A 28-year-old Canadian man has been arrested and charged with hate crimes after tearing up a Quran, the Muslim holy ebook, at a mosque within the Ontario province, police mentioned Sunday.
The incident befell within the metropolis of Markham whereas the suspect, Sharan Karunakaran, was later arrested in Toronto, the York Regional Police mentioned in an announcement.
The Islamic Society of Markham (ISM) mentioned in an announcement a person had come into the mosque in Markham, 30 kilometers north of Toronto, on Thursday and apparently tore a replica of the Quran, ranted at worshippers, after which tried to ram them together with his car.
The police, nonetheless, didn’t point out the Quran being torn in its assertion launched Sunday.
Police added they charged the suspect with uttering threats, assault with a weapon and harmful driving. His subsequent scheduled look might be on the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Newmarket on Tuesday.
Minister condemns crime
Canada’s Trade Minister Mary Ng condemned the hate crime on Saturday, saying such an incident had no place in Canadian society.
“Deeply disturbed to hear of the violent hate crimes and racist behavior at the Islamic Society of Markham,” Ng mentioned in a submit on Twitter.
She didn’t give particulars of the incident however mentioned: “This violence and Islamophobia has no place in our communities.”
Muslims see any try to wreck a Quran as blasphemous as a result of they think about the Islamic holy ebook to be the literal phrase of God.
The incident comes through the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, when worshippers throng mosques. Thousands of individuals attend the mosque at Markham, the society mentioned.
The National Council of Canadian Muslims mentioned in a submit on Twitter it was “greatly distressed” by the incident.
Source: www.dailysabah.com
