SURRY, British Columbia –
Warning: Disturbing content.
Members of the Muslim community in Surrey, British Columbia, have been alarmed after a group of worshipers leaving a local mosque were attacked by an aggressive driver.
They say they were nearly run over by a driver who cursed and threw them in the water as they left a local mosque on Wednesday.
Despite the intensity of the situation, one of the victims wanted to start recording on his mobile phone.
The attack took place at 11 pm after evening prayers.
The group had just left Surrey Jamea Masjid when they got into a fight with a driver near 122 Street and 72-A Avenue.
The four men in the video are on the 911 phone, telling the operator that they were almost hit by a car when the driver of the vehicle suddenly pulled back.
People inside can be heard shouting obscene words before someone in the back seat throws another bottle of water out the window.
The Muslim Association of British Columbia issued a statement saying: “While our first priority is to ensure that our brothers and sisters are safe after such a horrific incident, we call on the police to investigate this as a potential hate crime.
The RCMP says it has identified the person it believes drove the suspicious vehicle, a green hatchback.
“While the motives of the suspects are still unknown, this is a very worrying incident against our Muslim community. We will work to determine the motive and we want to assure the community that the incident will be fully investigated, “said Cap. Vanessa Mann, of the RCMP in Surrey, in a statement.
“The investigation is at an early stage. Investigators are in the process of talking to witnesses and obtaining video evidence, “Mann wrote.
The BCMA says it is “seriously concerned”, noting that the men were dressed in traditional clothing at the time.
The association says the incident is particularly worrying in light of last year’s terrorist attack in London, Ontario, which killed four members of a Muslim family.
Prime Minister John Horgan condemned the attack on Twitter.
“I am disgusted by reports of attempts to terrorize and injure people outside the Sari Mosque Masjid as they left prayers. I support those who are targeted and the Muslim community. “We must condemn acts of hatred and racism wherever we see them,” he wrote.
Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum also condemned the attack.
“Sari is a city that proudly celebrates our diversity and is stronger than it. “What happened to members of the Masjid Mosque in Surrey is deeply troubling and has no place in Surrey,” McCallum said in a statement Friday.
The attack took place days before Eid al-Fitr, a religious holiday marking the end of Ramadan.
Suri Jamea Masjid is a center for the Muslim community and hundreds of worshipers will attend Friday prayers, many now on the brink of what happened.
Anyone with information or who may have witnessed the incident has been asked to contact Surrey’s RCMP at 604-599-0502.
With files from Andrew Wichel of CTV News in Vancouver
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