The war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas is driving domestic tensions in Canada, reports a new poll from Angus Reid.Since Oct. 7, reports of anti-Semitism have risen starkly in Canada. The Jewish community has faced threats including an alleged terrorism plot in Ottawa which resulted in charges against a teenager. The same is true of Islamophobic incidents, which have “skyrocketed” in recent months according to the National Council of Canadian Muslims.New data from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute finds broad agreement in this country that both anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim discrimination are problems domestically. Indeed, three-quarters see both as significantly problematic, while just 11% of Canadians feel that each is “not really a problem”.However, there are varying perceptions of the severity of the problem both anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim attitudes pose. Canadians older than 54 are much more likely to view anti-Semitism as a major problem (34%) than those younger than 35 (22%). The inverse is true of anti-Muslim discrimination — more Canadians aged 18- to 34-years-old view it as a significant problem requiring serious attention (26%) than those older than 54 (21%).Most (75%) Canadian Jews see anti-Semitism as a major problem. However, Canadian Muslims place less emphasis on it, with half in that group saying it either is a minor problem (17%) or not really a problem at all in Canada (32%).Asked about the reverse, 48% of Muslims perceive anti-Muslim discrimination as a major problem and 26% of Jews agree. Few Jews describe anti-Muslim hatred as a minor problem (15%) or not one at all (4%).The Toronto Police Service expanded its hate crime team from six to 32 officers after it reported an increase in both Islamophobic and Anti-Semitic hate crimes since the war began Oct. 7. The National Council of Muslims says it recorded a 13-fold increase in anti-Islamic hate crimes and intimidation over a similar period of time.Angus Reid noted that Canadians have a worse view of religion than they did just six years ago.In 2017, the Angus Reid Institute first asked Canadians how to assess the impact of religions in Canada’s public square. Half said the overall contributions are an even mix of good and bad. Those who felt faith communities contributed positively to Canadian society outnumbered those who felt contributions were more negative by more than two-to-one.Today, Canadians are more critical of the impact of religion in Canada. The groups who believe the impact of religions are negative (26%) and those who believe they are a positive force (26%) are equal,Those who identify as religious themselves are more likely to see the contributions of religious communities to be positive. A majority of Muslims (60%) feel faith communities contribute more good to Canada than bad. For Canadian Jews, a majority feel religious contributions to society are mixed (52%), but they are more likely to believe them to be a net positive (29%) than a net negative (18%).For Christians, 36% believe religion is generally a force for good, while 47% see its contributions as mixed, and 17% see it as a net negative. For athiests, 47% saw religion as negative, 43% as neutral, and 10% as positive.
