Canadian Trade Minister: Islamophobia Has No Place in Our Communities

Canadian Trade Minister Mary Ng condemned a hate crime at a mosque on Saturday, stating that the incident, which an Islamic organization reported as apparently involving an attempt to tear up a copy of the Quran, has no place in Canadian society. The Markham Islamic Association said in a statement that a person went to the mosque in Markham, located 30 kilometers north of Toronto, on Thursday, apparently tore up a Quran, spoke angrily to worshippers, and then attempted to run them over with his vehicle. The minister added in a post on Twitter: "I was deeply disturbed to hear of the violent hate crimes and racist behavior at the Markham Islamic Association." While she did not provide any details about the incident, she stated, "This violence and Islamophobia have no place in our communities." The National Council of Canadian Muslims tweeted that it was "extremely disturbed" by the incident.