With the western world on edge following mass shootings in Paris on Friday, innocent Muslims are being caught in the crossfire.
In Canada, a string of Islamophobic attacks are leaving Muslims fearful and afraid for their safety.
The incidents began on Saturday, a day after suspected members of the Islamic State group killed 129 people and injured hundreds more in a series of attacks in Paris, France. That’s when a fire broke out at a mosque in Peterborough, Ont. Police have ruled the fire an arson.
Though no one was inside the mosque when it was set ablaze, the fire caused $60,000 worth of damage to the Kawartha Muslim Religious Association’s mosque.
"This attack is very disturbing. The mosque is regularly attended by families with young children," said National Council of Canadian Muslim (NCCM) executive director Ihsaan Gardee. "We are relieved no one was injured as this incident could have been much worse."
On Monday, a Toronto woman was attacked from behind by two white men while picking up her children from school. The assailants reportedly beat the woman and called her a “terrorist” while trying to remove her hijab (a traditional muslim head cover).
The victim’s brother told the CBC that she is now “scarred for life.”
"Such hateful and cowardly acts are abhorrent to all Canadians who stand united in condemning xenophobia and hatred," Gardee said in a news release following Monday’s attack.
Canadian politicians denounced the incidents, including Toronto mayor John Tory. He called them “disgusting, unacceptable and not reflective of our city’s values.”
Alia Hogben, an executive director of the Canadian Council of Muslim Women, said Muslim women especially are easy targets for discrimination.
"I think they're being targeted, definitely, because as soon as you see a woman with a hijab on, with a head covering on, you know she's probably a Muslim and therefore fair target for your discrimination and your hatred and intolerance," she told the CBC.
Alex Hider is a writer for the E.W. Scripps National Desk. Follow him on Twitter @alexhider.
