National Muslim group calls on all levels of government to battle Islamophobia

A national Muslim organization has released a raft of recommendations aimed at combating Islamophobia, as Edmonton continues to grapple with a series of high-profile assaults on Muslim women.

The National Council of Canadian

Muslims (NCCM) is calling for action from federal, provincial and municipal officials in response to a rise in hate incidents targeting people of the Islamic faith.

In a report released Monday, the organization says more Muslims have been killed in hate attacks in Canada than any other G7 country in the past five years. The report was released ahead of a national summit on Islamophobia, to begin Thursday.

The Edmonton area has seen a rash of allegedly hate-motivated assaults since December, most of which involve female Muslim complainants.

Mosques have also been vandalized and prowled by members of far-right groups.

Mustafa Farooq, NCCM executive director, said Canada needs to overhaul its hate crime legislation.

But he said any changes need to strike the right balance to avoid impacting marginalized groups.

“Something that we heard throughout our consultations was that a lot of Canadian Muslims felt, on the one hand, it's egregious that people like Kevin J. Johnston — who made credible threats towards Canadian Muslims — (should) keep getting slapped on the wrist,” he said.

“But on the other hand, when people would benefit from rehabilitation, when they would benefit from diversionary measures, many members of Canadian Muslim communities have indicated that we want to be the first people to show our love and show our forgiveness.”

Edmonton and the surrounding area have seen at least eight allegedly hate-motivated attacks since December 2020. All of the complainants have been Black, Muslim or both.

In response, Edmonton has moved to overhaul its street harassment bylaws, while the Alberta government has pledged support for a provincial hate crimes unit.

Five incidents involving three defendants have now made it through the courts.

All three defendants were homeless or of no fixed address and suffering from addictions or mental health issues at the time of their offences.

At least two have family members who attended residential schools.

A man accused of assaulting a mother and daughter outside Southgate Mall in December goes to trial in August. An unidentified suspect accused of attacking two hijab wearing sisters in St. Albert remains at large.

The NCCM released 61 recommendations Monday. Among them are calls for the federal government to intervene in all legal challenges against Quebec's Bill 21 and compensate those affected “until the legislation is struck down,” create “free-standing ” hate crimes in the Criminal Code, and develop a national anti-islamophobia strategy.

The council is encouraging provinces to create hate crime units, pass legislation banning “violent white supremacist rallies” on provincial property and create an anti-islamophobia plan for the education system.

At the municipal level, the group is advocating for bylaws that give authorities the power to ticket and fine people who engage in street harassment, as well as investments in “celebrating the history of local Canadian Muslims.”

The NCCM report says that street harassment bylaws like those being considered in Edmonton can combat lower-level instances of Islamophobia that don't result in a headline-grabbing criminal offence.

“If an individual walks up to another individual on public transit, and screams `terrorist' and the n-word in their face (as has happened to a survivor who NCCM is assisting ), in the absence of a direct threat or actual assault, there are limited tools by which to hold the offender accountable,” the report states. It adds the bylaws should be reviewed periodically to ensure they are “effective in addressing street harassment and to not do further damage to vulnerable communities.”

A City of Edmonton spokesperson said the NCCM recommendations are under review.