logo
'I lost their smiles': Quebec City Muslim community counters hate 8 years after deadly mosque attack

'I lost their smiles': Quebec City Muslim community counters hate 8 years after deadly mosque attack

CBC30-01-2025

Images of the night of Jan. 29, 2017 still come back to Boufeldja Benabdallah.
The call he received; pulling up to the mosque he co-founded; finding it completely surrounded by police.
"It was a panic," said Benabdallah. "All these images remind us of this sadness."
Six men died after a gunman opened fire in the Islamic Cultural Centre in the Sainte-Foy neighbourhood of Quebec City. It left 19 injured and 17 children fatherless.
Years later, Benabdallah says it's important to keep the memory of the victims alive.
He remembers Azzeddine Soufiane, a smiley man who would tip toe into the mosque to pray silently.
Mamadou Tanou Barry was "joyous." Ibrahima Barry was a serious yet friendly man who helped support immigrants in the community.
Abdelkrim Hassane was the "footballer," who would talk at length about the championship, while Aboubaker Thabti loved volunteering for activities with kids. Khaled Belkacemi was a Laval University professor and Benabdallah's close friend.
"I have good memories of them," said Benabdallah.
"In our philosophy, we say that after distress, something good always comes along. You mustn't despair. I'm in that stage."
Sitting just outside the entrance to the mosque's prayer room, Nesrine Adda and Sakina Ouchane wore dark green felt squares — a symbol of peace and the same colour as the prayer room's carpet eight years ago.
Adda says her dad came to the mosque on the night of the attack.
"I don't even know how to explain the feeling because it was … a moment that was very shocking," said Adda.
"It was very traumatic for him."
Mohamed Labidi, president of the Islamic centre, says the six men who died were his friends whom he would see regularly.
"They would offer me beautiful smiles every time," said Labidi, his voice cracking. "And I lost their smiles."
WATCH | Mohamed Labidi says Azzedine Soufiane died a hero:
Mohamed Labidi describes how Azzedine Soufiane tried to tackle Quebec City mosque shooter
8 years ago
Duration 1:26
Mohamed Labidi describes how Azzedine Soufiane tried to tackle the shooter at the site of the Quebec City mosque attack.
'A good future ahead of us'
Eight years later, on the National Day of Remembrance of the Quebec City Mosque Attack and Action against Islamophobia, Labidi says they're highlighting the importance of combating hate.
"I'm an optimist," said Labidi. "You cannot just see the glass half empty ... There is a good future ahead of us."
He says there's been progress to counter Islamophobia in Quebec, but that sometimes stereotypes and political rhetoric can bring them "back to the start."
Labidi referenced the idea of a prayer ban as a recent example. Last December, Quebec Premier François Legault indicated he wanted to ban praying in public, saying seeing people praying "in the streets, in public parks, is not something we want in Quebec."
Labidi says Muslims continue to be singled out.
For the first time this year, the mosque set up information sessions open to the public. Unfortunately, he says almost no Quebecers came to visit.
"Hardly anyone came. And to that, I ask myself, 'why?'" said Labidi.
"It's disappointing," said Arif Virani, the federal minister of justice, who spoke at the eighth anniversary commemoration.
"But I don't lose hope about the curiosity and the interest that exists. I've seen it in my own riding in Toronto. I know that curiosity exists all around the country … I think we just have to double down on our efforts."
He says there hasn't been enough progress in the fight against Islamophobia.
Including the men who died in the Quebec City attack, a total of 11 people have died as a result of Islamophobia in Canada since 2017, he said.
"That's a statistic that leads the G7. I don't want to lead the G7 in those kinds of statistics. So we've got a lot of work to do."
Benabdallah says it's critical to continue to form connections to foster unity.
"I always say that the majority of people love other people," said Benabdallah.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Iranian rapper Tataloo once supported a hard-line presidential candidate. Now he faces execution
Iranian rapper Tataloo once supported a hard-line presidential candidate. Now he faces execution

Toronto Star

time6 hours ago

  • Toronto Star

Iranian rapper Tataloo once supported a hard-line presidential candidate. Now he faces execution

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The tattoos covering Iranian rapper Tataloo's face stand out against the gray prison uniform the 37-year-old now wears as he awaits execution, his own rise and fall tracing the chaos of the last decade of Iranian politics. Tataloo, whose full name is Amir Hossein Maghsoudloo, faces a death sentence after being convicted on charges of 'insulting Islamic sanctities.' It's a far cry from when he once supported a hard-line Iranian presidential candidate.

Iranian rapper Tataloo once supported a hard-line presidential candidate. Now he faces execution
Iranian rapper Tataloo once supported a hard-line presidential candidate. Now he faces execution

Winnipeg Free Press

timea day ago

  • Winnipeg Free Press

Iranian rapper Tataloo once supported a hard-line presidential candidate. Now he faces execution

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The tattoos covering Iranian rapper Tataloo's face stand out against the gray prison uniform the 37-year-old now wears as he awaits execution, his own rise and fall tracing the chaos of the last decade of Iranian politics. Tataloo, whose full name is Amir Hossein Maghsoudloo, faces a death sentence after being convicted on charges of 'insulting Islamic sanctities.' It's a far cry from when he once supported a hard-line Iranian presidential candidate. Tataloo's music became popular among the Islamic Republic's youth, as it challenged Iran's theocracy at a time when opposition to the country's government was splintered and largely leaderless. The rapper's lyrics became increasingly political after the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini and the subsequent wave of nationwide protests. He also appeared in music videos which criticized the authorities. 'When you show your face in a music video, you are saying, 'Hey, I'm here, and I don't care about your restrictions,'' said Ali Hamedani, a former BBC journalist who interviewed the rapper in 2005. 'That was brave.' The Iranian Supreme Court last month upheld his death sentence. 'This ruling has now been confirmed and is ready for execution,' judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangir told reporters at a press conference last month. Activists have decried his looming execution and expressed concern for his safety after he reportedly tried to kill himself in prison. From a music video on a warship to exile Tataloo began his music career in 2003 as part of an underground genre of Iranian music that combines Western styles of rap, rhythm-and-blues and rock with Farsi lyrics. His first album, released in 2011, polarized audiences, though he never played publicly in Iran, where its Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance controls all concerts. Tataloo appeared in a 2015 music video backing Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard and Tehran's nuclear program, which long has been targeted by the West over fears it could allow the Islamic Republic to develop an atomic bomb. While he never discussed the motivation behind this, it appeared that the rapper had hoped to win favor with the theocracy or perhaps have a travel ban against him lifted. In the video for 'Energy Hasteei,' or 'Nuclear Energy,' Tataloo sings a power ballad in front of rifle-wielding guardsmen and later aboard the Iranian frigate Damavand in the Caspian Sea. The ship later sank during a storm in 2018. 'This is our absolute right: To have an armed Persian Gulf,' Tataloo sang. Tataloo even issued an endorsement for hard-liner Ebrahim Raisi in 2017. That year, the two sat for a televised appearance as part of Raisi's failed presidential campaign against the relative moderate Hassan Rouhani. Raisi later won the presidency in 2021, but was killed in a helicopter crash in 2024. Fame in Turkey, prison back in Iran In 2018, Tataloo — who faced legal problems in Iran — was allowed to leave the country for Turkey, where many Persian singers and performers stage lucrative concerts. Tataloo hosted live video sessions as he rose to fame on social media, where he became well-known for his tattoos covering his face and body. Among them are an Iranian flag and an image of his mother next to a key and heart. Instagram deactivated his account in 2020 after he called for underage girls to join his 'team' for sex. He also acknowledged taking drugs. 'Despite being a controversial rapper, Tataloo has quite the fanbase in Iran, known as 'Tatalities,'' said Holly Dagres, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near-East Policy. 'Over the years, they've flooded social media with messages of solidarity for him and even campaigned for the rapper's release in the past when he was detained on separate charges.' Tataloo's rebellious music struck a chord with disenfranchised young people in Iran as they struggled to find work, get married and start their adult lives. He also increasingly challenged Iran's theocracy in his lyrics, particularly after the death of Amini following her arrest over allegedly not wearing the hijab to the liking of authorities. His collaboration 'Enghelab Solh' — 'Peace Revolution' in Farsi — called out Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei by name. 'We don't want tear gas, because there are tears in everyone's eyes,' he rapped. But the music stopped for Tataloo in late 2023. He was deported from Turkey after his passport had expired, and was immediately taken into custody upon arrival to Iran. Death sentence draws protests Tehran's Criminal Court initially handed Tataloo a five-year sentence for blasphemy. Iran's Supreme Court threw out the decision and sent his case to another court, which sentenced him to death in January. The rapper already faced ten years in prison for a string of separate convictions, including promoting prostitution and moral corruption. 'Tataloo is at serious risk of execution,' Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the director of advocacy group Iran Human Rights, said in a statement. 'The international community, artists and the public must act to stop his execution.' Tataloo earlier expressed remorse at a trial. 'I have certainly made mistakes, and many of my actions were wrong,' he said, according to the state-owned Jam-e Jam daily newspaper. 'I apologize for the mistakes I made.' Tataloo married while on death row, his uncle said. Last month, Tataloo reportedly attempted to kill himself, but survived. His death sentence comes at a politically fraught moment for Iran as the country is at it's 'most isolated,' said Abbas Milani, an Iran expert at Stanford University. Weekly A weekly look at what's happening in Winnipeg's arts and entertainment scene. The Islamic Republic is 'desperately trying to see whether it can arrive at a deal with the U.S. on its nuclear program and have the sanctions lifted,' he said. Drawing the ire of Tataloo's fans is 'one headache they don't need,' he added. ___ EDITOR'S NOTE — This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at ___ Associated Press writers Jon Gambrell in Vienna and Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report.

London's commemoration of Afzaal family
London's commemoration of Afzaal family

CTV News

time2 days ago

  • CTV News

London's commemoration of Afzaal family

Hundreds gathered at a vigil Friday night in London, Ont., to commemorate four years since the brutal killing of the Afzaal family. 'It's so important for us to remember what happened, to remember this family and recommit to standing united against all forms of hatred, including Islamophobia,' said Amira Elghawaby, a Special Representative on Combating Islamophobia. The family was out for an evening walk on June 6, 2021, when they were run over by Nathaniel Veltman, who was later convicted of first-degree murder and deemed a terrorist by the courts. 'It happened because they were Muslim which is deeply, deeply painful for Canadians across the country and of course London Muslims,' said Elghawaby. Advocates expressed events like this one help bring the community together, show solidarity and respect for human rights. 'This is really a whole of society issue that all Canadians benefit from supporting and addressing,' said Elghawaby. The Youth Coalition Combating Islamophobia organized the event, to ensure no other families are destroyed as a result of hate. 'We believe that silence is an enabler of hatred,' said Malik Khandakar, YCCI communications director. 'We feel the signs you give are an agreement and if you don't speak up against hatred this allows people to think it's ok.' Khandakar said more must be done to put an end to Islamophobia. 'We feel it needs a larger community because we can't just speak for ourselves. We need to have other people come out and gather. That's an important aspect of how we can move forward,' said Khandakar.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store