AhlulBayt News Agency: On the morning of Feb. 22, members of the Hespeler Masjid came to the Winston Boulevard mosque to discover their place of worship had been vandalized, leaving many feeling worried and afraid.
A rock had been thrown through a basement window, leaving Masjid president Waqas Bhutta to conclude the deliberate act was hate motivated.
But until police return with answers all he says they can do is be more vigilant.
"It is still being investigated so I don't know for sure, but we are all being more careful when we leave going to our cars," said Bhutta.
The mosque has started to recommend that people leaving the Masjid travel in groups and avoid going out alone.
Even if the attack wasn't hate motivated, just the act of being targeted raises fears to a heightened level, said Sarah Shafiq, executive director for the Coalition of Muslim Women of KW(CMW-KW).
"Being a traditionally targeted group, when acts like this happen even if its not hate motivated, it creates fear and a loss sense of security," said Shafiq.
According to the coalition, Islamophobia has been on the rise in the region, seeing multiple incidents being reported using CMW-KW online reporting tool in the region already this year.
"There have been two reports in downtown Kitchener in February where Muslim women's hijabs were pulled off. This is a hate crime," she said.
Muslim women in particular are targeted more frequently, especially if they are wearing a head scarf.
This is another reason why Bhutta and the president of the Hespeler Masjid recommend women leaving the mosque stay in a group.
Police would not comment on whether this is being investigated as a hate crime, but the recent report states police are looking for any information regarding the incident.
StatsCan reports Muslim related hate crimes are on the decline, from 182 in 2019 to just 82 in 2020.
But Shafiq says that number doesn't paint an accurate picture of the problem because many in the Muslim community don't report hate crimes to police since they feel it's too often a wasted effort.
It's one of the reasons that prompted the creation of the coalition's online reporting tool.
"Only 25 per cent of these hate crimes are being reported by the community and only one per cent of them are actually being investigated by police," said Shafiq. "There is a lack of confidence that if they report what is going on it will actually have a beneficial outcome, so they stay silent."
Bhutta and the Masjid want to see whoever vandalized their mosque caught and held accountable for their actions.
"If someone was in the room when that rock came through it could have been really bad, it was no small stone," he added. "I just hope the police can find who did this so we can relax a bit."
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A rock had been thrown through a basement window, leaving Masjid president Waqas Bhutta to conclude the deliberate act was hate motivated.
But until police return with answers all he says they can do is be more vigilant.
"It is still being investigated so I don't know for sure, but we are all being more careful when we leave going to our cars," said Bhutta.
The mosque has started to recommend that people leaving the Masjid travel in groups and avoid going out alone.
Even if the attack wasn't hate motivated, just the act of being targeted raises fears to a heightened level, said Sarah Shafiq, executive director for the Coalition of Muslim Women of KW(CMW-KW).
"Being a traditionally targeted group, when acts like this happen even if its not hate motivated, it creates fear and a loss sense of security," said Shafiq.
According to the coalition, Islamophobia has been on the rise in the region, seeing multiple incidents being reported using CMW-KW online reporting tool in the region already this year.
"There have been two reports in downtown Kitchener in February where Muslim women's hijabs were pulled off. This is a hate crime," she said.
Muslim women in particular are targeted more frequently, especially if they are wearing a head scarf.
This is another reason why Bhutta and the president of the Hespeler Masjid recommend women leaving the mosque stay in a group.
Police would not comment on whether this is being investigated as a hate crime, but the recent report states police are looking for any information regarding the incident.
StatsCan reports Muslim related hate crimes are on the decline, from 182 in 2019 to just 82 in 2020.
But Shafiq says that number doesn't paint an accurate picture of the problem because many in the Muslim community don't report hate crimes to police since they feel it's too often a wasted effort.
It's one of the reasons that prompted the creation of the coalition's online reporting tool.
"Only 25 per cent of these hate crimes are being reported by the community and only one per cent of them are actually being investigated by police," said Shafiq. "There is a lack of confidence that if they report what is going on it will actually have a beneficial outcome, so they stay silent."
Bhutta and the Masjid want to see whoever vandalized their mosque caught and held accountable for their actions.
"If someone was in the room when that rock came through it could have been really bad, it was no small stone," he added. "I just hope the police can find who did this so we can relax a bit."
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