Daughters of man killed by gunman accept posthumous award on his behalf

Four survivors of the 2017 Quebec City mosque attack who tried to stop the gunman were among the 34 people awarded medals of bravery Tuesday by Gov. Gen. Mary Simon. One of the men who died in the attack was honoured posthumously.

The insignia are reserved for Canadians who risked their lives to save friends, family or even total strangers.

Six people were killed and 19 injured when a gunman burst into the Islamic Cultural Centre in the Sainte-Foy neighbourhood just after Sunday evening prayers on Jan. 29, 2017.

Saïd Akjour, Hakim Chambaz, Aymen Derbali and Mohamed Khabar were all awarded the Medal of Bravery at the ceremony at the Citadelle of Quebec.

Azzedine Soufiane, who was killed by the gunman as he tried to disarm him, was awarded the Star of Courage posthumously. It was presented to his daughters, Zineb and Hajar Soufiane.

“Today we present these insignia as the ultimate recognition of courage and sacrifice. Today we pay tribute to your brave and selfless actions,” said Simon.

“All of you made a choice to try to save a life. You gave the most important gift in an impossible life-altering situation — you gave the gift of hope… You showed how much you care. Bravery is an act of caring, after all.”

Derbali, who was severely injured and is now in a wheelchair, said he was touched to receive the prestigious award and hear the Governor General’s words of thanks.

“I am very honoured and it’s an act of acknowledgement that is very rewarding for me and all the others who were at the mosque that night,” said Derbali.

Derbali had been near the mosque’s entrance when the gunman opened fire. He rushed toward him to destabilize him and was shot several times, but still tried to get back up several times. Derbali is now paraplegic.

Meanwhile, Chambaz had protected a little girl who had frozen in the middle of the room. Then, as the gunman hid to reload his weapon, Soufiane ran toward him from the other end of the room to try to stop him, with the help of Akjour and Khabar. Soufiane grabbed the attacker’s weapon but was shot five times and died of his injuries.

Derbali took the time to remember the victims but stressed that the conversation must include fighting Islamophobia and hatred.

“It’s important not to forget but especially to put in effort and make sure this never happens again,” he said.

“We honoured the memory of the victims, there should be an effort to eradicate the source of the tragedy, which is Islamophobia. It’s our duty to fight against Islamophobia and all forms of racism and discrimination.”

Derbali was at the ceremony with his family, including his 14-year-old son, Ayoub.

“Of course my dad is a hero, no one could have done that,” said Ayoub.

“To destabilize the killer and try to find solutions, fight against the person and defend the others in the mosque — no one can do that, it takes a lot of courage.”

About 4,000 Canadians have received the award since 1972.