9 Islamic schools on high alert after email threatening “slaughter” of Muslims

Nine Islamic schools across Canada are on high alert following the receipt of threatening emails warning of violence against Muslims. The Muslim Association of Canada (MAC) received the same anonymous email through the postal service in Ontario, British Columbia, and Quebec over a 24-hour period. Local police forces have been notified of the threats, which allegedly claim the "slaughter" of Muslims and vow Canada will become "Islam free."

MAC's spokesperson, Nabil Sultan, expressed devastation upon reading the letter and revealed that the non-profit has now hired paid security to protect students.

The email, signed by "Citizen Vigilante," came amid a backdrop of rising Islamophobia in Canada. Sultan noted that the organization is accustomed to receiving hateful and Islamophobic emails but that this is the first time MAC's schools have been targeted in such a direct manner. Police in Ontario's Peel region have acknowledged receiving a "hate-motivated threats" letter and have increased patrols near mosques and schools, which will continue into the weekend.

Sultan stressed that these threats are real and that the targeting of children and schools is particularly unsettling. The recent 2021 killings of four members of the Afzaal family in London, Ont., deemed an act of terrorism, and the 2017 shooting at a Quebec City mosque that left six worshippers dead, serve as reminders of the dangers faced by Muslim communities.

Sultan highlighted that the threats have raised important questions about belonging and the environment of Islamophobia and xenophobia in Canada that breeds such threats.