Dorval Mosque memorial embraces hope, solidarity
Attendees from various religions gather in a show of interfaith unity, friendship
A small but diverse group gathered Sunday at the Dorval Mosque to mark the first anniversary of the Quebec City mosque killings, which left six men dead and 19 people injured last Jan. 29.
Members of the United Church, Christian Church and the Jewish community joined members of Lachine’s Islamic community to commemorate the massacre.
“After the events in Quebec City, last year, groups of people want to divide us; perhaps they want to divide the whole country,” Imam Mehmet Deger told the assembled group, after playing an excerpt of a chant from the Qur’an.
“Unfortunately (the Dorval) mosque was attacked nine times (in the last 12 years). 99.9 per cent of people are very nice and never get involved or do bad things. Unfortunately, some groups have their own agenda. So we have to be careful and unite against them.”
Lachine Mayor Maja Vodanovic was on hand. Elected in the fall under Valérie Plante’s Projet Montréal banner, she was in attendance with councillor Younes Boukala, 22, whose father is a regular at the Dorval Mosque.
“I will speak in French to be able to speak clearly what I lived a year ago,” Boukala said. “I watched TV ... then I went out for a walk. I asked myself a lot of questions: ‘How can I, who grew up here through primary school, secondary school and university — I am Québécois – how could this happen? What is going on?’
“I thought of something my father said when I was young. He said, ‘Younes, people don’t know Islam, so give the best impression you can.’”
That moment led to a turn toward politics for the young man, whose burgeoning political involvement Vodanovic calls one of the proudest achievements of her political career so far.
“He wanted to be a councillor,” she said. “People said he would never be elected because he’s Muslim. I said, ‘No, that’s great (that he is).’ He worked very hard, and the community worked with him and got him elected.”
Standing before everyone, Vodanovic delivered a message of hope.
“We have a great responsibility, as leaders, to live in a world of peace,” she said. “All violence and hatred stems from ignorance. The more we are together, the more we learn to love each other. Not being afraid to say we want more love and unity in our community is a good place to start.”
Christopher Thomson appreciated the sentiment. Thomson is a member of the Lakeshore Unitarian Universalist Congregation, which is sponsoring a family of Syrian refugees, expected to arrive on Feb. 12.
“I came to show solidarity with the community here, and with all Quebecers who were touched by the shocking attack last year,” he said. “We have to continue working to develop plurality and an awareness of the riches it brings to us, and to resist simplifications that stigmatize parts of the population.”
Farida Mohamed is president of the Montreal chapter of the Canadian Council of Muslim Women.
“We cannot forget the deaths of these men” she said. “We cannot let it just slide by. I don’t want them to have died in vain. That’s why we want a day of remembrance, a national day against Islamophobia, to bring together people from various faiths. Let’s celebrate our differences. Let’s dialogue, talk, be one community and one society.”
As guests mingled over snacks, Imam Deger reflected on the sombre occasion and the sporadic incidents of intolerance which continue to plague his mosque.
“I would like to give the message to everyone that we are united,” he said. “These bad guys should change their attitudes and learn how to act in a society. Breaking is easy; fixing is very difficult.”
We have to continue working to develop plurality and an awareness of the riches it brings to us.