'Racism, Islamophobia', Canada's perception of tolerance blurred

 The phrase 'Racism doesn't exist in Canada' portrays Canada as a happy and tolerant country, but the persistence of hate crimes, murders and incidents of racial prejudice against different nationalities are clouding this image.

According to Arab News, the Canadian government's website says that diversity and the presence of people from different parts of the world is a sign of Canada and economic development.

In general, the world has a positive perception of Canadians who behave in a very lenient manner, while the London-based Legitimate Institute named Canada the most tolerant country in 2015.

However, the darkness behind Canada's image is slowly changing people's perception, where incidents of discrimination, Islamophobia and racism are on the rise.

Last week, six Canadian teenagers were convicted of hate crimes and an attack on a Syrian refugee.

The video of the attack was widely shared on social media. This incident happened on September 8 in a school in Ottawa.

In the video, a 15-year-old Syrian boy can be seen surrounded by Canadian boys who pull a necklace from around his neck and knock him down, punching and kicking him.

Six of the youths have also been charged with robbery, planning a crime and threats.

According to the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR, Canada has a welcoming policy towards refugees and about a fifth of the country is made up of foreign nationals. Canada has accepted more than 1 million refugees since 1980.

However, not all Canadians are so receptive to immigrants from other countries, especially those from the Middle East.

A poll by the Angus Reid Institute found that 35 per cent of Canadians accept people from Afghanistan, compared to 31 per cent for people from Syria.

 In addition to the attack on the Syrian youth, intolerance against Muslims in Canada has increased over the past decade.

In September 2014, Muslim students at Ontario Queen's University were attacked by some people shouting racist slogans.

Similarly, in May 2016, a student of Iranian origin was attacked in the same university by calling him an 'Arab'.

In January 2017, a gunman attacked an Islamic center in Quebec, killing 10 people and injuring 19 others.

Three years later, a volunteer for an international Muslim organization in Toronto was attacked with a knife.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed grief for those killed in the attack on the Islamic Center and joined mourners at the funerals of Muslims killed at the Islamic Center in Montreal in 2017.

Hijab-wearing women in Canada have also faced verbal and physical attacks.

In December 2020, two Muslim women were attacked by a man in Edmonton.

Last year, an entire Muslim family was killed in a car crash in Ontario, including 77-year-old Talat Afzal, his son Salman, his wife Madiha, 15-year-old Yamuna and nine-year-old Faiz.

After the incident, the police said that Islamophobia was the motive behind the incident.

Similarly, even after them, there have been incidents based on hatred, racism and Islamophobia.

Racism in Canada is deeply rooted in the country's policies and systems, a system that has benefited white colonists while disadvantaging pre-colonial people.

In 2017, a motion was introduced in the Canadian Parliament calling on the government to condemn incidents of Islamophobia while taking steps to reduce discrimination and racism.

Although the bill was passed, protests followed, including by anti-Muslim groups.

Iqra Khalid, the woman who introduced the bill, received thousands of hate mails.

Last year, the Canadian government hosted a conference on Islamophobia and said it was planning to mark Jan. 29 as a memorial to those killed in the Quebec mosque attack.

While Canadian Muslims have expressed joy at the charges against the attackers of the Syrian boy, they believe Canada still needs to do more to improve its image in the world.