Mounties say worshipers were leaving after an afternoon prayer at the Surrey Jamea Masjid on Wednesday night when a vehicle arrived at speeds just before 11 p.m. PT. Then a person in the car threw water at three pedestrians. The vehicle then overturned and a pedestrian was “almost hit,” according to Mounties. “Although the motives of the suspect are not yet known, this is a very worrying incident that is being addressed to our Muslim community,” the RCMP said in a statement on Thursday. “We will work to determine the motives and we want to reassure the community that the incident will be fully investigated.” Cpl. Vanessa Munn told CBC News on Friday that police were able to find a possible license plate number for the suspect vehicle and may have identified the driver, but “additional steps” are needed to confirm who was behind the wheel. The RCMP asks anyone in the area with video from the incident camera to contact them. Moon said investigators are also interested in any information about what the vehicle did before and after the incident. Mayor Doug McCallum issued a statement Friday saying the incident was deeply worrying. “On behalf of the council, I want the members affected by this incident to know that we stand by them and condemn all acts of hatred in our community,” said the mayor. The BC Muslim Association (BCMA) said in a statement on Thursday that its first priority was to ensure that colleagues were safe after the incident and that they had asked police to investigate the incident as a hate crime. The statement also said that someone in a car threw a substance at worshipers leaving the afternoon prayer before the car left quickly and then returned to repeatedly pretend to be trying to blow people up. The incident at the Surrey Jamea Masjid took place just days before Eid, Islam’s holiest holiday. (Liam Britten / CBC)
Mohamed Assad Gondal, the union’s president, said the incident had shocked the church in the mosque. “It’s particularly embarrassing for the innocent pilgrim, especially [since it happened] “where they worship,” he said, “they are connected with God and have been attacked.” Godal said many children and women walk in the neighborhood mosque. He added that he did not know how the incident would affect attendance at the mosque – just days before Eid, the holiest holiday in Islam. In a statement, the BCMA said pretending to be scaring people was “no small matter” after a Muslim family in London, Ont., Was hit and killed by a truck last summer in a hate attack. The National Council of Canadian Muslims has said it is calling on political leaders, including Prime Minister Justin Trinto and BC Prime Minister John Horgan, to give priority to tackling Islamophobia. “While action has been taken on some of our recommendations, many of the recommendations we have made since the terrorist attack in London have not been implemented,” the council wrote on Twitter. “We have to do more. And we have to do it now.” We call on all leaders – including While some of our recommendations have been acted upon, many of the recommendations we have made since the terrorist attack in London have not been implemented. – @ nccm