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

Nine Islamic schools operated by the Muslim Association of Canada across Canada have been placed on high alert following receipt of threatening emails this week. According to spokesperson Nabil Sultan, the same anonymous email, signed by a "Citizen Vigilante," was sent to schools in Ontario, British Columbia, and Quebec over a 24-hour period.

Local police forces have been notified in response to the threats. The email, which warns of the "slaughter" of Muslims and claims Canada will be "Islam free," has left Sultan devastated, especially as his child attends a Muslim Association of Canada school. The organization, which is accustomed to receiving threatening and Islamophobic emails, is now taking the situation more seriously due to the direct targeting of its schools.

Police in Ontario's Peel region confirm they are aware of the "hate-motivated threats" against Islamic institutions and have increased patrols near mosques and schools, continuing through the weekend. Sultan attributes the threats to a backdrop of rising Islamophobia in Canada, citing recent atrocities against Muslim communities, such as the 2021 killings of five members of the Afzaal family ruled as terrorism and the 2017 shooting at a Quebec City mosque that left six worshippers dead.

Statistics Canada's data shows a 170% increase in police-reported hate crimes against Muslims between 2020 and 2024. Sultan notes that students are feeling "scared and vulnerable" as they navigate past security and police officers to class, raising questions about who is considered Canadian and who is labeled an outsider. He emphasizes that Canada must address the "environment of Islamophobia and xenophobia" that breeds such threats against Muslims and other visible minorities.