A fake report, and its disturbing fallout

Why did she do it? Why did an 11-year-old Toronto girl falsely claim last Friday that she was attacked by a man who tried to cut her hijab, not once, but twice?

We will probably never know. Children sometimes do dumb things, and this certainly was one. It caused Toronto police to launch an intense investigation, which ended equally quickly when it was discovered that the girl was not telling the truth. But not before a news conference at the girl’s school, with her relatives and school board staff in attendance, ensured the story would go national, and then international.

There was concern and outrage. Premier Kathleen Wynne and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau both weighed in, and then had to respond again when the fake story was exposed.

Interestingly, and sadly predictably, the outrage over the incident was quickly dwarfed by the outrage over its falsehood. Especially on social media, throngs of critics latched on to a moral victory and found a ‘gotcha’ moment in the lies of a child. Consider some of the things that were said.

The child should be charged with a serious crime and tried as an adult. Her mother should be charged, too. Her family should be deported. Her family must apologize to Canada. Her story is an example of how Canadian law enforcement and media are too quick to latch on to stories about intolerance, especially when concerning Muslims. It’s an example of how some Muslims try to manipulate public opinion. It’s proof that Motion-103, a non-binding motion passed by Parliament that condemns Islamophobia and tasks Parliament with finding ways to address racism and discrimination in general, is based on a false premise. She was branded an ‘ungrateful immigrant’.

This has become a rallying cry for people who deny Islamophobia is a problem, including those who say the ‘vast majority of hate crimes are hoaxes.’ American ultraright site Brietbart weighed in: ‘So many “hate crimes” against Muslims are committed or faked by Muslims, seemingly to provide anecdotal evidence for the charge of “Islamophobia” all across western society.’

That’s the real tragedy of this story. The girl could not have known she was handing ammunition to bigots and xenophobes around the world. But she did. Now and for the foreseeable future they’ll milk this story for all it’s worth in an attempt to prove Islamophobia isn’t an issue, and is in fact, ‘fake news’.

The truth is this: A young girl did something wrong and foolish. Toronto police reacted quickly, as they should have. Once police acted, media responded to the police action. That, too, is appropriate. And, far from discrediting concerns about Islamophobia in Canada, the vitriolic and often hateful response suggests the problem is bigger than many had thought. That’s what we should be concerned about.