TRENTON, Canada

Canada has declared Jan. 29 a National Day of Remembrance for the six people that were killed and 19 wounded in the 2017 Quebec City mosque shooting rampage.

“Four years ago tonight, a terrorist attack at the Centre culturel islamique de Quebec in Ste-Foy (Quebec City) claimed the lives of six people and seriously injured 19 others,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement, Friday.

“To honour the victims of this tragedy and continue the fight against Islamophobia, hatred and discrimination, we announced yesterday our intention to declare January 29 as a ‘National Day of Remembrance of the Quebec City Mosque Attack and Action Against Islamophobia.’”

The designation was greeted with relief by Mohamed Labidi, who was the president of the mosque at the time of the killings.

“I am very happy about this news because we know the blood of our brothers has not gone for nothing, and it will contribute to have a more secure society and a more peaceful society,” he said on hearing the news.

But just as the emotional pain of that horrific day remains, so does the physical proof of the tragedy. The mosque has never been repaired, something that will change.

“The mosque continues to exist by the grace of God, but it continues to bear the scars of January 29th, 2017,” Yusuf Faqiri, National Council of Canadian Muslims Quebec Director of Public Affairs, said in a statement.

“That means that many of the places where the windows were, still remain covered by metal sheets. It is simply unacceptable for our community to allow this site to remain in this condition.

“It is time we all step up to rebuild and fortify the mosque, to rebuild this place that the attacker tried to destroy, where Quebec Muslims will never again feel unsafe, where hope and love defeats hate and violence.”

Due to COVID-19, virtual events to commemorate the day organized by the mosque and other groups got underway today, including a reading of passages from the Qur’an that were also to be streamed on social media.