Inside Canada's Growing Islamophobia Problem

People hold an anti-racism banner with photos of the six victims of the Sainte-Foy, Que., mosque shooting one year after the attack on the Islamic Cultural Centre of Quebec City. The banner reads: "Together against hate and racism."

- Radiyah Chowdhury

IT WAS A COLD NIGHT ON January 29, 2017, when worshippers gathered at the red-brick Islamic Cultural Centre of Quebec City in Sainte-Foy, Que. About 40 people showed up to perform Isha, the fifth and final prayer of the day. Prophet Muhammad encouraged Muslims to convene for this evening ritual, equating the reward for performing Isha en masse to praying for half the night. But as attendees wrapped up and prepared to leave, their plans were violently interrupted.

Shortly before 8 p.m., a 27-year-old white man exited his car and began his rampage in the parking lot. He walked through the mosque, shooting anyone he saw. Five congregants were seriously injured. Six men-Ibrahima Barry, Mamadou Tanou Barry, Khaled Belkacemi, Aboubaker Thabti, Abdelkrim Hassen and Azzeddine Soufiane-were killed.

The men were regulars at the mosque. They were teachers, businessmen, friends, fathers, husbands and cherished members of their community. The news of their deaths sent waves of shock and grief around the world. They became the only people in this nation's history to be gunned down in their house of worship. In Canada, their chosen home, this monumental loss made tangible the fear Muslims live with on a daily basis.

The assailant's obsession with Donald Trump and far-right media would be revealed in the following months. Leading up to the shooting, he searched for photos of the interior of the mosque and studied other mass murderers. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called it a terrorist attack; in 2021, he designated January 29 as National Day of Remembrance of the Quebec City Mosque Attack and Action against Islamophobia.