‘We’ve had to adapt to living in fear’: Toronto family says they have endured months of Islamophobia

Marycarmen Lara-Villaneuva and her husband Khurram Shahzad say their family has been the victim of Islamophobia for several months. (Joanna Lavoie/CP24)

A Muslim family from Toronto’s east end says they no longer feel safe in their neighbourhood after being the target of numerous Islamophobic incidents over a period of four months.

The initial incident occurred on March 29, the last day of Ramadan, when a male suspect allegedly attempted to break into the family’s residence in the city’s Upper Beach area.

Marycarmen Lara-Villaneuva said just after 5:30 a.m. that day a man who lives in the area uttered anti-Muslim slurs and threats as he tried to bust open the door of the home she shares with her husband, Khurram Shahzad, and their two children.

Lara-Villaneuva said she believes they were targeted because of an inflatable mosque and a neon Ramadan Kareem light they had on their front lawn.

A suspect identified as Christopher Randewich, 53, of Toronto, was arrested a short time later and charged with two counts each of uttering threats/death or bodily harm and mischief under $5,000, Toronto police confirm.

They added that the hate crime unit “was advised and assisted divisional investigators.”

Less than two weeks later, Lara-Villaneuva said her family was again targeted in an incident that she believes to also be hate-motivated.

In this case, she said, a woman who lives nearby allegedly approached her and uttered anti-Muslim rhetoric in regards to the pro-Palestinian sign on her front lawn, accusing her of being a “terrorist.”

The family contacted Toronto police, who have confirmed to CP24 that they have a report on file pertaining to that occurrence but have not laid any charges at this point.

Meanwhile, the suspect who was arrested in March has since been charged with violating his release conditions on two separate occasions, police confirm.

Lara-Villaneuva said the accused’s first breach was on May 10 when he allegedly made a death threat against her and a neighbour.

The second violation, she said, occurred on July 16.

In this case, the accused allegedly yelled at Shazad from his nearby residence and started approaching him in contravention of his bail conditions. The suspect also uttered anti-Muslim remarks to the arresting officer, she said.

“We’ve had to adapt to living in fear, but how long are we supposed to live like this?” Lara-Villaneuva told CP24.com.

“We’ve taken steps to proactively protect our family, but there’s only so much we can do. It’s exhausting and it’s debilitating. … This is our home and our community.”

There were 443 hate crimes reported in Toronto last year, representing a 19 per cent increase from 2023.

As of May, Toronto police said that they had seen a 47 per cent decrease in reported hate crimes compared to the same time period in 2024.

But that data is of little comfort to families like Lara-Villaneuva’s.

The east-end resident said she’s taken to entering and exiting her house from the back door, often wears a hoodie when she goes out to conceal her identity, and tries to drive, if possible. They’ve also installed a security camera system, she said.

Shahzad, who occasionally travels for work, said the anti-Muslim hatred his family has been experiencing has him wondering if it’s safe to be away from his wife and children for any length of time.

He said that the incidents have also robbed his children – ages 8 and 15 – of their innocence.

“I’m always very uneasy when I’m away from home,” he told CP24.com earlier this week.

“It’s affecting my family and my home.”

‘Absolutely unacceptable’

Lara-Villanueva said she has reached out to both the police and local elected officials to advise them of her family’s situation and seek additional supports but hasn’t received much in the way of help.

She noted that a commitment by local Coun. Brad Bradford to organize a community safety meeting has not been fulfilled.

In an email to CP24, the Beaches-East York representative said he’s aware of the “Islamaphobic hate that a local resident and her family have experienced” and continues “to diligently work with this resident, local police, and city staff to educate the public about maintaining our city’s diversity and celebrating and uplifting our neighbors always.”

“Islamophobia is absolutely unacceptable in our community and in our country. Everyone deserves to feel safe and secure in their homes, and to be able to practice their religion without fear of violence,” Bradford wrote.

“I wholeheartedly condemn the incidents that have occurred, and both my office and myself personally have been in contact with the resident, 55 Division, and city staff focused on anti-hate initiatives to make sure that the resident and her family are safe.”

In a written statement, Beaches-East York MPP Mary-Margaret McMahon said she and her office are also aware of the incidents involving the family, calling it an “unacceptable situation.”

“We are committed to finding solutions to racist incidents as well as broader patterns of discrimination that come to our attention. Everyone deserves to feel safe in their home, in their community. We take that very seriously,” she said.

“We have addressed concerns directly with the residents, and the relevant community supports. We will continue to liaise with the family to help ensure their safety regarding the children’s identities while we recognize the huge importance of bringing situations like this one to the spotlight.”

More than 200 hate crime charges laid last year in Toronto

Toronto police laid 209 hate-motivated criminal charges in 2024, up from 156 in 2023.

The most frequent targets of hate crimes were the Jewish, LGBTQ+, Black, and Muslim communities, police said in their annual hate crime report in May.

Amira Elghawaby, Canada’s Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia, said she’s aware of the incidents faced by Lara Villaneuva’s family, describing them as “deeply troubling.”

Elghawaby said the family has done everything right: they called the police, they advised their local leaders, and sought support from neighbours and allies in their community.

“(They’ve) done everything correctly. … No one should be afraid for their children when they leave the house,” she said.

“If this family still doesn’t feel protected that raises questions that still need to be answered.”

‘It’s not just us’

Lara-Villaneuva and Shahzad said they decided to public about their situation to both create awareness about anti-Muslim racism and the need to better address it, as well as to support and encourage others who are also being subject to Islamophobia and other forms of racism and discrimination to report it to the police.

“It’s not just us. This is about the community, other racialized families, other Muslim families. It’s also about better supporting people with mental illness,” she said.