How Canada’s Muslims face ‘perfect storm’ amid rising xenophobia
Key takeaways
- As anti-immigrant rhetoric intensifies in Canada, community advocates say Muslim communities face heightened risks.
- It was shortly after midnight in mid-March when the 14-year-old, his parents and his siblings were walking down the street after night prayers at the Toronto Islamic Centre.
- Suddenly, without warning or provocation, a man began hurling racist insults at them before grabbing Ahmed by the collar and pushing him violently.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
As anti-immigrant rhetoric intensifies in Canada, community advocates say Muslim communities face heightened risks.
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo. A view of the Toronto sign in downtown Toronto, Canada [Jillian Kestler-D'Amours/Al Jazeera]By Jillian Kestler-D'Amours Published On 22 Jun 202622 Jun 2026Toronto, Canada – Ahmed* has made the trip to and from his local mosque in the heart of Canada’s largest city hundreds of times. That’s partly why what happened to him and his family during this year’s Muslim holy month of Ramadan was so unexpected.
It was shortly after midnight in mid-March when the 14-year-old, his parents and his siblings were walking down the street after night prayers at the Toronto Islamic Centre.