Ontario Mosques Targeted in Separate Islamophobic Incidents
Two separate incidents targeting Muslim places of worship in Ontario are once again raising alarms about the persistence of Islamophobic hate across Canada.
Two Ontario mosques have been targeted in separate incidents of vandalism, prompting police investigations and renewed concerns about Islamophobia in Canada.
Peel Regional Police say they received reports of damage caused to an Islamic Centre in the area of Montevideo Road just after 1 a.m. on Aug. 15.
Video surveillance footage shows a man breaking the glass doors of the front of the Ar-Rehman Islamic Centre with what seems to be a longboard or a skateboard.
The suspect then did the same thing to the Islamic relief centre, ICNA Relief Canada, next door before walking off.
In Ottawa, the Stittsville Muslim Association was defaced with racist graffiti.
Ottawa police said security cameras captured a man spray-painting a slur on a shed outside the mosque late at night on Tuesday, August 26.
Photos taken the next day show the N-word written on the building in thin blue letters.
The Hate and Bias Crime Unit launched an investigation following the incident.
Local officials condemned the graffiti at the time.
Stittsville Councillor Glen Gower said the vandalism caused “shock and hurt in the community” and stressed that residents “stand firmly against hatred, racism, and Islamophobia.”
Muslim community leaders say the incidents reflect a broader pattern of Islamophobic attacks on mosques and Islamic institutions.
Both the Mississauga and Ottawa incidents remain under investigation.
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