A new Senate report investigating the surge in antisemitic attacks across Canada has drawn criticism for failing to mention the role of Islamic extremism. The report, produced by the Senate Committee on Human Rights after 17 months of study and 44 witness interviews, concludes that 'young Canadians' radicalized by 'social media' are primarily responsible for the unprecedented increase in threats against Jewish communities following the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023.
Omissions in the Report
Despite multiple foiled Islamist plots targeting Jewish sites during the period under review, the word 'Islam' or 'Muslim' appears only in references to Muslim communities as comparable victims of hate. The report's 73 pages contain no analysis of Islamic extremism as a driver of antisemitism.
For instance, a Pakistani national based in Toronto recently pleaded guilty to plotting a mass shooting at a Brooklyn Jewish centre. A father-son duo was also charged with planning a deadly attack on Jewish sites in Toronto. Moreover, the same week the report was published, an Ontario court convicted an Ottawa youth of plotting an Islamic State-inspired attack to 'murder as many Jewish persons as possible.'
Contrasting Findings
The Senate report contrasts sharply with a 2025 special report by the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism, which characterized the rise in Canadian Jew hatred as largely a symptom of entrenched Islamist political networks. That report noted that 'organizations affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, of which Hamas is also an adherent, have managed to embed themselves at all levels of Canadian society,' especially on campuses.
Ironically, the Senate report relied on 2015 testimony from Lorenzo Vidino, an expert on Muslim Brotherhood influence operations, who warned that these groups 'basically aim to be the gatekeepers to the Muslim communities.'
Recommendations
The Senate committee's 22 recommendations focus on improving digital literacy and social media education to counter radicalization online. However, critics argue that ignoring the role of Islamic extremism undermines the report's effectiveness in addressing the root causes of antisemitic violence.
The report acknowledges the disturbing reality of shootings at Jewish schools, vandalism of synagogues and Holocaust memorials, and harassment of Jews on campuses and in communities. Yet, it stops short of identifying the ideological sources of these attacks beyond vague references to 'malicious foreign actors' on social media.
