Canadian Muslims Feeling ‘Palpable’ Anxiety, Says Special Representative
“Canada now has the very sad distinction of being the number one country in the G7 with the highest number of attacks against Muslim communities - deadly attacks. And overall, there is palpable anxiety amongst our communities,” Amira Elghawaby told NPR on Sunday.
According to Statistics Canada, police-reported hate crimes against Muslim communities across Canada increased by 71 percent in 2021 alone, with around eight incidents per 100,000 Muslims.
Muslim women who wear headscarves, Elghawaby continued, have a “sense that they may be targeted, either harassed or assaulted, even” in public spaces.
She also pointed to a “spate of targeted attacks against visibly Muslim Black women” in Alberta over the years.
The comments come as a report published by a Canadian Senate Committee on Human Rights in April admits that Islamophobia is "deeply" entrenched in Canadian society and Black hijab-wearing women are the most vulnerable. Far-right and anti-Muslim hate groups are growing, along with incidents of hate, reads the report which is set to be released in its entirety in July.
Responding to a question on ways to counter growing Islamophobia in Canada, Elghawaby said that there is a need to have “a consistent approach to addressing hate crimes with law enforcement in communities,” noting that many community members are reluctant to go to the police for support should they be targeted.
Efforts should be made to “create space to find ways to ensure better protections for Muslim communities,” she said, adding, “The flip side of this is the education around the diversity of Muslim communities, addressing the Islamophobia, the negative stereotypes and racism, and looking for those opportunities to both address the Islamophobia, but also to raise awareness and education about who our communities are.”
Islamophobia can take various forms, such as hate crimes, vandalism, harassment, discrimination, or stereotypes. Islamophobia in Canada has increased in recent years, especially after the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 and other incidents of violence involving Muslims around the world.
In one of the deadliest attacks, four members of a Muslim family were killed and a nine-year-old boy was injured in a hit-and-run attack in London, Ontario, in 2021. The attacker was charged with terrorism and hate-motivated murder. The incident was widely condemned as an act of Islamophobia.
Source: Agencies
