Knife
Threat Incident Against a Muslim Driver Prompts Strong Call to Combat
Islamophobia in Canada
An Islamic human
rights organization active in the Canadian province of Quebec has called for
concrete and serious measures to combat Islamophobia, following an incident in
which a Muslim taxi driver was threatened with a knife by a passenger.
The National Council
of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) stated in a message published on X on Wednesday that
the incident occurred on December 6, when a passenger asked the taxi driver to
disclose his religious beliefs before later threatening him with a knife.
The statement noted
that the attack nearly escalated into a serious crime, but the intervention of
another passenger inside the vehicle prevented serious harm and saved the
driver from imminent danger.
The council
highlighted that warnings have repeatedly been issued in Quebec about the
increasing risks posed by anti-Muslim rhetoric, fueled by certain political and
media discussions, cautioning against its repercussions on the safety of
individuals and society.
In its statement,
the council said: “Enough is enough. No one in Quebec should live in fear of
death because of their religion.”
It also confirmed
that authorities and security forces have been contacted, emphasizing that
efforts are underway to ensure the person who threatened the driver is held
accountable.
The National Council
of Canadian Muslims called on politicians and leaders to strongly condemn this
anti-Muslim attack and to take concrete steps to address hate speech and
violence against Muslims across the country.
According to CBC
News, NCCM Executive Director Stephen Brown stated that the driver contacted
the organization after the incident, noting that such incidents reflect a
worrying increase in violence targeting Muslims.
Meanwhile, the
Montreal Police said in an official statement that the 39-year-old taxi driver
was threatened with a sharp object by one of the two passengers in his vehicle.
The police explained
that the driver later stopped the car, and the two passengers exited the
vehicle. The case has been referred to the hate crimes unit based on the
driver’s report.
Authorities
confirmed that the search for the suspect and the eyewitness is ongoing, with
no arrests made so far.
(Source:
Agencies)
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اضغط (هنا).
