A Muslim woman traveling from abroad to visit her daughter and son-in-law in British Columbia was the target of Islamophobic abuse last week, and police say they are investigating the incident. On November 30, the woman and her daughter parked in the parking lot of the Wings restaurant in Burnaby, BC, to buy groceries from a store across the street. It had snowed the night before and there was no street parking. Since it was her first time seeing snow, the woman took out her phone to start filming. In the video, the daughter can be seen leaving the car. A man then approaches the woman, who has stayed inside, and starts telling her that she can’t park there unless she’s a customer. Despite the woman informing the man that she does not speak English, he continues to criticize her, becoming increasingly aggressive. Then she starts arguing with her hijab. WATCHES | Man makes hateful comments to Muslim woman. Warning: This video contains racist language.
Muslim woman visiting B.C. was verbally assaulted in a restaurant parking lot
Burnaby RCMP are investigating after a man berated a Muslim woman for parking in a customer-only space. “Your hat shows you’re bad for following stupid rules,” he can be heard saying in the video. In between, the woman can be heard trying to answer. “You say, ‘I don’t understand.’ You’re full of shit,” the man continues. “You are a liar and a hypocrite.” The man approached the woman in the parking lot of a Wings restaurant in Burnaby. (CBC News) The family, whose identity CBC News has agreed to keep confidential to protect them from further abuse, said they shared the video with CBC to raise awareness in hopes of preventing others from being similarly targeted.
‘That’s not the Canadian way’: victim’s son-in-law
The woman arrived earlier that week to spend time with her daughter and son-in-law. It was her first time in Canada. Before the visit, the daughter said she was talking to her mother about the country and how friendly the people were. “It was so bad that I was here for two days and the incident happened,” her daughter told the CBC in an interview. “When he found out he doesn’t speak English, I think he felt it was an opportunity to speak all these racist ideas,” he said. “He felt he could say whatever he wanted.” The couple has lived in Canada for many years and has always felt safe. But seeing how their mother acted left them shocked, angry and hurt. “I’m a proud Canadian. My wife is too. That’s not the Canadian way. That’s not how you treat visitors and immigrants,” said the woman’s son-in-law. “But, to be honest, Islamophobia is very real in Canada.” Burnaby RCMP say they are investigating the incident and working to identify the suspect.
Hate crimes against Muslims are on the rise
Hate crimes against Muslims increased by 71 per cent in Canada in 2021, with 144 incidents reported by police according to Statistics Canada. The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) says it receives reports of racism every day. “Unfortunately, we are seeing an increase from coast to coast in Canada, specifically targeting visible Muslim women,” said Dalal Souraya, staff attorney at NCCM. This increase in racism was felt locally in B.C. also, according to Haroon Khan, trustee of the Al-Jamia Masjid mosque in Vancouver. “We see it time and time again,” he said. “Women who wear the outward symbol of their faith… They become targets. Souraya says more needs to be done to curb Islamophobia and racism through a collective approach, with the help of all levels of government and agencies. “We really need the government and the police … to address this and be firm and say hate is not something we’re going to tolerate in Canada,” he said. Souraya and Khan say anyone experiencing racism or Islamophobia should report it to the police.
