Time and time again, Imam Ahmad Shafaat has seen his religion come under attack, largely due to the actions of a man half a world away.

"Especially in the United States," Shafaat told CTV Montreal's Maya Johnson on Monday, "there are many, many incidents of hate against Islam."

But with the announcement Sunday of Osama bin Laden's death, Shafaat is hoping it changes that culture of hate.

"For the Muslim world," he said, "one era is finished."

The anti-Islam sentiment that took over in the U.S. also hit home.

The Dorval Mosque was repeatedly targeted by vandals since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 in New York City and Washington D.C. claimed nearly 3,000 lives, including 24 Canadians.

The mosque's members find it frustrating that they are in a position to continuously defend their religion, even though they are fundamentally opposed with the Muslim extremists who followed bin Laden's lead.

"They hurt us," said Mehmet Deger, the president of the Dorval Mosque. "They do not represent the true Islam. They represent themselves."

With bin Laden's death, hope exists for Deger that a new outlook on his religion will begin to take over among those who equated Islam with terrorism.

"This is the beginning," he said. "As President (Barack) Obama mentioned, change is necessary and we are changing."

At least one analyst feels Deger's hope is slowly becoming a reality.

"It is lessening," said Universite de Montreal history professor Samir Saul, "thanks to the Arab spring."

Saul is referring to a series of pro-democracy uprisings across the Arab world, and the sudden death of bin Laden will only add to this change in perception about Islam around the world.

"It's another nail in the coffin of Jihadism and terrorism," Saul said. "It was already fading, it's already going away in any case, but that will accelerate the process."

However, at least one Montreal Muslim agrees with many who fear that bin Laden's death will only galvanize the more radical elements of the Islamic world.

"Here we go again now with terrorism and Islam," said Ehab Lotayeff. "Its link to terrorism will be back in the news and that's really the last thing that we, as Muslim and Arab communities, want."