B.C. Muslim Association condemns terrorist attack on parliament

THE B.C. Muslim Association has condemned Monday’s attack on Canadian soldiers in Quebec, as well as Wednesday’s attack on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.

It said: “These are senseless, brutal crimes reflecting complete disregard of human life, the law and Islamic teachings and values. The criminal violence displayed by the perpetrators this week has no place in our society.

“Our community conveys our sincere condolences to the families of Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent, a dedicated and distinguished Canadian Soldier for 28 years, and Corporal Jason Cirillo, who served his country with honour as he guarded the National War Memorial yesterday. We pray for them, their families, and for the safety of all Canadians.

“We would also like to applaud the efforts of House of Commons Sergeant-at-Arms Kevin Vickers for his heroic act in stopping the assailant in Ottawa.

“We are pleased to state that we are working diligently with law enforcement and national security officials to help keep Canada safe for all its citizens. We believe that it is our duty as Muslims and as proud Canadians to do our part in making sure that horrific acts like these do not occur, and to ensure the safety of our citizens and our military personnel.

“As well, we encourage our community members to visit StandonGuardFund.com, a crowd-fund campaign which will be evenly split between the families of these two brave fallen soldiers, and will be distributed with the assistance of the True Patriot Love Foundation and the appropriate regimental military associations.

“It has also come to our attention since yesterday’s tragic event, that the assailant in the shooting in Ottawa may have attended one of our mosques in the past. This is concerning to us, our members and to our community at-large.”