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Montreal police say their hate crimes unit is investigating after an Uber driver reported being threatened by a passenger with an edged weapon during a ride earlier this month, an incident the National Council of Canadian Muslims says has raised concerns about increasing Islamophobic violence.
Police say the incident happened Dec. 6 around 11:45 p.m. ET near Rue du Square-Victoria and Rue Saint-Antoine in the Ville-Marie borough. A 39-year-old driver reported being verbally confronted by one of two passengers and at one point an edged weapon was shown.
After an exchange, the driver stopped the vehicle and the two passengers got out, police said.
The driver later went to a police station to report the incident. Montreal police say the file was transferred to the hate crimes unit due to threats that targeted the driver’s name. No arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.
Police say both the suspect and a witness are being sought, and it is unclear whether they know each other.
‘Rise in hate crimes across the country’: NCCM
In a news release, the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) said the suspect demanded the driver disclose his faith before threatening him, saying, “I’m going to slit your throat.”
The suspect then pulled out a knife, but the potential attack was averted because the other passenger intervened, the NCCM said.
In an interview Tuesday evening, NCCM CEO Stephen Brown said the driver came to the organization for assistance in navigating the case, saying he was shaken by the attack and is unwilling to speak to the media at this point.
Brown said the incident highlights the increasing violence that Muslims, especially women who wear a hijab, face in Quebec and across Canada.
“We’re seeing the rise in hate crimes across the country,” said Brown, adding that in Quebec the rise appears to mirror public discourse. “Right now, there’s a lot of tension in society.”
In August, the Islamophobia Research Hub at York University released a report calling on governments across Canada to increase oversight on how universities, schools, police forces and Parliament are dealing with a recent spike in instances of anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian racism.
In Quebec, Brown pointed to the provincial government’s recent push of Bill 9, a proposed law that would expand existing secularism rules by extending bans on religious symbols to subsidized daycare workers, limiting prayer spaces in public institutions and restricting group prayers in public spaces.
The government says the bill reinforces state religious neutrality, while critics argue it would disproportionately affect religious minorities.
Leaders urged to condemn alleged attack
“There’s a lot of talk about having to protect society from radical Islamists, but very little is done to differentiate between average, everyday Muslims who are just trying to live their lives and the handful of people doing unacceptable things,” said Brown.
Brown said government measures restricting public prayer and the wearing of veils blur the line for the public between extremism and the peaceful practice of Islam.
“When people aren’t able to differentiate between radical Islamists and an Uber driver, this is the kind of thing that happens,” he said, urging politicians and public leaders to speak out.
“No one in Quebec should fear for their life because of their religion,” the NCCM said in the news release. “We call on Quebec politicians and leaders to strongly condemn this Islamophobic act and take concrete measures to reduce tensions across the province.”
CBC News contacted Uber for comment and is waiting for a response. Montreal police say they are staying in touch with the driver as the investigation continues.
