National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM): Eight Years Ago on January 29

Tonight, we wear the green square as a memory, a promise. With knowledge that, with the Mercy of the Merciful, those who lost their earthly lives will be raised as martyrs in a garden green.

Across this country, monuments will glow green, a signal in the night that we have not forgotten, that we must not forget. Because memory is not passive. It does not simply settle into the past. It asks something of us. It demands that we reckon with the truth: that Islamophobia did not begin or end on that night in Quebec City, as we saw at the IMO Mosque in 2020, and as we saw on the streets of London Ontario in 2021. We’ve seen it explode over the past year. That it is woven into the quiet prejudices, the whispered fears, the policies that cast entire communities as suspect.

Indeed, we understand that the Legault government has chosen to table legislation in the coming days - around the anniversary of the Quebec City Mosque massacre - that will further point the finger at our communities.

So, we ask you—on this day of mourning, reflection, and resolve—to do three things.

First, keep the families of the martyrs in your prayers.

Second, speak. To your friends, your coworkers, your communities. Tell them what happened. Tell them what is still happening. Let them know that Islamophobia is not some distant shadow but a presence that must be confronted with light, with truth, with unwavering resolve.

Third, take action. We cannot hide behind walls. We cannot wait for someone else to take on this challenge for our children. We must take action on Islamophobia today.

Tonight, as we mark this anniversary, we remind ourselves that remembrance is not enough. Memory must move. It must speak. It must build. It must change Canada.

Wasalam,

The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) Team