Islamophobia in Canada#Hate crimes

Although Canadian Islamophobia had been documented in the 20th century, it rapidly increased in the 21st century, corresponding to increases in conflict within the Middle East and Muslim immigration.{{cite book|title=Canadian Islamic Schools|author=Jasmine Zine|year= 2008|publisher=University of Toronto Press|isbn=978-0-8020-9856-6|pages=60,153–184}} The majority of documented cases have occurred during conflict between the U.S. and elements of the Muslim world. Such incidents also spike after incidents of Islamic terrorism in North America or other parts of the western world. Canadians with Middle Eastern backgrounds have been victimized by Islamophobia in the context of the September 11 attacks and the resulting War on Terrorism. Islamophobia has often played on the theme of deeming Muslims as irrational and violent, and Islam as bent upon global domination.{{cite book |last=Fleras |first=Augie |title=Racisms in a Multicultural Canada: Paradoxes, Politics, and Resistance |publisher=Wilfrid Laurier University Press}} There was a significant spike in hate crimes against Muslims in Toronto, in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. The types of incidents included physical threats and destruction of property.{{cite journal |last=Hanniman |first=Wayne |year=2008 |title=Canadian Muslims, Islamophobia and national security |journal=International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice |volume=36 |issue=4 |pages=271–285 |doi=10.1016/j.ijlcj.2008.08.003}} In 2014, two incidents occurred, a vehicle ramming attack, and later a shooting at Parliament Hill. The latter was later attributed to mental illness, however then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper and opposition leader Justin Trudeau referred to it as terrorism.{{Cite news |date=22 Oct 2014 |title=Ottawa shooting: Harper, Mulcair, Trudeau speak about attack |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/ottawa-shooting-harper-mulcair-trudeau-speak-about-attack-1.2809530 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240818225106/https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/ottawa-shooting-harper-mulcair-trudeau-speak-about-attack-1.2809530 |archive-date=18 Aug 2024 |access-date=18 Aug 2024 |work=CBC News}} Also the dramatic increase in numbers of Syrian refugees in 2016 created negative feelings{{Cite web |title=The Syrian Refugee Crisis in Canadian Media |url=https://www.torontomu.ca/content/dam/centre-for-immigration-and-settlement/tmcis/publications/workingpapers/2017_3_Tyysk%C3%A4_Vappu_Blower_Jenna_DeBoer_Samantha_Kawai_Shunya_Walcott_Ashley_The_Syrian_Refugee_Crisis_in_Canadian_Media.pdf}} and an increase in Islamophobic attacks and harassment.{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}} An upsurge in immigrants from India from around 2014 also contributed to an increased spread of Indian-origin anti-islamic sentiments forwarded via mobile messaging as part of Hindutva disinformation campaigns supported by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.Zhou, Steven (2020) [https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/07/01/india-islamophobia-global-bjp-hindu-nationalism-canada/ From India, Islamophobia Goes Global]. Foreign Policy. 1 July 2020.

In many cases, non-Muslims and non-Muslim buildings are targeted by Islamophobes due to mistaken identity.{{cite book|title=The Politics of Race: Canada, the United States, and Australia|author=Jill Vickers, Annette Isaac|publisher=University of Toronto Press|page=247}}

Sharia law is explicitly banned in Quebec, upheld by a unanimous vote against it in 2005 by the National Assembly.{{cite web| url = http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-gives-thumbs-down-to-shariah-law-1.535601| title = Quebec gives thumbs down to Shariah law {{!}} CBC News}}

{{Bar chart

| title = NCCM's database of hate crimes against Muslims in Canada{{Cite report|title=2015 ODIHR Hate Crime Report|url=https://www.nccm.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Hate_Crime_Report_2015-National-Council-of-Canadian-Muslims.pdf|publisher=National Council of Canadian Muslims}}

| float = right

| bar_width = 5

| width_units = em

| label_type = Year

| label1 = 2012

| label2 = 2013

| label3 = 2014

| label4 = 2015

| data_type = Physical assaults

| data_max = 11

| data1 = 1

| data2 = 6

| data3 = 5

| data4 = 9

| col2_data_type = Attacks on property (including mosques)

| col2_data_max = 24

| col2_data1 = 8

| col2_data2 = 3

| col2_data3 = 15

| col2_data4 = 20

| caption = Note: NCCM only documents a fraction of anti-Muslim hate crimes
and their database may differ from those of various police forces across Canada.

}}

Police forces from across Canada have reported that Muslims are the second most targeted religious group, after Jews. And while hate crimes against all religious groups have decreased, hate crimes against Muslims have increased following 9/11.{{cite web|title=Police-reported hate crime in Canada, 2013|last=Allen|first=Mary|date=June 9, 2015 |publisher=Statistics Canada|url=http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/85-002-x/2015001/article/14191-eng.htm|quote=The decrease occurred for hate crimes targeting all religious groups except Muslim.}} In 2012, police forces from across Canada recorded 45 hate crimes against Muslims that were deemed to be "religiously motivated". By 2014, this number had more than doubled to 99.{{cite news|last1=Paperny|first1=Anna|title=Hate crimes against Muslim-Canadians more than doubled in 3 years|url=http://globalnews.ca/news/2634032/hate-crimes-against-muslim-canadians-more-than-doubled-in-3-years/|access-date=December 10, 2016|publisher=Global News|date=April 13, 2016}}

In 2015, the city of Toronto reported a similar trend: hate crimes in general decreased by 8.2%, but hate crimes against Muslims had increased.{{cite news|title=Hate crimes were down in 2015 but police saw spike in incidents targeting Muslims|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/hate-crimes-drop-toronto-police-muslim-spike-1.3496505|publisher=CBC News}} Police hypothesized the spike could be due to the Paris attacks or anger over refugees. Muslims faced the third highest level of hate crimes in Toronto, after Jews and the LGBTQ community.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Canada saw a sudden rise in hate crimes based on race, religion, and sexual orientation.{{Citation | vauthors=((Jain, S.)) | year=2022 | title=Hate crimes surge in Canada during pandemic | website=Reuters |date=August 5, 2022 | url=https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/hate-crimes-surge-canada-during-pandemic-2022-08-05/ | access-date=2 January 2023}} Statistics Canada reported there was a 72% increase in hate crimes between 2019 and 2021.{{Citation | title=Canada sees surge in hate crimes during pandemic, new data shows | url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/8/5/canada-sees-surge-in-hate-crimes-during-pandemic-new-data-shows | access-date=2 January 2023 |website=Al Jazeera |date=August 5, 2022}}

Many Islamophobic incidents have involved violent attacks on Muslims, sometimes resulting in physical injuries that require hospitalization. Many of the incidents revolve around Muslim women who wear the hijab or niqab.

On September 26, 2014, six Muslim students at Queen's University were attacked by four men, one of whom wielded a baseball bat and who yelled various racial epithets. One of the students suffered minor physical injuries. The police arrested two men in connection to the attack and charged them with assault.{{cite news|title=Muslim students attacked in apparent Kingston, Ont., hate crime|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/muslim-students-attacked-in-apparent-kingston-ont-hate-crime-1.1991230|publisher=CBC}}{{Cite report|title=2014 ODIHR Hate Crime Report|url=http://www.nccm.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Hate-Crime-Report-2014-National-Council-of-Canadian-Muslims.pdf|publisher=National Council of Canadian Muslims}}

In May 2016, an Iranian student at Western University was physically attacked and called an "Arab"; the student suffered a concussion as a result of the attack. The attackers also uttered threats against his girlfriend.{{cite news|title=London, Ont. man suffers concussion in alleged hate attack|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/london-police-assault-1.3609186|publisher=CBC}} The mayor of London said the attack was a "wake-up call" and that "Islamophobia had no place in Canada".{{cite news|title=Attack on Western University student from Iran is a 'wake-up call' for city, mayor says|url=https://lfpress.com/2016/06/02/attack-on-western-university-student-from-iran-is-a-wake-up-call-for-city-mayor-says|work=London Free Press}}

Many Muslim women have been subjected to acts of violence, particularly those who are visibly Muslim due to them wearing the hijab or niqab.

In 2011, a Muslim woman wearing the niqab was with her children when she was attacked at a Mississauga mall; the attacker screamed at her and pulled off her veil.{{cite news|title=GTA woman has niqab pulled off in assault|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/gta-woman-has-niqab-pulled-off-in-assault-1.1022672|publisher=CBC}} After the court was shown mall security footage of the assault, the attacker pleaded guilty to assault.{{cite news|title=Niqab assault case ends in suspended sentence|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/niqab-assault-case-ends-in-suspended-sentence-1.1075040|publisher=CBC}} The incident was deemed Islamophobic by the Ontario Human Rights Commission.{{Cite web|url=http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/creed-freedom-religion-and-human-rights-special-issue-diversity-magazine-volume-93-summer-2012/discrimination-experienced-muslims-ontario|title=Discrimination experienced by Muslims in Ontario | Ontario Human Rights Commission}}

In the aftermath of the 2013 Quebec Charter of Values, many Muslim women wearing the headscarf were attacked. On September 17, a 17-year old Muslim girl was attacked in St. Catharines. She was punched in the nose, that left her bleeding and her headscarf was pulled off. In November, a woman wearing the hijab in Montreal was attacked by two men; one of them spat on her, while the other pulled off her headscarf.{{cite news|last=Hamilton|first=Graeme|title=Quebec values charter sending tolerance, civilized discussion out the window|url=http://news.nationalpost.com/full-comment/graeme-hamilton-quebec-values-charter-sending-tolerance-civilized-discussion-out-the-window|work=National Post}} In December, a woman wearing a hijab was attacked when another woman tried to forcibly remove her headscarf from her head.{{Cite report|title=2013 ODIHR Hate Crime Report|url=http://www.nccm.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Hate-Crime-Report-2013-National-Council-of-Canadian-Muslims.pdf|publisher=National Council of Canadian Muslims}}

In September 2015, a pregnant woman wearing the hijab was attacked by teenagers in Toronto, when they tried to pull off her headscarf, causing her to fall. Quebec's National Assembly responded by passing a unanimous resolution against Islamophobia.{{cite news|title=Muslim convert attacked while wearing niqab in Toronto|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/muslim-convert-attacked-while-wearing-niqab-in-toronto/article26646425/|work=The Globe and Mail}}

In December 2020, two Muslim women in hijab were attacked by a 41 year old man in an Edmonton mall parking lot. According to witnesses, the man started out shouting racially motivated obscenities at them, then shattered one of the glass windows in their car, and then physically assaulted them in the parking lot as one of them tried to run away. Fortunately, several bystanders intervened and stopped the attack. {{Cite news|title=Man charged after 2 women in hijabs attacked in Edmonton mall parking lot {{!}} CBC News|language=en-US|work=CBC|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/edmonton-hate-crime-attack-southgate-1.5835187|access-date=2020-12-28}}

Mosques in Canada have been the target of many Islamophobic attacks. The types of attacks usually consist of breaking windows and doors or spray painting hateful messages onto the mosque.

On December 31, 2013, a bomb threat was made against a Vancouver mosque and the building was evacuated by the RCMP.{{cite news|title=Bomb threat called in on North Vancouver mosque|url=https://vancouversun.com/life/Bomb+threat+called+North+Vancouver+mosque/9336230/story.html|work=Vancouver Sun|access-date=January 27, 2019|archive-date=September 20, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200920183159/http://www.vancouversun.com/life/Bomb+threat+called+North+Vancouver+mosque/9336230/story.html|url-status=dead}} On November 26, 2014, a bomb threat was made against a Montreal mosque and the police found a suspicious package. 12 buildings in the area were evacuated until the police neutralized the package.{{cite news|title=Mosque in Chateauguay target of bomb threat|url=http://montreal.ctvnews.ca/mosque-in-chateauguay-target-of-bomb-threat-1.2120000|publisher =CTV News}}

On May 20, 2014, a man tried to throw a Molotov cocktail through the window of a mosque in Montreal, but was stopped by the police. The police had been watching the mosque because it had already been the target of multiple attacks.{{cite news|title=Man with sword stopped by stun gun outside Islamic centre|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/man-with-sword-stopped-by-stun-gun-outside-islamic-centre-1.2647822|publisher=CBC News}}

On November 14, 2015, a day after the Paris attacks, the only mosque in Peterborough, Ontario was set on fire.{{cite web|title=Shitty Remarks, a Torched Mosque and Other Ways Canadians Responded to the Paris Attacks|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/mosque-torched-shitty-remarks-and-other-ways-canadians-responded-to-the-paris-attacks/|date=November 17, 2015}} Police deemed the arson a hate crime.{{cite news|title=Mosque fire in Peterborough was hate crime, say police|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2015/11/16/mosque-fire-in-peterborough-was-hate-crime-say-police.html|work=Toronto Star}}

On October 12, 2020, Toronto Police confirmed they were investigating threats being made against a local mosque. The messages received by the mosque included the threat to “do a Christ church all over again,” referring to the attacks on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, in March 2019 in which a gunman killed 51 people.{{Cite web|title=Toronto police investigating violent threats made against mosque|url=https://globalnews.ca/news/7393234/toronto-mosque-threats/|access-date=2020-10-18|website=Global News|language=en-US}}

{{main|Quebec City mosque shooting}}

In January 2017, a gunman opened fire upon worshipers in the Islamic Cultural Center of Quebec, killing 6 and wounding 19 others. The media reported that the attacker was a university student who had right-wing and anti-Muslim political tendencies. Many Muslims and non-Muslims blamed the attack on the rise in Islamophobic rhetoric in Canada.{{cite news|title='Islamophobia killed Canadians': anti-Muslim rhetoric blamed in Québec attack|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jan/31/quebec-city-mosque-shooting-canada-far-right-politics|work=The Guardian}}{{cite news|title=Liberal MP says Quebec mosque shooting was 'direct result' of Tory, PQ policies|url=https://nationalpost.com/m/wp/news/blog.html?b=news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/canadian-politics/liberal-mp-says-quebec-mosque-shooting-was-direct-result-of-tory-pq-policies&pubdate=2017-02-17|work=National Post}}{{Dead link|date=September 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

On 12th September 2020, Mohamed-Aslim Zafis, a volunteer at the International Muslim Organization, was stabbed in the neck while he was sitting outside the mosque. Toronto Police arrested and charged 34 year old Guilherme "William" Von Neutegem with first degree murder.{{Cite web|title=Canada rights organisations urge PM to dismantle far-right groups|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/10/5/coalition-calls-for-trudeau-to-dismantle-300-far-right-groups|access-date=2020-10-18|website=www.aljazeera.com|language=en}}

Von Neutegem had shared content from a satanic neo-Nazi group in social media posts, according to an organization that tracks online extremism. This revelation has further fueled calls for the killing to be investigated as a hate crime, something the Toronto Police Service was considering.{{Cite web|date=2020-09-19|title=Members of Toronto mosque call for murder of volunteer to be investigated as hate crime|url=https://www.cp24.com/news/members-of-toronto-mosque-call-for-murder-of-volunteer-to-be-investigated-as-hate-crime-1.5112074|access-date=2020-10-18|website=CP24|language=en}} Furthermore, many Canadian Human rights organizations (led by National Council of Canadian Muslims) sent an open letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau calling on the federal government to establish a national action plan on dismantling white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups that threaten Canadians who are Black, Indigenous, Jewish, Muslim, or Sikh, amongst other communities.{{Cite web|title=Open Letter to the Prime Minister: Taking Action on White Supremacist Groups|url=http://www.nccm.ca/open-letter-to-the-prime-minister-taking-action-on-white-supremacist-groups/|access-date=2020-10-18|website=NCCM - National Council of Canadian Muslims|language=en-US}}

{{main|London, Ontario truck attack}}

On 6th June, 2021, the Afzaal family, Salman (46), his mother Talat (74), his wife Madiha (44), daughter Yumna (15), and son Fayez (9), were out for a walk when they were struck by a pick-up truck. The entire family died except for Fayez who was hospitalized for serious but not life-threatening injuries. London Police Chief, Steve Williams, told reporters the next day that based on their investigation they found that this was an intentional act. He added, “We believe the victims were targeted because of their Islamic faith."{{Cite news|title=Four Muslim family members in Canada killed in 'targeted' attack, police say|language=en-US|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/06/07/canada-london-vehicle-attack-hate-veltman/|access-date=2021-06-13|issn=0190-8286}}

In 2015, Polling found widespread support for banning face covering during citizenship ceremony. A survey by Léger Marketing found 82% of Canadians favoured the policy somewhat or strongly, with just 15% opposed. Support was widespread, but especially strong in Quebec, where 93% were in favour of the requirement.{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-election-2015-niqab-poll-pco-1.3241895|title=Poll ordered by Harper found strong support for niqab ban at citizenship ceremonies|website=Cbc.ca|access-date=28 November 2021}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/polling-data-on-niqabs-shows-quebecers-overwhelmingly-support-a-government-ban/article26530667/|title=Polling data on niqabs shows Quebecers overwhelmingly support a government ban|first=Stephanie|last=Levitz|date=24 September 2015|access-date=28 November 2021|website=Theglobeandmail.com}}

In 2017 the mayor of Quebec City, Régis Labeaume, said he supported legislation banning the wearing of the niqab or burqa in public spaces.{{cite news |title=Labeaume wants Quebec City to ban face-covers in public spaces |newspaper=Montreal Gazette |url=https://montrealgazette.com/news/quebec/labeaume-wants-quebec-city-to-banish-face-covers-in-public-spaces |date=August 22, 2017 |quote="Personally, for me, one should not be allowed to hide one's face in a public space," he said in a news conference at city hall. "The face-covering of a protester (...) and the burqa and the niqab are all the same thing." [...] He said he agreed with the French law that prohibits wearing the burqa in a public space.}}{{cite news |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2017/08/25/religious-rights-may-dominate-remaining-weeks-of-ndp-leadership-campaign-hbert.html |title=Religious rights may dominate remaining weeks of NDP leadership campaign: Hébert |newspaper=The Toronto Star |first=Chantal |last=Hébert |date=August 25, 2017 |quote=Quebec City Mayor Régis Labeaume, among others, is arguing for a blanket ban on the wearing of burkas and niqabs in the public space.}} A 2017 Canadian poll found that 54% supported banning the burka.{{cite web | url=https://www.campaignresearch.com/single-post/2017/10/31/banning-burka-supported-by-majority-of-canadians | title=Majority of Canadians Support Banning the Burka | date=2 November 2017 }}

In 2010, the Liberal government of Jean Charest introduced Bill 94, which would have required people to uncover their faces to identify themselves before receiving any government services.{{cite web|last1=Daro|first1=Ishmael N.|title=Quebec Could Stop Women Who Wear The Niqab From Taking The Bus|url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/ishmaeldaro/quebec-bill-62|website=BuzzFeed News|access-date=October 19, 2017|date=October 16, 2017}} According to a 2010 Angus Reid Public Opinion poll, the bill was supported by 95% of Quebecers at the time.{{cite journal|last1=Conway|first1=Kyle|title=Quebec's Bill 94: What's 'Reasonable'? What's 'Accommodation'? And what's the Meaning of the Muslim Veil?|journal=American Review of Canadian Studies|date=June 1, 2012|volume=42|issue=2|page=196|doi=10.1080/02722011.2012.679150|s2cid=144092883}} The legislation ultimately failed to pass when the Liberals were defeated in the 2012 election.{{cite news|last1=Kay|first1=Barbara|title=Barbara Kay: Quebec's niqab ban is progressive. The NDP apparently isn'|url=https://nationalpost.com/opinion/barbara-kay-quebecs-niqab-ban-is-progressive-the-ndp-apparently-isnt|website=National Post|access-date=October 20, 2017|date=August 29, 2017}}

In 2013, the Parti Québécois government of Pauline Marois introduced a much stricter bill known as the Quebec Charter of Values, which would have banned public servants from wearing any "conspicuous" religious symbols including turbans, kippahs, and hijabs. The Charter was widely denounced for targeting Muslim women, and it failed to become law before another election.

On October 18, 2017, the National Assembly of Quebec successfully passed legislation titled "Bill 62 (fr)."{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-41669614|title=Quebec bans niqab for public services with neutrality law|date=October 18, 2017|work=BBC News|access-date=October 19, 2017|language=en-GB}} The law will take effect on July 1, 2018.{{Cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/quebec-bans-muslim-women-face-veil-public-transport-canada-niqab-burqa-law-vote-bill-a8008231.html|title=Quebec just banned the burqa for Muslim women taking the bus|last=Dougherty|first=Kevin|date=October 19, 2017|work=The Independent|access-date=October 19, 2017|language=en-GB}} According to the Associated Press, the law "bans the wearing of face coverings for people giving or receiving a service from the state" and "offers a framework outlining how authorities should grant accommodation requests based on religious beliefs."{{Cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/10/19/558697455/quebec-enacts-religious-neutrality-law-that-curbs-full-face-veils-in-public|title=Quebec Enacts 'Religious Neutrality Law' To Curb Full-Face Veils In Public|last=Neuman|first=Scott|date=October 19, 2017|work=NPR|access-date=October 19, 2017|language=en}} In effect, this prohibits Muslim women who wear face veils from receiving or giving public services, including riding public transportation.{{Cite news|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/10/quebec-passes-controversial-face-veil-ban-171018170449475.html|title=Quebec passes controversial face veil ban|last=Kestler-D'Amours|first=Jillian|date=October 18, 2017|work=Al Jazeera English|access-date=October 18, 2017}} The law also prohibits public workers like doctors and teachers from covering their faces at work.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/18/world/canada/quebec-face-coverings-ban.html|title=Quebec Bars People in Face Coverings From Receiving Public Services|last=Levin|first=Dan|date=October 18, 2017|work=The New York Times|access-date=October 19, 2017|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}} The bill passed 65-51 with every MP in favour of the law being a member of the Quebec Liberal Party. Quebec's two main opposition parties, the Parti Québécois and Coalition Avenir Québec, opposed the bill, arguing it didn't go far enough in restricting the presence of conspicuous symbols of all religions in the public sphere. Stéphanie Vallée, Quebec's minister of justice, sponsored the bill and said it would foster social cohesion. Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard supported the law, saying "We are in a free and democratic society. You speak to me, I should see your face, and you should see mine. It's as simple as that."

Proponents of the law argue it ensures state neutrality,{{Cite news|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-niqab-burka-bill-62-1.4360121|title='I should see your face, and you should see mine,' Quebec premier says of new religious neutrality law|last=Shingler|first=Benjamin|date=October 19, 2017|work=CBC News|access-date=October 19, 2017|language=en}} but critics of the law argue it is unfairly directed at Muslim women who wear niqabs or burqas.{{Cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/19/americas/quebec-face-covering-bill/index.html|title=Quebec bans face coverings in public services|last=Park|first=Madison|date=October 19, 2017|work=CNN|access-date=October 19, 2017}} Face coverings in Canada are rare, with about 3% of Muslim women wearing some type of face veil nationwide.{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/18/quebec-passes-law-banning-muslims-from-wearing-face-coverings-in-public|title=Quebec passes law banning facial coverings in public|last=Kassam|first=Ashifa|date=October 18, 2017|work=The Guardian|access-date=October 19, 2017|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}} Shaheen Ashraf, a board member of Canadian Council of Muslim Women said Muslim women "are feeling targeted" by the law. She added, "The message they're sending to those women is that you stay home and don't come out of your house because they are choosing to cover their faces and they cannot board a bus or use any public transportation or receive any services." Ihsaan Gardee, the executive director of the National Council of Canadian Muslims said the legislation is "an unjustified infringement of religious freedoms."{{Cite news|url=https://ca.reuters.com/article/topNews/idCAKBN1CN2YC-OCATP|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171020084135/https://ca.reuters.com/article/topNews/idCAKBN1CN2YC-OCATP|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 20, 2017|title=Canada's Quebec province to ban face coverings in public sector|last=Dougherty|first=Kevin|date=October 18, 2017|work=Reuters|access-date=October 19, 2017|language=en-CA}} The NCCM also claimed the legislation violates the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and is planning on challenging it in court. Fo Niemi of the Center for Research-Action on Race Relations said the law could be challenged at the United Nations as "a violation of certain rights protected by the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women."{{Cite news|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2017/10/18/quebec-enacts-religious-neutrality-law-bill-62-forcing_a_23247655/|title=Law Now Forces Quebecers To Uncover Faces For Public Services Like Transit|last=Valiante|first=Giuseppe|date=October 18, 2017|work=HuffPost Canada|access-date=October 19, 2017|language=en-CA}} Jagmeet Singh, leader of the New Democratic Party, stated he was "completely opposed" to the new law. Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre accused the provincial government of overstepping its jurisdiction and Montreal-based civil rights lawyer Julius Grey called Bill 62 a "terrible law." When asked by reporters, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, "I don’t think it’s the government’s business to tell a woman what she should or shouldn’t be wearing."{{cite web|last1=Kassam|first1=Ashifa|title=Trudeau on Quebec face-cover ban: not our business to tell women what to wear|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/20/justin-trudeau-quebec-burqa-ban-niqab-new-law|website=The Guardian|access-date=October 28, 2017|date=October 20, 2017}}

With regards to public opinion, an October 27 Ipsos poll found that 76% of Quebecers backed Bill 62, with 24% opposing it. The same survey found the 68% of Canadians in general supported a law similar to Bill 62 in their part of Canada.{{cite web|last1=Abedi|first1=Maham|title=68% of Canadians want Quebec's face-coverings ban in their province|url=https://globalnews.ca/video/3828903/new-ipsos-poll-reveals-cross-canada-sentiment-about-quebecs-bill-62-face-veil-ban|website=Global News|access-date=October 28, 2017|date=October 27, 2017}} An October 27 Angus Reid Institute poll found that 70% Canadians outside of Quebec supported "legislation similar to Bill 62" where they lived in the country, with 30% opposing it.{{cite web|title=Four-in-ten outside Quebec would prohibit women wearing niqabs from receiving government services|url=http://angusreid.org/bill-62-face-covering/|website=Angus Reid|access-date=October 28, 2017|date=October 27, 2017}}

However, a judge ruled that the face-covering ban cannot enter into force pending judicial review, due to irreparable harm it will cause Muslim women. For the second time since December 2017 a Quebec judge suspended that section of the law, challenged in court by the National Council of Canadian Muslims and by the Canadian Civil Liberties Association. In the courts' judgement, that law violates the freedoms guaranteed by the Quebec and Canadian charters of human rights and freedoms.{{Cite news | url=https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/quebec-judge-once-again-suspends-application-of-provinces-face-covering-law | title=Quebec's face-covering law suspended for second time, with judge citing rights concerns | National Post| newspaper=National Post| date=June 29, 2018| last1=Valiante| first1=Giuseppe}}

{{main|Act respecting the laicity of the State}}

Bill 21 is a statute passed by the National Assembly of Quebec in 2019 which asserts that Quebec is a lay state (secular state). It prohibits the wearing of religious symbols by certain public employees in positions of authority.

In December 2021, a Montreal doctor submitted a letter condemning wearing hijabs as an "instrument of oppression", which later appeared in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.{{Cite news |last=Spectator |first=Ritika Dubey The Hamilton |date=2022-06-03 |title=McMaster discusses anti-Muslim sentiments in health care |language=en |work=The Hamilton Spectator |url=https://www.thespec.com/news/hamilton-region/mcmaster-discusses-anti-muslim-sentiments-in-health-care/article_d7b23a43-e39a-5fc8-9b38-206ae0742524.html |access-date=2023-09-07 |issn=1189-9417}}{{Cite news |last=Khan |first=Raza |date=2022-01-06 |title=Stop telling Muslim women what to wear |language=en |work=The Hamilton Spectator |url=https://www.thespec.com/opinion/contributors/stop-telling-muslim-women-what-to-wear/article_5afbde16-7a83-5ce6-abb2-7e93dda8854f.html |access-date=2023-09-07 |issn=1189-9417}} The letter was retracted, and an official apology was issued by the editor-in-chief of the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

A joint study from McMaster University and the Muslim Advisory Council of Canada described "obvious gaps" in research regarding islamophobia in Canadian health-care settings.{{Cite web |last1=Camargo |first1=Krishian |last2=Mahamad |first2=Syed |last3=Moni |first3=Tarin |last4=Punjani |first4=Insha |last5=Jamalifar |first5=Reihaneh |last6=Gravely |first6=Evan |date=March 2023 |title=Scoping Review of Research on Islamophobia in Healthcare Settings |url=https://macsphere.mcmaster.ca/bitstream/11375/28356/1/McMaster%20Research%20Shop%20Report%20-%20MACC.pdf |access-date=2023-09-07 |website=MacSphere}}{{Cite web |last=Hristova |first=Bobby |date=March 28, 2023 |title=New study finds 'obvious gaps' in research on Islamophobia in Canadian health-care settings |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/islamophobia-canada-health-care-muslim-1.6792148 |access-date=2023-09-07 |website=CBC News}} American research gathered from the study indicated that over half of Muslim patients stated that they were "dismissed, excluded, or ignored in health-care settings," often reporting lower quality care or lack of cultural consideration. Tabassum Wyne of the Muslim Advisory Council of Canada commented on how Muslim women and girls were more vulnerable to discrimination in health-care settings, stating that there would be "long-term threatening effects if large-scale solutions are not put in place."

Especially since 9/11 there has been an upsurge in attention paid to religious diversity by researchers, and therefore this is a developing field of research.{{cite web|last1=Ontario Human Rights Commission|title=Human Rights and Creed: Research and Consultation Report|url=http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/3-current-discrimination-trends/32-underlying-trends-research-and-consultation|publisher=Ontario Human Rights Commission|access-date=December 10, 2016}}

A 2007 poll conducted in 23 western countries showed Canadians had the most tolerant attitude toward Muslims. Only 6.5 percent of Canadians said they would not like to live next door to a Muslim, compared to 11 percent of Americans.

A 2016 FORUM poll found that 28% of Canadians disliked Muslims, compared to 16% who disliked First Nations (the next most disliked group). Muslims were primarily disliked in Quebec, where Jews were also disliked. Muslims were also disliked by Conservatives, who happened to have higher levels of religious bias than Liberals or New Democrats.{{cite web|title=Muslims the Target of Most Racial Bias|url=http://poll.forumresearch.com/post/2646/muslims-the-target-of-most-racial-bias/}} A 2015 Angus Reid poll found that 44% of Canadians disliked Muslims, compared to 35% who disliked Sikhs (the next most disliked religion). Dislike of Muslims was particularly higher in Quebec, where Jews and Sikhs were also disliked.{{cite web|title=Religion and faith in Canada today: strong belief, ambivalence and rejection define our views|url=http://angusreid.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/2015.03.25_Faith.pdf|publisher=Angus Reid Public Opinion|date=March 26, 2015}}

Anti-Muslim sentiment in Canada is reportedly increasing. Angus Reid found an increase between 2009 and 2013.{{cite web|url=http://www.macleans.ca/politics/land-of-intolerance/|title=Canadian anti-Muslim sentiment is rising, disturbing new poll reveals|last=Geddes|first=John|work=Macleans.ca|access-date=February 25, 2015}} Canadian Race Relations Foundation documented a worsening of public opinion between 2012 and 2016. The Association for Canadian Studies points out that as public opinion of Muslims has gotten worse, opinions regarding groups like Asians have improved. It is hypothesized that this could be "a displacement of negative sentiment" being transferred onto the Muslim population.{{Cite web|url=https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2016/03/21/majority-of-canadians-have-negative-views-of-muslims-survey/|title=Majority of Canadians have negative views of Muslims: survey|first=Radio Canada|last=International|date=March 21, 2016}}

In July 2016, a survey by the polling firm MARU/VCR&C reported that only a third of Ontarians had a positive impression of Islam, and more than half believed that mainstream Islamic teachings promote violence. Three-quarters said that Muslim immigrants have fundamentally different values.{{cite news|last1=Keung|first1=Nicholas|title=Ontario facing 'epidemic of Islamophobia' survey finds|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/immigration/2016/07/04/ontario-facing-epidemic-of-islamophobia-survey-finds.html|access-date=December 10, 2016|work=Toronto Star|date=July 4, 2016}} This survey was conducted following the arrival of nearly 12,000 Syrian refugees to Ontario in the first half of 2016. The survey also found that opposition to the arrival of Syrian refugees was higher among those who had negative views of Islam.

Statistics suggest that Islamophobia is particularly prevalent in Quebec. An Angus Reid poll in 2009 found that 68% of Quebecers surveyed held an unfavourable view of Islam. This had risen just slightly in 2013 to 69%. However, the same poll showed that the increase of Islamophobic attitudes in the rest of Canada was greater than it was in Quebec, rising from 46% in 2009 to 54% in 2013.{{cite news|last1=Geddes|first1=John|title=Canadian anti-Muslim sentiment is rising, disturbing new poll reveals|url=http://www.macleans.ca/politics/land-of-intolerance/|access-date=December 10, 2016|work=Maclean's Magazine|date=October 3, 2013}}

A 2015 survey conducted in Quebec found that 49% of respondents would be bothered if they received services from someone wearing the headscarf; compared to 31% who were bothered by the Sikh turban, 25% who were bothered by the kippa, and 6% who were bothered by the cross.{{cite news|title=Survey reveals troubling data on religious tolerance in Quebec|url=https://montrealgazette.com/news/how-widespread-is-islamophobia-in-quebec|date=October 29, 2015|work=Montreal Gazette}}

The 2003 Ethnic Diversity Survey conducted by Statistics Canada found that only 0.54% of Muslims reported being a victim of a hate crime based on religion between 1998 and 2003. A 2016 survey found that 35% of Muslims in Canada reported experiencing discrimination.{{cite news|title=Muslim Canadians increasingly proud of and attached to Canada, survey suggests|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/grenier-muslim-canadians-environics-1.3551591|author=Éric Grenier|publisher=CBC}}

In 2006, an Environics poll reported that 34% Canadians believed that Muslims "often" experience discrimination in Canada; that number increased to 44% in 2010. In both years, Muslims and Aboriginal Peoples were seen as the two groups most likely to experience discrimination. A 2011 Ipsos Reid poll reported that 60% of Canadians felt that discrimination against Muslims increased after the 9/11 attacks.{{cite news|last1=Chung|first1=Amy|title=Canadians less tolerant after 9/11: Poll|url=https://vancouversun.com/news/9-11-anniver%20sary/Canadians+less+tolerant+after+Poll/5366720/story.html|access-date=December 10, 2016|work=Vancouver Sun|date=August 7, 2011|archive-date=March 2, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170302193612/http://www.vancouversun.com/news/9-11-anniver%20sary/Canadians+less+tolerant+after+Poll/5366720/story.html|url-status=dead}}

In 2011, Ipsos Reid asked Canadians whether Muslims in Canada should receive the same treatment as any other Canadian. 81% of respondents said Muslims should receive the same treatment, 15% said Muslims ought to be treated differently. The percentage of respondents who believed in treating Muslims differently was highest in Alberta (31%), followed by Quebec (21%).

{{further|Islamophobia in the media}}

The Canadian media have been criticized for their role in perpetrating Islamophobia, both generally and in their news coverage of specific events. Canadian professor of journalism Karim H. Karim asserts that in the post-9/11 era an "Islamic peril" has replaced the "Soviet threat" of the Cold War years in Canada. After comparing Canadian mainstream media coverage of religious minority communities in Canada, Mahmoud Eid concludes that the Canadian media commonly apply the frames of dehumanization, extremism, fanaticism, inequality and Islamophobia to Muslims.{{cite book|last1=Eid|first1=Mahmoud|author-link1=Religious Sphere in Canada: Public Manifestations and Media Representations|editor1-last=Nahon-Serfaty|editor1-first=Isaac|editor2-last=Ahmed|editor2-first=Rukhsana|title=New Media and Communication Across Religion and Cultures|date=2014|publisher=IGI Global|page=57}} The stereotypes of Muslims, Arabs and Middle Easterners are: terrorists, savage, a fifth column.{{cite book|title=Religion and Ethnicity in Canada|author=Paul Bramadat and David Seljak|publisher=University of Toronto Press|page=137|year=2009}}{{cite conference|title=Inspiring Islamophobia: Media and State targeting of Muslims in Canada since 9/11|url=https://www.tasa.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/PerryPoynting.pdf|author=Barbara Perry and Scott Poynting|conference=TASA Conference|year=2006|access-date=February 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180417175416/https://tasa.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/PerryPoynting.pdf|archive-date=April 17, 2018|url-status=dead}} These stereotypes are then said to fuel suspicion of Muslims in general, which then results in hate crimes against them.{{cite book|title=The Routledge Companion to Media & Gender|author= Cynthia Carter, Linda Steiner, Lisa McLaughlin|publisher=Routledge|year=2013|page=385,387}}

• "This chapter will show that negative portrayals of the veil continue in articles, opinion columns, and political cartoons in newspapers published across the US, Europe, Australia and Canada." page 385
• "Western media biases continue to fuel Islamophobia in general and of the veil specifically." page 387 In fact, a study found a similarity between media myths on Muslims and the hate-text of many documented anti-Muslim incidents.{{cite book|last=Perry|first=Barbara|title=Hate Crimes|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|year=2009|pages=90–91}}

Nevertheless, Barbara Perry argues that Canadian media is more balanced and objective in its coverage of Muslims than that of UK, US and Australia. She cited the case of the 2006 "Toronto 18" terrorist plot, where outlets like Toronto Star recognized that the suspects were at the fringe of the Muslim community and gave coverage to Muslim leaders, allowing them to present a more peaceful side of Islam.

Denise Helly of Institut national de la recherche scientifique writes that the media often falsely gives an impression that "Muslims are incessantly demanding recognition of special practices," by giving widespread coverage to trivial incidents. She cites examples such as the debate on the skirt length of a female employee at Pearson airport, or the wearing of a headscarf on a soccer team in Edmonton.{{citation|title=Islamophobia in Canada? Women's rights, Modernity, Secularism|last=Helly|first=Denise|date=December 2012|number=11|publisher=Responding to Complex Diversity in Europe and Canada|url=http://www.recode.info/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Helly-Denise-2012-RECODE.pdf}}

Toronto Star's publisher, John Cruickshank, claimed that "a big segment of the Canadian media has been peddling ‘flat-out racism and bigotry’ against Canadian Muslims."{{cite news|last1=Siddiqui|first1=Haroon|title=Canada's news media are contributing to mistrust of Muslims|url=https://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2016/04/18/canadas-nnews-media-are-contributing-to-mistrust-of-muslims.html|access-date=December 9, 2016|work=Toronto Star|date=April 18, 2016}}

The now-defunct Canadian Islamic Congress (CIC) started to monitor Canadian media coverage for Islamophobic sentiment in 1998.{{cite news|last1=Henry|first1=Hess|title=Media's portrayal of Islam is criticized|work=The Globe and Mail|date=September 24, 1998}} The CIC opposed the use of expressions such as "Muslim militants" and "Islamic insurgency" by arguing that no religion endorses terrorism or militancy.

Jonathan Kay of the National Post argued that in recent years both Stephen Harper's Conservative federal government and Pauline Marois' Parti Québécois provincial government have been voted out of office due to "Islamophobic fearmongering" in their campaigns, and that the Canadian media played a key role in denouncing their Islamophobic messages to Canadians.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's internationally acclaimed television sitcom Little Mosque on the Prairie, which aired from 2007 to 2012, has been described as having "opened up a public space for Muslim Canadians to express their traditions, rituals, culture, and religion on primetime Canadian television."{{cite book|last1=Zine|first1=Jasmin|title=Islam in the Hinterlands: Muslim cultural politics in Canada|date=2012|publisher=UBC Press|location=Vancouver|page=162}} However, others have argued that the underlying assumptions of the show continue to re-affirm, rather than challenge, certain Canadian hegemonic values and expectations about Muslims.{{cite journal|last1=Kassam|first1=Shelina|title='Settling' the multicultural nation-state: Little Mosque on the Prairie, and the figure of the 'moderate Muslim'|journal=Social Identities|date=2015|volume=21|issue=6|page=607|doi=10.1080/13504630.2015.1105739|s2cid=145336182}}

In the past, certain media outlets have been criticized for their perceived bias in coverage of Muslims. Likewise, certain media outlets have been praised for covering Islam and Muslims in a balanced way.

In 1998, the Canadian Islamic Congress (CIC) singled out the newspaper National Post as a leading consistently Islamophobic media outlet in Canada. A 2006 study at the University of Alberta reported that during 2006 federal election, 42% of National Post's election-time articles associated Islam and Muslims with terrorism, compared to 9% of stories in The Globe and Mail and 14% of stories in the Toronto Star.{{cite journal|last1=Abu-Laban|first1=Yasmeen|last2=Trimble|first2=Linda|title=Print Media Coverage of Muslim Canadians During Recent Federal Elections|journal=Electoral Insight|date=December 2006|page=41|url=https://era.library.ualberta.ca/files/1544bq40c/Insight_2006_12_e.pdf|access-date=December 9, 2016}} National Post's Jonathan Kay has argued that the media are fascinated with the subject of terrorism because that is what their audience, the Canadian public, are interested in.{{cite news|last1=Kay|first1=Jonathan|title=Don't blame the media for Islamophobia|url=http://news.nationalpost.com/full-comment/jonathan-kay-dont-blame-the-media-for-islamophobia|access-date=December 9, 2016|work=National Post|date=April 21, 2016}} Kay also argues that Islam is conflated with terrorism in the media only because prominent terrorist groups consistently commit atrocities in the name of Islam, which the media is obliged to report as such.

In 2016, Toronto Star's former columnist Haroon Siddiqui accused the National Post and the Postmedia group of newspapers of perpetuating Islamophobia.

In 2007, the CIC filed complaints with the Canadian Human Rights Commission, Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) and British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal (BCHRT) against Maclean's Magazine, accusing the magazine of publishing 18 Islamophobic articles between 2005 and 2007, including a derogatory article titled "The Future of Islam" by Mark Steyn.{{cite web|last1=Awan|first1=Khurram|last2=Sheikh|first2=Muneeza|last3=Mithoowani|first3=Naseem|last4=Ahmed|first4=Ali|last5=Simard|first5=Daniel|title=Maclean's Magazine: A Case Study of Media-Propagated Islamophobia|page=15|url=http://www.safs.ca/issuescases/Report_on_Macleans_Journalism.pdf|publisher=Canadian Islamic Congress|access-date=December 9, 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160222054741/http://www.safs.ca/issuescases/Report_on_Macleans_Journalism.pdf|archive-date=February 22, 2016}}{{cite news|last1=Canadian Islamic Congress|title=Human Rights Complaints Launched Against Maclean's Magazine|url=http://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/human-rights-complaints-launched-against-macleans-magazine-534883261.html|access-date=December 9, 2016|work=Canada NewsWire|date=December 4, 2007}} The Canadian Human Rights Commission dismissed the CIC’s complaint.{{cite news|last1=Brean|first1=Joseph|title=Rights organization dismisses complaint against Maclean's|work=National Post|date=June 27, 2008}} BCHRT found that while the article contained "factual inaccuracies" and may use exaggeration to cause the reader to fear Muslims, it did not violate anti-hate laws. BCHRT argued that "fear is not synonymous with hatred and contempt."{{Cite web|url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/b-c-panel-rejects-muslim-complaint-vs-maclean-s-1.332541|title=B.C. panel rejects Muslim complaint vs. Maclean's|date=October 10, 2008|website=CTVNews}} OHRC described Maclean's articles as xenophobic, Islamophobic and promoting prejudice; however, the Commission maintained that it did not have the jurisdiction to actually hear the complaint.{{cite news|last1=Ontario Human Rights Commission|title=Commission statement concerning issues raised by complaints against Maclean's Magazine|url=http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/news_centre/commission-statement-concerning-issues-raised-complaints-against-macleans-magazine|access-date=December 9, 2016|date=April 9, 2008}} (For further details, see: Human rights complaints against Maclean's magazine)

The CIC has praised the Toronto Star and La Press for their sympathetic and relatively sophisticated treatment of Islam. A 2005 survey of 120 Canadian Muslims showed that 66% of respondents trusted the Toronto Star as their source for information, compared to 12% who trusted The Globe and Mail and 4% who trusted the National Post.{{cite journal|last1=Caidi|first1=Nadia|last2=MacDonald|first2=Susan|title=Information Practices of Canadian Muslims post 9/11|journal=Government Information Quarterly|date=2008|volume=25|issue=1|page=355|doi=10.1016/j.giq.2007.10.007}}

The role of public education in promoting or denouncing Islamophobia has been studied. There have been many reported incidents at public schools in Canada that have been described as Islamophobic. The interactions of non-Muslim students, teachers and administrators have been described by one antiracist and gender-equity practitioner at a Canadian school board as based on stereotypes that are "reminiscent of the long-gone colonial era." Research also suggests that teachers’ low expectations racial and ethnic minoritized youth can lead to negative evaluation and biased assessments, and this is compounded by Islamophobic attitudes. One student, for example, believes that in high school she was often treated according to the misconception that education is not valued for Muslim women, and therefore her educational aspirations were not taken very seriously by the school's guidance counsellors.{{cite journal|last1=Zine|first1=Jasmin|title=Muslim Youth in Canadian Schools: Education and the Politics of Religious Identity|journal=Anthropology and Education Quarterly|date=2001|volume=32|issue=4|page=413|doi=10.1525/aeq.2001.32.4.399}} Hijab-wearing Muslim girls in elementary school have also reported being asked questions such as "Do you have some kind of head injury?" or "Are you bald?" by teachers.{{cite journal|last1=Zine|first1=Jasmin|title=Muslim Youth in Canadian Schools: Education and the Politics of Religious Identity|journal=Anthropology and Education Quarterly|date=2001|volume=32|issue=4|page=412|doi=10.1525/aeq.2001.32.4.399}}

In August 2016, the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) in partnership with other Muslim organizations as well as the Canadian Human Rights Commission published a guidebook for educators on how they can fight Islamophobia and its effect on Muslim children in Canadian classrooms.{{cite news|last1=Nuttall|first1=Jeremy|title=New Guide Created to Combat Islamophobia in Schools|url=https://thetyee.ca/News/2016/08/26/Islamophobia-School-Resources/|access-date=December 10, 2016|work=The Tyee|date=August 26, 2016}} The creation of the guide was inspired in part by the case of an Ontario high school teacher who was fired in 2015 after it was discovered that he had tweeted racist and Islamophobic messages on Twitter. In December 2016, the York Region District School Board (YRDSB) in Ontario elected a new chair shortly after the NCCM (in conjunction with other community groups) filed a human rights complaint following a series of Facebook posts were published by the principal of a public school.{{cite news|last1=Whalen|first1=Julia|title=York school board elects new chair after allegations of racism, Islamophobia|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/york-school-board-elects-new-chair-after-allegations-of-racism-islamophobia-1.3882839|access-date=December 9, 2016|publisher=CBC News|date=December 6, 2016}}

In January 2021, to mark the 4th anniversary of the Quebec Mosque Shooting, Inspirit Foundation and Noor Culture Centre launched a video series called '[http://islamophobia-is.com/ Islamophobia-is]'.{{Cite web|title=The Team|url=http://islamophobia-is.com/the-team/|access-date=2021-02-08|website=islamophobia-is.com|language=en-US}} They also included with it a guide for teachers of students in 6th to 12th grade.{{Cite web|title=Teachers / Educators (Grades 6-12)|url=http://islamophobia-is.com/teachers-educators/|access-date=2021-02-08|website=islamophobia-is.com|language=en-US}}

In 2023, a Muslim student was singled out for allegedly missing pride activities and was told "you don't belong here" by his teacher.{{Cite web |last=Hopper |first=Tristin |date=7 June 2023 |title='You don’t belong here': Canadian teacher lambastes Muslim student for eschewing Pride |url=https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/you-dont-belong-here-canadian-teacher-lambastes-muslim-student-for-eschewing-pride |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240818231131/https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/you-dont-belong-here-canadian-teacher-lambastes-muslim-student-for-eschewing-pride |archive-date=18 August 2024 |access-date=7 June 2023 |website=The National Post}}

In April 2023, Bernard Drainville Quebec Minister of Education announced plans to ban prayer in all provincial public schools.{{Cite web|url=https://globalnews.ca/news/9614901/quebec-school-prayer-rooms-muslim-groups/|title=Muslim groups pledge to monitor Quebec ban on school prayer spaces | Globalnews.ca|website=Global News}}{{cite web | title=Quebec Muslim associations denounce government ban on prayer rooms in schools| website=CBC | date=8 April 2023 | url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-muslim-association-challenge-prayer-room-ban-1.6805495 | access-date=16 May 2023}}{{Cite web|url=https://montrealgazette.com/news/quebec/quebec-to-ban-prayer-rooms-in-public-schools-says-only-silent-praying-allowed|title=Quebec to ban prayer rooms in public schools, says only 'silent' praying allowed|website=montrealgazette}}{{Cite web|url=https://montreal.citynews.ca/2023/04/05/quebec-ban-prayer-classrooms/|title=CityNews|website=montreal.citynews.ca|date=5 April 2023 }}

Islamophobic attitudes and incidents have also been reported on Canadian university campuses. In August 2015, a report was published in Convergence, an undergraduate community research journal, in which Muslim students at McGill and Concordia were surveyed. The surveys revealed that 36.6% of respondents said that they may have been discriminated against at their place of education because of their religion, while 12.2% were certain that they had experienced this.{{cite news|last1=Zain|first1=Syed|last2=Moiz|first2=Munema|title=Muslim students speak out: Islamophobia on and off the McGill campus|url=http://www.mcgilldaily.com/2016/04/muslim-students-speak-out/|access-date=December 9, 2016|work=The McGill Daily|date=April 4, 2016}} In 2013, a McGill professor was found guilty by the McGill Committee on Student Grievances of having issued death threats and of engaging in "religious, cultural and personal offences" toward a Muslim graduate student. In December 2016, the University of Toronto's St. Michael's College Student Union's vice-president resigned from his position after a video displaying what was deemed to be Islamophobic conduct at an SMCSU event, which he had posted to social media, was widely shared.{{cite news|last1=Elnakka|first1=Menna|title=Islamophobia at U of T party|url=https://themedium.ca/news/islamophobia-u-t-party/|access-date=December 10, 2016|publisher=The Medium|date=December 5, 2016|archive-date=December 9, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161209191702/http://themedium.ca/news/islamophobia-u-t-party/|url-status=dead}}

In 2005, amidst global protests, then Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty rejected the use of Sharia Law in Ontario, for muslim divorces. However, Catholic and Jewish faith-based tribunals are permitted to settle family law matters on a voluntary basis since 1991{{Cite web |date=9 September 2005 |title=Ontario Premier rejects use of Shariah law |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ontario-premier-rejects-use-of-shariah-law-1.523122 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240818231619/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ontario-premier-rejects-use-of-shariah-law-1.523122 |archive-date=18 Aug 2024 |access-date=18 Aug 2024 |website=CBC News}}

In 2015, then Prime Minister Stephen Harper, while answering questions about terrorism suspects, said "it doesn't matter what the age of the person is, or whether they're in a basement, or whether they're in a mosque or somewhere else." The remarks were seen as casting mosques as "venues of terrorism", by the NCCM, who expressed concerns about increased attacks on mosques as a result of this perception. The leader of the Opposition said the remarks were Islamophobic, and noted that mosques actually work closely with security agencies in preventing radicalization.{{cite news|title=Muslim groups 'troubled' by Stephen Harper's mosque remark|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/muslim-groups-troubled-by-stephen-harper-s-mosque-remark-1.2940488|publisher=CBC}} In response, Harper released a statement recognizing the Muslim community's efforts in fighting terror.{{cite news|title=Preventing radicalization key in terrorism fight, imam tells senators|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2015/02/02/preventing-radicalization-key-in-terrorism-fight-imam-tells-senators.html|work=Toronto Star}}

"To be clear, there is no place for Islamophobia in Canada," said Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during a virtual meeting with representatives of the community and male-dominated organizations in the country.[https://www.aa.com.tr/fa/%D8%AC%D9%87%D8%A7%D9%86/%D8%AA%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%AF%D9%88-%D8%AC%D8%A7%DB%8C%DB%8C-%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%A7%DB%8C-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%85-%D9%87%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%B3%DB%8C-%D8%AF%D8%B1-%DA%A9%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%AF%D8%A7-%D9%88%D8%AC%D9%88%D8%AF-%D9%86%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%AF/2311936 Trudeau: There is no place for Islamophobia in Canada] aa.com.tr, Retrieved 16 August 2021

According to "Minister of Diversity and Inclusion and Youth (Canada)": I stand united with Muslim Canadians—and all Canadians—in condemning the hatred that fuels Islamophobia. Let us remain vigilant and stand strong in the face of fear and intolerance to build a society where all Canadians can live and worship peacefully and safely.[https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/news/2021/01/minister-chagger-statement-on-fourth-anniversary-of-deadly-shooting-at-quebec-citys-islamic-cultural-centre.html Minister Chagger Statement on Fourth Anniversary of Deadly Shooting at Quebec City’s Islamic Cultural Centre] Retrieved 28 August 2021

In 2007, the Quebec town of Hérouxville adopted an "immigrant code of conduct", even though the town had no immigrants. The code warned the town's non-existent immigrant population against stoning women and told them about the importance of Christmas trees.{{cite news|title=What we can learn from Hérouxville, the Quebec town that became shorthand for intolerance|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/herouxville-quebec-reasonable-accommodation-1.3950390|publisher=CBC News}} The code was widely considered Islamophobic and xenophobic, and caught the attention of media around the world.{{cite news|title=Critics: Quebec town's conduct code 'xenophobic'|url=http://www.ctvnews.ca/critics-quebec-town-s-conduct-code-xenophobic-1.226768|work=CTV}} The author of the code, André Drouin, later called for all mosques in Canada to be temporarily shut down.{{cite news|title=Close all Canadian mosques temporarily, ex-Quebec politician says|url=http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/2014/10/27/close-all-canadian-mosques-temporarily-quebec-politician-says|access-date=February 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170220172917/http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/2014/10/27/close-all-canadian-mosques-temporarily-quebec-politician-says|archive-date=February 20, 2017|url-status=dead}}

In 2013, the Parti Québécois (PQ) proposed a "Charter of Quebec values" to ban certain religious symbols in the workplace. The announcement was followed by a string of attacks against Muslims, particularly Muslim women who wear the hijab.{{cite news|title=Hijab-wearing woman attacked in Metro urges others to don religious symbols|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/hijab-wearing-woman-attacked-in-metro-urges-others-to-don-religious-symbols-1.2494575|publisher=CBC}} Many blamed the attacks on the divisive rhetoric surrounding the debate, and accused the PQ of exploiting the debate for political gain.

In August 2016, Nathalie Roy MNA came out as against Burkini and Hijab, saying these are accessories of Radical Islam.{{cite web |last=Authier |first=Philip |date=2016-08-29 |title=Legault shrugs off Trump comparison over burkini and values test |url=https://montrealgazette.com/news/quebec/burkini-would-not-likely-pass-the-caqs-citizenship-test-says-legault}}{{cite web |last=Marchand |first=Laura |date=2016-08-23 |title=Quebec police officers should not wear hijabs, CAQ MNA says |url=https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/quebec-police-officers-should-not-wear-hijabs-caq-mna-says}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-caq-hijab-police-rcmp-burkini-1.3733777|title=CAQ takes issue with RCMP's decision to allow Muslim women to wear hijab {{!}} Islamic veil only serves to subjugate women,' says MNA Nathalie Roy|publisher=CBC News|date=Aug 24, 2016}}{{cite web |last=Khandaker |first=Tamara |date=August 19, 2016 |title=A Burkini Ban Won't be Coming to Quebec |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/a-burkini-ban-wont-be-coming-to-quebec/ |website=Vice.com}}

The implications of bill 62 not only affected Quebec residents as a whole, but also additionally created a contradictory visualization of Canada. The nation often is considered to be a "multicultural mosaic", however, the implementation of bill 62 left Canadians questioning this term.{{Cite web | url=http://www.capilanocourier.com/2017/11/15/bill-62-contradicts-canadas-multiculturalist-values/ | title=Bill 62 contradicts Canada's multiculturalist values| date=November 15, 2017}} One Canadian Citizen added, "Just as every woman has the right to reveal herself, the woman next to her has the right to conceal herself… If the government is going to impact our basic rights, I don't want to be a part of it."http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2017/10/29/bill-62-students-post-secondary_a_23259730/ implication on women’s education

The bill contains many implications for Muslim women, as it affects all aspects of private services, such as, schooling, transportation and medical.{{Cite news | url=https://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2017/11/14/what-dreams-will-die-because-of-quebecs-bill-62.html | title=What dreams will die because of Quebec's Bill 62? | the Star| website=Toronto Star| date=November 14, 2017}} Canadian Muslim women who are looking to further their education have publicly stated that bill 62, is not only an oppressive law on their education, but also a driving force behind considering other schools.{{Cite web | url=http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2017/10/29/bill-62-students-post-secondary_a_23259730/ | title=Bill 62 Has Changed How Potential Students Feel About Going to Quebec| date=October 29, 2017}}

Ultimately, the future of Canada as a whole appears rather murky as it is estimated that 68% of Canadians are in favor of this ban in their own province, thus leaving Muslim women feeling as though they are being restricted from obtaining a higher education.

Many Canadians have demonstrated against Islamophobia, often in the aftermath of Islamophobic incidents.

On November 21, 2015, hundreds of Torontonians protested after a string of Islamophobic incidents.{{cite news|title=Hundreds rally against Islamophobia in north end|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/rally-islamophobia-1.3329463|publisher=CBC}}

In 2016, the Islamophobia hotline was launched by the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association and 8 other groups to provide free legal assistance to victims of Islamophobia.{{cite news|title=Islamophobia hotline to help victims launched by B.C. legal groups, lawyers|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/bc-legal-groups-and-lawyers-set-up-hotline-to-help-victimized-muslims/article29105215/|work=The Globe and Mail}}

On October 26, 2016, the Parliament of Canada passed a motion to condemn "all forms of Islamophobia". When the motion was first proposed, on October 6, it was opposed by some Conservative MPs. Many Canadian Muslims expressed disappointment at Conservative opposition.{{cite news|title=Tory MPs Oppose NDP Motion Condemning All Forms Of Islamophobia|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2016/10/06/tory-mps-oppose-ndp-motio_n_12374204.html|work=Huffington Post}} However, on October 26, when the motion was re-introduced, it passed unanimously with all parties in favor.{{cite news|title=In Case You Missed It, Canada Passed An Anti-Islamophobia Motion|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/thomas-woodley/canada-anti-islamophobia-law_b_12753924.html|work=Huffington Post}}{{cite news|last=Chua|first=June|title=Canada's anti-Islamophobia motion means well, but is mostly symbolic says hate crime lawyer|url=https://ca.news.yahoo.com/canadas-anti-islamophobia-motion-means-well-but-is-mostly-symbolic-says-hate-crime-lawyer-151729493.html|work=Yahoo News}}

Liberal MP Iqra Khalid proposed Motion 103 in December 2016, a non-binding motion to "condemn Islamophobia and all forms of systemic racism and religious discrimination". It was supported by MPs from the Liberals, NDP, and the Green Party but opposed by many of the Opposition Conservative MPs.{{cite news|title=MPs debate anti-Islamophobia motion|url=http://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/mps-debate-anti-islamophobia-motion-1.3286588|date=February 15, 2017|publisher=CTV}} The motion passed by a vote of 201–91 on March 23, 2017.{{cite news|title=House of Commons passes anti-Islamophobia motion|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/m-103-islamophobia-motion-vote-1.4038016|access-date=March 23, 2017|work=CBC News|date=March 23, 2017|language=en}}

As of November 11, 2017, the courts challenged Bill-62 on the grounds that it endorses violating the rights of women.{{Cite web | url=https://globalnews.ca/news/3856445/trudeau-weighing-options-on-quebec-face-covering-ban/ | title=Trudeau weighing options on Quebec face-covering ban in wake of court challenge | Globalnews.ca| date=November 11, 2017}} The discrepancy between the Canadian Government, Quebec legislation, and citizens revolves around the specifics that state regulatory laws within the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The Quebec Government has argued that the bill is not promoting racism, or targeting religions, but rather focused on [https://globalnews.ca/news/3856445/trudeau-weighing-options-on-quebec-face-covering-ban/ protection of all citizens within the province]. Contrarily, groups filed lawsuits against the bill stating that it is "unconstitutional and discriminates against an already marginalized population".

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau publicly stated that the Canadian Government is looking into the issue, and the potential corresponding actions that it could take moving forward. Trudeau stated that of the possibilities, the Federal Government could intervene, or it may align itself with advocacy or legal groups that are already involved.

Addressing the core issue of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms Trudeau stated that "I think I’ve been very clear that I don’t think a government should be legislating what a woman should or shouldn’t be wearing. I don’t think that’s something that is right for Canada, I will always defend the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and as for next steps, we’re watching the situation as it unfolds and reflecting on what those steps might or could be". Prime Minister Trudeau's comments displayed optimism for Canadian women, as there are currently [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/life/burka-bans-the-countries-where-muslim-women-cant-wear-veils/ 12 countries globally besides Canada that have implemented a partial or full face ban].{{Cite news | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/life/burka-bans-the-countries-where-muslim-women-cant-wear-veils/ | title=Burka bans: The countries where Muslim women can't wear veils| newspaper=The Telegraph| date=July 8, 2016| last1=Sanghani| first1=Radhika}}

On January 28, 2021, the Government of Canada announced its intention to make January 29th a National Day of Remembrance of the Quebec City Mosque Attack and Action Against Islamophobia.{{Cite web|last=Heritage|first=Canadian|date=2021-01-28|title=The Government of Canada Intends to Create National Day of Remembrance of the Quebec City Mosque Attack and Action Against Islamophobia|url=https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/news/2021/01/the-government-of-canada-intends-to-create-national-day-of-remembrance-of-the-quebec-city-mosque-attack-and-action-against-islamophobia.html|access-date=2021-01-31|website=gcnws}}

On October 1, 2015, the National Assembly of Quebec unanimously adopted a motion that condemned Islamophobia and incitement of hatred and violence toward Muslim Quebecers, in particular Syrian refugees.{{cite news|title=Quebec legislature adopts motion condemning 'Islamophobia'|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/quebec-legislature-adopts-motion-condemning-islamophobia/article26625319/|access-date=October 14, 2016|work=The Globe and Mail}}

On February 23, 2017, the Legislative Assembly of Ontario unanimously passed a motion condemning all forms of Islamophobia, along with "all forms of hatred, hostility, prejudice, racism and intolerance." The motion was supported by all parties.{{cite news|title=Ontario legislature unanimously passes anti-Islamophobia motion|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-anti-islamophobia-vote-1.3996785|publisher=CBC}}

On May 16, 2017 Justice Minister Stephanie Vallee supported the bill as she stated, "It’s a bill about the way public services are rendered between two individuals". This comment came at the ire of Canadian citizens, as they felt it was a not-so subtle attempt made by the Quebec government, the "Act to foster adherence to State religious neutrality".

In July 2016, six Canadian cities signed the "Charter for Inclusive Communities", a statement against Islamophobia. The cities were: Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, Windsor and London.{{cite news|title=Calgary among 6 Canadian cities to sign charter against Islamophobia|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/calgary-islamophobia-charter-canadian-cities-1.3663941|publisher=CBC}}

Islamophobia has been described by the Council for Muslims Facing Tomorrow (MFT), a self-proclaimed reformist Muslim organization based in Canada, as "a contrived phrase" used by certain Muslims to pander to a self-victimizing ideology and to stifle debate and conversation.{{cite news|last1=Kay|first1=Barbara|title=Teach the truth about Islamophobia|url=http://news.nationalpost.com/full-comment/barbara-kay-teach-the-truth-about-islamophobia|access-date=December 9, 2016|work=National Post|date=September 14, 2016}}

Canadian author and advocate for Islamic reform, Irshad Manji, has said that the defensiveness displayed by Muslims that causes a critic of Islam or Muslims to quickly be labeled an Islamophobe or accused of collusion with Islamophobes sends a message to actual Islamophobes that Muslims have something to hide and that they are reactionary in nature, implying that such questionable accusations of Islamophobia actually end up perpetuating Islamophobia.{{cite news|last1=Hasan|first1=Mehdi|title=Irshad Manji on Islamophobia|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/headtohead/2016/01/transcript-irshad-manji-islamophobia-160123075229052.html|access-date=December 9, 2016|publisher=Al-Jazeera|archive-date=November 17, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161117054212/http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/headtohead/2016/01/transcript-irshad-manji-islamophobia-160123075229052.html|url-status=dead}}

• Antisemitism in Canada
• Islamophobia
• Islam in Canada
• Islamophobia in Australia
• Islamophobia in the United States

{{reflist|30em}}

• [http://www.parl.gc.ca/Parliamentarians/en/members/Iqra-Khalid(88849)/Motions?sessionId=152&documentId=8661986 Motion M-103] (full text)

{{World topic|prefix=Islamophobia in|noredlinks=y|title=Islamophobia by country}}

Category:Anti-Islam sentiment in Canada