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Community leaders, politicians and neighbours gathered at the Islamic Association of Saskatchewan (IAS) in Saskatoon and in front of Regina’s City Hall for vigils to honour the victims of last week’s attack at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Fatima Coovidia is a member of the IAS in Saskatoon and notes how important it is for people to lean on each other in times of tragedy.
“It’s really great that we recognize that ultimately we’re one human family, so in times of crisis we need to come together,” she said. “We need to collectively address these issues of hatred and intolerance that seeks to divide us all.”
50 people were killed last week in New Zealand’s third-largest city when an Australian gunman, and self-proclaimed white supremacist, targeted and shot at two separate mosques as people gathered to pray.
Thursday’s event was a way of showing support and solidarity, which is something the Islamic centre has gotten plenty of in recent days.
“We’ve had an incredible outpouring of sympathy and support from the community,” Coovadia said. “It’s a true testament of the ongoing relationship building and outreach that we’ve done across culture, faith and alliance.”
“Here in Saskatoon, we’re really blessed to have those relationships.”
Daniel Kuhlen is the co-chair of the media, communications and outreach committee for the IAS.
He was at the University of Saskatchewan attending a panel on hate speech when news of shootings broke on news feeds across the room.
Kuhlen said the sadness after last week’s attack is still being felt in Saskatoon’s Muslim community, but things like Thursday’s vigil help.
“It means very much too our community, it helps ease the pain and it makes it somewhat more easier to carry on.”
The seemingly global uptick of intolerance and violent terrorist attacks is highly worrisome to Kuhlen as reports of mass shootings are becoming all to common to him.
People lighting and holding candles at vigil for Christchurch in Regina on March 21, 2019. (Andrew Shepherd/980 CJME)
“Statistically, hate crimes and extremist crimes are on the rise,” Kuhlen said noting an increase of such attacks in Western Europe.”
“This is I think a global phenomena. It’s something that’s being fanned by certain flames of intolerance and certain flames of hatred by those who want to vilify the other.”
Alternatively, seeing solidarity vigils in communities across the globe give Kuhlen a hope for the future.
“When tragedy strikes communities, people do what they always do: they come together in cooperation with their neighbour and they stand together,” he said.
Outside City Hall in Regina Thursday evening, community members lit 50 candles to honour the 50 people killed in New Zealand. The hundreds of people attending filled the area in front of the building.
Syed Arif was there, and he said it’s important everyone talks to each other, no matter what their beliefs are, “so that we know each other, we understand each other and we promote the common understanding. We start respecting each other.”
He said when something like the Christchurch attack happens, it’s an attack on all of humanity.
Zainab Nadeem had a similar message.
“I want everyone to know that we’re all the same. We shouldn’t be discriminated for who we are,” she said. “When we look at someone, we shouldn’t look at them from the outside, we should look at them from the inside.”
— With files from 980 CJME’s Andrew Shepherd