Muslim leader raises alarm after hate incident at Canada mosque

Canada has raised concerns about the spread of Islamophobic hate in the country after a man uttered threats and tried to run over congregants outside a mosque in the province of Ontario.

Qasir Nasir Khan, president of the Islamic Society of Markham, told reporters on Monday that a man committed “a number of Islamophobic acts” outside the mosque, about 30km (18 miles) north of downtown Toronto.

Police said on Sunday that a 28-year-old Toronto man had been charged in what was dubbed a “suspected hate-motivated incident” at the mosque just before 7am local time (11:00 GMT) last Thursday.

“He threatened to burn down our mosque. He uttered slurs about the Prophet [Muhammad],” Khan said during a news conference. “Most concerningly, he tried to ram our congregants with his vehicle.”

He added that in light of this and other recent Islamophobic incidents in Canada, “our congregation and Muslims across the country have a reason to be concerned”.

It's incredibly sad that our community continues to face violent #Islamophobic acts during what many experience as a most sacred time.https://t.co/tvxMUuGnik

— NCCM (@nccm) April 10, 2023