On the day thousands gathered in Montreal to mourn the deaths of Muslim men slain as they prayed, a mosque was vandalized in Point Saint-Charles.
The glass on the front door of the Centre Khadijah mosque on Centre St. was shattered and eggs were thrown at the building.
Montreal police are investigating it as a hate crime.
The incident occurred in the morning as members of the mosque attended a funeral at the Maurice Richard Arena for three of the six men murdered in Quebec City.
“This is very sad day in our community. We just came from the Maurice Richard Arena. As soon as we came back here we saw this. It happened this morning, but I didn’t see it this morning. Police informed me,” said Fazle Elahi Ashek Ahmad, director of the Khadijah Centre.
, said she was shocked by the vandalism in light of the shooting in Quebec City.
“I grew up in this neighbourhood and I always came to the mosque. That’s a place of worship where I feel safe. To know that something like this happened scares me. I don’t know if I will feel as safe again as I did before,” she said, adding that she's experienced several acts of religious intolerance against her in recent months, and said she's noticed increased polarization since the Quebec City attack.
“I do think that many people are coming together and supporting each other, but other people are showing their hate and showing they don’t support this, so I think in both extremes – their hate and their love – are increasing,” she said.
(photo: CTV Montreal / Aalia Adam)
The incident comes as Montreal police report hate crimes have spiked in the days since the Quebec City mosque attack.
Ahman said the hateful incident is very disappointing, adding that members don’t feel safe. He said they intend to be more cautious as they come to the mosque five times a day for their prayers.
Members of the mosque said the incident has left them rattled. Despite a few incidents of graffiti, they said they have always felt very integrated in the community since they opened the mosque in 2002.
The mosque also serves as a food bank and holds fundraisers for not just the Muslim community, but the local community at large, said members.
Politicians were quick to denounce the vandalism.
"I condemn this disgusting act!” said Ville-Marie MP Marc Millerin a tweet.
"Vandalism at the Khadijah Mosque in my riding is an unacceptable gesture that I strongly condemn," said Saint-Henri-Sainte-Anne MNA Dominique Anglade in a tweet.
“The congregation of Khadijah Mosque on Centre St. are our sisters and brothers; they are members of the Pointe-Saint-Charles community and Pointers stick up for one another. Pointers help out their neighbours. Pointers show solidarity,” said Montreal borough councillor Craig Sauve in a Facebook post. “I don't how who you think you are, you cowardly, small-minded xenophobe who did this, but you do not speak for the community.”
There are surveillance cameras installed at the mosque, and members hope the perpetrator will be brought to justice. A police investigation is ongoing and no arrests have been made thusfar.
Investigators "will be looking at the video to see if they can positively identify a suspect or suspects in this case," said Montreal police spokesperson Daniel Lacoursiere.
