National Council of Canadian Muslims wants action on Quebec hate crime

The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) has called for action from police in Collines-de-l’Outaouais, Quebec following allegations of an anti-Muslim hate crime. The NCCM wants charges laid related to a verbal and physical assault of a black Muslim woman (identified in the NCCM statement as “MH”) by a fellow customer at a gas station in Masham, Quebec — about two and a half hours west of Montreal. MH described the incident in detail:

The store clerk, who wasn’t wearing her mask properly, told me to leave and I reiterated that my nose and mouth were covered. Within 45 seconds of entering the store, she was on the phone with police. During this conversation, another woman was verbally harassing me. 2/10
— MH (@mrmhsn__) August 10, 2020

I started walking back to my friend’s car and the woman who was yelling at me in the store continued to scream at us from her car. Then she got out and crossed the gas station toward us. My friend and I told her to stay away from us multiple times but she continued to come. 4/10
— MH (@mrmhsn__) August 10, 2020

The MRC des Collines cops arrived at that moment. He said “Get in your cars before I put you in there.” He spoke to the assaulter first then came to speak to my friend and I. He was very harsh to my friend who was done speaking to another cop at the time. He yelled at her- 6/10
— MH (@mrmhsn__) August 10, 2020

He said that the woman already confessed to hitting me, but we didn’t see him gather more evidence from the witnesses who were around. I sent an email requesting the footage be collected. I’m still waiting for a response. 8/10
— MH (@mrmhsn__) August 10, 2020

@Police_MRC I’ve done what I’ve can at this point in terms of the process to press charges. It’s now on you to serve and protect. I call on you for the video footage from the gas station and to place consequences for the store clerk who called 911 on me for no justified reason
— MH (@mrmhsn__) August 10, 2020

National Council of Canadian Muslims wants action on Quebec hate crime

“There must be a zero-tolerance for hate in Quebec,” says NCCM CEO Mustafa Farooq. “Having spoken with the complainant, it is clear that charges should be laid. No one should be victimized because of what they wear, what they look like or what they believe in.”

According to the NCCM, police expect to lay charges, and the organization has asked that this be done promptly “to clearly demonstrate that attacks motivated by hate cannot be accepted in Quebec or anywhere in Canada.” ■

For more about the National Council of Canadian Muslims, please visit their website.

For the latest news updates, please visit our News section.