Canadian Muslim organization condemns 'violent arrest' of Black man by Edmonton police

A prominent Canadian Islamic organization has strongly condemned "violent arrest" of a Black Muslim man by Edmonton police, the footage of which has gone viral across various social media platforms, calling for accountability.

The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) issued the condemnation in a statement following the incident, which took place on Wednesday, providing a detailed account of the Canadian police brutality.

According to the statement, the man was pulled over by Edmonton police for an alleged minor speeding infraction during the Muslim festivity of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan.

The organization refrained from naming the man to protect his and his family’s privacy,

The NCCM also tweeted a video of the incident that took place in front of the victim's wife and young children, who were accompanying him.

The man, who had just taken part in the Friday prayers at a mosque in the city, is seen in the footage being violently pulled out of his vehicle by two officers.

The officers then push him to the ground, one placing his body over that of the Muslim man and the other pressing down his knee on his neck.

"Make no mistake about it," Said Omar, the NCCM’s Alberta advocacy officer, said in the statement.

"Having a knee violently pinned on the back of a man’s neck over an alleged minor speeding infraction — there were no Criminal Code charges — could have, as all Canadians know, produced far more tragic results," he added, referring to a similar violent episode that led to the death of African-American man George Floyd in the US city of Minneapolis in 2020.

The Canadian police alleged that the victim had refused to provide them with his documents as requested.

Explaining the reason for the victim's resistance, the Muslim organization, however, said he had noticed that one of the officers appeared agitated and requested a supervisor to be present before providing his driver’s license and other identification.

During the incident, as the video shows, a woman is heard pleading repeatedly with the officers to "stop" and telling them, "You’re not supposed to do this, there are kids in the car crying."

The NCCM said the man suffered a number of injuries and his family has suffered significant mental distress.

During recent years, Canada has witnessed numerous instances of Islamophobia and hate crimes targeting Muslims.

Report warns about 'institutional Islamophobia' in Canada

Report urges the "vital" need to address "institutional Islamophobia" in Canada.

Islamophobia has manifested itself in the vandalism of mosques as well as physical assaults, including violence against Muslim women wearing hijab. The violence has turned tragically deadly on several occasions.

Last August, a report released by the government agency, Statistics Canada, revealed that hate crimes against Muslims across the country had jumped by 71 percent in 2021.

The study found that the number of recorded attacks against Muslims increased from 84 incidents in 2020 to 144 in 2021. In 2019, a total of 182 incidents targeting Muslims had been reported.

Street racism is often inspired by online hate speech and extremism, which has increased in the country.

A 2016 Forum Poll revealed that 41 percent of Canadian adults expressed some level of bias against racial groups, with Muslims having the highest negative rating at 28 percent.

Another survey published in 2016 by the Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants, found that only 32 percent of Ontarians had a “positive impression” of Islam.

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