A Muslim-run charity in Whitby is speaking out after its women's shelters were targeted this week by a series of arson threats and hateful online comments. CBC News reported that Durham police have opened an investigation, while the organization behind the shelters says it has been buoyed by an outpouring of support from the wider community.
According to the report, the threats stemmed from a since-deleted social media post in a public Facebook group called Canadians Against Overreach. CBC News, which read the post before it was taken down, said it incorrectly suggested the shelter was being funded by the government to provide Muslim housing and argued that Muslims should not be allowed to apply for social housing.
The most alarming part came in the comments. According to the account, at least two people discussed setting fire to the shelter, turning what might have been dismissed as online vitriol into something the charity and police are treating as a genuine threat to the safety of staff and residents.
Durham Regional Police confirmed that its hate crime and extremism unit is investigating the post. CBC News said it had reached out to the administrator of the Facebook group for comment, while officers work to determine who was behind the messages and whether any charges will follow.
The shelters belong to a larger faith-based organization called Muslim Welfare Canada, a group whose stated aim is to end poverty for all Canadians. It has been a fixture in Whitby for decades, providing emergency shelter and transitional housing for women and children of all backgrounds, and says it has faced multiple instances of discrimination over the years.
Despite the threats, the organization struck a defiant tone, saying it will not be discouraged by hateful commentary or by the threats being made, and that it reports all serious threats of violence in order to protect those it shelters. The episode prompted a wave of support online, including from local councillors and Whitby's mayor.
The mayor said the organization had only brought positivity to the region and denounced what she called hurtful comments, stressing that Whitby is not a place that accepts hate. The National Council of Canadian Muslims said it was disturbed by the comments, noting that Statistics Canada recorded a 94 percent rise in hate-related incidents against Muslims from 2023 to 2024, and called on politicians to build a plan to tackle rising hate. As of the report, Durham police had not yet laid any charges.