Black Panther has taken the world by storm, experiencing box office success across North America, Europe, Africa and, to many in Hollywood’s surprise given a long history of rejecting films with Black leads, Asia.

Furthermore, a Blockbuster Hollywood film that centralizes Black characters and their narratives in authentic ways both in front of and behind the camera, and that also weaves in discussions about colonialism and slavery, is groundbreaking within the current socio-political context; it’s also deeply needed.

Despite this, online comments about Black Panther have been accusing it of Islamophobia, with some even going as far as to tell Muslims to boycott the film.

Alexandre Bissonnette, who killed 6 men at the Islamic Cultural Centre of Quebec on January 29th, 2017, has pled guilty to six counts of first degree murder.

Superior Court Justice François Huot read the names of those who were killed by Bissonnette, who plead guilty to first degree murder for their deaths: Azzeddine Soufiane, Khaled Belkacemi, Ibrahima Barry, Mamadou Tanou Barry, Abdelkrim Hassane and Boubaker Thabti.

Justice Hout then read the names of those who survived being shot by Bissonnette, Aymen Derbali, Said Akjour, Said El Amari, Nizar Ghali and Mohamed Khabar. Bissonette plead guilty to the attempted murder of these men.

Justice Hout then read the names of 35 other people, including four children, who were present in the mosque at the time. Bissonette admitted that it was his intention to murder all of those present at the mosque that night.

First, I need to tell you who I am.

I am a diaspora Somali Canadian based in Toronto, Ontario. I am an educator, researcher with a focus on diversity and inclusion, curriculum development, public engagement, immigration, and Criminal Justice System working with underserved and underemployed Black youth in Toronto. As a co-founder of the Canadian Association of Muslim Women in Law (CAMWL) I have organized public education forums and co-authored a paper exploring issues of Islamophobia and anti-Black racism and how they intersect in the lives of Black Muslim Canadians.

Muslim Link partnered with Inspirit Foundation, a national, grant-making organization that supports young people aged 18 to 30 in building a more inclusive and pluralist Canada, to commemorate the first anniversary of the Quebec Mosque attack by bringing together young Muslims from across Canada to share short reflections on Muslim idenity in Canada and/or how they are working to resist Islamophobia.

Listen to what they have to say.

On January 29th, 2017, six Muslims were murdered and nineteen injured at the Islamic Cultural Centre of Quebec City, a mosque in the Sainte-Foy neighbourhood of Quebec City, Canada.

A year later, Canadians found a variety of ways to commemorate this tragedy.

Liberal MPP Dr. Shafiq Qaadri (Etobicoke North) intends to file a motion on the first day of the Legislature’s spring sitting on February 20th, 2018, to proclaim January 29th a Day of Remembrance and Action against Islamophobia in the province of Ontario.

During January's City Council meeting, Councillor Neethan Shan will introduce a motion declaring January 29 as a Day of Remembrance and Action on Islamophobia in the City of Toronto.

Jan. 29, 2017 must be remembered as the date of the worst mass murder to take place in a house of worship in Canadian history. This was the day when six Muslim men were shot dead after evening prayers in a Québec City mosque.

On Jan. 29, 2017, a man entered a Québec mosque during evening prayer and opened fire on the backs of 53 congregants. Six died immediately.

Hamilton City Council has officially recognized January 29th as the Day of Remembrance and Action on Islamophobia, commemorating the attack on the Centre Culturel Islamique de Québec in Quebec City in 2017 that left six men dead and several injured. This follows a call from the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) to have this day recognized at the national level.

The motion to recognize the day was put forward by City Councillor Matthew Green at the January 24th council meeting and was passed unanimously.