The family of a Muslim man who was brutally beaten while working at a Markham hotel last month say their lives have been forever altered by what police are calling a “violent, hate-motivated” attack that some advocates say is one of the worst they’ve ever seen.
Police say the 54-year-old man was assaulted in the early morning hours of Sept. 28, following a verbal altercation where the suspect’s “demeanor changed when he learned the victim was Muslim,” police said in a news release.
At a news conference organized by the National Council of Canadian Muslims Thursday, the wife of the victim said she and her children have watched her husband struggling to breathe, move and eat while recovering in hospital from the life-altering injuries he suffered.
“The man we know — strong, patient and full of life — now carries pain that no one should ever have to endure,” she said.
“No wife should have to see her husband like that. No children should have to see their father like that. This was not just an assault, this was an act of hate.”
The man’s family doesn’t want to disclose their names due to fears for their safety. His wife said the attack has shattered their belief that Canada is a safe country.
“It has filled our hearts with fear, sadness and disbelief. Our home is no longer filled with laughter. It is filled with worry, with sleepless nights and with the sound of our prayers,” she said.
“I’m speaking today because I do not want any other family to leave this nightmare. I do not want another wife to sit in a hospital bed praying for husband to survive an act of hate.”
Anger, frustration over attack
Several officials and advocates spoke at Thursday’s news conference about their frustration, anger and disbelief over the attack — while calling for action to combat Islamophobia across the country.
“I am not just disappointed or sad. More than anything, I am angry,” said Omar Khamissa, the chief mobilization officer for National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM).
“Like all my colleagues and so many in our community, I have seen Muslims across Canada be subjected to continuous attacks. This one just might be one of the worst. It is disgusting.”
The attack comes less than a month after a 54-year-old man was charged with allegedly threatening to blow up a mosque and a Muslim family’s house in Newmarket.
York Regional Police have charged a 31-year-old Toronto man with assault causing bodily harm and uttering threats in connection with the attack.
Deputy Chief Kevin McCloskey said Thursday that police are discussing with Crown prosecutors whether those charges could be upgraded to something more severe.
In March of this year, Durham Regional Police charged a 25-year-old woman with allegedly trying to attack a hijab-wearing woman in a public library in Ajax. At the time of the incident, police said the accused grabbed a lighter and attempted to set the hijab on fire but the woman screamed for help and security intervened.
A 25-year-old woman has been charged for allegedly attempting to light another woman’s hijab on fire at an Ajax library. The National Council of Canadian Muslims’ senior advocacy officer Fatema Abdalla read the victim’s statement aloud at a news conference on Monday afternoon.
Amira Elghawaby, Canada’s special representative on combatting Islamophobia, said these kinds of attacks show that Islamophobia remains an ongoing threat that demands urgent, immediate action from all levels of government, police authorities, schools and beyond.
“Muslims in Canada deserve safety, deserve dignity, deserve inclusion in every corner of Canadian life,” she said at Thursday’s news conference.
“Everyone must stand against Islamophobia and pursue efforts to counter the divisive and dangerous rhetoric and the hateful narratives that are fueling a dangerous climate.”
