Coalition of Muslim Women releases 2nd annual Snapshot of Hate report

A total of 97 incidents of hate or discrimination from across Waterloo region were reviewed as a part of the second annual Snapshot of Hate report by the Coalition of Muslim Women (CMW).

All the incidents of hate analyzed in the report were collected from January to December 2022.

Of the people who reported incidents to CMW, 26 identified as South Asian, 17 said they are Middle Eastern and 11 people identified as Black.

A majority of the people who disclosed their religion identified as Muslim. There were also reports of hate from people who identified as Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Sikh or non-religious.

Only 10 of the 97 incidents were reported to police and four were directly reported to a local school board.

The research team found that all the reported incidents of hate could fit in one of four categories: hate crimes, hate incidents (limited to non-criminal incidents), discrimination and hate speech (includes verbal, online or printed hate).

Data was collected for the report through CMW's hate reporting service, Statistics Canada, the Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) and community partners like the Somali Canadian Association and the Caribbean Canadian Association of Waterloo Region.

"This report highlights the importance of community-based reporting and the rich information that can be gleaned from it, especially with opportunities where we can present information year-over-year," the report said.

"It allows us to plan, to create, and build from a stronger position of equity and safety, and with a community attitude that embraces diversity."

Members of CMW presented their findings during a vigil for the two year anniversary of the Afzaal family tragedy on Tuesday.