The Montreal Gazette reports today that according to Radio Canada and LCN (French language news service) the mosque attackers are Alexandre Bissonnette and Mohamed Khadir. It has not yet been revealed whether they claim to be Muslims or not, but this is looking more likely.
While I cannot tell what brand of mosque the Islamic Cultural Centre of Quebec contains, its website mentions that the lead imam was trained at the University of al-Madinat al Munawarah in Medina, Saudi Arabia, which is known as a bastion of Salafi ideology (known for their ties to early Islamic, hence extremist beliefs). That may or may not prove to be significant with reference to the motives of the attackers.
What the names of the attackers seems to rule out (especially that of the Moroccan killer) is that this was the work of a Western right-wing conspiracy group. More likely is that Mr. Bissonnette is a convert to Islam and that he was perhaps following the lead of his Moroccan partner. News reports indicate that one of the terrorists (who fled the scene) called police to turn himself in, saying he felt remorse over what he had done. So it sounds like one of the two was the instigator and the other a semi-willing accomplice. But of course I am speculating and could be completely wrong!
Again, time will tell.
the personal blog of Mateen Elass 
Hi Mateen!
Have you heard anything on the mosque in Texas? It seems everyone assumes it was one of those “wacky” right wing islmaphobes. The perp may well be one of the aforementioned, but could also very well be a Muslim sacrificing his place of worship to demonize Trump. Perhaps you’ve written about it already…
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Hi, Jerry. I checked again this morning, but so far the authorities have not shared whether the fire was due to arson or accident. If it turns out to be arson, then it will boil down to whether it was a non-Muslim or a Muslim. A couple other recent mosque burnings turned out to have been set by Muslims with a grudge against the mosque leadership, or with serious mental problems. But we’ll have to wait and see.
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This is so wrong. Is it possible that you are jumping to conclusions? I am embarrassed to be your sister. Our father is turning in his grave, I am sure, at your lack of compassion for other human beings. I would respect you so much more if you practiced the love and compassion that Jesus taught and stopped demonizing so many human beings who do not deserve it because they believe differently than you do. I hold different beliefs from you. Do you see me as a threat to your religion? I used to hold your intellect in high regard when we were younger. Now I am sad to see how you use those gifts to divide and separate people. You make loving you so difficult, but I love you still. Please put all that intelligence and compassion towards bringing all human beings together. WWJD?
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Tami, please read my post carefully. I admitted in my first update (I have since posted another update acknowledging my closing speculation based on the news reports at the time was wrong) that I was speculating — not jumping to conclusions — and that time would tell.
I’m surprised that you would accuse me of lacking love and compassion, as well as of demonizing “so many…because they believe differently than [I]…do.” Can you point to where I demonize any individual in any of my blogs simply based on his/her beliefs? If so, I will immediately repent of such behavior.
On the other hand, I make no apologies for pointing out the horrific realities of the system of beliefs and practices known as Islam, and the negative impact it has had on the world just in the last 15 years. Did you know that since 9/11 there have been over 30,000 documented lethal terrorist attacks around the world by self-professed Muslims? How many similar attacks can be attributed to all other major religions combined in the same time period? Maybe a few dozen, certainly under a hundred. Are Muslims somehow worse people naturally than non-Muslims? Absolutely not. So what prompts such evil behavior? According to the words of the perpetrators, it is their belief that they are following the commands of their prophet Muhammad and his god. I do not demonize Muslims, but rather the belief system that has them trapped. The more who can be set free from Islam, the better life will be for them and for the rest of the world around them.
I’m sorry you find it so difficult to love me, but am grateful for your statement that nevertheless you do still love me. Yet you declare that you have lost respect for me, that I lack compassion and love for others, and that I am using my intellect to divide and separate people. It sounds a bit like you are doing to me what you claim I am doing to others. I’m all for bringing people together, but that cannot happen where supremacist truth claims which put “non-believers” in peril are ignored. I firmly believe that in a multicultural setting, tolerance demands that there be an open marketplace of ideas where differing truth claims can be examined and challenged. No system should be privileged, considered off-limits from investigation or debate. To compete for certain beliefs as true or false is not a failure to show love or compassion. On the contrary, if one has important truth and fails to share it with others to their detriment, that would demonstrate a lack of love and compassion.
I recognize that you hold beliefs other than orthodox Christianity. Let me reassure you that I do not see you as a threat. I rather suspect that you see me as a threat to your beliefs since you rarely wish to engage in philosophical/metaphysical/theological discussions with me when we are together, though you do not seem quite as resistant as other members of the family. Tami, I invite to read any and all of my past blogs on this site and point out where I have attacked people rather than the ideas they represent or the behaviors they have exhibited. I hope I am open to correction.
Lastly, you may wish to read the Gospels for yourself to see how Jesus actually interacted with those whom he believed were spreading falsehoods about God and His will. I hope you won’t conclude that Jesus was guilty of a lack of love and compassion for calling them out simply because “they believed differently” from him. In the end, the fact that you hold different beliefs than I do won’t matter much; the fact that you hold different beliefs than Jesus did will have eternal consequences. I hope you will take that to heart.
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