{"id":14779,"date":"2025-01-29T12:53:49","date_gmt":"2025-01-29T12:53:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/torontotribune.ca\/index.php\/2025\/01\/29\/duty-to-remember-events-to-mark-eighth-anniversary-of-quebec-city-mosque-attack-montreal\/"},"modified":"2025-01-29T12:53:49","modified_gmt":"2025-01-29T12:53:49","slug":"duty-to-remember-events-to-mark-eighth-anniversary-of-quebec-city-mosque-attack-montreal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/torontotribune.ca\/index.php\/2025\/01\/29\/duty-to-remember-events-to-mark-eighth-anniversary-of-quebec-city-mosque-attack-montreal\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Duty to remember:\u2019 Events to mark eighth anniversary of Quebec City mosque attack – Montreal"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Only one bullet hole remains in the wall of the Centre culturel islamique de\u00a0Qu\u00e9bec, eight years after a gunman stormed into the mosque and killed six Muslim men who had come to pray.<\/p>\n

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While a major renovation erased most traces of the attack, the mosque\u2019s president, Mohamed Labidi, says the one hole was left there as a reminder to never forget the Jan. 29, 2017, shooting that claimed the lives of Ibrahima Barry, Mamadou Tanou Barry, Khaled Belkacemi, Abdelkrim Hassane, Azzedine Soufiane and Aboubaker Thabti.<\/p>\n

But as time passes, he worries that the wider population is no longer heeding the message of remembrance.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnfortunately this year, there was not much enthusiasm from our\u00a0Quebec\u00a0brothers who did not answer the call of our mosque open house and open door conferences,\u201d he said. Attendance at the events and lectures, which were organized to build bridges between communities in the lead-up to the anniversary, was disappointing, he added.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt seems like people are starting to forget,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

On Wednesday, more events are planned in Montreal and\u00a0Quebec\u00a0City to mark the anniversary. Mayor Val\u00e9rie Plante will preside over a ceremony and moment of silence at Montreal City Hall, while the events in\u00a0Quebec\u00a0City include a discussion on Islamophobia, prayers, and a couscous dinner in memory of the victims.<\/p>\n

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As well, a vigil is being organized at 4 p.m. Wednesday outside Montreal\u2019s Parc metro station to remember the victims. \u201cTheir violent deaths left six widows without their husbands and 17 orphans without their fathers,\u201d Samira Laouni, one of the vigil organizers, said in a news release. \u201cTheir stories should never be forgotten. We must always remember.\u201d<\/p>\n

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On Saturday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau travelled to\u00a0Quebec\u00a0City to meet with the families of the victims.\u00a0Quebec\u00a0City\u2019s mayor and Amira Elghawaby, Canada\u2019s special representative on combating Islamophobia, attended a public ceremony earlier in the day.<\/p>\n

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Alexandre Bissonnette pleaded guilty in March 2018 to six counts of first-degree murder and six counts of attempted murder, and has been sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole for at least 25 years. The gunman admitted to walking into the mosque and opening fire just after evening prayers, killing six people and injuring several others, including a man who was left paralyzed.<\/p>\n