Quebec Mosque Attack Anniversary Sparks Renewed Calls to Combat Hate

The anniversary of a tragic attack on a Quebec mosque has prompted Canadian Muslim leaders to urge an end to anti-Muslim rhetoric and discrimination. On January 29, 2026, Canada will mark the nine-year anniversary of the deadly shooting at the Quebec Islamic Cultural Centre, which claimed the lives of six Muslim men and remains the most severe act of violence against a place of worship in the nation’s history.

Stephen Brown, CEO of the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), emphasized the significance of this anniversary, stating it serves as a stark reminder that Islamophobia is a serious issue in Canada. “It’s something that unfortunately kills people,” he remarked in an interview with Al Jazeera. “This forces us to remember that there are real consequences to hatred.”

Impact of the 2017 Attack

The shooting on January 29, 2017, left the Muslim community in Quebec City reeling, triggering widespread vigils and condemnation across Canada. It also highlighted a disturbing global trend of rising anti-Muslim sentiment and radicalization. In response, the Canadian government labeled the incident a “terrorist attack” and pledged to address the underlying issues. In 2021, the government designated January 29 as the National Day of Remembrance of the Quebec City Mosque Attack and Action against Islamophobia.

Despite these initiatives, Brown expressed concern that the lessons learned from the tragedy are fading. He noted a resurgence of Islamophobia, particularly among political factions seeking to exploit fear for electoral gains. “What a lot of people are seeing, especially for Muslims that live in Quebec, is a massive return to using Islamophobia and spreading fear of Muslims for political gain,” he stated.

Legislation and Rhetoric Targeting Muslims

Brown pointed to recent legislation introduced by the right-wing Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ), which critics argue disproportionately impacts Muslim communities. Since coming to power in 2018, the CAQ has enforced Bill 21, prohibiting certain public servants from wearing religious symbols, including hijabs worn by Muslim women, Sikh turbans, and Jewish yarmulkes. The government has framed this law as a measure to uphold secularism, a principle born from Quebec’s historical shift away from the Catholic Church’s influence.

Rights advocates contend that Bill 21 discriminates against religious minorities and particularly affects Muslim women. As the CAQ’s popularity has dwindled recently, the party has introduced further legislation to reinforce its secularism model ahead of the upcoming provincial elections. The most recent proposal, Bill 9, aims to extend the religious symbols ban to daycares and private schools and prohibits schools from offering meals based solely on religious dietary requirements, such as kosher or halal options.

Quebec’s Minister for Secularism, Jean-Francois Roberge, has argued that the bill applies equally to all religious groups. Yet, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA), which is challenging Bill 21 in the Supreme Court of Canada, describes Bill 9 as masking discrimination under the guise of secularism. “These harmful bans disproportionately target and marginalize religious and racialized minorities, especially Muslim women,” said Harini Sivalingam, director of the CCLA’s equality programme.

Brown cautioned that the government’s actions send a troubling message about the safety and acceptance of visible, practicing Muslims. He warned that when authority figures employ anti-Muslim rhetoric for political purposes, it emboldens individuals with existing Islamophobic views to act on them.

Government Initiatives to Combat Hate

At the federal level, Amira Elghawaby, Canada’s special representative on combating Islamophobia, stated that the government remains committed to addressing hate in all forms. This commitment includes the launch of an Action Plan on Combatting Hate in 2024, which allocated millions of dollars to community organizations, antifascism initiatives, and other relevant programs.

Despite these efforts, Elghawaby noted that Islamophobia continues to rise in Canada. According to Statistics Canada, there were 211 reported anti-Muslim hate crimes in 2023, representing a staggering 102-percent increase from the previous year. The following year saw a slight uptick, with 229 incidents recorded.

Elghawaby highlighted that these figures illustrate a persistent threat of hate in Canadian society. “Canada, despite a global reputation of being a country that welcomes people from around the world, does struggle with division, with polarization, with the rise of extremist narratives,” she noted. Remembering the Quebec City mosque attack, she emphasized, is crucial in ensuring that the loss of those killed is not in vain. “They want Canadians to continue to stand with them, to continue to stand against Islamophobia,” she stated, urging people to promote understanding within their communities. “History can sadly repeat itself if we don’t learn from the lessons of the past.”