Pakistan-origin man stabbed, insulted over ‘beard and clothing’ in Canada

Published June 29, 2021
Charlie Clark, the mayor of Saskatoon, said in a statement that he was “horrified and saddened” by the attack.
 — File photo/Reuters
Charlie Clark, the mayor of Saskatoon, said in a statement that he was “horrified and saddened” by the attack. — File photo/Reuters

Just weeks after a Pakistani family was murdered in Ontario, a Muslim migrant was attacked in a Canadian province with a knife by two unidentified assailants, local media reported.

In the city of Saskatoon in the Saskatchewan province, Pakistani national Muhammad Kashif was harassed and stabbed on Friday by two attackers.

Starphoenix daily reported that Kashif, 32, was assaulted while he was returning to his home in the evening, wearing traditional Muslim clothing.

He said the attackers stabbed him in the back as they shouted: “Why are you wearing this dress?” “Why are you here?” and “Go back to your country. I hate Muslims.”

They also shouted “And why do you have this beard?” before cutting off a part of Kashif’s beard. He was later stabbed in the arm and had to get 14 stitches.

“A third attacker might have been waiting for the first two in a nearby green car,” Kashif said. An investigation was launched into the assault.

Charlie Clark, the mayor of Saskatoon, said in a statement that he was “horrified and saddened” by the attack.

“Groups that are spreading white supremacy, Islamophobia and any other form of discrimination need to be investigated and held accountable,” he said.

“We must also confront individual acts of racism and discrimination,” he added.

Kashif, who emigrated from Pakistan to Canada 20 years ago, said he was concerned about the safety of his wife and three children, aged between 3 and 8.

The attack follows the June 6 incident in which four members of a Pakistani family in Ontario were run down by a truck in what police called “a planned, premeditated act, motivated by hate.”

Opinion

Editorial

Digital growth
Updated 25 Apr, 2024

Digital growth

Democratising digital development will catalyse a rapid, if not immediate, improvement in human development indicators for the underserved segments of the Pakistani citizenry.
Nikah rights
25 Apr, 2024

Nikah rights

THE Supreme Court recently delivered a judgement championing the rights of women within a marriage. The ruling...
Campus crackdowns
25 Apr, 2024

Campus crackdowns

WHILE most Western governments have either been gladly facilitating Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza, or meekly...
Ties with Tehran
Updated 24 Apr, 2024

Ties with Tehran

Tomorrow, if ties between Washington and Beijing nosedive, and the US asks Pakistan to reconsider CPEC, will we comply?
Working together
24 Apr, 2024

Working together

PAKISTAN’S democracy seems adrift, and no one understands this better than our politicians. The system has gone...
Farmers’ anxiety
24 Apr, 2024

Farmers’ anxiety

WHEAT prices in Punjab have plummeted far below the minimum support price owing to a bumper harvest, reckless...