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At least 49 killed, 48 injured in attack on mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand NEWS 5

Saturday, March 16, 2019 | Your community newspaper since 1916

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RCMP were standing by in the parking lot during afternoon prayers at Prince George Islamic Centre on Friday, following a pair of deadly shootings at two mosques in New Zealand, which claimed at least 49 lives and wounded 48 others.

P.G. a safe city, Muslim community leader says Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff mnielsen@pgcitizen.ca The mass shooting in New Zealand has failed to sway Mostafa Mohammad’s faith in Prince George. The chairperson of the Prince George chapter of the B.C. Muslim Association said Friday the events left him “shocked and sad” but feeling no less safe. “We are lucky in a sense that Prince George has a really deeprooted multicultural (tradition),” Mohammad said. “Everyone is familiar with different cultures and it’s part of human nature – once you know the different cultures, then you are not threatened or you don’t fear that kind of culture.” He also noted the large number of people who showed up for a

vigil in January 2017 following the shootings at a mosque in Quebec. An estimated 300 people attended. A vigil is also planned for this evening at city hall, starting at 5 p.m. Those who attend are encouraged to “bring signs, candles and support.” “I’m sure that everyone in Prince George is as shocked as much as us,” Mohammad said of the attack on two mosques in Christchurch that left at least 49 people dead. A lone gunman is believed responsible for all the deaths (see story, page 5). “That attack is an attack against humanity and not just Muslims as a particular group... it is very unfortunate but it happened so we have to deal with it.” Mohammad attributed a burgeoning anti-immigrant sentiment

A vigil is also planned for this evening at city hall, starting at 5 p.m. Those who attend are encouraged to “bring signs, candles and support.” to politicians who are “stirring up differences rather than the common things that we share as human beings.” However, he said he’s received expressions of support and condolence from other groups in Prince George. Prince George Interfaith Council

chair Susan Scott called the attacks in New Zealand “horrific.” “It doesn’t make sense to me and choices like this are born of hatred and mistrust,” Scott added. She said the way to prevent something similar from occurring in Prince George is to keep the dialogue going – one of the reasons the council was formed in the first place. “There have been conversations and a desire to keep that door open so that nobody is feeling that they need to lash out or feeling that someone has lashed out on them.” Mohammad said there is always chance that something like what happened in New Zealand could occur here but stressed the chance is very slim and no more than anywhere else. He also noted Prince George

RCMP’s efforts to work with the city’s Muslim community. RCMP officers were onsite at the mosque Friday as the congregation assembled for prayers. Prince George RCMP said in a statement that it is asking the public to report anything suspicious. “Although some mosques may have an increased frontline policing presence following this event, we are not aware of any specific threats and continue to exercise increased vigilance,” RCMP said. “We are reaching out to the local Muslim community to identify whether they have any specific safety or security concerns.” Anyone with information about possible criminal threats to national security is encouraged to immediately call the RCMP’s National Security Information Network at 1-800-420-5805.

Massacre at New Zealand mosques condemmed Citizen news service QUEBEC — A little more than two years after their own community came under attack, Muslims in Quebec City said they were in shock over the mass shootings at two New Zealand mosques Friday that claimed at least 49 lives. Their horror was echoed by members of other Muslim communities across the country as they offered condolences to the grieving families and spoke out against extremism. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned as “absolutely appalling” the attack on worshippers attending Friday prayers in Christchurch. “Hate has no place anywhere,” Trudeau said in a statement. “We must all confront Islamophobia and work to create a world in which all people – no matter their faith, where they live, or where they were born - can feel safe and secure.” Boufeldja Benabdallah, the head of the Quebec City Islamic Cultural Centre, said a feeling of “indescribable pain” was apparent in his own community. He extended condolences to the New Zealand victims and expressed concern for families in Quebec City being forced to relive the Jan. 29, 2017 attack that left six men dead. “I’m convinced they are feeling a terrible pain. Imagine the children of those families here in Quebec who are hearing it on the radio and will watch their mothers cry and ask, ‘Why are you crying?’ ” Benabdallah said. “The mothers will remember the 29th, when they ran to get husbands who were

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People gather for a vigil in Toronto held for the victims of the New Zealand terror attack on Friday. The vigil was one of many held around the world. killed by Alexandre Bissonnette.” Benabdallah added that amid the mourning, it is time for people to speak out against extremism and for lawmakers to legislate against it. “We must get back to work once again to explain, to tell these extremists of all stripes who politicize religion, like extremists who use race as a basis for discrimination, that we must change,” Benabdallah said. “The world cannot continue like this.” During a vigil in Toronto, federal Im-

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migration Minister Ahmed Hussen said it’s important for people around the world to say no to hatred. “We have to work every single day to eradicate this hatred in our midst,” Hussen told the crowd at Nathan Phillips Square, many of whom carried signs bearing slogans such as United Against Islamophobia. “And we have to tell those who peddle in this kind of hatred – whether they be ordinary citizens or whether they be politicians – that this is the logical extension of

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that hatred.” Police in many cities across the country said they were stepping up patrols around places of worship on Friday and communicating with local Muslim communities about their security concerns. “We will have a heightened police presence in the community, focusing on places of worship – especially mosques. We have done this to ensure the city is as safe and secure as possible,” said Const. Allyson Douglas-Cook, a Toronto police spokeswoman. In Halifax, Imam Abdallah Yousri of the Umma Mosque said no special precautions were being taken, but he confirmed that the site, with a capacity of 2,000, already has a good security system. “We will have discussions about that to see how we can enhance our security systems to make sure this kind of thing doesn’t happen in the future,” he said in an interview. He said some members called to see whether prayers would go ahead as scheduled on Friday, and he assured them the mosque would be open. “It’s always a special day on Fridays,” he said. “We pray every Friday.” Rabia Khedr, executive director of the Muslim Council of Peel, said the early news about Christchurch immediately brought to mind the Quebec City shooting. “I didn’t sleep all night,” Khedr said. “I cannot believe the number of people that have been killed, the number of people that have been injured.” She said an attack on Muslims in a Western nation hits harder. — see ‘IT’S PURE, page 3

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