THUNDER BAY -- A leader of Thunder Bay's Muslim community says they are sharing the grief suffered by the people affected by the fatal shootings in Quebec on Sunday night.
In an interview with tbnewswatch.com, local imam Hikmatullah Sherzad called the deaths of six people and wounding of many others at a Quebec City mosque "a tragedy," and said he is mourning the loss of innocence.
Sherzad said the Thunder Bay mosque at 591 John St. will host a service in honour of the victims tomorrow.
He acknowledged that while a lot of people may be drawing a connection between the actions of U.S. President Donald Trump and the incident in Quebec, he's not ready to do that. "I would personally just wait for the (police) investigation to go forward," Sherzad said. "We need more facts," he added.
Sherzad estimates the number of Muslims in Thunder Bay to be as high as 1,000, many of those being students from out of town who are in the city attending university or college.
The mosque will host a community gathering with people "from all over Thunder Bay...in solidarity, knowing very well that acts like this cannot divide us, only unite us."
Details of Tuesday evening's event are available on Facebook. The event runs from 6:45 p.m. to 7:15 p.m.
Chris Adams, spokesperson for the Thunder Bay Police Service, said police "will be vigilant regarding the Thunder Bay (mosque) regarding patrols."
Adams' response came following an inquiry from tbnewswatch.com as to whether police will conduct extra patrols in the vicinity of the John Street facility.
Adams added that police had expressed their sympathy to the Thunder Bay Muslim Association regarding the incident in Quebec City.
