Waterdown Islamic School bus vandalized, damaged with hateful graffiti

Waterdown Islamic School bus vandalized, damaged with hateful graffiti

The school in Hamilton closed on Monday and Tuesday as a result of the incident, while police investigate

A school bus used by an Islamic school in Hamilton's Waterdown area was targeted in an act of vandalism that included hateful graffiti, slashed bus seats and a damaged dashboard, according to a representative from the school.

A worker went to check the bus on Sunday night and discovered the damage, said a statement on behalf of the school.

Const. Trevor McKenna with Hamilton police said the Hate Crime Unit is now investigating.

The bus belongs to the Waterdown Islamic School, located at 20 Innovation Dr., which serves students between junior-kindergarten and Grade 6. It's a private school where "Qur’anic values and the Ontario curriculum work hand-in-hand," according to its website. The school is backed by the Toledo Foundation, a Muslim charity.

The bus, which had been purchased by the school a month ago, had been parked in a lot since last Tuesday with other school buses, but was the only one targeted, according to a statement from Muneeza Sheikh, founding partner of Muneeza Sheikh Employment & Human Rights, the law firm that represents the Toledo Foundation.

According to a statement, there are no markers on the outside of the bus that tie it to the school, which means whoever targeted it must have put some effort into identifying the bus. Pictures reviewed by CBC Hamilton show the bus had seats ripped open, damage to the dashboard and Islamophobic messaging written on some of the walls.

Hamilton police said a fire extinguisher was also deployed inside the bus.

According to the statement from the foundation's lawyer, a locked door was broken, a first-aid kit, the bus's radio and a safety check button were stolen. There were also threatening words written on the back of the bus.

The school closed on Monday and Tuesday due to the incident.

Salim Jabban, a parent at the school, said he and other parents are feeling "unsafe."

"We're obviously devastated. This is shattering because we've lost the confidence to even like, how can we be sure and safe? It's just devastating," he said.

Jabban said parents were notified Sunday night.

Targeting children because of faith 'reprehensible:' MP

The National Council of Canadian Muslims said in a statement the incident was "alarming to the highest degree."

"We call on all leaders to denounce what happened, and to work with community members to stem this tide of Islamophobia," the council said in a statement posted to social media.

Mayor Andrea Horwath and Hamilton Centre MP Aslam Rana also put out statements denouncing the vandalism.

"Targeting someone because of their faith is unacceptable. Targeting children because of their faith is even more reprehensible," said Rana.

Read my statement on the Islamophobic incident at the Waterdown Islamic School: pic.twitter.com/Y70aeYkef7

Misinformation around the school

The Toledo Foundation said through its lawyer it is worried misinformation about the school related to a case last year could be connected or contributed to the incident.

The foundation is currently in the middle of litigation with a church and a company that owns a building where the Islamic school was hoping to share space with the church.

The foundation alleges the landlord cancelled a new lease agreement with the organization after a Hamilton pastor with the church made Islamophobic comments during a service.

The Toledo Foundation was hoping the new space would host its Islamic school and said the cancellation has impacted dozens of children who had set their sights on attending this fall.

Sheikh said there has been "a great deal of misinformation that has been spread about the lawsuit."

"Much of it has come down the pipeline because of reckless public reporting, where Toledo Foundation has been accused of trying to oust the church out of its space or operate an Islamic school inside the church," she said.

"This is false, and those perpetuating this misinformation have contributed to this hate crime in our view."

Aura Carreño Rosas is a reporter at CBC Hamilton. She's originally from Venezuela. She has extensive experience in covering stories about immigrants and migrant workers as well as interesting people with diverse journeys. You can contact her at aura.carreno.rosas@cbc.ca