During the Quebec City mosque shooting, Aymen Derbali was left paralyzed after he stood in the line of fire in order to protect his fellow worshippers.
Now, nearly two years later, Derbali says itâs his duty to be in the courtroom when Alexandre Bissonnette is sentenced on Feb. 8. Bissonnette pleaded guilty to six counts of first-degree murder and could face up to 150 years in jail.
âWe have to bring justice to all the victims. This is a duty for me. To remember all my friends [and] all the worshippers who fell that night,â Derbali, who now requires the use of a motorized wheelchair, told CTV Montreal.
On Jan. 29, 2017, Bissonnette entered the Islamic Cultural Centre of Quebec City and shot and killed eight worshippers, while wounding 19 others.
Derbali was shot seven times and would spend two months in an induced coma.
Upon waking up, Derbali learned he was paralyzed from the waist down and would never walk again. After spending the last 13 months living in a rehab centre, Derbali has been cleared to leave.
âI'm very lucky to be able to go back to my home, after this tragedy,â he said, adding he wants to stay positive and be strong for his family and his children.
Derbaliâs family moved from their fourth-floor apartment to a bungalow which was specially adapted to his needs. The family was able to afford the new home after a groundswell of strangersâ online donations totalled more than $400,000.
He said heâs gained some ability to move his arms but still canât move his fingers properly. His wife and mother-in-law both help him whenever itâs needed.
âBut mentally and physically I feel better,â he said. âI feel better than one year ago.â
Mosque members have built bridges with community: Derbali
Since the shooting, Derbali said the Islamic community has focused on being even more involved with its community neighbours, which he called âvery important.â
âWe were a little bit closed,â he said, noting that some mosque members have built new relationships with other communities.
This outreach has included the mosque opening its doors for open houses, mosque members serving food at the local homeless shelter and leaders organizing multi-faith gatherings.
âWe have to make more efforts ⌠to show that we, as Muslims, are not closed as a community, âDerbali said. âWe have to show that we are an open community towards all of society.â
The mosqueâs president Boufeldja Benabdallah agreed and said bridge building and honouring the victims were both a part of the healing process.
âThe commemoration is so important for the families,â he said. âThey have to know that people [did] not forget this dramatic, tragic situation.â
Mosque leader calls for better gun screening
Last week, Benabdallah was at Quebecâs national assembly where Public Security Minister Geneviève Guilbault announced that the province was softening its long-gun registry requirements.
Sheâd said these looser conditions would encourage gun owners to sign on to registry before the deadline on Tuesday. Currently, 80 per cent of gun owners havenât registered their firearms, with some even boycotting the process.
Benabdallah said it was crucial that the province have a better screening process to prevent people with mental health issues from obtaining firearms.
Court testimony revealed shooter Bissonnette had a history of mental health issues, including violent and suicidal thoughts.
âIt's a lesson for the new government to put laws on these kinds of guns and weapons,â Benabdallah said. If gun owners fail to register, they could face fines of up to $5,000.
Derbali was disturbed that someone like Bissonnette had access to any gun.
âWe have to rethink this process and we have to make it more difficult for a person to have weapons,â he said.