Islamophobia Alert! School Bus Belonging to an Islamic School in Hamilton Vandalized.

June 1, 2026. Hamilton, Ontario: Just when it seemed that Islamophobia in Canada was under control and that Carney knew what he was doing by canceling the office to combat Islamophobia, led by Amira Elghawaby, we are reminded that neither our children nor we are safe from the scourge of Muslim hate, regardless of what our politicians might want us to believe.

The Story: On Sunday, May 31, 2026, a bus belonging to the Waterdown Islamic School in Hamilton was vandalized while parked overnight. Its seats were slashed with sharp objects, and hateful graffiti was sprayed on the interior of the vehicle and on the seat backrests. Upon closer inspection, it was also discovered that the bus’s accelerator pedal had been tampered with.

The bus, purchased by the school just a month ago, had been parked alongside other school buses since the previous Tuesday, but was the only one targeted, according to a statement from Muneeza Sheik, the founding partner of the law firm representing the school.

There were no identifying marks on the exterior of the bus tying it to the school, suggesting that whoever targeted it had made an effort to identify the vehicle. Pictures released by the school show ripped seats, damage to the dashboard, and Islamophobic messages written on the walls.

This incident has triggered a wave of fear among parents, who were distraught upon hearing the news. In response, school authorities decided to temporarily close the institution for Monday and Tuesday to calm concerned parents and community members, not just in Hamilton but across the nation, as news of the incident spread.

Principal Aghyad Alshawaf reported that a driver boarded the bus on Sunday to find seats slashed and coated in what appeared to be fire extinguisher foam. In addition to hate speech and profanity found throughout the bus, the word “Die” was scrawled on the interior side of the rear window.

He also shared with the media that parents have expressed feeling unsafe and do not intend to send their children to school until they are sure that there is no immediate danger to their kids. Some parents have requested that their children continue their education from home.

Salim Jabban, a parent at the school, stated that he and other parents felt extremely unsafe. “It’s just devastating,” he said.

The cost of the damage has not yet been determined. The school principal mentioned that management would send the damaged vehicle to a specialist for assessment.

The Hamilton police’s hate crime unit is currently investigating the case as the Hamilton and national Muslim communities seek answers.

Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath issued a statement condemning the incident. “I am deeply disturbed by reports of damage and vandalism, including Islamophobic graffiti, on a school bus serving students at an Islamic school in Hamilton. Targeting children, families, or any member of our community because of their faith, identity, or background is reprehensible, cowardly, and completely unacceptable,” she stated.

Hamilton Center MP Aslam Rana also released a statement on social media, saying, “This was a targeted and deeply troubling act. School buses were allegedly followed, and damage was caused to their accelerators.”

Rana’s statement continued, “Had the tampering with the bus’s controls gone unnoticed and the vehicle operated with the kids on board, the consequences could have been disastrous.”

The National Council of Canadian Muslims expressed that this Islamophobic incident was “alarming to the highest degree.”

Waterdown Islamic School enrolls students from junior kindergarten to Grade 6. Its website states that it delivers a “well-rounded education where Qur’anic values and the Ontario curriculum work hand in hand to develop confident Muslim leaders.”

According to media sources, there has been a 299% increase in hate-related occurrences in Hamilton since 2020.

Some of us may remember that in 2021, a Muslim mother and her adult daughter fled a parking lot in Ancaster after a man nearly struck them with his car. Not satisfied with intimidating them, he chased them down and threatened to kill them, according to police. The incident was investigated as a hate crime, leading to the arrest of a 40-year-old man from Hamilton.

Could this incident be connected to a court case currently being pursued by the Waterdown Islamic School?

The school’s lawyers suspect that this Islamophobic act may be linked to a legal dispute involving the Islamic school, a local church, and a company that owns a building where the school aimed to lease additional space to accommodate more students. The school claims that the landlord canceled a new lease agreement after a Hamilton pastor, who was openly opposed to the idea of an Islamic school in the neighborhood, made Islamophobic comments during a service. The school believes these remarks may have influenced the landlord’s decision to withdraw from the deal.

Authorities are investigating the matter, and GTA Muslims Today will continue to monitor the story and share any updates as they become available. In the meantime, please take care of yourselves and your families, and remember to offer duas for the safety of the ummah. Aameen.

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