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• Anti-Muslim racism is the manifestation and expression of discrimination against Muslims and those racialized as Muslims. It is exhibited in Canadian society through education, policing, immigration, health, politics, and other areas.
• Anti-Muslim racism is defined as 鈥渇ear, prejudice and hatred of Muslims or non-Muslim individuals that leads to provocation, hostility and intolerance by means of threatening, harassment, abuse, incitement and intimidation of Muslims and non-Muslims, both in the online and offline world. Motivated by institutional, ideological, political and religious hostility that transcends into structural and cultural racism which targets the symbols and markers of being a Muslim.鈥� (Kanji, 2017).
• The term 鈥淚slamophobia鈥� is often used to describe anti-Muslim racism, but can be considered problematic and offensive due to its connotations of a psychological disorder. The word 鈥減hobia鈥� refers to an 鈥渦ncontrollable, persistent, excessive, irrational fear.鈥� Characterizing individuals as Islamophobes implies that they are "insane or irrational鈥� which hinders constructive discussions and displays anti-Muslim hate as a minority condition.

The Canadian context of anti-Muslim racism

• : Analyses of Canadian and US media have concluded that Islam and Muslims receive disproportionately negative coverage, quantitatively (the amount of coverage) and qualitatively (Muslim perpetrators are more likely to be defined as 鈥渢errorists,鈥� represented as having more violent motives, linked in media reports to larger terror networks and broader patterns of ideological violence, and labeled by their religious and ethno-racial identities).
• : Counter-radicalization programs attempting to prevent 鈥渞adicalization鈥� to violence have been operating at a municipal level in Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal and at the Federal Centre for Community Engagement and Prevention of Violence since 2017. Experiences from counter-radicalization in other countries produce serious cause for concern about the formulations founded on anti-Muslim racism and impacts of such programs. Muslim organizations in Canada are regularly approached by security agencies about cooperating in counter-radicalization programs, although neither the empirical bases for these programs nor data tracking their targets and effects have been disclosed, leaving room for concern as similar programs have been based on problematic and partial studies. 
• Law targeting Muslim women: In Qu茅bec during 2019, the Laicity Act (Bill 21) was passed which precludes public sector employees from wearing visible religious symbols. In turn, this prohibits Muslim women鈥檚 coverings such as hijabs and niqabs. 
• There were 349 police report hate crimes against Muslims in 2017 and 173 in 2018. The number of anti-Muslim hate crimes more than tripled between 2012 to 2015, although overall hate crimes declined. These statistics are incomplete, as only a small portion (approximately one-third) of hate acts are reported and hateful incidents that are not deemed as hate crimes are not systematically recorded and tracked. 
• On June 6, 2021, a Muslim Pakistani-Canadian family was rammed by a pickup truck at an intersection. The targeted attack resulted in the murder of three adults and a teenage girl and in the hospitalization of a nine-year-old boy, who was left orphaned. This horrific tragedy resulted in a call for a where Muslim communities were able to identify concrete ways to combat anti-Muslim racism across the country.
• In January, 2023 the Prime Minister appointed as Canada鈥檚 first Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia.

National Day of Remembrance of the Qu茅bec City Mosque Attack and Action Against Islamophobia (January 29)

• The National Day of Remembrance of the Qu茅bec City Mosque Attack and Action Against Islamophobia (January 29) commemorates the six Muslim Canadians who were killed鈥攁long with many who were injured鈥攁t the Islamic Cultural Centre in Quebec City in a hate-motivated attack. 
• The day serves as an important reminder that acts of anti-Muslim racism and Islamophobia are still prevalent in our society today. It is our collective responsibility to combat anti-Muslim racism and all forms of racism.

Facts and figures on anti-Muslim racism

According to the :

• 46% of Canadians have an unfavourable view of Islam and clothing associated with the religion compared to other religions.
• 52% of Canadians feel that Muslims can only be trusted 鈥渁 little鈥� or 鈥渘ot at all.鈥�
• 42% of Canadians think discrimination against Muslims is 鈥渕ainly their fault.鈥�
• 47% of Canadians support banning headscarves in public (compared with 30% of Americans).
• 51% of Canadians support government surveillance of mosques.
• 55% of Canadians think the problem of anti-Muslim racism is 鈥渙verblown鈥� by politicians and media, and only 29% supported a non-binding parliamentary motion (M-103) to condemn and study anti-Muslim racism.
• Fewer than half of Canadians would find it 鈥渁cceptable鈥� for one of their children to marry a Muslim鈥搇ower than for any other religious group.