Remembering #OurLondonFamily: London Unites to Honor the Afzaals and Combat Islamophobia

On June 6th 2021 our community lost #OurLondonFamily, the Afzaal's. Talat, her son Salman, his wife Madiha and their daughter Yumnah were the victims of a targeted attack because of their faith. A beautiful family of hardworking immigrants that chose to call London their home, tragically lost their lives. A nine year old boy left without his family as a consequence of an evening walk, an activity they enjoyed together regularly, in a community he was supposed to be safe in.

To say this tragedy shook our community is an understatement. Worry, fear, shame, shock, disbelief, sadness, grief and heartbreak were just some of the emotions felt by a wounded community. These emotions spread across the province - across the country even. Out of this tragedy came an outpouring of advocacy, a call to action to not only remember the Afzaal's but to honour them through an effort to combat Islamophobia. Individuals and communities standing together to say never again.

As we approach the one year anniversary, the city of London is once again coming together to remember, reflect, honour and advocate. Events spanning five days have been planned and include a vigil, a march, an art gallery and anti-Islamophobia workshops.

We at the London & Middlesex Local Immigration Partnership stand in solidarity with the Muslim community and will be participating as advocates and allies in these events. Our work seeks to eliminate discrimination and racism in all its form and to promote a welcoming community for all immigrants. We will be distributing our All Are Welcome here signs at the march and welcome you to pick up these materials prior to the march to show your support for contributing to creating a welcoming community as you walk.

We call the Afzaal's Our London Family because that is who they were Our London family. They may not have been born in London, but they were Londoners. All those who live in our community are Londoners - this city belongs to them as their home as much as it belongs to any of us.

London is the fastest growing city in Ontario with most of this population growth being attributed to immigration. This growth brings with it many benefits that we all enjoy so it is more important now than ever before that London is a destination for immigrants that is welcoming and offers no room for discrimination. That is why the events planned to honour the Afzaal's are so important. Immigration is not something that is happening to us it is something that is happening for us. Education and taking action will help us all to better understand and welcome change.

Together, as individuals, as organizations and as a community we will overcome this extreme act of hate, and violence to show that love and kindness speak louder. It takes all of us.