National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) Calls on Government to Designate January 29 as National Day Against Hate

The letter has been endorsed by over 100 Canadian Muslim organizations, interfaith groups and community partners, including the Centre Culturel Islamique de Québec (CCIQ) where the January 29, 2017, mosque massacre occurred.

The NCCM previously called on the government to designate this day as a National Day of Remembrance and Action on Islamophobia following the horrific Islamophobic attack on the Islamic Cultural Centre of Quebec City in which 6 men were killed and many others injured almost two years ago.

“As we approach the second anniversary of the attack, we pause to recognize that the racism and hatred that underpinned this attack do not exist in isolation. According to the latest figures, hate crimes and discrimination against minority groups and Indigenous communities in Canada are on the rise, and four-in-ten of such crimes are violent. Recent attacks against religious, racial and other minorities in Canada have demonstrated beyond any doubt that no one community can combat this hate alone. Rather, as Canadians, we must come together and unite, not only against Islamophobia but against all forms of hate,” reads the open letter.

“There’s no doubt that for Muslim communities and many others across Canada, January 29 will always be associated with the devastating Quebec City mosque attack. By expanding our call to unite communities in the fight against hate, we are sending a clear message to those who might try to stir division among Canadians: regardless of whether it is our door or our neighbour’s door, when hate and intolerance come knocking we will always be there for each other,” says NCCM Executive Director Gardee.

The NCCM is an independent, non-partisan and non-profit organization that is a leading voice for Muslim civic engagement and the promotion of human rights.

The following is the list of organizations that endorsed the letter:

• Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario (ACTO)
• Afghan Canadian Islamic Community
• Akram Jomaa Centre
• Alberta Muslim Public Affairs Committee (AMPAC)
• Alghadir Masjed Building Ltd
• Alhedaya Community Foundation of Calgary
• Alkawthar Islamic Association
• Amnestie international Canada francophone
• Amnesty International Canada
• Anglican Church of Canada
• Association des Musulmans et des Arabes pour la Laïcité au Québec (AMAL- Quebec)
• Association musulmane québécoise des converti.e.s (AMQ)
• Az-Zahraa Islamic Academy
• Az-Zahraa Islamic Centre
• Baha'i Community of Canada, Office of Public Affairs
• Bilal Centre
• British Columbia Aboriginal Network on Disability Society (BCANDS)
• British Columbia Civil Liberties Association
• British Columbia Muslim Association
• Brooks Islamic Centre
• C.O.R. organisme de Communication pour l'Ouverture et le Rapprochement
interculture
• Calgary Islamic Centre
• Canadian Anti-Hate Network (CAN)
• Canadian Assocation of Muslim Women in Law (CAM-WL)
• Canadian Association of Jews and Muslims (CAJM)
• Canadian Centre for Deen Studies
• Canadian Centre for Gender + Sexual Diversity
• Canadian Council for Refugee/ Conseil canadien pour les réfugiés (CCR)
• Canadian Council of Imams (CCI)
• Canadian Council of Muslim Women (CCMW)
• Canadian Council of Muslim Women (Montreal Chapter)
• Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) National
• Canadian Friends of Somalia
• Canadian Muslim Lawers Association/Association canadienne des avocats musulmans
(CMLA/ACAM)
• Canadian Muslim Leadership Institute
• Canadian Union of Public Employees - CUPE National
• Canadian-Muslim Vote, The (TCMV)
• Centre Culturel Islamique de Québec (CCIQ)
• Centre Islamique de l'Outaouais | CIO-OIC
• Chinese & Southeast Asian Legal Clinic
• Chinese Canadian National Council Toronto Chapter
• Christian Jewish Dialogue of Toronto
• City for All Women Initiative (CAWI)
• Colour of Poverty Colour of Change
• Congregation Or Shalom
• Congress of Aboriginal Peoples, The
• Council of Agencies Serving South Asians (CASSA)
• Danforth Islamic Centre
• Dawanet
• Deen Support Services
• Edmonton Council of Muslim Communities (ECMC)
• Egale Canada Human Rights Trust
• Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada
• Federation of Muslim Social Services
• First Nations Child and Family Caring Society
• Ghadir Cultural & Educational Centre
• Gurdwara Nanak Niwas Sikh Temple (India Cultural Centre of Canada)
• Husaini Association of Manitoba
• Imam Mahdi Islamic Centre
• Imam Mahdi Youth
• Imdadul Islamic Centre
• Institute of Islamic Studies (IIS), University of Toronto
• Inter Pares
• Intercultural Dialogue Institute (IDI)
• International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group (ICLMG)
• International Muslim Organization (IMO)
• Islam Care Centre
• Islamic Association of Saskatchewan (Regina)
• Islamic Association of Saskatchewan (Saskatoon)
• Islamic Centre of Northwest Calgary
• Islamic Centre of South Calgary
• Islamic Circle of North America-Canada (ICNA-Canada)
• Islamic History Month Canada (IHMC)
• Islamic Institute of Toronto (IIT)
• Islamic Shia Ithna Asheri Jamaat (ISIJ) of Toronto
• Islamic Social Services Association (ISSA)
• Islamic Society of Kingston
• Islamic Society of North America - Canada (ISNA-Canada)
• Jamiat Ul Ansar
• JSpaceCanada
• KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives
• Kanata Muslim Association
• Ligue des droits et libertés
• London Muslim Mosque
• Masjid Al Rasool Al Atham
• Muslim Association of Calgary
• Muslim Association of Canada National (MAC National)
• Muslim Community Foundation of Calgary
• Muslim Council of Calgary (MCC)
• Muslim Council of Peel (MCP)
• Muslim Resource Centre for Social Support and Integration
• Muslim Society of Prince Edward Island
• North American Shia Ithna-Asheri Muslim Community Organization (NASIMCO)
• North American Spiritual Revival (NASR)
• Olive Tree Foundation
• Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI)
• Ontario Federation of Labour
• Ottawa Muslim Association (OMA)
• Own It Institute of Canada Ltd
• Presbyterian Church in Canada, The
• Religions for Peace Canada
• Sayeda Khadija Centre
• Scarborough Muslim Association
• Shia Muslim Community of British Columbia
• Social Planning Council of Winnipeg
• South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario (SALCO)
• Taric Islamic Centre
• Teachers for Global Awareness
• Tessellate Institute (TTI), The
• Thaqalayn Muslim Association of UBC
• Think for Actions
• United Church of Canada, The
• United Jewish People's Order (UJPO)
• Vaughan African Canadian Association (VACA)
• Voices of Muslim Women
• Windsor Islamic Council
• World Sikh Organization (WSO) of Canada

You can read the letter online here