Police investigating video of man seemingly pouring liquid on Holy Quran

“I was very disturbed, I was shocked.” That is how Said Omar, Alberta Advocacy Officer at the National Council of Canadian Muslims felt when he watched a video of man pouring liquid on what appears to be a Holy Quran.

“For us, the Quran is very holy, so when we see an individual actively desegregate the Quran, it really hurts to be quite honest,” he says.

It was a normal day for Brother Asif, who was sharing information about Islam, and handing our Qurans on a street corner on Whyte Avenue. That’s when video shows a man approaching them.

1/3. We are deeply concerned about a disturbing #Islamophobic incident that recently took place in Edmonton's Whyte Ave area, involving the desecration of the Holy Quran. pic.twitter.com/oHmXymBGSz

— NCCM (@nccm) May 16, 2023

“An individual approached the two gentlemen, and used hateful and derogatory terms towards their faith, and proceeded to desecrate the holy Quran that was on their table standing by pouring what appeared to be a beverage,” explains Omar.

“If this happened to me, I would honestly think twice about openly expressing my faith because I would be worried this sort of incident would happen again.”

While the incident was upsetting, it did not stop Brother Asif from returning to the same street corner the following week.

“You can respectfully disagree, you don’t have to agree with everything,” says Asif. “A lot of people think by destroying copies of the Quran, they are going to achieve something. The Quran is in our hearts, how are you going to extinguish that?”

Recent data by Statistics Canada shows hate crime incidents reported by police in Canada increased 27 per cent from 2020 to 2021. This finding follows a 36 per cent increase in 2020.

The number of police-reported hate crimes rose by 72 per cent from 2019 to 2021. as motivated by religion continued to spike across the country in the second year of the pandemic, up 67 per cent.

On May 15, EPS was made aware of an incident that took place in the afternoon of May 10, on Whyte Ave involving a male targeting a group of individuals.

The EPS Hate Crimes Unit is in touch with the individuals impacted and has opened an investigation of this incident. pic.twitter.com/ZxL8pESWJd

— Edmonton Police (@edmontonpolice) May 17, 2023

Hate crimes targeting a given religion increased 67 per cent from 2020 to 2021.

“No matter what you believe in, you should be able to openly express your believes without being targeted for your beliefs,” says Omar. “There is clearly a problem, and we need to address this.”

The Edmonton Police Service says their Hate Crimes Unit is in touch with those involved, and has opened an investigation of this incident.