On This Year’s International Day to Combat Islamophobia
March 15, 2026
On this International Day to Combat Islamophobia, Justice For All Canada recommits itself to meaningful action in response to the U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres’ sobering message on the persistence of anti-Muslim discrimination and racism as we move into 2026.
From the 2017 Quebec City mosque attack, where six Muslim men were killed by a white nationalist, to the 2021 vehicle attack in London, Ontario, killing four members of the Afzal family and severely injuring another, past and recent events remind us of the importance of sustained action; both attacks targeted Muslims because of their faith. In 2023, the Senate documented Canada having the highest number of Islamophobia-motivated killings among G7 countries between 2016 and 2021.
Since then, harrowing Islamophobic incidents have continued. Last month, Durham police assaulted a Muslim lawyer in an Oshawa courthouse, slamming her head into a desk and pulling off her hijab. In Markham, a Muslim hotel employee endured a severe beating in what the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) called one of the most serious Islamophobia-motivated assaults to date. In Ajax, a woman studying in a library had an unknown liquid poured on her hijab while an attacker attempted to set it on fire. Furthermore, Quebec’s discriminatory Bill 21 has led nearly three-quarters of Muslim women to consider leaving their jobs because of discrimination and harassment connected to the law. In February 2026, 12 Muslim women lost their jobs for wearing hijab. Quebec’s political leaders continue to defend the legislation while asserting that Islamophobia does not exist in the province. These collective tragedies are a small part of the broad, unrelenting nature of anti-Muslim sentiment.
Despite Canada’s strong identity as a multicultural society, discrimination and violence against Muslims receive limited recognition. A 2023 survey showed that a slim majority of Canadians (53%) believe Islamophobia is not a serious problem here, just one amongst many. The government has shut down the Office of the Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia - without advance notice or consultation with Muslim communities -which had documented Islamophobia and advised government institutions. Issues related to Islamophobia now fall under a broader body called the “Advisory Council on Rights, Equality and Inclusion.” It remains to be seen how effective that will be.
Islamophobia in Canada is connected to global Islamophobia, as transnational repression of Muslims includes anti-Muslim agitation in Canada. Justice For All Canada’s core mandate is to combat global Islamophobia affecting Palestinians, Rohingya, Uyghur and Indian Muslims amongst others, including its transnational impact on Canadians at home. Our work remains a crucial way to ensure the safety and dignity of Canadian Muslims across the country and their loved ones abroad.
On this International Day to Combat Islamophobia, Justice For All Canada recommits itself to meaningful action in response to the U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres’ sobering message on the persistence of anti-Muslim discrimination and racism as we move into 2026.
From the 2017 Quebec City mosque attack, where six Muslim men were killed by a white nationalist, to the 2021 vehicle attack in London, Ontario, killing four members of the Afzal family and severely injuring another, past and recent events remind us of the importance of sustained action; both attacks targeted Muslims because of their faith. In 2023, the Senate documented Canada having the highest number of Islamophobia-motivated killings among G7 countries between 2016 and 2021.
Since then, harrowing Islamophobic incidents have continued. Last month, Durham police assaulted a Muslim lawyer in an Oshawa courthouse, slamming her head into a desk and pulling off her hijab. In Markham, a Muslim hotel employee endured a severe beating in what the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) called one of the most serious Islamophobia-motivated assaults to date. In Ajax, a woman studying in a library had an unknown liquid poured on her hijab while an attacker attempted to set it on fire. Furthermore, Quebec’s discriminatory Bill 21 has led nearly three-quarters of Muslim women to consider leaving their jobs because of discrimination and harassment connected to the law. In February 2026, 12 Muslim women lost their jobs for wearing hijab. Quebec’s political leaders continue to defend the legislation while asserting that Islamophobia does not exist in the province. These collective tragedies are a small part of the broad, unrelenting nature of anti-Muslim sentiment.
Despite Canada’s strong identity as a multicultural society, discrimination and violence against Muslims receive limited recognition. A 2023 survey showed that a slim majority of Canadians (53%) believe Islamophobia is not a serious problem here, just one amongst many. The government has shut down the Office of the Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia - without advance notice or consultation with Muslim communities -which had documented Islamophobia and advised government institutions. Issues related to Islamophobia now fall under a broader body called the “Advisory Council on Rights, Equality and Inclusion.” It remains to be seen how effective that will be.
Islamophobia in Canada is connected to global Islamophobia, as transnational repression of Muslims includes anti-Muslim agitation in Canada. Justice For All Canada’s core mandate is to combat global Islamophobia affecting Palestinians, Rohingya, Uyghur and Indian Muslims amongst others, including its transnational impact on Canadians at home. Our work remains a crucial way to ensure the safety and dignity of Canadian Muslims across the country and their loved ones abroad.