Are Muslims in Canada Facing an Organised Threat to Their Safety and Identity?

Calgary Incident Raises Alarm Over Escalating Islamophobia in Canada

Alberta, Canada. “He did not ask me a question. He turned the city council platform into a courtroom to put me on trial.”

With these words, 24 year old Arab Canadian English teacher Taqa Ali described the painful experience she endured inside Calgary City Council chambers in an incident reflecting what many see as a dangerous escalation of Islamophobia in Canada.

The discrimination, once largely confined to streets and online platforms, is now increasingly entering official and elected institutions.

The incident began as what Taqa described as a normal act of civic participation. She attended a public hearing dedicated to discussions surrounding mental health due to her academic background in the field.

Recalling the moment, she said:

“After the session ended and the question period began, one of the council members requested to ask me a question. I returned to the platform openly and respectfully, but instead of asking anything, he accused me of racism and antisemitism simply because I was wearing a Palestinian keffiyeh.”

A Growing Wave of Islamophobic Incidents

The incident involving Taqa Ali comes amid a wider surge in Islamophobic attacks across Canada in recent months.

One of the latest incidents occurred in early May in St Albert, Alberta, where a Muslim man was brutally assaulted and seriously injured.

Earlier in April, the Muslim Students Association at the University of Calgary received explicit threatening emails that caused widespread fear among students.

In February, an Islamic centre in Toronto received a phone threat in which the caller vowed to repeat the Christchurch massacre in New Zealand, prompting immediate security reinforcement around mosques.

In December 2025, Montreal witnessed a knife attack and death threats targeting a Muslim Uber driver after a passenger questioned him about his religious beliefs.

“I Was Silenced Inside an Official Institution”

According to Taqa, the incident went far beyond verbal accusations and crossed basic democratic principles and citizenship rights.

“Yes, I felt deeply hurt and frustrated when I was silenced and completely prevented from defending myself and speaking the truth, even though the council member was given all the time he wanted to make his accusations,” she said.

What made the situation more painful, she explained, was the absence of immediate support inside the council chamber.

“I found no instant solidarity. On the contrary, some people in the audience began applauding enthusiastically when I was silenced and prevented from speaking.”

The experience left what she described as a deep wound in her relationship with the city and the political institution governing it.

“Since that day, I no longer feel safe in Calgary. I have lost trust in those we elected to represent us on city council.”

Responding to attempts to portray the Palestinian keffiyeh as a symbol of extremism or religious hatred, Taqa stressed:

“Wearing the keffiyeh represents a humanitarian rejection of the killing of innocent children and women during the Israeli massacres in Gaza. This position is against Zionism, not against Judaism as a religion.”

Despite her growing fears, the incident has strengthened her determination.

“I cannot deny that I now feel unsafe wearing the keffiyeh in public places. But honestly, after everything that happened, I feel an even greater responsibility and stronger motivation to wear it more than ever.”

“Jewish Identity Is Being Exploited Politically”

Peter Driftmeyer, a Jewish community activist in Calgary, condemned councillor Dan McLean’s remarks regarding Taqa’s keffiyeh, describing them as a racist attempt to distract from the actual issues she had attended to discuss, including social housing and mental health.

He strongly criticised efforts to associate the keffiyeh with armed groups and stated that such narratives deliberately ignore its genuine significance as a symbol of Palestinian culture and Arab identity.

Speaking to Al Jazeera Net, Driftmeyer argued that McLean was exploiting Jewish identity to advance a far right and racist political agenda.

He called on politicians to stop dragging Jewish communities into exclusionary political positions, warning that such exploitation serves narrow interests while turning Jewish communities into targets for public backlash.

According to Driftmeyer, this dynamic harms Jewish, Muslim, and Arab communities alike and deepens social division while undermining civil cohesion.

Claims of Institutional Bias and Discrimination

To further examine the broader implications of these incidents, Al Jazeera Net interviewed Mohammed Awada, Government Relations Officer at the National Council of Canadian Muslims.

Awada stated that comments made by some municipal officials and government representatives regarding Islamic identity contribute directly to social division and the spread of hatred, warning against the dangers of reinforcing negative perceptions toward an entire community.

He explained that Taqa Ali had been subjected to bullying and humiliation by councillor Dan McLean, who forced her into a political confrontation completely unrelated to the topic she originally came to discuss.

According to Awada, McLean deliberately attempted to link the keffiyeh with terrorism despite the fact that her participation had nothing to do with politics or religion.

He argued that the incident exposed a clear double standard within municipal institutions, where individuals from various backgrounds are allowed to display their cultural and religious symbols freely, while the Palestinian keffiyeh alone is treated with suspicion and hostility.

Awada confirmed that the city council had been officially asked to issue an apology over the incident.

He added that the Calgary Muslim Council organised meetings with councillor Dan McLean and councillor Rajda Leewald, who was also accused of participating in the bullying against Taqa.

According to Awada, both officials eventually issued personal apologies to Taqa, though the municipality itself did not release any official statement or formal apology.

He stressed that the council continues to pursue the matter to prevent similar incidents from recurring inside municipal institutions.

What Is Fueling Islamophobia in Canada?

Awada linked the growing hostility toward Muslims to ongoing developments in the Middle East, particularly in Gaza and Lebanon, including what he described as crimes against humanity, massacres targeting civilians, and humanitarian catastrophes involving starvation and intimidation.

He argued that calls by many Canadians for change and an end to these violations have been met with a counter wave of hatred directed against Muslims and Palestinians, alongside rising hostility toward immigrants more broadly.

According to Awada, Canadian leaders are required to take firmer positions against this escalation, warning that the absence of official deterrence directly encourages hate speech and emboldens attackers.

He also argued that Canada’s current hate crime laws are insufficient due to the complexity of their legal definitions and the difficulties surrounding enforcement.

Awada called on both federal and local authorities to strengthen penalties and reform legislation to confront the growing spread of hate speech across public institutions and social media platforms, warning that such rhetoric is increasingly translating into physical and psychological harm against victims.