From Social Media to Graffiti: Hate Against Muslims is on the Rise in Canada.

June 22, 2026: This week has started troublingly. Just as we learned of an incident in Ottawa where a woman’s hijab was forcibly removed by an unknown assailant who shouted abusive, hateful remarks, Al Jazeera reported another distressing event that few were aware of.

Report: Al Jazeera (June 22, 2026): In mid-March 2026, Ahmed, a 14-year-old boy, had just finished his midnight prayers at the Toronto Islamic Center during Ramadan. As he and his family stepped out of the mosque, they were confronted by an angry man in his 50s who hurled Islamophobic slurs at them. He grabbed Ahmed by the collar and pushed him to the ground, taunting, “Did the Liberals let you into Canada?” Understandably traumatized, Ahmed and his family reported the incident to the police. And that’s where the story ended. As it normally does, in most cases involving hostile acts of Islamophobia that do not involve death.

Which leads us to ask ourselves a crucial question: Did any of us hear about this incident? Did it make the headlines, or even a small mention on a major news portal in Canada? The fact is that most of us had no idea. This highlights the core issue that few of us take note of – incidents of hate (not involving murder) against Muslims are rarely given the serious coverage they deserve in the Canadian media. And even when they do, as in cases of mass killing, such as the Montreal Mosque shooting or the Afzaal family murder, they are never followed up on and soon fade away from public attention.

This trend is evident in another recent incident that occurred in Edmonton this month.

The Day Care Graffiti: On June 15, when staff at a day care center operated by the Al-Rashid Mosque in Edmonton arrived in the morning, they found anti-Muslim graffiti spray-painted outside their premises. This was not the act of a typical drunken vandal; the message echoed common anti-Muslim rhetoric propagated by foreign interest groups aimed at discrediting Muslims while drawing attention away from the genocide in Gaza. The graffiti read, “Protect Women. Rise Against Islam,” an oft-repeated propaganda point repeated ad nauseam on social media by shadow entities.

The impact of this message was exactly as intended: the Edmonton Islamic community was left in shock. This was especially egregious because the location housed a day care for young children.

Nisreen Ibrahim, a social work student with the Edmonton-based grassroots collective Sisters Dialogue, said incidents like this severely damage both her own sense of safety and the community’s.

Ibrahim, a visibly Muslim woman who wears a hijab, noted that the graffiti reinforces harmful stereotypes regarding ‘oppressed‘ Muslim women: “Incidents like this perpetuate the misconception that Islam oppresses women and that Muslim women need rescuing from other cultures or communities.”

“I suddenly felt a lack of safety in a community that I have grown up in and heavily relied upon. And it’s not just me. This is what I hear from other Muslim women in my circle. And we are all left asking, could it be me next? Could it be my friend, my sister, or my mom?” she explained in an interview with a local news channel.

“When someone vandalizes and places intimidating graffiti next to a daycare or school, the intent is clear: to instill fear in Muslim families and children. That’s unacceptable,” stated Edmonton Mayor Andrew Knack.

Saima Mafat, the regional director for Alberta and British Columbia for the Nisa Foundation, which provides a range of support services for Muslim women and children, added: “The impact goes beyond the graffiti. Incidents like these create fear and uncertainty. Parents will begin to question whether their children are truly safe. Families will wonder if they are genuinely welcome.” The intent behind such acts is to cultivate an atmosphere of doubt, always leaving Muslims looking over their shoulders and feeling too insecure to stand up against injustice.

Final Thoughts: Statistics Canada reports a staggering 173 percent increase in police-reported hate crimes targeting Muslims from 2020 to 2024. In response to the recent, deadly attacks on Muslims, the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) has published a comprehensive 60-page policy document aimed at combating hate and racism across the country. The document includes several recommendations: amendments to the Criminal Code to address hate crimes more effectively, a review of educational curricula, and the establishment of a national fund for victims of Islamophobia. “We cannot stand by and see any more lives lost,” stated the NCCM.

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