Harun Nasrullah

A 34-year-old Canadian man has been charged with spitting on and punching a car occupied by a Muslim woman and her children in Edmonton, Alberta.

Jeffrey Ryan Hill was arrested on January 25 accused of shouting violent and Islamophobic threats at the terrified family before proceeding to damage a nearby mosque. The attacker allegedly left the scene and returned with a shovel to continue wreaking havoc.

“The rising number of Islamophobic attacks in Alberta is alarming. NCCM [National Council of Canadian Muslims] has supported numerous victims in Alberta since last December. We are continuing to call on the Alberta government and different municipalities across the province to take urgent and immediate action,” said Said Omar, the Alberta Advocacy Officer for the NCCM.

“We need to see the province step up alongside the city and create a bipartisan provincial-municipal action plan. Everyone has the right to feel safe in public spaces, regardless of their background.” Hill was charged under $5,000 for mischief and uttering threats. “After consultation with the EPS Hate Crimes and Extremism Unit, investigators have also recommended that Section 718.2 of the Criminal Code of Canada be applied in this case, allowing the courts to consider increased sentencing when there is evidence the offence was motivated by hatred,” said police spokesman Scott Pattison.

Since December 2020, 10 allegedly hate-motivated attacks on Black and/or Muslims have been reported to police in Edmonton. The last occurred on June 23 on a pathway near Alderwood Park in St. Albert, when two hijab-wearing sisters were attacked by a man carrying a knife, however, no suspect has been identified in the case.