Toronto mosque attacks heighten concern over anti-Muslim hate in Canada
A Ramadan assault near a Toronto mosque has renewed warnings that anti-immigrant rhetoric and Islamophobia are putting Canadian Muslims at risk.
By Daniel Okafor · Business Editor
3 min read
A Toronto mosque has begun escorting worshippers in pairs after two nearby attacks during Ramadan, according to its general manager. The response reflects wider concern among Muslim advocates and researchers that anti-immigrant sentiment is feeding anti-Muslim hostility in Canada.
Al Jazeera reported that a 14-year-old Muslim boy, identified by the pseudonym Ahmed, was assaulted after midnight in mid-March while walking home with his parents and siblings from prayers at the Toronto Islamic Centre. Ahmed told Al Jazeera that a man shouted racist abuse, grabbed him by the collar and shoved him, leaving his younger siblings frightened and leaving him unable to sleep.
Mosque leaders said an arrest was made in the case, according to Al Jazeera. Shaffni Nalir, the Toronto Islamic Centre’s general manager, told Al Jazeera that the mosque later introduced a buddy system after another congregant was attacked nearby and after the mosque received a threatening phone call.
Warnings over overlapping hate
Amira Elghawaby, Canada’s former special representative on combatting Islamophobia, told Al Jazeera that Canadian Muslims face what she called a “perfect storm” as anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim rhetoric converge. She said the combination has contributed to violence in Canada and elsewhere.
According to a Canadian Senate report cited by Al Jazeera, Canada has recorded the highest number of targeted killings of Muslims among G7 countries. Six worshippers were killed in a 2017 attack at a Quebec City mosque, and four members of a Muslim family were killed in 2021 when a man drove into them in London, Ontario, while they were walking, Al Jazeera reported.
Al Jazeera reported that rising housing and food costs, together with a sharp increase in temporary migration, have helped fuel a broader backlash against immigration. A 2024 polling report cited by Al Jazeera found that, for the first time in more than 20 years, most Canadians surveyed believed the country had “too much immigration.”
In the Toronto incident, the Islamic centre said the attacker asked Ahmed’s family whether the Liberal Party had brought them to Canada. Elghawaby told Al Jazeera that such language echoes false narratives promoted by far-right and white supremacist movements, including claims that liberal governments are trying to replace white populations with non-white migrants.
Government changes draw criticism
Fahad Ahmad, an assistant professor of criminology at Toronto Metropolitan University, told Al Jazeera that Muslims in Canada are often portrayed as outsiders and as threatening. He said that framing affects both public attention and institutional responses to violence targeting Muslims.
The Canadian government has said it treats hate-motivated violence seriously, including Islamophobia and antisemitism, according to Al Jazeera. Ottawa announced an Action Plan on Combatting Hate in 2024, allocating more than 270 million Canadian dollars, or $191m, over six years for related initiatives.
Al Jazeera reported that Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government later moved to close the separate envoy offices focused on Islamophobia and antisemitism and replace them with an advisory council on rights, equality and inclusion. The National Council of Canadian Muslims said it was deeply disappointed by the closure of Elghawaby’s office, arguing that Muslim communities still need dedicated leadership.
A spokesperson for the Department of Canadian Heritage told Al Jazeera that the new council would build on the envoys’ work and continue addressing antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism and hate through federal strategies. Carney announced the council’s members on June 1, including former Senator Marc Gold, a former chair of the Canada-Israel Committee, Al Jazeera reported.
Nalir told Al Jazeera that members of the Toronto Islamic Centre do not want to be treated only as victims and want to be recognized as part of the broader community. Ahmed also told Al Jazeera that education is needed to counter false ideas about Muslims in Canada.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.