The continuous rise of hate crimes targeting Canadians of various racial, ethnic, and religious backgrounds is a very serious and alarming problem. According to recent data from Statistics Canada, the number of police-reported hate crimes targeting race or ethnicity almost doubled in 2020 with an average increase of 80% from the previous year. The increase in hate crimes against Asian and Southeast Asian communities was recorded as the highest with a rise of 301%. On the other hand, the same statistics, as well as the news of the violent attacks of the last few years, clearly show that Muslims continue to be the major target of religiously motivated hate crimes in Canada.
As communities on the receiving end of such crimes, we know that these statistics represent only the tip of the iceberg. Many hate crimes are not reported to the police because victims fear repercussions or feel unsupported. In some cases, even if they are reported as hate crimes, many of them don’t end up being filed and classified as such.
While racism and Islamophobia are certainly not as prominent in Newfoundland and Labrador as they are in the rest of Canada, the local incidents of the last few years suggest that we are not immune to such hatred. Especially in the wake of vandalism that targeted our Masjid An Noor mosque in St. John’s in March 2022 and then the physical assault against two visibly Muslim teenage sisters in May 2022, it has become clear that anti-Muslim racism is rising in our province.
As Muslim Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, we are concerned. We demand more concrete action for the prevention and elimination of racially and religiously motivated hate crimes against our communities. In the meantime, we confirm MANAL’s readiness to collaborate with all municipal, provincial, and federal actors for the design of proper policy interventions.
The victims of anti-Muslim racism are not alone. MANAL has reached out to the teenage Muslim sisters who were attacked in St. John’s to provide them and their family all kinds of support and assistance. We are committed to supporting their spiritual, emotional, and social well being and advocating for their rights together with our allies including Addressing Islamophobia in NL, the Anti-Racism Coalition of NL, and the National Council of Canadian Muslims.