We are deeply hurt by the comments made by BC Conservative Campaign Director Katy Merrifield where she wrote “F*** Islam,” and made several subsequent posts that demonstrate a pattern of promoting Islamophobic views. This is of course very concerning to B.C. Muslims and Canadian Muslims broadly, especially we learned yesterday of the racist views of one of the Conservative candidates. We recognize that Ms. Merrifield has contextualized those remarks. However, at no point did she apologize for her statement or recognize the pain caused, and she has not addressed her pattern of promoting a range of problematic messages. BC has seen a gigantic uptick in Islamophobia - from cars being driven at people to Imams being attacked in the street to mosques being vandalized. Yesterday, the BC Conservative Leader made the necessary decision to remove Mr. Joachim Agou from the party for problematic comments he had made in the past. There is no room for hate in any area of Canadian politics. We will engage in good-faith conversation with the BC Conservatives about these troubling revelations, but Islamophobia must be addressed. We must stand together to take action on Islamophobia. This must be a bipartisan commitment.

Today, Conservative Party of BC Victoria-Beacon Hill candidate Joachim Agou was rightly removed ahead of this month's provincial election in the aftermath of his disturbing and deeply problematic views. Mr. Agou's disturbing online record includes, among other things, reposting clearly disturbing material while also appearing to call for outright violence against peaceful human rights activists. It was the right decision to remove Mr. Agou as a candidate for the party going forward. There is no room for anti-Muslim hate or hate of any kind in our political process and elections. Steps also must be taken to ensure that the BC Conservatives and indeed all parties commit to real policy changes to challenge the rise of Islamophobia. All parties must ensure that there is no space for these views within their ranks. Unfortunately, we are witnessing the appearance of Islamophobic rhetoric and messaging in too many corners of Canadian society—a problem that must be addressed by all communities coming together.

Every victory is built on tireless sacrifice. Imran Qureshi has been an incredible advocate locally in Edmonton for years. We are incredibly proud to have his support as a partner at @DLA_Piper who took on the PPC defamation case pro-bono. He’s worked tirelessly on this case for years. In the recent PPC defamation case, Imran fought as lead counsel at the trial level with NCCM co-counsel, and then at the Court of Appeal with his associate Max Macleod. We sincerely thank both of them for their kind assistance, and for Imran for his years of patience and incredible courtroom advocacy that led to an important win. If you know someone that would like to volunteer to support NCCM as external pro bono counsel, contact NCCM at [email protected]

BREAKING NEWS Today, we are relieved that the Manitoba Court of Appeal has found the People's Party of Canada vicariously liable for defamation after a Twitter post from a PPC account labelling a Muslim community member a terrorist. This has been a long time coming.  Our legal team supported the plaintiff who took the PPC to court on this matter in 2020. We have sustained our efforts to hold them to account. Our legal team has fought hard all the way through. Today, with the important help of our external cousel Imran Qureshi (DLA Piper), the plaintiff won.  Those seeking electoral power in Canada must be held to the highest levels of accountability. There is no place for Islamophobia anywhere in Canada. Our community will not be intimidated. If you want to support this kind of work, please donate today to NCCM's Legal Fund at nccm.ca/donate

Please see this important reminder from MP Salma Zahid in light of the latest piece from the National Post, which seemingly endorses violence against NDP leader Avi Lewis. There is no room for such reckless rhetoric in civil discourse. The National Post must retract the piece and the editor responsible for its publication must resign. We urge you to call on your MP about this issue, and to push for action and accountability.

We are disgusted and disturbed to see a piece run in the National Post that appears to potentially endorse violence against NDP Leader Avi Lewis for his argument that we all bear a collective responsibility to stop the genocide in Palestine. The writer in this article appeared to suggest that under Jewish law, Lewis would be considered either a “mosar” or a “rodef” - both terms to describe traitors. The killer of former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin used the same language to justify Rabin’s assassination, arguing that a rodef can legally be killed under Jewish law. There is no doubt in our mind - and to the Jewish Canadians who have reached out to us today - that this article is entirely unacceptable. The editor at the National Post who approved this should have no choice but to resign. We encourage every Member of Parliament from every party to rise up unanimously to condemn this incitement. If the National Post refuses to take accountability, retract this article, and apologize, we urge the federal government to end all taxpayer subsidies to Postmedia, and for Canadian Heritage to strip Postmedia of the Big Tech C-18 funding, and other departmental grants.

The Second Sons is a white nationalist group that has been growing across Canada for years, carrying out actions to intimidate various communities. It is disgusting and alarming to see them pull such antics now against an Indigenous community. We’ve been saying this for over a year - Canada must ban the Second Sons by listing it as a prohibited terrorist entity. It cannot be allowed to grow and act further. We know what unchecked white supremacy looks like. It is a deadly force. It is time to ban the Second Sons in Canada. globalnews.ca/news/12076278/…

It is utterly horrifying and disgusting to witness this mass death threat issued to Islamic schools across Ontario. We have now witnessed, in Canada, several overt calls of violence aimed at Muslims and Muslim communities. This is a threat that puts our broader social fabric in great danger. It must be addressed with the utmost urgency and seriousness. We know what the result of unchecked threats and Islamophobia looks like it Canada. It is deadly. It has made Canada into the leading G-7 country when it comes to Islamophobia motivated murders. We cannot accept this as the norm. It is time to act. We call on all elected leaders to condemn this latest incident, and to sit down with community members to build a National Strategy on Combatting Islamophobia. cbc.ca/news/politics/cbc-ca-…

This week, the NCCM team was on Parliament Hill to co-host a "Welcome Back" reception with Islamic Relief Canada as Members of Parliament return to the House of Commons. We were happy to be joined by so many community leaders, staffers, MPs, and cabinet Ministers from every major party to highlight the need for a new way forward when it comes to making Canada even better. We look forward to working across the aisles to make sure that we stand together against the challenges in front of us, whether in looking at the rise of Islamophobia or the threats posed by the Trump regime.

It is deeply disheartening to see yet another Muslim community member attacked, this time at a Toronto bus stop. Toronto police is investigating what happened, and the survivor is recovering from her injury. No one deserves to feel unsafe, or be physically assaulted, while simply living their lives in their communities. We are in touch with the family affected and will have more to say as the situation evolves.

It is absolutely horrifying that an individual was able to invade a youth area inside the Winnipeg Islamic Centre Masjid Bilal just this weekend, while also screaming Islamophobic threats at those present. Authorities were called immediately and arrested the invader. The children are deeply shaken and scared, but thankfully, no one sustained any physical injuries. We now must come together with our elected officials across the country to address what has been a terrifying spike in anti-Muslim incidents across Canada. That means addressing issues like public funding for mosque security via a broader National Strategy on Combatting Islamophobia. It is time for tangible solutions. We can wait no longer.

We are horrified and disgusted to hear about this shooting. Those responsible should face the harshest possible punishments. quintenews.com/2026/09/20/sh…

As of Sept 1st, Quebec's public institutions and universities are no longer allowed spaces for "religious practices." That means that all of the interfaith rooms where Muslims used to pray will now be closed. It means you could get in trouble for praying quietly in a stairwell at a school. The same law also banned religious practices and prayer in outdoor public spaces. We are now witnessing the systematic decimation of religious spaces and freedoms in Quebec. All thanks to bills like Bill 9 and Bill 21, all passed by the Notwithstanding Clause. NCCM has argued at the Supreme Court that usage of the Notwithstanding Clause must be restricted. The Court will render its decision this year. The rights of all Quebecers and Canadians hang in the balance.

A motion committing to further action on Islamophobia passed unanimously in the Nova Scotian legislature today, as read by MLA Lina Hamid. This is a necessary step forward in our collective effort to beat back the tide of anti-Muslim hate that has risen across the region and beyond. It happened right after the inaugural Atlantic Canada Advocacy Day. There is much more to do. Our collective community advocacy is more important than ever. We look forward to building a new way forward.

For a sacred place of worship to endure vandalism and intimidation involving, among other things, the smearing of feces on its walls is infuriating and disgusting beyond words.  It is an act meant to demean, to humiliate, and to intimidate.  The mosque is a place for all to seek peace and faith, particularly for youth and the elderly.  That they have to see this truly inhumane act visited upon their most cherished of sacred spaces is a crime that should anger all in the Whitehorse area. We hope the right charges will be laid and the individual held to account.  It is time for all communities to stand together to stop anti-Muslim hate from becoming a norm in Canada.  We urge all elected leaders to denounce this incident and to sit down with community members to plan out a National Strategy on Combatting Islamophobia.

This week, the NCCM team was proud to have helped organize the inaugural Advocacy Day for Halifax, NS that brought together elected officials across political parties in meetings with a number of key community leaders. Together, issues of Islamophobia were discussed, including the need to address the rise in anti-Muslim incidents across the region, and how to make Nova Scotia better for everyone. Together, we look forward to convening more conversations that help build a better path to make Nova Scotia better for everyone.