Montreal Vigil Marks Nine Years Since Quebec City Mosque Attack Amid Ongoing Debate Over Secularism Laws

Montreal Vigil Marks Nine Years Since Quebec City Mosque Attack Amid Ongoing Debate Over Secularism Laws
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Members of Canada’s Muslim community gathered in Montreal this week to commemorate the ninth anniversary of the 2017 Quebec City Mosque attack, as concerns persist over Islamophobia and the impact of provincial secularism legislation.

According to several reports seen by Shia Waves Agency, the vigil, held near the Parc métro station, brought together community members, advocates and elected officials to remember six men killed when a gunman opened fire inside the Islamic Cultural Centre of Quebec City during evening prayers on Jan. 29, 2017. Those killed were Ibrahima Barry, Mamadou Tanou Barry, Khaled Belkacemi, Aboubaker Thabti, Abdelkrim Hassane and Azzeddine Soufiane. Several others were wounded, leaving families and children affected by the attack.

Salam El Mousawi, a co-founder of Muslim Awareness Week, recalled receiving a call from a Montreal police commander shortly after the shooting, assuring him that mosques and community centres in the city had been placed under heightened security. He said many hoped the tragedy would prompt a lasting reckoning with anti-Muslim hatred.

Instead, El Mousawi and other speakers said subsequent provincial measures, including Bill 21 adopted in 2019 and more recent legislation reinforcing secularism, have deepened divisions and left many Muslims feeling targeted. Quebec Premier François Legault marked the anniversary by condemning the attack as an “unjustifiable act of violence” and reaffirming opposition to hatred and intolerance.

Speakers at the vigil urged political leaders to refocus on shared social priorities such as housing, education and health care, while preserving remembrance of the victims and the solidarity shown in the attack’s aftermath.