Fighting hatred to prevent another mosque shooting

On Monday, it is with sadness that we will mark the one-year anniversary of the deadly massacre at the Quebec City mosque. This attack was a reminder for all Canadians and political leaders that racism and hate, be it toward Indigenous peoples, new or established immigrants, refugees or others, is deeply rooted in our culture.

It is only with a significant, targeted investment by our governments in education, awarenessraising and engagement that it will be eliminated.

I grew up in Edmonton before the oil boom, when the city was predominantly white and there were pejorative names attached to everyone else. As I moved around the country, I found similar hateful attitudes toward Indigenous peoples and targeted communities, such as the South Asian community in B.C. The 9/11 attacks changed everything, triggering a rise in Islamophobia across the country and globe.

I chose in 2007 to move overseas to learn more about the world and the different cultures that make up my country.

When I returned to Victoria in December of 2016, I had essentially missed the Harper years. This had been a time when funding to Indigenous peoples was cut, immigration reform was regressive and it was deemed necessary to pass legislation banning “barbaric practices.”

Although the 2015 election of the Trudeau government brought hope for positive change, by the time I returned, Donald Trump had been elected as the American president, our reconciliation and nation-to-nation building appeared to be more words than action, and the Quebec political establishment was working on new ways to disguise Islamophobia as secular public policy.

Having observed many other indicators demonstrating an urgent need to name and address our country’s latent racism, I began a cross-country journey to find out who is working on this problem.

By Jan. 29, 2016, I was in Quebec City catching up on the province’s unique political environment. Late in the evening came the unfathomable news of a shooting at a suburban mosque. We learned that a hate-filled gunman had killed six and wounded 19 innocent people — community leaders, parents and children, all engaged in peacefully exercising their right to religious freedom.

We knew the lives of Quebec’s Muslim community would be changed forever, but what impact would this event have on the rest of the country? What lessons would we learn and what actions would be taken to address the ignorance in our society that leads to fear and hatred?

On the frigid January night after the shooting, I joined thousands of other devastated citizens at a vigil for the victims and their families. We carried signs denouncing the racism and listened to speeches from politicians who promised an end to division and intolerance. Our prime minister called the shooting a senseless act of violence against Muslims and vowed that the hatred would be met with love and unity.

The next day, the Quebec media and political leadership lined up to acknowledge their role in promoting racist language and hatred. The very divisive and public debate on the 2013 Quebec Charter of Values, which banned religious symbols from public institutions, highlighted Quebec’s intolerance for diversity.

Though the charter failed to pass into law, in October 2017, less than a year after the mosque shooting, Quebec’s National Assembly approved legislation that banned veiled women from receiving public services. Posing as supporters of women’s rights, these politicians were in fact denying women the right to decide for themselves how to dress, where to go and how to get there.

A woman’s choice to cover her head is, for the most part, a deeply personal decision, just as it is for a Christian man or woman to attend church every Sunday. It is a lack of information and understanding of the Muslim faith that leads to the assumption that veiled women need to be liberated by the state. It is an example of how ignorance breeds hatred and racism.

And now, a year later, we find ourselves commemorating the anniversary of the Quebec City mosque shooting at a time when the president of the United States is normalizing hate speech. CBC’s 2017 Massey Lectures by Payam Akhavan provide an important look at the dangers of “us verses them” rhetoric, providing painful examples of why Canada needs to be aware and take action.

We should applaud the B.C. government’s decision to reinstate the B.C. Human Rights Commission and demand all levels of government invest heavily in the resources required to fight hatred and racism with knowledge and engagement. The opportunity is here for action, so Yalla (let’s go)!