‘Odious act’: Sask. Muslims frightened after man attacked in Saskatoon

After a Muslim man in Saskatoon was attacked Friday morning because of his faith, some in the Muslim community are scared.

Muhammad Kashif said the people made comments about his clothes and his religion and told him to back to his country while they were attacking him.

Daniel Kuhlen is the co-chair of the Islamic Association of Saskatchewan’s media and outreach committee.

“The first reaction was utter shock that this would happen in Saskatoon but then, given what has happened the last little while both here and elsewhere, it wasn’t so surprising,” Kuhlen said Monday.

Almost three weeks before the attack in Saskatoon, members of a Muslim family were run down in London, Ont.

“Just an ordinary citizen, out minding his own business, lawfully going for an early-morning walk, gets assaulted by two or three people and stabbed and beaten with his cane,” Kuhlen said of the attack in Saskatoon. “(It was) just a horrific, horrifying, odious act to have happened and it shocked everybody’s sensibilities, both Muslim and non-Muslim.”

Mubarik Syed, spokesperson for the Ahmadiyya Muslim community in Saskatoon, also pointed to the attack in London being so recent, saying people were still trying to wrap their heads around that when they heard about the attack in Saskatoon.

“And then, all of a sudden, something happens right next to you to somebody that you actually know on a personal level that … was very sad, very disappointing,” said Syed.

The Muslim community in Saskatoon is sad and worried, according to Syed.

“There are many people who are actually frightened. Frankly, I would say that they’re scared. And I have been approached by many community members (who said) that they have stopped going outside with their families to go out and walk, which is a very regular, general, routine kind of thing for Canadians,” said Syed.

Kuhlen said he’s particularly hearing from young families who are doing things like stopping taking their kids to the park for a while. But Kuhlen said generally people are trying to carry on as normally as possible while being more cautious and more vigilant.

“I think, basically, that is how people are coping with this situation that should never have to be coped with,” said Kuhlen.

Syed said while people in Saskatoon and Saskatchewan are generally good-hearted and accommodating, things do happen.

“But every now and then you run into somebody who is not as understanding as others … I personally have faced racist comments by my fellow Canadians about my religion, about my looks,” said Syed.

Kuhlen talked about micro-aggressions, things that are often confined to looks or small comments. He relayed a story a man told him about walking into a store with his normal clothes and beard and seeing a man roll his eyes at him.

“You get those little micro-aggressions that you can’t say really amount to anything but when it happens time and time again it becomes trying for people,” said Kuhlen.

Both Kuhlen and Syed talked about education being important in stopping incidents from happening.

Syed said the mother of all this is ignorance and it’s the responsibility of Muslims to go out and educate, but also non-Muslims to be willing to learn.

“Once they see the real face of Islam, it is nothing but love, peace and harmony,” said Syed.

Kuhlen believes people who harbour hate for Muslims should look at themselves and try to learn why.

“Have you ever even bothered to try to understand what is it that you hate? What is it that’s so objectionable?” Kuhlen said.

He also believes it’s incumbent upon everyone to speak up if they hear or see hateful comments and behaviours and to call them out.

“It’s not an easy thing to do sometimes but it’s an absolute moral imperative,” said Kuhlen.

Kuhlen said there needs to be a whole societal approach to call these things out to try to stop attacks where they start, with hateful thoughts and words.

“Nobody should have to live in fear that some white supremacist — and I’m going to call it for what it is — will act out in a way that will cause them injury or death. That’s not acceptable,” said Kuhlen.