Muslim Community- The leaders of Muslim communities are hopeful that a new tool to report hate crimes can fill the gap between reported hate crimes and official figures.
The Islamophobia-Motivated Incident Reporting Tool (IMIRT) app, available nationwide, was unveiled Saturday at the Tawheed Community Centre in Mississauga.
Imam Ibrahim Hindy said the app was based on an incident that was motivated by hatred on Mar. 19, 2022. During that time, one man entered the adjacent Dar Al-Tawheed Islamic Centre and released bear spray towards people while armed with a hatchet. With a rising tide of Islamophobic sentiments, the organizations behind the app would like to make sure that those who are part of the community know that it’s there.
“This app is not merely a tool for reporting incidents; it’s a resource for the community,” Hindy added. Hindy is the director of religion at Yaqeen Canada at Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research.
“It allows us to identify patterns, understand the dynamics of Islamophobia and advocate for necessary changes to protect our community.”
Based on Toronto police stats, hateful violence against members of the community has increased in Ontario in the last month of October as the war between Israel and Palestine began. However, many people in the community claim that incidents are not reported because of the mistrust of police, which prevents the victims from coming forward.
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The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), the group that developed the app, reported 274 hate-related incidents across Canada between mid-October and mid-November. More than 60 per cent of Ontario is all by itself.
Although there was a “huge increase” after Oct. 7, Uthman Quick, director of communications, said it’s not their first experience of having witnessed an increase of this magnitude.
“These reports come from every aspect of society. Schools, places of worship, workplaces, people being physically and verbally assaulted on the streets,” Quick stated.
“And these are the reports that we receive at NCCM. We know there is much more out there, including reports to other organizations in our communities and a lot that goes unreported. This app will make things easier.”
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Apps can help spot patterns and prompt authorities to take action: experts.
Third-party reporting methods have become vital areas that are important to Muslim communities, especially given the history of distrust towards police that is a result of being under-policed, as stated by Barbara Perry, the director of the Centre on Hate, Bias and Extremism at Ontario Tech University.
“When they do report, you know, it’s often not taken seriously,” she explained.
Perry states that apps such as IMIRT can aid in identifying trends in hate-motivated crimes that can later be reported to police.
“It is a way of documenting the problem so that, you know, there can be pressure then brought to bear to act,” she added.
The research has revealed that some people may also be reluctant to speak to the police due to the fear of further victimization and also avoiding being the source of “negative attention” to themselves and their family, friends or institutions, according to Canada’s first anti-Islamophobia advocate Amira Elghawaby.
While the app’s purpose isn’t to replace police officers to tackle serious hate crimes, Elghawaby says it can assist through communicating and perhaps counselling.
“These are important, very effective ways to address the urgent fight we have to combat hate in Canada,” she added.
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Muslim Community – Hindy declares that the data won’t be shared, and there’s no intention to work directly with the police. He believes IMIRT can help open a dialogue among the Muslim community and the authorities.
“We’re open to meeting with law enforcement, showing them what the app can do, seeing their feedback,” Hindy explained.
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