Islamophobia and racism overall still a growing threat

One year ago, Yumna Afzaal’s cousin took to a stage to share memories of the 15-year-old high school student killed in 2021, along with her parents and grandmother, in a murderous act of hate in London, Ont.

“It feels as if it was only yesterday that I had the warmth of these family members with me,” Esa Islam told a large crowd of London residents and dignitaries gathered to remember the massacre. “I miss being able to go over to their house and have fun conversations about Harry Potter with Yumna or always being cared for by my aunt and uncle.”

The young man marked the tragedy for the second year this week, along with many others, including the Youth Coalition combating Islamophobia.

Instead of planning for proms and graduations, this group of teenagers and young adults have now spent two years working on ways to mark the killing of a family struck by a man in a pickup truck while out for an evening stroll. This has included creating powerful testimonial videos, as well as curriculum materials for kindergarten to Grade 12.

As part of a first official visit this past spring, I met with Esa and his relatives, now taking care of Yumna’s younger brother, orphaned by the attack.

Family expressed hope that Islamophobia will be taken seriously as a phenomenon that can have deadly consequences, undermining social cohesion in a democracy that has enshrined freedoms of belief and equality in its constitution.

They have their work cut out for them, as do many of us. A spring poll conducted by Leger, on behalf of Maple Lodge Farms, showed that less than 46 per cent of Canadians consider themselves to be allies of Muslim communities; another recent poll by Angus Reid showed Islam to be the most negatively viewed religion in the country.

Not surprising then that anxiety persists. Muslim Londoners spoke of latent fears when walking in their neighbourhoods; of children worrying about the head scarves their moms or sisters wear. Mosque leaders continue to struggle with safety issues, including whether to spend scarce funds on hiring security guards during community events.

The concerns shared were not new, nor unusual. In the top three provinces where Muslims reside — Ontario, Quebec, and Alberta — there were similar trepidations.

For instance, in Edmonton, the Sisters Dialogue collective shared how many Black Muslim women are still afraid to go out alone and will often travel in groups after a spate of attacks sent panic throughout their communities between 2020 and 2021 (corresponding with a 71 per cent increase in policereported hate crimes targeting Muslims). An awareness campaign is in the works.

There’s also a consistent lack of faith in law enforcement’s ability to hold perpetrators accountable, even as police services there and elsewhere continue to promise support.

All these worries about safety, discrimination and inclusion underline how fragile our democracy and sense of belonging are, especially at a time of growing polarization and given the pernicious effects of online hate and divisive narratives.

As political scientist and author Yascha Mounk shared recently, for a liberal society to remain thriving and vibrant, people must be free to build trust and friendships with one another while proudly holding various identities. That can only happen when, and if, we collectively counter Islamophobia and other forms of racism.

We’ll know that day has arrived when our young people are no longer planning vigils for friends and family whose lives were cut short by hate.