Athabasca joined the tide of communities across Canada remembering the victims of the Jan. 29 Quebec mosque shooting at a candlelit ceremony on Sunday at the Athabasca United Church.
Athabasca United Church Rev. Monica Rosborough said she put the event together because she was worried for the Islamic community members in the region.
“I was very worried about anybody in Athabasca who is Muslim being afraid for their lives. In Canada, that’s a terrible thing. That shouldn’t be allowed,” she said. “It wasn’t that long ago that two of my grandparents could have been in an internment camp for coming from the wrong country.”
About 70 people filled the pews, including local government and members of the Lac La Biche Muslim community.
After a few speeches, including ones from Athabasca-Sturgeon-Redwater MLA Colin Piquette and Town of Athabasca Coun. Steve Schafer, the group raised their voice in song, darkened the church and lit their candles, and the ceremony was concluded by a lively singing of “This Little Light of Mine.”
Rosborough said that racism does exist in Canada, and Islamophobia can be combatted by the sharing of knowledge, such as remembering the first Muslims who began immigrating to Canada in the 1800s, and that Naheed Kurban Nenshi has been mayor of Calgary since 2017 “and he has not turned Calgary into sharia law.”
“We combat that (racism) by getting to know our Muslim neighbours and talking to them and hearing their stories,” she said. “We need to be open to conversations. We need to be ready to meet them face to face and extend a hand of friendship.”
Lac La Biche Iman Mazhar Mahmood offered prayers during the ceremony in Arabic and English, and said after the vigil that he thinks it is actually easier to integrate as a Muslim in rural communities.
“Everyone grew up with one another, the different faiths, the different community members,” he said.
Mahmood also said it was nice of the United Church of Canada to facilitate the gathering, “to show unity and solidarity.”
“You saw people from all walks of life attending this gathering. It was just very enlightening to see everyone together in this time of hardship and events which are done with the intent of separating people.”
Hadla Assaf is Muslim and has been living in Athabasca for nine years. She said she does not struggle being open about her religion here.
“I love when people ask me about my religion, my culture, just to share what a peaceful religion it is. That’s what Islam means, peace,” she said.
She also said she was both surprised and not by the magnitude of the gathering.
“I thought it would just be a little gathering of like 10 or 15 people, and I was kind of overwhelmed when I walked in. At the same time I wasn’t surprised because living in this community is so rewarding,” Assaf said. “I’m just so proud to live here, really proud.”
