January 29th Designated as the National Day of Remembrance of the Quebec City Mosque Attack and Action Against Islamophobia
Press Release
January 30, 2021. Calgary, AB
January 29th Designated as the National Day of Remembrance of the Quebec City Mosque Attack and Action Against Islamophobia
Think for Actions, Canadians Against Racism Violence and Hate (CARVH) and Canadian Muslim Research Think Tank are grateful and would like to thank the Liberal government and the Minister of Canadian Heritage, the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, for their designation of 29th January as a National Day of Remembrance of the Quebec City Mosque Attack and Action Against Islamophobia.
Through it actions today, the Liberal government has shown its commitment to delivering justice to minorities. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told a town hall meeting in Winnipeg in July 2015, “A Canadian is a Canadian is a Canadian”. Today he delivered on that promise that honours the victims and expresses solidarity with the survivors of this tragedy. This is the justice that Khaled Balkacemi, Aboubaker Thabti, Mamadou Tanou Barry, Ibrahim Barry, and Abdelkrim Hassane deserve.
On January 25th, 2021 the motion, introduced by NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, passed with unanimous consent in the House of Commons regarding the proliferation of white supremacist and hate groups and the designation of the Proud Boys as a terrorist entity.
“Harper and Trump’s polarizing political rhetoric has promoted prejudice, racism and bigotry. These are the steps in the right direction valuing all Canadians as equal. Canadian Muslims welcome the above two actions and will work with government to address racism violence and hate” said Dr. Mukarram Zaidi, Chairman Think for Actions.
Think for Actions, CARVH, I-CARE Task force, Calgary Interfaith Council and Canadian Muslim Research Think Tank, researchers and professors from multiple universities as well as the RCMP are working on a research proposal to identify and combat the genesis of hate. The research is known as Canadian Cultural Sensitivity Towards Minorities – “aCCUSToM Study”.
Dr. Zaidi also added, “We have applied for funding and if approved the study will address discrimination that includes but is not limited to race and religion. The results of this study will propose curriculum recommendations on how to counter Racism, Bigotry, Xenophobia, Homophobia, Anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, Racism against Indigenous people”. This proposed study will benefit the greater community and minorities within Canada.
For further information and comments please contact:
Dr. Mukarram Zaidi,
Canadian Muslim Research Think Tank,
587 890 8321,
chairman@thinkforactions.com
