Canada's Muslim Community Faces Rising Xenophobia

The Rising Threat of Xenophobia in Canada

Toronto, Canada – Ahmed* has made the trip to and from his local mosque in the heart of Canada’s largest city hundreds of times. That’s partly why what happened to him and his family during this year’s Muslim holy month of Ramadan was so unexpected.

A Disturbing Incident

Suddenly, without warning or provocation, a man began hurling racist insults at them before grabbing Ahmed by the collar and pushing him violently. Ahmed – who asked to use a pseudonym – says his two-year-old sister began to cry. “They were really traumatised,” he told Al Jazeera in mid-April, referring to his younger siblings.

The Data Analysis

Canada has experienced several incidents of deadly, anti-Muslim violence over the past decade, making it the Group of Seven (G7) country with the most targeted killings of Muslims. A 2017 shooting at a Quebec City mosque killed six congregants in what remains the deadliest attack on a house of worship in Canadian history. Four years later, in 2021, four members of a Muslim family were killed when a man rammed his car into them as they were out for a walk in London, Ontario.

The Impact Analysis

Experts warn that a rise in anti-immigrant sentiment is blending with anti-Muslim racism in Canada, leaving Muslim community members vulnerable and at heightened risk of violence. “It is a perfect storm right now,” said Amira Elghawaby, Canada’s former special representative on combatting Islamophobia.

The Prediction

The Canadian government has repeatedly stated that it takes all forms of hate-motivated violence seriously, including Islamophobia and anti-Semitism. In 2024, Ottawa launched a so-called Action Plan on Combatting Hate, earmarking more than 270 million Canadian dollars ($191m) over six years for initiatives aimed at helping communities tackle the problem. However, experts say more needs to be done to address the root causes of Islamophobia and anti-immigrant sentiment.