Mississauga Mosque Attacker Receive 8-Year Sentence as Imam Says Not Enough
Justice Bruce Durno delivered the sentence during a hearing at the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Brampton on Tuesday. The length of the sentence conforms with a joint recommendation submitted by the Crown and defence.
"This was a targeted attack on all the congregants of the Islamic Centre, the worshippers present at the time, and on some of the values held dear by Canadians," Sarah Shaikh, a federal prosecutor with the Public Prosecution Service of Canda said in a statement.
"The sentence reflects the seriousness of the offence and society's condemnation for such attacks."
Mohammad Moiz Omar "intended to perpetrate a mass casualty event" when he entered the Dar Al-Tawheed Islamic Centre during early morning prayer on March 19, 2022 and sprayed bear spray toward congregants while swinging a hatchet, according to an agreed statement of facts.
According to the statement, he was motivated by an intense hatred for and desire to intimidate Muslims, prompted by his belief that Islam is "an intolerant and violent religion."
On July 19, Omar pleaded guilty to three charges, including administering a noxious substance with intent to endanger life or cause bodily harm; assault with a weapon; and mischief to religious property with motivation of bias, prejudice or hate based on religion.
As part of his plea, Omar agreed that the offences constituted terrorist activity under the Criminal Code, which allowed the Crown to push for harsher sentences.
Hate motivation aggravating factor, judge says
Durno gave Omar an eight-year sentence for the assault with a weapon charge, and five-year concurrent sentences for the other charges.
He said the offences were aggravated by the fact that they were motivated by hate, because they were planned and deliberated, and because they were conducted at a place of worship, among other reasons.
On the other hand, the sentence was mitigated by the fact that Omar pleaded guilty, is a first-time offender, apologized to the court and has "taken some steps to address the issues he faces."
After credit for time already served, Omar will serve five years, three months and 15 days in prison. He will become eligible for parole after half the sentence is served.
Ibrahim Hindy, imam of the Dar Al-Tawheed mosque, said no sentence is capable of reversing the fear, hurt and loss his community experienced as a result of the attack.
"There is a feeling of loss, a feeling of loss of innocence, loss of safety, loss of sanctity that we have all felt since this attack," Hindy said at a news conference following the sentencing hearing.
"I do worry that this sentence does not serve as enough of a protection for our community and all Canadians who just wish to practice their faith in peace."
Video posted to social media shows attack
On Monday, Hindy posted a video of the attack to Twitter, allowing the public to see what happened for the first time.
"This is the moment the attacker came into Masjid Dar Al-Tawheed hoping to hurt worshippers who had their backs turned to him," Hindy said in the post.
In the video, a group of more than 20 men are seen standing in two rows inside a prayer room — most are praying with their heads down and eyes closed — when a man wearing a satchel and carrying a hatchet enters from the hallway behind them and begins spraying a yellow substance toward the front of the room.
The attacker is then seen throwing one of the spray cans to the ground and wielding the hatchet as if about to strike.
As some of the worshippers turn around and realize what is happening, one rushes the attacker, who retreats to the back of the room and begins spraying a substance from a second can.
Other worshippers rush the attacker and successfully push him to the ground. As multiple men subdue him and drag him by his feet out of the room, others rush for the exit.
While none of the worshippers were seriously injured, one was kicked in the stomach and several suffered side effects from the bear spray, according to the statement of facts.
"This is Islamophobia. Hatred so intense that it drives a young man to attack people he's never met before for no reason other than their faith," Hindy said in the post. "I am deeply grateful for the bravery and courage of the brothers who stopped him and brought him down before he could cause the significant damage he intended to do."
'Started to fantasize about committing actual harm'
At Tuesday's sentencing hearing, Durno went through the results of an independent psychiatric assessment of Omar conducted by Hy Bloom, a licensed forensic psychiatrist, which has been viewed by CBC Toronto.
Omar, who was born in Pakistan, told Bloom he considered himself a "non-denominational Muslim," but that he had not been a believer in more than 10 years, the assessment said.
Omar was "unusually cooperative" during the assessment, it added, providing Bloom with an explanation for his actions that centred on his misgivings about Islam.
The assessment said Omar's parents suggested he tarted "to internalize" negative views about Islam when he was barely into adolescence.
"He became fixated on following media reports and internet stories ... bearing that subject matter, and started to fantasize about committing actual harm against seemingly high value symbolic targets of his religion of origin, culminating in the behaviours in question."
Bloom also found Omar had led a "marginal life in relative isolation," characterized by struggles with academics, social life and mental health.
Bloom's final assessment "strongly suggests" a diagnosis of mild autism spectrum disorder (ASD), as well as a "presumptive prenatal/intranatal neurodevelopmental problem."
Despite those findings, Durno found that Omar's "moral culpability remains high."
Source: cbc.ca
