pertinence of organizing a commemoration so that we can move beyond the tragedy that occurred," said Bessiri.

While she applauds some of the progress over the past six years, including how the federal government declared Jan. 29, the National Day of Remembrance of the Québec City Mosque Attack and Action against Islamophobia, she says more needs to be done year-round.

"I would like to remind everyone that the commemoration on January 29 is the only occasion when we speak about Islamophobia in Quebec. We don't speak about it outside of this, and that is unfortunate," said Bessiri.

She noted that last year, they were planning the fifth commemoration right as the trucker convoy was starting in Ottawa — an event marked by demonstrations that pushed forward multiple far-right views.

"This shows us how fast progress can deteriorate and the discourse of the far right is always present…. That's why in organizing the commemoration each year, in opening the doors, we are trying to counter this discourse," said Bessiri, adding that the attacker was radicalized through extreme discourse over time.

Amira Elghawaby, Canada's first and newly appointed representative to combat Islamophobia, says many assumptions about Muslim communities derive from pop culture and news stories which present a "narrow understanding of who Muslims are."