Hate crimes down in 2013
RELIGION: But StatsCan data shows rise in anti-Muslim attacks
The number of hate crimes targeting Muslims went up in 2013 but fell for all other religious groups, according to a Statistics Canada report released Tuesday.
Police reported 65 crimes motivated by anti-Muslim hate that year, 20 more than in 2012.
Hate crimes against Jewish people were the most frequently reported, but the number of incidents dropped to 181 in 2013 from 242 in 2012.
Compared with other religions, hate crimes against Muslims were more likely to be violent (33 per cent). Muslims also had the highest number of hate-crime victims who were female (47 per cent). This may be related to the fact Muslim women wear head coverings, making their religious identity more visible than men, the report said.
“This latest data is troubling and may show a trend of growing antiMuslim hate crimes,” said Amira Elghawaby, human rights co-ordinator with the National Council of Canadian Muslims. “Our own data for 2014 shows a further increase so this is clearly an issue that deserves more attention.”
This week, anti-Muslim graffiti was spray-painted outside a Torontoarea apartment building. Last week, vandals sprayed anti-Muslim graffiti on the walls of an Islamic institution in Edmonton and the walls of a restaurant in Calgary.
The council suggested the StatsCan figures may not represent the whole picture because hate crimes tend to be under-reported.
Overall, 1,167 hate crimes were reported across Canada in 2013, a 17 per cent drop from the year before. Hate crimes motivated by race or ethnicity made up half of all incidents with black populations being the most frequent targets.
Religious-based hate crimes made up 28 per cent of incidents.