Dear Community,
Today, January 29th marks the seventh anniversary of the Quebec City Mosque Attack. Seven years ago today, six people were murdered and many more more were seriously injured while worshipping at the Islamic Cultural Centre in Sainte Foy, Quebec. This was a terrorist act fuelled by Islamophobia, racism, and white supremacist ideology.
I am also reminded of the horrific Islamophobic attack in London, Ontario in 2021, where a man murdered a Muslim family on an evening walk. Three generations were targeted and killed by a hateful act of Islamophobic terror. Four family members were murdered, leaving behind a surviving child who now has to grow up without his grandmother, parents, and sister. My heart shatters as I recall these heinous attacks against community members in our province simply for being Muslim.
Today I remember and honour the survivors and victims of these atrocious attacks. We must reaffirm our commitment to stand against Islamophobia and all forms of oppression that target people made marginalized. Muslim people must be able to live, worship, work, go to school, gather, and go for a walk in their neighbourhood without fear for their lives.
With the current war and humanitarian crisis happening in Israel and Palestine, we’ve seen a disturbing rise in Islamophobic, anti-Palestinian racism, and antisemitic behaviour here at home. This is not okay. It enrages me. We must collectively condemn these acts of hate because as I’ve said before and will say again, we are inextricably linked. Hate impacts our entire community. It is imperative that we stand against the ideologies and individuals that seek to divide us especially at moments of vulnerability. We cannot only care about the traumas in our own backyards. We must recognize our collective humanity and remember what connects us as community members—as human beings. We must continue to show up for one another with compassion and call out bigotry when we see it. We owe it to ourselves to build a world where everyone is free from hatred. Our lives depend on it.
Sincerely,
Dr. Jill Andrew, Ph.D
MPP for Toronto-St. Paul's
