The Kingston community marked Canada’s fourth annual National Day of Remembrance of the Quebec City Mosque Attack.
The Quebec City Mosque attack took place on Jan. 29, 2017, where six men were murdered in a mosque shooting, leaving another 19 injured. Since 2021, Jan. 29 marks the National Day of Remembrance of the Quebec City Mosque Attack and Action against Islamophobia where the victims of the attack are commemorated.
Adnan Husain, a Queen’s associate professor of medieval Mediterranean and Islamic world history, co-created with fellow Associate Professor Ariel Salzmann one of Canada’s first university courses about the history of Islamophobia. Husain emphasized education’s role in challenging Islamophobic stereotypes, which he says are often reinforced by the media.
The course, HIST 240, was initially offered in 2016 to 2017 and titled “Islamophobia: From the Crusader to Donald Trump.” It’s since been developed into a half year course under HIST 259 and titled “Islamophobia: Crusades to the Present.”
In an interview with The Journal, Husain touched on the day of remembrance’s effectiveness in addressing Islamophobia. He expressed, despite efforts to address Islamophobia, he doesn’t believe it’s been “necessarily effective in achieving remedies” but he still holds hope for change.
“It is, however, an important step in being able to organize in a public and official way around these issues and to encourage broader social and political action to combat Islamophobia in all spheres of life and society,” Husain said.
Husain referenced the Quebec City Mosque attack in 2017 along with a car attack in London, Ontario taking place in 2021 that left four Muslim individuals dead in a targeted assault, explaining how these incidents have influenced the Muslim community.
“[It] makes Muslims feel unsafe and as targets. It also makes them feel that they are objects of hostility and hate more broadly beyond the particular extremist incidents or dramatic and terrible events,” Husain said.
Husain would like to see Queen’s put more effort into their education about the Middle East and Islam entirely, explaining disciplines across the humanities such as sociology, history, and gender studies could all incorporate these topics throughout their respective curricula.
Mona Rahman, the research awards officer in the vice-principal (research) portfolio, touched on how she thinks people can try and address Islamophobia in their daily lives.
For Rahman, it’s important to recognize Muslims have always been a part of Canada’s fabric. She encourages people to get to know their Muslim friends, neighbours, and colleagues.
“What happens, unfortunately, is Muslims are considered, just like any minority group, the other, the stranger,” Rahman said.
Rahman spoke to the importance of the Green Square campaign, a campaign where individuals wear a two-by-two inch green felt square on their clothing leading up to the day of remembrance and action against Islamophobia in symbolic of the cause.
READ MORE: Queen’s shows for Green Square Campaign against Islamophobia
“The green square represents the carpets of the mosque where the victims had been worshiping before they were killed [in 2017], but also, we believe that because of the manner that they were killed, we consider them as martyrs who were raised up to heaven and so it is also a reminder that they are in paradise, represented by the green gardens of paradise,” Rahman said. “It’s remembrance, but it’s also hope.”
Kingston City Hall was lit up green on Jan. 29 in of National Day of Remembrance of the Quebec City Mosque Attack and Action Against Islamophobia.
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