Local politicians are concerned about a rise in Islamophobic incidents after a Winnipeg mosque received phone calls claiming Muslims are “traitors” to Canada.
On Friday, Winnipeg police confirmed the Winnipeg Grand Mosque on Waverley Street received several calls stating Muslims can’t be trusted.
The hate crimes section of the WPS major crimes unit is handling the investigation, spokesperson Const. Dani McKinnon previously told the Free Press.
NICOLE BUFFIE / FREE PRESS Mayor Scott Gillingham says he’ll be phoning leaders of the Grand Mosque to discuss the concerning phone calls.
On Saturday, Winnipeg South MP Terry Duguid told the Muslim community spreading peace is of the utmost importance.
“We are in a very, very troubled world,” Duguid told a crowd gathered for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Elders Association’s third-annual Run for Winnipeg event.
“We know that peace at home is just as important as peace abroad. So support for these communities is very, very important.”
The two-kilometre fundraiser raises money for the Children’s Hospital Foundation of Manitoba and the Manitoba Association of Women’s Shelters. This year the run raised $9,000 for each organization.
Duguid, who oversees the riding the Grand Mosque is located in, said he is concerned the “vitriolic language” could translate into violence.
The calls took place in the context of an increase in Islamophobic incidents across Canada since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that sparked the Israel-Hamas war.
“We know there have been Islamophobic instances of violence,” Duguid said. “It’s worrisome.”
On Thursday, two women wearing headscarves were attacked London, Ont., according to a statement from National Council of Canadian Muslims. A knife-wielding man punched the women and made derogatory comments toward them, the statement said.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier Wab Kinew condemned the incident on social media on Friday.
Kinew posted on X (formerly Twitter) he was “deeply troubled” by the harassment, while Trudeau wrote he’s working to “keep our communities safe from (Islamophobia).”
Mayor Scott Gillingham said he would be phoning the Grand Mosque leaders to discuss the phone calls.
NICOLE BUFFIE / FREE PRESS
The concerning phone calls came on the heels of the third-annual fundraising run organized by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Elders Association. The run collects funds for the Children’s Hospital Foundation of Manitoba and the Manitoba Association of Women’s Shelters.
“I’m very concerned when I hear that there was threats made to the Grand Mosque,” Gillingham told the Free Press. “We in Winnipeg are a city of peace… there is no room in our city for hate, there’s no room in our city for Islamophobia, there’s no room in our city for antisemitism.”
Labeed Ahmed, a missionary in Winnipeg’s Ahmadiyya Muslim community, said despite the events of Oct. 7 and the increasing incidents of Islamophobia, the organization did not consider cancelling Saturday’s run.
“We come from a community that’s been severely persecuted throughout the world since our inception,” Ahmed said. “But we’re thick-skinned about it, we don’t really let that stop us, especially when it comes to giving back to the community.”
Winnipeg South Centre MP Ben Carr echoed Ahmed’s comments.
“I have spent many mornings and evenings with (Muslim) community leadership, breaking bread together, talking about how we can work to ensure how we treat each other here in our own backyard is based on compassion, with a belief towards ensuring that there’s peace and love between us,” Carr said.
Duguid, who works closely with the Muslim community in his riding, said he will be marking the Oct. 7 anniversary in Ottawa calling for a ceasefire and the release of hostages.
“We need peace,” he said.
nicole.buffie@freepress.mb.ca
Nicole Buffie
Multimedia producer
Nicole Buffie is a multimedia producer who reports for the Free Press city desk. Born and bred in Winnipeg, Nicole graduated from Red River College’s Creative Communications program in 2020 and worked as a reporter throughout Manitoba before joining the Free Press newsroom in 2023. Read more about Nicole.
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