January 29 marks 8 years since the Quebec Mosque shooting where a gunman opened fire at the Islamic Cultural Centre in Québec City killing six Canadian Muslims: Mamadou Tanou Barry (42), Abdelkrim Hassane (41), Khaled Belkacemi (60), Aboubaker Thabti (44), Azzeddine Soufiane (57), and Ibrahima Barry (39).
Since then, this day has been commemorated as the National Day of Remembrance of the Quebec City Mosque Attack and Action against Islamophobia.
But what has that meant for Muslims who comprise 4.9% of the population in Canada?
Rather than feeling supported, protected, or even safe, Muslims in Canada have been facing growing Islamophobia, especially after October 7th, 2023.
There has been a 94 per cent increase in hate crimes in Canada against Muslims since 2023. Some regions have seen much higher rates, such as the Waterloo region, witnessing a 212 per cent increase.
The Muslim Legal Support Centre has seen a 400 per cent rise in Islamophobia cases in schools alone, which range “from employment discrimination to improper treatment in schools” since the war began.
When Israel launched its military attacks on Gaza, it sparked widespread protests not only among Muslims but also among advocates for human rights. Nevertheless, as Muslims increasingly exercised their right to advocate for Palestinian lives, they encountered a corresponding escalation in hate crimes. The rise in Islamophobia is inextricably linked with the escalation of anti-Palestinian sentiment, a correlation that cannot be viewed in isolation.
But what we saw was the Trudeau government’s failure to protect Muslims in Canada and to safeguard Canadian rights and freedoms.
From October 7, 2023, to March 5, 2024, more than 1,000 incident reports related to Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism were reported. These incidents included discrimination, defamation, doxing, blacklisting, assault, vandalism, harassment, and violations of civil liberties.
For the government to take a stance against Islamophobia, it cannot turn a blind eye to anti palestinian hate. With the Ontario Premier referring to protests for Palestine as hate rallies, and government officials villainizing Palestinian advocacy, the message it sends to the public is one of dehumanization.
Rather than safeguarding Muslims within Canada, the Trudeau government directly enabed an environment of Islamophobia over the past year and a half. From educational institutes to violence towards protesters, and from biased rhetoric spawn by politicians to the barriers in place of allowing Palestinian refugees into the country – Trudeau sent a clear signal.
One where Muslims in Canada were not a priority. It is this underlying sentiment that allowed for the huge surge in Islamophobia and Anti Palestinian Racism over the past two years.
Omar Babili, a student in Victoria, was nearly struck by a vehicle during a protest. Yet the driver wasn’t charged with a hate crime and instead, charged with dangerous driving
Hayfa Abdelkhaleq had her hijab ripped off her head while she was protesting Israel’s assault on Gaza. Yet the crown dropped the charges.
Furthering the normalization of violence is police brutality. When students in Alberta formed encampments to exercise their right to protest against the ongoing violence in Gaza, officers responded violently by using riot gear, explosives, batons, shields, and special munitions to violently disperse these university encampments. No action was taken against this; instead, the Edmonton’s police chief defended the decision to use violence.
As long as the government disregards the safety, and fundamental rights of Muslims in Canada, it will continue to permit an environment that vilifies Muslims. Islamophobia will persistently escalate.
Consequently, our mosques will remain targets of aggression, Muslim women will continue to endure acts of violence, and our children will face bigotry in educational settings.
