Former president of Quebec City Mosque makes jump into municipal politics

The co-founder of the Quebec Islamic Cultural Centre,Boufeldja Benabdallah, is throwing his hat into the ringto run as municipal councillor for Quebec City.

He will be joining the slate ofMarie-Jose Savard, who is running for mayor after working alongside outgoing Mayor Rgis Labeaume for years.

Benabdallahbecame a well-known figure in Quebec City following the attack on the Sainte-Foy mosque on Jan. 29, 2017, in which six Muslim men were killed after Sunday night prayer.

Savard said she recruited Benabdallah"because of the values he carries,"and for his expertisein sustainable development, following his career as a strategist with a think-tank, the Institut de la Francophonie pour le dveloppement durable(IFDD), based in Old Quebec.

"His candidacy will really help solidify the strategy we're putting in place forsustainable development," Savard said on Friday.

Benabdallah said he was happy to be running in Cap-aux-Diamants, a neighbourhood where he lived in 1971 when he first moved to Quebec.

"I've always asked myself how I could do more to serve this city that welcomed me, and where my four children were born," Benabdallah said.

"This city is the most beautiful city I've seen, and deserves our attention," he said.

As co-founderand later president of the Islamic cultural centre, Benabdallah regularly spoke publicly about the trauma the Muslim community faced following the shooting and lobbied for tighter firearm restrictionsin Canada.

He said he now wanted to participate in the decision-making process, and not justmake "public speeches during sad times."

"I wantto repay the favour toward the population who showed only compassion for a minority," said Benabdallah. "But I no longer want this minority to be considered as such,I want them to be part of this society like any other citizen."

Competitive district

Benabdallah'snomination will make for a competitive race in theCap-aux-Diamantsdistrict. It is currently held by the head of the official opposition party at city hall, Jean Rousseau.

His party, Dmocratie Qubec, is presenting Rousseau's running mate David Johnson in Cap-aux-Diamants. If Rousseau is unable to be elected as mayor, and Johnson wins the district, Rousseau will be the official councillor.

Marie-Jose Savardsaid there was "no strategy" behind choosing Cap-aux-Diamants, but said Benabdallah "was the right person."

The neighbourhood will also soon be the home of a new cultural centre promoting diversity and inclusion in Quebec City, Savard said.

Mayor Labeaume announced last month more than $3 million would be spent to refurbish the Maison Pollack, a heritage building located on Grande-Allestreet. This is part of a $10.5-million envelope Labeaume has earmarked to promote inclusion and provide services to different minority groups.