Fondé en 1983 --Unis pour la diversité et l'égalité raciale

TERRORIST KILLING IN QUEBEC CITY MOSQUE: THE NEED FOR COLLECTIVE ACTION AGAINST VIOLENT ATTACK ON MUSLIMS AND VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES



Montreal, January 30, 2017 — CRARR condemns in the strongest terms the barbaric mass shooting of Muslim individuals at the Centre culturel islamique de Québec.

CRARR conveys its deepest thoughts and condolences to the victims of this massacre, and calls on everyone to ensure that the victims’ families, survivors and other members of the Mosque receive all the support, care and protection they need.

It is a despicable act of terrorism and violence that is fundamentally un-Canadian, and contrary to Quebec, Canadian and universal human values.

The fundamental rights of Muslims and other Quebecers include the right to life, security, dignity and equality. The terrorist attack on the Centre culturel islamique de Québec is a most violent and intolerable attack on these rights.

CRARR calls upon all authorities to take necessary and proper actions to bring the authors and supporters of this act of terrorism to justice, and to shed full light on the circumstances that led to this fanatic mass shooting, with the goal to stamp out the very conditions behind this tragedy, including the access to automatic firearms.

In addition, governments and civil society should go beyond words and take concrete actions against different forms of hate, bigotry and discrimination that are too often directed at Muslims and other vulnerable minorities in Quebec. Firm actions should be taken to combat hate messages in social and other media, curtail extremist and hate groups, enhance protection for institutions and members of faith communities, and promote cross-cultural cooperation and minority rights.

CRARR shares the deep belief that Canadians in general and Quebecers in particular, of all ages and backgrounds, are committed to the common values of peace, solidarity, human rights and respect for differences.

We call on people of all backgrounds and faiths to stand up against hate and terrorism, to work together through the common bond of shared humanity, and to build a better, safer and more just society in which everyone can practice his or faith in full freedom, security and dignity.