Muslim Council of Montreal condemns attack on Saguenay mosque

September 2, 2013
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Montreal, Quebec, September 2nd, 2013 - The Muslim Council of Montreal (MCM) strongly condemned the recent act of vandalism at a mosque in Saguenay.

“It is distressing to repeatedly see such attacks of hate and racism against peaceful places of worship, specifically ones that are often frequented by innocent children,” stated Salam Elmenyawi, president of MCM. “But it is not surprising to see such intolerance growing, when even our political leaders speak of religious differences as threats and help to incite suspicion and division against minority groups in our society. Quebec is a place of divert and pluralism, as such it must be governed with peace, tolerance and respect and there must be zero tolerance for such acts of hatred and that they go against the values of our charter, constitution and country. It must also be clear that there is zero tolerance for those who incite such acts of hatred by means of their hate speech, which is also a criminal act and must be dealt with very seriously and severely.”

The Saguenay mosque was splattered in blood by the vandals. Anti-Islamic letters were also sent to the mosque to a local radio station.

MCM thanks the Saguenay mayor and police department for condemning the act and recognizing it as a hate crime and urges all political leaders and police force to be vigilant in fighting hate and discrimination. MCM further urges all officials and members of the community to exercise increased caution and report any suspicious individuals or activity to the authorities immediately.

 

CONTACT:

Salam Elmenyawi

Muslim Council of Montreal (MCM)

Ph.: (514) 748-8427

E-mail: info@muslimcouncil.org

Website: http://www.muslimcouncil.org

  

 The Muslim Council of Montreal (MCM) is an umbrella organization representing a number of Islamic institutions in the Montreal region. There are over 325,000 Muslims in Montreal, about 1,300,000 in Canada and 1.9 billion worldwide.

                                                                                     

                                                                                     

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