The National Council of Canadian Muslims “NCCM” condemned the intimidation of a Muslim woman because of her religion by an extremist who brandished a knife in her face at one of the metro stations in the city of Toronto.

The NCCM issued a statement yesterday, Monday, through its official channels on social media platforms presenting details of the incident and condemning it.

According to the statement, “A Muslim girl named Sarah was between the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre and Finch West stations in the city of Toronto when a man approached her and asked about her religion, and when she told him she was Muslim, he brandished a knife in her face, prompting her to flee the place immediately fearing for her life.”

The statement included a quote from the girl in which she said: “I was trying to get to Spadina Station to meet some friends, I never thought something like this could happen on public transportation in front of all these people.”

Sarah added: “The moment I saw him take out his knife, I ran and ran until I lost my breath, and a stranger helped me. I have never felt such fear in my life before. I hope the police find this person, arrest him, and provide some assistance so that he does not do this to any other Muslim woman.”

Meanwhile, the Toronto Police confirmed that they are aware of the incident and are currently investigating, including reviewing surveillance camera footage.

The police said: “Our hate crimes unit has also been notified, and specialized officers from that unit will support the investigation as needed.”

Similarly, Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism Michael Ford condemned the incident via his Twitter account saying: “Islamophobia and hatred of any kind are unacceptable and have no place in Ontario. My sympathies go to the woman who went through this horrific incident.”

The minister added: “I have full confidence that the Toronto Police will spare no effort in investigating this entire incident and bringing the suspect to justice as soon as possible.”

Jennifer McKelvie, Deputy Mayor of Toronto, said: “Islamophobia is unacceptable anywhere in our city, including public transportation. I am very upset. I have contacted the police who confirmed that they are investigating this matter in cooperation with the transit authority.”

Canadian Muslims.. Hate crimes are increasing:

The number of hate crimes against Muslims in Canada increased between 2020 and 2022, according to a report by the government statistics agency.

The report revealed that reported hate crimes to the police rose by 71%, and hate attacks increased from 84 attacks in 2020 to 144 hate attacks in 2021.

The statistics agency stated: “It is not possible to link hate incidents and crimes reported to the police to specific events, but the media and public discourse can help raise awareness of the phenomenon that raises negative reactions.”

The increase in hate crimes against Muslims in 2021 coincided with the killing of 4 members of one family in the city of London, Ontario. The police then said the attack was “premeditated and hate-motivated,” while Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described it as “terrorism.”

The statistics report said: “The increase also happened the same year that an attack took place in London, Ontario, targeting a Muslim family, resulting in 4 murders and one attempted murder.”

In 2021, the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood issued a report including 61 recommendations that involved developing a federal strategy to combat this phenomenon to include a clear definition of Islamophobia in addition to funding to help victims of hate-motivated crimes.