Château Frontenac and other Quebec city buildings during a winter day

Recognizing National Day of Action Against Islamophobia

Alexandra Gillespie

To the UTM Community,

The federal government has announced that January 29 will become the National Day of Remembrance of the Quebec City Mosque Attack and Action Against Islamophobia. The date coincides with the anniversary of the 2017 shooting in Quebec City, where a domestic terrorist killed six people and injured 19. The day provides an occasion to commemorate the shooting’s victims; to acknowledge the attack’s motivation in Islamophobia; and to affirm a collective commitment to eliminate stereotypes, biases and violence against Muslim communities.

In the Greater Toronto Area, and around the world, Islamophobia and anti-Muslim racism continue to drive acts of hate, exemplified late last year by violent threats directed against members of a Toronto mosque; these threats invoked the mass shooting at mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 2019. Canada’s day of Remembrance and Action against Islamophobia offers an opportunity to condemn such hate in the strongest possible terms and to discuss strategies for a safer, anti-discriminatory society.

As part of our ongoing efforts to end Islamophobia and its intersectional manifestations, the University of Toronto has established an Anti-Islamophobia Working Group. Currently in the process of finalizing its structure, the group will recommend strategies to remove systemic and attitudinal barriers and to foster a university inclusive of all Muslim staff, students, librarians and faculty. In the coming months, U of T will invite widespread participation in the group’s efforts and engage our diverse communities in various ways. For more information, I encourage you to contact the Anti-Racism and Cultural Diversity Office. UTM community members can also register for a virtual training workshop on Feb. 3, on Addressing Islamophobia on Campus: Moving towards Allyship & Intervention. I also encourage you to consult the offices listed below, all of which drive key initiatives against faith-based discrimination and racism and provide support, services and education:  

Thank you.


Alexandra Gillespie
Vice-President and Principal
University of Toronto Mississauga