Muslim group, imam say sentencing of man who attacked worshippers in Mississauga is not enough

Advocates say Canada’s Muslim community is disappointed a man who assaulted worshippers at a Mississauga mosque last year with bear spray and while brandishing a hatchet has received an eight-year sentence.

Mohammad Moiz Omar, 25, pleaded guilty in Ontario Superior Court in Brampton to three criminal offences in connection with the March 19, 2022 attack inside the Dar Al-Tawheed Islamic Centre on McAdam Road, near Matheson Boulevard East and Kennedy Road South.

Video shows Omar entering the mosque and attacking as worshippers were praying.

Yesterday (July 25), the Ontario Superior Court sentenced Omar to eight years in prison.

Imam Ibrahim Hindy says the attack at the Dar Al-Tawheed Islamic Centre has left the community with long-lasting psychological pain that no jail time can fix and the sentencing does little to deter future violence against Muslims.

Police have said Omar entered the Islamic centre on March 19, 2022 and attacked those inside while they had their backs turned to him to pray.

The 24-year-old man was charged with multiple offences including assault with a weapon, and police have said the charges constitute terrorist activity under the Criminal Code.

Hindy says the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Brampton recently heard Omar consumed Islamophobic content online and had a list of mosques he wanted to target before he chose the Islamic centre because it was closest to him.

Steven Zhou, a spokesman for the National Council of Canadian Muslims, says a justice revealed today Omar is eligible for parole halfway into his sentence, which is also a concern for the Muslim community because some fear he might attack again.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 25, 2023.

The Canadian Press

With files from Declan Finucane