Day of Remembrance for Our London Family

Today marks the one-year anniversary of the terrorist attack that took the lives of a Muslim family in London, ON. On June 6, 2021, the Afzaal family was struck by a truck on Hyde Park Road in what the police described as a crime motivated by anti-Muslim hate. Talat Afzaal, Salman Afzaal, Yumna Afzaal and Madiha Salman died, while a young boy survived. The event shocked the nation and shined a light on the effects of unchecked Islamophobia. A year later, we are still shocked, angry, and devastated.

This act of mass murder highlighted the Islamophobia and hate that is present in our society. Over the past year, much has been done to combat Islamophobia. A National Action Summit on Islamophobia was held and recommendations were made by Muslim communities across Canada to address it. CCMW held a youth roundtable on Islamophobia to include the voices of young Canadian Muslim women and girls in the national action plan to address Islamophobia.

We have provided over 60 workshops on Anti-Islamophobia and countering online hate and in the process have built alliances with over 40 different organizations that are now committed to join our efforts to address Islamophobia. These efforts are a debilitating preoccupation for all Canadian Muslims, particularly for Black and racialized Muslim women who are identifiable by their clothing. It is a difficult path for all of us. We need all Canadians to come together to build a Canada where all of us feel welcomed and safe. No one should ever be fearful while out for a walk on a warm summer’s eve.

Join CCMW for a virtual vigil to commemorate the Afzaal family on June 9th at 7:00pm EST. Register here.