The Daily UbuntuThread 07 · Digital Solitude · September 25, 2026
January 29, remembering together
After the 2017 attack on the Quebec City mosque, neighbours' solidarity helped a wounded community get back on its feet.
1 · The scene
A January evening in Sainte-Foy, the snow squeaking under boots. Josée, who lives across the street, places a candle on the snowbank in front of the cultural centre. She doesn't know anyone inside. She hesitates to stay.
A man comes out, greets her, offers her hot tea in a paper cup. They talk about their children, the cold, the late snow removal. Before leaving, he tells her: "Thank you for coming. It matters." She promises to come back next year.
Original vignette
2 · The documented case
The attack on the Quebec City mosque
On January 29, 2017, shortly after evening prayers ended, a gunman entered the Islamic Cultural Centre of Quebec City, in Sainte-Foy. Six men were killed: Ibrahima Barry, Mamadou Tanou Barry, Khaled Belkacemi, Abdelkrim Hassane, Azzeddine Soufiane and Aboubaker Thabti. Nineteen people were injured.
In the days that followed, gestures of solidarity multiplied. In tears, the centre's vice-president, Mohamed Labidi, said it warmed his heart. Five years later, he also recalled that the centre had received hundreds of hateful messages in 2017. Hate and human warmth crossed paths in the same city.
In April 2021, the federal government proclaimed January 29 the National Day of Remembrance of the Quebec City Mosque Attack and Action against Islamophobia. The text recognizes that Islamophobia, racism and violent extremism are at the root of this crime, and invites people to honour the victims and those who stepped in to protect others.
Ubuntu teaches that shared grief becomes lighter. Every January 29, standing beside the families is telling the survivors: your pain is ours too, and your place here is not up for negotiation.
3 · The voice
“After the attack, people woke up. Quebec is still a land of welcome for me.”
4 · The question
What gesture, even a small one, could you make so that your Muslim neighbours feel at home in your neighbourhood?
Sources
- Justice Canada, Proclamation designating January 29 as the National Day of Remembrance (SI/2021-17), April 2021. laws-lois.justice.gc.ca
- Prime Minister of Canada, statement on the National Day of Remembrance, January 29, 2026. www.pm.gc.ca
- Radio-Canada, "5 ans après l'attentat, des musulmans croient en l'avenir sans oublier le passé," 2022 (in French). ici.radio-canada.ca
Every figure on this page links to a verifiable public source.
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