On the solemn anniversary of the tragic killing of four members of a London Muslim family, the community gathered to honour the lives of the Afzaal family and continue to stand against Islamophobia.
Amira Elghawaby, Canada’s special representative on combatting Islamophobia, was in London to take part in the Our London Family Vigial and stopped by CBC London ahead of the Thursday night event to talk about ongoing efforts to end Muslim hate.
Elghawaby spoke with the CBC’s Travis Dolynny on Afternoon Drive.
The following has been edited for length and clarity.
Travis Dolynny: What does it mean to you to be here today?
Amira Elghawaby: I think many of us who remember what happened three years ago here in the city of London remember how deeply shocked we all were to find out that this wonderful, beautiful family – we’ve come to learn about them and come to fondly call them Our London Family – how these four lives were snuffed out in such a senseless act of terrorism. Being here and once again meeting with the families and community members and leaders, reminds me that Canadians do stand for inclusion. They do stand for ensuring that everyone in this country can freely be who they are and contribute.
But sadly, amongst us, there are those pockets of hate. There are those who have very divisive, dangerous ideas about the other people they don’t know or don’t understand. And it’s more important than ever that we come together on a day like today, not only to remember this family, to show solidarity with their relatives who’ve shown incredible resilience and strength but also to recommit in our own communities, in our own spaces that we exist. That we are always going to stand up for one another. And we will ensure that we do everything on our part to say no to hate.
TD: What do you remember about that day, June 6, 2021?
AE: Initially, we weren’t sure what had happened to this family. We knew that there had been a terrible accident, and there were words starting to spread within Muslim communities across the country that this may indeed have been a targeted attack. So the day after that we realized that this was hate-motivated, we were just absolutely shocked, horrified and deeply, deeply, hurt that this kind of attack could happen.
LISTEN | Afzaal family vigil sparks conversation on Islamophobia:
Afternoon Drive8:58Afzaal family vigil sparks conversation on Islamophobia
On the third anniversary of their death, Londoners will be gathering for a vigil to remember the Afzaal family. Among the attendees is Amira Elghawaby, Canada’s first appointed special representative on combatting Islamophobia. Guest host Travis Dolynny is joined by Elghawaby to discuss.
TD: There was a call for change. I remember it prominently on the steps of our Muslim mosque. A lot of promises were made by all levels of government that day. So, three years on, have any of those powers made good on their promises to fight Islamophobia?
AE: I think what’s really important for all of us to remember is this kind of work is ongoing, and absolutely it was important to hear from political leaders who came out, as did thousands of people across London and from beyond who wanted to be here to show solidarity and stand up for our shared values.
There was an anti-Islamophobia summit that was called by the federal government a few months later in which Muslims from across Canada put forward recommendations for all three levels of government. One of those recommendations was the creation of the role that I now hold. But the work is, as I said, not only ongoing but quite deep because there are systemic issues at play as well.
There’s education, there’s awareness that we need to do and what’s really very hopeful, for instance, is today the Thames Valley District School Board just launched its anti-Muslim racism strategy, which I think is so important, especially because Yumna, the young girl who was part of this beautiful family alongside her mother, father and grandmother who were killed that day, was supposed to be graduating this Friday with her peers.
So, what a moment to know that not only has she not been forgotten, but her legacy will be carried on in this critical work we do in our schools to make sure that all kids feel safe, and included, and that they know what to do if they see hate.
TD: London police have reported acts of hate are up. How do you stay optimistic about ending Islamophobia?
AE: Well, it’s like conversations just like this one. You know, I can imagine listeners just tuning in right now and thinking where they were three years ago. And I’m sure that many feel a lot of empathy. I remember when there was the front page news and the Globe and Mail of this terrible attack. And I was very fearful that my 7-year-old would see that article because our children are so precious. You don’t want them to realize that hate can target them because of their identities. And so he did find it. And he looked at me and he couldn’t really articulate his feelings. He just looked so lost. And that feeling of loss and loss of innocence is something that we have to grapple with as a society and as leaders and adults in the room. We need to be thinking about the legacy we’re leaving behind for our kids.
TD: What can everyday people do in their own lives to combat Islamophobia?
AE: Well, I think it actually goes back to being connected to one another. What we hear from various communities across the country more broadly, is that people have lost that sense of connection with their neighbours. They don’t hang out as much anymore. You don’t have as many conversations across the picket fence. If you’re fortunate to live in a home or your apartment building or public transit, people don’t have enough of those interactions just to get to know each other.
We can’t let online spaces be the only place we learn about each other because very sadly, there are so many hateful narratives online. There’s so much division. The algorithms will pull you through, and as we saw with the terrorist in London, he was consuming this horrible information.
Just the other day, Yumna’s uncle said in testimony in Parliament that his son said if only he’d had a chance to have some mango smoothie and a kebab with us, maybe he wouldn’t have hated us so much. And I think it really speaks to that connection that’s missing in our society, that we really need to figure out how to reconnect with each other, get to know one another and realize that at the end of the day, of course, we’re all the same. We want the same things and we need to care for each other.