Mohamed-Aslim Zafis, 58, a volunteer guardian of a mosque in the Rexdale neighborhood, was stabbed in the throat while making sure worshipers respected the barrier gestures put in place as part of the Covid-19 health crisis. The Prime Minister expressed his solidarity with the Muslim community.
According to leaders of the Muslim community, it is a crime motivated by hate, in these times of increased acts of violence against the Muslim community, as was the case in two mosques in Toronto during the summer.
IMO (International Muslim Organization), a Muslim association in Toronto which manages the mosque where the tragedy occurred, refuses to resign itself: “We will not be intimidated. (…) In a few days, we will inform you of the reopening of the mosque for prayer. (…) No one is going to stop us from being here, ”said Omar Farouk.
Ron Taverner, the Toronto police superintendent, expressed his solidarity with the Muslim community, adding that some members of the local police were worshipers of the mosque. “They are deeply touched by what is happening here and by the level of violence that has taken place,” he said during the vigil organized in honor of Mohamed-Aslim Zafis.
The security forces said they were looking in particular for a possible link between the murder of Mohamed-Aslim Zafis and that of Peter Singh, a 39-year-old man killed with a stab on September 7, five kilometers from the mosque of Rexdale.
Message of solidarity also from the Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau: “My thoughts are with those close to Mohamed-Aslim Zafis. (…) We stand alongside Muslim communities against such hatred, which has no place in Canada, “he said on his Twitter account.
