Surrey, B.C., residents say there’s a need for more cultural acceptance, as police release images of a suspect while they investigate a potential hate crime at an Islamic place of worship last week.
The general secretary of the Fleetwood Islamic Academy Society said that congregants who arrived on Saturday morning discovered hateful text and bacon stuck to the doors and windows of the centre.
Asif Ali said it left worshippers shaken, and the society will be hiring extra security guards to patrol around the centre.
“We are all Canadians and it is concerning — it does affect us emotionally for the community, for the family, individuals,” he said. “It is something that everyone is scared about.”
Asif Ali, the general secretary of the Fleetwood Islamic Academy Society, said the incident had left worshippers shaken. (Sohrab Sandhu/CBC)
The text painted on the walls read “get out or die” and “Islam is trash,” with Ali saying what transpired at the Islamic centre was attempting to direct hate toward community members.
“We have no place for such hate. We all want to live together peacefully in harmony, help each other out and look after each other,” he said.
Police investigating potential hate crime
In a Wednesday statement, the Surrey Police Service said RCMP believe the messages and bacon were likely left between 11 p.m. PT on Friday and 10 a.m. PT on Saturday.
Police have released images of a suspect, described as a man wearing a dark green hoodie with red letters on the front, dark cargo pants and red shoes with white soles.
The man was carrying a blue bag, and was driving a white four-door sedan at the time, police say.
“The RCMP takes all reports of hate-motivated incidents and hate crimes seriously,” the statement read.
“Investigators are committed to conducting a thorough investigation to establish all the facts.”
Anyone with more information on the case, including dashcam video from the area, is asked to contact police and quote file number 26-27049.
‘Place of safety’
Bilal Cheema said that the Fleetwood Islamic Academy Society was a place he frequents with his children and parents.
“We go there without even thinking sometimes about our safety. It’s a place of safety itself,” he said.
“You think that you’re going there to connect with your creator, and all of a sudden you hear about something like this. My heart sank.”
Cheema said that acts of hate weren’t just targeted at mosques, and that other places of worship have been targeted before.
He acknowledged that it was a tumultuous time for Canadians amid worries of U.S. tariffs, unemployment and the cost of living crisis — but there was no need to direct anger towards a group of people.
“We just didn’t wake up, and all of a sudden, there’s this beautiful multicultural Canada. It’s been building like this for generations,” he said.
“And so we need to be more aware of one another and we need to be more accepting of one another.”
The Fleetwood Islamic Academy Society building is seen on Sept. 2, 2026. (Sohrab Sandhu/CBC)