Security had already been increased at the Muslim Society of Guelph after the 2017 mosque shooting in Quebec City, but after an even more deadly attack in New Zealand had leaders at the site thinking about increasing it even more.
Muhammed Sayyed, president of the Muslim Society of Guelph (MSOG), said he had conversations with Mayor Cam Guthrie and deputy police chief Paul Martin about the possibility of having a beefed-up police presence for Friday prayers, but ultimately he decided against the added measure.
MSOG did not request extra security because it believes in a doors-open policy, Sayyed told GuelphToday on Friday, after the service.
The shootings in two mosques in Christchurch occurred during Friday afternoon prayers in New Zealand, which was about 8:40 p.m. Thursday local time.
Sayyed said it weighed heavy on him during a sleepless night that hundreds of people would be attending Friday prayers at the centre in Guelph.
“That is one of the things that was constantly playing in my head,” said Sayyed. “We knew it was March break Friday, so the attendance would be about 700 or 800 people.”
Muslim Society of Guelph invited the public to attend two afternoon prayer services on Friday. Guelph’s mayor, MP and MPP were among those who showed up for the 1 p.m. service.
“I knew our community would come out, they aren’t going to sit back,” said Sayyed.
Dr. Jibran Khokhar, a neuroscientist and U of G professor, spoke during the 1 p.m. Prayer service. Although Muslims pray many times over the course of the week, Khokhar likened Friday prayer service to a Sunday mass in the Catholic faith—it’s when most people show up to pray.
Khokhar was already scheduled to speak during the service before he heard about the estimated 49 people who were killed in New Zealand. He also had a sleepless night.
“I was planning on talking about something else, and then this happened,” Khokhar told media after the service.
Khokhar said he regrets having watched part of the video live streamed by one of the shooters while an attack was under way.
“I hope everybody has better judgement and I hope that Twitter and YouTube and Facebook take it down and take down every version of it that comes up from now on, if nothing else, out of respect for the people that died,” said Khokhar.
While speaking during the service, Khokhar said attacks like the ones in Quebec City and Christchurch begin with dehumanizing language.
“Nobody who thought the people in that mosque were human would have done what they did, and that’s what happens when you dehumanize people. When people are called animals, when people are called beasts,” Khokhar told the crowd of about 200 people in the main prayer hall.
Three other halls in the centre also held concurrent Friday prayer services.
“This hate, this terror will not scare us from practicing the religion we are told to practice and we have chosen to practice,” said Khokhar during the service. “We will not let hate win, not this round and not any round.”
Security was increased at the Muslim Society of Guelph immediately after the 2017 shooting in Quebec City that killed six men. All doors in the building are locked at all times and security cameras are positioned around the exterior.
Khokhar said the New Zealand shooting has caused him to think about security even more. He thinks the one of the two handles on some double exterior doors should be taken off so no one can chain the doors together to prevent people from leaving during a shooting.
“In the U.S. mostly they have one door handle on one door and the other door only opens from the inside, because then you can’t block the door,” said Khokhar.
In his remarks during the service, MP Lloyd Longfield said the community has to keep its doors open and to be welcoming to everybody.
“The hate knows no bounds, knows no religion, knows no colour, but also love knows no bounds, knows no religion and knows no colour,” said Longfield.
Mike Schreiner, MPP for Guelph and leader of the Green Party of Ontario, said he can’t imagine how someone could hate a community that has shown him so much love and kindness.
“The only way to fight hate is to talk about the ways in which we all express love for each other,” said Schreiner.
While speaking at the service, Guthrie mentioned a text message he received int he early morning hours asking for more security for the event.
“I never realized when I became the mayor, that I would be getting requests from community members to have police present at a mosque, at a place of worship. That’s what our society has come to?” said Guthrie. “It’s unbelievable.”
Guthrie said he is sick of lowering the flags at Guelph City Hall to half staff to mark tragedies like this.
“It’s almost become not a shock anymore—and how terrible is that?” he said.
The Muslim Society of Guelph has a doors-open policy, with events like Building Bridges and Eid celebrations, noted Guthrie.
“I thank you for everything you do in our community and our community stands with you—It stands with you on days like today and on better days,” said Guthrie.
