Members of the Muslim community have called for more action to combat Islamophobia and hate the shocking unprovoked attack on a Muslim woman in the Ajax public library over the weekend.
According to Durham police, a woman studied at the library on Harwood Avenue Saturday when she was approached by another woman she didn’t know.
“The woman began to yell at the victim and threw objects toward her head,” police said in a press release on Sunday. “The suspect then tried to pour out the victim’s turban while pouring an unknown liquid. The suspect then grabbed a lighter and tried to light the hijab to fire.”
According to police, security personnel at the library heard the victim’s screams and managed to intervene.
The suspect then fled the library but was detained a few hours later without any accidents.
Police have identified the suspect as Kaley-Ann Freier of Ajax, 25. She was charged with two counts of weapon assault and three counts of failure to comply with a probation order.
Freier is known in another incident in October 2024, allegedly threatening a man with a machete knife.
Authorities said they are working to determine whether they have reached the threshold for attacks to be considered hate motives and have not ruled out hate crime charges.
On Monday, the National Council of Muslims of Canada (NCCM) joined the mayor of Ajax and council members to condemn the horrific acts that took place during Ramadan, the holiest period of the year in the Muslim community.
Omar Khamissa, chief operating officer of NCCM, told reporters that his attacks on these types are still happening.
“Canada is a major country in the G7 countries when it comes to deaths related to Islamophobia. What happened on Saturday was easy to increase that number,” Hamisa said. “It’s an urgent issue, not only our community, but for everyone who wants to not hate in Canada.”
Members of the NCCM also read heartbreaking statements on behalf of the victims.
“I never thought that visiting a corner of my favorite library would become one of the scariest moments of my life,” the victim explained. “I felt like I was breaking down…worrying that such an incident could happen to my daughter would make me awake at night and shake my confidence in the safety of community space.”
All three major Federal leaders responded to the news and expressed support for the victims.
“This violence is not an isolated incident,” the liberal leader wrote. Mark Carney In social media posts. “Islamophobia is real, it is dangerous and must be stopped.”
New Democratic Party Leader Jagmeet Singh “This hate-motivated attack reminds people that separatist speech is a stain on our country, not part of our Canadian values.”
Meanwhile, conservative leaders Stone Use this moment to criticize the policy of free bail reform.
“Hateful madmen like this are terrorizing our community every day,” Poilievre wrote. “Conservatives will be sentenced to jail instead of bail to keep them in our streets.”
As the federal elections progress, the NCCM calls on party leaders to propose a plan to combat Islamophobia in the country and view it as a major issue.
“Every party should have detailed plans for Canadians to understand how they will deal with Islamophobia and hatred,” Kamisa said. “To hit the deadly reality we almost saw here last Saturday.”
