Anti-Muslim graffiti scribbled on Eastern Townships library exhibit
Portraits that showcase everyday Quebec Muslims defaced with message calling them terrorists
Anti-Muslim messages were written on portraits displayed in an Eastern Townships library exhibition meant to showcase the everyday lives of Muslims in Quebec.
The exhibition, at the Éva-Sénécal library in Sherbrooke, Que., aims to show the many ways Muslim citizens participate in Quebec society.
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Two of these portraits and the book that accompanied the exhibition were vandalized with anti-Muslim messages — a move denounced by organizers.
"We were shocked because this exhibition was meant to bring people together. When we see these insulting messages calling them terrorists, it's sad," University of Sherbrooke professor Michèle Vatz Laaroussi said.
"It shows that this kind of exhibition is necessary, but it also shows us that we have not achieved our goals of breaking down prejudices, breaking down misconceptions and eradicating racism and Islamophobia. There is still much work to do," she lamented.
The Éva-Senécal library filed a complaint with Sherbrooke police.
Both images were removed from the exhibition, which runs until the end of April.
With files from Radio-Canada