Edmonton police investigate Islamophobic graffiti near Muslim daycare
Incident near north-side facility condemned by mayor and national advocacy group as part of concerning trend.
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Edmonton police are investigating after Islamophobic graffiti was found near a daycare for Muslim children on the city's north side.
The incident became public Monday after the National Council of Canadian Muslims posted a screenshot online. Yahya Jama, NCCM's Western Canada senior advocacy officer, said the community is feeling threatened and worried about their families' safety.
"When someone vandalizes and puts intimidating graffiti next to a daycare or a school, the intent is pretty clear, and that's to ensure that Muslim families and children don't feel safe, and that's absolutely unacceptable," Jama said.
Mayor Andrew Knack condemned the incident in a statement to CBC News. "I am appalled by the hateful graffiti discovered outside a Muslim school and daycare here in Edmonton. It is Islamophobia, and it is completely unacceptable. No child should arrive at school and be confronted with messages of hate directed at who they are."
Jama described the vandalism as part of a concerning trend. In January, the Canadian Human Rights Commission cited Statistics Canada data showing a 173 per cent increase between 2020 and 2024 in police-reported hate crimes targeting Muslim people. In early May, a 56-year-old Black man was assaulted after leaving a Muslim centre in St. Albert.
"This has been an unfortunate pattern that we're seeing, and this isn't slowing down," Jama said, calling on all levels of government to denounce the incident and Islamophobia.