As you may have already heard, there was a shooting at a Quebec City mosque on Sunday evening which killed six people and wounded many others.

We pray for the families of the victims and extend our sincerest condolences. We ask Allah Almighty to have mercy on their souls and to protect us all.

What has happened yesterday in Quebec City was tragic and devastating. This senseless act of violence inspired by hatred towards others has no place within Islam.

It is our duty to stand firm against hatred. We stand firm against all those who seek to to strike fear and anxiety into our hearts. We stand against any form of violence directed toward our communities.

We are proud to see our fellow Canadians speak out against this hateful act including:

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

Canadians will not be broken by this violence. Our spirit & unity will only strengthen – we will mourn, and we will heal, together. pic.twitter.com/TVdFrbuHpq

— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) January 30, 2017

Alex Munter, President of CHEO

To all my Muslim friends, neighbours and co-workers, there are no adequate words. Just heartbreak and solidarity.#ACanadianIsACanadian https://t.co/vjJF7tERWb

— Alex Munter (@AlexMunter_) January 30, 2017

Charles Bordeleau, Chief of Ottawa Police

On behalf of @OttawaPolice , our thoughts and prayers to the victims & families in Québec city. Also thinking of first responders.

— Charles Bordeleau (@ChiefBordeleau) January 30, 2017

We hope that this incident does not inspire other individuals to carry out such evils acts in other parts of our country. We will not allow this horrific incident to undo all of our hard work throughout the years. Let us continue to grow our community and build a positive future for ourselves and for the next generation.

In this regard, the United Muslims Organizations of Ottawa-Gatineua (UMO-OG) is currently working on the following:

1. Participating in a gathering on Parliament Hill at 6:00 PM tonight; please join us if you can.

2. Scheduling several meetings with the local police and enforcement agencies.

3. Scheduling meetings with the three government levels to communicate the concerns by our community.

4. Working on organizing a visit in solidarity to the Islamic Centre in Quebec city.

5. Collaborative fundraising activities between all Ottawa and Gatineau mosques, to support the victim families and the Islamic Centre.

6. Planning for an event hosting various politicians from the city, which will be open for the Muslim community and the Canadian public at large.

7. Discussing new additional security measures for all our mosques and organizations, and obtaining government funding for that purpose.