OTTAWA — Canada’s Special Representative on Combating Islamophobia, Amira Elghawaby, is facing criticism from Jewish community leaders after delivering a speech highlighting a “sharp and dangerous rise in Islamophobic, anti-Palestinian, and anti-Arab rhetoric” in Canada while not referring to the historic surge in antisemitic hate crimes documented by police across the country.
In her remarks, Elghawaby described individual incidents of discrimination and alleged a “system of oppression” against pro-Palestinian Canadians. She cited cases of students called “terrorists” for wearing a keffiyeh, or prevented from displaying the Palestinian flag online. She also warned against what she called “censorship” of Canadians advocating for Palestinian rights.
Jewish organizations say the omission of antisemitism data is troubling. Statistics Canada reported that Jews were targeted in the highest number of religion-based hate crimes in 2023, making up more than half of all reported cases despite representing less than one percent of the population. Across North America, FBI figures show Jews were victims in 69 percent of all religion-related hate crimes in 2024, and 71 percent since October 7, 2023.
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs was quick to remind Elghawaby that Jewish Canadians are now the most frequently targeted group for hate crimes.
“Of course, every form of racism and discrimination should be condemned and addressed, but it is deeply concerning when official voices in Canada sideline the documented reality that Jews are currently the most targeted religious group in this country. For Jewish Canadians, the threat is not theoretical; it is lived every day.”
B’nai Brith Canada added that anti-Israel protests have, in many cities, crossed the line into open antisemitism, making Jewish students, businesses, synagogues, and community centers unsafe.
“We have the vandalism, the assaults, the intimidation caught on video. To ignore that in a national conversation on hate distorts the reality and undermines the fight against all prejudice.”
Jewish advocacy leaders also noted that the cases Elghawaby cited have not been independently verified in the same way as police-reported antisemitic hate crimes, while antisemitic incidents are fully documented in official statistics and by security agencies. They argue that rhetoric framing pro-Palestinian activism as “censored” often ignores the fact that some demonstrations feature slogans and imagery explicitly calling for violence against Israel or Jews.
In response, Jewish organizations are renewing calls for balanced, data-driven policymaking and education that addresses all forms of hate proportionally to their prevalence and severity. They warn that failing to confront antisemitism with the urgency it demands risks normalizing it and eroding public trust in Canada’s human rights discourse.
This article is based on verified information from Statistics Canada, Federal Bureau of Investigation hate crime reports, B’nai Brith Canada, Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, and statements from Canadian Jewish advocacy organizations.