SOUTH ASIAN WOMEN’S COMMUNITY CENTRE (SAWCC) STATEMENT ON THE MASS SHOOTINGS IN QUEBEC MOSQUE ON SUNDAY 28TH JANUARY 2017
The South Asian Women’s Community Centre is shocked and stunned by the mass shooting resulting in deaths and serious injuries at a Quebec mosque on Sunday 28th January 2017. We offer our deepest condolences to the families of the victims and to the members of the Islamic Community Centre in Ste-Foy, Quebec. And we stand in solidarity with Muslim-identified Quebecers at this time.
But we are not surprised by the carnage. Even as we stand in solidarity with Quebecers, especially Muslim-identified Quebecers at this time, we call our governments, politicians and media to account for fanning the flames of xenophobia and Islamophobia to score cheap political points. For the past 36 years we have been working among South Asian women and their families. And in more recent times we have been tirelessly warning about the dangerous game that is being played, especially on the bodies of minority women, and in particular Muslim women. The proposed so-called Charter of Values of the erstwhile PQ government, the current Quebec Liberal government’s Charter ‘light’ — Bill-62, as well as at the provincial and federal level prospective leadership contenders’ spurious harping on so-called ‘Quebec’ and ‘Canadian’ values and the continued focus on so-called ‘honour’ crimes, forced marriage and radicalisation are unsurprisingly bearing the fruit of fear and hatred. It must stop now!
(SAWCC, founded in 1981 is a Montreal-based service, support and advocacy organization for South Asian women and their families. More info at: http://www.sawcc-ccfsa.ca/EN/)
Top - Home