Article
One standard against hate must protect Muslims too
Islamophobia is hate, and in Canada it has killed.
On January 29, 2017, six men were murdered at prayer in the Quebec City mosque.1,2 On June 6, 2021, four members of the Afzaal family were killed in London, Ontario, in what the court found was a terrorist attack.3 These were not incidents. They were acts of terror against Muslims. Every Muslim family in this country remembers where they were when they heard the news.
The hate has not stopped, and it is here in our city. This year, a woman in a hijab was assaulted on a bus in Scarborough by a man shouting anti-Muslim slurs.4,5 A Muslim was assaulted inside a Scarborough store in what police called a hate-motivated attack.6 Islamic schools, including schools in Peel Region, received emails threatening to “slaughter” Muslims.7 Muslim women have told me they now check the news before they ride the TTC.
No one in Toronto should have to do that before going to work, to school or to prayer.
And Islamophobia is not only about appearance. It is attacking a woman for choosing to wear the hijab. It is attacking a Muslim’s right to practise their faith openly: to pray, to gather at a mosque, to wear religious dress without fear. It is the job application ignored because of a name. A Toronto study of thousands of resumes found that applicants with Pakistani and Indian names got fewer interview calls than those with English names.8 It is threatening a Muslim professional with the loss of their licence for exercising their freedom of expression. It is the threat sent to a mosque or an Islamic school. It is hate aimed at the faith itself and at what Muslims believe. My plan is built to answer all of it.
My commitment is simple: one standard against hate for every community. Applying it honestly means naming each form of hate and acting on it. Hate against Jews is hate. Hate against Muslims is hate. Hate against Palestinians is hate. A city cannot pick which victims count.
That is why my plan for Toronto includes a full policy on confronting Islamophobia. You can read it here: Confronting Islamophobia in Toronto.
As mayor, I will:
Protect Muslim institutions. I will help every mosque, Islamic school, daycare and community centre access security funding, with City support for cameras, lighting and safe entrances. A place of worship should feel safe, not guarded.
Keep entrances open and people safe. I will make enforcement of obstruction, threats, intimidation and hate-motivated crime at places of worship a stated priority, so no one is blocked or threatened on the way in.
Make transit safe for visibly Muslim riders. I will train TTC staff to respond to harassment, run a bystander campaign, and make reporting simple and fast, for every rider targeted for their faith, whether or not they look Muslim. The person standing next to you on the bus should know what to do, and the person being harassed should know they will be heard.
Set priorities from the police board seat. I will sit on the Toronto Police Service Board myself.9 I will make follow-up on every anti-Muslim hate report a stated priority, and require public reporting of the numbers each year. What gets measured gets done.
Open a rapid-response line. One City contact for any victim or institution targeted by hate, with follow-up on every case, not only the ones that make headlines.
Remember and educate. City Hall will mark January 29, the National Day of Remembrance of the Quebec City Mosque Attack and Action against Islamophobia, and June 6 in memory of the Afzaal family.2,3 The City will partner with Muslim community educators and organizations on public programs.
Listen first. I will meet Muslim community organizations regularly and build these measures with them, not for them.
As an engineer, I solve problems by looking at the system, not just the headline. Safety is a system. It needs funding, training, reporting and follow-up, and it needs someone at City Hall who is accountable for every part of it.
Fighting Islamophobia is part of my one standard, not an exception to it. A city that protects every community protects Muslims too.
Toronto needs an engineer.
Be The Change. Transform The City.
Dr. Bahira Abdulsalam, PhD, P.Eng. | No. 2 on your ballot for Mayor. bahira.ca
References
- Prime Minister of Canada, Statement on the National Day of Remembrance of the Québec City Mosque Attack and Action against Islamophobia (Jan. 29, 2026): https://www.pm.gc.ca/en/news/statements/2026/01/29/statement-prime-minister-carney-national-day-remembrance-quebec-city
- Canadian Heritage, “The Government of Canada Intends to Create National Day of Remembrance of the Quebec City Mosque Attack and Action Against Islamophobia” (Jan. 28, 2021): https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/news/2021/01/the-government-of-canada-intends-to-create-national-day-of-remembrance-of-the-quebec-city-mosque-attack-and-action-against-islamophobia.html
- Public Prosecution Service of Canada, news release on R. v. Veltman terrorism finding (Feb. 22, 2024): https://ppsc.gc.ca/eng/nws-nvs/2024/22_02_24.html
- CityNews, “Hate crime unit investigating alleged attack on Muslim woman on bus in Scarborough” (Apr. 16, 2026): https://toronto.citynews.ca/2026/04/16/hate-crime-unit-investigating-alleged-attack-on-muslim-woman-on-bus-in-scarborough/
- CBC News, “Toronto man arrested after alleged hate-motivated assault on bus” (Jun. 18, 2026): https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/toronto-bus-assault-arrest-9.7239785
- CP24, “Man arrested for assault in hate-motivated investigation in Scarborough: police” (Aug. 25, 2026): https://www.cp24.com/local/toronto/2026/08/25/man-arrested-for-assault-in-hate-motivated-investigation-in-scarborough-police/
- CityNews / The Canadian Press, “9 Islamic schools on high alert after email threatening ’slaughter’ of Muslims” (Sept. 25, 2026): https://toronto.citynews.ca/2026/09/25/9-islamic-schools-on-high-alert-after-email-threatening-slaughter-of-muslims/
- Oreopoulos, P. (2011), “Why Do Skilled Immigrants Struggle in the Labor Market? A Field Experiment with Thirteen Thousand Resumes,” American Economic Journal: Economic Policy 3(4), 148-71: https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/pol.3.4.148
- City of Toronto, Public Appointments, “Toronto Police Service Board” agency profile (board includes the Mayor or designate): https://secure.toronto.ca/pa/decisionBody/27.do
Dr. Bahira Abdulsalam is an engineer, educator and independent candidate for Mayor of Toronto. Her full platform is at bahira.ca.
Toronto needs an engineer. Vote Bahira.
On October 26, vote Bahira Abdulsalam for Mayor of Toronto.
Dr. Bahira Abdulsalam, PhD, P.Eng.
Independent Candidate for Mayor of Toronto
bahira.ca
Volunteer with us → | (647) 785-3729 | bethechangeno1@gmail.com
