Community condemns alleged attack against B.C. Muslim leader<\/p>\n
Published 11:30 am Monday, June 22, 2026<\/p>\n
Several community groups are condemning an alleged attack against an Imam of the local Masjid Al Iman, which leaders say may have been hate-motivated.<\/p>\n
According to the Canadian Council of Imams, Ebrahim Ali said he was seated in his vehicle with his wife on Thursday, June 18, when someone opened the vehicle door and attempted to forcibly remove him. Ebrahim is said to have resisted the attack and pursued the individual for 20 minutes while on the phone with 911.<\/p>\n
They say police apprehended the individual.<\/p>\n
The council noted the assailant allegedly spat at him and told him to \u201cgo back home\u201d to his country. He was dressed in traditional Islamic attire, and the attack raises concerns that it may have been hate-motivated.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat stands out in this incident is not fear, but resilience,\u201d noted Imam Sikander Hashmi, executive director of the council, in a news release. \u201cImam Ebrahim demonstrated remarkable courage, composure, and determination in the face of a violent attack. His actions reflect the strength, dedication, and perseverance that Imams across Canada bring to their communities every day.\u201d<\/p>\n
The council said he suffered a fracture and bruising, but he is \u201cotherwise doing well.\u201d<\/p>\n
The BC Muslim Association also condemned the attack, saying it happened shortly after the evening Maghrib prayer, and the suspect who was arrested remains in custody and is believed to have a criminal history.<\/p>\n
\u201cIncidents involving violence, intimidation, and hateful language have no place in our communities. We stand in solidarity with Imam Ebrahim and reaffirm our commitment to fostering a safe, inclusive, and respectful society for all,\u201d noted a social media post from the association.<\/p>\n
Additionally, members of Congregation Emanu El shared their support for the Muslim community in the wake of the alleged attack.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe rise of baseless racial and religious hatred in Canada is well known; this abhorrent incident is yet another example that we in Victoria are not immune to such hatreds. While such despicable events are rare here, even one demonstration of violence against a religious leader or congregant is one too many,\u201d noted a news release from the synagogue.<\/p>\n
They said members of all faiths, and those of no faith tradition, must stand together with religious minorities and condemn the hatred and those who perpetrate it, while also standing with those who have been harmed.<\/p>\n
The council of Imams said the incident comes amid a sharp rise in Islamophobia in Canada in recent months. They call for increased government support for security awareness for faith leaders and targeted communities; for mosques and Islamic centres to strengthen security protocols; for all incidents of hate, threats, harassment and violence to be reported to police and the National Council of Canadian Muslims; and for Imams, faith leaders and community members to remain vigilant.<\/p>\n
Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture Marc Miller called the attack \u201cshocking and reprehensible.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis type of violence and Islamophobia has no place in Canada. My thoughts are with the community, and I am confident that the authorities will bring the perpetrators to justice,\u201d noted Miller in a social media post.<\/p>\n
Victoria News has reached out to VicPD and Masjid Al Iman for comment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Community condemns alleged attack against B.C. Muslim leader Published 11:30 am Monday, June 22, 2026 Several community groups…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":754219,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194299],"tags":[903,49,48,87674,36245],"class_list":["post-754218","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-surrey","tag-british-columbia","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-surrey","tag-vancouver-island"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/754218","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=754218"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/754218\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/754219"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=754218"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=754218"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=754218"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}