Canada's prime minister and Muslim community representatives have condemned a brutal Islamophobic attack on a Muslim hotel worker in Markham, a city north of Toronto, describing it as one of the most shocking hate-motivated assaults in recent years.
Prime Minister Mark Carney denounced the attack Wednesday, calling it “appalling.”
“The attack on a Muslim man in Markham late last month is appalling,” Carney said on X.
“Acts of violence and Islamophobia have no place in Canada. The authorities have my full support as they work to bring the perpetrator to justice.”
Ontario Premier Doug Ford also called the incident “completely unacceptable.”
“Our government stands with Ontario’s Muslim community and will always fight back against Islamophobia in all its forms,” Ford said on X.
The attack occurred on Sept. 28 when a 54-year-old man, working as a night auditor at a hotel in Markham, was approached by two customers who asked about his ethnic and religious background. One of the customers, who had earlier asked the worker if he was Muslim before leaving the hotel, later returned and allegedly attacked him.
According to York Regional Police, the victim sustained “life-altering injuries” in what investigators described as a hate-motivated assault. “The Hate Crime Prevention Unit has charged a Toronto man following a violent, hate-motivated assault on a hotel employee in the City of Markham,” police said in a statement.
Police identified the suspect as 31-year-old Geethansan Sriranjan, who “told the victim he was going to kill him and chased him to a room, where he was violently assaulted.”
The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) condemned what it described as a “vicious, hate-motivated attack,” calling it “a rupture that won’t heal” in Canada.
“As I stand here with you, I am not just disappointed or sad; more than anything, I am angry,” said Omar Khamissa, NCCM’s chief operating officer, during a news conference. “Like all my colleagues, and so many in our community, I have seen Muslims across Canada be subjected to continuous attacks. This one just might be one of the worst.”
Emphasizing that the attack reflects deep-rooted Islamophobia in Canada, Khamissa said, “It is disgusting. What happened with our brother makes me sick to my stomach. I am out of words. I am frustrated. I feel at a loss trying to address this problem again and again and again. This is a rupture that won’t heal in this country.”
He urged Canada to make systemic changes to protect Muslim communities, saying: “When will Canada realize that systemic changes are needed to protect our community from these acts of Islamophobic violence?”
Khamissa said the incident must not become “another moment of mourning,” but rather “a moment that Canada finally wakes up” to the persistence of Islamophobia.
The victim’s wife, who withheld her name for safety reasons, described the devastation her family has endured. “Each time I look at him, my heart breaks, because the surgeon mentioned that he will not look the same, and I know that he will not feel the same either,” she said. “No wife has to see her husband like that. No children should have to see their father like that.”
Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti expressed solidarity with the Muslim community and the victim’s family. “We do stand in solidarity today with the victim’s family, with the victim, but with the broader Muslim community,” he said. “My only hope now is that the justice system in Canada will not let this family down.”
