

Joshua Freeman, CP24.com





Peel police are investigating after several mosques reported being visited by a woman who allegedly tore pages from a Quran and verbally abused congregants.

The Muslim Council of Peel said one of the incidents occurred on March 22 at around 5:20 p.m. at the Masjid Dar-Al Tawheed mosque in the area of Kennedy Road and Matheson Boulevard in Mississauga.

The council said the woman ripped pages from a Quran and placed them on windshields of congregants as they prayed. They said she also left “hateful” literature on cars before proceeding inside to confront congregants.

Footage of the incident was also posted to Facebook.

The Muslim Council of Peel said the woman then went to at least two other mosques to do the same thing.

Peel police said they are investigating whether the incident was motivated by hate. No one is in custody so far.

Speaking at a news conference Monday, Muslim Council of Peel Executive Director Rabia Khedr said the woman in the video is a known anti-Muslim activist and that the community would not be deterred by the incident.

“This is just a stunt to get attention. Our Muslim community is not going to be fazed by someone like her who is trying to simply promote her personal agenda of hatred.”

Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie also spoke at the news conference and called the incident “disturbing.”

“I am disgusted and disturbed by these actions that have happened in our city. I stand with our Muslim community, and with communities of all faiths,” Crombie said.

She added that there is “no room” for intolerance in the city.

“We want people in Mississauga to feel safe in their homes, as well as the places where they worship and we will continue to ensure that our residents feel safe and accepted in our city.”

The Muslim Council of Peel is calling on Peel police to stop the woman from carrying out similar actions at other mosques. They say they also want to see tighter security around mosques in Peel Region and tougher laws around promotion of hate online.