Four years after mosque shooting, a community continues to heal
“How did this happen?”
January 29 marks four years since the horrific Quebec City mosque shooting which resulted in the death of six worshippers. Despite all the time that has passed, so many Canadian Muslims are still trying to heal and understand how such a heinous crime could have happened.
As an imam, I have sought often to answer this question over the past number of years: “How did this happen?”
For a community still reeling from the impact of the massacre, understanding how and why such hate exists is an important aspect to healing.
While we may never precisely know what motivates such senseless violence, one striking detail is the hateful online rhetoric that Alexandre Bissonnette consumed in the weeks leading up to the crime. According to the evidence presented at his trial, Bissonnette was deeply engaged in visiting far-right, anti-Muslim online outlets.
Just a few months prior to the shooting, Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research was established in Dallas, Texas. Yaqeen’s founders had a vision of producing accessible, academically-credible content on “contentious” and often misinterpreted topics related to Islam and Muslims.
The purpose of this effort is threefold: dismantling misinformation related to Islam (including Islamophobic tropes and narratives); educating Muslims about their faith and traditions; and inspiring Muslims to be at the forefront of contributing to good work in their communities.
Yaqeen’s arrival was part of an awakening among many Muslims in recent years that digital hatred and misinformation must be contended with by being unapologetic and uncompromising about the faith we cherish and practice, and by joining the digital conversation to explain it on our own terms. The Quebec City mosque shooting only increased the urgency: malicious people had distorted our story and misrepresented us to the world, and the consequences were very real and very violent. It was time to change the conversation.
In the years since the Quebec City mosque shooting, even during the COVID-19 pandemic, Islamophobia has reared its ugly head many times in Canada. Other acts of hate have taken place, like the stabbing of a mosque caretaker in Toronto this past summer by a man with ties to neo-Nazism. It has become evident that such violence will continue so long as misinformation and hate continues to proliferate unabated.
But there are signs of change. Former U.S. president Donald Trump, whose tweets Bissonnette was reading daily in the weeks leading up to the shooting, has not only been voted out of office, but he has also been banned from using his Twitter account (incidentally, due incitement to violence). On the other hand, in late December, Yaqeen Canada formally became an entity, facilitating our efforts to make Yaqeen’s community-enriching vision a reality, right here at home.
I am excited about the digital initiatives that have been developed by Canadians, for Canadians to help us learn more about each other’s diverse traditions in this country. It’s only when authentic voices become louder and more prominent will we be able to drown out the drums of hate. And initiatives such as Yaqeen, which help provide a bright to help Canadians learn more about Islam and Muslims in an engaging and accessible way will help pave that way.
From coast to coast to coast to the cloud, we will not let hateful content go unchallenged.