Terrorist Attack Targeting Muslim Family - London Ontario
- themidnightmagazin
- Jul 21, 2021
- 2 min read
By: Tara Esbati
Anti-Muslim London Attack leaves 4 dead, 1 nine year old boy seriously injured
On Sunday, June 6th, a family of five was targeted and killed while going on a walk in their London Ontario neighbourhood. A father, mother, grandmother and 15-year-old daughter were all killed and the 9-year-old son was left seriously injured, as 20-year-old Nathaniel Veltman violently struck the family with his vehicle. This incident was premeditated and acted out of deep rooted Islamaphobia, which has shaken the Muslim community and many others all over the country.
The victims of this malicious attack were as follows: Salman Afzaal, 46, Madiha Salman, 44, Yumna Afzaal, 15, Salman Afzaal’s 74-year-old mother, and Fayez, 9 who remains the lone survivor. It has been confirmed that this family was targeted for their faith, indicating that Islamophobia motivated this attack. Veltman has been convicted with four counts of first-degree murder, one count of attempted murder, and could potentially be facing terrorism charges as the investigation progresses.
A vigil was held earlier this week where thousands of people gathered at the London Mosque to commemorate the victims. The formal funeral was held on Saturday, June 12th. Many other services have been held all over the country at mosques and other community centres.
This tragedy serves as a reminder that hatred and Islamophobia are still prevalent in our everyday lives, and are often systematically deep-rooted in people and societies. For many years now, Canada has held a transnational reputation for being peaceful and accepting, however, this notion often distracts from the very alive racism and Islamophobia in our communities. In just 2019, anti-muslim hate crimes rose 9% compared to the previous year, showing that Muslim individuals are too often victims of violence. Over 4 years ago, the M-103 bill was passed that sought to identify and prevent hate against Muslims, however, more political action will be needed to truly combat islamophobia.
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