Aymen Derbali, paralyzed in Quebec City mosque shooting, to receive $400K today


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Just a few days after Quebec City mosque shooter Alexandre Bissonnette pleaded guilty, one man who was left paralyzed from the chest down in the shooting will receive a cheque for more than $400,000 that he can use to purchase a new, accessible home.


Aymen Derbali is a father of three who was praying at the Quebec City mosque in January 2017 when Bissonnette walked in and opened fire. Derbali was shot seven times.


A crowdfunding campaign launched in December by Toronto-based non-profit group DawaNet garnered $416,335 to help Derbali purchase a home adapted to his disability.


He’ll be receiving the cheque alongside his family and community this evening at around 6 p.m. at the Islamic Cultural Centre of Quebec City, where the shooting took place.


About 4,800 donors from more than 40 countries contributed to the campaign, according to DawaNet.


“This is a story that really captured the imagination of people around the world,” said Amira Elghawaby, a volunteer who worked on Derbali’s campaign.


She said Derbali’s optimism and faith in humanity also inspired a lot of people.


The family has chosen a house and hopes to move in there in May, she said.


Closing the chapter


Following Bissonnette’s guilty plea to six counts of first-degree murder and six counts of attempted murder, Elghawaby said that being able to accept the money helps close the chapter on what happened.


“I think that it’s been very difficult for many community members… All of us are touched by what happened,” she said. “Aymen’s story is the shining light in the midst of it.”


On the day of the attack, Derbali met the gunman’s eyes, deliberately trying to make himself a target, so that others who had been praying nearby would escape the bullets.


She added that this is a win for love, and a defeat of hate — but that the hate does persist.


“Muslims in Quebec have experienced a lot of discrimination. A lot of day-to-day micro-aggressions that unfortunately continue until now,” Elghawaby said.



Article source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/scheer-addresses-london-chamber-of-commerce-live-1.4545164?cmp=rss


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