This campaign is in support of a Mississauga father (Muhammed Abu Marzouk) and his family in the wake of a vicious parking lot attack that left Muhammed with serious injuries to his head and body, including “multiple fractures” and “a huge brain hemorrhage”.

The DawaNet and Masjid Dar Al-Tawheed teams have each visited the hospital earlier this afternoon where Muhammed is still in ICU after going through multiple surgeries, including a brain surgery. 

We met with the Abu Marzouk family to assess their current needs and have received their permission to launch this campaign. 

Muhammed was the sole breadwinner for the family, and his recovery may take several months. Funds raised from this campaign will be utilized by the family to pay for day to day living expenses.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Muhammad and his family. We pray for his quick and complete recovery.

Canada Zakat (DawaNet) is working closely with the management at Masjid Dar-At-Tawheed to whom the Abu Marzouk family is well known, as well as other community organizations such as the MCP and NCCM to coordinate our combined efforts to help the family. 

Stay tuned to this page for updates. 

General inquiries about this campaign can be directed to:
junaidsohail@dawanet.ca 

Media inquiries can be directed to:
media@dawanet.ca

Media Links: 

CityNews

Mississauga News

CBC News

680 News

NCCM Denounces Hate-Motivated Assault of Mississauga Man

The NCCM encourages Muslim community institutions and leaders to review its Community Safety Kit which offers tips on protecting their institutions and communities against possible attacks. If you or someone you know has experienced a similar incident we also encourage you to report it to the authorities and to NCCM using our online Incident Report Form.

STORY

It was supposed to be a peaceful summer evening outdoors with friends, but things took a frightening turn when a Mississauga, Ont., father of two was severely beaten in what Peel Regional Police confirm they are investigating as a hate-motivated crime.

Mohammed Abu Marzouk, 39, was just about to head home from a picnic he was attending with his family near the Mississauga Valley Community Centre on Sunday night when two men passing on foot behind his car started shouting at the family, "f--king Arab people! Terrorists," his wife, Diana Attar, said in an exclusive interview with CBC News.

As she leaned over her husband to hold him, Attar says, she was kicked too. 

The father of two was rushed to a Toronto trauma centre with what his family says were multiple fractures to the face along with brain hemorrhaging. Almost immediately, he was taken into surgery where Attar says they "removed a part of his skull" to stop the bleeding and put on a breathing tube. 

All the while, Attar says, her four- and six-year-old daughters were asking her if their dad had died and if they would ever see him again. 

Police now treating incident as hate-motivated

Two Brampton men — Janis Corhamzic, 19, and Adem Corhamzic, 27 — have been charged with one count of aggravated assault and two counts of assault. The brothers appeared in court Monday morning. 

I've lived in this country for 39 years, I've never faced this.- Fuat Yucel

Initially, Peel Regional Police were treating the incident solely as one of road rage. But by Tuesday night, that changed with police confirming they are now investigating the attack as hate-motivated.

"We were provided information that the initial incident started as a result of the road rage, a dispute that happened in the parking lot. Witnesses subsequently came forward and talked to investigators and provided them with some statements that were made while the incident was unfolding by the two arrested and charged males," police spokesperson Akhil Mooken said.

Mooken would not confirm the specific statements made by the men citing the ongoing investigation, but did say investigators are consulting with the Crown attorney's office. For a hate crime charge to be laid in Ontario, the province's attorney general must provide consent. 

Fuat Yucel, the friend who tried to intervene in the incident, said he's never seen anything like what he saw Sunday night.

'We have to be concerned'

"I've lived in this country for 39 years, I've never faced this ... There's absolutely no doubt. This is a hate crime," Yucel said. "Islamophobia? It does exist."

Ibrahim Hindy is the imam of the Dar Al-Tawheed, the mosque where Abu Marzouk's family prays. 

"My kids play with their kids," he said. So when he heard that that 39-year-old was in hospital, he rushed over to visit. "I didn't realize the extent of how badly beaten he was," said Hindy, who took to social media to raise awareness about the incident Tuesday because the family "felt like they weren't being heard."

That police are now treating the incident as hate-motivated was welcome news to Hindy, who points out the number of anti-Muslim hate crimes reported to Peel police last year jumped 91 per cent.

"They were calling them Arab terrorists, so clearly their religion, their ethnicity was playing a part in that. We have to be concerned about hate against any community, but this is a significant issue that's happening," said Hindy.  

Lingering images, lingering questions

"We as a society have to start recognizing the fact that hate is alive here. It was a very significant motivating factor in this attack and that needs to be acknowledged in order for it to be dealt with."

The National Council of Canadian Muslims said in a statement Wednesday that it condemns "in the strongest possible terms the brutal assault," and called on authorities to prosecute those responsible "to the fullest extent of the law in order to send a strong message against hate and intolerance."

For her part, Attar remains shaken, the image of her husband being kicked replaying in her mind and the smell of the blood pooling around him still with her.

She's also left wondering why — if the sight of her hjiab when she poked her head out of the window might have set the men off. 

"I would have lost him if the police didn't come, I would have lost him ... for nothing."

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Police made two arrests nearby.

Abu Marzouk’s wife, aged 30, and a relative, a 49-year-old Toronto man, suffered minor injuries in the attack.

Ahmed said his older brother remains hospitalized in the neurology unit at the hospital.

“The next day or two is going to be critical,” he said, not knowing if his brother will survive or be brain damaged from the assault.

John Briscoe, who leaves near the scene, noticed heavy police activity around the intersection late Sunday.

"It's disturbing seeing all these cops and ambulances around here," he said.

Adam and Janis Corhamzic, age 27 and 19, two brothers both from Brampton, are each charged with aggravated assault and two counts of assault.

Anyone with information can call police at 905-453-2121, ext. 1233 or Peel Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.

Sh. Ibrahim Hindy of Dar-At-Tawheed shared his thoughts after visiting the family today:  https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10106146479961962&set=a.887409597172.2654734.28112135&type=3

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