Wracked with grief, Sask.'s Muslim community to hold candlelight vigil after London attack

Members of Regina's Muslimcommunity are preparing to host a candlelight vigil for the four members of a family who were killedthis past weekend in what police have called a hate-motivated crime.

Police in London, Ont.,sayYumna Afzaal, 15, Madiha Salman, 44, Talat Afzaal, 74, and Salman Afzaal, 46, died on Sundayafter being struck while on a family walk by a truckdriven by a man who allegedly targetedthem for their Islamic faith.

The realities of anti-Islamic hate in Canada

3 years ago

Duration 4:56

A conversation on the realities of anti-Islamic hate in Canada with Jeff Bennett, a former PC Party candidate who wrote an online letter about the racism and bigotry he witnessed in London, Ont., and Mustafa Farooq of the National Council of Canadian Muslims.

One member of the family, nine-year-old Fayez, remains in hospital.

A 20-year-old man has been charged with four counts of murder and one count of attempted murder in the attack.

What happened in Ontario,it could happen anywhere.- Haris Khan

Haris Khan isorganizing the candlelight vigil, which is scheduled for 7 p.m. CST on Wednesday at the provincial legislature.

In an interview Khansaid the attack has left him aPakistani CanadianMuslim questioning his own safety for the first time in his life.

"It could have been me, it could have been my loved ones. They could have been targeted just because, you know... weare part of a visible minority," he said.

"What happened in Ontario, it could happen anywhere."

That sentiment has been echoed by multiple members of the Islamic faith in Saskatchewan.

Not an isolated incident

Fatima Coovadiasaid that she could see her own family in the members of the Afzaal family who were killed.

"Taking an evening walk is something that we love to do as a family. We often have my mom walking with us. And and so it really felt very close to home," she told CBC's Saskatoon Morning on Wednesday.

Coovadia saidshe has had frank and open conversations about Islamophobiaand the reality of being Muslim in Canada with her children.

The conversations become all the more important after acts of violence like the one in London, or the the recent spate ofviolence against Muslim women wearing the hijab in Alberta, she said.

"It's necessary, unfortunately, given the climate that we're living in right now," Coovadia said.

Racialized members particularly vulnerable

Daniel Khulan is co-chair of the Islamic Association of Saskatchewan (IAS)'s media communications and outreach committee.

Khulan, who is white, saidthat he likely doesn't fit what some could consider as the stereotypical Muslimman.

But he saidmembers of the community, especially those who are racialized, feel like there are targets on their back.

"Ithink there's almost this sort of constant radar that comes up just sort of assessing, 'is my situation safe,'" Khulan said.

LISTEN| CBC's Front Burner spoke with members of the Muslin community in London, Ont.

Front Burner28:22Grief, fear after the killing of a Muslim family in London, Ont.

In the wake of the hateful attack that left four Muslim family members dead and a young boy in hospital: voices from the grief-filled London, Ont., Muslim community.

He said that Canadians must come to accept that events like the attack in London are notone-offs.

"We really have to have the courage to face reality for what it is and that means that we each have to examine some uncomfortable truths about what exists in our society," he said.

Support and condemnation from politicians needed

Khan saideven talking abouthow members of the Regina community can work together and improve things has been met by hateful messages in his inbox, targeting him for his faith.

He's even received messages in the process of planning Wednesday's vigil. He said they illustrate why the event is important.

Muslim women on the fear they experience daily in Canada

3 years ago

Duration 1:44

The attacks in London, Ont., on a Muslim family highlight the fears many Muslim women in Canada feel daily, particularly when wearing a hijab or a niqab.

Local leaders and elected officials have been invited to the vigil to reassure the Muslim community in the province that they are supported.

"You can't kill innocent people just because you don't like their ethnicity or the background or you may have heard some wrong information about them," he said. "To all the politicians out there, please do condemn it, because if you keep silent, we know which side you're on."

The vigilin Regina comes a day after another gathering in the provinceto mark the attack.

On Tuesday, dozens of people honoured the Afzaal family in Saskatoon at an event organized bythe IAS.Saskatoon Mayor Charlie Clark and Saskatoon Police Chief Troy Cooper attended.

Residents are invited to attend Wednesday's vigil in Regina, but are askedto maintain social distancing, wear a face mask and follow public health guidelines.