'We belong to God, and to him we return,' Nenshi says as Calgary Muslims react to Quebec City mosque shooting

Many holdingcandles, others holding signs, hundreds gathered at Calgary's city hall Monday evening as a show of solidarity, support and remembrance of the victimsof a shooting at a Quebec City mosque that killed six people and injured 19, five of those critically.

The six died in anattackduring evening prayersat the Islamic cultural centre of Quebec on Sunday night.Police have one man in custody in connection with the attack, which Quebec PremierPhillipeCouillardcalled a "murderous act directed at a specific community."

"I was horrified. I was just sad,and I wanted to come here and show support," saidSarahStelfox, one of about 600 who attended thevigil.

"I was here for theWomen's Marchjust about a weekago and I thought, 'I want to be here for this,' I want this community to know everyone supports them."

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The event was organized by theCanadian Cultural Mosaic Foundation and was one of severalheld across the country, including a gathering at the Legislature in Edmontonthat also drew a large crowd.

CalgarianNaumanHasanalso felt it was important to be at Monday's vigil.

"We as Canadians should respond to this with love and only love," he said. "It isagainstour values, and we should only respond with love and come back as one nation, with unity."

Hasansaid he feels safe in Calgary but worries that could change.

"Ihaven't seen any hate toward me but once you see things like this in the news, it could increase thesense of fear in the Muslim community," he said.

There were also prayers for the shooting victimsat the IslamicCentre of South Calgary.

Mayor Naheed Nenshioffers prayer

Canada's first Muslim mayor,Naheed Nenshi, offered a prayer for the victims of theshooting.

Nenshi, who became Canada's first Muslim mayor when first elected in 2010, spoke at the University of Calgary on Monday evening.

"My heart doesn't break today because I am Muslim, my heart breaks because I am human," he said.

"It's really easy today to feel that the world is dark. It's easy to feel like the world is broken and we're helpless to fix it. But we're not helpless. Every single one of us has thechance to heal the world. It starts in our own communities, it starts in our own hearts and in our own hands."

He earlier tweeted:"When Muslims hear of a death, we say Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un We belong to God, and to him we return I say for Quebec tonight."

He also tweeted in French that he is very fond of Quebec City, Calgary's sister city, having spent a summer in Laval and that he was thinking of the victims, their families and all Quebecers.

The lights on the Calgary Tower were darkened on Monday night, while lights onotherdowntown public spaceswere turned blue, white and gold as a show of solidarity with Quebec City.

Calgary Muslims 'did not think it could happen in Canada'

Members of the city's Muslim community are upset and sad, saidJunaidMahoon, president of the Islamic Centre of South Calgary.

"They did not think it could happen in Canada," he said.

Leaders at the centre met with Calgary police and RCMP officers Monday morning to discuss security in the wake of the attack.

But Mahoon vowed the community would not hide itsfaith.

"It won't stop us from going for prayers and it won't stop us from coming together as a community and as part of [the] larger Calgary community," he said.

Calgary police said they have stepped up patrols around places ofworship as a precautionary measure and to ease concerns.

"At this point there is nothing to indicate that there are any specific threats in Calgary," said acting deputy chief Cliff O'Brien, adding there is always concern around the possibility of a copycat attack.

Anisa Jama, who left Somalia for Canada two decades ago, said she's confident the country will come together.

"One big nation that helps each other that's how Canada is," she said.

The Muslim Council of Calgary also denounced the shooting, saying in a press release that its members send their prayers and condolences to the victims and their families.

"Muslim Council of Calgary condemns all violence directed towards innocent human beings, irrespective of race, gender, religion, culture or ethnicity," the group said.

Interfaith solidarity

The Calgary Interfaith Council (CIC) and the Jewish-Muslim Council (JMC) also issued a joint statement Monday.

"We deplore the violent attack against the Centre Culturel Islamique de Qubec and mourn the loss of innocent lives,"read the statementattributed to CIC co-chair Murray Nicholson, JMCco-chairImamSyedSoharwardy, and RabbiShaulOsadchey, co-chair of CIC and JMC.

"When such brutal and hateful acts threaten to envelopus in darkness, we stand with the Muslim community throughout Canada to proclaim our commitment to promoting religious freedom and respect for diversity," it said.

"An attack against any house of worship is a threat to all Canadians who seek safety in our homes, religious institutions, and in the public sphere."

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