Quebec City Islamic centre had ‘major’ security concerns after previous incident
QUEBEC — The Quebec mosque where six people were killed during evening prayers had been targeted previously, and its leaders say security had been “a major, major concern” prior to Sunday’s attack.
In June, a pig’s head was left at the entrance of the Centre Culturel Islamique de Quebec during Ramadan. It had been wrapped in transparent plastic tied with blue and white ribbons with a note reading, “Bonne appetit (sic).”
“Security at our mosque was our major, major concern,” Mohamed Labidi, the mosque’s vice-president, said Monday. “But we were caught off guard.”
Gilles Routhier, dean of theology and religious studies at the University of Laval, said the centre is a vital part of a Muslim community that includes immigrants, Syrian refugees and foreign students from north Africa.