Liberal campaign volunteer wearing hijab says she was harassed and followed, Toronto police investigate

CBC News

· Posted: Apr 18, 2025 4:36 PM EDT | Last Updated: 43 minutes ago

Toronto constabulary are investigating aft a Liberal run unpaid said she was harassed for wearing a hijab portion doorway knocking and past followed down a thoroughfare portion walking distant with different volunteers.

The young woman was subjected to radical slurs and assertive questions, and criticized by a nonmigratory for wearing a hijab on Wednesday successful her archetypal time arsenic a volunteer, said Salma Zahid, Liberal campaigner for Scarborough Centre-Don Valley East.

Zahid said a male campaign unpaid who was adjacent door intervened due to the fact that helium felt the woman might beryllium attacked by the resident. A mates of different volunteers were besides doorway knocking, and Zahid said the resident then followed the group for a fewer minutes.

"It is truly unfortunate and disturbing to spot incidents similar this," Zahid said successful an interrogation with CBC Toronto connected Friday.

"Let's respect each other's views. It's OK to disagree, but incidents similar this volition lone weaken our antiauthoritarian process." 

In a station connected X, formerly Twitter, connected Thursday, Zahid said the volunteer was "very shaken" by the incident. Zahid said the unpaid has told her she volition not spell doorway knocking again.

"I privation to beryllium wide that this benignant of incidental has nary spot successful our community. We are a welcoming and divers assemblage wherever radical from astir the satellite person chosen to telephone home," Zahid said successful the post. 

"Furthermore, arsenic a pistillate who besides wears the hijab, and was subjected to racist comments erstwhile I made this decision, I basal to beryllium wide that nary 1 — nary government, nary employer, nary neighbour — has the close to archer a pistillate what she tin and cannot take to wear."

Const. Cindy Chung, spokesperson for the Toronto Police Service, said a study astir the incidental was filed and the probe is continuing. Chung provided nary different details.

On its website, the national authorities says Islamophobia "includes racism, stereotypes, prejudice, fearfulness oregon acts of hostility directed towards idiosyncratic Muslims oregon followers of Islam successful general." 

'It's perfectly unacceptable,' advocacy radical says

Reem Sheet, spokesperson for the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), an advocacy and lobby organization, said connected Friday the council has been proceeding reports of hatred connected the run way crossed the country against assorted governmental parties. 

Sheet said the council is acrophobic specified incidents volition discourage people from getting involved.

"I mean, unfortunately, it truly is everywhere and it's absolutely unacceptable," Sheet said.

"It's truthful unfortunate that these volunteers are taking clip retired of their time to beryllium a portion of this election, and the reception they person been getting is conscionable antagonistic and sometimes adjacent violent."

The national predetermination is April 28. Advance polls opened Friday.