Asking a witness for help
Excuse me, did you see what just happened? Could I have your name and number in case the police need a witness?
কাজের গাইড
Facing hate and harassment
Awaiting scholar review
Most days pass without trouble. Some Muslims in Canada, especially people who look visibly Muslim, do meet hostility: a shout on the bus, a hand pulling at a hijab, abuse online. If it happens to you, it is not your fault and you do not have to deal with it alone. This guide explains what counts as a hate crime, how to keep a record, where you can report, and what helps afterwards. It is general information, not legal advice.
এখান থেকে শুরু করুন
- If you are hurt or still in danger, call 911.
- Write down what happened the same day, and save screenshots and photos before you block or delete anything.
- You can report to your local police, anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477, and to the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM). You can do one, two or all three.
- Discrimination in housing, in a store or school, or at most workplaces can go to your provincial or territorial human rights agency.
- Fear and poor sleep are common afterwards. Victim services can help, and you can call or text 9-8-8 if it becomes too much.
Hate crime or hate incident?
The RCMP explains the difference. A hate crime is a criminal offence, such as an assault, a threat or damage to property, committed out of hate or bias against a group, for example a religion. A hate incident is hateful behaviour that is not a crime, such as a slur or someone mocking your religion on social media.
Both are worth reporting. The RCMP says that reporting incidents, no matter how minor, helps police prevent them. In 2024, police in Canada recorded 229 hate crimes targeting Muslims, according to Statistics Canada.
Right now: get safe
- Move away from the person and towards other people, a driver, staff or a shop.
- If anyone is hurt, or the person is still threatening you, call 911.
- Do not confront the person physically. Your safety comes first.
- If someone saw what happened, ask for their name and phone number.
Keep a record
The Yaqeen Institute authors Imam Khalid Latif, Dr. Salman Khan and Mazin Awad put it simply: documentation matters. A record helps the police, NCCM or a human rights agency, even weeks later. Try to write it down on the same day.
- The date, the time and the place.
- What was said or done, in the person's own words if you can remember them.
- What the person looked like, any vehicle, and the names of witnesses.
- Screenshots of online abuse, showing the account name and the date. Take them before you block or report the account.
- Photos of any injury or damage. Keep damaged items, such as a torn hijab.
Where you can report
Reporting is your choice, and you can report to more than one place.
- Your local police. In an emergency, call 911. Otherwise use your local police non-emergency line or online reporting, or the RCMP detachment if the RCMP polices your area.
- Crime Stoppers, if you want to stay anonymous. Call 1-800-222-8477 (1-800-222-TIPS) or use its secure online form. It does not ask for your name and has no caller ID. Crime Stoppers is not the police and does not offer victim support.
- The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM). Anyone who experienced or saw discrimination, harassment or a hate crime can fill in its incident form. NCCM confirms it has your report within seven days, contacts you if the case is one it can take on, and does not share your information without your consent. NCCM is an advocacy group, not the police or a legal service.
- Your provincial or territorial human rights agency, for discrimination in housing, in a store or restaurant, in a school or in health care, or at a workplace that is not federally regulated. The Canadian Human Rights Commission links to each agency. In Ontario, for example, the Human Rights Code covers renting a home and being served in stores, schools and on transit.
- At college or university, ask the dean of students or the student union which office takes harassment and discrimination reports. Report a crime to the police as well.
Why reporting still helps
Many people never report. In a 2019 Statistics Canada survey, only 22% of incidents that people saw as motivated by hate were reported to police. Statistics Canada lists language barriers, trust in police and fear of it happening again among the reasons people stay silent. Those reasons make sense. A report still counts: it is how police and governments see where hate is happening.
After it happens
Justice Canada says people targeted by hate often feel less safe afterwards, and some have anxiety, low mood or trouble sleeping. It can shake your family and your community too. These are common reactions to something that should not have happened.
Justice Canada's Victim Services Directory finds victim services near you by postal code. Tell one person you trust what happened. If fear or poor sleep has not settled after a few weeks, talk to your doctor or a counsellor. If you are thinking about suicide, call or text 9-8-8 at any time.
If you wear hijab
Visible Muslim women, converts included, are often the ones singled out. Dr. Naved Bakali of the University of Windsor interviewed Muslim women about this, including a convert who was abused after she started wearing hijab. Being targeted says nothing wrong about you, your faith or your hijab.
Some women ask whether they may change or remove their hijab in a place where they fear for their safety. That is a question of Islamic law, and this guide does not answer it. Ask a qualified scholar you trust.
Faith alongside practical help
Many Muslims find comfort in dua when they are shaken, and the dua page has a section for when you feel anxious or overwhelmed. Making dua and reporting what happened can go together.
যা বলতে পারেন
Starting a police report
I want to report a hate incident. On [date] at [place], a person [what they did or said]. I think it was because I am Muslim. I have photos and a witness.
Telling someone you trust
Something frightening happened to me today. I don't need you to fix it. Can I tell you about it?
প্রায়ই যে পরিস্থিতি আসে
Move near the driver or other passengers. Once you are safe, write down the time, the route and what was said. You can report it to the police and to NCCM.
This may be a crime. Get to safety, and call 911 if you are hurt or the person is still there. Ask the staff to keep any security video, and write down what happened.
Take screenshots that show the account, the words and the date before you block or report it. Report it to the platform, to the police if it includes threats, and to NCCM.
That can be discrimination in housing. Write down what was said and keep any messages. Contact your provincial or territorial human rights agency.
এরপর কোথায় যাবেন
কখন যোগ্য কাউকে জিজ্ঞেস করবেন
এই গাইড সাধারণ শিক্ষার জন্য। প্রশ্নটি যদি নিরাপত্তা, বিয়ে, পরিবারের চাপ, কাজ বা স্কুলে আপনার অধিকার, মানসিক স্বাস্থ্য, টাকাপয়সা বা ব্যক্তিগত কোনো ধর্মীয় বিধান নিয়ে হয়, তাহলে স্থানীয় যোগ্য ইমাম, আলেম, চিকিৎসক, আইনজীবী বা নিরাপত্তা সেবার সাথে কথা বলুন।
ব্যবহৃত সূত্র
এই সূত্রগুলো গাইডের সাধারণ কাঠামোর ভিত্তি। এগুলো আপনার এলাকার যোগ্য কারও ব্যক্তিগত পরামর্শের বিকল্প নয়।
- Get help with mental healthজনস্বাস্থ্য বিষয়ক সূত্র
Public Health Agency of Canada - জনস্বাস্থ্য বিষয়ক তথ্য
কানাডা সরকারের পাতা, যা বলে তাৎক্ষণিক বিপদে থাকলে বা জরুরি চিকিৎসা দরকার হলে 9-1-1 নম্বরে কল করতে। এতে 9-8-8, Kids Help Phone, Hope for Wellness আর প্রতিটি প্রদেশের সেবার তালিকাও আছে। পাতাটি পরিবর্তিত 2026-01-14। নম্বরগুলো যাচাই: 23 সেপ্টেম্বর 2026।
- Understanding and addressing hate crimePublic safety information
Royal Canadian Mounted Police - Official police guidance
Page modified 18 September 2026. Defines a hate crime (a Criminal Code offence motivated by hate or bias) and a hate incident (hateful but not criminal, such as slurs or mocking someone's religion on social media). In danger, call 911 or local police; otherwise report to local police or the RCMP detachment. Says reporting incidents, no matter how minor, helps prevention.
- The Daily: Police-reported hate crime in Canada, 2024Public safety information
Statistics Canada - Official statistics release
Released 30 March 2026. Supports 4,882 police-reported hate crimes in 2024, 1,342 of them targeting a religion, and that only 22% of incidents people perceived as hate-motivated were reported to police (2019 General Social Survey, an older figure than the police data). Names language barriers, trust in police and fear of further victimization as factors in not reporting.
- Police-reported hate crimes, by detailed motivation, Canada, 2020 to 2024 (Table 1)Public safety information
Statistics Canada - Official statistics table
Table 1 of The Daily, 30 March 2026: 229 police-reported hate crimes targeting Muslims in 2024 (220 in 2023).
- Canadian Crime StoppersPublic safety information
Canadian Crime Stoppers Association - Anonymous tip line
Anonymous tips by phone at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or a secure online form. Tipsters are not asked for their name or contact details, and there is no caller ID or tracking. Crime Stoppers is not the police and does not offer victim support.
- Report an incidentPublic rights information
National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) - Community incident reporting
Anyone who experienced or witnessed discrimination, harassment or a hate crime can submit an incident form. NCCM reviews it, contacts the person if it falls within its mandate, does not share information without consent, and confirms receipt within seven days. NCCM is an advocacy body, not the police or a legal service.
- Find help from other agencies and support servicesPublic rights information
Canadian Human Rights Commission - Official federal human rights guidance
Page modified 24 September 2026. Says provincial and territorial human rights agencies handle discrimination in restaurants, stores, schools, housing, health care and non-federal workplaces, and links to their contact details.
- HousingPublic rights information
Ontario Human Rights Commission - Official provincial human rights guidance
Ontario example: creed is a protected ground, and people have the right to equal treatment when buying, selling, renting or being evicted from housing.
- Goods, services and facilitiesPublic rights information
Ontario Human Rights Commission - Official provincial human rights guidance
Ontario example: the right to be free from discrimination when receiving goods or services or using facilities, such as stores, restaurants, hospitals, schools, universities and colleges, and public transit.
- Four ways of confronting Islamophobia on campusResearch education
Yaqeen Institute - Islamic research and education
By Imam Khalid Latif, Dr. Salman Khan and Mazin Awad, published 24 July 2026, updated 8 August 2026. Cited only for the principle that students should document and report incidents ('Documentation matters. Data matters.'). The organisations it names are American; the guide points Canadians to Canadian routes.
- Fact sheet: Working with victims of hatePublic safety information
Department of Justice Canada - Official research fact sheet
Page modified 12 June 2024. Written for service workers. Says victims of hate crime often feel less secure and may have depression, anxiety, symptoms of PTSD and sleep problems, and that the harm can spread to family and community. It also notes that some researchers found no difference between hate and other crime victims.
- Victim Services DirectoryPublic safety information
Department of Justice Canada - Official service directory
A Canada-wide directory of victim services with a quick search by postal code. Page modified 12 January 2024.
- Hijab, gendered Islamophobia, and the lived experiences of Muslim womenResearch education
Yaqeen Institute - Islamic research and education
By Dr. Naved Bakali (University of Windsor), published 17 August 2021, updated 22 July 2024. Qualitative interviews showing visible Muslim women, including a convert abused after she began wearing hijab, singled out as outsiders. No prevalence figures or reporting advice.
- 9-8-8: আত্মহত্যা সংকট হেল্পলাইনসংকটকালীন সহায়তা
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), funded by the Government of Canada - সংকটকালীন সহায়তা
কানাডার জাতীয় আত্মহত্যা সংকট হেল্পলাইন। 9-8-8 নম্বরে কল বা টেক্সট করুন, দিনে 24 ঘণ্টা, বছরের প্রতিদিন, ইংরেজি ও ফরাসিতে। CAMH-এর নেতৃত্বে পরিচালিত আর কানাডা সরকারের অর্থায়নে। যাচাই: 23 সেপ্টেম্বর 2026।