‘Everyone should feel welcome and safe’: Ajax plans community healing event after alleged attack on Muslim woman – Set for April 4

The Town of Ajax has also created a support page.

The Town of Ajax is showing its support for the Muslim community after an alleged attack on a Muslim woman at the public library.

The town will host a community healing event on April 4 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. inside council chambers at Town Hall. Local community leaders and officials will speak to foster unity and understanding.

The event was announced just days after police say a suspect threw objects at a Muslim woman before attempting to set her hijab on fire at the library’s main branch.

Malcolm Barrington, co-chair of the Ajax Anti-Racism Task Force (AARTF), said he and the task force “forcibly condemn” the alleged attack at “what is supposed to be a safe place, the Ajax Library.”

“It is indeed a sad day when individuals believe that there is a place for such hate against a fellow resident,” he stated in a news release. “We should condemn all acts of racism and hate and remember as the late Martin Luther King Jr said: Hate begets hate; violence begets violence.’”

He added there must be zero tolerance for such behaviour and the AARTF is committed to work toward eliminating all acts of hate and racism in Ajax.

Mayor Shaun Collier called the incident “appalling and unacceptable.”

“Everyone should feel welcome and safe in our community and acts of hate will not be tolerated,” Collier added in the same release. “I urge all residents to come together to show support for the Muslim community and offer a sense of healing during this time.”

The town has also launched a support page with resources to connect with Muslim community leaders and organizations, as well as a space to share messages of love and solidarity.

By Metroland Staff, Ajax News Advertiser