A series of threats against mosques in the Canadian city of Charlottetown is creating panic among the Muslim community.
“We feel we are being targeted,” Zain Esseghaier, a spokesman for the Muslim community in Charlottetown, told The Globe and Mail.
“The mosque is being targeted and it’s really upset people.”
Mosques in the city came under a series of threats of attacks in recent weeks.
Last week, a bottle of gasoline with a note reading “Defeat Jihad” was found on the front steps of the Masjid Dar As-Salam mosque.
"A bottle containing gasoline is left on the doorsteps, you start wondering if the message that's being sent involves arson," he said.
The attack came two months after a truck of a contractor working on the building was set ablaze in August.
A pig’s head was also left nailed to a post at the scene of a new mosque in the city last October.
“The first time we thought it was a sick joke, the second time we were a little concerned because it was a fire,” said Esseghaier, who is a teacher and spokesman for the Muslim Society of Prince Edward Island (P.E.I).
“And the third time it was a little too close for comfort so we decided to go public.”
This is not the first time mosques in canada face threats.
In August, A commissionaire for the Victoria Coast Guard has threatened to blow up a new mosque in the southern city of Victoria. Fearful Muslims
The Muslim leader warned that the mosque threats leave the sizable community worried about their safety.
“We’re concerned about the safety and security of people that are visiting the mosque,” Esseghaier said.
The Masjid Dar As-Salam mosque, which has a capacity of 120 worshippers, was opened in July.
Prior to its opening, muslims performed prayers in the basement of another building in the city.
“People in the community have been dreaming of a place of their own for the last few years,” Esseghaier said.
“We’re at a loss to understand why anybody would do such a thing to a place of worship.
"We're wondering what's going to be the next gesture, the next thing that's going to happen," said Esseghaier.
Muslims make around 2.8 percent of Canada's 32.8 million population, and Islam is the number one non-Christian faith in the country.
A recent survey showed that the overwhelming majority of Muslims are proud to be Canadian, and that they are more educated than the general population.