The leader of Edmonton’s Al Rashid Mosque is pushing for peace and understanding following a deadly attack at a mosque in Quebec City Sunday.
“I still know this is not Canada. It doesn’t represent Canada. Canadians are not like that,” Imam Mahmoud Omar said.
The Quebec shooting killed six people and wounded 19 others. Five people remained in hospital Monday, with two of those in critical condition. Police and public officials are treating the shooting at the Centre Culturel Islamique de Quebec (Quebec City Islamic Cultural Centre) as an act of terrorism.
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Omar said he will be praying for the victims and their families. He will also be asking God for patience, the ability to see the best in people, and that no one rushes to judgement.
“Terrorism has no faith. It doesn’t matter where you came from, it doesn’t matter what you believe,” Omar said.
“It’s like KKK and Christianity or ISIS and Islam, none of those are representative of the faith.”
He also said the mosque’s open door policy will not change in light of this attack. The mosque invites people to walk in, take a tour or ask questions and that approach isn’t going away.
“Visit your nearest mosque, talk to the Imam there, talk to the people in administration, talk to them and ask them, ‘Can we please get a tour? Can we please see what you guys do? What you worship?’ This is my first suggestion to all fellow Canadians: please go and visit your nearest mosque and get to know more about Islam.”
READ MORE: Quebec City terrorist attack on mosque kills 6, injures 8
Masood Peracha, chair of the Edmonton Council of Muslim Communities, is very concerned the negative rhetoric south of the border is having an effect here in Canada.
“People watch the same TV, they are affected by the news media, so even though it is going on in the States, with the recent ban on people from certain countries, it is having an impact, in our opinion, north of the border as well,” he said.
“Our concern really is that if some of this rhetoric – that has racist and Islamophobic undertones – is made respectable in the eyes of the public, there are people who are going to come out of the woodwork and take advantage of that,” Peracha said.
He referenced the Islamophobic flyers recently delivered to several Edmonton neighbourhoods. He’s worried that so-called “hate incidents” could grow to “hate crimes.”
“We have noted a number of incidents that lead us to believe that Islamophobic and racist tendencies are on the rise,” he said.
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Learning about the Quebec City shooting, was a “numbing experience” for Peracha.
“Everybody has heard this with horror that this is happening right here in Canada.”
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A candlelight vigil is scheduled to be held Monday night at the Alberta Legislature to pay tribute to the victims of Sunday night’s terror attack.
The vigil and prayer of remembrance, which is being hosted by the Alberta Muslim Public Affairs Council (AMPAC), gets underway at 6:30 p.m.
“Join us in honouring the lives lost over the weekend,” the Facebook event for the vigil read. “As a community, we must stand together with the victims and one another against hatred.”
Watch below: A vigil will be held Monday evening in response to Sunday’s tragic terrorist attack at a Quebec City mosque. The vice president of the Alberta Muslim Public Affairs Council plans to attend the vigil and joins Gord live from the Alberta Legislature grounds.
The lights on Edmonton’s High Level Bridge will be blue and white Monday night. Flags at several provincial buildings were also lowered.
Both Omar and Peracha said the community has a good relationship with local police.
“What I love about Edmonton is the unity,” Omar said. “Here in Edmonton I feel what I never felt in any other place… We have a very diverse community. We have a lot of relationships outside – not only the Muslim community – but outside, we have relationships with the authorities.”
“We have our own security protocols and we have a pretty good one here and we have procedures that we follow,” he added. “Our system and our security is always on.”
Watch below: Edmonton’s mayor Don Iveson spent the day with the city’s Muslim community discussing the attack, the local response and any concerns they have here in Edmonton.
Edmonton Police Chief Rod Knecht issued a statement Monday.
“On behalf of the Edmonton Police Service, I would like to express our deepest sorrow and condolences to everyone impacted by the horrific Quebec City Mosque shooting. Our thoughts are with the victims of this hateful attack, and the entire Muslim community locally, nationally, and internationally. We grieve as a community, and we stand in solidarity against all acts of hate, violence, and discrimination.
“The Edmonton Police Service is here to ensure your safety and the safety of our entire community. We are working closely with the RCMP and other federal agencies to monitor this situation. The threat level in Canada has not changed. We do not support or condone acts of violence or hate at any time, and we are always vigilant when such events occur elsewhere.”
Watch below: What happened in Quebec is having ripple effects across the country. Vinesh Pratap has more from leaders in the local Muslim community, city and police.
Mayor Don Iveson said he joined four city councillors to visit the Al Rashid Mosque on Monday to talk to community leaders there about their concerns.
“I’ve spent a good part of the day in dialogue with to understand their community’s concerns and reaction to violence, which is closer to home than we might have thought we’d ever see,” he told reporters. “But at the same time, I am buoyed by the stories of support from Edmontonians of all walks of life for Canadian Muslim Edmontonians.
“There are Muslim parents who are concerned about their children going to school and folks who are concerned about their safety in their own place of worship and that is a sad state of affairs,” he added.
“But people are also choosing to be resilient and to be confident in the face of that fear because overall, even though there is fear and anxiety that is provoked by this, what appears to be an isolated act, there is overall a sense of confidence and safety in living in Canada and living in Edmonton.”
Iveson said he planned to speak at Monday evening’s vigil and that he had spoken with colleagues about how to better proactively address racism and Islamophobia.
“On behalf of the people of Edmonton, my city council colleagues, our deepest sympathies go out to the families of six Canadians and the other victims who are recovering in hospital tonight who are the victims of horrifying violence in a place of worship no less.”
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