PM Trudeau to attend funeral for Quebec shooting victims
Up to 5,000 mourners are expected to pack a hockey arena in Montreal's Olympic park for the 1:00 pm (1800 GMT) funeral.
Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (R) wipes a tear as he stands beside Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard during funeral services for three of the victims of the deadly shooting at the Quebec Islamic Cultural Centre, in Montreal, February 2, 2017
Up to 5,000 mourners are expected to pack a hockey arena in Montreal's Olympic park for the 1:00 pm (1800 GMT) funeral, while millions across Canada will watch it on television.
For many in this mostly secular nation, the ceremony will be their first glimpse of traditional Muslim funeral rites. There will also be prayers for the other three victims.
Afterward, Trudeau is expected to give a short speech, according to his office.
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The bodies of the three victims will then be transported to their respective birth countries for burial.
There has been an outpouring of support for Canada's minority Muslim community in the wake of Sunday night's attack that killed six people and wounded eight, but also pockets of increased hate mongering.
"I think that we are all suffering," said Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre, who is also expected to attend the funeral.
"Not just the Muslim community. It's not just the people of Quebec. Everyone is suffering from this."
The attack came as a shock to Canada -- a fierce defender of multiculturalism -- revealing cracks in its social fabric where racist movements have sprouted.
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A little more than a year ago, Trudeau himself greeted the first of 40,000 Syrian refugees resettled in Canada, handing out parkas with a smile.
'Forgiveness'
On Wednesday, a member of his Liberal Party apologized in parliament to Canadian Muslims for having not done enough to discourage bigotry.
"I ask them for forgiveness for having observed their ostracization and stigmatization in recent years, to have watched take root in the hearts of my fellow men fear, mistrust and hatred... (and) to have not done enough to answer it," said MP Joel Lightbound.
"If words have consequences, silences also have consequences," he said.
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Abdelkrim Hassane, 41, a father of three young girls, and Khaled Belkacemi, 60, a professor at Laval University and father of two, both emigrated to Canada from Algeria.
Aboubaker Thabti, 44, moved to Canada from Tunisia in 2011. He worked at a local agricultural company and also had two young children.
The three men had been attending evening prayers at their mosque in Quebec City when a 27-year-old gunman stormed in and unleashed a barrage of bullets from a pistol and semi-automatic rifle, which jammed.
The suspect, Alexandre Bissonnette, later surrendered to police. He reportedly had permits for both restricted weapons.
According to Canadian media, Bissonnette had been greeted at the mosque entrance three days before the attack by a member who believed he was dealing with someone curious about Islam and so he offered him insights.
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Bissonnette abruptly cut short their chat, asked for money and left.
"Most of the victims wanted to be buried in Quebec City, but a lack of (Muslim) cemeteries is an unfortunate obstacle," said Hadjira Belkacem, president of the Quebec Muslim burial association.
But despite Quebec City being home to some 6,500 Muslims, the closest cemetery with available burial plots for Muslims is in Montreal, 250 kilometers (155 miles) away.
On Friday, a second funeral will be held in Quebec City for the other three victims, including Guinean-Canadians Mamadou Tanou Barry, 42, and Ibrahima Barry, 39.
The sixth victim, Azzeddine Soufiane, of Moroccan origin and 57 years old, owned a small grocery store steps from the mosque. He had lived in Quebec for 30 years.
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Burial arrangements for the trio have not yet been confirmed.
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