The Muslim Association of Canada says it received an anonymous email threatening violence toward Muslims and has increased security after notifying police across Ontario, B.C. and Quebec.
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The Muslim Association of Canada says nine Islamic schools it operates across the country are on high alert after each received an email this week threatening violence against Muslims, prompting the organization to notify local police forces and hire paid security for student safety.
Nabil Sultan, a spokesperson for the Muslim Association of Canada (MAC), said the same anonymous message was sent to schools in Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec over a 24-hour period. Police in those regions were informed, and Peel Regional Police reported they are aware of a letter containing hate-motivated threats against Islamic institutions and have increased police patrols overnight near mosques and schools, with those measures set to continue into the weekend.
Sultan said the email was shared with The Canadian Press and signed by a “Citizen Vigilante.” The message threatens the “slaughter” of Muslims and says Canada will be “Islam free.” He said he was devastated by the letter after reading it, noting his own child attends an MAC school.
According to Sultan, the organization is used to receiving threatening and Islamophobic emails, but the most recent message is the first time its schools have been targeted in such a direct way. He said MAC has responded by hiring paid security to help keep students safe.
Sultan tied the threats to what he described as a broader environment of Islamophobia and xenophobia in Canada, and said students are feeling “scared and vulnerable” as they walk past security and police officers on their way to class. He said the threats are raising questions for students about whether they belong in Canada, particularly in relation to visible religious practices.
He also argued that Canada needs to address the conditions that make threats more likely, pointing to past attacks against Muslim communities. Those cited include the 2021 killings of four members of the Afzaal family in London, Ontario, which was ruled an act of terrorism, and a 2017 shooting at a Quebec City mosque that left six worshippers dead.
The Muslim Association of Canada said the threats against its schools are arriving amid a broader increase in reported anti-Muslim hate incidents. Sultan cited Statistics Canada data indicating that police-reported hate crimes against Muslims rose by more than 170 per cent between 2020 and 2024.
Sultan said the organization tries to teach children in its schools about equal rights and responsibilities, and that threats aimed at children and schools are particularly troubling. He said, in practice, those messages undermine lessons about belonging by suggesting that Muslim students and families are not fully accepted within Canadian society.
He said police hate crime units are investigating, with Peel Regional Police stating that its hate crime unit is looking into the threats. In addition to increased patrols, the reporting describes a pattern of heightened attention around religious institutions and schools as a direct response to the emailed threats.
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