Durham Region grapples with rising Islamophobia amidst brutal Oshawa assault on Muslim woman

A Muslim woman was brutally assaulted in the early hours of last  Thursday morning in Oshawa after she confronted a group attempting to commit theft at her restaurant. 

This incident has drawn widespread condemnation and calls for a hate-motivated investigation. 

The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) has expressed profound disgust over the attack, which saw the woman's hijab pulled off and her head stomped on.

According to news reports, the incident occurred at a Pizza Pizza establishment in Oshawa. 

The victim, who is the owner of the local restaurant, encountered a group of individuals, including teenagers, attempting theft. 

Upon confronting them, she was subjected to a violent "swarming" attack.

The victim's daughter told media outlets that her mother was "shaken up" but is recovering from the ordeal.

The Durham Regional Police Service (DRPS) confirmed they are investigating the incident. In a news release, DRPS stated that officers responded to a report of an assault in the area of Simcoe Street North and Taunton Road East. 

The victim sustained serious injuries during the assault.

The NCCM released a statement describing the horror of the attack. 

"We are utterly appalled and disgusted by the assault on a Muslim woman by a group of attackers in the City of Oshawa area," the statement read. It further detailed that "The attackers pulled off the woman’s hijab and proceeded to assault her, including stomping on her head."

The organization emphasized the severity, stating, "It is difficult to find words to summarize the horrors of this attack." 

The NCCM is in contact with authorities and relevant parties, urging local police to "look into every angle of this incident, including investigating this incident as hate-motivated."

This call comes amidst a broader concern regarding rising Islamophobia across Canada. 

The NCCM highlighted that "Islamophobic attacks have spiked across the country in the past two years, including a recent string of Islamophobic incidents in the Durham region." 

Recent incidents in the Durham region include a mosque that was vandalized in Pickering last month and a Muslim family who were subjected to a hate-motivated assault in Ajax in April. 

The NCCM called on elected leaders to take action to address this "wave of hate."

Police are actively seeking suspects involved in the incident. The community is seeking answers, with many expressing shock and outrage over the violence. The NCCM has stated it will continue to monitor developments closely.