In light of the recent hate crimes that have escalated within Canada and targeted Muslim-Canadians, No Hate in the Hammer joins others across the country to express our sadness, outrage, and stand in solidarity with Muslim communities to denounce any form of hate, especially Islamophobia. 

In London, Ontario, we grieve the lives of four members of the Afzaal family who were killed in a hate-driven vehicle attack. In Cambridge, we are saddened to think of the vandalization of The Baitul Kareem Mosque in an act of anti-Muslim hate. In our Hamilton community, we, too, are pained when we think of the mother and daughter in the Meadowlands who were victims of an anti-Muslim terror attack. The mother and daughter were called racial slurs and were almost killed by a vehicle.

While conversations denouncing Islamophobia have risen due to the terror attack in London, sadly, we remember that these incidents are not new to Canada as anti-Muslim hate crimes have only increased in the past years and are etched in our memory. We are still mourning over the 2017 murderous attack on the Quebec City Mosque where six Muslim men were fatally killed.

Policies at the federal and provincial levels also further contributed to anti-Muslim hate and discrimination in Canada. Two examples are the “Zero Tolerance for Barbaric Cultural Practices Act” and Quebec’s Bill 21. The so-called “Zero Tolerance for Barbaric Cultural Practices Act” contributed to perpetuating gendered stereotypes and Islamophobic sentiments. Quebec’s Bill 21 systemically prohibits public service workers from wearing religious symbols including crucifixes, hijabs, kippahs, or turbans.   

The National Council of Canadian Muslims presented a statement and recommendations (PDF) at the recent National Summit on Islamophobia. This document outlines anti-Muslim hate in Canada and shares 61 policy recommendations to combat it. This is one way we can understand how to directly address this issue.

We stand in solidarity with Muslim communities across Canada and call on leaders to take action to dismantle systems that perpetuate all forms of hate. To do this, we must learn, listen, and acknowledge how prejudice is present in our communities to break these barriers. Members of our communities deserve to live in a hate-free Hamilton where places of worship are respected, and groups of all ethnic backgrounds, religions, or identities can thrive.

In solidarity,

No Hate in the Hammer