Police investigating after Toronto mosque receives ‘deeply disturbing’ threat

Toronto police say they are investigating after a mosque received phone calls threatening the mosque and some of its members.

In a social media post on Friday, the Toronto Islamic Centre says it received a “deeply disturbing” call from an unknown person threatening violence.

“The caller, he made many Islamophobic and racist remarks and ended the call saying he’d come there and kill the staff member,” said general manager Shaffni Nalir, who added the caller referenced past attacks.

“He named the individual, named and spelled out the name of the individual who did the attacks in New Zealand back in 2019. …He said that’s what’s going to happen to you.”

Nalir says this has sent shock waves through the community, not just for staff, but for the hundreds of families who walk through the doors every week. Toronto Police says it’s aware of the incident and is increasing its presence in the area while working to identify a suspect. But for the people inside the Centre, the fear lingers.

“We are fundraising to hire additional security. As a community, this is not the first time we have received threats. In 2020, we had someone send an email, very descriptive, about the facility and what he would do,” said Nalir.

The National Council for Canadian Muslims posted some audio of the call on social media.

In a post on social media, Mayor Olivia Chow called the threats heinous, adding, “We will not tolerate threats of violence, Islamophobia, or hate of any kind. Every resident deserves to feel safe in their place of worship.”

Advocates say even when threats don’t escalate, it creates a fear of safety in places that should feel sacred. 

“For the Muslim community, it’s a place where, you know, the mosque has to be a place that has that sanctity and has that, as I said, that saccoon is the Arabic word, which is like this peaceful tranquillity. And the moment that is lost is the moment that our community is in pain,” said Omar Khamissa, the chief mobilization officer with the National Council of Canadian Muslims.

“We’re worried about it. We’re worried about our children, worried about our families, and it’s not a place that we feel can be safe for that. So if I have a message, it’s this kind of hate, any hate has no place here in Canada,” said Khamissa.

Catalina Gillies contributed to this report