Islamophobia in Canada has increased by 9% since 2019. On the 7th of June, a white man ran over a Muslim family of 5. He killed 4 members and injured the youngest member. The youngest member, a 9 year old boy, found out his family was gone while recovering from serious injuries left from this horrendous act of terrorism.
The downplaying of hate crimes:
Western media outlets have used multiple tactics to water down and dilute this act of terrorism.
The tactics they’ve used:
Putting terrorism in quotations while reporting on this incident
Speaking about the terrorist’s mental health and home life while reporting on this incident
Referring to him as a “driver”
Claiming that this incident wasn’t hate motivated and that it was caused by a mechanical issue
Posting pictures of him as a child instead of his mugshots
The first step to dismantling Islamophobia is to not dilute Islamophobic hate crimes and to have productive conversations about the causes of widespread Islamophobia.
The second step is advocating against the negative portrayal and tokenization of Muslims by western media.
The third step is using your voice to advocate against Islamophobic regulations in Canada and any other country that has Islamophobic regulations.
We must urge Canadian authorities to take action against this act of terrorism.