Imams in Canada express solidarity with Indigenous people

Muslim leaders across Canada offer condolences for Indigenous community after discovery of graves at residential schools.

Toronto, Canada —“All of us should feel the pain of the Indigenous community here … because we have seen what imperialism does to our countries back home,” Aarij Anwer, Imam of the London Muslim Mosque in Ontario, said during Friday’s prayer, livestreamed on social media. On Friday, Anwer was one of 75 Imams across Canada who offered condolences and expressed solidarity with Indigenous people following the discoveries of unmarked graves, now totalling more than 1,000, at forced-assimilation institutions known as residential schools. The Canadian Council of Imams and Justice For All Canada led the coordinated effort to raise awareness. In a statement, the Imams wrote, “The discovery of hundreds-upon-hundreds of graves of innocent children — stolen from their families, abused, tortured and starved in the name of European imperialism — has left us numb with pain and shame.”