On Nov. 14, the only mosque in Peterborough, Ont. was set on fire. The crime was identified as arson, soon after the attacks on Paris and Beirut.
The cost of damage resulting from the arson at Masjid Al Salaam, which translates to “The Peace Mosque,” is estimated to be between $80,000 to $100,000.
Kenzu Abdella, president of the Kawartha Muslim Religious Association, told multiple media outlets Peterborough’s Muslim congregation was devastated.
As soon as he heard of the arson, Peterborough’s Duane Rousselle created an online fundraiser to help ease the cost of repairs.
“I heard it from somebody who lived beside the mosque, before it hit the news. I felt compelled to do something. Anything. However, I have very little to give. I am truly struggling just to keep the heat on for my son. So I went to Trent University, borrowed a friend’s Internet password and her phone, and sat there for two or three days,” Rouselle said.
Rousselle said people didn’t need to thank him because of how simple the task was, and how the smallest act can make a huge difference.
“I clicked a few buttons for a few days and donated 17 cents. That’s all I had in my bank account,” Rousselle said.
Within days, Rousselle’s fundraiser had raised over $110,000. It was subsequently closed since sufficient funds were raised, and all funds left over will be donated to charity.
“My concern is that the fundraiser I set up helps erase what happened to our dear Muslim brothers and sisters in Peterborough,” Rousselle said. “People are shouting ‘You are safe here!’, ‘Peterborough is a caring place!’ No doubt, the people who say this are correct. But we have to be willing to admit that the attack on the mosque is not the act of one stupid individual.”
Rousselle said Muslims have to deal with subtle and not-so-subtle ignorance daily.
“There is an endless violence perpetuated by the system—during times of peace, against immigrants, against people of colour, against women, against the poor, and so on. If we cannot recognize that all these struggles are connected, we will never be safe here,” Rousselle said.
Other efforts displaying solidarity with Peterborough’s Muslim congregation emerged soon after. Several religious communities in Peterborough, including the Beth Israel Synagogue, offered the use of their facilities to the Muslim congregation.
Larry Gillman, president of the Beth Israel Synagogue, said the decision to offer the use of their space was unanimous, and was supported by the Unitarian congregation that already shares the space.
“There’s no room in Canada for hate,” Gillman said. “Hate cannot be tolerated by anybody, because hate towards any one community is hate against all communities. There is a need to stand together.”
