SASKATOON -- Members of the Saskatchewan Islamic community planned a fundraiser Wednesday evening to honour the victims of the Quebec City mosque shooting.
“It is important for us to help because there are still people form our community and country affected,” said Nisa Bano, events coordinator for the Islamic Association of Saskatchewan.
“It is not just those who are Muslim, it is a human caring thing and any person I believe in Canada who saw the act happen knows that it is injustice, we should be standing up to support them.”
The shooting at the Quebec Islamic Cultural Centre left six men dead: Mamadou Tanou Barry, 42, Abdelkrim Hassane, 41, Khaled Belkacemi, 60, Aboubaker Thabti, 44, Azzeddine Soufiane, 57, and Ibrahima Barry, 39.
They left behind their wives and 17 children between them, and several other worshippers were injured when a gunman opened fire as evening prayers drew to a close on Jan. 29, 2017.
The Saskatoon Islamic Centre is set to host a remembrance prayer service followed by a donation collection for the families of those killed. Each person attending the event is asked to wear a green square pin meant to symbolize support for the people affected the shooting.
“We want to think about the positives, and be able to think about what we can do to help the people affected so that is does not happen again, this is why it is important for me to stand with them,” Bano said.
The Government of Saskatchewan and the City of Saskatoon have both proclaimed Jan. 29 as a day of action against hate and intolerance.
More than 25,000 Muslims call Saskatchewan home and 12,000 Muslims live in Saskatoon.
With Canadian Press files
