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CTV News
3 days ago
- Politics
- CTV News
London's commemoration of Afzaal family
Hundreds gathered at a vigil Friday night in London, Ont., to commemorate four years since the brutal killing of the Afzaal family. 'It's so important for us to remember what happened, to remember this family and recommit to standing united against all forms of hatred, including Islamophobia,' said Amira Elghawaby, a Special Representative on Combating Islamophobia. The family was out for an evening walk on June 6, 2021, when they were run over by Nathaniel Veltman, who was later convicted of first-degree murder and deemed a terrorist by the courts. 'It happened because they were Muslim which is deeply, deeply painful for Canadians across the country and of course London Muslims,' said Elghawaby. Advocates expressed events like this one help bring the community together, show solidarity and respect for human rights. 'This is really a whole of society issue that all Canadians benefit from supporting and addressing,' said Elghawaby. The Youth Coalition Combating Islamophobia organized the event, to ensure no other families are destroyed as a result of hate. 'We believe that silence is an enabler of hatred,' said Malik Khandakar, YCCI communications director. 'We feel the signs you give are an agreement and if you don't speak up against hatred this allows people to think it's ok.' Khandakar said more must be done to put an end to Islamophobia. 'We feel it needs a larger community because we can't just speak for ourselves. We need to have other people come out and gather. That's an important aspect of how we can move forward,' said Khandakar.
CTV News
4 days ago
- Politics
- CTV News
‘There's still a fight to fight': Marking four years since the Afzaal family attack
It has been four years since the Afzaal family was killed. CTV London's Lauren Stallone reports. June 6, 2021, was a wake-up call for Esa Islam when his cousin and her family were killed in a targeted attack. The victims were Alman Afzaal, his wife Madiha, their 15-year-old daughter Yumna and 74-year-old grandmother Talat, along with a surviving nine-year-old boy. He said he knew he had to do something to help put an end to Islamophobia. 'The terrorist that killed my cousin and her family was someone not that far out of high school himself and it shows that radicalization happens when the people are young,' he said. 'In order to actually combat that, we have to start at the same age.' Youth Coalition Combating Islamophobia Youth Coalition Combating Islamophobia. (Lauren Stallone/CTV News London) Now nearly four years later, Islam is working with other youth advocates, through the Youth Coalition Combating Islamophobia (YCCI), to prevent similar attacks from happening in the future. 'We don't have to see another family walking down the street and then killed by hate ever again,' said Islam. The YCCI is made up of individuals actively fighting Islamophobia through education, community engagement, and advocacy. 'We are canvassing around the neighborhoods around London with postcards about what is June 6, a quick paragraph that tells people what happened, why, and what we need to do as next steps,' said Islam. Islam said he hopes this is just the beginning of radical change he can be a part of. 'The unfortunate thing is that there's still a fight to fight, it's not over yet,' he said. The YCCI will be hosting an evening prayer on Friday to commemorate four years since the tragedy. 'This is something that will stay in our history forever, so we have to move past it, not by forgetting it, but by using it to fuel ourselves to make sure that it never happens again,' said Islam.
